Well I've played around a bit with the new PE7700 and here are my 1st impressions.

HD looks good thru component. I need to get a HDMI to DVI-D adapter to get the true digital signal, but HD looks good thru component.

The new Sony DVD player (75S) produced a less than spectacular, clouded, dull image thru HDMI (DVD player set to output 720p, PE7700 set to REAL mode). When I set the DVD player to output 480p thru HDMI, the picture looked good, but in REAL mode, the picture was much smaller than my 120" screen. Setting the picture mode to ANAMORPHIC increased picture size, but not picture quality. I tried every setting imaginable with the DVD player, and got no improvements. Tried it also thru component, and the projector detected the signal as 560p, and though the picture looked really good with good color and clarity, the picture was much smaller at REAL mode. Again, setting the component to be viewed at ANAMORPHIC made the picture quality worse. I have the Sony player packaged up to return tomorrow after work. I'll likely try the new Panny S52 next, and will report on that tomorrow evening/Wednesday morning.

Overall, the picture seems a bit dark with the default factory settings. I've only played with a couple things: changed preset to Cinema, gamma to Film, and sharpness to 3. I will be ordering DVE to calibrate the projector later this week. I'm going to Orlando on Thursday for a 5 days, so I'll order DVE there and should have it waiting for me when I come back.


Well, I have a Samsung DVD-HD860 and Toshiba HD-DVD players on order. I will keep the Sony and test out the other 2 players, as well as my PC DVD playback and Comcast HD over HDMI to determine if the HDMI connection may be the issue of the opinion I have with the Sony. I've also read that the new Panasonic S52S DVD upconversion player outputs 1080i over component, but that wasn't from an official Panasonic site, so it's grain-of-salt right now, but I'll try that player out too.

Well I've played around a bit with the new PE7700 and here are my 1st impressions.

HD looks good thru component. I need to get a HDMI to DVI-D adapter to get the true digital signal, but HD looks good thru component.

The new Sony DVD player (75S) produced a less than spectacular, clouded, dull image thru HDMI (DVD player set to output 720p, PE7700 set to REAL mode). When I set the DVD player to output 480p thru HDMI, the picture looked good, but in REAL mode, the picture was much smaller than my 120" screen. Setting the picture mode to ANAMORPHIC increased picture size, but not picture quality. I tried every setting imaginable with the DVD player, and got no improvements. Tried it also thru component, and the projector detected the signal as 560p, and though the picture looked really good with good color and clarity, the picture was much smaller at REAL mode. Again, setting the component to be viewed at ANAMORPHIC made the picture quality worse. I have the Sony player packaged up to return tomorrow after work. I'll likely try the new Panny S52 next, and will report on that tomorrow evening/Wednesday morning.

Overall, the picture seems a bit dark with the default factory settings. I've only played with a couple things: changed preset to Cinema, gamma to Film, and sharpness to 3. I will be ordering DVE to calibrate the projector later this week. I'm going to Orlando on Thursday for a 5 days, so I'll order DVE there and should have it waiting for me when I come back.

Do you have the lamp on high or low mode. 120" is a pretty big screen to light, but I would have thought the 7700 could do it in high mode. Low would be for 100" and smaller. Also, many found HT mode to be better than cinema mode. Cinema mode crushes low level detail, if I remember correctly. I believe that HT mode is a bit brighter/punchier as well, although it's been awhile, and my memory isn't what it used to be. :o

Do you have the lamp on high or low mode. 120" is a pretty big screen to light, but I would have thought the 7700 could do it in high mode. Low would be for 100" and smaller. Also, many found HT mode to be better than cinema mode. Cinema mode crushes low level detail, if I remember correctly. I believe that HT mode is a bit brighter/punchier as well, although it's been awhile, and my memory isn't what it used to be. :o

I have the lamp is low (economy) mode, but I will change the picture to HT mode to see what impact it has.

Kemical, this is an awesome projector for that price, which you shouldn't post btw. With the new firmware I have over 300 hours and no problems. If the problem isn't fixed I really think BenQ will take care of you. Some disagree, but someone has a bad experience with with every company on the planet. I wouldn't be too worried about it.
Warren.

Do you have the lamp on high or low mode. 120" is a pretty big screen to light, but I would have thought the 7700 could do it in high mode. Low would be for 100" and smaller. Also, many found HT mode to be better than cinema mode. Cinema mode crushes low level detail, if I remember correctly. I believe that HT mode is a bit brighter/punchier as well, although it's been awhile, and my memory isn't what it used to be. :o

I have 114" 1.4 gain screen and have used this projector in low mode without any issues. But I the last time I did high mode was for olympics and 45 mins later the bulb blew....have a hard time considerin trying high mode again....

Kemical, this is an awesome projector for that price, which you shouldn't post btw. With the new firmware I have over 300 hours and no problems. If the problem isn't fixed I really think BenQ will take care of you. Some disagree, but someone has a bad experience with with every company on the planet. I wouldn't be too worried about it.
Warren.


Thank you. And I'll fix the other thing, wasn't sure if I could or not since it was from one of our sponsored links. Thanks again and when you test the HD player out make sure to post it, I have it and one reason I am looking at this pj is because it has HDMI.

Kemical

Do you have the lamp on high or low mode. 120" is a pretty big screen to light, but I would have thought the 7700 could do it in high mode. Low would be for 100" and smaller.

I'm lighting a 142" screen with a clone (MT700) and have ran it mostly on economy. If the room has total light control, this has plenty of brightness. My screen is also 1.4 gain (Carada BW). Just fyi for anyone with similar concerns. :)

I am running a 110" diag screen (Vutec, BriteWhite - 1.5 gain) with the economy setting and it is plenty bright. Calibrated using DVE to minimize black crush. If the source allows, the picture is very good. Cannot imagine wanting any more light output (of course as the bulb fades the picture will dim).

Well, I have a Samsung DVD-HD860 and Toshiba HD-DVD players on order. I will keep the Sony and test out the other 2 players, as well as my PC DVD playback and Comcast HD over HDMI to determine if the HDMI connection may be the issue of the opinion I have with the Sony. I've also read that the new Panasonic S52S DVD upconversion player outputs 1080i over component, but that wasn't from an official Panasonic site, so it's grain-of-salt right now, but I'll try that player out too.


So here's my update. At bubbawilly's suggestion, I placed the projector in Home Theatre mode, but didn't notice too much of a difference between that and Cinema mode. I first hooked up my Comcast HD box via HDMI with the HDMI cable that comes with the Toshiba HD-DVD to verify my HDMI port on the PE7700 and the Monoprice HDMI cable were good. I next hooked up the Samsung DVD-HD860 via HDMI and put in the DVD I've been using for my testing, SW Ep. III, and it looked just slightly worse than the Sony, but not much different. Then something clicked in my head to run through the THX optimizer since I don't have Avia or DVE yet, and I was amazed by the difference. The color was better, the picture was crisper, and I was pleased. Then I pulled the Sony back out of the box, again connected it via HDMI, reran thru the THX optimizer (only a slight increase in tint was made), started the movie and saw a much better picture on the Sony. I'm sure I was just expecting too much from an upconversion, but I was happy and decided that the Samsung was definitely going back. Then I pulled out the Toshiba HD-DVD player. It has a very sleek remote, with and a nice feature where you can change from 480i to 1080i at just a push of the button, and don't have to stop the movie to do so. 480 thru the HDMI filled the entire screen even on Real mode of the PE7700. Again, no changes were needed with the THX optimizer. I noticed a slight more detail with the upconverted image with the Toshiba, but not enough to justify $370. So I will be keeping the Sony DVP-NS75H, and once I get Avia/DVE to run through, I will be a happy viewer. Thanks for all the advice so far. And I will post pics I took showing the Sony player vs. the Toshiba HD-DVD tonight.

Any recommendations as to which is better, Avia or DVE? I've read a review off Amazon that one of them is more focused on CRT TV calibration.

...
richper, go into the service menu under DLP, and reset the color wheel timing. I'm guessing that you'll find it set to "70." Back it down into the 50's, or until the banding is gone and the color transition is as smooth as possible.

Hello,
I just received my "upgraded" unit this morning. (BenqPE7700). the firmware is the latest available (jan 06). I checked the service menu, and noticed that the color wheel timing is set to "60". Should I set it to 50?
Furthermore, I am very curious about all the different parameters that can be tuned in this menu. Is it possible to find some "quick guide" or at least some help to understand what those parameters are doing? I feel a bit lost in this menu!

Thanks,
-Franck

My unit is back also. It took 9 days from UPS pickup to FedEx return. Not bad considering 4 days in-transit. Only 6 minutes on the new bulb. Firmware version 0.48. You would think that BenQ would have changed the date on the FW from the Jun 06 listing by now. rbkeats reported in post #3230 that his unit (build date of sept. 05, same as mine) came back with FW Ver. 0.49 dated 3/17. BenQ Dude posted that it was a very minor FW upgrade. So why is'nt being used on all upgrades?

I expected to notice changes to the fan speed, shutdown routine. Seems just as quiet as before and fan does not run any longer at shutdown.

Went through both user and service menus and some of the differences have me scratching my head. I have not had time to adjust with DVE. Between repair downtime and spring break with the family I was behind 3 episodes with Tony and the crew.

Out of the box the PQ looks good. Perhabs greyscale tracking is a little cooler. As to the settings:(HDMI Input)

Old 0.44 FW New 0.48 FW
User Menu
4 CONTRAST 0
-8 BRIGHTNESS 2
7 COLOR 7
0 TINT 0
0 NOISE REDUCTION 0 (greyed)
1 FILTER 1
0 SHARPNESS 0
17 OSD V 10
0 OSD H 10
0 BLACK LEVEL 0 (greyed)

RGB Gain - No Changes
512 RED
458 GREEN
473 BLUE

RGB Offset - No Changes
11 RED, GREEN, BLUE

GAMMA - No changes
+66 RED, GREEN, BLUE

DLP
-2 BRIGHTNESS -2
-49 CONTRAST: R,G,B -49
+70 CW DELAY +55
FILM DLP DEGAMMA GRAPHIC

Color Temp.- No Change: Normal

It was surprising to see with some material that I've been using as a reference that things did'nt look much different. The changes to contrast and brightness should be apparent. With the old FW and DVE even slight adjustments were visible.

Then there is the CW Delay. After reading some of the posts concerning CW Delay with the old FW, I fooled around with it. When I changed it to approx. +55 the picture was horrible. Blotchy, bleeding colors. Also looked like the worst case of macro blocking. With the upgrade +55 is fine. ???.

Have to spend some time with the DVE disc. Had some time to think about the bulb issue. If one searches the forum there are lots of problems with bulb life/premature failures across manufacturers. One thread about Sony's highly regarded (and much more expensive) Ruby had a post stating a measured drop in light output of 44.51% after just 150 hours! I was "lucky" enough to get 520 hours on the original bulb. Although I did not measure it the light output was still more than adequate. If this problem is really solved and the lamps have adequate output to 1500-2000 hours I'll be happy. The Ruby bulbs btw supposedly cost 2 1/2 times what a 7700 bulb does. Oh, and I'm using econo lamp mode with a 133" diagonal Dalite Hi-Power screen in a completely light controlled room.

One question for the experts. Decided it would be interesting to measure light output over time. Got out my Luna Pro F meter and measured the new bulb. I used the 60% flat field frame from DVE. At least it is a reference, but my guess is that is not the correct test pattern to use. Can anyone advise?

Thanks to all. Now let's go watch some HDTV

Hello,
I just received my "upgraded" unit this morning. (BenqPE7700). the firmware is the latest available (jan 06). I checked the service menu, and noticed that the color wheel timing is set to "60". Should I set it to 50?
Furthermore, I am very curious about all the different parameters that can be tuned in this menu. Is it possible to find some "quick guide" or at least some help to understand what those parameters are doing? I feel a bit lost in this menu!

Thanks,
-Franck

Not if your color gradations are fine. 60 may be the correct setting for your unit. Each unit can vary slightly. You can always slowly move the setting in either direction to see if the picture gets better or worse, then stick with the best setting.

This variation in how the firmware update affects PQ is very frustrating. Some have noticed changes (Art swears by it), and some have reported the same or worse PQ. I'm convinced that Art received a highly modified ringer as opposed to what others are getting with their updates. Additionaly, haven't some reported that the update has changed their fan's behavior?? The fact that Bronco70 just received his unit back and it only has .48 is very odd as well considering .49 has been 'available' for a month.

I was about to give this unit another try, but the lack of consistency in BenQ's approach and implementation of the firmware update leaves me puzzled to say the least. :confused:

Good point Bubbawilly,

What I don't get is how my unit, now with a CW Delay of +55 looks good but when I tried that setting with the old lamp/FW the PQ was garbage. There is something about this upgrade that is unknown. Frustrating, guess we are too used to seeing Version history with software. Evaluating fan speed is tough. SPL meters are of course, useless for this. My basement theatre is just about dead quiet. My reference for the fan noise is a comparison to the noise produced by the D* HD TiVo in a rack 12' away from the main seating position, about 8' closer than the pj. Then as now the TiVo is just a bit noiser. Thought the new FW might keep the fan on longer at shutdown because, well, why not if this has always been a heat issue. The PE8700 ramps up the fan speed as required during viewing and goes into high fan at shutdown. But you need a hush box with that puppy. All in the design decisions.

BTW, what are you using for a display device, Bubbawilly?

Hi everyone..I have been off the "grid" for a while now. I have just about 120 hours on my pj and the bulb just went out during a showing of elmo, needless to say, I have a very unhappy 2 year old.

Anyhow, was on hold with BenQ for about 2 minutes and "Tony" has been very helpful so far. I have to apparently ship my unit back for some sort of firmware update and new bulb. I was given an RMA number and told I should recieve a prepaid 2nd day air UPS label via email by morning the latest, maybe even tonight. "Tony" said that it should take 3 to 5 business days once they recieve it to have all the work done and shipped to me.

I will update everyone when this is done. However, I have been EXTREMELY pleased up to this point and would still reccomend this PJ.

Have a good night,
ITMS

I really like my PQ after the firmware. It is much better. Still if you have it calibrated properly now, it will be worse after. For those of us who haven't had them calibrated, at least me, it is much much better now. I had bad macro-blocking before the update and that is gone, and the picture looks much brighter to me. I couldn't be happier.
Warren.

Hi everyone..I have been off the "grid" for a while now. I have just about 120 hours on my pj and the bulb just went out during a showing of elmo, needless to say, I have a very unhappy 2 year old.

Anyhow, was on hold with BenQ for about 2 minutes and "Tony" has been very helpful so far. I have to apparently ship my unit back for some sort of firmware update and new bulb. I was given an RMA number and told I should recieve a prepaid 2nd day air UPS label via email by morning the latest, maybe even tonight. "Tony" said that it should take 3 to 5 business days once they recieve it to have all the work done and shipped to me.

I will update everyone when this is done. However, I have been EXTREMELY pleased up to this point and would still reccomend this PJ.

Have a good night,
ITMS
Hi,
Can only imagine the 2 year old when it's lights out. I had quite the problem with my now 12 & 13 year olds not to mention my wonderful wife's response when the bulb went (.... ..) , well out. Hard being the audio/video/remote/computer/car/roof/ whatever guru. Anyone had a Netflix disc that would not play. Our fault? Hey, "We have a blockbuster down the road"

Sorry, Back on topic: ITMS,
There seems to be no standard approach to anything at BenQ. With a needed upgrade to firmware, well is it now V. 0.48 dated Jun 06,2006 when it was actually released on Jan. 06,2006 or maybe, vaporware, V.0.49 from 3/17/06? Anybody know?

And concerning all the owners with units built after the supposed safe date of sept. 2005 and up to, perhaps march 2006, let us know. Let's keep this thread alive. Big Question: Do any of us get close to 2000 hours, let alone the claimed 3000 in Econo Mode?

I purchased mine in early 06 but only have about 150 hours on it. So far no issues... keeping fingers crossed. I hope the issues have been resolved because I love this projector. Everyone I’ve had over to audition it walks away highly impressed. Fan noise is almost non-existent and colors are rich and vibrant. Watching HD content at 720p really makes this PJ shine. I’ll keep checking back and posting updates as things progress.

...There seems to be no standard approach to anything at BenQ. With a needed upgrade to firmware, well is it now V. 0.48 dated Jun 06,2006 when it was actually released on Jan. 06,2006 or maybe, vaporware, V.0.49 from 3/17/06? Anybody know?

BEN Q DUDE confirmed weeks ago that .49 is legit. Why you received .48 on a machine updated within the last week will remain yet another BenQ mystery.

These guys are running amuck.

I really like my PQ after the firmware. It is much better. Still if you have it calibrated properly now, it will be worse after. For those of us who haven't had them calibrated, at least me, it is much much better now. I had bad macro-blocking before the update and that is gone, and the picture looks much brighter to me. I couldn't be happier.
Warren.

Consider yourself lucky! The picture, for me , is worse after the upgrade! It was 10 times better before. There is no reason why it was not calibrated correctly to give me a good picture before it was sent back to me, without a new lamp. :mad: I might add. They sent me back my old flickering lamp instead. I guess they spent a little more time on yours.

I really like my PQ after the firmware. It is much better. Still if you have it calibrated properly now, it will be worse after. For those of us who haven't had them calibrated, at least me, it is much much better now. I had bad macro-blocking before the update and that is gone, and the picture looks much brighter to me. I couldn't be happier.
Warren.

Warren I agree l like the new firmware too. Picture seems a bit brighter. To me it looks really good. No complaints.

Mark

Its been a while since I visited this thread and well.....

Oh no......you GOTTA be kidding me.

Sitting here being mad about meedio selling out right after I bought Meedio pro, I notice a flicker in my Econo mode watching TV. So I go into the setup and change it to FULL, then wait a few mins then back to Econo and the flicker goes away. So I search the forums for "flicker" and find this whole thread about firmware upgrade and 2nd lamps blowing out. And WTF HAPPENS WHILE IM READING the thread? The lamp blows. I have ideal conditions. Clean, smoke free environment. Less than 100 hours on the 2nd lamp. This sucks. Service on the 1st buld was a breeze, so I hope it goes easy the second time. I might get this working and dump it. A lot of money on a problem child. Its like a bad stock, bail out. Shame too because the image is fantastic, but not much good staring at a big blank white screen. The investigation continues.

FYI:

730 hours first bulb

Is it 1000 hours where I "own it"?

FYI:

730 hours first bulb

Is it 1000 hours where I "own it"?

I assume yours is a pre Jan 06 PE7700. to the best of my knowledge, BenQ has replaced everyone's lamps for free since they recognized the problem.

If your unit has a build date before Jan 16 (or was it 18?) they will want you to send the projector in, for the update, and new lamp. Shouldn't cost you a dime.

If yours is one of the upgraded machines and the lamp died at 730 hours, there will be rioting on this thread. -art

I really like my PQ after the firmware. It is much better. Still if you have it calibrated properly now, it will be worse after. For those of us who haven't had them calibrated, at least me, it is much much better now. I had bad macro-blocking before the update and that is gone, and the picture looks much brighter to me. I couldn't be happier.
Warren.

You are really lucky. I get my Benq back after 6 weeks... They update the firmware (0.48), and give me a new lamp.
The good thing is that the colors are very nice. The picture quality looks quite good.

The bad things: :(
- The fan is very noisy. The projector was really quiet before the upgrade, but it is making a lot of noise, like if the fan was always turning "full speed"...
- Something very strange: I always use the 7700 with my DVD player, a Denon 1910. I use HDMI, in 720p. Before the upgrade, everything was ok. Now, every 10 or 15 minutes, I get a "half second" blue screen... like if the projector was trying to "resynchronize"? It quickly detect 720p again, and switch back to my movie...
I was watching "Kingdom of heaven" yesterday, and it happens 6 or 7 times during the movie.

Does anyone know this problem?

Thanks,
-Franck

I assume yours is a pre Jan 06 PE7700. to the best of my knowledge, BenQ has replaced everyone's lamps for free since they recognized the problem.

If your unit has a build date before Jan 16 (or was it 18?) they will want you to send the projector in, for the update, and new lamp. Shouldn't cost you a dime.

If yours is one of the upgraded machines and the lamp died at 730 hours, there will be rioting on this thread. -art

Yeah, I should've clarified. Build date of Sept, 05. Purchased in Oct, 05. Quite frankly, I've been waiting for the bulb to go and so far... nothing. I was thinking of sending it in anyway just to get a new bulb out of the whole deal but some have complained about the picture not being as good, afterwards.

You are really lucky. I get my Benq back after 6 weeks... They update the firmware (0.48), and give me a new lamp.
The good thing is that the colors are very nice. The picture quality looks quite good.

The bad things: :(
- The fan is very noisy. The projector was really quiet before the upgrade, but it is making a lot of noise, like if the fan was always turning "full speed"...
- Something very strange: I always use the 7700 with my DVD player, a Denon 1910. I use HDMI, in 720p. Before the upgrade, everything was ok. Now, every 10 or 15 minutes, I get a "half second" blue screen... like if the projector was trying to "resynchronize"? It quickly detect 720p again, and switch back to my movie...
I was watching "Kingdom of heaven" yesterday, and it happens 6 or 7 times during the movie.

Does anyone know this problem?

Thanks,
-Franck

Many are experiencing newfound HDMI problems after the "upgrade." Some have experienced a change in the fan's speed, and some have not.

It's safe to say that this update isn't ready for prime time. I wouldn't send a unit in for the update until BenQ gets their act together. The myriad of new problems as a result of the new firmware just isn't right.

Yeah, I should've clarified. Build date of Sept, 05. Purchased in Oct, 05. Quite frankly, I've been waiting for the bulb to go and so far... nothing. I was thinking of sending it in anyway just to get a new bulb out of the whole deal but some have complained about the picture not being as good, afterwards.

Think we are all glad, in a way, to hear your's is a sept. build. 730 hours on the first bulb might just be a record. As has been said if problems start showing up with the upgrade at 7,8 or 900 hours call out the riot police.

Some have noticed a brighter picture with the upgrade. Not surprising. I finally got out DVE. When first shipped I was pretty impressed with the factory setup. Using Joe Kanes disc there was very little tweaking to do. Brightness, er black level was dead on at -7. After upgrade the factory set it at +2. Check the below black pluge and sure enough -7 is correct. Although according to DVE using the below black bar is not the way to set a DLP pj.(all my previous displays were CRT). This is probably OT but the greyscale ramp is the tool to use according to Mr. Kane.

I've noticed a change in fan speed/noise. Did a quick listen with less than 20 minutes on the new bulb and the noise level seemed unchanged. Yesterday, using DVE with the audio muted it became obvious that fan speed/noise had increased. About 13 hours on the bulb at this point. Still not an issue. Any audio output masks the fan noise.

Back when I checked the temp. at the exaust. It will be interesting to see what that measures now.

Well I solved my HDMI problem and it had nothing to due with the firmware. Since noone else here was reporting any HDMI problems I became convinced the problem had to be on my end. It turns out the DVI to HDMI adapter I am using is the culprit. I think the adapter is just poorly made. I noticed the HDMI end was loose while I was troubleshooting last night. I wiggled it a little and the entire HDMI end fell apart. This time I will get the 1ft cable style adapter.

Thanks to all who gave me advice to solve the problem

Mr Crackers

You are really lucky. I get my Benq back after 6 weeks... They update the firmware (0.48), and give me a new lamp.
The good thing is that the colors are very nice. The picture quality looks quite good.

The bad things: :(
- The fan is very noisy. The projector was really quiet before the upgrade, but it is making a lot of noise, like if the fan was always turning "full speed"...
- Something very strange: I always use the 7700 with my DVD player, a Denon 1910. I use HDMI, in 720p. Before the upgrade, everything was ok. Now, every 10 or 15 minutes, I get a "half second" blue screen... like if the projector was trying to "resynchronize"? It quickly detect 720p again, and switch back to my movie...
I was watching "Kingdom of heaven" yesterday, and it happens 6 or 7 times during the movie.

Does anyone know this problem?

Thanks,
-Franck

Are you using an HDMI switcher or a straight run from the Denon? How long is your HDMI cable run? Whatever the setup you might want to try the shortest direct run from DVD player to pj. IMHO the HDMI connector is a poor design keeping it securely seated can be a problem.

Let us know what the exhaust temp is, and what type of temp sensor you use.

I measured the temp on my unit at 205 with a Rat Shack IR. Probably not the best device to use for measuring air temps. The case immediately over the lamp measured 155-157, if I remember correctly. I'm sure in that case the IR was accurate.

Well I solved my HDMI problem and it had nothing to due with the firmware...

That's good to hear.

Looks good:
Back in Dec. with original bulb/0.44 FW I measured an exaust temp of 164* F. Ambient room temp. 71* F. Today new bulb/0.48 FW 149* F. Room temp 72* F. Significant reduction?

I used two temp. probes. A commercial unit designed to measure heat exchanger #'s and a Brookstone remote meat probe. They agreed within 1 deg.

Also finished up tweaking. DLP Degamma changed from graphic to Film, color temp. from Normal to Warm, brightness and contrast: small changes. PQ looks very nice, although I'm not sure any real difference from before upgrade.

Still can't understand the color wheel delay. Changed it to +70 where it was good before upgrade and it looked lousy.

Everybody read the LA Times "review", and feedback re: toshibas HD DVD player? Fun reading. So how will HD DVD/BD look coming out of the 7700? I'm waiting untill there are more titles available.

Now if the home office would send the rebate bulb. It will be four months since Ben recieved my form.

For those that like detail:

Ran the pj for about 3 hours. After about an hour the temp. went down 2 deg. to 147F. Locked on that and did'nt budge. At final shutdown, fan off, it measured 135F. Shutdown +3 min. =100F, +5=90F, +15=78F 6 deg above ambient. Thought that was promising, had concerns that temp would rise with the short cool down period with this unit. So maybe after the new design bulb all that remained was a simple heat problem. Those "environmental" issues: room at 82F=200 hours on the old setup. My situation 66-71F=520 hours. What did it take to get to 730?

Hope they have it right, finally. Now that I have the pj in close to perfect alignment with the screen (can you ever get it perfect?) it would be nice to only punch power once to start and twice to quit for the next 2000 hours.

Those with the lastest firmware, check your ballast temperature in the service menu. Am interested in whether temp. has gone down from approx. +5900.

Jeff,
On 12/29/05 My unit had a ballast temp reading of +6087. Today the reading with FW 0.48, +5637. What is the interest? I have no clue as to the importance of that number or what it means. Please enlighten.

Are you using an HDMI switcher or a straight run from the Denon? How long is your HDMI cable run? Whatever the setup you might want to try the shortest direct run from DVD player to pj. IMHO the HDMI connector is a poor design keeping it securely seated can be a problem.


Hello,

I am using a straight cable (DVI to HDMI) from my Denon to my DVD. the cable is around 6 meters...
The strange thing is that everything was working well before the upgrade (PE7700, built date August 05). I just noticed the HDMI problem this week, with the upgraded unit...
So, I guess that it is somehow correlated with the new firmware?

-Franck

Before firmware & bulb replacement 1hr+ running time
Ambient Temp 51F
Inlet temp +1312
Ballast temp +6675

Firmware .48 & new bulb
Ambient Temp 70F
Inlet temp +2275
Ballast temp +7575

Checked the outlet temps with the Radio Shack ir temp unit last night. After running more than 1hr, depending on where you aim it different results. 100F - 195F was the range I could produce. Ambient temp 71F.

Mr Crackers

Here is the temperature info I posted on Feb 12th. Ambient temp 68 degrees.

Thermal Test:

Main: Old: +48 +2700 New: +47 +2700
DMD: Old: 0 0 New: 0 0
Blower: Old: +51 +4950 New: +53 +5000
Power: Old: +48 +2700 New: +47 +2700
Inlet Temp: Old: +2275 New: +2200
Ballast Temp: Old: +5250 New: +4950
Fan Control: Both: Auto

Still OK after 150 hours on new bulb and 0.48 firmware. I never noticed any fan changes running in High Altitude mode all the time.

I own the Toshiba, but I would be truly alarmed with the temperatures you guys are mentioning.

My best guess is that the Temperature is in C * 100. So Mr Crackers outlet temp of +7575 I believe is 75.75 C or an amazing 168 F. Your inlet of 2275 is 22.75 C or about 73 F.

I run my unit in High Altidude mode and I run about 15 degrees C above ambient. So this winter I was about 20C inlet (68 F) and ballast temp 35C (95F). When I used to run in normal mode the temp was around 50C-55C (130F).

If you are running that hot, I would try to run in High mode for an hour or two and the unit will cool about 30 degrees F.

My experience is that in High mode the fan speed stays the same speed all the time so you won't hear any changes while in High mode, but it is much louder than the normal mode.

I own the Toshiba, but I would be truly alarmed with the temperatures you guys are mentioning.

My best guess is that the Temperature is in C * 100. So Mr Crackers outlet temp of +7575 I believe is 75.75 C or an amazing 168 F. Your inlet of 2275 is 22.75 C or about 73 F.

I run my unit in High Altidude mode and I run about 15 degrees C above ambient. So this winter I was about 20C inlet (68 F) and ballast temp 35C (95F). When I used to run in normal mode the temp was around 50C-55C (130F).

If you are running that hot, I would try to run in High mode for an hour or two and the unit will cool about 30 degrees F.

My experience is that in High mode the fan speed stays the same speed all the time so you won't hear any changes while in High mode, but it is much louder than the normal mode.


I was wondering about those temps... LOL I was thinking they were running nuclear reactors rather than projectors... ;-)

...100F - 195F was the range I could produce. Ambient temp 71F.

Mr Crackers

Maybe my IR wasn't that far off. I was getting a pretty consistant 202-205F at the exhaust.

"Everybody read the LA Times "review", and feedback re: toshibas HD DVD player? Fun reading. So how will HD DVD/BD look coming out of the 7700? I'm waiting untill there are more titles available."
It looks very good!!

My ballast temperature is high compared to what others are reporting for the same inlet temps. I am going to switch to high altitude settings and post the results. I believe a cooler bulb will last longer.

Mr Crackers

"Everybody read the LA Times "review", and feedback re: toshibas HD DVD player? Fun reading. So how will HD DVD/BD look coming out of the 7700? I'm waiting untill there are more titles available."
It looks very good!!

It will look awesome until the lamp goes out.

It will look awesome until the lamp goes out.

As one who is a fairly new "investor" (I mean in terms of time spent reading this saga and the then knowing all to well the angst when what is expected actually comes to fruition) a simple, friendly, question. Bubbawilly, a few posts back, you said that you might give the 7700 a second chance. Are you saying that you are not using a 7700 as a display device at this point in time? For those of us sticking with this piece of equipment the only interest, would seem to be whether or not 0.48 and whatever the bulb is that is shipping has resolved all Reasonable concerns. Since this has all changed for users since Feb. we don't have the answers yet. Only time will tell.

As a side note went to best buy today to look at tosh HD DVD. Demo unit buried back against a wall running surprisingly through HDMI to a 42" westy plasma. Have to wonder if the right marketing funds were spent on this release. Next up BD. Fasten your seatbelts we're in for a bumpy ride.

Fellow Posters,

If when I get back my PJ and it does not look as good or better than it did before I sent it in, I can promise you they will be getting it right back with a deamnd for a new one or at the very least mine fixed.

Also, I am only willing to do this warranty dance 3 times (one down) before I drag their sorry buts into court (small claims) and demand my full costs back including some damages.

Frankly I am surprised at how long some of you have been willing to put up with BenQ. With all of the people having the same issue there is obviousley a defective product hanging from most of our ceilings. I am quite shocked there hasn't been a manufacturer recall of this product.

If I remember correctly, we are supposed to have a "replacement" warranty for the first year or is it 2. Anyhow has anyone actually recieved a replacement?

I really hate being screwed by large companies. This guy isn't dropping the soap for them if you catch my drift.

Anyhow, we will see once I get the PJ back.

Signed "One angy PJ owner"

Just got mine back from BenQ... really quick turnaround. They did install the .48 firmware upgrade and a new bulb... ran Avia on it and everything looks really good so far. We'll see how long this one lasts.

Guys

I added a question/comment to the tweak thread, for those that do not follow that thread, please take a look if u have a chance.

thx

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=654791&page=3

I tried answering your question in the above mentionned thread.

...Bubbawilly, a few posts back, you said that you might give the 7700 a second chance. Are you saying that you are not using a 7700 as a display device at this point in time? For those of us sticking with this piece of equipment the only interest, would seem to be whether or not 0.48 and whatever the bulb is that is shipping has resolved all Reasonable concerns. Since this has all changed for users since Feb. we don't have the answers yet. Only time will tell.

As a side note went to best buy today to look at tosh HD DVD. Demo unit buried back against a wall running surprisingly through HDMI to a 42" westy plasma. Have to wonder if the right marketing funds were spent on this release. Next up BD. Fasten your seatbelts we're in for a bumpy ride.

I've been using a Panasonic as a stop-gap until I can find a DLP without major issues. I looked into the Optoma H78/79 after I returned the 7700, only to see that they were dimming to 50% after 150 hours or so, and their lamps were popping at 300 to 500. Twice what the 7700 was getting at the time, but still unacceptable. The next release of DLP's had an offset that wasn't suitable for my installation, and the recent InFocus models seem to only modestly improve on the high fan noise of their previous jet engines. The very soon to be released Optoma 7100 sounds to have taken a step back 5 years in time wrt SDE, according to pre-release reviews. The Samsung may be the way to go.

I continue to follow the 7700 saga, and you are correct, only time will tell. It will be a few more months before we will see if folks are getting >150-250 hours on their units, and several more before we see if the lamps last beyond 300 to 500.

What do you mean about your "marketing funds" comment?

I've been using a Panasonic as a stop-gap until I can find a DLP without major issues. I looked into the Optoma H78/79 after I returned the 7700, only to see that they were dimming to 50% after 150 hours or so, and their lamps were popping at 300 to 500. Twice what the 7700 was getting at the time, but still unacceptable. The next release of DLP's had an offset that wasn't suitable for my installation, and the recent InFocus models seem to only modestly improve on the high fan noise of their previous jet engines. The very soon to be released Optoma 7100 sounds to have taken a step back 5 years in time wrt SDE, according to pre-release reviews. The Samsung may be the way to go.

I continue to follow the 7700 saga, and you are correct, only time will tell. It will be a few more months before we will see if folks are getting >150-250 hours on their units, and several more before we see if the lamps last beyond 300 to 500.

What do you mean about your "marketing funds" comment?

As usual you make several good points. Panny 900? Gave that one serious consideration. Light loss is as you comment a big issue for lots of pj's. The Ruby, reported at 45% down at 150 hours etc. One of the reasons I chose a Dalite Hi- Power screen, apart from knowing from experience how good it looks and importantly does not suffer from "waves" was to maximize brightness to allow for the inevitable lamp reduction over time. Fan noise, yep have heard the infocus models. Another good point you bring up concerns placement flexibilty. In my case where I wanted to mount on the ceiling required a Zero offset option. Not to many units allow that. Great time to be a Audio/Video phile. Would be nice to run the 7700 for 2-3 years and then move to a 1080P display when there is content to take advantage of.

About my marketing funds comment. Really did not get my thought in proper context. Like most, I find it sad that a new format war is upon us. I'm old enough to have lived through Beta v. VHS and still have a problem with the actions of BB's main competitor that confused and delayed DVD's launch. I just think that Toshiba is not taking advantage of HD-DVD's launch. They have an open field for at least a short time. Even AVS fanatics are more likely to see the first Hi-Def optical format at a place like BB than anewhere else. If it is the steak, where is the sizzle? Not on a 42" westy plasma.
Regards

Well its my fault I didnt get her name, but a girl at Benq said a shipper was coming today and to put "Quality service" info and rma # on the box and wait for the shipper. Sounds good in theroy but after a few calls to benq when no shipper shows up, they were suposed to send me a lable to put on the box and ship myself.....blah.....grrr....ok I dont care as long as it works and stays working when I get it back.

Toshiba was shot by the studios. They promised content and were delivered almost none. If they had the studio support they might have had a better advantage, but as it is they will both be out for a while before there is content for either.
The 73" they used for the roaming demo was quite nice.
Myself, I plan to go Blu-Ray and 1080p projection this year.

Good luck Warren. I don't plan on seeing any decent stuff on Blu-Ray (or reasonably priced players) until the middle of next year at best. That's why I decided to get the Sony DVP-NS75H upconverting player (at half the price of a S97). It satisfies my peculiar requirements for the next 2-3 years, by which time the Blu-Ray/HD-DVD war should have shown some kind of trend (maybe).

Hi guys,

Long story short, I had a benq 8700 that had dvi issues, sent it for repairs, got it back without being repaired, sent it back again for replacement and got a 8700 refurb that has 1500 hours more that my original one. So I got really pissed and talked with them, now they are offering to get me a 8700 with similar hours as my original one, or give me a refurb 7700.

Not knowing a whole lot about 7700, thought this would be a good place to ask in this thread. I, in no way mean to threadjack, but am sincerly looking for answers from the people who do have the projector.

If I get the 7700, it will come with a 2 yr warrenty.

What would you guys do? would you get the 8700 or 7700?


Thanks so much for your advice.


Not knowing a whole lot about 7700, thought this would be a good place to ask in this thread. I in no way mean to threadjack, but am sincierly looking for answers from the people who do have th projector.

If I get the 7700, it will come with a 2 yr warrenty.

What would you guys do? would you get the 8700 or 7700?


Thanks so much for your advice.

Hi Native

This would be a tough call for me. My brother has had a 8700 for about three years now so I can compare the two. Purchased my 7700 in Dec. and have about 550 hours on it. You need to spend sime time reading through this thread to understand the bulb problem that has been a big pain in the posterior for just about all 7700 owners. As an example I was "lucky" enough to get 520 hours on my original bulb before it blew. Many other owners have been through 2, even 3 bulbs and if memory serves failure at 150-200 hours was common. We all hope that with a redesigned bulb and the new firmware that was released in Feb. our repaired/updated 7700's are now good for the long haul. Problem is that it is too early to tell. Nobody has enough hours on the upgrade yet.

OK, that being said, the comparison. The 7700 is considerably quieter. If I had an 8700 it would need a hush box. Not so the 7700. Overall PQ: the edge to the 7700, brighter, maybe a bit better black level. Some have reported seeing rainbows with the 8700. Looking for it on the 7700 the only time I was able to see it was with a DVE test pattern, never on program material. The 7700 has a HDMI input so you would need an adapter. One thing to consider: unlike the 8700, the 7700 has a 0.0 offset (the center of the lens has to be in line with the top or bottom of the screen edge).

Hope this helps.

Some have reported seeing rainbows with the 8700. Looking for it on the 7700 the only time I was able to see it was with a DVE test pattern, never on program material.
Lucky you.

Thanks bronco for your info. the offset does make a difference for me, and my set up.

I think I'll go with the 8700.

Thanks again.

Over the last couple of days, I have done a tremendous amount of reading on the BenQ PE7700 on this thread. Currently, the 8720 is just out of my price range. Therefore, I am looking at a new 7700 with the update. My questions is should I spend the money now on this projector and hope for the best?
Next question, after this product goes past one year, does BenQ still honor the bulb situation. And lastly, is BenQ offering to trade up to the 8720 at a fair price. Please let me know!

Thanks bronco for your info. the offset does make a difference for me, and my set up.

I think I'll go with the 8700.

Thanks again.
Good Luck

Over the last couple of days, I have done a tremendous amount of reading on the BenQ PE7700 on this thread. Currently, the 8720 is just out of my price range. Therefore, I am looking at a new 7700 with the update. My questions is should I spend the money now on this projector and hope for the best?
Next question, after this product goes past one year, does BenQ still honor the bulb situation. And lastly, is BenQ offering to trade up to the 8720 at a fair price. Please let me know!

Easier to answer last to first.
BenQ, as far as I know has no trade up offer.
They have been honoring the warranty on the bulb past one year. They released a statement some time back concerning the problem. Any pj with a manufacturing date before, I believe it was Jan 16 2006, was eligible for a new bulb and firmware update. BenQ's warranty is 3 years overall but the bulb is a seperate warranty of 3 months or 500 hours whichever comes first. One question that I don't think has come up: what about units built after Jan. 2006. Maybe none of those are suffering premature bulb failure?

Now for the hard question. Buy now and keep your fingers crossed? Back when I was deciding on which pj to buy there were 3 make or break issues. I needed a short throw distance and a 0.0" mounting offset in a unit that had enough light output for a 133" diagonal screen. That resulted in a short list of choices. With all that has gone on with the 7700 in the past months if I were to purchase now it would probably be a Panny 900.

Greetings all,

BenQ has finally posted the scoop on the lamp/firmware upgrade.

......




I've joined the club - with 118 hrs usage in 7th month and the lamp died :(
The problem is that BenQ in my region (BenQ Hong Kong) is not admitting the bulb issue in PE7700.

I'm trying to locate the page Art posted above (in #2555) but BenQ US has already taken it offline. I've posted a query to their site (BenQ US) but there is no resposne.

Does anyone have copy of that "admittal page" or if it is online somewhere else ?

The link i was trying to access is "benq.us/serviceandsupport/library.cfm?ac=1&alid=880&StartParent=594&OpenArticles=399,0#880"

Thanks in advance.

The page is gone. Just call the support number. I did and they were aware of the exact issue without any questions.

The page is gone. Just call the support number. I did and they were aware of the exact issue without any questions.

Gee, I thought this thread was about to get lively again. That is good to hear.

Talked with someone at BENQ who said that there are people who have the post Jan 06 new bulb with 1000+ hours and no problems yet, for what its worth.

Talked with someone at BENQ who said that there are people who have the post Jan 06 new bulb with 1000+ hours and no problems yet, for what its worth.

Well, Before I get to the "post Jan 06 new bulb" what about the offset problem? Whatever, there is no "post jan 06 bulb". The story from ben (notice lower caps, they reported a 1st qtr loss of 4.99 Billion) has been that there was a problem with the original bulbs. All fixed by a man. date of AUG. 2005, WELL, MAYBE NOT. So we go to plan # 2 why did'nt we come up with a new firmware ? So they do. Is it v.0.48 or 0.49 who at this point knows? Finally, I want to see a posting from someone who reaches 1000 hours on a 7700 bulb in use.

Talked with someone at BENQ who said that there are people who have the post Jan 06 new bulb with 1000+ hours and no problems yet, for what its worth.

Where are these "people" who have been using their 7700 an average of over 9 hours a day for the 110 days since January 6th (assuming they had updated units on the 7th)? :rolleyes:

Hopefully, BenQ has been testing at least a dozen 7700's since before the firmware update was released to the public. Every tech in that company should be firing up a projector the minute they arrive in the morning, turning it off at lunch, firing it up again after, and shutting it down as they leave for home. If they were doing just that, even they wouldn't have 1000 hours on the lamps yet.

I don't know where he got the info, but that's what he said. I'm still going with my 8700.

The story from ben (notice lower caps, they reported a 1st qtr loss of 4.99 Billion)

I'm guessing you meant to say 4.99 million. Even GM can't loose 4.99 Billion in a quarter (yet). :D

I'm guessing you meant to say 4.99 million. Even GM can't loose 4.99 Billion in a quarter (yet). :D

Go to BenQ's main page. Under press room second listing down 04.24, 1st qtr sales: $57.9 billion, net loss after tax: $4.99 billion. For 2005 they reported something like $164 billion gross sales. My point is that as big a deal as they are, they should have no problem in taking care of our little product issue.

I think what they are quoting on their site is Taiwan's dollar, and not US.

Search under MSN moneycentral under BENQ demonstrates the following:

"BenQ posted a net loss of T$4.99 billion (US$155 million) in the first quarter ended March, compared with a T$300 million net profit a year ago and T$6.02 billion net loss in the previous quarter."

I guess they are all over the place...

More reason than ever to have not just good, but GREAT customer service and treat us right.

Thanks bronco for your info. the offset does make a difference for me, and my set up.

I think I'll go with the 8700.

Thanks again.

Make sure if you do go with the 8700 that you get the newer 8700+.
Which is the better model! Keep in mind that the fan noise level is pretty loud, that's why I sold mine!!

Search under MSN moneycentral under BENQ demonstrates the following:
"BenQ posted a net loss of T$4.99 billion (US$155 million) in the first quarter ended March, compared with a T$300 million net profit a year ago and T$6.02 billion net loss in the previous quarter."

I though BenQ was owned by Taiwan's ACER or it was spun off from ACER. Do you know if ACER has any stake in BenQ?

Sept Build
Oct Purchase

Well, my ride is OVER. I'm not really bitter. It really was just a matter of time. I had checked the lamp hours earlier: 768

Now, I'm just another one of the statistics.

Six,
That's ok. You just got 768 free hours. Now get the firmware update with a new bulb.

Has anyone tried hooking up HDMI from the new Toshiba HD-XA1 to their PE7700 with the new .48 firmware? I just bought the Toshiba today and it work fine with my Sanyo PLV-Z3 but it will not sync on the BenQ and keeps giving me HDMI ERROR 1 on the Toshiba. I've tried everything and no go. If I put a regular non-HD dvd in the Toshiba it plays just fine over HDMI but not HD-DVD. It's almost as though the BenQ is not HDCP compatible but it is supposed to be. Frustrations never end with this PJ.

Hi guys. I've been looking at getting these 3D glasses working on my PE7700: edimensional com (hmmm, it won't let me post urls till I've made 5 posts...)

On my CRT monitor the 3D effect is fantastic. Now I want the same effect but 13' across ;)

Apparently many DLP pjs will work with these if
1) You can disable progressive scan (i.e. de-interlacing)
2) The delay between signal and projection isn't too great

I won't know about number 2 until I can get past number 1. When I tried the glasses with the pj it was clearly the de-interlacing that was keeping it from working.

So does anyone know how to disable it? I had a look through the factory menu and couldn't see anything.

Has anyone tried hooking up HDMI from the new Toshiba HD-XA1 to their PE7700 with the new .48 firmware? I just bought the Toshiba today and it work fine with my Sanyo PLV-Z3 but it will not sync on the BenQ and keeps giving me HDMI ERROR 1 on the Toshiba. I've tried everything and no go. If I put a regular non-HD dvd in the Toshiba it plays just fine over HDMI but not HD-DVD. It's almost as though the BenQ is not HDCP compatible but it is supposed to be. Frustrations never end with this PJ.

I remember seeing some one in HD DVD PLAYERS forum FIRST END USERS REPORT thread that had PE 7700 and it worked fine. Just do a search.

Mark

I just got my BenQ back with the new firmware and I will see if I can get it hooked up to the Toshiba HD-DVD player this afternoon.

I'm also going to do a complete ISF calibration and review changes to the service menu settings and will post my results as soon as possible.

Haven't been to this thread in a while - our second bulb just died. They said we needed to send it back to get some heatsink issue fixed.

What is the latest feedback on this? Does this seem to fix the issue?

I just got my BenQ back with the new firmware and I will see if I can get it hooked up to the Toshiba HD-DVD player this afternoon.

I'm also going to do a complete ISF calibration and review changes to the service menu settings and will post my results as soon as possible.

Thanks Kevin,

I think that would be of interest to a lot of us. I have not had the time to dig in yet but am not sure the PQ has changed for the better since new bulb/0.48.

"heatsink" ? Anybody have a clue??

Just got back from BB and solved my PE7700 Toshiba HD-XA1 HDMI problem. HD DVD forum suggested using better HDMI cable than the one that came with the DVD player. I got a good audio quest HDMI cable, hooked it up the PE7700 and WOW here we go. Best images I have ever seen on the PE7700 and the Sanyo PLV-Z3.

So how is High Def DVD on this unit? Better than HDTV?

PS - anyone have any clue on my previous question?

My issue with the HD-XA1 and the PE7700 was acutally two issues. First the quality of the HDMI cable that comes with the player. The BenQ will need a better cable. Second is the existing DVI switch setup I have to be able to switch two sources (Sat. HDTV,OPPO DVD) to both the BenQ and the Sanyo. When I feed the HD-XA1 HDMI output directly to either projector, I have no problems (except for BenQ needs better cable). When I try to integrate the HD-XA1 through my existing DVI switch, neither projector works. My conclusion is that the existing DVI switch I have is not HDCP compatible. It is two years old and may not have been compliant. I have had no issues with HDTV via HDMI and DVI in my existing system but I don't think HDTV is HDCP and the Toshiba HD DVD player is the first acutal experience that my existing setup has had with HDCP. My solution will be to get a Gefen 2x2 HDMI switch (HDCP compatible) and try it. Need to be able to solve this issue because manually switching HDMI cables is not acceptable to me. As far as immage quality goes, you will not be dissapointed. HD DVD exceeds anything I have seen on HD DVDs over satellite HD channels. It makes the performance of both the Sanyo and BenQ equal. For HDTV I prefer the BenQ but for HD DVD, I cannot see any difference. It puts the Sanyo into another league. Like getting an upgrade.

Sweet... I'll be waiting a year or so when more DVDs (and players) are available in High Def, but its good to know that our unit will be ready ;).

Still waiting on feedback about my other question ;)...

Haven't been to this thread in a while - our second bulb just died. They said we needed to send it back to get some heatsink issue fixed.

What is the latest feedback on this? Does this seem to fix the issue?
Has your projector been sent in for the new bulb design AND the new firmware yet?
If not, you need to send it in to Ben Q. This will fix the early blown bulb issue. That's what BenQ told us.

Looking for a projector in the 2-4 range, read a great review on this unit but should I even consider it with all of its lamp and heatsink issues? Is there anywhere in LA i can see this unit, I have also been thinking about the panasonic 900, optoma hd72 and the infocus IN76 <---Confused

Looking for a projector in the 2-4 range, read a great review on this unit but should I even consider it with all of its lamp and heatsink issues? Is there anywhere in LA i can see this unit, I have also been thinking about the panasonic 900, optoma hd72 and the infocus IN76 <---Confused

TV Authority had the 7700 marked down to a very tempting price for about 3 or 4 weeks, but it's now back up to regular price. At the reduced price it may have been worth the risk, but at regular price I would look to any one of the other 3 models that you mentioned, and add the Samsung 710 to your list.

It's far too soon to tell if BenQ has the lamp issue corrected.

I know we cant talk price on here but what range is the 710 in?

I believe that its current MSRP puts it squarely into this forum, although the majority of the talk on this unit is over on the >$3500 forum since it intro'd a little higher.

Just for the record: I called BenQ and pressed "1" for customer service. The phone rang 4 times, someone answered and took all my info and said that I would have a label sent to my email by the evening. Total time was about 10 minutes.

I didn't have t listen to any of the dreaded "on hold music". So far, so good. :)

Thanks for the tip!!

Just for the record: I called BenQ and pressed "1" for customer service. The phone rang 4 times, someone answered and took all my info and said that I would have a label sent to my email by the evening. Total time was about 10 minutes.

I didn't have t listen to any of the dreaded "on hold music". So far, so good. :)

I had a similar experience last month: called, no hold time,after info transfer just "ok UPS will pick up tomorrow" total time also about 10 min. With 4 days in transit total door to door = 9 days. So BenQ is over the worst with this problem and they will get back to excellent customer support? Now about that rebate bulb.....

came home from work today and my returned 7700 is waiting to be reinstalled. Think Im going to fashion a hush box for it with some low spinning 120s and a dust filter. Time to log some hours in the HT.

Off topic and thread, but anyone know if BF2 has a patch or fix that allows for 1280x720 without screwing up the display or a half ass solution?

UPDATE:
Installed it again. Hooked up my new Sony HDR-HC3. So far teh same stunning image I had grown to love. The HC3 is amazing. Aside from some vertical banding that Ive not yet researched, the image is amazing for a handheld camcorder. So so good with the PJ, but the lens sure looked like there was a finger print smudge on it.....Got the little green ".48" sticker on the bottom.....

I had a similar experience last month: called, no hold time,after info transfer just "ok UPS will pick up tomorrow" total time also about 10 min. With 4 days in transit total door to door = 9 days. So BenQ is over the worst with this problem and they will get back to excellent customer support? Now about that rebate bulb.....

You can forget about the rebate lamp for 6 months. I had the rudest person ever at the rebate center including the supervisor, and Benq needs to know!! The 2 people I talked to were terribly rude. They sounded like broken records saying over and over the same thing, which was that the rebate form states that it takes 6 months to process the rebate, with the worst attitude I have ever heard, especially from a supervisor. I would never talk my customers in the way that they talked to me!!
In other words they will not send out any lamps until 6 months have passed even if they have the lamps and could. This is the worst rebate program I have ever seen from a company. I have sent out plenty of rebates in my life, and whether it was cash or merchandise it arrived within a reasonable time frame. Never have I seen anything drag out for 6 months, pitiful!!
I'd like to hear from people who might have received their lamps sooner, because I feel we are being taken advantage of right now, and we should all file complaints with the company for making us wait 6 full months, especially if others were processed sooner. We know that they have the lamps, because they are sending them out to people who have problems, but not to the customers who purchased the projector while they advertised a free lamp with the PE7700 purchase!! I even wonder if they will send them out after the 6 months have passed? :mad:

I believe these lamps do have a limited shelf life, so ideally you wouldn't it sooner than that. Also, there could be other improvments made to the lamp in the next 6 months. Myself, I would prefer they wait a year to send my spare lamp.
Warren.

I believe these lamps do have a limited shelf life, so ideally you wouldn't it sooner than that. Also, there could be other improvments made to the lamp in the next 6 months. Myself, I would prefer they wait a year to send my spare lamp.
Warren.

A year from now you'll probably get a lamp that was manufactured last month!! And will probably go out and they will make you pay for a new one! I don't believe Benq anymore. Way to many different answers to the same questions. If you prefer to wait, that's your choice, but I would rather get my lamp and test it out to see if will be ok! A rebate is usually an incentive to get people to make purchases for their product line, they should follow through at there end, if we buy because of a rebate program! To me that's only being fair to the consumer.

In other words they will not send out any lamps until 6 months have passed even if they have the lamps and could. This is the worst rebate program I have ever seen from a company. I have sent out plenty of rebates in my life, and whether it was cash or merchandise it arrived within a reasonable time frame. Never have I seen anything drag out for 6 months, pitiful!!
\

Of course 6 months is ridiculus, however, figure that BenQ, like everyone else, orders their lamp quanities many months in advance. We can probably assume that they know how many lamps they are getting, in the next 90 days...

If I were a person with a failed lamp, I'd be glad, and praising BenQ for having a spare lamp ready to ship to me, and not have to wait a month or two for a replacement - as was the case in the fall when lamps started to fail in high numbers.

Assuming they are still limited in the number of lamps they can get (and to my knowledge the PE7700 is the only BenQ model to use that lamp). I have to say that putting them out to people who desparately need one makes more sense than sending them to someone who will simply have it sit on their shelf for 6 months, a year or more.

I suspect that as BenQ continues to replace/upgrade units, they will also no longer need as many lamps, and they'll start catching up, but that's just a guess. Historically (and BenQ has run many lamp rebates on biz projectors over the years, they have shipped replacement lamps mostly in the 8 week timeframe.

BTW, yes I too have read that these are all mercury pressure type lamps, and technically they leak tiny amounts of gas while sitting on the shelf. So, a two year old, unused lamp, likely is NOT as good as a 6 month old unused lamp. (however when they are free, do we really care?) -art

If these lamps were shelf life sensitive, I would expect the packaging to clearly indicate the date of manufacture. They do not.

If these lamps were shelf life sensitive, I would expect the packaging to clearly indicate the date of manufacture. They do not.

A reasonable point, and if these were high volume products, like AA batteries, or something highly perishable, like milk or steak, I'm sure they would.

For that matter many projectors don't have manufacturing dates stamped on them. I just looked at the Optoma HD72, and the Sanyo PLV80 - no manufacturing date.

There are a great many products out there that deteriorate slightly over time that aren't date stamped. I'm pretty sure even a conventional 60 watt light bulb must change over time since its in a partial vacuum, and glass is not a perfect container.

Even lumber from the lumber yard probably has slightly different properties if it's 3 months old or a year old.

Capacitors, in general deteriorate with age (at least they always did in the past). And to my knowledge most power supplies use capacitors. Yet you won't find manufacturing dates on most small devices with power supplies, like an electric shaver, or a food blender?

I don't think the loss over time, in a UHP (ultra high pressure) lamp, is great enough to be of big concern to most. And since a lamp model will vary tremendously in terms of how long they last in the same projector, from one user to the next, who would notice if a 2 year old new lamp has lost 10% of potential life. Especially considering that with normal day to day usage, probably 10% of the 2000 hour rated lamps (on a projector with no formal issues) will not make it to 1000 (50% of rated) hours before blowing. That's why almost all manufacturers provide 90 or 180 warranties and typically 500 hours. They know these lamps are not that consistant, certainly not like an alkaline battery. Who knows - even transport may affect a UHP lamp. If they are shipped by air - to the PJ manufacturer and then maybe again to you, the consumer, perhaps a high pressure device in a "thinner atmosphere" might be more affected by the filights.

So, I'll stick with what I (and others) have heard from people who should know (I've definitely been told this by at least a couple of projector product managers), that there is some degradation in these lamps over time, even sitting on a shelf. -a

In other words, the issue probably isn't worth worrying about. (Hmm, would the lamp last longer if I kept it in the frig, or the freezer?)

but I would rather get my lamp and test it out to see if will be ok! A rebate is usually an incentive to get people to make purchases for their product line, they should follow through at there end, if we buy because of a rebate program! To me that's only being fair to the consumer.

I agree with you. sooner is better than waiting, but, my experience with BenQ is that with biz projector free lamp programs, they quote 6-8 weeks, and most of the time in the last 2 years or so, their fulfilment company typically took most of the 8 weeks to fulfill.

So, again, I suspect that BenQ is still faced with a lamp shortage. Probably they should have killed off the free lamp program, but , hey, it's what the consumer likes. BenQ has had excellent sales success with biz projectors because of it, and Sanyo, I just recently heard was very pleased with their free lamp promo for the PLV-Z4...

So it sounds like BenQ is trying to cover all bases. IF they have truly fixed the lamp problem with the 2006 stamped projectors, than it is unlikely that anyone who has one, will blow a lamp in the six months from the time they bought it.

If people who bought 2005 units are still waiting for lamps, that's a whole other matter. I'm sure they want their spare now, so that if their original blows, they can at least finish watching the basketball playoffs or whatever, before sending the unit in. -a

Hi Art,

Your last paragraph gets to the salient point. I for one do not want to be placed in the same situation again when all of a sudden it's show over, dark in the HT and the significant other along with the peanut gallery go: "ok tech meister, Mr. Fixit Expert, you are gonna put the spare bulb in now---Right?" Point being without the rebate lamp offer I would have spent the $400 up-front to avoid the situation. If the fix does work this time a second spare seems excessive so give me the promised free one. I will have to drag out the rebate form to see if it does say up to 6 months to recieve. That would be in the running for longest redemption time.

The Fifth Element, somehow I've never seen it. Is the PQ killer reference quality?

Now if Kevin would give us his evaluation of factory changes with the 0.48FW we could get some discussion going again while we wait for the verdict.

Thanks to all,

Joe

Hi Art,

The Fifth Element, somehow I've never seen it. Is the PQ killer reference quality?


Joe

Absolutely. Even the regular version is excellent! In fact its amazing that you still see manufacturers running it to demo their projectors at shows like Cedia, despite the movie being at least five years old. Normally they like to run recent big hits, not relatively obsure sci-fi.)

Better still, than the standard edition, is the superbit verison (labeled Ultimate Edition). You can usually find that one at Best Buy, Amazon, etc.

And it really is a fun movie, plus great special effects. It may never have been a big box office movie, but certainly has a huge following.

The Fifth Element Super-Bit edition is a favorite of video testers because of its excellent mastering and color accuracy. It's goofy fun and definitely falls under the category of "eye candy."

Yesterday, I hooked up the PE7700 and did a preliminary calibration. I'm going to burn the bulb in a bit before posting my settings. My color wheel delay was dead on, so maybe they are setting this as part of the upgrade.

I hooked it up to the Toshiba HD-DVD player and continue to be impressed with the picture this projector can throw. If BenQ has fixed the lamp issue, the 7700 may rise to the top again, especially with the current price.

I will try to post some settings on Saturday, but I didn't notice any major changes other than having to turn down Green Gain more than in the past, but that may be because of a slight spectrum change from the new bulb.

I really like my 7700 now and I am just shooting on BO Cloth. I just ordered a Silverstar so can't wait to see that.

The Fifth Element failed in the box office because it was advertised as the next "Star Wars", which it isn't. The style in the previews didn't really match the film. After watching it I was very disappointed. I thought this is just "Die Hard" in space. Then I realized "Die Hard" in space is a really good thing. By my fifth viewing I was totally in love with the film... and Milla Jovavich. The quality of the Superbit version is just amazing. If all DVD's looked so good HD DVD would be a much harder sell.
Warren.

Hi guys. I've been looking at getting these 3D glasses working on my PE7700: edimensional com (hmmm, it won't let me post urls till I've made 5 posts...)

On my CRT monitor the 3D effect is fantastic. Now I want the same effect but 13' across ;)

Apparently many DLP pjs will work with these if
1) You can disable progressive scan (i.e. de-interlacing)
2) The delay between signal and projection isn't too great

I won't know about number 2 until I can get past number 1. When I tried the glasses with the pj it was clearly the de-interlacing that was keeping it from working.

So does anyone know how to disable it? I had a look through the factory menu and couldn't see anything.
No response...does that mean it can't be done?

Damn, thought I'd found a great way to make the room look bigger ;)

Anyone by chance compare the PE7700 to the Sony HS51 (not the new A model)?
Thanks,
Kemical

I own a PE7700 and have calibrated 2 of the Sonys. While the Sony might have a slightly better black level because of the iris, I found the image flat and unengaging compared to the 7700. It it also very difficult to get a flat gray scale on the Sony.

Here is a link to a review that is consistent with my experience with the Sony.
HS51 Review (http://ultimateavmag.com/videoprojectors/205sony/index.html)

Lamp issue aside (which may no longer be a problem), the 7700 wins hands down.

I have noticed this thread becoming very quiet....I hope this is a sign that we are all watching with our PE7700s and not blowing bulbs.

Lets hope thats the case smithsonga:) I'm up to 670 hours with original bulb, Aug 05 build date, Sept buy, still putting out a wonderful image. Looks great with the HDDVD player!! I see where SixkindsofWonder lost his bulb at 768 hours. Maybe I'm next?:) All in all a great projector and a great thread getting to know fellow 7700 owners.

I have noticed this thread becoming very quiet....I hope this is a sign that we are all watching with our PE7700s and not blowing bulbs.


I have some bad news. Maybe it's just my PE770, I hope it is so the rest of you can continue to enjoy your projectors.

I have had my bulb replaced twice (like most of you). When that third bulb went out, I had my projector shipped back to BenQ to have the new bulb and firmware installed (also like most of you). When it came back I was hoping this would be the end of all this trouble.

The projector had been working good, up until about two days ago. I have had it back from BenQ for about a month. I did notice the fan had been configured to be much faster than it used to be generating a little more noise. I was a little upset about this, but when the home theater audio is cranked up, it doesn't matter much so I had been ignoring it.

Yesterday, when I turned it on to watch some TV, it came on a for a few seconds, maybe 30, then went off and the TEMP light was solid Red. I must admit this was some what of a relief as I was sure it was the lamp again. After it cooled down, I powered it off from the back power switch and then back on and it fired back up. I watched a movie and every thing was fine. This morning it did it again and it continues to do it now.

The operating Temp range of the PE7700 is 40 - 104 F and my house is about 68 F. It is ceiling mounted, so it has several feet of airspace all around it. I pulled out the air filter and found it was pretty clean, but I blew it out any ways. I am pretty sure there is something defective with the unit.

David

I have some bad news. Maybe it's just my PE770, I hope it is so the rest of you can continue to enjoy your projectors.

I have had my bulb replaced twice (like most of you). When that third bulb went out, I had my projector shipped back to BenQ to have the new bulb and firmware installed (also like most of you). When it came back I was hoping this would be the end of all this trouble.

The projector had been working good, up until about two days ago. I have had it back from BenQ for about a month. I did notice the fan had been configured to be much faster than it used to be generating a little more noise. I was a little upset about this, but when the home theater audio is cranked up, it doesn't matter much so I had been ignoring it.

Yesterday, when I turned it on to watch some TV, it came on a for a few seconds, maybe 30, then went off and the TEMP light was solid Red. I must admit this was some what of a relief as I was sure it was the lamp again. After it cooled down, I powered it off from the back power switch and then back on and it fired back up. I watched a movie and every thing was fine. This morning it did it again and it continues to do it now.

The operating Temp range of the PE7700 is 40 - 104 F and my house is about 68 F. It is ceiling mounted, so it has several feet of airspace all around it. I pulled out the air filter and found it was pretty clean, but I blew it out any ways. I am pretty sure there is something defective with the unit.

David

David,

Are you indicating that it has overheated a number of times but after cool down it has fired back up also numerous times? If so it would seem to be an issue with your particular unit. I can't recall a single post on this thread that ever had a bulb relight after shutting down.

How many hours were on the new bulb/0.48 firmware? Also I would have to check, but are'nt there different indicators for overheated status versus outright bulb failure?

Sorry to hear about your problem. Bad fan motor perhaps? Let us know what BenQ finds out. Good luck.

Joe

David,

Are you indicating that it has overheated a number of times but after cool down it has fired back up also numerous times? If so it would seem to be an issue with your particular unit. I can't recall a single post on this thread that ever had a bulb relight after shutting down.

How many hours were on the new bulb/0.48 firmware? Also I would have to check, but are'nt there different indicators for overheated status versus outright bulb failure?

Sorry to hear about your problem. Bad fan motor perhaps? Let us know what BenQ finds out. Good luck.

Joe

After this initial over heat yesterday, which happened just after I turned it on (it had been off all day), it worked fine for several hours and then I turned it off as normal.

Then this morning I powered it on after being off all night and it shut down after about 10 secs or so of showing an image. I tried it again as I had done yesterday and it also powered off again after about 10 secs.

I don't think this is a bulb problem, the bulb seems to be fine. I think this is a new problem that has been created by the firmware change or a problem specific to my projector after BenQ worked on it.

I think there were about 60 hours on the new bulb/firmware, certainly less than 100 hours.

Yes there are different indicators for lamp and temp, I think you were confused about my post if you thought I was suggesting this was the same old lamp issue. I believe this is a new problem either specific to my projector or a problem that BenQ has created due to their new bulb/firmware.

The fan powers up quite rapidly when the temp light comes on, while it is very loud as it apparently trying to rapidly cool the projector, the fan sounds very smooth, it is definitely not sounding as though it is bad.

I will definitely let you all know what I hear from BenQ, I will call support on Monday.

David

Definitely sounds like something is wrong with your unit. Possibly a thermocouple issue where it can't determine the correct temperature.

After this initial over heat yesterday, which happened just after I turned it on (it had been off all day), it worked fine for several hours and then I turned it off as normal.

Then this morning I powered it on after being off all night and it shut down after about 10 secs or so of showing an image. I tried it again as I had done yesterday and it also powered off again after about 10 secs.

I don't think this is a bulb problem, the bulb seems to be fine. I think this is a new problem that has been created by the firmware change or a problem specific to my projector after BenQ worked on it.

I think there were about 60 hours on the new bulb/firmware, certainly less than 100 hours.

Yes there are different indicators for lamp and temp, I think you were confused about my post if you thought I was suggesting this was the same old lamp issue. I believe this is a new problem either specific to my projector or a problem that BenQ has created due to their new bulb/firmware.

The fan powers up quite rapidly when the temp light comes on, while it is very loud as it apparently trying to rapidly cool the projector, the fan sounds very smooth, it is definitely not sounding as though it is bad.

I will definitely let you all know what I hear from BenQ, I will call support on Monday.

David

OK, so at this point you get: power on; image on screen for a very short time, then: Power indicator=orange, Temp indicator=solid red and Lamp indicator=off?

Since heat can't possibly ramp up that high in a few seconds it would seem that Tim may be on to something with the guess about a thermo-couple issue.

Now we can wonder anew if there are hardware changes being made during the upgrade. Remember back quite some time ago, the talk about new ballast and such? Never had any answers to those musings. Be nice to some day see numerous 1500+ hour usage postings with no issues.

Lets hope thats the case smithsonga:) I'm up to 670 hours with original bulb, Aug 05 build date, Sept buy, still putting out a wonderful image. Looks great with the HDDVD player!! I see where SixkindsofWonder lost his bulb at 768 hours. Maybe I'm next?:) All in all a great projector and a great thread getting to know fellow 7700 owners.

Yeah, I almost feel like I'm issuing some kind of challenge.

768 hours! Beat that! a hahaha haha

:D :) :rolleyes:

OK, so at this point you get: power on; image on screen for a very short time, then: Power indicator=orange, Temp indicator=solid red and Lamp indicator=off?

Since heat can't possibly ramp up that high in a few seconds it would seem that Tim may be on to something with the guess about a thermo-couple issue.

Now we can wonder anew if there are hardware changes being made during the upgrade. Remember back quite some time ago, the talk about new ballast and such? Never had any answers to those musings. Be nice to some day see numerous 1500+ hour usage postings with no issues.

Yes as you describe, Lamp = off.

Yes, seems odd that heat could ramp up that quick, especially in an open air ceiling mount, in a room approx 68 F.

After letting the projector sit idle (off) for several hours, I just went and turned off the power (main switch back of unit) and blew out the filter and the projector one more time. Turned it back on and it is working with out temp error coming on. This is similar to what I experienced yesterday (single error the one time, turned off at back of unit and then it worked fine).

I will wait and see if it acts up again tomorrow when I first turn it on.

David

Yeah, I almost feel like I'm issuing some kind of challenge.

768 hours! Beat that! a hahaha haha

:D :) :rolleyes:

It would seem nobody ever did get past those hours. So you Win. With one bulb. congrats.

What still really baffles me is that "Ben Q Dude" stated awhile back that 2500 new replacement lamps were manufactured to replace the bab ones, but yet they tell me that we have to wait 6 full months for the rebate lamps. Which leads me to believe that even the new lamps were defective. There is no way that Benq would not have enough lamps for the bad ones plus any rebate orders if they had 2500 new ones that replaced the old ones!!

Hey "Kevin", on a side note, you stated that your color delay was dead on when you received yours back. How can I tell if mine is? When I received my unit back the colors were terrible, (all blotchy),but my color delay was set at 70, so I backed it off to 58, like some have suggested and it seams to be better. Do you have any suggestions on how I can calibrate everything including the color delay to get the best picture. I'm not familiar with how the color dalay actually affects things. Thanks!!

I purchased my PE7700 in June of last year. My projector lamp was still good (425 hrs) but after reading these posts I thought I should send it in to BenQ for a new lamp and firmware upgrade. I received it back within a week, but there was no explanantion of the repair work that was done. Is this what others have found? I have been in the av business for 30 years and have always received a packing slip with the work or repair explained. I hope they warrant their repair work.

I purchased my PE7700 in June of last year. My projector lamp was still good (425 hrs) but after reading these posts I thought I should send it in to BenQ for a new lamp and firmware upgrade. I received it back within a week, but there was no explanantion of the repair work that was done. Is this what others have found? I have been in the av business for 30 years and have always received a packing slip with the work or repair explained. I hope they warrant their repair work.

Pretty much! Most of us do not have any idea, other then they are upgrading the firmware and lamp, period! No real explanation of what actually was done to the unit. And those of us that have received some info are so confused by it because everyone seams to give us different information as to what is being done. I was, at one point, even told that hardware was being replaced inside the unit, which appears not to be true, I guess. :confused: Good luck in getting the real answer.

Well I turned on my projector this morning and it did not "act up" as it had been the previous two days. Maybe there was just some dust in there impeading air flow. However, it still seems odd that it would happen so quick right after I powered it up. Maybe the technolgy BenQ uses to detect air flow and/or tempature rise is more sensative than I would have thought.

David

Ok I think that i may be the first with the Blown buld after the fix/firm upgrade. I have about 189 hrs on my 2nd buld, the 2nd buld was supposed to be the fixed one or new one. But it is dead... Will see soon what good old ben has to say about it. let you know soon.

Sammy, I'm assuming you mean bulb and not build, and are you sure you have the updated firmware?

Yes, many of use had blowouts on the first set of new bulbs. With the new firmware I am almost 400 hours with no problem.
Warren.

Greetings all:

I am new here, but home theater and satellite used to be my livelihood.
My business was located in Temecula, California for about ten years and I lived in North San Diego county. Anyway, I live in Michigan now and have begun
researching the biz again to do my theater in my basement. Of note to this
thread, though is a recent discovery on my part, quite serendipitously. On
spring break in Chicago, where I take the kids for the museums we came
upon the Evolving Planet exhibit at the Field Museum. Right at the beginning
you a awed by three large screens representing the Cambrian sea. This
is accomplished with the use of, apparently, three Benq PE 7700s. I have
contacted the museum and requested anything they can enlighten us with
regarding these projectors. I am keeping my fingers crossed, hoping they
reply

till next time
wagdad

Sammy, I'm assuming you mean bulb and not build, and are you sure you have the updated firmware?

Sorry i meant bulb not buld :) But yes i do have the firmware updated....if you look at my post like a few months ago, I was told about the firmware update. As a matter of fact after speaking with Benq they even show that I got both the new bulb and firmware update. Chris was the guy I spoke with and he states that I am the first to have this issue after the firmware update. I will be sending out my machine tomorrow and I will let you know what they have to say about it.

Sorry i meant bulb not buld :) But yes i do have the firmware updated....if you look at my post like a few months ago, I was told about the firmware update. As a matter of fact after speaking with Benq they even show that I got both the new bulb and firmware update. Chris was the guy I spoke with and he states that I am the first to have this issue after the firmware update. I will be sending out my machine tomorrow and I will let you know what they have to say about it.

Oh boy, here we go again! I have not sent mine in yet (600+ hrs) because I was waiting for new bulb/new firmware results. Hope this is an anomally.

oh crap

Hello all. I have been lurking here since Nov 05 when I bought my 7700. Learned a ton of info. Thought I would share info I just received from a Canadian forum member that said he just received his projector back from the Canadain repair depot. He said the version on his reads v0.49 March 16, 2006.

In additon my second projector( replaced two months ago, Oct 05 build date) bulb just blew so it was sent in for the Firmware and bulb yesterday. I will confrim the version when I get it back.

I know this is second hand info at this point, but very interesting nonetheless.

Carl

I'm also Canadian. I received my projector back last week and checked the firmware version on the weekend. It is .49. It also took less than 2 weeks turnaround time to get the unit shipped and returned.

Thanks for confirming v0.49. Good news about the two week turnaround as well.

I have been advised on a CDN forum, that this is not necessarily NEW news. See post # 3230 and #3236 here.

That is what I get for not checking this thread every day. To think I got all excited for nothing.
Meanwhile I am waiting for my projector with nothing else to do.

Carl

Thanks for confirming v0.49. Good news about the two week turnaround as well.

I have been advised on a CDN forum, that this is not necessarily NEW news. See post # 3230 and #3236 here.

That is what I get for not checking this thread every day. To think I got all excited for nothing.
Meanwhile I am waiting for my projector with nothing else to do.

Carl

It looks like I'm not the only Ottawa owner with the 7700 :-)

I got my upgrade mid January I think. At that time turnaround time was a week.

hi, i am from Brazil, and buy the PE 7700 sept/2005 version but lost the invoice, are there any (other) way of get the Warranty for make the upgrade of my firmware/bulb?

thx

kidling

The Fifth Element Super-Bit edition is a favorite of video testers because of its excellent mastering and color accuracy. It's goofy fun and definitely falls under the category of "eye candy."

Yesterday, I hooked up the PE7700 and did a preliminary calibration. I'm going to burn the bulb in a bit before posting my settings. My color wheel delay was dead on, so maybe they are setting this as part of the upgrade.

I hooked it up to the Toshiba HD-DVD player and continue to be impressed with the picture this projector can throw. If BenQ has fixed the lamp issue, the 7700 may rise to the top again, especially with the current price.

I will try to post some settings on Saturday, but I didn't notice any major changes other than having to turn down Green Gain more than in the past, but that may be because of a slight spectrum change from the new bulb.

Hi Kevin:

Are you any where close to posting your observations after calibrating your PE7700?

Rich

Oh, well.

The museum responded quickly and accurately. They were very nice.
However, the PJs they use are JVC DLA-SX21U. Unfortunately, this is
of no help to this thread.


wagdad

hi, i am from Brazil, and buy the PE 7700 sept/2005 version but lost the invoice, are there any (other) way of get the Warranty for make the upgrade of my firmware/bulb?

thx

kidling

They don't ask for the invoice. They only ask for the projector.

Hi Basement,

Not quite sure if we should brag about being two PE7700 owners in Ottawa just yet.
How many hours on your bulb since the upgrade in January?


Carl

I hesitant to post these numbers because the bulb is so new and because each projector can be a little different, but if you take them with a grain of salt, adjust to your own situation, and realize this is not a substitute for a professional calibration, here goes.

Note that these numbers came from using the Accupel signal generator, which is extremely accurate where your DVD player or HDTV tuner may add their own “spin” on these settings. I strongly recommend using a DVD test disk to set brightness, contrast, color, and tint so they look best for your particular source device.

Parameters from Accupel calibration:

Black Level 0 IRE
Lamp Economic

Cont 3
Brightness -8
Color 7
Tint 0
Filter 0
Sharpness 0 (one click one way or the other introduces artifacts)

Red Gain 512 (always leave red at max since it is the first color to run out at high IREs)
Green Gain 410
Blue Gain 459

Red Bias 0
Green Bias 22 (this seems abnormal, but I checked it a couple of times)
Blue Bias 9

Remember, your mileage may vary, and if you are unhappy with the results, by all means go back to one of the standard settings.

Hi Basement,

Not quite sure if we should brag about being two PE7700 owners in Ottawa just yet.
How many hours on your bulb since the upgrade in January?


Carl

You're quite right about that. As an owner since May of last year I'm on a first name basis with a few of the benq support reps. Most of us are hoping for the best but prepared for the worst.

I'm getting close to 200 hours on the new bulb and firmware.

I hesitant to post these numbers because the bulb is so new and because each projector can be a little different, but if you take them with a grain of salt, adjust to your own situation, and realize this is not a substitute for a professional calibration, here goes.

Note that these numbers came from using the Accupel signal generator, which is extremely accurate where your DVD player or HDTV tuner may add their own “spin” on these settings. I strongly recommend using a DVD test disk to set brightness, contrast, color, and tint so they look best for your particular source device.

Parameters from Accupel calibration:

Black Level 0 IRE
Lamp Economic

Cont 3
Brightness -8
Color 7
Tint 0
Filter 0
Sharpness 0 (one click one way or the other introduces artifacts)

Red Gain 512 (always leave red at max since it is the first color to run out at high IREs)
Green Gain 410
Blue Gain 459

Red Bias 0
Green Bias 22 (this seems abnormal, but I checked it a couple of times)
Blue Bias 9

Remember, your mileage may vary, and if you are unhappy with the results, by all means go back to one of the standard settings.

Kevin,
As you know, you and I use the same equipment to calibrate. I read your post and found that these numbers (gain and biases) are very similar to what I am getting for the 8720s I am calibrating. The gains are off a good bit but the relative percentages are the same. The biases are dead on though. Interesting findings. As for those looking to use these settings, I would trust them. They will be a good bit better than the factory settings as I have transposed my settings to multiple projectors. I have even had a few reviewers (no names mentioned as everyone would easily recognize them) use my settings and found them to be nearly dead on. Great work Kevin! :)

I hesitant to post these numbers because the bulb is so new and because each projector can be a little different, but if you take them with a grain of salt, adjust to your own situation, and realize this is not a substitute for a professional calibration, here goes.

Note that these numbers came from using the Accupel signal generator, which is extremely accurate where your DVD player or HDTV tuner may add their own “spin” on these settings. I strongly recommend using a DVD test disk to set brightness, contrast, color, and tint so they look best for your particular source device.

Parameters from Accupel calibration:

Black Level 0 IRE
Lamp Economic

Cont 3
Brightness -8
Color 7
Tint 0
Filter 0
Sharpness 0 (one click one way or the other introduces artifacts)

Red Gain 512 (always leave red at max since it is the first color to run out at high IREs)
Green Gain 410
Blue Gain 459

Red Bias 0
Green Bias 22 (this seems abnormal, but I checked it a couple of times)
Blue Bias 9

Remember, your mileage may vary, and if you are unhappy with the results, by all means go back to one of the standard settings.


Hi Kevin:

Thanks! BTW, has your PE7700 been upgraded to the latest firmware?

Rich

Hi Kevin:

Thanks! BTW, has your PE7700 been upgraded to the latest firmware?

Rich

Ahhh... never mind, Kevin. I checked your earlier post and you did mention you've had your BenQ upgraded to the latest firmware.

Rich

Thanks, Kevin.

I am finally getting a screen after shooting on BO Cloth for a year. It will be good to have a baseline to start with. I didn't really think about calibrating specifically to the device. I assume that would vary per the screen too. So getting a pro calibration doesn't make too much sense till I decide on Blue-ray or HD DVD then, although I think I will do HD DVD since it is out now and has Serenity. Do you ever take road trips down here to Phoenix?

Warren.

I hesitant to post these numbers because the bulb is so new and because each projector can be a little different, but if you take them with a grain of salt, adjust to your own situation, and realize this is not a substitute for a professional calibration, here goes.


Are those nbrs good for HDMI or component?

Which gamma setting? Video, Film, etc.?

Which built-in preset did you start with? Ciname, Home Theater, etc.?

Thanks!

I hesitant to post these numbers because the bulb is so new and because each projector can be a little different, but if you take them with a grain of salt, adjust to your own situation, and realize this is not a substitute for a professional calibration, here goes.

Note that these numbers came from using the Accupel signal generator, which is extremely accurate where your DVD player or HDTV tuner may add their own “spin” on these settings. I strongly recommend using a DVD test disk to set brightness, contrast, color, and tint so they look best for your particular source device.

Parameters from Accupel calibration:

Black Level 0 IRE
Lamp Economic

Cont 3
Brightness -8
Color 7
Tint 0
Filter 0
Sharpness 0 (one click one way or the other introduces artifacts)

Red Gain 512 (always leave red at max since it is the first color to run out at high IREs)
Green Gain 410
Blue Gain 459

Red Bias 0
Green Bias 22 (this seems abnormal, but I checked it a couple of times)
Blue Bias 9

Remember, your mileage may vary, and if you are unhappy with the results, by all means go back to one of the standard settings.

Cool! My basic settings are the same. I believe Color and Tint are out of box defaults with FW .48. I set brightness and contrast to those values through DVE. I can't wait to try the Gains and Bias changes to compare.

Thanks

Kevin, what gamma settings do you use?

Kevin, what gamma settings do you use?

Kevin is probably out doing a calibration so I will jump in here and he can correct me if I am wrong. He is probably using Flim. I have measured them all and film is the best, most linear and accurate. Normally with these BenQ's you can start with either Cinema or HT. They are very close.

Kevin A. wrote..
.........
Red Bias 0
Green Bias 22 (this seems abnormal, but I checked it a couple of times)
Blue Bias 9
........


What menu is the R/G/B "bias"?

Kevin A. wrote..
.........
Red Bias 0
Green Bias 22 (this seems abnormal, but I checked it a couple of times)
Blue Bias 9
........


What menu is the R/G/B "bias"?

RGB bias also known as RGB offset. You can get it at user define temperature settings.

Kevin is probably out doing a calibration so I will jump in here and he can correct me if I am wrong. He is probably using Flim. I have measured them all and film is the best, most linear and accurate. Normally with these BenQ's you can start with either Cinema or HT. They are very close.

Did the firmware upgrade 'improve' the factory settings, or was that aspect of the upgrade just marketing spin in order to get some positive press on the 7700 during a time that it was taking a beating otherwise.

Kevin never mentioned whether the upgrade improved out-of-box PQ, and others have had wildly mixed reactions.

I can say that I had no issue whatsoever with the default settings of the new firmware and I would have been quite happy remaining with the defaults.

However, I did try Kevin's settings last night, and his are staying!

I can say that I had no issue whatsoever with the default settings of the new firmware and I would have been quite happy remaining with the defaults.

However, I did try Kevin's settings last night, and his are staying!

As originally shipped with the old firmware the factory defaults for the basic settings on my unit were identical to those posted yesterday by Kevin with the exception of filter, 1 vs. 0. After the lamp went it came back with the new firmware and different basic settings, enough of a difference to be immediately noticed. Put DVE in and sure enough the original settings were correct.

I to punched in Kevin's settings. Distinct improvement! Thank you Kevin. So they are staying for me also.

Except I have one problem. Can't get the changes to RGB Gain or RGB Bias/Offset to stay in a selected user memory. When I go to the advanced tab in the menu, change Gain and Bias, select: store to user 2 and then to the Picture Tab and try to switch back and forth btw user memory 1&2 in the "Load Settings" selection all I get is the factory defaults. Even if I go in and change Gain/Bias and do nothing but shut down at the next power up it's back to factory default.

What am I missing. Perhaps the brain is in need of a calibration. Oh, the color temp info box in the advanced tab is greyed out just showing "normal". This is with HDMI input.

Any ideas?

Thanks,
Joe

Hi Joe

I'm using the component rather than HDMI.

I was able to save the RGB settings to User1, change the color temp to User1 and then save that along with Contrast/Brightness/etc. to User without any trouble.

Not sure why yours wont.

Dan

With regards to Kevins gain/bias settings I must be doing something wrong. Skintones comes out looking very red. Here's what I did. Am I doing anything wrong?

- In service menu change Degamma to Film
- Set Cinema mode
- Set brightness/contrast changes
- Make gain/bias changes and save to User1
- Set the temperature in Picture/Extended Settings to User1
- Picture/Save settings to User1

Thanks

Hi Joe

I'm using the component rather than HDMI.

I was able to save the RGB settings to User1, change the color temp to User1 and then save that along with Contrast/Brightness/etc. to User without any trouble.

Not sure why yours wont.

Dan

I figured part of it out. The changed settings WERE saved in User 2. White balance settings stored in User 1 & 2 are accessed via: Picture>Extended Picture Settings>Color Temp.> Choice of: User 1,2 Warm, Normal, cool. Kind of confusing the first time you want to experiment with changes to RGB Gain and Bias. Although when you think about it keeping Grey scale adjustment settings seperate from basic contrast, color, brightness etc., makes sense. The menu names create the confusion. User 1 & 2 are storing different values from User's Memory 1,2 & 3. Still need to determine how all the settings are linked.

Joe

Could you explain how to service menu change Degamma to Film.
Thanks.

Could you explain how to service menu change Degamma to Film.
Thanks.

Once in the service menu drop down to DLP and select. Then go to DLP Degamma and choose Film. Exit and go up to factory and choose "Return to User OSD" .

A sincere Thank You to Mr. Kevin R. Anderson. Just spent the last two or so hours comparing BenQ's factory RGB settings to Kevin's calibration findings that he graciously provided to us all in his posting yesterday. I started out with the usual suspects, no not the great film, Joe Kane's test material. As good as everything looked especially the greyscale ramp for me,at least, test patterns get old fast. Note to Mr. Kane: When will you get away from your quirky DVD navigation style?

Time to see some real HD and compare. Just happened to have the old classic: My Fair Lady saved on the HR-10 250. Went to the famous Cecil Beaton designed scene, the Ascot Race. All the gradations of white could be seen with Kevin's settings. Can only happen if the greyscale is tracking pretty close to D65. I could go on just let me say the difference is not subtle.

Joe

Thanks for your help.

Big thank you as well Kevin R. Anderson!

I'm guessing you make a bit of a living doing calibrations, so sharing your findings with us is super special!

Thanks!!!!!!!
Dan

Ok, I do not have a PE7700, however I did get a PE7800 and I am looking for some answers about it. I posted on the PE7800 forum, but since this is an older projector there is not a whole lot of activity on that forum. So any help would be much appreciated.


1 - I notice on non-HD programs I get a little digital artifacts going across the top. Is this due to the overscan?

2 - I am using a Panoview Greywolf with a 1.8 gain. This is a grey screen and so far I am extremely impressed with the price/performance of this screen. However does anyone have any opinions on this screen or another screen for this projector?

3 - I am going to go back through the forum and look at the some of the setting that people have put their projectors at, however does anyone have any suggestions that I may overlook?

4 - Does anyone know of a DVI/HDMI switch that has more than one output to be able to chose between displays? I still want to be able to use my regular TV for basic viewing.

5 - What's the best resolution to match up with this projector? Math wise I would think 1080i since it fits 540p easily, however does anyone have an opinion on this?

Also, has anyone ran into the problem of having a single blue line at the bottom of the screen? It went away after I changed resolutions from 1080i to 720p and then back, any thoughts?

Kemical

Add me to the "Thank You Kevin" bandwagon!!! We appreciate all your efforts!!!

I calibrated using AVIA to very similiar results.

Can someone explain the differences in RGB Gain vs. Bias? I only adjusted gain using the appropriate filters etc...not sure what bias does in comparison.

thx!

Could someone please post the min and max possible settings for RGB gain and RGB bias/offset on the PE770? I'd like to try these settings on my MT700 but obviously the scale is a little different, so I wanted to try some simple math and figure it out....

With regards to Kevins gain/bias settings I must be doing something wrong. Skintones comes out looking very red. Here's what I did. Am I doing anything wrong?

- In service menu change Degamma to Film
- Set Cinema mode
- Set brightness/contrast changes
- Make gain/bias changes and save to User1
- Set the temperature in Picture/Extended Settings to User1
- Picture/Save settings to User1

Thanks

I got it all looking great. The colour setting of 7 works well for the HDMI input - it's also default for Cinema mode on HDMI. However, with this setting on component, everything looks too red. Using the default basic settings for Cinema as a starting point then adjusting grayscale per Kevin's settings everything now looks fine. On both HDMI and component now I notice reds are much more vibrant yet skin tones remain natural looking.

Thanks as well to Kevin.

Been fun owning a 7700 these last two days. With Kevin's settings the PQ is fantastic. Watched an NBA game and two flicks last night. I see subtle variations in skin tones now that I did'nt see before. Also had a nice surprise sitting at the front door. Ben sent my rebate bulb! Ten days short of 5 months from submission to receipt. Now I can start piling on the hours.

Wow guys -- I had no idea there would be so much interest in this. You are all very welcome. I've been out of town for 3 days (Jeeping in the red rocks of Moab, Utah), and I was surprised to find all of the positive comments. I'm glad you've found the information useful and that this thread is more back to enjoying our projectors.

Yes, I always use Cinema and the Film degamma to start the calibration for DVD and HDTV, and these settings are for the HDMI connection. If people are really interested, I can do a calibration for the component connections (I just use HDMI for HD-DVD and HDTV).

Smithsonga: RGB gain is for setting grayscale on the higher luminance levels and bias is for setting grayscale on lower luminance levels. I think you are using them to adjust your color decoder which is not what you want to do. To adjust the color decoder using the RGB filters, you want to use "Advanced Picture Settings" and "Color Enhancement." I didn't check this, but last time I think I only dropped Yellow by one click.

Jonnyozero3: The max settings for RGB gain is 512 -- I don't know the max setting for the bias because I never like to travel too far on adjusting them which is why I thought the 22 setting for Green Bias was unusual. If bias adjustments are set too high, it can prevent the DLP mirrors from going to the "off" state, which means your black level is not as good as it can be.

When I get the chance, I will do a more thorough calibration and post some more complete information such as the CIE Chart for the accuracy of primaries and secondaries, ANSI contrast ratio, etc.

I do calibrations professionally, but I'm first and foremost a home theater enthusiast and I'm happy to share information about what I still think is a great projector (so long as the bulb issue is really fixed).

Smithsonga: RGB gain is for setting grayscale on the higher luminance levels and bias is for setting grayscale on lower luminance levels. I think you are using them to adjust your color decoder which is not what you want to do. To adjust the color decoder using the RGB filters, you want to use "Advanced Picture Settings" and "Color Enhancement." I didn't check this, but last time I think I only dropped Yellow by one click.


Thanks Kevin. I use AVIA DVD for my calibration...and I am doing just what you said...adjusting the RGB gain using the filters. The only other adjustments for black/white in AVIA was the brightness and contrast....
When you calibrate, do you set the grayscale with gain and bias prior to the RGB filter adjustments (in color enhancement)? I ask because I basically didnt move the color enhancement but ended up with a very similar RGB gain setup as you....without the bias changes.

thanks

I tried the settings for my 7700 using component, not HDMI. After backing the brightness to -4 (-8 was posted by Kevin) the picture was better than I had gotten by using a calibration disc.

I would be very interested in Kevin's numbers for the component inputs. If the picture looks this good using his HDMI numbers, it should look even better with the component numbers.

Thanks for all the information.

Kevin
I want to say thanks for all the info. too. I'm pretty much of a novice at this stuff but doesn't the type of screen make a difference? Would they change if you have a GREY, WHITE or BRILLIANT WHITE screen? Thanks Again

Mark

Kevin
I want to say thanks for all the info. too. I'm pretty much of a novice at this stuff but doesn't the type of screen make a difference? Would they change if you have a GREY, WHITE or BRILLIANT WHITE screen? Thanks Again

You are exactly right. The numbers I provided were with no screen offset factor and with the colorimeter probe aimed directly at the projector. If your screen has minimal color shift, these numbers should work reasonably well short of getting an ISF calibration.

I think I've mentioned this, but most DVD players I've seen add some color shift as well, which is why I calibrate using both the Accupel signal generator and the AVIAPro DVD in the customer's player so that the entire system is calibrated (source device, connection, display device, and screen) so that the light reflected back to your eyes is set to the D65 standard.

When you calibrate a front projector, you can aim the probe at the screen so that it includes any color shift added by the screen, but this also reduces the light that hits the probes, which are less sensitive at lower light levels. My software has built in offset files for all the major screen brands and types, so I can either calibrate off the screen or select the applicable screen and calibrate with the probe aimed at the projector -- it just depends on the set up as to what I think will work best.

Kevin
Thanks for the details on calibration. I was thinking that the measurements were taken from the screen not pj.. Thanks

Mark

1- yep overscan. I fix that with my iScan HD+.
2- The Greywolf is getting very good buzz. Myself, I bought a Silverstar from our avscience, but haven't got it yet.
3- Looks like you haven't skimped too much on equipment, why not get professional calibration?
4- Amen. I haven't found one yet, but sure wish for one. The top of the line Denon amp has hdmi and dvi out, not sure if they both work. I was really hoping the new iScan would have it but no luck.
5- Some think 720p which is native, but some swear by 1080. Gotta be your call on that one.
I had a blue line when I had my projector hooked up to my computer, but then I realized it was my autohidden taskbar.
Warren.

1- yep overscan. I fix that with my iScan HD+.
2- The Greywolf is getting very good buzz. Myself, I bought a Silverstar from our avscience, but haven't got it yet.
3- Looks like you haven't skimped too much on equipment, why not get professional calibration?
4- Amen. I haven't found one yet, but sure wish for one. The top of the line Denon amp has hdmi and dvi out, not sure if they both work. I was really hoping the new iScan would have it but no luck.
5- Some think 720p which is native, but some swear by 1080. Gotta be your call on that one.
I had a blue line when I had my projector hooked up to my computer, but then I realized it was my autohidden taskbar.
Warren.


Thanks Warren,

I fixed the blue line at the bottom by switching the output resolution from my HD receiver to 720p then back to 1080i, for whatever reason this works. I do think 1080i looks better or sharper, then again it could be psycological, who knows. I have thought about professional calibration, but I am not sure who to go to or what credentials to look for. There are several mom and pop shops here and Tweeter and Magnolia lite from Best buy are here also in Dallas. I will check into this and skim the forums to see if there is any suggestions. Thank you again for the response Warren.

Kemical

Hi Kevin
In your settings is the Bias setting called the offset setting in the advanced settings of projector.
Thanks Tom

Hi Kevin
In your settings is the Bias setting called the offset setting in the advanced settings of projector.
Thanks Tom
In the service menu, I believe they call it "Offset" and in the user menu they call it "Bias" (both valid terms).

My experience is that setting RGB Gain and Bias in the User Menu results in the same changes to the RGB Gain and Offset settings in the Service Menu; thus, there is no need to access the Service Menu to set gray scale.

Hey Kevin,
I have a question that I need help with! As far as the color wheel delay, do you have any suggestions on the settings. My projector came back set at 70 and the colors were terrible, things seam to be better now set at 58. And one other thing, whats the difference when wheel speed is set at 5X without SLR as opposed to 5X with SLR, thanks!!

Fed-ex just came with the rebate bulb.
Nice to have a spare, just in case.

Hey, I got my projector back already! Total down time was only three pages! Um... I mean 18 days.

Anyway, it is too bright out to tell you what I think of the picture. It now has a sticker on it that reads "Version .49"

My only complaint: I sent my unit back in the original box. They put that box inside of another box and shipped it back to me. The rub: They used those stupid packing peanuts as filler! I opened the box and it was like the peanuts had been under intense pressure! A violent, Mt Saint Helens like eruption spewed white packing peanuts, everywhere! EVERYWHERE! :note some hyberbole may have been used in the preceeding paragraph:

Gah!

Sure would be nice to know what the differences are between FW 0.48 & 0.49. One more thing to wonder about.

Sure would be nice to know what the differences are between FW 0.48 & 0.49. One more thing to wonder about.
Post number 3236 (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7477237&highlight=49#post7477237)

One thing it might be is BenQ thinking that they needed a different version number for the "upgrade" for means of tracking. e.g: .48 for projectors purchased after Jan and .49 for upgraded projectors purchased before Jan.

Millisecond fan adjustments wouldn't amount to much in the big scheme of things.

Kevin
Thanks for quick responce. I am going to try the setting you listed as everone has been talking about them.
Thanks again Tom

Post number 3236 (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7477237&highlight=49#post7477237)

One thing it might be is BenQ thinking that they needed a different version number for the "upgrade" for means of tracking. e.g: .48 for projectors purchased after Jan and .49 for upgraded projectors purchased before Jan.

Millisecond fan adjustments wouldn't amount to much in the big scheme of things.

In the business of tracking code (s/w or f/w), even minor adjustments get version numbers sometimes.

Post number 3236 (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7477237&highlight=49#post7477237)

One thing it might be is BenQ thinking that they needed a different version number for the "upgrade" for means of tracking. e.g: .48 for projectors purchased after Jan and .49 for upgraded projectors purchased before Jan.

Millisecond fan adjustments wouldn't amount to much in the big scheme of things.

Hi Six,

Ben Q Dude, who seems to pop up once in awhile, did suggest that there were some minor changes made in v. 0.49. Perhaps at some point he will be allowed to share his insider knowledge about the history of the engineering work done to solve this problem that it would seem has affected nearly 100% of all owners at least those with build dates before well, who knows, maybe Jan. 06.

While we wait has anyone noticed that the FW 0.48 upgrade results in a variable fan speed during operation that did not exist before.

The heck with it. Let's just kick back, and with Kevin's recent help, enjoy and see what gets reported here.

Joe

how abt 0.47 -> 0.48 ? seems 0.48 is a major change....

One thing it might be is BenQ thinking that they needed a different version number for the "upgrade" for means of tracking. e.g: .48 for projectors purchased after Jan and .49 for upgraded projectors purchased before Jan.

Great guess. When the local BenQ support technican tried to upgrade my 7700 (manufactured in May'05) I was informed that they had to replace the main circuit board as the PJ malfunctioned after installing the .48 firmware.

how abt 0.47 -> 0.48 ? seems 0.48 is a major change....

The point is: search this thread, we never had any real answers to any questions. What has changed? Lots of speculation in months gone past. Hardware? It would be a good guess that excepting a real design change in the lamp; we assume that really did happen, yes? Then there are no reliable reports of any other hardware changes. If the "Final Answer" was new lamp design plus a ramp up/variable speed in the exaust then why is'nt that disclosed? Simple problem, simple solution.

I recieved my rebate Lamp last night. My wife thought I ordered somethig new and I had no idea what it was. I was very surprised.

I've been away from here and HTForum for about 9 months now... w/ HD-DVD now being available I'm looking at upgrading my projector from a Panasonic L300U to something that can handle HDCP. It has to be extremely short throw (92" from 9.3ft) so i've narrowed it down to the AE700U, AE900U, and the PE7700 (I'd also consider an old L500U if it were down around $500).

What's the best price you guys are finding on these, particularly the PE7700? I know I've been away awhile but seem to remember an AVS or HTForum group buy / special price on the PE7700 but now I can't find anything about it. Any help is appreciated.

Thanks,

Stephen

< I tried the settings for my 7700 using component, not HDMI. After backing the brightness to -4 (-8 was posted by Kevin) the picture was better than I had gotten by using a calibration disc.

I would be very interested in Kevin's numbers for the component inputs. If the picture looks this good using his HDMI numbers, it should look even better with the component numbers.

Thanks for all the information. >


Hi, I too was wondering about Kevin`s numbers using COMPONENT. I have a white screen. Can anyone give me some suggested numbers to use??? I have been using factory default Cinema and Home Theater for many months. I have the AVIA disk, but frankly am terrible at calibration.

Also, I am glad to read that this forum has returned to advice on calibration and usage. In my own opinion, this thread became a <bulb return forum> for a long time and I stopped reading. I think a new thread for strictly bulb issues would be a good idea, if one doesn`t exist right now.

I've been away from here and HTForum for about 9 months now... w/ HD-DVD now being available I'm looking at upgrading my projector from a Panasonic L300U to something that can handle HDCP. It has to be extremely short throw (92" from 9.3ft) so i've narrowed it down to the AE700U, AE900U, and the PE7700 (I'd also consider an old L500U if it were down around $500).

What's the best price you guys are finding on these, particularly the PE7700? I know I've been away awhile but seem to remember an AVS or HTForum group buy / special price on the PE7700 but now I can't find anything about it. Any help is appreciated.

Thanks,

Stephen
Stephen, FYI, we aren't allowed to discuss street prices in the forums...

Hi Guys!

I'm looking to upgrade from Infocus 4805. I would like to get a brigther image and better black level. Is the 7700 considered a major or minor improvement in these areas? Or should I hold out another year until the DC3 projectors drop in price?

Thanks.

< Also, I am glad to read that this forum has returned to advice on calibration and usage. In my own opinion, this thread became a <bulb return forum> for a long time and I stopped reading. I think a new thread for strictly bulb issues would be a good idea, if one doesn`t exist right now.

I don't think we need another lamp forum, this one is plenty already! It became a lamp forum because that was the main issue, unfortunately! If you were one of the lucky ones, good for you! :) You didn't have to put up with all those lamp issues.

Hi Guys!

I'm looking to upgrade from Infocus 4805. I would like to get a brigther image and better black level. Is the 7700 considered a major or minor improvement in these areas? Or should I hold out another year until the DC3 projectors drop in price?

Thanks.

If it's just for DVD I would hold out. If it's for HD, then it may be worth upgrading. How many hours on your lamp? If you're happy with the 4805 overall but it's looking dim compared to new you replace the lamp while you wait to see the next gen machines and at the same time look for price reductions on existing DC3s.

Is your viewing environment darkened with good light control? If it's not you could make changes here that will give you a better perceived image. This change will also benefit you for your new projector when you do the upgrade.

Basement,

Thanks for the reply. Yes, it's mainly for dvd viewing. My room is completely light controlled. Better blacks, brighter image is the goal. The resolution is not important. Oh well, I'll continue holding out for DC3 machines to fall below $2500.

Get a SilverStar screen (depending on what screen you have now.) That could give you better blacks and for sure give you better brightness.
Warren.

Warren,

Thanks for the reply. I currently have a nice gray (with a hint of silver thrown in) wall painted screen (116"). For kicks, I think i'll switch back to my backup Benq 6200 and test that with the new Lumagen DVI vp that i picked up last month. The 6200 will solve my brightness issue and hopefully the Lumagen can alter the gamma enough to satisfy for better blacks and overall color depth. Hopefully this will buy me some time (9-12mths) till there's a DC3 at 2k street price.

eh guys,besides for my second bulb dying,i have another problem.how do i discribe it?some times skys,clouds,dark areas look strange.looks blotchy,can see square pixels.just watched king kong and it was everywhere.i've seen it before,but not as bad as now.is this a projector or dvd problem...thanks

Chainenoble, have you noticed this problem with other dvds? If you have cable, take a look for the problem there also. Let us know.

Hi Guys!

I'm looking to upgrade from Infocus 4805. I would like to get a brigther image and better black level. Is the 7700 considered a major or minor improvement in these areas? Or should I hold out another year until the DC3 projectors drop in price?

Thanks.
I own both projectors (SP4805 and PE7700), and they are night and day difference in quality. The BenQ is brighter and much, much crisper, even with DVDs. If you have a decent DVD player (upconverting) or HTPC, you'll notice quite a big change, especially with High Def DVD players on the market and coming main stream soon.

Now whether to wait for the next upgrade is up to you, of course. If you wait a year, you'll get more for your money. Likewise if you wait 2 yrs. It's about what kind of PQ you want now and how much you're willing to spend for it. Though I have to admit, it's bordering on crime not to get HD with the 7700.. :)

Good luck with whatever you decide.

yes i noticed this problem with others but only slightly.i don't have cable-dvd's only.my dvd player is a marantz vc5200.anybody have any idea what the problem might be??

I own both projectors (SP4805 and PE7700), and they are night and day difference in quality. The BenQ is brighter and much, much crisper, even with DVDs. If you have a decent DVD player (upconverting) or HTPC, you'll notice quite a big change, especially with High Def DVD players on the market and coming main stream soon.

Tim,

Thanks for your input. My only hangup at this point is black level. I remember when I upgraded from the X1 to the 4805, it was a small but noticeable increase in black level. I was hoping that the 7700 being an hd2+ chipset with 2500 contrast, would render another small but noticeable improvement in black level while at the same time allowing for more shadow detail.

Tim,

Thanks for your input. My only hangup at this point is black level. I remember when I upgraded from the X1 to the 4805, it was a small but noticeable increase in black level. I was hoping that the 7700 being an hd2+ chipset with 2500 contrast, would render another small but noticeable improvement in black level while at the same time allowing for more shadow detail.


I have the PE7800 and if the PE7700 looks as good if not better (which I am sure it does) you will be extremely pleased with the PQ and the black levels IMHO. I do use a Graywolf screen with a 1.8 gain, but even when I projected it on the wall the first day I got it it looked as good as my Mits 52" HD DLP and the blacks were even better than the Mits 52". The PE7800 is just 540p, but it wowed the heck out of me, so I am sure you would like the PE7700, again, just my opinion.

Kemical

Tim,

Thanks for your input. My only hangup at this point is black level. I remember when I upgraded from the X1 to the 4805, it was a small but noticeable increase in black level. I was hoping that the 7700 being an hd2+ chipset with 2500 contrast, would render another small but noticeable improvement in black level while at the same time allowing for more shadow detail.
Ken,

I owned the X1 at one point, too. :) I'd say the increase in black level is very similar from the 4805 -> 7700 as it is from X1 -> 4805. I didn't focus on that as much as the massive improvement in resolution. Since a majority of my viewing is HDTV, that was my main consideration. The brightness and blacklevels are also improved though (IMO), as you suggested.

I owned the X1 at one point, too. :) I'd say the increase in black level is very similar from the 4805 -> 7700 as it is from X1 -> 4805. I didn't focus on that as much as the massive improvement in resolution. Since a majority of my viewing is HDTV, that was my main consideration. The brightness and blacklevels are also improved though (IMO), as you suggested.

Tim,

Much appreciated. With the black level confirmed, everything else is all pluses. I'll be ordering one this week. :)

yes i noticed this problem with others but only slightly.i don't have cable-dvd's only.my dvd player is a marantz vc5200.anybody have any idea what the problem might be??

When I received mine back I had plenty of blotches also, the picture was terrible. More then likely its the color wheel delay setting, mine was set at 70 when it came back. Some suggested to set it back to 58, which I did, and now it seems much better. I do know that more calibration is needed, but for now I'm ok with the picture. It would be nice if the techs at Benq calibrated there work properly, instead of the customer doing their work for them. Good luck!!

I was playing around in the user menu and was experimenting with "frequency" in one of the menus. I found if frequency is anything other than zero, areas of the screen are out of focus....maybe this has something to do with blotches people are seeing.

BTW my pj is hooked up to my PC.

which menu,i can't find the color wheel delay menu

CW delay is in the service menu.

sorry if this sounds bumb,nut how do i get into the service menu

On remote push menu, arrow up down up down up down, menu.

On remote push menu, arrow up down up down up down, menu.

And don't forget: when your finished in the service menu; Factory- return user OSD

which menu,i can't find the color wheel delay menu

You'll find it under DLP, in the service menu.

thanks guys

Hey guys sorry to change the subject, but how many of you are getting up high in hours on the new firmware/bulb. Sorry to say I have only about 90 hours on the new bulb/firmware in the last 3 months.................been working to much!!!, By the way the picture quality is outstanding :)

Hey guys sorry to change the subject, but how many of you are getting up high in hours on the new firmware/bulb. Sorry to say I have only about 90 hours on the new bulb/firmware in the last 3 months.................been working to much!!!, By the way the picture quality is outstanding :)

Agreed, with Kevin's ( not the way it was sent back to me with new FW, 0.48 not 0.49 and new lamp) settings, the PQ leaves little to be desired. Just checked, my unit. Returned from "upgrade land" on Apr. 17. Already have 154 hours on it. Since the spare bulb has arrived I will not be hesitant to rack up the hours. What has really been fun recently is to watch selections of my DVD collection on the ben through the oppo and see things for the first time. So let's report but enjoy in the interim. Have my brand new superbit copy of The Fifth Element sitting next to me. Time to go find out what I've been missing in never viewing that title.

Regards,

Joe

Got the 0.48 upgrade and bulb about Feb 7. 264 hours with no problems. Great picture. Although, I do have to change settings for the best picture. The HD Tivo settings are close to what Kevin came up with (and were close to what it was set at on the original projector). For DVD, the settings produce to much black and shadow detail is lost. So I set it to what Avia came up with off my DVD player (Panny S77).

I am really happy with this projector. Just hope it lasts a long time... I do run it at full power and high altitude.

Just recieved my 7700 back yesterday with new bulb an V 0.49. Thanks to the info on this forum, I quickly discovered and corrected the CW delay setting( came back at 70, I set it to 58).
Then I input Kevin's Bias and gain numbers. I use a ND filter to compensate for my White screen, so I had to set contrast and brightness at different levels. Grey scale looks great.
Thanks to all.

Carl

"came back at 70, I set it to 58"

That's strange. Mine came back with v.49 as well but CWD was set by factory at 60.

I wonder if some of the techs are changing this in advance.

Correct. I immediatley noticed the blotchy picture, especially water and sky scenes. I checked the CW delay and set it to 58 from 70. Also there were about 3-5 minutes on the new bulb, so I doubt they checked to that level of detail.
A setting of 70 is obviously too high and 40's is too low( more blotchies). Any where between 55 to 65 gives similiar results.

Is there a way to fine tune this to an exact number?

Carl

Since my projector upgrade was done via a swap, I had both old and new at the same time. Last February, I reported on the differences between the two. Here are the changes. Notice that my CW delay was 57 on the original projector and 51 when it came back from BenQ. Both settings looked fine to me.

Here are comparison settings in various Service Menus:

DLP:

Brightness: Old: -2 New: -2
Contrast Red: Old: +49 New: +49
Contrast Green: Old: +49 New: +49
Contrast Blue: Old: +49 New: +49
CW Delay: Old: +57 New: +51 (Change)
CW Speed: Both 5X without SLR

Gamma and Color Temperature => White Balance Tuning:

Red Gamma: Old: +66 New: +66
Green Gamma: Old: +66 New: +66
Blue Gamma: Old: +66 New: +66
Red Gain: Old: +512 New: +512
Green Gain: Old: +459 New +480 (Change)
Blue Gain: Old: +468 New: +482 (Change)
Red Offset: Old: +11 New: +11
Green Offset: Old: +11 New: +11
Blue Offset: Old: +11 New: +11

Picture:

Contrast: Old: 4 New 0 (Change)
Brightness: Old: -8 New 2 (Change)
Color: Old: 7 New: 7
Tint: Old: 0 New: 0
Filter: Old: 1 New: 1
Sharpness: Old: 0 New: 0


Obviously, they are not consistent in what they do with the projectors when they upgrade. I feel sorry for owners who don't have access to information on a forum like this... and that is clearly the majority. The projector will get a bad rap because most people don't even know how to get into the service menu. I wonder if BenQ support knows how to adjust the settings when these people call in complaining about a blotchy picture!

The CW delay setting still has me wondering. As originally shipped it was set at 70. I went into the sercice menu, tried different values down to 50. 70 looked best. After upgrade it came back at 55. Tried 70 and that looked awful. Watched 5th element last night. WOW. Almost too much detail at times, facial complexions, less than state of the art special effects. I was going to sit on the sidelines while the HD DVD / Blu Ray battle gets sorted out. Not sure I will be able to hold back. Wonder how well the Tosh HD players upconvert SD DVD. Anyone using an HDA1 with the 7700? BTW the Tosh higher end HDXA1 is available.

Joe

Obviously, they are not consistent in what they do with the projectors when they upgrade. I feel sorry for owners who don't have access to information on a forum like this... and that is clearly the majority. The projector will get a bad rap because most people don't even know how to get into the service menu. I wonder if BenQ support knows how to adjust the settings when these people call in complaining about a blotchy picture!

Probably not, that's why we need to help each other to get the best picture possible, because the techs at Benq are sure not doing it.
"Kevin" any advise to to us newbees on calibrating the CWDelay or the speed. I noticed that if I use the factory preset mode for Family Room the speed is changed to 4x, when I check it in the service menu. Where as the other modes go to 5x without SLR (Graphic)? Any suggestion on this?

< I tried the settings for my 7700 using component, not HDMI. After backing the brightness to -4 (-8 was posted by Kevin) the picture was better than I had gotten by using a calibration disc.

I would be very interested in Kevin's numbers for the component inputs. If the picture looks this good using his HDMI numbers, it should look even better with the component numbers.

Thanks for all the information. >


Hi, I too was wondering about Kevin`s numbers using COMPONENT. I have a white screen. Can anyone give me some suggested numbers to use??? I have been using factory default Cinema and Home Theater for many months. I have the AVIA disk, but frankly am terrible at calibration.

Also, I am glad to read that this forum has returned to advice on calibration and usage. In my own opinion, this thread became a <bulb return forum> for a long time and I stopped reading. I think a new thread for strictly bulb issues would be a good idea, if one doesn`t exist right now.


Just wondering again if someone might have some good COMPONENT numbers to share. Again, my screen is simple white. Thanks!!!

The CW delay setting still has me wondering. As originally shipped it was set at 70. I went into the sercice menu, tried different values down to 50. 70 looked best. After upgrade it came back at 55. Tried 70 and that looked awful. Watched 5th element last night. WOW. Almost too much detail at times, facial complexions, less than state of the art special effects. I was going to sit on the sidelines while the HD DVD / Blu Ray battle gets sorted out. Not sure I will be able to hold back. Wonder how well the Tosh HD players upconvert SD DVD. Anyone using an HDA1 with the 7700? BTW the Tosh higher end HDXA1 is available.

Joe

You might want to read this review before you buy, it might help.

http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/cgi-bin/shootout.cgi?function=search&articles=128#ToshibaHD-A1%20(Component)

I found a review of a 50" plasma monitor here:

http://www.hdtvsolutions.com/pioneer_pdp-505cmx_plasma_hd_monitor_review.htm

What's interesting is that this review shows screenshots comparing the 7700 with the plasma.

You might want to read this review before you buy, it might help.

http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/cgi-bin/shootout.cgi?function=search&articles=128#ToshibaHD-A1%20(Component)

Thanks for the link. When you stop to think, maybe it's not a smart move buying unit #1 with a brand new format. I remember a friend back in '76 just had to have the original Sony stand alone Betamax SL-7200. Think it cost $1200 (in those pre inflated dollars). Ah memories, of course anyone that has one of those, well it deserves the proper respect. In, perhaps a glass museum display case, prominently on view in a 2006 HT.

How long the wait for a universal player? The list of formats required must be giving the design engineers fits, not to mention marketing types. How many patent royalities have to be covered?

It's funny you bring up some of the past experiences, I remember buying one of the first 4 head, stereo VCR's that cost me $800. And I thought the picture was great. Can you imagine paying that kind of money for a VCR? I totally forgot about that, till now. Oh what memories!!

I've connected the Toshiba HD-A1 to the 7700. The upconverting on the HD-A1 is better than my Bravo D1 and Denon 2910 -- indeed, I think it is the best upconverting player you can buy, and it is $100 less than the Denon. When watching HD-DVDs on the 7700, it maximizes the potential of this projector and is very satisfying -- certainly better than almost every HD broadcast I've seen.

The 7700 is good enough to really take advantage of HD-DVD, so if $500 is not too much of a risk, I would go for it. Even if HD-DVD falls on its face, this player is a keeper because it does such a great job with SD DVDs (one caveat -- the Toshiba is essentially a computer with a Pentium 4 and 1 GB of RAM, so it takes the normal 40 seconds or so to boot up. If you are used to a HTPC, this is not an issue).

By the way, I haven't forgotten to provide calibrated numbers for the component connection -- I just haven't yet found the time. I will try to do so shortly.

Hey Kevin, maybe you can also enlighten us on the CWdelay issue and the 4X or 5X settings, when you have a chance, thanks!!

I'm running to head out of town, but my quick response is to leave the 4x 5x setting at the default.

There are many ways to set color wheel delay, but they require an oscilloscope or a colorimeter. Therefore, for most users, the best option is to put up a gray scale ramp pattern (the pattern goes from full black to full white in a smooth gradient (see attached picture)). I'm pretty sure both AVIA and DVE have such patterns.

Put up the ramp pattern and adjust colorwheel delay until you get the smoothest and most neutral transitions in luminance. If you adjust delay up and down, you will start seeing some colors (usually purple and green) and blockiness. When the pattern is smooth and gray, you should be close or right on optimal color wheel delay.

For those without test patterns, another option is to move CW delay all the way in one direction until you see the color change artifacts, do the same in the other direction, then use the setting exactly in the middle of the two extremes. Rough calibration for sure, but better than the crap calibration BenQ seems to be sending out.

Probably not, that's why we need to help each other to get the best picture possible, because the techs at Benq are sure not doing it.
"Kevin" any advise to to us newbees on calibrating the CWDelay or the speed. I noticed that if I use the factory preset mode for Family Room the speed is changed to 4x, when I check it in the service menu. Where as the other modes go to 5x without SLR (Graphic)? Any suggestion on this?

I have 413 hours on my 7700. Very happy and can't wait for my new screen.
Best buy just sent me coupons for 10% off any one item and 10% off 3 dvd's (or music or games.) Think I will be heading down there to pick up the HD-A1 if they have it. I bought Serenity a while ago just in case. Seems sad I paid over 400 bucks for my panny S97 less than a year ago. The money for the HD-A1 doesn't seem like such a waste as that.
I am just debating on if there is a need to keep my iScan HD+ now. I have HD Cable, HD DVD, and HD XBox 360. Nothing left for the iScan to upconvert really, and I would have to upgrade to the VP30 to have enough hdmi ports. I think I will spend the money on a good Denon reciever instead.

Warren.

Thanks guys for the CW delay input, definitely appreciated!
Yeh, Warren, I have also been debating on wheather I should keep my Iscan !

Are there any PE7700 owners in the NoVA area?

Appreciate a PM if your willing to demo.

Cheers,
Mark

I've connected the Toshiba HD-A1 to the 7700. The upconverting on the HD-A1 is better than my Bravo D1 and Denon 2910 -- indeed, I think it is the best upconverting player you can buy, and it is $100 less than the Denon. When watching HD-DVDs on the 7700, it maximizes the potential of this projector and is very satisfying -- certainly better than almost every HD broadcast I've seen.

The 7700 is good enough to really take advantage of HD-DVD, so if $500 is not too much of a risk, I would go for it. Even if HD-DVD falls on its face, this player is a keeper because it does such a great job with SD DVDs (one caveat -- the Toshiba is essentially a computer with a Pentium 4 and 1 GB of RAM, so it takes the normal 40 seconds or so to boot up. If you are used to a HTPC, this is not an issue).

By the way, I haven't forgotten to provide calibrated numbers for the component connection -- I just haven't yet found the time. I will try to do so shortly.
I'll throw in my two cents regarding the HD-A1. Bottom line is it is more than worth it for the 7700. The clarity on HD-DVD is a great experience. I just watched Chronicles of Riddick on HD-DVD compared back and forth with the cropped HD version on my dvr. NO macroblocking on HD-DVD, like the cable version. Much easier on the eyes. In addition it has done a swell job of upconverting dvd's. Yes, slow load times but I'm used to it now. I have not had the freeze ups that others have been dealing with. The 7700 will hold me over until 1080P projectors fall in my budget.

Anyone purchase a PE7700 online that is not an "authorized" reseller have trouble getting their firmware upgrade or warranty service.

The BenQ website lists the Etailers :
Socal Electronics
TV Authority
Costco
Tiger Direct
ProjectorCenter.com
Projector People
DLP Store
Audio Visual Innovations
Adtech Systems

Thanks in advance for your response.

Anyone purchase a PE7700 online that is not an "authorized" reseller have trouble getting their firmware upgrade or warranty service.

The BenQ website lists the Etailers :
Socal Electronics
TV Authority
Costco
Tiger Direct
ProjectorCenter.com
Projector People
DLP Store
Audio Visual Innovations
Adtech Systems

Thanks in advance for your response.

I bought from Projector Solutions and have had no trouble getting warranty service.

I bought from Projector Solutions and have had no trouble getting warranty service.

Bought mine from them too have had no warranty problems. Last time I looked their no longer in business.

Mark

PLEASE could someone help me. I stupidly messed with the factory settings and have now loaded the deafault settings and for some reason I cant load the ones that came with the PJ. Could someone help me out massively and list the exact settings in the factory settings section. Please, please this would help me out no end! PLEASE someone help me.

PLEAAAAAASSSSE could someone help me... I'm an idtiotic fool, I know, but I need some help sorting out my stupid mistake! I have noticed that the colour looks better when I switch to 4x colour wheel... have I screwed my colour wheel up or is it just that my colour temp @ 5x is wrong at the factory settings? please help guys!

PLEASE could someone help me. I stupidly messed with the factory settings and have now loaded the deafault settings and for some reason I cant load the ones that came with the PJ. Could someone help me out massively and list the exact settings in the factory settings section. Please, please this would help me out no end! PLEASE someone help me.

Go to post #2550 of this thread.

Mark

Go to post #2550 of this thread.

Mark

Sparky m8, you are a star! I could KISS YOU! I think I'm in love;)... eh I think I should calm down now... i take that back! lol

Anyone purchase a PE7700 online that is not an "authorized" reseller have trouble getting their firmware upgrade or warranty service.

The BenQ website lists the Etailers :
Socal Electronics
TV Authority
Costco
Tiger Direct
ProjectorCenter.com
Projector People
DLP Store
Audio Visual Innovations
Adtech Systems

Thanks in advance for your response.

The list above are direct authorized dealers for the product. That is, those companies buy in enough quantity to deal directly with BenQ.

In addition BenQ sells through several distributors, which makes their product available to hundreds (if not thousands) of additional resellers.

However, these are the big movers of BenQ products. As a result, they are still your best bet. They have the connections direct with the mucky-mucks at BenQ, so if issues arrive that the manufacturer isn't responding to the way you want, they can and usually will intervene. (Only if you bring them into the loop).

I advise most to buy from direct authorized dealers - regardless of brand, on major purchases. Non-authorized and even those dealers who are legitimate but buy through distribution because they don't buy large quantities, will often sell for a little less, but hey, it's your piece of mind.

And Basement, you are right projectorsolution.com did go out of business in February.

Help Required
I have a PE7700 and a digital tuner with scrat so i converted the scart to RGB and the projector is saying "componant 1 RGB unsupported". I am currently using it via the standard video cable which looks greate but i thought i should get the rgb source to work. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks
Danny G

The CW delay setting still has me wondering. As originally shipped it was set at 70. I went into the sercice menu, tried different values down to 50. 70 looked best. After upgrade it came back at 55. Tried 70 and that looked awful. Watched 5th element last night. WOW. Almost too much detail at times, facial complexions, less than state of the art special effects. I was going to sit on the sidelines while the HD DVD / Blu Ray battle gets sorted out. Not sure I will be able to hold back. Wonder how well the Tosh HD players upconvert SD DVD. Anyone using an HDA1 with the 7700? BTW the Tosh higher end HDXA1 is available.

Joe

yeah I'm using the PE7700 with the HD-A1. For some reason I'm getting a lot of video noise on blacks... could you tell me what your video. data and CTI filters are set at in the factory settings please? Thanks, Spike.

yeah I'm using the PE7700 with the HD-A1. For some reason I'm getting a lot of video noise on blacks... could you tell me what your video. data and CTI filters are set at in the factory settings please? Thanks, Spike.

Spike
Try "PE7700/MT700 Tweak Thread" post #48 "TheKorn" recorded the 048 firmware numbers. Good luck tell us how the DVD-HD looks when your setup.

Mark

Thanks Mark! I think I might send it back into BenQ, just to get it back to how it was... any suggestions on what I should tell them? I dont think I want to tell them I was messing with the Factory options:) atm reds look bland with odd blacks in reds and I'm noticing some weird video noise. I also think I may have messed up the colour wheel! I cant get it to look right... I can notice colour changes/banding etc. Is it possible to break the PJ in these settings?

Thanks again,
Spike