Hi,

My unit dates back to Spring 05 and I am not (yet) part of the blown bulb club. I contacted today Benq for doing a proactive firmware upgrade + lamp replacement.

They said OK for the firmware upgrade but refused for the lamp replacement.

Has anybody tried to do a proactive replacement and got the same answers from Benq ?

Thx
CC

As I have said before, if you don't like the anwser you get, call back. Different people there have different anwsers. I think most companies are like that. Replacing the firmware was only part of the solution, the bulb was the other part, they both need to be replaced. Just call back.
Warren.

Yeah, I'd say call back. When mine recently started acting up I called in to ask a few questions and the guy that answered seemed fully disinterested in talking to me. I ended the conversation and called back a few days later and the lady I spoke with was very, very helpful. I felt like that she would drive over to my house and pick it up if she could!

She also seemed to know what she was talking about: "That sounds like a failed thermal sensor. We can take care of that"

After I explained that I hadn't done anything different other than to hook-up my cable box via HDMI, the first guy asked my the stupidest question I had ever heard: "Why would you do that?"

Well... Why wouldn't I do that? It is an available interface right?

When I mentioned it to the nice lady she said: "I'll make some notes onto the RMA so that they will check that out, too."

So if you don't like what you hear, just hang up and call back.

In relation to my above post is there any settings in the service menu that SHOULD be enabled/switched on and under no circumstances any which should NOT be adjusted/changed?

Hey Cor,
I called in yesterday to check on my pj and they said it had shipped already and that I'd get it today! So that follows the 5-7 days thing pretty good.

Do you have any news? I don't want to get your hopes up (it is Friday the 13th, afterall), but you might call... just for fun.

I got it back yesterday actually. Only two weeks! I was flabberghasted. It's not the one-day turnaround sharp does, but it's a lot better than 6 weeks to replace a lamp. They did sort of botch it though... They replaced whatever was broken, but there is *still* stuff inside the projector that rattles around if you move it. Hopefully none of it gets sucked into the lightpath. I'm wondering if I should call BenQ to see if I should do anything or if calling them would be a total waste of time. The irritating thing is that I specifically said there was stuff rattling around inside that should be removed both over the phone and in the note I packed with the projector.

When I was getting an RMA set up I did politely illustrate my past BenQ service experiences for the operator. He said he couldn't do anything for me, but he did forward me to a manager. Naturally, I got the manager's voicemail box. I left a message and he never returned it. Par for the course.

I just have to say it for anyone reading this thread who is thinking about buying a BenQ projector: Don't.

I got it back yesterday actually. Only two weeks! I was flabberghasted. It's not the one-day turnaround sharp does, but it's a lot better than 6 weeks to replace a lamp. They did sort of botch it though... They replaced whatever was broken, but there is *still* stuff inside the projector that rattles around if you move it. Hopefully none of it gets sucked into the lightpath. I'm wondering if I should call BenQ to see if I should do anything or if calling them would be a total waste of time. The irritating thing is that I specifically said there was stuff rattling around inside that should be removed both over the phone and in the note I packed with the projector.

When I was getting an RMA set up I did politely illustrate my past BenQ service experiences for the operator. He said he couldn't do anything for me, but he did forward me to a manager. Naturally, I got the manager's voicemail box. I left a message and he never returned it. Par for the course.

I just have to say it for anyone reading this thread who is thinking about buying a BenQ projector: Don't.
To counter the last negative sentence, I would say YES BUY to anyone reading this forum. When I bought my BenQ pj it was a DOA. The dealer told me that was very rare and it was replaced within 2 days. I am very happy with the pj and it always receives extremely good reviews.

Yes, BenQ support can be very good. There are other places that have terrible service. Maybe there is better but I rate BenQ very good. I wouldn't hesitate to buy BenQ again.
Warren.

Yes, BenQ support can be very good. There are other places that have terrible service. Maybe there is better but I rate BenQ very good. I wouldn't hesitate to buy BenQ again.
Warren.
I totally agree. Very happy with their service and they did address a major problem on bulb failures without argument.

I was feeling lonely, so I joined the "Blown Bulb Club" yesterday, at 800 hours on a unit bought May 2005. I called BenQ and, with NO wait time, got an RMA. But I thought that they also paid for s/h to and from the warehouse? AAMOF, I thought BenQ even sent USPS or UPS to pick up the package? The cust. serv. rep. did not mention this!

Got my PJ back today, in original box, for total of 10 days after I sent it in for repair. I'll definitely check it out tonight.

I just have to say it for anyone reading this thread who is thinking about buying a BenQ projector: Don't.

I have to agree - Ive had my lamp replaced due to terrible flicker and the video board replaced due to terrible temporal dithering, and over the last few days a flicker has returned (albeit ever so slight) and the temporal dithering is still there. All this from a PJ that was brand new and came in this condition. BenQ Australia support is absolutely terrible. Will never buy one of their products again.

Guys Im putting out a huge request PLEASE I'm desparate - is there anything apart from the colour wheel adjustment in the 7700's service menu that I should adjust that may reduce temporal dithering? Its very noticeable in darker parts of a scene when moving.

I have to agree - Ive had my lamp replaced due to terrible flicker and the video board replaced due to terrible temporal dithering, and over the last few days a flicker has returned (albeit ever so slight) and the temporal dithering is still there. All this from a PJ that was brand new and came in this condition. BenQ Australia support is absolutely terrible. Will never buy one of their products again.

Guys Im putting out a huge request PLEASE I'm desparate - is there anything apart from the colour wheel adjustment in the 7700's service menu that I should adjust that may reduce temporal dithering? Its very noticeable in darker parts of a scene when moving.
MarkH,

Could you kindly explain your dithering issue? I don't quite understand what you mean. Do you mean the 'crawling' effect in scenes like blue sky etc? Or do you mean the 'double image' or 'ghosting effect' when a person moves from one side of the screen to the other or when the camera pans?

I had a small amount of 'crawling' which was reduced by switching colour temp to warm (I also incresed my gamma setings to 69 in the service menu which upped shadow detail a little - this was unrelated).

I also ramped up the colour wheel speed to 6x to see if that helped the panning issue - I'm still undecided if it helped though. Oh, and by the way. Does anyone know if increasing colour wheel speed can have adverse effects?

Do a Google search for temporal dithering, its hard to explain but I made a stab at it a while back on the DTVForum in the 7700 thread there. When I got my PJ back from repair, changing the CW to 6x caused to image to jump and distort, so put it back immediately. Interestingly this didnt happen prior to going in for servicing. Not a big deal as I tend to leave on 5x anyways. I would love to have a service maunal for this PJ so I could see what all the crap in service menu do!

I totally agree. Very happy with their service and they did address a major problem on bulb failures without argument.

It seems likely that the level of satisfaction people have with this projector is related to how early they bought it. I got it very shortly after the model was released and went through four bulbs (none of which were sent out faster than 3 weeks, one took 6) before they finally said it might be the firmware. Of course, the firmware upgrade boosted the fan speed and noise of the unit considerably. (I feel a bit deceived as a result of this actually.) During the first few months, when I was going through a lamp every month or so, their customer service was a lot worse than it is now. We're talking 40-60 minute phone waits with that horrendous Michael-Jackson-clone BenQ hold music.

Their telephone support and turn-around times have improved. Their service quality control still needs work. Both times I've sent the projector in they've botched something. (The loose bits rattling around inside the unit come from when I sent the projector in for the firmware upgrade. It went in with a dead lamp but no rattling and came back with rattling and new firmware. They also set the color wheel timing wrong, which took a bit to figure out.) At least if you see the PE7700 in a shop now you can get an accurate idea of how loud it will be.

Maybe the PE7700 isn't such a bad purchase now, but I still regret purchasing it two years ago. Part of that is because BenQ hasn't expended the least bit of effort to make things up to me. Something as simple as returning my phone calls would go a long way. If I bought a car that spent 3 months out of the first 8 in the shop I'd expect the dealer to talk to me, at the very least.

Got my PJ back today, in original box, for total of 10 days after I sent it in for repair. I'll definitely check it out tonight.

PJ looks fantastic even in stock HT mode. I'll calibrate this weekend. Overall I'm pretty happy with BenQ standing behind their product. The 3 yr. warranty is awesome!

My 01 Mustang, under warrenty luckily, had both headlights replaced, the oxygen sensor, the throttle body (after 5 visits telling them it was sticking and nearly getting me into accidents) the drivers window motor (after it not working 4 out of the first 6 months I owned it, but working the first 6 times I brought it in,) the passengers window motor, both rear window motors, the rear seatbelt, the trunk seal, the radio, the instrument panel, something unknown in the drivers door, and the air conditioning. Not only did they never apologize, when the air went out they wouldn't give me a loaner car. It was 115F here in AZ and the car has black leather seats and they made me drive it. Oh, and the sun visors disintegrated in the sun (guess they weren't meant for that.) They wouldn't do anything about that at all.
Nope, I will take BenQ service anyday over that.
Warren.

oops. Slow internet

The big question is.. do you still own it? ;)

I do. Went to trade it in and they wouldn't give me what I owed on it, which was only 3 grand.
The air went out again out of warranty, the top needs manual assistance, the seat back broke, the coil went out, the clutch went out, and still is funky. Other than that is is pretty much a peice of junk. Black leather seats in Arizona?? The V6 in my minivan has a higher redline than my Mustang. Sad really. Now I know I just got a lemon though, and wouldn't hesitate to buy a Mustang again, but only a V8. The new ones are just amazing machines. They got the amazing feel and sound to go with the fantastic looks.
I think my 7700 is a good looking machine too (just to throw something OT in.) :)
Warren.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/09/29/business/EU_FIN_COM_Germany_Taiwan_BenQ.php

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/09/29/business/EU_FIN_COM_Germany_Taiwan_BenQ.php


Are those the 720p cellphones? ;)

I suppose this may not be a welcomed topic for this thread, but has anyone found a worthy upgrade from the 7700 in the sub $2k range? It seems few of us 7700 owners have jumped shipped since I haven't seen any mention of our units in any of the new projector threads. All this talk of HD72's and Z5's is giving me the contrast itch! :D

The picture quality is so good on the 7700 it's not worth the up grade for such a slight picture quality if any at all. I have had my unit about 16 months with a little over a year left on the 3 warranty(One of the reasons I chose it) This time next year 1080 will be in the 2500 to 2000 range (IMO) after CEDIA I think the market will heat up and companys will be in a war over MARKET SHARE. I feel this timing will hit just about right as the format war in HD-DVD will be settling out and consumers will flood the market all at once Feeling a lot more confident in letting go of the dollars. IMO anyway...............

So with that said I feel 1080 is enough of a quality difference to move me off the great picture now...........Hope this makes since.

The picture quality is so good on the 7700 it's not worth the up grade for such a slight picture quality if any at all. I have had my unit about 16 months with a little over a year left on the 3 warranty(One of the reasons I chose it) This time next year 1080 will be in the 2500 to 2000 range (IMO) after CEDIA I think the market will heat up and companys will be in a war over MARKET SHARE. I feel this timing will hit just about right as the format war in HD-DVD will be settling out and consumers will flood the market all at once Feeling a lot more confident in letting go theses dollars. IMO anyway...............

So with that said I feel 1080 is enough of a quality difference to move me off the great picture now...........Hope this makes since.

Based on how much service mine has needed, I'm going to be thinking about ebaying and upgrading more and more as the warranty runs out.

I wouldn't even think about "upgrading" to another 720p unit. 1080p projectors will probably be 4k or so next year. I don't think they will be in the 2500 range then, maybe the year after. 1080p for 3999 will be good enough to get me to jump.
Warren.

Remember this?
http://www.projectorcentral.com/ae900_pe7700.htm

That article is a year old. Say what you will about LCD vs DLP. But if the AE900u produces a more 3 dimensional, colorful, contrast rich image than the 7700, it would be logical to assume the current Sanyo and Panny offerings must look even better. How can I help but want to upgrade! I love my PE7700, but I know it's lacking in the contrast and color dept compared to current offerings at it's price point. Heck, I still can't figure out how to save the gamma and offset on the damn thing! :D

Can someone explain to me how to use the REAL mode?

Is it used only for 720p? Or also for standard dvd? Does it greatly improve image?

I am using regular dvds via component. I tried using it, but the screen image becomes much smaller. I dont think I know what am I doing.

Thanks for any explanation.

REAL mode means the projector displays the resolution in its native format without upscaling everything to 720p. It also allows for 1x1 pixel mapping if you feed it a 720p signal. If you feed the BenQ a quality 720p signal, it should look better if you use REAL mode.

For example, if you are in REAL mode and you connect a standard def DVD (not upscaled), which has 720x480 pixels of information, the BenQ will output an image that is exactly 720 by 480 pixels wide, meaning instead of filling the entire screen (which is 1280x720 pixels wide), it will fill a smaller rectangle in the middle. This is why the projected image of your DVD only fills the middle part of the screen.

If you use ANAMORPHIC, it will scale the 720x480 image of the DVD to 1280x720, which is the native resolution of the BenQ.

If you have an upconverting DVD player (e.g., one that scales the image to 720p ), you would want to use the REAL setting. If your HDTV tuner (cable or satellite) will let you select an output of 720p, you would want to use that with the REAL mode on the Benq.

This is a little confusing, but the general rule of thumb is that if you are using a 720p source such as an upconverting DVD player or HDTV, you want to use the REAL mode. For any other resolutions, such a standard definition DVD, use ANAMORPHIC.

I would not base my hard earned (up grade)dollars on one reviewers oppinion. Evan has always been a little LCD bias. Hear are a couple quotes from Art at Projector Review.

"The latest rev of the PE7700 has addressed that, the gamma is close to dead on, and scenes behave more like you would expect them to. In fact, it performs in this regard a bit better than Sanyo's Z4, and similar (but not quite the same) as Panasonic's PT-AE900u. "

"I point out that the Sanyo Z4 is particularly sharp, the Panasonic AE900u a bit less so. The BenQ is every bit a sharp as the Sanyo Z4, and when you combine that with the lack of SDE (screen door effect) caused by the more visible pixels on LCD projectors like the Sanyo, you get a sharp image, and you can sit closer to enjoy the larger screen feel, than you can with the Z4."

Bottom line is for me when I saw almost all these PJ's when I was looking was they were all DARN good and the difference came down to which ONE would fit my HT room and my room environment better.

Back to the original question, IMO the difference between the native 720 Benq 720 Z5 and 720 100U will not be enough to justify a large up grade lose. Sure their would be differences, and thay might be worth(depending on your HT ROOM environmentally)a few hundred dollars at the time of first purchase,but to loose a grand or so on such a small and slight difference in a side ways upgrade IMO is just not worth it for me......

Am I DLP fan or an LCD fan...........neither DLP fit my Room and Seating distance better, 720 LCD screen door was a deal killer for my front row of seats,and my room would not allow my seats to move farther back, and I just personally did not like the smooth screen focus of the pannys. Now next year when 1080 reaches the cost I like, the 1080 LCD panels will solve the screen door problem(pixel gap to small to see) I will be looking at both techonolgys again because they will both fit my room environment..............Hopefully Panny will turn off the soft focus because it won't be needed anymore.

JMO but the smaller 1080 pixel resolution favors LCD because it eliminates a major problem of that technology Screen Door and THEATRICALLY a 3 chip fixed color panels should have a color depth advantage, but HEY I've been wrong before......I'm sure it won't be the last. I won't base my choice on theory of course I will let me eyes make the call.

Thanks for listening :D

I agree with Warren. I could see getting something like an HD81 in a year or two. It should be less than $5K by then, maybe even $4K as he suggests.

Right now it wouldn't be worth it, but the 1080s are just on the edge of getting cheap enough. I should also mention that there's no way I'd "upgrade" to anything else in the same price range right now.

I haven't seen the new PJs yet although by most accounts they're all pretty good. However I'm still really happy everytime I fire up the 7700. Also, it's not clear to me that in a not so perfect viewing environment I would get a large benefit from the new higher ANSI contrast machines. Everytime I do read a review though I'm tempted !

This year I'd like to upgrade my sources, perhaps xbox 360 with the upcoming HD-DVD addition. I'll move to 1080 when the price is right. For now, 720p is still very good.

As a 7700 owner Kevin can probably comment better. He's seen and reviewed many of the latest machines. He's commented that even the highly regarded Samsung H710 doesn't really blow the 7700 out of the water.

If you've got an extra $4,000 laying around (at a minimum), by all means upgrade to 1080p. I just got the Optoma HD81 and I'm really enjoying it, but you have to have a very high-quality HD signal to get the most out of it (which is true for any 1080p). Even some HD-DVDs don't really make that much difference. Standard def DVDs and 720p from ABC and FOX do not benefit that much from going to 1080p.

I think I mentioned that in August I used the PE7700 in a Parade of Homes theater (the entire thing had to come in under $10,000). I calibrated the heck out of it and then used HD-DVDs or native 720p downloads from the Internet and shown using an HTPC. Other theaters were using $10k-$20k projectors (Marantz, Yamaha, etc.), and almost everyone said that the image of our theater was the best in the entire show.

I still think the PE7700 is an excellent projector for its price range. If my PE7700 crashed, I might consider the Optoma HD70 for $1,000 as an interim replacement (see HD70 Review (http://www.audioholics.com/productreviews/avhardware/Optoma-HD70-projector.php) ), but other than that, I don't think it is a bad idea to enjoy the 7700 for a while longer and then jump into 1080p when the prices have dropped.

Well said Kevin. You guys have motivated me to hold on to my 7700 for a while, at least until 1080p comes down in price.

But you know what would make me really happy? If someone could please show me how to save my gain bias/offset settings. I've tried making my adjustments in the regular user menu AND the service menu, tried saving it to every user memory I can find and NOTHING. The moment I power off the projector I lose all my settings and can't recall/load them. It seems as if there is no way to load my previous adjustments! I find it infuriating having to make the adjustments all over again every time I turn on the projector. Sure, my brightness and contrast settings are saved, but no luck with gain bias/offset. It sure would be great if the unit would power on with my custom settings as default. You guys must all be geniuses, I feel like a dunce not being able to perform the simplest of tasks after searching this monster thread. Someone please throw me a bone? Kevin? Bueller? Anyone?

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

AlexBPM,

This was posted many months ago. I played around this and finally got it to work. Good Luck

Mark

Thanks Mark,
I figured it out with a lot of trial and error. For anyone else having the same problem, the trick is to scroll past the color temps of neutral, cool, warm, until you find User1 and 2! And for anyone else that was struggling to save the gamma adjustments in the service menu, first you must make your adjustments, then select Factory and return to the regular user menu. Then navigate to advanced, white balance, and save your settings to User 1 or 2.

After using Kevins Components settings, the image still wasn't right. Everything was either too red or too cool. After about an hour of experimentation with reference material I was shocked to find reducing Red Gamma and Blue Gamma to 64 yielded the perfect results. Perhaps this is due to my 1.3 gain screen. This is the image I have been looking for all this time. It's perfection

Another nightmare I went through after resetting the projector to factory defaults, was a very pronounced purple/redish solarization effect surrounding dark scenes and highlight detail. It was so bad I thought I broke something. Turns out I had to change the colorwheel from "5x with SLR", to "5x without CLR" and then lower the CW Delay in the service menu from 70 to 50! This seems a bit extreme, and I have no idea how resetting to factory defaults could have this effect. But I'm suprised more users haven't complained about this issue. Perhaps I've just been unlucky. Either way, hope this helps anyone struggling with the same issues I was.

Months ago I reported some serious flickering issues and temporal dithering. My unit was finally replaced yesterday, and guess what? The dithering is still there!!! Sources include Xbox360, HD-DVD player, regular DVD, HD STb and have a combination of HDMi and component. Have changed cables and has made no difference. I cant drop the CW down to anywhere below 68 before the colours start to get that 8-bit look, but even so the dithering is still there. Anybody please got some ideas to try before I throw this PJ out? Since the day Ive bought it Ive had nothing but grief. BTW my old unit was a MArch build date with .49. The new one is Sept 06 with a new 1.02 firmware. Please somebody help, Kevin? Anybody?

Months ago I reported some serious flickering issues and temporal dithering. My unit was finally replaced yesterday, and guess what? The dithering is still there!!! Sources include Xbox360, HD-DVD player, regular DVD, HD STb and have a combination of HDMi and component. Have changed cables and has made no difference. I cant drop the CW down to anywhere below 68 before the colours start to get that 8-bit look, but even so the dithering is still there. Anybody please got some ideas to try before I throw this PJ out? Since the day Ive bought it Ive had nothing but grief. BTW my old unit was a MArch build date with .49. The new one is Sept 06 with a new 1.02 firmware. Please somebody help, Kevin? Anybody?

Dear, All friends here
i still have flicker problem, it comes and goes. Now i run nearly 160hrs and everytime i see it i keep changing by the suggest the way to kill it for ! i watch HD dvd or some Sd dvd via upscaling by Lumagen HDP i notic this projector has so much NOISE in the picture. i think this is from Benq 7700 issue
However, i think about to get the new projector 1080p soon

Nearly Futrue !! What is the good one to upgrade ? My screen only 92" i prefer more 3D, good black shadow details, less NOISE and yes flicker free. I strat with DLP and kind of love it !! i knew the one i like and love t have it is Marantz vp11s1 but it is too expensive over my budget
Can SXRD answer and solve my questions if i come from DLP background ?
Is it big step to jump up from benq 7700 to SXRD ?
How does the 1080p SXRD compare to DLP 1080p ?
or should i wait for awhile maybe a few months let the DLP comes out more ?


i knew that SXRD is softer picture than DLP . DLP is more brighter and shearper I am NOT fan of 3LCD at all coz i feel it is less 3D and it is not good enough black shadow details for me. i have seen z4 ae700 900 i saw real projection tv of SXRD bravia KD r50-60-a200 in Thailand ( 50-60 xbr2 USA version)

If anyone need a Hoya Filter 67 MM ND2 NEUTRAL DENSITY For their pe7700 message me
Tom

Guys,
What settings on the 7700 in the service menu can contribute/reduce the effects of motion dithering?

And if so any recommendations?

Hey Kevin,

Hope you are still out there.

Based on your suggestion, I managed to put these values in my set up. Image looks pretty good.

Just to make sure. Were there any other menu items that you adjusted, besides what you posted below???

Contrast 2
Brightness 1
Color 0
Tint 0

What about filter, sharpness, etc? Do I also need to mess with normal, warm, cool, menu options??


Red gain 512
Green gain 450
Blue gain 455

Red offset 11
Green offset 12
Blue offset 11

I read in other post that someone adjusted "gammas" to 71??? Is this some other option that I should try to find on the menu? I believe that they used HDMI. Anyway, my screen is plain white and I am only able to use component for the time being.

Also does the settings change if the image being sent is interlaced or progressive?

Thanks a million!

Everyone

I am having difficultly getting my adjusted settings to save. In the Advanced menu, I adjust my Gains and Offsets. I have tried every combo of saving without luck.

What is the exact procedure?

Also, are the User memories PER connection or can there be a User 1 for HDMI and a User 1 for Component?

thx!

Well for anyone whos bothered, after two PE7700 units and 3 lamps in the space of 4 months, I finally got rid of this POS and settled for the AX100. Chuffed to bits. I now have a PJ that works!

MarkH, sorry to see you had problems with the 7700. Did both of your 7700's have the updated firmware and bulb? Good viewing with your new projector!

Hopefully someone can shed some light on this..thru experience perhaps.

Have had my PE7700 installed since early this year, it's an AUG 2005 manufacture dated unit. It finally started acting up about 2 months ago, sent to Benq or one of their repair depots on 1st RMA, got it back a week later, they said they replaced the bulb and updated the FW. It worked for one NFL game and then the next day, LAMP light on power up. Sent it in again for 2nd RMA, got it back, problem still exists but this time right out of the box. Sent it in for a 3rd RMA, got it back with 'unit repaired' on the shipping bill, plugged her in, and again it worked for 1 NFL game, and the next day, LAMP light on power up.

I call Benq this morning and now they're finally saying that they'll replace it with a refurbished unit. Questions..

What happens to the balance of my 3 year warranty?
Do the re-furbished units come with their own warranty and if so, how long, or does the current warranty that's left over transfer over?

What could be wrong with this unit..it's worked fine for the past 8 months or so, w/o a single problem. FYI, the bulb only had about 300 hours on it when it when the problems first started.

Should I be weary of getting a re-furb unit..or be stubborn about them repairing my own?

Thanks for any info.

Nothing wrong with the refurb. It almost certainly has less hours than your old projector. The warrenty will be the same. It is like nothing happened. The old bulb was too hot, it probably destroyed some other circuit on the board, or the power supply or something, anybodys guess.
Warren.

XBox 360 users, I have a question: What resolution do you run at? I had mine hooked up to my 37" 1080p LCD monitor, so when hooked up to my 7700 I dropped it to 720p. Now it looks worse than 1080i on the same 720p projector. Does that make any sense?
Also, the XBox looked way better on the monitor than the projector, where movies are the other way around. Is that just an advantage of LCD tv for gaming, or I should I change some setting? I put it to the Gaming Preset and High bulb mode.
Warren.

Nothing wrong with the refurb. It almost certainly has less hours than your old projector. The warrenty will be the same. It is like nothing happened. The old bulb was too hot, it probably destroyed some other circuit on the board, or the power supply or something, anybodys guess.
Warren.

Thanks for the quick response....but should it take them 3 RMA's and still NOT get it right, or is this normal? Keep in mind, I'm up in Canada, so I really have no idea who they are contracting out to fix it.

My guess is whoever is 'attempting' the fixes is botching it up, but yet still billing Benq. There seems to be no contact info for Benq Canada except for their tech #.

XBox 360 users, I have a question: What resolution do you run at? I had mine hooked up to my 37" 1080p LCD monitor, so when hooked up to my 7700 I dropped it to 720p. Now it looks worse than 1080i on the same 720p projector. Does that make any sense?
Also, the XBox looked way better on the monitor than the projector, where movies are the other way around. Is that just an advantage of LCD tv for gaming, or I should I change some setting? I put it to the Gaming Preset and High bulb mode.
Warren.

Make sure the switch on the AV cable is set to HDTV on the xbox360 I hear this really kills quality when using a projector if it's not switched.

Make sure the switch on the AV cable is set to HDTV on the xbox360 I hear this really kills quality when using a projector if it's not switched.

Bingo. That little switch at the base of the A/V cable is tricky to find, and it sure makes a big difference in picture quality. I'm surprised microsoft doesn't place extra emphasis on this in the 360 users manual. I'm sure there are thousands of users out there thinking they're playing in HD but they're not!

I have a free new lamp that will work in a PE7700. All you have to do is come by my house and pick it up. PHOENIX AREA ONLY. Will not ship.

Thanks for the quick response....but should it take them 3 RMA's and still NOT get it right, or is this normal? Keep in mind, I'm up in Canada, so I really have no idea who they are contracting out to fix it.

My guess is whoever is 'attempting' the fixes is botching it up, but yet still billing Benq. There seems to be no contact info for Benq Canada except for their tech #.

Here in Ontario it's being sent to a third party company out in Missisauga. I can't recall the name. They've done both my lamp/fw upgrades and it's been done competently I think.

Not sure why would you hook the composite/stereo cables and component cables on the same display. I have the composite going to my TV and the component going to my projector, so if the switch is not HDTV the signal goes to the TV. Only HDTV goes to the projector. That works nice for me, just wish the picture was better. Gotta get a 1080 projector I guess. ;) Sure the wife will understand.
Warren.

Here in Ontario it's being sent to a third party company out in Missisauga. I can't recall the name. They've done both my lamp/fw upgrades and it's been done competently I think.

Yes, I think they use 2 different 3rd party locations. My first RMA went to Richmond BC... apparently FW was upgraded and bulb was replaced. Following week, 2nd RMA went somewhere in Ontario, once again FW updated. Got it back, still no go, 3rd RMA back to Richmond BC, all they said this time was 300 - Defective Repair. Still broke, now gone back for 4th RMA, we'll see if they actually replace it as they said or try to repair it once more.

It's getting frustrating...and I really fear shipping back and forth every 2nd week isn't really healthy for the unit.

Been pretty quiet on this thread.

I just reached the 1000 hour mark on the replacement lamp and FW 0.48. Back in April I measured the lamp output with the new lamp with about 30 minutes on it. Measured again today with 1003 hours. The output measures about 50% down. You can tell output is down, but not a big deal. Still plenty bright on my 133" Hi- Power screen. This has been all in Econo mode. Maybe we can get to 2500+ hours with the full output option as a backup.

Have what may be a new problem developing. The last 3 or so times I fired up the pj, it starts normally and after the splash screen is done and an image is up, the fan makes a buzzing noise. It lasts for about 45 seconds and then quiets down to normal. Sure sounds like bearing noise. Just hope it gets past Saturday as the hometown Deacons are going for the ACC title and my guests are not expecting to have to watch on a 43" sd rptv.

Anyone had a similar problem? I'll call Ben next week and report back.

Happy Holidays,

Joe

It's probably not the same but my machine does seem to start up loud then quiets down about 45 seconds or so later. Although on mine it seems to be high fan noise.

For those interested in scalars/de-interlacers I came across an article on scalars in November's issue of Home Entertainment magazine. The article talked about all the major players such as Faroudja, Gennum, and Silicon Optix. In the article, they mentioned that the PE7700 has an deinterlacer/scaler chip from a company called Oplus and that the chip performed better than expected with test patterns on the Silicon Optix test DVD. This chip is also used in the PE8720. The article also mentioned that Oplus, an Israel based company, was acquired by Intel last year.

Regards

Does anyone else's image have a green tinge in the blacks? I ask because I did for ages (didn't realise, but was never really happy with the black). Anyway, I set colour temp to warm, a bit better but still not perfect. Then I heard about changing gamma settings so i tried that - BINGO! From 'warm' I set red gamma to 75 (i think), green to 60 and blue to 70. AWESOME blacks! The reds were a bit high so i countered that with tint (up to 10). Could not be happier! Digital TV is so much better and more life like - the people no longer look green around the gills! Haven't tested a dvd yet, but will be doing so shortly.

Just when i think i've got the best out of this PJ i always find something new to tweak!

Just another thing, does anyone run their DLP cw at 6x speed? I did for a while (less rainbows for me and image seemed 'slightly' better, but couldn't put my finger on why) but I put it back because i'm not sure if it would have any adverse effects.

Quick question - Benq doesn't care about "authorized dealers" or anything like that when considering warranty work, correct?

I have my MT700 refund on the way, and since it seems BenQ has a handle on the lamp issue, I may just move laterally to the PE7700.

They don't ask where you got it. Just for the serial number. 1170 hours on my 7700.
Warren.

Thanks warren. Now, if you could put another 1330 hours on it or so in the next few days, that would greatly help me in my decision ;) I'm also looking at used/new DLPs with a zero offset or lens shift in the under $2000 range - the H79 looks sweet, but it had bulb problems as well. I can get the BenQ for about half my MT700 refund, which looks like a yummy price indeed :)

Quick question - Benq doesn't care about "authorized dealers" or anything like that when considering warranty work, correct?

I have my MT700 refund on the way, and since it seems BenQ has a handle on the lamp issue, I may just move laterally to the PE7700.

how did you get a refund on the mt700? my projector blew two bulbs. first with about 100 hrs and the second probably didn't make it more than 400 hrs. benq just upgraded the firmware and a new bulb. now the bulb works but the temp lamp is coming on after just a few minutes of viewing. i've about had it with this projector's reliability.

It's probably not the same but my machine does seem to start up loud then quiets down about 45 seconds or so later. Although on mine it seems to be high fan noise.

For those interested in scalars/de-interlacers I came across an article on scalars in November's issue of Home Entertainment magazine. The article talked about all the major players such as Faroudja, Gennum, and Silicon Optix. In the article, they mentioned that the PE7700 has an deinterlacer/scaler chip from a company called Oplus and that the chip performed better than expected with test patterns on the Silicon Optix test DVD. This chip is also used in the PE8720. The article also mentioned that Oplus, an Israel based company, was acquired by Intel last year.

Regards
Same chip used in Yamaha's 2600/2700 receivers.

how did you get a refund on the mt700? my projector blew two bulbs. first with about 100 hrs and the second probably didn't make it more than 400 hrs. benq just upgraded the firmware and a new bulb. now the bulb works but the temp lamp is coming on after just a few minutes of viewing. i've about had it with this projector's reliability.

I sent it in to TOPS service again after calling Toshiba. I asked toshiba nicely for a refund because the unit, after three bulbs and one service call, was probably a lemon. As soon as TOPS looked at it Jennifer called me from Toshiba and told me my refund was on the way.

Hey 7700 owners, I have a few questions on the PE7700 and HD-DVD and the xBox add on drive. Let me describe my viewing first, I have the 7700 , Oppo up scaler and I now run a HTPC for all my 160 SD-DVD. I am movie only theater,no HD cable ect...........

I noticed my Oppo and the HTPC have much better picture quality over HDMI than RGB, and I know this is proably due to them having better scalers than the the BQ. Thats my FIRST QUESTION should I be worried about the xbox being RGB? or should I just take a leap of faith and buy a Xbox OR wait for the HP read only usb player or simular units that WILL connect to my htpc. :)

how did you get a refund on the mt700? my projector blew two bulbs. first with about 100 hrs and the second probably didn't make it more than 400 hrs. benq just upgraded the firmware and a new bulb. now the bulb works but the temp lamp is coming on after just a few minutes of viewing. i've about had it with this projector's reliability.

Ditto, I went through 3 flickering lamps and two new 7700's (temporal dithering issues) in 4 months. Glad I gave this lemon the boot.

@checklist
Your HTPC should be outputing at 720 so you don't have to use the BenQ scaler. It should look pretty good. I use the HD RGB input for mine and it looks great.

The oppo's composite output has been well documented as sub-par. You must use the HDMI output with this DVD player.

I have used the composite output with my digital cable and it looks pretty good. I would say plenty good for playing video games.

@checklist
Your HTPC should be outputing at 720 so you don't have to use the BenQ scaler. It should look pretty good. I use the HD RGB input for mine and it looks great.

The oppo's composite output has been well documented as sub-par. You must use the HDMI output with this DVD player.

I have used the composite output with my digital cable and it looks pretty good. I would say plenty good for playing video games.

Thanks BlakeN as usual this site is keping me out of trouble,it's taken a few weeks of reading but I"m starting to understand HD computer playback through a HTPC a little better. The scalier my Oppo and HTPC has always given better picture quality than any letting my 7700 scale a RGB signal.

This whole mess started when I said to my son I wish I had a HD-DVD movie I could play on my HTPC to TEST and see what a true down scaled 720P look like. I wanted to see how much a difference(in pict quality) it made to a up scaled 480 to 720P DVD. My son came home over the Thanksgiving break(second year Aero space Engineer) and had a rip of a HD movie of Black Hawk Down on a 500GB external USB drive. I have Black Hawk Down (DVD)on my HTPC so a direct comparison was possible. The difference (between the 2)on my 7700 over HDMI was truly AMAZING........................... the difference in sharpness and detail was between the 2 was definitively like night and day.

Now that I see how well a 720 chip can be I will wait until my BQ warranty is out 18 months from now before I up grade to a 1080P machine and who knows what prices/features I will see a year and a half from now.

But the HD QUALITY difference was so good I NOW WILL UP DATE TO A HD-dvd PLAYER or HD-DVD external drive to my HTPC. It looks like I will have to wait just a little while longer for the software on the Xbox drive or the new HP usb external reader to get a direct link to my HTPC so I can use the scalier of the HTPC card to out put through the HDMI cable.

Now that I know I will up date to HD-DVD I just need a little more research on the HTPC side. MY htpc played the HD movie just fine. I have a 7600 GT video card, but only a AMD 939 3200 cpu. IT handled the HD movie just fine but it was already ripped to 720 so my HTPC was really just doing a pass through and was not having to handle a down rip form a 1080 P source. My CPU was riding at 50% usage so common since tells me I might be a little short and a new CPU might be needed. This heavy CPU usage takes me by supprise as in the past the vid card did most of the work.

Thanks for the info this site rocks for keeping me out of trouble. :)

glad everybody is happy!
we use xbox in the office, we love GOLF on a 90" screen!

To those with an HD-DVD player, do you find the upscaling capability of the PE7700 to be better or worse than that of the HD-DVD player for SD-DVD's? Also, if you are using the the HD-DVD player for upscaling, are you converting to 720P or 1080i? Any recommendations? Thanks!

I leave my HD-A1 player in 720p mode since it got the v2.0 firmware, and it looks great with SD DVDs on my Toshiba equivalent of the Benq PE7700. All other comments I have seen say the Toshiba HD DVD players are the best scaling players you can get.

Well that is upscaling, not downscaling. Downscaling was improved in 2.0, but I think the vote is still to send 1080 to the 7700.
Warren.

Uh, oh....

Turned my PJ on today; Power LED at orange, Temp LED flashing red, meaning "Fan not working" according to the manual. I powered it off (switch on back), then back on, and tried it again, and it worked. I have the 0.49 f/w and new bulb. I hope this is NOT a sign of worse things to come.

To those with an HD-DVD player, do you find the upscaling capability of the PE7700 to be better or worse than that of the HD-DVD player for SD-DVD's? Also, if you are using the the HD-DVD player for upscaling, are you converting to 720P or 1080i? Any recommendations? Thanks!

The up scaling of my A2 is way better than the PE7700 or my Oppo 971H, it's close on the Oppo real close. The HD-DVD is out standing on the 7700 it's like I got a new projector.....................It will make the wait for a 1080 much easier because the difference would only be vary vary slight in my screen size and seating distance.

My warranty runs out in 18 months who knows what prices or features machines will have in that time frame.

Projector companys will be sad if this news get out............... :)

Uh, oh....

Turned my PJ on today; Power LED at orange, Temp LED flashing red, meaning "Fan not working" according to the manual. I powered it off (switch on back), then back on, and tried it again, and it worked. I have the 0.49 f/w and new bulb. I hope this is NOT a sign of worse things to come.

The same thing happen to me a couple of months ago. It worked until two days ago. Now after two days of trying it will not start, just the "fan not working" error. I called Benq today, but they are on vacation until tomorrow. Bottom line, expect it to fail completely in the near future.

The same thing happen to me a couple of months ago. It worked until two days ago. Now after two days of trying it will not start, just the "fan not working" error. I called Benq today, but they are on vacation until tomorrow. Bottom line, expect it to fail completely in the near future.
Not good!!! I keep the filter clean too. This happened once on the orig. f/w and bulb, 'til the bulb finally failed at 800 hrs (1 yr).

I have found out that I have a problem with my PE7700 accepting the HDMI color space setting of YCC444 from any of my devices. The colors are off in a very weird way when I have my set top box or dvd players set to YCC444. If I switch my devices over to the HDMI color space setting of RGB, the problem goes away. Before I received the 0.49 firmware update, I had no problems with the projector accepting either color space setting, so I know this must be a firmware issue. I had no problem leaving all of my devices on the RGB setting, because I noticed no picture difference between the two settings, but now I have a Toshiba HD-A2 hd dvd player that only puts out the YCC444 HDMI color space setting. Has anyone else had this problem? I have followed this thread since the beginning, and I have only seen one other member have this problem, and he ended up getting a new projector from BENQ. Anyone have any suggestions on how to fix this? Kevin Anderson?, BENQ DUDE, Anyone??? LOL

Happy new year to you all!

I'd need your help regarding bulbs. I own a Toshiba MT700 so I should prepare the bulb go out anytime :( . Since I read that these PJs are almost the same I'd like to confirm with you that can I order a bulb made for Benq PE7700 and use it in my MT700??? :confused:
I looked up some online stores and found that the ID for this lamp is: 59.J0C01.CG1
Can one of you who already ordered a lamp confirm that I'm looking at the right type or even suggest me a place to order from?
Many many thanks for your help! :)

Regards, Gabor

Hi Gabor, I sent you a PM.

I do not know the part numbers, but I will confirm that both of my replacement bulbs for my TDP-MT700 have been "Benq replacement" bulbs. The second came from Benq itself.

Hi Guys,

Just purchased a 7700 here in Australia.
Can anyone tell me what the latest version of firmware is at the moment?
Mine is showing 1.02 (July 17 2006), is this the latest with the lamp fix?

Thanks

Hi cashie. I don't really know what 1.02 is. I think the newest firmware is 0.49. I actually have 0.48 which fixed the blown bulb problem and don't remember what 0.49 did, if anything.

Hi Guys,

Just purchased a 7700 here in Australia.
Can anyone tell me what the latest version of firmware is at the moment?
Mine is showing 1.02 (July 17 2006), is this the latest with the lamp fix?

Thanks

1.02 is the latest FW in Australia. Lets hope you have more luck with your unit than my 2 units and 3 lamps!

anyone point me to a guide on how to calibrate my pe7700, i have gone thru the lamp issues like everyone else and now it seems to be fixed i would like to set it up a little better, btw this is my first projector

anyone point me to a guide on how to calibrate my pe7700, i have gone thru the lamp issues like everyone else and now it seems to be fixed i would like to set it up a little better, btw this is my first projector

Welcome to the forum. There is an ISF trained forum member who owns a PE7700, calibrated it and shared his settings with us in this thread. The post with the settings is #3395 5-11-06. Many of us have used those settings with excellent results.

There are somethings to caution about. First and foremost is that you have to go into the service menu to change the advanced settings. Mistakes in the service menu can really foul things up. It is a good idea to copy down all factory settings before making any changes. There was a lot of discussion about all of this and how to proceed back then. Search around the thread and you will probably find everything you need.

I would also suggest obtaining a display set up DVD. The two that are most employed are DVE (digital video essentials), produced by Joe Kane and AVIA. Using one of them can help to confirm that any changes are an improvement.

It is amazing how quiet this thread has become. Seems as if we are all just sitting back and enjoying this pj finally. I have 1200 hours on mine since the "upgrade" and no issues.

Good luck,

Joe

It is amazing how quiet this thread has become. Seems as if we are all just sitting back and enjoying this pj finally. I have 1200 hours on mine since the "upgrade" and no issues.Joe

I agree Joe I am only at about 500hrs but the picture is still off the scale, and NOW with HD-DVD I am amazed at the picture quality. I am not even thinking of a 1080 up grade, the full 720 is beautiful............... Just setting back and enjoying the HD movie. :) :)

Whats the offset for the 7700? Maybe I should look at this instead of the
optoma HD 73 or mitsu 1000u

The 7700 is zero offset.

So 0 offset would mean the top of the screen will line up with the bottom of the lens correct ?

Thanks in advance

So 0 offset would mean the top of the screen will line up with the bottom of the lens correct ?

Thanks in advance

Correct....... :)

Can anyone pm me the current street price for the 7700?

I'm about 600 hrs since fw upgrade and am also very happy with the machine. I got a xbox 360 with the hd-dvd add on over Christmas and have been using Kevin's settings for component and hdmi from a HTPC. With an extra bulb on hand I've been running the pj at high lamp mode which gives me the 'pop' I'm looking for and with my usage this should give me at least a few years of service.

I have to admit though that surfing this forum gets me thinking of upgrade every now and then but the feeling goes away when I'm using the machine.

The only minor disappointment is hd-dvd. I was expecting to be blown away but in my setup from a video perspective it ended up as only a minor improvement over the picture I'm getting over my tweaked ffdshow htpc. However, there's a big difference as compared to a standard set top dvd player.

Welcome to the forum. There is an ISF trained forum member who owns a PE7700, calibrated it and shared his settings with us in this thread. The post with the settings is #3395 5-11-06. Many of us have used those settings with excellent results.

There are somethings to caution about. First and foremost is that you have to go into the service menu to change the advanced settings. Mistakes in the service menu can really foul things up. It is a good idea to copy down all factory settings before making any changes. There was a lot of discussion about all of this and how to proceed back then. Search around the thread and you will probably find everything you need.

I would also suggest obtaining a display set up DVD. The two that are most employed are DVE (digital video essentials), produced by Joe Kane and AVIA. Using one of them can help to confirm that any changes are an improvement.

It is amazing how quiet this thread has become. Seems as if we are all just sitting back and enjoying this pj finally. I have 1200 hours on mine since the "upgrade" and no issues.

Good luck,

Joe

Are you sure you have to go into the service menu to use Kevin Anderson's settings? I thought I remembered just using the user menus to set up my projector with Kevins settings. Please correct me if I am wrong. I guess I may have some more tweaking to do!!! :)

basement,
Since you are using Kevins setting, can you confirm that you had to go into the service menu to use Kevins settings? Or, did you set up the projector through the user menu?

Our 7700 thread is now 2 years old!! Bronco70 ,yes it has gotten quiet on this thread. Still firing away here and enjoying the beautiful image the 7700 puts out. How many of "us" have moved to a 1080P projector?

Our 7700 thread is now 2 years old!! Bronco70 ,yes it has gotten quiet on this thread. Still firing away here and enjoying the beautiful image the 7700 puts out. How many of "us" have moved to a 1080P projector?

Not me!! the value and features are just not their yet....... Take my room for example.......my screen size is fixed at 110 diag can't go any larger due to design and wall size. My seating distance is fixed again due to room design, I have 2 rows with main seating on a Platform. I can move in or out maybe a foot. The ceiling height of my room is 8 1/2 ft and fixed..... I have viewed a 1080P projector with my son and both our conclusions is their is vary vary little difference in picture quality.. if any at all, at my seating distance and screen size....... My PE7700 is fed buy a HD-DVD A2 player.

The resolution difference at my seating distance was almost be non preservable. The big advantage of more pixels(1080) would be closer seating or larger screen. The latter(large screen 120" and up) is a problem with the new 1080 pj as they suffer from a lack of brightness.....so that leaves me with closer seating (1 ft) to get a preceived larger screen before you see any pixels................Just not worth all the extra DOLLARS to gain maybe a 2% in picture quality and movie impact.

The value is just not their yet....for me and my room enviroment. :)

anyone point me to a guide on how to calibrate my pe7700, i have gone thru the lamp issues like everyone else and now it seems to be fixed i would like to set it up a little better, btw this is my first projector

spliffbizzie,

If you would like to get the best possible picture from your PE7700, you might consider doing your own "professional" calibration. I took this approach using an inexpensive (but VERY capable) tool called CalMAN. You can find out more at this site: http://www.calman.tv/index.html. Be sure to read the calibration guide under the "Is CalMAN right for me?" link. In the forums associated with this site you can find the writeup I did on my experience and some tips on getting the most from your PE7700: http://www.datapopuli.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=91 (may require registration to access). There is also an earlier post in this thread with much of the same information: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7967350#post7967350.

The benefits:
1) The calibration is for your projector
2) You can update the calibration for bulb aging and/or replacement
3) You can find optimum setting for different viewing sources and environments, e.g. dark movies, bright sporting events.
4) You can calibrate all your TV's and computer displays
5) And, it's fun!

BTW, I've used DVE but prefer a disk called GetGray for calibration purposes. You can find more info here: http://www.calibrate.tv/

Best wishes, and let us know how it turns out, no matter which approach you choose!

basement,
Since you are using Kevins setting, can you confirm that you had to go into the service menu to use Kevins settings? Or, did you set up the projector through the user menu?

Yes. I went into the service menu to set it then saved it to a user setting (1 or 2). Then from the User menus, in the advanced menu, set to the Color temp to 1 or 2. Once that's done you can check the RGB Gain/Offset and confirm that the settings have been set to the right values.

i came by to update and thank you for all support about my problem before "flicker"

now i ran my 7700 to near 300hrs and no more flicker .. the picture is lovely with HD dvd after 1080p show up now i feel maybe time to move on what do you think ? anyone ?

I didn't read me through this whole thread. I loaded the thread down and searched for what I am interested in, but couldn't find anything.

I am happy with my PE7700, excepting the FCE and the noice(I know, it's not loud compared with others). Also I am worried about that it's not really future-proof.

That's why I would like to know if anyboby has tested the PE7700 with 720p/24,48 or 72 signals. Maybe also 1080p/24?

I don't think that it would work, although I've heard that the Panasonic 720p PJ can do 1080p/24.

I had for two month the X-Box360 HD-DVD add-on and was really disappointed about the 60Hz Motion Judder. Now I am considering to buy this Toshiba HD-XE1 (Your XA2), but am not sure, if that Bucking will bring me under earth.

Any tipps how to get judder-free motions with HD-DVD and the PE7700?


Sorry for my school-english :(

Greetings from Stuttgart

Ozelot

I had for two month the X-Box360 HD-DVD add-on and was really disappointed about the 60Hz Motion Judder. Now I am considering to buy this Toshiba HD-XE1 (Your XA2), but am not sure, if that Bucking will bring me under earth.

Any tipps how to get judder-free motions with HD-DVD and the PE7700?


Sorry for my school-english :(

Greetings from Stuttgart

Ozelot

Originally Posted by wnielsenbb
XBox 360 users, I have a question: What resolution do you run at? I had mine hooked up to my 37" 1080p LCD monitor, so when hooked up to my 7700 I dropped it to 720p. Now it looks worse than 1080i on the same 720p projector. Does that make any sense?
Also, the XBox looked way better on the monitor than the projector, where movies are the other way around. Is that just an advantage of LCD tv for gaming, or I should I change some setting? I put it to the Gaming Preset and High bulb mode.
Warren.

Make sure the switch on the AV cable is set to HDTV on the xbox360 I hear this really kills quality when using a projector if it's not switched.

Thanks, but that HD/SD Switch is another story.
My 7700 was fed by 720p/60 over YUV.
The installation was accurate, but I am used to 50Hz PAL DVDs, and there is no 3:2Pulldown Judder, only harmless PAL-Speedup.
HD-DVDs are mastered with 24 frames for all over the world, that's why I saw the first time this ugly Judder on my Screen.
Accordingly I have to search a possibility, to get smooth HD-DVD motions with my 7700.

Any Ideas?

Ozelot

Hello,

Has anyone tried connecting the new PS3 to their benqPE7700?
I am considering purchasing the PS3, but wasnt sure if the HDMI on the projector matched that of the PS3. I have read of different versions of HDMI, 1.1, 1.2, and 1.3.

Do these two units talk???

Also, does anyone have their PE7700 set up to a receiver via HDMI??? Any recommendations for a compatible HDMI receiver????

Thanks.

I have my PS3 hooked up to my PE7700 through a gefen 4 in 1 out switch with no problems. Just make sure you don't set the resolution on the PS3 to 1080P because the PE7700 won't accept 1080P. Hope this helps.

Can someone tell me if there have been any reported early bulb blow outs with the new firmware manufacture and new bulbs? I guess my question is – is everyone pretty convinced that a real fix has been established for this model. Also is it still in production and if so does anyone know how long it will remain so?

SJK,
Purchased the PE7700 after my MT700 refund and have 900+ hrs. on the lamp and no problems. This thread hasn't had a lamp complaint in many months. BenQ still has this PJ on their website and TvAuthority and ProjectorPeople still have in stock, leading me to believe it is still in production, after almost two years.

I needed a zero offset projector for hassle free setup. Won't upgrade until 1080p is under 2k. Hard to say how much longer this PJ will be available. Two years on the market is a long time for any PJ. If you decide to purchase, may want to consider used or Ebay.

As far as I'm concerned, the lamp issue is resolved. 12 months with no problems now (after two burned bulbs - sent in for firmware upgrade, etc).

Yeah, I'm well passed the number of hours on my original lamp.

I'm actually considering purchasing a new lamp so that I'll have it lying around.

I have a PS3 hooked up with a Monoprice switcher with no issues on my 7700. Not using a HDMI reciever, so can't help you there regular guy. I"m also of the opinion that the bulb issue has been corrected. Glad to see some "oldtimers" posting again on this massive thread!:)

I hear ya!!! After the bulb issue was solved were are all to busy watching movies to post.....I just purchased an A2 HD DVD and still can't believe how good the picture is on this almost 2 year old Pj.

The HD player has allowed me to get rid of the urge to up date to 1080 machine, pushing the 7700 to a true 720 showed me just how much detail their was in a 720 chip, and at my rooms seating distance/screen size I would not get much more than a 5% better picture for a bucket load of money. I can wait for the 1080 dlp's to drop below 2500. :)

Also, does anyone have their PE7700 set up to a receiver via HDMI??? Any recommendations for a compatible HDMI receiver????

Thanks.
I have the Toshiba near-clone of the PE7700, and I use a JVC RX-D402B receiver's HDMI connections with it. I have had no problems at all (except occasional brief glitches from my Toshiba HD-A1 HD DVD player's HDMI output). Other JVC receivers with similar connections are the RX-D401S, 412B, 701S, 702B.

Thanks for the replies.

I love my PE7700. Haven't yet seen what it can do besides 480p! Hi def cable is still another year away for me. The PS3 has just arrived at a local store (ouch R$4,000 or about US$1800.) Toshiba hd-dvd may arrive sometime in JUNE.

Anyway, I am determined to purchase a PS3 or Toshiba Hd-dvd player and would like to know what additional equipment I need to buy in order to talk to the pe7700.

From some of the replies, it seems that I MUST buy a hdmi switcher for the PS3 to work via hdmi. Ouch. The Monoprice is about $150? and the Gefen about $400?
As I live outside the US, I would pay at least TWICE that amount. Ouch again, but my problem.

Does the existing Toshiba Hd-dvd players ALSO REQUIRE the purchase and use of an HDMI switcher in order to play via the PE7700's hdmi???

Thanks for any info.

I must be crazy but I can’t stop considering the BenQ PE7700 as a replacement for my Toshiba MT-700. Here are my issues and questions. Firstly, I am still waiting for a verification of my money back so wish me luck. I have a spare bulb that is a $300-400 value. The price has dropped considerably since I originally purchased the MT-700, almost to the point where if I have additional problems I can think of it as disposable. There is a 3 year warranty for a new unit and again, I already have a spare bulb. The unit fits PERFECTLY in my room. I LOVE the picture.

The questions I have are:

1. How does the picture compare to the new LCD projectors like the Panny and Sanyo?
2. How does the picture compare to the new DLP’s like the Sharp DT-500?
3. Has anyone (please step forward) had a bulb blow AFTER the new firmware was installed?

When I take spare bulb, warranty, picture and room fit into account I continue to be led back to the BenQ. Can someone talk me out of it?

I am up to ~1500 hours on my 7700. Still looks awesome. Still very bright on low power, of course the Silverstar helps there. I think I would recommend it and hold off on new projectors till 1080 comes down.
Warren.

I'm happy to hear that you guys are finally getting the right number of hours out of your lamps. I enjoyed everything about my MT-700 except the lamp issue. In my case, I moved on to an AE-900 that is now at 1000 hours and going strong.

I'm happy to hear that you guys are finally getting the right number of hours out of your lamps. I enjoyed everything about my MT-700 except the lamp issue. In my case, I moved on to an AE-900 that is now at 1000 hours and going strong.


How do you think your 900 compares to the Toshiba? I a VERY concerned about going to an LCD from a DLP.

I must be crazy but I can’t stop considering the BenQ PE7700 as a replacement for my Toshiba MT-700.

When I take spare bulb, warranty, picture and room fit into account I continue to be led back to the BenQ. Can someone talk me out of it?
If I hadn't seen some nice 1080p displays (like the traveling HD DVD demo truck, very nice), I would almost certainly be planning to buy a PE7700 to replace my TDP-MT700 for the same reasons you gave. Instead, I am likely to buy an Epson TW1000 LCD projector (discussed in the $3000+ forum), for not a lot more than I would get back from Toshiba. It has almost the same short-throw ability, it has lens shift so I can do the zero-offset as with the 700/7700, and one review says the TW1000 has darker blacks than the PE8700 DLP!

How do you think your 900 compares to the Toshiba? I a VERY concerned about going to an LCD from a DLP.The Epson 400 and the Sanyo Z5 are much better PJs than the AX100, IMHO. One of the "very picky" AVS members, that I've been talking to, got the Z5 for his bedroom PJ (he has an over $4K PJ & Stewart Firehawk screen in his HT room), since it has the best PQ, in his opinion, of any of the under $2K units.

My first PJ was a CRT one. After that I have had a number of LCD PJs, until I got my MT700 (based on the demo that ChrisW6ATV gave me - thanks Chris). After my lamp failed, I got a Mitsu HC3 (960 x 540 LCD) for real cheap - being without a PJ sucks. Based on the PJ reviews on www.projectorreviews.com, the Z5 has very good black levels, comparable to the BenQ 8720. The Epson 400 is similar in performance to the Z5 and is very close to the AX100 in calibrated lumens output.

If I had my "druthers", like Chris, I'd prefer to upgrade to a 1080p PJ, but my finances object strenously - recent mandatory household upgrades. The real problem is that none of the current crop of DLPs (up to $3K+ street prices) can hold a candle to the MT700/PE7700 pair. One real advantage of the LCDs are the better color performance, and with the Z5/Ep400 (at least) comparable sharpness and CR performance. The downside is slightly worse SDE (although still very good).

The Epson 400 and the Sanyo Z5 are much better PJs than the AX100, IMHO. One of the "very picky" AVS members, that I've been talking to, got the Z5 for his bedroom PJ (he has an over $4K PJ & Stewart Firehawk screen in his HT room), since it has the best PQ, in his opinion, of any of the under $2K units.

My first PJ was a CRT one. After that I have had a number of LCD PJs, until I got my MT700 (based on the demo that ChrisW6ATV gave me - thanks Chris). After my lamp failed, I got a Mitsu HC3 (960 x 540 LCD) for real cheap - being without a PJ sucks. Based on the PJ reviews on www.projectorreviews.com, the Z5 has very good black levels, comparable to the BenQ 8720. The Epson 400 is similar in performance to the Z5 and is very close to the AX100 in calibrated lumens output.

If I had my "druthers", like Chris, I'd prefer to upgrade to a 1080p PJ, but my finances object strenously - recent mandatory household upgrades. The real problem is that none of the current crop of DLPs (up to $3K+ street prices) can hold a candle to the MT700/PE7700 pair. One real advantage of the LCDs are the better color performance, and with the Z5/Ep400 (at least) comparable sharpness and CR performance. The downside is slightly worse SDE (although still very good).

Thanks for the information. Why do you think the Epson is better than the Panasonic? Also, considering I am coming from a MT-700, how do you think the picture on the Epson 400 and AX100 would compare. I REALLY do not want a picture worse than I had. I want one at lest as good. The lumen number a CR you hear seem to be all BS. My understanding of how our 700/7700 performs was at about 400 lumens with a CR of about 400:1 tweaked for home theater. It seems many of the LCD reviews put BOTH lumens and CR less than that.

Not true, the CR of the PE7700/MT700 is closer to 1000:1 (if you believe the measurements that others have made - in a fully darkened room).

Concerning the lumen outputs, here is what Art said in his reviews (all with minimum zoom = PJ closest to the screen).
From http://www.projectorreviews.com/Manufacturers/epson/Cinema_400/index.asp - Epson 400 (9/21/2006):
Projector Brightness and Calibration
I'll start with measured brightness, in the different modes, from darkest (of those I measured) to brightest. Only Theater Dark 1 was measured pre and post calibration, and as I only calibrated Theater Dark 1, the others are "pre-calibration
· Theater Dark1: 468 lumens (pre calibration) 433 post calibration
· Theater: 515 lumens
· Living Room: 1107 lumens
· Dynamic: a breathtaking 1979 lumens!

From http://www.projectorreviews.com/Manufacturers/panasonic/PT-AX100U/index.asp - Ax100 (9/27/2006):
Dropping down to the "more perfect" dark room modes, which provide the best pure image quality, here's what I measured:
· Cinema 1 mode: 707 lumens, ( slightly lower after I did a basic calibration on this mode - the only mode I did calibrate)
· Cinema 2 mode: 668 lumens
· Video mode: 678 lumens
· Natural mode: 709 lumens

Remember, if you don't need all that muscle (brightness), drop into low power mode, and your lamp will last longer (3000 hours vs 2000 - approximately), and the lumen count should drop about 27%. For example, that would mean Cinema 1 mode would be about 511 lumens, etc.The downside is that the AX100 is slightly less sharp than either the 400 or the Z5, due to Panasonic's use of their "Smooth-Screen" filter.

From http://www.projectorreviews.com/Manufacturers/sanyo/PLVZ5/index.asp - Z5 (11/2/2006):
Ok, we have lots of different Preset modes, and as a result, lots of brightness measurements. To keep things simple, I have simply listed each mode, as they appear on the menu, with the lumens in Full power, next to it:
· Brilliant Cinema: 540 lumens (iris Open, default iris at -22) (brighter with iris at 0)
· Creative Cinema: iris setting at 0, iris closed) 369, iris opened 479 lumens
· Pure Cinema: 262 Lumens ( iris closed), 304 iIris opened) (manual iris at -42)
· Natural: 455 lumens (manual iris at default -30)
· Living (room): 559 lumens, (iris open, 0)
· Dynamic: 963 lumens, (iris open, 0)
· Vivid: 861 lumens iris open, 0)

Art doesn't measure CR (contrast ratio), rather he states what his eyeballs tell him. He claims that these PJs have CRs similar to his personal PE8720.

Art’s only posted comments on the PE7700 are here: http://www.projectorreviews.com/Manufacturers/benq/PE7700/index.asp. This review is old, and not comparable to his later reviews due to a different organization, changes in his testing room, and refinements in his review format. He did state that the PE7700 has an output of around 400 lumens in its best mode (he was using a 128” Stewart Firehawk screen). Art has also incorporated other improvements in his reviews, which imply that the Epson 400, Z5, and AX100 all have a higher CR than the MT700/PE7700.

NOTE: I also have a dead MT700. I'm torn between the Epson 400 and the Z5. They are within a $100 of each other, and around $400-$500 less than the AX100. I don't need the extra brightness with my Da-Lite Hi-Power screen (I use an ND2 filter on my MT700, because it was too bright). From Art's photos, for which has a strong disclaimer, the PQ of the 400 seems to be slightly better than the Z5 and slightly less SDE (better optics). The Z5 seems to have better black levels.

So basically you are saying that these LCD are not as bright (when set up for movies – which is my primary concern) but they have better contrast. Is that correct?

Thanks for the replies.

I love my PE7700. Haven't yet seen what it can do besides 480p! Hi def cable is still another year away for me. The PS3 has just arrived at a local store (ouch R$4,000 or about US$1800.) Toshiba hd-dvd may arrive sometime in JUNE.

Anyway, I am determined to purchase a PS3 or Toshiba Hd-dvd player and would like to know what additional equipment I need to buy in order to talk to the pe7700.

From some of the replies, it seems that I MUST buy a hdmi switcher for the PS3 to work via hdmi. Ouch. The Monoprice is about $150? and the Gefen about $400?
As I live outside the US, I would pay at least TWICE that amount. Ouch again, but my problem.

Does the existing Toshiba Hd-dvd players ALSO REQUIRE the purchase and use of an HDMI switcher in order to play via the PE7700's hdmi???

Thanks for any info. That is a bummer to not have any HD to feed your projector! You do NOT need an HDMI switcher for the PS3 or HDDVD players to work via the HDMI input!! The switcher is only if you have more than one HDMI source going to the projector, and it makes it easier than swapping cables every damn time:)

Does the existing Toshiba Hd-dvd players ALSO REQUIRE the purchase and use of an HDMI switcher in order to play via the PE7700's hdmi???
I will second Blasst's comment that the Toshiba HD DVD players do not "require" an HDMI switcher for any kind of "handshaking improvement" or similar function with the Benq PE7700 (or the Toshiba TDP-MT700 near-clone, in my case). I have used my HD-A1 player direct to the MT700, and through a JVC HDMI-switching A/V receiver, and through a 2-input mechanical HDMI switcher into the JVC and then out to the projector, and it worked equally fine in each mode. (An occasional "blip" switching to HD DVD extras, but going back to the menu and returning clears that.)

So basically you are saying that these LCD are not as bright (when set up for movies – which is my primary concern) but they have better contrast. Is that correct?I didn't say that with that kind of positivity. Only the Z5 is less bright than the PE7700/MT700. The Epson 400 and AX100 can be about as bright (or a lot brighter), depending on what mode they are operated in and what the Iris is set to. They appear to have CR that is comparable to the PE7700/MT700 and good black level detail (Art said they were very close to his PE8720 - I can't say any more).

You really have to read Art's reviews for yourself, if you think you might be interested in them as an alternative. That's a personal judgerment that I cannot make for you. I offered up that information, because I find the Z5 or Epson 400 to be acceptable PJs until 1080p PJs become affordable (to me).

I agree about the movie set-up (my primary set-up also), although we also use our PJ for watching TV (especially Discovery HD Theater). In my case (106" Da-Lite Hi-Power screen) the Z5 would be plenty bright. The Epson would almost require a ND2 filter (if I couldn't close down it's Iris enough). I don't really consider the AX100 to be in contention because of its (slightly) less sharp image and $400 higher (approximately) price.

Claus (rhyme with house?), I do read the PR reviews and I think he does an in depth and responsible job. However, different people sometimes have different ideas of what they think about a particular image or projector.

It sounds like you are considering an LCD. I would love to but I know (in the back of my mind or soul?) that I would not be as happy as I am with a DLP. The DLP’s are just “smoother”, “richer” and more film like to me.

I am leaning very heavily towards the DT-500 (because our Company has a C*stco membership) even though I will have to make some small changes to my mount and screen height. My only concern is the noise level of the unit. I hope someone can alleviate my fears.

hi guys
i also have a BENQ 7700. very "punchy" DLP indeed

BUT... i have dust blobs for several months now. i noticed new ones appearing

anyone has had dust blobs appear ? the pj was always sitting on table, not upside down. imho dust enters the optics via the zoom focus adjustements.
can't be on the chip it's sealed (i think)

I'll send it back to services.

hi guys
i also have a BENQ 7700. very "punchy" DLP indeed

BUT... i have dust blobs for several months now. i noticed new ones appearing

anyone has had dust blobs appear ? the pj was always sitting on table, not upside down. imho dust enters the optics via the zoom focus adjustements.
can't be on the chip it's sealed (i think)

I'll send it back to services.

I had them when I first got my 7700......sent it in for service and BQ cleaned them out. I have not seen them return..... Hummmmmmm you might be right about the dust entering the zoom adjustment, MY pj is ceiling mounted and has been for almost 1 1/2 years and no dust blobs have returned since mounting it. My first dust blobs happened during the first week watching it in my family wall and the PJ was table mounted, when it came back from BQ, my HT was done and it went straight to the ceiling.

Good catch on the zoom handle allowing dust to enter. :)

hi :)

yes it really seems it's the reason.
i"ll send it

on the hitachi tx serie same issue: dust enters also through the optics-zoom region !

for table mounting on the 7700, only solution is to once zoom and focus have set up
to cover the area with transparent tape

I could really use some help from the forum members.

I recently had my PE7700 updated with the 49 firmware and new bulb. When I received the unit the image looked fine but the blacks looked very grey. Prior to sending in the unit blacks always looked dark and rich. I tried every setting in the standard menu but none of the settings improved the blacks.

So I read through this thread a few more times and got the courage to try some of the recommended settings in the Service menu. Well now I’m really kicking myself because I accidentally clicked “load factory default settings” which screwed up everything.

Now, when displaying something in 720p and selecting Real as the mode, I have a nice black vertical bar on the right side of the screen. On a 92" screen it's about 10" wide. All other modes fill the entire screen.

Can anyone with the 49 firmware post all of the Service menu settings so I can attempt to reverse what I’ve screwed up? I hate to send this unit back in again.

I could really use some help from the forum members.

I recently had my PE7700 updated with the 49 firmware and new bulb. When I received the unit the image looked fine but the blacks looked very grey. Prior to sending in the unit blacks always looked dark and rich. I tried every setting in the standard menu but none of the settings improved the blacks.

So I read through this thread a few more times and got the courage to try some of the recommended settings in the Service menu. Well now I’m really kicking myself because I accidentally clicked “load factory default settings” which screwed up everything.

Now, when displaying something in 720p and selecting Real as the mode, I have a nice black vertical bar on the right side of the screen. On a 92" screen it's about 10" wide. All other modes fill the entire screen.

Can anyone with the 49 firmware post all of the Service menu settings so I can attempt to reverse what I’ve screwed up? I hate to send this unit back in again.

I know on the MT700 you had to be sure to set the "NTSC" setting to "Japan" and recalibrate in order to get your blacks correct. It was confusing because you had to do it on a 480i or 480p or something (can't remember) input, or else the setting wouldn't stick, or it would show up greyed out. I can't remember...but that may be the problem......

I could really use some help from the forum members.

I recently had my PE7700 updated with the 49 firmware and new bulb. When I received the unit the image looked fine but the blacks looked very grey. Prior to sending in the unit blacks always looked dark and rich. I tried every setting in the standard menu but none of the settings improved the blacks.

So I read through this thread a few more times and got the courage to try some of the recommended settings in the Service menu. Well now I’m really kicking myself because I accidentally clicked “load factory default settings” which screwed up everything.

Now, when displaying something in 720p and selecting Real as the mode, I have a nice black vertical bar on the right side of the screen. On a 92" screen it's about 10" wide. All other modes fill the entire screen.

Can anyone with the 49 firmware post all of the Service menu settings so I can attempt to reverse what I’ve screwed up? I hate to send this unit back in again.

Hey Nexus,

I have not been back in the service menu since late Jan. 06 after my 7700 came back with 0.49 and new bulb so I'm a little hazy, but if memory serves, the setting to go back to is "load saved factory settings". That will get you back but as with yours mine came back after FW upgrade with changes that reduced pq. I would suggest that you search this thread going back to page 114, post #3395 wherein the very helpful,and ISF certified Kevin Anderson shared his calibration settings with us. Before and after that post the discussion was pretty intense and should provide what you need. I used his settings and been very happy since. I'm approaching 1400 hours on the bulb and all is well. By the end of march madness that will probably be up to 1600.

Everyone, remember when there was a hesitation to fire the sucker up in fear that the next few hours would be the last for the lamp? If we get to 2000 hours with decent lumen output would that be OK? What did BenQ rate lamp life at?

Anyway Nexus hang in there you'll get it right.

Good Luck,

Joe

Thanks for the replies. I did try the "load saved factory settings" but it didn't appear to change the numbers for the various settings. Another concern I have is when I loaded the factory defaults it looks like it changed the thermal settings. I believe these settings control when the fan turns on/off for proper cooling of the bulb. That’s why I was hoping someone could confirm the 49 factory default settings.

I'm glad to hear the bulb issue is finally resolved.

Nexus1,
I'm a bit surprised that the "load saved factory settings" didn't work. I made the mistake of Loading Factory Default Setting with the original firmware from March 05 and this worked for me with the original FW. I'd suggest you try again. If that doesn't work, I'm sure someone could share the current 0.49 settings (I've modified mine somewhat but probably can recall the originals is needed).

Thanks for the replies. I did try the "load saved factory settings" but it didn't appear to change the numbers for the various settings. Another concern I have is when I loaded the factory defaults it looks like it changed the thermal settings. I believe these settings control when the fan turns on/off for proper cooling of the bulb. That’s why I was hoping someone could confirm the 49 factory default settings.
I'm glad to hear the bulb issue is finally resolved.

I have not change my settings from factory, got my 049 a long time ago. I don't mind looking at the fact sets if you don't MIND reminding me how to get into the service menu. Dang getting old not for wimps.

The factory reset.... worked for me before the 049.....it should work now. I to thought the blacks had changed when it came back but a photo proved me wrong, I had taken some test photos before sending it in and a shot at the same scene/same camera exposure settings netted the same results.

The IRE setting had been changed at the factory, until I changed it back the black look a little gray.......Just a thought. :)

Didnt anyone try to feed the 7700 with 720@48Hz, 24Hz or 72Hz?
I haven't got a possibility to check this. There's nothing told about "Hz" in the manual.
The HC3000 does 48Hz. Also the Pana 720PJ accepts 24Hz. What does the 7700?

Can't stand that Telecine!

Ozelot

I have not change my settings from factory, got my 049 a long time ago. I don't mind looking at the fact sets if you don't MIND reminding me how to get into the service menu. Dang getting old not for wimps. Thanks checklst... I really appreciate it. To get to the service menu press the following sequence on the remote:

Menu
Up Arrow
Down Arrow
Up Arrow
Down Arrow
Up Arrow
Down Arrow
Menu

I really appreciate everyone’s help. I will also try the "load saved factory settings" again but would appreciate the factory defaults for confirmation.

Thanks checklst... I really appreciate it. To get to the service menu press the following sequence on the remote:

Menu
Up Arrow
Down Arrow
Up Arrow
Down Arrow
Up Arrow
Down Arrow
Menu

I really appreciate everyone’s help. I will also try the "load saved factory settings" again but would appreciate the factory defaults for confirmation.

Try this post its for 048 but I think 049 almost the same. 048 was first update Feb. March 06. Someone posted 049 changed very little I don't think anyone who received 048 updated to 049.

Go to " PE7700/MT700 Tweek thread" its post #48 or #55 good luck.

mark

Thanks checklst... I really appreciate it. To get to the service menu press the following sequence on the remote:

Menu
Up Arrow
Down Arrow
Up Arrow
Down Arrow
Up Arrow
Down Arrow
Menu

I really appreciate everyone’s help. I will also try the "load saved factory settings" again but would appreciate the factory defaults for confirmation.

Yakes!!!!!! it would take me hours to type all that with 2 fingers.............so hear are the photos in order of the menu,hopefully I did not miss any sub menus. My guess is the factory Graphic setting is the problem on the blacks.....mine was set at Graphic instead of film and in the film mode it made the blacks a little blacker. I changed the contrast on the remote to get a little darker black, so now I'll remove the remote setting and change to film setting. I tried to keep them in order after 573.......

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/checklst/P1000573.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/checklst/P1000545.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/checklst/P1000546.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/checklst/P1000547.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/checklst/P1000549.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/checklst/P1000551.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/checklst/P1000552.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/checklst/P1000553.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/checklst/P1000555.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/checklst/P1000557.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/checklst/P1000558.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/checklst/P1000560.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/checklst/P1000561.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/checklst/P1000562.jpg

Hope this helps :)

Sorry I did not get all the data posted I had a little trouble with my photobucket account hear are the rest

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/checklst/P1000563.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/checklst/P1000564.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/checklst/P1000565.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/checklst/P1000566.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/checklst/P1000567.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/checklst/P1000569.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/checklst/P1000570.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/checklst/P1000571.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/checklst/P1000572.jpg

That should be all of it.....sorry for the delay

Thanks checklst... I really appreciate it. To get to the service menu press the following sequence on the remote:

Menu
Up Arrow
Down Arrow
Up Arrow
Down Arrow
Up Arrow
Down Arrow
Menu

I really appreciate everyone’s help. I will also try the "load saved factory settings" again but would appreciate the factory defaults for confirmation.

Dude, just in case you didn't do this yet:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6282126&highlight=ntsc+japan#post6282126

You need to switch the input to component and then set the NTSC Mode to "Japan" (Menu -> Setup -> NTSC Mode -> Japan, US). You cannot change it while you are in the HDMI input mode. The US mode sets the minimum black level at 7.5 IRE and will crush the blacks (so you won't be able to see the moving black bars).

checklst,
Your overscan setting of 90 is blowing up your picture larger than what you need. You are missing some of your picture blowing it up that large. I set mine at 98 which is just enough to get rid of the white line at the top of the screen on high def channels. Give it a try, you will be happy you did. Also, if I remember correctly, if your running HDMI, the correct IRE setting is 0, not 7.5 for an HDMI hook up. I know some people like the 7.5 setting, but I believe 0 is the correct setting per Kevin Anderson. I have a beautiful picture thanks to Kevin's settings that he posted in this thread and I trust him 100%. Someone please correct me if my information is wrong. Now I have to go and check all my factory settings to see how close they are to yours. I will report back soon. :)
Steve

Here is a post from Kevin Anderson about the IRE setting with HDMI,


"Over HDMI, it is my understanding that the HD-A1 only outputs a 0 IRE black level, which is the correct level if your PE7700 is also set to a 0 IRE black level (as it should be for HDMI)."

After a very long read, I finally came to the end of this thread... :-)

I bought my PE7700 in June 2005 and just checked the frimware, it's version 037 from May 2005.
I am still on my first bulb, but it has only 116 hours (yeah, i don't watch movies as much as some of you do).

So do you guys think I should have the firmware upgraded to the latest 049, or just wait until my bulb goes and have it done then?

Belgarath

After a very long read, I finally came to the end of this thread... :-)

I bought my PE7700 in June 2005 and just checked the frimware, it's version 037 from May 2005.
I am still on my first bulb, but it has only 116 hours (yeah, i don't watch movies as much as some of you do).

So do you guys think I should have the firmware upgraded to the latest 049, or just wait until my bulb goes and have it done then?

Belgarath

If I was in your situation I would contact Ben and get an RMA and send the unit in. You not only have an old firmware but the original lamp design. At your rate of usage it might still be quite some time until the inevitable happens and you would then be out of warranty. Ben would, based on their reputation, probably take care of it but why take the chance?

Joe

I agree with Bronco70. At some point, BenQ will stop providing support for the PE7700 so get it upgraded while you can. I sold a number of these projectors, and all had bulb problems; but after the upgrade, they are now into at 1,000 to 1,500 hours of usage without a problem.

I sold one to a friend and was over at his home during the football play-offs, and I remain impressed at what a good picture this projector throws -- even after I personally upgraded to the Optoma 1080p projector.

My pe7700 before the update died after I switched from eco to full lamp mode with only about 330 hours on it. I now have about 100 hours with the new 0.49 FW and I'm in eco lamp mode for fear that it will suddenly die again.

I really want to use the Full Lamp mode and I'm tempted as nobody has had problems after getting the new bulb/firmware.

Has ANYBODY reported the new bulb burning out whist running the newest .48 or .49 firmware?

Kevin,

Good to see your post. You were a great help to all 7700 owners especially with the calibration settings.

Did you ever gain any insight into what the FW 0.49 upgrade actually involved? From what I discovered it all had to do with a change in fan speed. The measured outlet temps. were significantly lower after the upgrade. As with your customers all is well here. By the end of March Madness I'll be at 1500 hours or more. Light output still sufficient on econo mode shooting to a DaLite 133" Hi- Power.

So new 1080p unit and the HD DVD formats=nirvana? I'll have to go find your posts on your new pj.

Thanks again,

Joe

My pe7700 before the update died after I switched from eco to full lamp mode with only about 330 hours on it. I now have about 100 hours with the new 0.49 FW and I'm in eco lamp mode for fear that it will suddenly die again.

I really want to use the Full Lamp mode and I'm tempted as nobody has had problems after getting the new bulb/firmware.

Has ANYBODY reported the new bulb burning out whist running the newest .48 or .49 firmware?

The 0.48 FW was also a problem firmware. I don't believe anyone has reported bulb failure yet with v.0.49 and above.

Thank you for the quick reply Bronco, I feel better knowing that the .49 version is still holding strong.

One adjustment I noticed immediately upon receiving my 'new' projector was that the fan noise was much more pronounced... I am running in high altitude mode and it's very very loud.

Small price to pay for a bulb that doesn't burn after a few hundred hours.

The 0.48 FW was also a problem firmware. I don't believe anyone has reported bulb failure yet with v.0.49 and above.

Just curious why you would say that? Haven't read of any failures after 048.

mark

I have my settings corrected thanks to checklst's photos and reading through the other PE7700 tweak thread. She is looking better then ever now and the blacks look correct again. So I just wanted to thank everyone that helped me out. :)

occasionally my projector image cuts in and out when running direct tv signal. it did it during the super bowl and it was annoying? any suggestions?

Just curious why you would say that? Haven't read of any failures after 048.

mark
Am I mistaken?

occasionally my projector image cuts in and out when running direct tv signal. it did it during the super bowl and it was annoying? any suggestions?
What input are you using? If the output on your box changes resolutions depending on the program material (e.g., when shifting from an HD program to an SD commercial), the internal processor in the BenQ will have to adjust accordingly which will cause a momentary loss of the image. If this is the problem, you can avoid this by having the DirectTV box always output at the same resolution (e.g., always at 720p or 1080i). Which one you chose depends on which processor does a better job -- the processor in the DirectTV box or the processor in the BenQ. My money would be that the BenQ processor is the better choice.

How do you think your 900 compares to the Toshiba? I a VERY concerned about going to an LCD from a DLP.

I really like my AE900. In my cave, it is plenty bright on econ light mode even after 1000 hours on the lamp. I throw it 18' onto a 142" screen and it is still almost too bright for some scenes. This runs contrary to the general consensus here on the forums, but I place more confidence in what I see in my media room that what I read on the computer. :) The MT700 was a great PJ, but the lamp failures, dust blobs and an optic block problem (ultimately replaced) put a real damper on the enjoyment. To your question regarding comparision:

a) the MT700 had more "punch"
b) the AE900 has better color
c) I like not having the RBE any more

These are all totally subjective and, as always, YMMV.

That being said, the best thing about the AE900 is that it was available at Costco. I paid ~$200 more than I would have paid at the forum sponsors, but in my mind that is paying $200 for peace of mind via the ultimate extended warranty.

I don't know if this is just the 100 model, or all panny's, but it's something worth reading. Just FYI....

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=802513

PS: I'm guessing the Costco Solution makes it a moot point though :)

I don't know if this is just the 100 model, or all panny's, but it's something worth reading. Just FYI....

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=802513

PS: I'm guessing the Costco Solution makes it a moot point though :)

OT: It sounds like it is just a problem with the AX100. That PJ uses much higher wattage lamp (220W), and it appears that the resultant heat can cause problems with the optical block over time. The AE900 and AE1000 use lower wattage lamps (130 and 165) and have not been reported to have the same problem.

Bringing it back on topic, this sounds similar to much of our earlier speculation on heat causing the problems with our MT700/PE7700 projectors. An yes, the Costco solution does make it a moot point. After my experience with the MT700, it will be a loooong time before I'll buy a PJ anywhere else. :)

Cool. Sorry about the OT - I just saw the thread in the forum pile and thought I'd bring it to your attention, just in case :)

What input are you using? If the output on your box changes resolutions depending on the program material (e.g., when shifting from an HD program to an SD commercial), the internal processor in the BenQ will have to adjust accordingly which will cause a momentary loss of the image. If this is the problem, you can avoid this by having the DirectTV box always output at the same resolution (e.g., always at 720p or 1080i). Which one you chose depends on which processor does a better job -- the processor in the DirectTV box or the processor in the BenQ. My money would be that the BenQ processor is the better choice.

ran some other feeds to the projector. my directv box is set at 720p. recorded video stored on tivo also blinks. dvd video thru component does not. so it appears to be a problem related to the source, the hdtv receiver from directv. at some hours of the day it doesn't blink.

Has anyone heard anything about an upgrade for the 7700 like a 7700+ with a Darkchip2 or 3. That would be great.

PE7700 has DarkChip2

PE8720 has DarkChip3

Dan

PE7700 has DarkChip2

PE8720 has DarkChip3

Dan

I thought the 7700 was just an HD2+.

It is the HD2+ chip!:)

Would not the logical progression for 720p front pj's be to 1080p units. It surprises me that the big box retailers still advertise business units when for a difference of a few dollars can result in a 1280x720 true HD purchase. The confusion with the public will only grow.

Joe

Hi!
Not sure whether this post is appropriate in this thread but I'm a newbie here and the mass of information is quite overwhelming, at least for my search abilities. Ah well.

I own a BENQ PE 7700, powered by a DENON 3910 DVD via HDMI. That config worked well for about 14 months, but then the beamer started to lose the HDMI input signal for some seconds ("HDMI searching") in irregular intervals. The interruptions (usually once or twice during a movie) are increasing which is quite annoying. My alternative analog input source (component) produces no problems. Even HDMI via PC is working like a charm. I am at a complete loss how to narrow down the problem. I am not even sure whether it's the beamer or the hdmi cable or the dvd player. So my question here is: Does that problem sound familiar to Benq PE 7700 owners? Is that a known issue with this beamer?

And if not: How can I find out what causes the problem? I would not want to send the beamer away for 2 months with nothing fixed in the end.

Hi!
Not sure whether this post is appropriate in this thread but I'm a newbie here and the mass of information is quite overwhelming, at least for my search abilities. Ah well.

I own a BENQ PE 7700, powered by a DENON 3910 DVD via HDMI. That config worked well for about 14 months, but then the beamer started to lose the HDMI input signal for some seconds ("HDMI searching") in irregular intervals. The interruptions (usually once or twice during a movie) are increasing which is quite annoying. My alternative analog input source (component) produces no problems. Even HDMI via PC is working like a charm. I am at a complete loss how to narrow down the problem. I am not even sure whether it's the beamer or the hdmi cable or the dvd player. So my question here is: Does that problem sound familiar to Benq PE 7700 owners? Is that a known issue with this beamer?

And if not: How can I find out what causes the problem? I would not want to send the beamer away for 2 months with nothing fixed in the end.

Try the least common denominator - there are three possible problems as you note - projector, cable, DVD player.

The fact that it worked for so long, would make me think to the cable first. So if you can replace the cable temporarily - if the problem goes away - bingo.

If that doesn't do it. it's probably easier to try another DVD player, than to do another projector, so try that as well. If neither of those, well then look to the BenQ....

I assume, since you didn't mention it, that you didn't do any firmware upgrades recently?

Also a last possibility would be power conditioning - it is possible that a slight change in voltage to your home, or increased inconsistancy in your power lines, could be a culprit. A power conditioner could also be a solution. HDMI tends to be trickier than than component, at least for having to deal with HDCP if nothing else. -art

How long is the cable??

Early 7700 had a HDMI sync issue but it showed itself right from the start.............since yours worked find for 14 months is something new to most of us.

I agree with Art's assessment.....the fact you say PC HDMI is working fine makes the player high on my list of possible problems. :)

Hi,
thanks for your valuable input.

I have not upgraded the firmware on any device. But come to think of it: What I did shortly before the problem occured for the first time, was connecting the PC to the beamer via (a different) HDMI cable. Maybe I damaged the (Player-Beamer) HDMI cable when switching the cables? The cable in question is 10 m long, btw. That seemed okay for 14 months.

But there is another problem with the beamer. Yesterday during a DVD presentation (HDMI) the screen went dark (not the lamp) and the beamer did not react to remote control input anymore. This was the second time. The first time it happened during an XBOX 360 game (component). It's probably not related but ...

The power conditioner seems an interesting thought to me, as well. But I'll start with the cable.

Thanks!

That being said, the best thing about the AE900 is that it was available at Costco. I paid ~$200 more than I would have paid at the forum sponsors, but in my mind that is paying $200 for peace of mind via the ultimate extended warranty.

Member suspended.

Some of you just don't get it...

Kyser

Member suspended.

Some of you just don't get it...

Kyser

Is that true or are you kidding? Why is he suspended?

Kyserose has a sticky posted about Costco
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=805880
Does that mean you can't mention Costco at all?
Kyserose, can you help us out here?

Try the least common denominator - there are three possible problems as you note - projector, cable, DVD player.

The fact that it worked for so long, would make me think to the cable first. So if you can replace the cable temporarily - if the problem goes away - bingo.

If that doesn't do it. it's probably easier to try another DVD player, than to do another projector, so try that as well. If neither of those, well then look to the BenQ....

I assume, since you didn't mention it, that you didn't do any firmware upgrades recently?

Also a last possibility would be power conditioning - it is possible that a slight change in voltage to your home, or increased inconsistancy in your power lines, could be a culprit. A power conditioner could also be a solution. HDMI tends to be trickier than than component, at least for having to deal with HDCP if nothing else. -art

Nice to see Art posting here still:)

Art, how much of an improvement is the W10000 (1080P) over the 7700? Alot of us are waiting to upgrade to the 1080P projectors. Any tidbits you could share with us, that are not on your site? Thanks!!

Kyserose has a sticky posted about Costco
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=805880
Does that mean you can't mention Costco at all?
Kyserose, can you help us out here?

Yes, for instance I am curious if we us the word “cost” and then an abbreviation for the word “company” in the same sentence – will we get suspended? Or only if they are put together.

Okay, I understand not talking about street prices. Fine.

But we can't even mention the name "Costco" ?

You're not serious....

NMJack if you are out there please respond.

Guys, don't mention Costco... ESPECIALLY when talking about WHERE to buy a projector. We have NEVER allowed that sort of thing here.

Sponsors are fine...

Yes, he was suspended. He basically said... Don't buy from a forum sponsor, buy from Costco.

Without the sponsors... this site wouldn't be here.

Kyser

Guys, don't mention Costco... ESPECIALLY when talking about WHERE to buy a projector. We have NEVER allowed that sort of thing here.

Sponsors are fine...

Yes, he was suspended. He basically said... Don't buy from a forum sponsor, buy from Costco.

Without the sponsors... this site wouldn't be here.

Kyser

Agreed. I hope I don’t get in “trouble” for this…but why cant “YOU KNOW WHO” be a forum sponsor?

Agreed. I hope I don’t get in “trouble” for this…but why cant “YOU KNOW WHO” be a forum sponsor?Why don't you ask them and get back to me. ;)

Now let's move on.

Kyser

I've been confident until now that I missed all the bulb problems with this model but now I'm not so sure. I've got a June 06 build date and FW 0.48. 1436 hours on the original bulb. (It is the only television I own so I use it a lot.) I noticed tonight that while the projector seemed to be operating normally that the red lamp led started blinking. I checked the manual and that combination of green power light, no temp light, and red blinking lamp light doesn't appear as a valid indication of anything. I checked the dust filter but it was clean. I called benq but of course they're closed until Monday. About and hour later I got an on-screen message saying that the bulb life has been exceeded and that I had to change it right away. I checked the menu and there's an percentage life inidicator next to the bulb hours (I have no idea what that is based on) and it still says that the bulb is only 35% used. But regardless of that, hour-wise I should only be half-way through. Just as an experiment and in an attempt to be able to get through to the end of movie night (room full of friends over to watch movies while I'm going through all this), I tried re-setting the lamp timer but I apparently didn't fool it because the red light keeps blinking. (blinking, not solid like the manual says) I don't get it. Does this sound familiar to anyone or does anyone have any ideas until BenQ re-opens on Monday?

Actually, I checked back and now the lamp life has jumped from 35% to 100%. Does anyone know what exactly that is measuring? It's apparently independant of the hours, which goes against my prior assumptions.

Actually, I checked back and now the lamp life has jumped from 35% to 100%. Does anyone know what exactly that is measuring? It's apparently independant of the hours, which goes against my prior assumptions.

Your situation is rather strange. FW 0.48 was the last problematic FW. I do not believe anyone got close to 1436 hours on a lamp with it. Around late Feb. 2006 Ben updated to FW 0.49 which is what most of us now have after returning our units with dead lamps. Mine went in for that upgrade after 520 hours on 0.48.

With a build date of June 06 your FW should be at least 0.49. There were a few postings of an even higher # FW.

The lamp hour % tracks actual hours in use. It can be reset to 100% when a replacement lamp is installed.

In any event give Ben a call Monday, get an RMA, and send it in.

Joe

Oh, so the % life counts down from 100% to 0%? I thought it was the other way. Well in that case it makes sense and the reason it jumped to 100 is because I reset the lamp hours in order to prevent it from shutting down during movie night. But the red lamp light keeps blinking, even though the projector continues to work. That's the part I don't get because according to the manual that light should not have a blinking mode except when the fans aren't working in which case the temp light should also be flashing. I am an ae engineer and my day job is to write the manuals for jet aircraft, which of course we take very seriously. So I guess I get very indignant when something operates in violation of its own manual. :)

I thought it was figured out long ago that the FW 0.48 was the fixed version for new builds and the FW 0.49 was the retro-fit version for older ones. For instance, jmtheo's post in this thread on 08-18-06, 02:06 AM. (most recent post addressing that by searching, but I know it was discussed before that, too.) How many people in this forum are using FW 0.48 successfully so far?

The history, as I recall, is that the 7700 as first released with original FW #? had a dismal record regarding lamp life. Failure within 200 or so hours. In Nov. '05 when I was deciding on which pj to purchase and finding the 7700 one of the few to fit my setup needs (zero offset and short throw lens) but aware of the owner complaints from this forum I talked to BenQ. Their statement at that time was, yes there has been a problem, but a redesigned lamp and a new FW 0.48 had solved the issue. Their instruction was to make sure the unit purchased had a build date after Sept. 05.

I wound up with a unit with an Oct. '05 build. All was well for 520 hours then lights out. I had joined a not exclusive club. There was much speculation on what the FW 0.49 upgrade changed. I do not think that there ever was a definitive answer. The only change I noticed was a difference in fan speed/regulation. I recorded measurements in outlet Temp. with FW 0.48 and .49. The #'s were significantly lower after 0.49.

The diagnostic lights you are seeing are a puzzle. BTW have you checked your FW ver. in the menu, perhaps the case is mislabeled?

Your problem may be unique. This thread has been quiet for months as it seems we are all, after some consternation, enjoying the show. I'm at 1370 hours and quite pleased especially with lumens at this point.

Joe

Thanks for the clarification. I guess I wasn't in the clear as much as I thought. And yes, the firmware version and date I was saying came from the menu. The projector is ceiling mounted and I can't read the case until I take it down, which is something of an ordeal... which I'll have to do before I call them Monday. By the way, do you remember from your experience what information they wanted from you when you got your RMA? I assume serial number... what else? Reason I ask is because I work the same hours they are open so I will have to write everything down and call them from the office. Really, 8 to 5? Who's customer service is only open from 8 to 5, M-F for consumer goods? What kind of Mickey Mouse outfit is this? If I seem testy its only because I face at least a week of withdrawl symptoms as I go without any television. :( I'm also a little worried about the fact that I didn't get this through an "authorized" dealer (small internet retailer), so if they ask for a reciept the best I can offer is a paypal printout. Is this going to void everything for me?

Welcome to the forum DreadPirateMarc, you are not dealing witha "Mickey Mouse outfit" my friend:) Just call Benq, even though their hours are the same as yours, and see what they can do to help you. Where are you located?

Understand your concern. As Blasst has stated these guys at Ben are some of the best in customer satisfaction. From what I remember they asked for a serial # and that was it. They did not require a bill of sale or any other documentation.

I am intrigued by your build date and the 0.48 FW. That simply does not add up.

With a June 06 build you should have no problem with warranty service from BenQ.

Let us know how it goes. And welcome to the best forum on the net.

Joe

About a month ago I posted about my 7700, as I was concerned the lamp might blow anytime.
I have a 7700 from June 2005, fw 0.37 and only 170 hours on it, as I only use it to watch DVD.

I contacted BenQ in the Netherlands by email and after about 2 weeks they contacted me by telephone.
All I had to give them was my serialnumber
Because my pj is older than 1 year I had to ship it to them myself.
It's been with BenQ for about 3 days now, hopefully I'll have it back soon.

Belgarath

when i hook up my projector to my pc i get no image,just says unsupported.i see no drivers on benqs site.can anyone advise me on how to fix this problem

when i hook up my projector to my pc i get no image,just says unsupported.i see no drivers on benqs site.can anyone advise me on how to fix this problem

Your PCs drivers should be able to at least get it to work. Output at 1280x720 60hz and you should be fine. Check your cabling. Does that connection work with a regular monitor?

Well, just FYI. I talked to the BenQ folks today. I actually called twice to talk to two different folks because I wasn't happy with the first one. (hey, couldn't hurt) Niether one could explain the undocumented diagnostic lights. The conclusion eventually reached by each of them was that the bulb must be bad. And even though the projector is still under warranty, the bulb only comes with a 90 day warranty. But for a big chunk of cash they would be happy to sell me a new bulb that would take care of my problem. The truth is I'm not sure what to think, and I don't think they did, either. They both were unable to even begin to answer how or if the projector "knew" the bulb is bad before it stops working and before it reaches it's hour limit. And they didn't have any better documentation than we do about the lights. I'm not sure where these good reports of "customer satisfaction" are coming, but I'm not going to be one of them. Out of warranty or not, a product that lasts less than half the promised life cycle is pretty sorry. This is right up there with Philip's quote to repair my faulty Pronto being ten dollars more than the cost of a new one as one of the worst customer service experiences I've had in this hobby. I'm very disappointed to say the least.

With mercury bulbs, there is always a concern that one will explode and the resulting dust can be toxic and ruin your projector. This may be why the projector is overly conservative with its demand that you replace the bulb. I would be thrilled to get 1,500 hours from a bulb and when you amortize the cost of a new bulb (approximately $300) over 1,500 hours, that works out to about 20 cents an hour.

Hi, I got some problems with the handshake between my HDTV Sat-Receiver Philips DSR 9005/2 and the BENQ PE 7700. I have connected the Sat Receiver over HDMI with the BENQ but when I try to watch Premiere HD (an german hd pay-tv channel which is HDCP protected) the Sat-Receiver only show me an message that the copy protection is active. All the other channels without HDCP are working. I tried some different HDMI cables but without luck. The BENQ and the Sat-Receiver got the newest firmware. I didn´t use an HDMI Switch or something they are connected directly. :confused:

Someone who might help me with this problem.

Thanks and greetings

AceStarOne

Kevin, I know this is your area of expertise, but if you're right and 1,500 hours is a good run for a mercury bulb, then BenQ should have published specs that said the bulb lasts for 1,500 hours. But they didn't, they said 2,000 hours on normal, 3,000 hours on economy (which I use of course for this reason). When the cost of failure is high, the need for conservatism is also high as we in the aircraft industry know all too well. But all conservatism has to be built into the published specs, not left for the consumer to discover down the road. Can you imagine if we treated aircraft that way? "We know that we said that this plane can go 3,000 miles on a tank of gas, but because the prospect of running out of gas mid-flight can potentially damage the rest of the aircraft, we decided to make it automatically shut down after 1,500 miles. Sorry we forgot to mention that before you bought it. But hey, 1,500 miles is still a long ways." Personally, I would not find that comforting as I crash into the middle of the North Atlantic.

Kevin, I know this is your area of expertise, but if you're right and 1,500 hours is a good run for a mercury bulb, then BenQ should have published specs that said the bulb lasts for 1,500 hours. But they didn't, they said 2,000 hours on normal, 3,000 hours on economy (which I use of course for this reason). When the cost of failure is high, the need for conservatism is also high as we in the aircraft industry know all too well. But all conservatism has to be built into the published specs, not left for the consumer to discover down the road. Can you imagine if we treated aircraft that way? "We know that we said that this plane can go 3,000 miles on a tank of gas, but because the prospect of running out of gas mid-flight can potentially damage the rest of the aircraft, we decided to make it automatically shut down after 1,500 miles. Sorry we forgot to mention that before you bought it. But hey, 1,500 miles is still a long ways." Personally, I would not find that comforting as I crash into the middle of the North Atlantic.

Hi Dread Pirate,

As blasst asked, where are you located? The very positive comments concerning BenQ service are most definitely true for customers in the US. Jimtheo's Perth, Australia posting is a puzzle. Firmware v.0.48 simply did not solve the problem as evidenced by all the reports here. Yes, the lamp warranty is 90 days/500 hours.

We can understand your frustration after only, what, eight months of ownership. FWIW I would contact your Ben distributor and have them explain why with a June '06 build your unit has FW 0.48.

Good luck,

Joe

Joe and blasst: sorry, I missed the question. I'm in Wichita, Kansas. Can't get much more U.S. then that. I don't mean to bother you nice folks with my problems but I'm just having such a horrible customer experience that I feel like I'm supposed to tell someone just in case any poor misguided soul is looking for advice on whether or not to buy a BenQ. I called customer support one more time today to ask simpy the question if they could tell me if the projector is measuring some parameter of the bulb to derive at the conclusion that the bulb needs replacing (temp, output, voltage, whatever), or is it simply a function of keeping track of hours (to determine for myself if it is a hardware or software problem). Could not get an answer, but I did get told that it is normal for this message saying that the bulb has expired and must be replaced immediately to appear periodically after 1,400 hours to serve as advance warning that I should "start thinking about buying a new bulb," and then he hung up. And this was the exact same person who told me yesterday that my bulb is faulty. So I don't know if my bulb is bad or not, or if the whole darn projector is bad or not. I do know that after 3 calls and 2 people I am convinced that BenQ U.S. customer support, at least the guys on the phone, are the absolute worst I have experienced anywhere. Maybe these are new people from the time that most of you dealt with them, or maybe it has to do with the fact that your problems were common and understood and mine is unique. But so far with each call, they've been very nice until I gave them my serial number, after which their tone changed completely and they seem to have said anything (this last time obviously making it up as he said it) to conclude the call as soon as possible and get off the line. I'm not the type to get belligerent and demand to speak to supervisors or whatever, but it seems that that's what's called for in this situation. I have a friend who's much better at that sort of thing so I might let him pretend to be me and try again. As for all your glowing accounts of great customer support, I think you've all breathed in too many of those mercury vapors. :-)

I suppose we can speculate that customer support may have been empowered with greater flexibility on the part of benq's support staff in dealing with the bulb related failures on this machine 8 to 10 months ago when it was a big problem. It's possible that benq has now considered the problem fixed and is now less flexible with bulb issues. It can be really frustrating to be in Dread's shoes. It's probably worth it to insist on speaking with one of their supervisors.

My recent experience with BenQ customer support has been very positive. I "inherited" a PE7700 projector from an "extended" family member. The projector was essentially brand new. It had a Sept 05 manufacture date and had never been serviced.

I was wary of potential lamp problems, but I couldn't resist upgrading from my old PB6200 projector (still love the PB6200 for value vs price). I mounted the PE7700 in my HT room around Christmas, 2006. We've used it extensively since then. A couple of weeks ago (mid-Feb 2007), the lamp failed. I took the PE7700 down and went back to the PB6200. Nothing like a good backup.

I called BenQ, explained the problem, and asked that they update or swap the projector. Since I am not the orig owner and I do not have a retail receipt, I was braced for the worst. On my first phone call, BenQ agreed to do a firmware update and provide a new lamp free of charge. I pay the shipping to the Benq Svc Center, they pay the shipping coming back.

I got the projector to BenQ on March 2nd. They shipped it back to me on March 6. Per FedEx tracking, I'm expecting the projector at my home on March 9.

I'll try to post an update when I get the projector back in action.

Received my projector on March 9 as expected. Firmware updated to 0.49, new lamp. Got it mounted and it looks great, just like it did before the first lamp went out. Can't really tell any difference re: noise, fan speed, etc. We'll see how it goes.

has anyone had a failure using high lamp mode with new firmware??!?1

I am too nervous to switch out of eco mode.....

I run my projector in high lamp mode and high altitude. I now have 1100+ hours on the new firmware with no problems. No flicker and the light output doesn't appear to have decreased much over that time.

Been firing on high lamp mode with new firmware and around 400 hours on the new bulb, with no problems.

Me too, about 300 hours on low fan mode, lamp on high power, with new firmware, with no problems at all. THANK GOD!!!! :)

Seems that this piece is stable nowadays with the new firmware, and no bulb issues as before. How does this baby perform today compared to optoma hd70?

Can't say how the two compare, since I've never seen them side by side. Maybe someone else has. I think quite a few of us are waiting for the 1080P projectors to come down in price, instead of replacing our 7700's with another 720p projector. The 7700 throws a very nice picture.... the best? no, but very good!:)

ran some other feeds to the projector. my directv box is set at 720p. recorded video stored on tivo also blinks. dvd video thru component does not. i have not tested dvd thru hdmi because i don't have one with hdmi output. so it appears to be a problem related to the source, the hdtv receiver from directv. at some hours of the day it doesn't blink.

what can i do to rectify the situation of a blinking image thru the hdtv direct tv box?

You can't. It's a DirecTV (D*) problem. I have a new D* H20 STB and the HDMI feed to my flat panel display has drop-outs (I haven't tried it with my PJ yet - need to run the cable). However, I get the same picture using the component inputs (the H20 STB outputs 720p and 1080i over component as well as HDMI, at present anyway), with no drop-outs. Consequently, I'm using the HDMI feed for my DVD player and the component connections for the D* feed (Discovery HD Theater and NGC-HD look great - NGC-HD is temporarily previewed on channel 98 per an email from D*).

My unit is an old one - August 2005 with 0.48 ugrade after 3 blown bulbs. It is the primary TV in my home and now has 1560 hours on it (mix of high and econo) since the last bulb failure, Superbowl weekend 2006 (who won that game anyway?)

Last night I turn the unit on and after displaying the BENQ opening screen, buld cuts out and I get solid orange with 2 flashing reds = FANS DON'T WORK, per user's manual. After several main (switch on back of unit) power shut offs and even a power cable disconnect to it finally works. It took 5-6 tries before it worked. Have not tried unit since.

Anyone else experince this? Anomoly or new concern?

I had this happen to me once since I had the f/w+bulb upgrade, but I only had to shut down once (back switch) and it worked after that.

I just got a PS3, and I can't get the HDMI to work. I want to figure out if it's the PE7700 projector or the PS3. I've tried two different HDMI cables, and neither work. I know the HDMI input works on the projector, because I can get a picture directly from my HDTiVo. I'm not using a switcher (yet).

When I hook up the PS3 via HDMI, the projector sees a 525p signal, but displays nothing. This is after holding down the powerbutton for 5 seconds to turn it on (with only the HDMI cable attached) so the PS3 does its autoconfig thing.

Any ideas? Will crosspost in PS3 gaming area as well...

Recently I've been getting very thin vertical lines across my screen( about 20) like someone scratched the screen with a pin ,whenever I start up my 7700. they eventually go away. but it is bothering me. any Ideas as to what this might be?

This happens with the splash screen or after lock and image?

Long time lurker, first time poster, have .48 upgrade and new lamp about a year ago. Use as main TV with 106 inch screen; full power mode. Have 1380 hours and as of couple days ago, need to turn off and on 3-4 times to get started; red flashing light- message comes on that bulb is at end of its life and needs replacing. Noticed another poster with same problem; looks like many/all of us will end up the same. Strangely, the projector keeps working with the red bulb flashing...wonder how long the warning lasts and if I'm playing with fire using this way.

I just got a PS3, and I can't get the HDMI to work. I want to figure out if it's the PE7700 projector or the PS3. I've tried two different HDMI cables, and neither work. I know the HDMI input works on the projector, because I can get a picture directly from my HDTiVo. I'm not using a switcher (yet).

When I hook up the PS3 via HDMI, the projector sees a 525p signal, but displays nothing. This is after holding down the powerbutton for 5 seconds to turn it on (with only the HDMI cable attached) so the PS3 does its autoconfig thing.

Any ideas? Will crosspost in PS3 gaming area as well...

Yeah I had similar issues. It is the PS3, not your projector. You need to setup your PS3 to output 720p or 1080i on an hdtv first, then plug it into the projector. I just used an old tv in the same room as the projector and set up the PS3 then plugged the hdmi cable into the 7700 and it was fine. I don't know if this makes sense.

My unit is an old one - August 2005 with 0.48 ugrade after 3 blown bulbs. It is the primary TV in my home and now has 1560 hours on it (mix of high and econo) since the last bulb failure, Superbowl weekend 2006 (who won that game anyway?)

Last night I turn the unit on and after displaying the BENQ opening screen, buld cuts out and I get solid orange with 2 flashing reds = FANS DON'T WORK, per user's manual. After several main (switch on back of unit) power shut offs and even a power cable disconnect to it finally works. It took 5-6 tries before it worked. Have not tried unit since.

Anyone else experince this? Anomoly or new concern?

Definitely new concern. Same as you .48 upgrade, 1380 hrs, 35% remaining,
full mode, msg says bulb needs replacing, replaced bulb, re-set hours, same problem. RMA# from Benq...going back for repairs. My fan works, as does the system, problems starting, cuts out sometimes, red bulb light flashes during operation with green and in standby with orange.

Definitely new concern. Same as you .48 upgrade, 1380 hrs, 35% remaining,
full mode, msg says bulb needs replacing, replaced bulb, re-set hours, same problem. RMA# from Benq...going back for repairs. My fan works, as does the system, problems starting, cuts out sometimes, red bulb light flashes during operation with green and in standby with orange.

If you search back to around Feb. 2006 you will find that FW 0.48 was a problem for all. The quick history: as released the 7700 had lamp failures at 100% after few hours. Ben acknowledged the problem and with a redesign of the lamp and the 0.48 firmware they thought problem solved. In response to my concerns in an email before purchase they stated that any unit with a build date after Sept. '05 should be OK.

Not so. Long story short 0.49FW finally worked. I'm at 1500 hours and all is good. What is interesting is 1400 or so hours with 0.48 would be a record. If you search back I believe 800 or so was the limit. I got to 520 and that was high.

For the old thread watchers I just got a confirmation that the FW Ver. currently is above 1.00 Anyone know anything?

Have any owners switched to full lamp mode from economic after many hours. I'm tempted to go there. The pic is getting a little dim , on a 133" screen.

Joe

My bad, Joe. Projector ceiling mounted and I assumed had .48 firmware when in fact it was upgraded to .49 about a year ago. My problem of 1380 hours is on the
.49 firmware, and when the lamp was replaced and the hours re-set yesterday, the unit still flashes a message that the bulb is at the end of its life and needs replacing.
Red lamp light flashes when in operation and when in shutdown mode. I must say that the picture with the new lamp is great....but I may not have needed to shell out $400 so quickly. Unit on the way to Benq today.

I had 2 blown lamps and sent it in to Benq both times. The second time was before the announcement of that original firmware fix where you had to send in the projector. My latest bulb has 2600 hours on it in economy mode. I run high altitude also since I'm paranoid.

I called Benq to see if I had the fix since it was announced after I sent it in. He said it was out when my unit was in the shop last so I probably had it. I asked how I could check and see and he said I can't. Has to be sent in.

I have no idea what firmware I have so I don't know if I should send this projector back in when the bulb goes. I have no problem purchasing a bulb since I've gotten full use out of it. But I don't want to buy one if this projector isn't fixed. How can I tell what firmware I have?

Mine had an orange sticker put on the bottom when I sent it in. It is small and round and I believe it just says .48. I don't think there was one before that. I can't check mine because it is ceiling mounted only an inch below the ceiling. Maybe you could check the default factory settings. My settings changed somewhat when the unit was returned. I posted the differences back in February or March. Search on my name.

BTW, I now have 1200 hours running in high mode and high altitude. I prefer the brighter picture even if the life is shortened to 2000 hours or so. Haven't noticed any dimming yet, but that is a pretty subtle to observe over the months.

I had 2 blown lamps and sent it in to Benq both times. The second time was before the announcement of that original firmware fix where you had to send in the projector. My latest bulb has 2600 hours on it in economy mode. I run high altitude also since I'm paranoid.

I called Benq to see if I had the fix since it was announced after I sent it in. He said it was out when my unit was in the shop last so I probably had it. I asked how I could check and see and he said I can't. Has to be sent in.

I have no idea what firmware I have so I don't know if I should send this projector back in when the bulb goes. I have no problem purchasing a bulb since I've gotten full use out of it. But I don't want to buy one if this projector isn't fixed. How can I tell what firmware I have?

You can check the FW Ver. in the service menu. To get there on the remote: menu-up-down-up-down-up-down-menu. You probably know to be careful whilst in service menu mode. Bet you have v. 0.49.

Joe

Curious if anyone else has experienced this problem.

Just installed a Sony PS3. It is set to output 480p, 720p and 1080i. It properly sends out 1080i on 1080p Blu Ray movies and games and 720p games, go out at 720p. The pj scales/deinterlaces 1080i and, of course has no problem with 720p.

Today I wanted to compare SD DVD pq from the PS3 and my oppo upconverting player. The PS3 does not upconvert at this time. Hope for a firmware update exists. Anyway with an SD DVD the PS3 reports an output of 480p. So far so good. The PE7700 indicates an input of 525p. Now I know that 480p and 525p are basically the same, the difference being image info versus total lines.

The real question is this: With the pj set to Real Mode /1:1 pixel mapping the image displays in a small window in the middle of the screen. Changed to Wide mode and the image fills in horizontally.

I just don't know what is going on. Can anyone explain?

Thanks,

Joe

Bronco,

SD-DVD outputs at 480p. In real mode, the projector scalar doesn't intervene and therefore the image is rendered in a small presumably 480 line window on the display. Putting it to wide mode forces the PJ to scale the image up to the width of the display. I don't really play with Wide mode but I presume it's used to stretch 4:3 output to fill the 16:9 display.

When you did this, which was better, letting the Oppo do the scaling or letting the PJ do the scaling?

Bronco,

SD-DVD outputs at 480p. In real mode, the projector scalar doesn't intervene and therefore the image is rendered in a small presumably 480 line window on the display. Putting it to wide mode forces the PJ to scale the image up to the width of the display. I don't really play with Wide mode but I presume it's used to stretch 4:3 output to fill the 16:9 display.

When you did this, which was better, letting the Oppo do the scaling or letting the PJ do the scaling?

Hi Basement,

I understand what wide mode is for. The oppo scales to 720p perfectly, well except for the slight underscan that we all know about.

It's not the oppo I don't get. It is the PS3 output of SD DVD. What I can't understand is why my old Pioneer Progressive scan output non upconverting player worked fine with the 7700 over component with the pj in real mode receiving a 480p signal and a 480p signal over HDMI from the PS3 results in the small window.

I'm starting to think either HDMI is the culprit or Sony needs a firmware fix. I had not mentioned that the pj hunts and locks/unlocks and finally decides it has a 525p signal from the PS3. At least I have no HDCP issues.

I can deal with this but less tech aware members of this household would probably like to settle on one DVD drive. You know how that is.

Joe

If the pj is set in REAL mode then a small window is in fact correct for a 480p (or 525) signal. I have a Panny S77 dvd player and when I set it to output to 480p it is a small window if the pe7700 is set to REAL mode not ANA or WIDE. And it also says it's a 525 input signal. Set the S77 to 720p or 1080i and REAL mode renders a fullscreen image as the dvd player is doing the upconverting work. I tend to prefer the pe7700's scaler myself.

Nothing wrong with the PS3.

If the pj is set in REAL mode then a small window is in fact correct for a 480p (or 525) signal. I have a Panny S77 dvd player and when I set it to output to 480p it is a small window if the pe7700 is set to REAL mode not ANA or WIDE. And it also says it's a 525 input signal. Set the S77 to 720p or 1080i and REAL mode renders a fullscreen image as the dvd player is doing the upconverting work. I tend to prefer the pe7700's scaler myself.

Nothing wrong with the PS3.

Sleater,

Thanks for the reply. What I still can't figure is why on my pioneer 563A and at 480p output over component Real Mode resulted in a full horizontal image. I will now go back and set my oppo player to 480p out and see what the result is. The pioneer is long gone. Maybe a query to Ben also.

Joe

Sleater,

Thanks for the reply. What I still can't figure is why on my pioneer 563A and at 480p output over component Real Mode resulted in a full horizontal image. I will now go back and set my oppo player to 480p out and see what the result is. The pioneer is long gone. Maybe a query to Ben also.

Joe

You were right. oppo also reports out as 525p and in small window. HDMI I guess. Hope all are enjoying the 7700. Now how about an led light engine based HDMI 1.3 pj with the increased colour depth for sale out there in what ? Two years? Oh and with a three chip DLP to boot at $3K. Heaven.

Bronco,

That is curious about your pioneer. I don't use my old Panasonic progressive scan DVD player anymore but I'm pretty sure it also gave me the small window.

I have to admit that since I had a viewing of the JVC RS-1 the shine on the benq is showing some tarnish. :-)

I saw the JVC RS-1 with HD-DVD, blue-ray and SD-DVD. In general I'm a little underwhelmed with HD file based material. However, SD-DVD was really exceptional on a Toshiba A2. Just when I thought that I've never seen Revenge of the Sith look as good on the Toshiba outputting at 1080i HDMI, it was then hooked up to a VP50 and fed with 480i. This cranked the PQ of the image up another notch. With 480i, the image was a little sharper and fast motion was rendered more smoothly. I'm not sure I can last another year without an upgrade. :-)

I am having the lamp problem again as well. I am well under 1k hours on full mode, maybe 5-600 hours. I had already been sent a refurbished unit that supposedly had all the kinks worked outta it. But now my projector will turn on for like 30 seconds running fine, and then shut down with the red lamp light on. This had happened earlier after about 300 hours, it would shut down with the lamp light occasionally, but then I would turn off the back switch, let it sit a while, then turn it back on and it would be fine. This time that isn't seeming to work. I would REALLY like to get a lamp to go over 1k hours for a change. I am hoping I don't have to pay for this bulb replacement.

Basement,

I have also heard that the Tosh A2 is a killer upconverting player. I'm also fighting the upgrade urge. My brother just replaced his BenQ PE8700 with a Mitsu 3000. He was fed up with the 8700's fan noise and tired of fooling with home brew hush boxes.

He actually bought a 7700 along with the Mitsu. The Mitsu has a better black level and better color than the 7700.

Last night I compared an SD version of Phantom of the Opera from my oppo to a Blu Ray on the PS3. The HD version has better pq but it is not a huge difference. The oppo truly is an overachiever.

I have to believe that the HD disc formats will show their superiority on my large screen only with an upgrade to a 1080p pj. I think I can resist replacing the 7700 at least while it is still under warranty.

I am having problems with my temp light coming on. I power the projector on and within seconds of the BenQ logo appearing on my screen the lamp shuts down and the temp light turns solid red. The power light stays solid orange and the lamp light is not on. I have 0.49 firmware with about 300 hours on the projector. I guess I am calling BenQ again tomorrow.

I am having problems with my temp light coming on. I power the projector on and within seconds of the BenQ logo appearing on my screen the lamp shuts down and the temp light turns solid red. The power light stays solid orange and the lamp light is not on. I have 0.49 firmware with about 300 hours on the projector. I guess I am calling BenQ again tomorrow.

I'm getting worried now. After being reassured earlier that everything was fine I decided to take the plunge and crank the lamp to full mode (after a 0.49 upgrade and roughly 200 hours on eco mode). Now, I'm thinking of going back to eco. Steve are you running High Altitude mode ? I can live with the fan noise if it offers hope that the lamp isn't going to burn out prematurely again...

Then again, with all this upgrade talk, maybe I'll keep it on full mode and just let the lamp run its course and upgrade once it dies. Give me an excuse to drop a few grand on the next best thing... I know a few people who keep the 7700 as a backup pj.

Those don't sound like the bulb problem, but more like a cooling problem. Standard problems I suppose, like power supplies going out in computers. I wouldn't worry about it being a cronic problem.
I have ~1700 hours on my bulb now, in Phoenix AZ, where our thermostat is set for 80 in the summer. Ceiling mounted, no high altitude, but run mostly in eco mode. Still very bright on the Silverstar. I run high lamp to watch football though.
Warren.

I'm getting worried now. After being reassured earlier that everything was fine I decided to take the plunge and crank the lamp to full mode (after a 0.49 upgrade and roughly 200 hours on eco mode). Now, I'm thinking of going back to eco. Steve are you running High Altitude mode ? I can live with the fan noise if it offers hope that the lamp isn't going to burn out prematurely again...

Then again, with all this upgrade talk, maybe I'll keep it on full mode and just let the lamp run its course and upgrade once it dies. Give me an excuse to drop a few grand on the next best thing... I know a few people who keep the 7700 as a backup pj.


I have been running in high lamp mode at low altitude mode. I called BenQ today and got the voicemail for the person I have dealt with the last 3 times my projector went in for warranty work. Hopefully I will get a call back tomorrow. I will keep you guys posted as things happen.

I am having problems with my temp light coming on. I power the projector on and within seconds of the BenQ logo appearing on my screen the lamp shuts down and the temp light turns solid red. The power light stays solid orange and the lamp light is not on. I have 0.49 firmware with about 300 hours on the projector. I guess I am calling BenQ again tomorrow.


Had minor problem with bulb light staying on after replacing and sent to Benq.
Now it does exactly what yours is doing. The tech had me do all kinds of things before sending it in and the temp light only came on in the inverted position and worked fine in the upright position. (No good for me). FYI, I got 1380 hours out of bulb in full mode before the on screen message came on- 35% remaining??? :(
2-$74 Fedex bills in 2 weeks.

On pretty much any front projector, I would just plan on replacing the bulb every 1,500 hours, then if you get more, it is a bonus.

If you amortize the cost of a $500 bulb over 1,500 hours, that works out to $.33 cents an hour.

Good point Kevin. Plus even if the bulb lasts much past 2000 or so hours it will probably be getting pretty dim.

I'm just over 1500 hours all in eco. mode and things are getting a little dark. Time to switch to hi lamp. I've got a new bulb on the shelf . With 15 months of warranty left I'm hoping that by around the 08 holiday season 1080p LED light engine pj's will be available. Overly optimistic?

Joe

Joe: just a LOT over optimistic :)

I have over 1700 hours on my 7700, and with the Silverstar it still looks fantastic. I don't notice any dimming at all.
Warren.

Joe: just a LOT over optimistic :)

I have over 1700 hours on my 7700, and with the Silverstar it still looks fantastic. I don't notice any dimming at all.
Warren.

Probably, but it's good to dream about the next best thing.

Might be a function of 133" Hi-Power screen size.

Have a new problem tonight. Our local power company shut down service in our neighborhood today for about eight hours. We had notice, so last night I turned off the main power switch on the back of the 7700. Go down tonight fire things up and the on screen message for all three HDMI sources is "HDMI Unsupported". I'm using a 3 in 1 out Geffen switcher which has worked fine for 15 months.

I tried taking the switcher out of the loop, hooked up my oppo player direct, and still the unsupported msg. Also tried switching to a different input on the 7700 and back to HDMI, no luck.

Seems to me like an HDCP issue. And we all love HDCP don't we?

Anyone had a similar issue?

Well the pj has cooled it's heels enough so I'll go try something different.

Funny thing, I shut down the computers in the house last night also. Start the main one up and the router is dead. Multiple attempts at hard reset solve nothing. And then about three hours later it is showing all green and good to go. Go figure. Off topic I know but if old enough remember the days when it was just two speakers, a turntable and a preamp and power amp? OK I'll stop.

Thanks,

Joe

Joe, sometimes these things happen. We has a tiny power outage here. Didn't affect the 7700, or three of my computers, but the fourth computer had it's power supply go out. Weird stuff.
Many of the 7700's were born with a bad HDMI or HDCP chip (can't remember which.) The power thing was probably just what it needed to finish that chip off.
Make sure the component inputs work, then call BenQ.
Warren.

Joe, sometimes these things happen. We has a tiny power outage here. Didn't affect the 7700, or three of my computers, but the fourth computer had it's power supply go out. Weird stuff.
Many of the 7700's were born with a bad HDMI or HDCP chip (can't remember which.) The power thing was probably just what it needed to finish that chip off.
Make sure the component inputs work, then call BenQ.
Warren.

Hi Warren,

Yeah I remember the reports about early HDMI problems and if memory serves a lot had to do with computer input.

Anyway my pj is connected to a UPS/surge protector/power conditioner and the main power switch was off so I'm confident that it did not take a hit.

Last night I tried once more to fix things with no luck. Powered down, pulled the AC and HDMI cables out and went to bed thinking about the snappy BenQ hold music I would hear again.

Today, well one more try. Went direct HDMI from the OPPO to the pj with the player on. Reconnected cables to pj fired up and pic was back. Put the Gefen switcher back in the signal path and all three devices work properly.

Perhaps it was the exact sequence that worked. Who knows. Maybe pj's can suffer TIA's.

Joe

I've been experiencing an annoying problem with the HDMI connection on my PE-7700. Wondering if anyone else is having this problem.

From my Onkyo DVD player, when I initially start the projector on HDMI mode, I get snow on the screen. The only way I can get this to work is to unplug and replug in the HDMI cable from my DVD player. I've tried swapping it out with a different DVD player but same problem.

When I plug the HDMI cable into my PVR, I get a blue tint on the image.

Anyone out there that can confirm this is a projector problem?

Thanks.

I've been experiencing an annoying problem with the HDMI connection on my PE-7700. Wondering if anyone else is having this problem.

From my Onkyo DVD player, when I initially start the projector on HDMI mode, I get snow on the screen. The only way I can get this to work is to unplug and replug in the HDMI cable from my DVD player. I've tried swapping it out with a different DVD player but same problem.

When I plug the HDMI cable into my PVR, I get a blue tint on the image.

Anyone out there that can confirm this is a projector problem?

Thanks.

Can someone please point me to the article in this thread telling how to "permanently" store my RGB settings? I set them, store them to "User memory 1" and they get reset back to factory settings after turning my PJ off/on from the remote. I do this in both factory and shop menus. Thanks.

I have a MT700. I am Worried about my lamp. It's my second lamp. Almost 200 hours. I just saw new PE7700 firmware solve the lamp problem. I am wondering if I can use pe7700's firmware on My MT700. Is there anyone has experience. My MT700 already ran out of warranty.

Can we upgrade the firmware by ourselves?

Can we upgrade the firmware by ourselves?

No.

I mentioned a month ago that I got the "fan problem" light sequence but was able to get around it by doing a few hard resets. Well, like another member in the recent past, my unit gave up the ghost, again showing the fan problem light sequence. Sent in for repair today. Hope that this isn't a new issue for us all.

BTW, I was at around 1750 hours and 35% remaining when the night before the fan died I got an on screen message saying that my lamp life was up and it was time to replace the light bulb. I have been on ECONO the majority of the time. Not happy with the stated vs. actual lamp life figures.

You can check the FW Ver. in the service menu. To get there on the remote: menu-up-down-up-down-up-down-menu. You probably know to be careful whilst in service menu mode. Bet you have v. 0.49.

Joe

Thanks! I checked and I have version .37 from may 2005. So my projector is still broken. I guess I've been lucky getting the full life out of this particular bulb. Guess it is going in once it blows again.

Thanks! I checked and I have version .37 from may 2005. So my projector is still broken. I guess I've been lucky getting the full life out of this particular bulb. Guess it is going in once it blows again.

Lucky indeed!!

Remember Artie Johnson's quote....
Exactly the same problem for me. Unit on way back from Benq today with replaced board.
Happened right after replacing bulb...35% message, etc.
SJB

Can we upgrade the firmware by ourselves?

I successfully loaded .29 Toshiba firmware on my MT700. The .29 firmware was released in July 2005, but unfortunately does not address the lamp issue. I think it fixes a black level issue. I got the firmware from a nice fellow here on AVS about a 1-1/2 years ago. It's not hard to do. You need the correct serial cable, the firmware hex file, and the communication software.

If anyone has access to the PE7700 .48/.49 firmware hex file, I'd love to give it a try in MT700! If all goes well, I'd even be willing to post a how to.

Regards,
Booji

I successfully loaded .29 Toshiba firmware on my MT700. The .29 firmware was released in July 2005, but unfortunately does not address the lamp issue. I think it fixes a black level issue. I got the firmware from a nice fellow here on AVS about a 1-1/2 years ago. It's not hard to do. You need the correct serial cable, the firmware hex file, and the communication software.

If anyone has access to the PE7700 .48/.49 firmware hex file, I'd love to give it a try in MT700! If all goes well, I'd even be willing to post a how to.

Regards,
Booji


It is very exciting. I don't know how to get PE7700 .48/.49 firmware either.

After the lock and image