Spiky, you're right, I STILL haven't even bothered to tested a non-anamorphic source with "zoom". I wasn't aware I volunteered or was required to.

I tested "zoom" on a 2.35:1 anamorphic disc and confirmed that the "zoom" function as described in the manual isn't correct. Having suggested that "zoom" was intended (as per my reading of the manual) to vertically stretch 2.35:1 discs to fit the 16x9 panel, I posted my findings and admitted the MT700 doesn't do this.

Spiky, you're right, I STILL haven't even bothered to tested a non-anamorphic source with "zoom". I wasn't aware I volunteered or was required to.

I tested "zoom" on a 2.35:1 anamorphic disc and confirmed that the "zoom" function as described in the manual isn't correct. Having suggested that "zoom" was intended (as per my reading of the manual) to vertically stretch 2.35:1 discs to fit the 16x9 panel, I posted my findings and admitted the MT700 doesn't do this.

ssj2 - see my post just before this one. I think it explains what "zoom" really does (unless I've missed something entirely :) )

Thanks NMJack. I haven't dug deep into the "zoom" function as I use an HTPC. What you indicate seems to make sense.

I will have to play with it tonight. That doesn't make sense. The projector cannot know if the material is anamorphic or not.

If something is anamorphic 16:9, there is no zoom going on really. If you watch it on a 4:3 tv, the player adds the black bars.

OK, I tried the "zoom" function on a letterbox non-anamorphic disc. It did the exact same thing as when I tried it on a 2.35:1 anamorphic disc -- it stretched the top and bottom vertically, while leaving the sides.

The letterbox movie which previously appeared on my 16x9 screen with black bars on both top and bottom now just had black bars mostly on the sides -- Almost a 1.33:1 ratio. As previously indicated, it didn't quite stretch the image vertically enough to fill the screen.

NMJack:

If you are saying that the "zoom" AR functions correctly on the Toshiba, then either you have a unit with corrected firmware, or you are missing something entirely.

The "zoom" AR is supposed to expand a non-anamorphic (letterboxed) 16:9 image to fill the projector's 16:9 panel. To do this it must expand the image horizontally and vertically, as any non-anamorphic image is really only as wide as a centered 4:3 image. A non-anamorphic 1.78 or 1.85 image will then fill the projector's panel. A scope (2.20, 2.35, or 2.40) will still have LB bars, but the geometry will be correct.

The Toshiba correctly expands the width, but it does not expand enough vertically. Someone way back measured it, and I believe it was around 15% too short. It leaves images too short, distorting the geometry. If you view a non-anamorphic circle test pattern, it is easy to see.

A 2.35 NA movie will look extremely squished vertically in "full" mode. On the Toshiba's "zoom" mode, it will look only slightly squished, and perhaps by comparison to the full mode, may look correct, but it is still squished. With a NA 16:9 image, the "zoom" AR still leaves LB bars when there ought not to be any. If your unit eliminates all of the LB bars with a NA 16:9 image, then you have a corrected unit. Please let us know the date of manufacture, and the firmware number.

I can't say with 100% certainty, but I believe that every digital consumer 16:9 display manufactured, be it FP, RP, LCD, DLP, LCos, or plasma has an AR for correctly displaying NA letterboxed material at the full width of the panel with correct geometry. I can say with certainty that this Toshiba simply got it wrong, at least with the units so far.

I hope they get it right soon. Perhaps you have one of the first corrected units.

Pip

I will encourage anyone who is having display problems with the MT700 to first check your DVD player's output setting. My Toshiba allows either 4:3 or 16:9 output. It is set at 16:9, which correlates with my display's (MT700) geometry. With this setting, I achieve correct display on the MT700 as follows:

a) an anamorphic DVD: "full"
b) a letterboxed DVD: "zoom"
c) a 4:3 DVD: "4:3"

This is consistent with the MT700 owner's manual. I can assure everyone that on my unit, the results are a correctly displayed image.

The term "anamorphic" can certainly cause confusion. I believe that all "images" stored on a DVD are in 4:3 ratio. If it is an anamporphic image, it has been "squeezed" in the horizontal direction, allowing full usage of the 480 horizontal lines of resolution. This is probably why the Toshiba manual refers to these as "squeeze signal video images." When the player is set to output 16:9, it stretches the image horizontally to fill the wider screen. With the MT700 set to "full", it upscales this stretched, 16:9 image by a ratio of 720/480. This is what we would call "zoom" in any other context.

When I play a 4:3 ratio DVD (typically a tv-on-dvd), the DVD player still stretches the image horizontally to 16:9. Setting the MT700 to "4:3", essentially reverses this step - squeezing the image horizontally back to it's proper size.

A "letterbox" DVD is really just another 4:3 image. So, it is also stretched to fill the 16:9 space. The MT700 "4:3" setting will still reverse the process, however it would leave a reduced image size. That's where the MT700 "zoom" comes into play. Rather than compressing the image horizontally back to 4:3, it instead stretches to vertically to a larger-than-display 4:3 ratio. The part that gets cut off is just some of the "black bar" part of the image, so that is desirable.

Does that make sense to anyone??

If not, trust me...... My MT700 is performing well in all modes.

NMJack:
The "zoom" AR is supposed to expand a non-anamorphic (letterboxed) 16:9 image to fill the projector's 16:9 panel. To do this it must expand the image horizontally and vertically, as any non-anamorphic image is really only as wide as a centered 4:3 image. A non-anamorphic 1.78 or 1.85 image will then fill the projector's panel. A scope (2.20, 2.35, or 2.40) will still have LB bars, but the geometry will be correct.


Pip - I took the challenge and just put my non-anamorphic, 1:85 letterboxed "Mask" DVD in. Setting the MT700 to "zoom" makes it correctly fill my screen. Also, as expected, setting the MT700 to "4:3" also renders a correctly proportioned image, just smaller and centered on the screen. Have you checked your DVD player's output setting? It should be set to 16:9.

OK, I tried the "zoom" function on a letterbox non-anamorphic disc. It did the exact same thing as when I tried it on a 2.35:1 anamorphic disc -- it stretched the top and bottom vertically, while leaving the sides.

ssj2 - that is exactly what it should be doing.

Jack, I disagree. It is not even zooming stretched letterboxed material enough. Even if you set your DVD player to 4:3 and zoom, there is still black bars left at the top and bottom for 1.85:1 material (and not tiny ones either.)

Jack, I disagree. It is not even zooming stretched letterboxed material enough. Even if you set your DVD player to 4:3 and zoom, there is still black bars left at the top and bottom for 1.85:1 material (and not tiny ones either.)

nothru -

what is your source?

what cable/input are you using?

My source is a cheap DVD player set to 16:9 output.

My interconnect is a component video cable into "comp1".

EDIT: Much earlier in this thread I believe there were reports of 480p signals over component being forced to the "through" setting (i.e. no scaling at all). Because of that, I was pleasantly surprised to find that my MT700 would play 480p correctly. Again, there may have been a firmware update, as mine is from the most recent 'batch". If you're getting large bars, maybe it is because of this.

Fan noise at altitude

I am at 7500 ft and understand the 700 has a "high altitude" setting that greatly increases the fan noise.

Is anyone using this setting...at what altitude...and how is the noise?

I just ordered the Tosh 700. I picked up Athena Micra6 speakers at Best Buy. Now I need a reciever and DVD player. Suggestions?

I have a 13x15 room, dark, completely unfinished at the moment. I watch about 2/3 480i TV from the cable box, 1/3 DVDs from Netflix. No HD from cable in my area at the moment and I'm still investigating satellite HD.

One more thing. Is there one page faq of tips and tricks for Tosh 700? Reading thru 43 pages of posts to find the latest info is a bit much.

Thanks.

Eric

My source is a Panasonic S97 DVD player and my HD Tivo on shows like Justice League Unlimited and Battlestar Galactica. Component.

Fan noise at altitude

I am at 7500 ft and understand the 700 has a "high altitude" setting that greatly increases the fan noise.

Is anyone using this setting...at what altitude...and how is the noise?
I'm not at high altitude, so I don't use this setting. However, I did turn it on just to see how much of a difference it made. It is a noticeable difference if you're paying attention - but it's still very quiet. (My projector is the BenQ PE7700, but I'd assume the fan noise issue is the same since they are virtual twins.)

originally posted by NMJack

I took the challenge and just put my non-anamorphic, 1:85 letterboxed "Mask" DVD in. Setting the MT700 to "zoom" makes it correctly fill my screen. Also, as expected, setting the MT700 to "4:3" also renders a correctly proportioned image, just smaller and centered on the screen. Have you checked your DVD player's output setting? It should be set to 16:9..

Yes my DVD player is of course set to 16:9. If your unit is displaying properly in "zoom" mode this is very good news, as it appears that Toshiba has fixed this issue.

Please let us know the date of manufacture, serial number, and the firmware version so that those wishing to purchase the projector can be sure they get an updated unit.

Pip

Yes my DVD player is of course set to 16:9. If your unit is displaying properly in "zoom" mode this is very good news, as it appears that Toshiba has fixed this issue.

Please let us know the date of manufacture, serial number, and the firmware version so that those wishing to purchase the projector can be sure they get an updated unit.

Pip

Well, I won't reveal my units serial number, but if someone can tell me where to find the date of manufacture and firmware version I will be happy to check and report tonight.

NM Jack or ?

Jack I assume you are in New Mexico and are at "high Altitude".

Do you have a louder fan than when in just "low" setting.

Anyone at altitude pls respond.

Thx

"if someone can tell me where to find the date of manufacture and firmware version I will be happy to check and report tonight"



It's on the bottom of the PJ.

Ddog!!

fyi for others who are in the process of mounting an MT700....

I don't know if this is typical of PJ's in general (this is my first), but the MT700 has a real nice test pattern that consists only of a grid of white lines on a black background. I will be using that to great advantage this weekend as I mount my new screen. It appears that this will let me see exactly where the top, bottom and sides are as well as the top center.

"if someone can tell me where to find the date of manufacture and firmware version I will be happy to check and report tonight"

It's on the bottom of the PJ.



Unfortunately, my PJ is now ceiling mounted, so seeing the bottom will not be easy. Sorry about that....

I use the grid lines a lot. It was especially handy installing my Panamorph lens and putting the border on my diy screen.

I would think the firmware version should show up in the menu somewhere.

I would think the firmware version should show up in the menu somewhere.

It doesn't. It's probably in the service menu if we ever find a way into it.

I'm not aware of any firmware revisions, but on mine (one of the original units), a letterboxed, non-anamorphic DVD is squashed vertically (using HDMI on "Through"). When you use the zoom, it appears to be correct, but may still be slightly squashed as Pip mentioned. Using the DVD "Armegeddon", there is a scene early on where they zoom in on a golf ball on a tee. Using Zoom, the ball's dimensions are almost equal, but slightly wider than high. I'm not sure whether that's improper zoom or just the angle it's filmed. I'll check it out futher on another display.

Mike, maybe I missed you're post but what are your results from the CC30r filter?
Was curious about that :cool: , I am still waiting for mine to arrive :(

No, you didn't miss it. I'm still fooling around with it, but the early results haven't been that good. Maybe it's just the quality of the filter, but it seems to be causing some screen uniformity issues. Also, it's a little too much for my projector, causing an imbalance toward blue that's almost as much as the red imbalance was. I might have to try a better quality 20CCR filter.

Just thought I'd give everyone an update on Toshiba's poor warranty service. My bulb went out within the 90 day warranty (1st unforgivable thing) and I have not been sent a replacement in 2.5 weeks. So I have had my projector running for about 8 weeks and it has been down for 2.5, so it has not worked for about 25% of the time.

Timeline:
- faxed receipt on Monday, 13th
- called on Thursday, 16th to check status - nothing to report, they said it took a few days to figure out what part# to send me. I am thinking that it would be a 5 second process, I've got a 700 PJ w/ a bad bulb so the part# is xxx.
- They called me on Saturday, 18th and left a message and said my order was processed, I took that to mean something was on the way. WRONG.
- Checked status on Tue, 21st, they said my order was sent to shipping on Saturday and it would take a few days to ship.
- Checked status on Fri, 24th, they said part was on backorder
- Checked status on Tue, 28th, still on backorder

Not sure how BenQ would have handled, but I doubt it could have been worse.

Now with all this time to think, I wonder if I had a bad bulb or maybe something is wrong w// my PJ that made it happen. Idle minds...

I currently use my MT700 with a 92" wide (106" diagonal) Da-lite 1.5 gain Video Spectra screen left over from my CRT projector. I use an ND filter, and have brightness properly calibrated. However, I'd like to lower black level and improve shadow detail.

I know a grey screen will help with black level. How about shadow detail, wll it help? My room is completely light controlled, with beige walls, and black curtains behind and in front (on the ceiling) of the screen.

Is anybody using a 92" wide grey screen with their MT700? How about with a ND filter as well?

How much are bulbs going to be anyway?

While waiting for my bulb, I have looked around and it seems like the going rate is just under $350. I have been tempted a couple of times to buy one and have an extra, but I haven't yet.

Unfortunately, my PJ is now ceiling mounted, so seeing the bottom will not be easy. Sorry about that....
You could get creative with two narrow mirrors... (or is it that the mount itself covers up the numbers?) Also, the firmware version isn't on the bottom (at least on the BenQ), which makes sense.

MikeSRC - are you using the Nikon CC30R filter? Mine came with some gunk on the inside that I had to wipe off. I definitely get a fair amount of light flaring out of the Nikon lens (towards the top of the pj).

I'm also likely going to be trying a B+W cc30r and cc20r. I've read good things about the B+W lenses so this may be an improvement.

MikeSRC - are you using the Nikon CC30R filter? Mine came with some gunk on the inside that I had to wipe off. I definitely get a fair amount of light flaring out of the Nikon lens (towards the top of the pj).


Yep, same thing with mine. I cleaned it off of course, but there definitely seems to be a big drop off in brightness as you move from the center of the screen. I was going to try the screen uniformity test with OpticOne, but the drop off's so noticeable, it doesn't need confirming. I'm going to try a cheap Tiffen 20CCR filter next and if it results in a better color balance, I'll spring for a B&W.

Has anyone got this projector working over HDMI yet? Time's running out for me to get the VGA to BNC cable.

nothru22, I know you've had problems with this, but is there anybody else who can't get their's to work through HDMI? As stated before, mine recognized my HDTV and HTPC DVI to HDMI signal without problems.

Nothru - since the Nvidia cards don't seem to negotiate well with the MT700, here's what I'd do in your case.

1) Plug your LCD monitor into whichever DVI output you want to run the MT700 on.

2) Set this output to run the HDTV 720p timing. Your LCD will display unsupported resolution or will scale it down (or you may be able to unplug the LCD before switching to 720p). *

3) Plug the MT700 into the DVI output you've configured for 720p

4) Plug your LCD into the other DVI output

5) Save this configuration as an Nvidia Display Profile that you can switch to if your 6600 later autodetects the MT700 as an analog display.

On Step 2 you might have to force it to a new monitor type to allow you to select 1280x720p. Or try the treat digital display as an HDTV option.

You might try a different dvi-hdmi cable too.
Warren.

Has anyone got this projector working over HDMI yet? Time's running out for me to get the VGA to BNC cable.

I'm only using the HDMI connector, no others, but not with an HTPC. I've got an Oppo DVD player and a DirecTv HD STB (both with DVI out) going through a Gefen DVI switcher, 20' DVI cable and a DVI-to-HDMI adapter. No problems.

Oops, ssj, I thought you had it working on a BenQ 7700. I was trying to avoid that unplug and replug stuff, if it even works over HDMI. Anyone have this working over a Geforce without jumping through hoops?

You could get creative with two narrow mirrors... (or is it that the mount itself covers up the numbers?) Also, the firmware version isn't on the bottom (at least on the BenQ), which makes sense.

I got up on a ladder with a flashlight and couldn't see any sign of a label with manufacture date or firmward revision. If it is on the bottom, it is covered up by my Chief mounting plate (great mount for this btw...).

I'm only using the HDMI connector, no others, but not with an HTPC. I've got an Oppo DVD player and a DirecTv HD STB (both with DVI out) going through a Gefen DVI switcher, 20' DVI cable and a DVI-to-HDMI adapter. No problems.

Mike,

Can you compare the Oppo to the Bravo D2?

Got my MT700 today. Power on. Power light steady orange. Lamp light steady red. Reseated the lamp with same result. Manual says bad lamp. could another circuit cause the same systems?

Where is everyone buying their MT700 from? I've checked online deal sites but they only return a couple of hits and by companies I've never heard of. I'm not asking for prices just places. Thanks

Moe

Posting dealers is not permitted either! Sorry :o .

Sorry guys, I thought just street pricing was a no-no here. I wasn't aware that you aren't able to share which shop you brought it from.

Moe

It is because one will lead to the other.. the sticky thread is entitled "Do Not Post Deals, Dealers, Or Street Pricing!" For a good explanation (IMO) of why this is, see:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=552540

It is a good rule. Myself, I buy my gear from people who seem to care. A few hundred bucks shopping for cheap isn't worth it IMO. There is at least one dealer posting regularly on this very same thread who I would have bought the 700 from. I decided to get the BenQ instead and got it and an iScan HD+ from our gracious hosts.
hope that was vague enough.

Justhanging, it is more likely to be the lamp than anything else. I am starting to think getting a spare lamp would be good.
Warren.

Got my MT700 today. Power on. Power light steady orange. Lamp light steady red. Reseated the lamp with same result. Manual says bad lamp. could another circuit cause the same systems?


finally......

some indication that the mt700 exist on toshiba's website :rolleyes: besides the "news" press release.....

pre-orders for the bulb :D

http://ceaccessories.toshiba.com/product.asp?sku=2688231

i feel the prices for these things will never come down anytime soon:(

You are right.

This is the manufacturers "gotcha".

Though not as bad as spending $70 on cartridges for your $60 computer printer.

Just take care of that bulb and pray it lasts far beyond the 91st day.

Since the Toshiba MT700 and BenQ PE7700 are suppose to be clones, it would be interesing to see if the lamps in both projectors are the same. Then you can sub.

I would bet a significant amount of cash that the bulbs are exactly the same...

I decided to grab Smart III and got it today (with free overnight due to the meter being backordered, which was a nice surprise).

So far I like the SW. It's easy to use and measurements go fairly quickly.

I don't know how accurate it's guess at absolute white for a generic DLP is. Since I delayed my Smart purchase for ~250 hours after my OpticOne calibration I don't necessarily have a good D65 reference. I may need to buy another OpticOne calibration... Or maybe I'll trust my eyes for now until I get a H78 :D .

Relative color levels comparisons should still be valid.

The first interesting piece is that the Kjelt Relative Settings I used seemed to work well. The graph w/o CC30R matched the graph w/ CC30R and adding Kjelt's settings. If anyone is interested I can post the graphs. Smart reports both being a little low on blue in the high end. I'm going to correct this to use what Smart thinks is D65 and watch it for awhile to see how it looks.

I'll try measuring lumen output and contrast ratios in the next couple days. Assuming they end up somewhere close to valid I'll post them.

Kjelt - do you know what brand CC30R filter your calibrator used?

The Nikon CC30R I've got is not so hot, at least relative to my Hoya ND filters. It actually shoots quite a a bit of light down into the black lens ring.

I hate to keep extending this already looooong thread, but I'd like to report that my projector was sent for repair on Tuesday and returned on Friday. The mysterious blobs are gone. Yay!! :)

Before sending the PJ off, I could hold a piece of paper in front of the lens and it looked like a star field being projected. Now, there's only two or three spots that are not visible at all on the projected image. Due to the quick turn-around and the fact I got MY projector back (not a replacement), I'm 99.999999% certain nothing was replaced in my PJ. I'm pretty sure they just cleaned it. This probably means that if this problem ever happens out of warranty, brave owners may be able to fix it themselves.

I did some more messing around with Smart and with the CC30R filter, my Blue gain is maxed. I.e. increasing blue gain doesn't make the blue any brighter.

This means I need to go to a CC20R or start playing in the magenta filter land. I'd really like to stay on one axis of the primaries, so I'll try the CC20R first. After that I might try adding on a CC05B or something to see if that helps, and then buy a magenta version if the drive balance is helped.

BTW, I've measured an improvement so far (in my mostly white room) from 1000:1 w/o filter to 1500:1 with CC30R filter.



And here's another post I made in another thread that may (or may not) be useful to clarify what we're trying to accomplish with the CC filters:

Just to be clear the CC filters aren't being used to correct color output. The MT700 has been calibrated to D65 fine without a filter.

The CC filters are used to optically filter the stronger parts of the bulb's spectrum. Without the filter Blue and Green drive must be digitally capped to get D65. This results in lower contrast at D65 than the unit would otherwise be capable of.

BenQ could have designed a color wheel tuned to D65 that could reduce or eliminate the need for filters. This is pointed out in the cinehome review. For the MT700's bulb this ideal wheel would have larger red segments relative to green and blue, since the bulb is deficient in red. This is described in more detail in the cinehome review.

Unfortunately BenQ/Toshiba are playing the fake spec game and with the wheel as is get higher marketing lumens and their contrast rating at some wacky color temperature like 9000K.

can you guys help me figure something out, my brain is not working properly this morning

i went to pj central's calculator, but i'm not sure if i'm reading it right

with a throw of 15', what is the min and max screen size i can hit with this puppy?

i'm hoping i can hit a 92" from that distance, but i can't tell if that's possible, there's a blank in the bars, but the green isn't on it so i'm not sure. i really like the fact that there's no offset with this thing because my screen is extraordinarily high in comparison to most.

you guys all pretty happy with this unit? i like the price.

It's a jump in your budget but the new H78DC3, and for that matter the H77, have a longer throw zoom lens. It's still a close thing. Per spec, they fill a 100" screen as far back as 15.66 feet. so you are still a few inches long. However if you mount your screen - say - 4-6" from the wall, that might do the trick - assuming you haven't already figured that out in your planning. The H78dc3 is a step up, but more bucks (more than $1000). The H77 is now only a few hundred more.

I've posted a prelim review of the H78 darkchip3 projector on my site, if that tempts you. I'm still fiddling with it, but the whole review should be done in 72 hours. Lots of side by side pictures, including plenty compared to the PE7700. -art

finally......

some indication that the mt700 exist on toshiba's website :rolleyes: besides the "news" press release.....

pre-orders for the bulb :D

http://ceaccessories.toshiba.com/product.asp?sku=2688231

i feel the prices for these things will never come down anytime soon:(

Take this with a grain of salt, but at Infocomm, I spoke with a mucky muck at Toshiba that indicated that they may quietly exit the HT market - at least here in the US (he didn't mention US only, but he's a US Toshiba exec.) Perhaps they just can't make enough money selling an OEM clone?

Even if that happens, you shouldn't worry if you have a Toshiba, they will of course continue to provide support, etc. for whatever the law requires - I think either 5 or 7 years.... By which time everyone will probably have moved on.

It does mean that the price battle between the BenQ and the Toshiba may be a mute point in a month or two.

While I was told this was happening, experience says decisions like this often don't occur, someone changes their mind, new management balks, etc. So maybe this is a 50/50 possibility.

the Kjelt Relative Settings


:D Before I know it some theory or a star will be named after my nick :D


Kjelt - do you know what brand CC30R filter your calibrator used?


Sorry don't know the brand cause it was not the final filter. He had a box with a lot of different square plastick filter sheets protected in paper sheets and he experimented with some of them to find the right filter for my projector.
In the mean while I am still waiting for my ordered filter it takes a long time here in the Netherlands :(

Art - can the H78 use Optoma's optional short throw lens for the H57?

I'd have to think hard about upgrading if it did, but I need an extremely short throw.

I am starting to notice, especially on dark scenes in standard satellite (but in DVDs too), that things kind of look like 8 bit color. What settings do I play around with to get rid of this effect? I am shooting this up onto a slightly off white wall in an all white room (I am moving in a month and will have a BO cloth screen and all blue walls.)

Sorry I went with Toshiba MT700. Should of brought the Sanyo Z3. Even Toshiba's web site cann't get the specs right. They say it has two component video inputs and a D-sub 15 input. I think they only have to support for 3 years if that. I seen discontinued lines with no support.

Art - can the H78 use Optoma's optional short throw lens for the H57?

I'd have to think hard about upgrading if it did, but I need an extremely short throw.

Sorry, no idea. I'll add it to the list of questions for Optoma. I don't have a H57 anymore to compare the lens/screw threads. There could be other issues - different size dlp chip? (haven't looked although that one is easy to find out).

Sorry I went with Toshiba MT700. Should of brought the Sanyo Z3. Even Toshiba's web site cann't get the specs right. They say it has two component video inputs and a D-sub 15 input. I think they only have to support for 3 years if that. I seen discontinued lines with no support.
It has 2 component inputs. One of them doubles as a VGA input, it is actually a 5 BNC breakout which can be used for either 3-wire component or VGA. I don't think Toshiba is going anywhere.

Really, if you don't like it, return it. FUD isn't needed.

Sorry don't know the brand cause it was not the final filter. He had a box with a lot of different square plastick filter sheets protected in paper sheets and he experimented with some of them to find the right filter for my projector.
In the mean while I am still waiting for my ordered filter it takes a long time here in the Netherlands :(
Sounds like a Cokin interchangeable filter system, or a knockoff.

Pip - I took the challenge and just put my non-anamorphic, 1:85 letterboxed "Mask" DVD in. Setting the MT700 to "zoom" makes it correctly fill my screen. Also, as expected, setting the MT700 to "4:3" also renders a correctly proportioned image, just smaller and centered on the screen. Have you checked your DVD player's output setting? It should be set to 16:9.
I will have to do some more checking. I am pretty sure I tried different settings on my DVDp along with the different settings on the MT700, but I will have to check again. It is set to 16:9, I'll have to try if the DVD's 4:3 settings change anything. If that's my problem, excellent. I've just returned home after a little vacation, haven't even turned it on in a week.

As I recall, my past tests have shown the MT700's 4:3 setting to be accurate, regardless of the DVDp settings.

This means I need to go to a CC20R or start playing in the magenta filter land. I'd really like to stay on one axis of the primaries, so I'll try the CC20R first.

I've got a CC20R on the way, so I'll let you know how it does when I get it. I think it will bring the RGB gains pretty much in line.

Anyone have any ideas about the 8 bit looking color? I watched Karate Kid in HD and it looked like the sky was made up of three blues and you could see where each one started and ended. Reminds me of the old 16 color monitors. The effect is not so bad over HDMI but still there.

I did a max gain run with Smart without any filter. Assuming my meter is correct, then both red and blue are deficient relative to green, for my bulb. This was with gains set to 90, just to show where intensity maxes out.

Given this I'm going to try out a couple different FL-D filters.

MikeSRC- is your bulb similar? Also, if you've run yours for a couple hundred hours, how did your bulb change? Did it get redder or less blue as mine may have?

Nothru - is the dithering/posterization you're seeing in the source? Much of the satellite HD I've seen has been quite badly mangled by compression. Mpeg artifacts can produce the sort of posterization you're describing.

I have seen a little of the 8-bit looking dithering you've mentioned, but only in horizontal pans and only with darker objects.

Assuming you have brightness/contrast set right, on the MT700 side about the only thing I'm aware of is playing with the gain controls. In your Karate Kid blue sky example you can max blue gain to see if it would change the gradiation at all. This would tell if adding a filter (along with recalibration) would help dithering in that particular scene. Of course this would require some jumping through hoops, which you haven't shown an affinity for ;) . Once I get my FL-D, I'll be doing some A/Bs on the dithering pan scenes I've noticed.

If we ever get service menu access, color wheel sync would be another thing to try.

I am waiting until I move into the new place and have blue walls and a good white screen before I start going nuts with the calibration. (Two weeks and two days! You can see the before shots in my sig. My theater will be done by July 24.) I am hoping I can get this 8-bitish color out or I won't be able to watch any dark movies!

Got my MT700 today. Power on. Power light steady orange. Lamp light steady red. Reseated the lamp with same result. Manual says bad lamp. could another circuit cause the same systems?

Just as a FYI, I had about 100 hours on my MT700 bulb. Last Sunday, (7/3) I was showing my next door neighbor what a baseball game looked like in HD on ESPNHD. After 30 minutes, I walked him out and came back. When I came back, the sound was on, but I had a blank screen. The unit was still on, but the bulb was out and the fan was not running. So I made sure the unit was completely powered off and then I powered it on. What I got was the whirring sound that the PJ makes on startup just prior to bulb ignition, but instead of the bulb coming on, I got an "electrical like fizzle" that lasted about 2 seconds. It sounded similar to an ignitor on a gas range, but repeated at a high machine gun like rate. this repeated two more times. The unit then shut down with a RED light for the lamp. After repeated occurrences, I carefully removed the bulb and inspected for any indications that it had any problems. Not being a technician, I could find no outward indication of a problem, so I carefully reseated it and the problem was still there.

So, it is headed back to the Toshiba service CEnter (Topps Electronic Service) in Haverhill, MA. Toshiba picked up the FEDEX costs. I told them that this was the second time in the 90 days that I've had it, that I was returning it to them. I will see how this one goes and if a third problem occurs within say....nine months, I will start pushing for a replacement.

sorry to hear that...

these are the kind of situations when a GOOD warranty comes into play......

just for that piece of mind;)

i hope everything works out for ya.

That stinks chazmo. What was it returned for previously?

The previous return was for one itty-bitty stuck mirror. A day after I hooked it up, someone pointed out what appeared to be a speck of dust that could be barely seen when a white background was on the screen. It turned out to be a dead pixel/stuck mirror. Toshiba replaced the entire light engine and returned it in three days. The PJ has been very nice to me, but then out of nowhere, it died. I am OK with this for now, since I am under warranty.

My bulb (at least I think it is the bulb) just went out last night...bummer! I have had the projector for just under 90 days so Toshiba is replacing it FOC. Based on other posts I have read, I wonder if early bulb failure is a problem on these projectors...

so Toshiba is replacing it FOC

I assume you mean the bulb is being replaced and not the PJ. :)

I have been waiting for a bulb replacement under warranty for nearly 4 weeks, if any of you guys get better luck please tell me. Mine is coming from Toshiba. For a while they had no info, then for a week they said it was on backorder, and currently it is 'on board' which is code for it's coming someday to them (not to me).

To the earlier poster who gave the sound effects of elec. type noise repeating three times that was exactly what mine sounded like.

Also just as in your case, mine failed while watching not when turning on or off. I thought this was an unusual time to blow, but maybe not.

Well, I finally got my HTPC working with BNC cables. It really sucks giving up my second component input but oh well. It seems the nvidia card doesn't even see it over HDMI. I wish I knew if it was the projector's fault or the card's. Anyone got HDMI working on a nvidia card yet? I know some people had ATI working.

To those who have it working on BNC, do you have a bad shift to the left? I'm cutting off about seven or eight pixels on the left. How can I fix this without using underscan and having black bars around the other three sides?

I'm running BNC (too lazy to order a DVI/HDMI cable so far) with a Geforce 6800. I'm running the 77.72 drivers (but the previous ones worked to). All I did was pick 1280x720 60Hz and then IIRC it locked on perfect. I recently switched to the 720p 861B timing in the advanced timings pannel, and had to hit the Auto PC timing opiton in the MT700 menu to get that one to lock on. AFIAK it's 1:1 mapping with that.

GRRRRR! My projector just went black in the middle of a movie. Red lamp light is lit. I tried resetting the bulb with no luck. I'm 8 days outta warranty. Anyone know where I can find a replacement in stock?

Wow, I wonder if this is a problem w/the PE7700s as well... I better start watching more to "break it in" and see if I have a dud bulb as well.

Edit: I'm interested in the responses to Gimp's question two below this (#1332) as well...

Nothru - I've mentioned several times that I have it working over DVI with my NV40 vanilla 6800. I've provided a workaround for you. You mentioned that you doubted it works, but apparently hadn't it tried it. Are you looking for just a specific sort of fix?

My card similarly fails to recognize the MT700 (in my case the card hard crashes my computer during negotiation). Given that ATI cards work and no other devices have reported problems this points to the video card. It's certainly Nvidia's fault that my computer hard locks.

I've got my MT700 set up using Nvidia display profile functionality, doing the workaround I posted for you (the only difference being my card has only one DVI output, so I switch cables each time - you'd only have to switch cables while setting up your profile).

For those with early bulb deaths, would you mind posting approximate number of hours? I'm also curious if you had any warm restarts (i.e. lamp restrike within <30min of having it on? Any pattern of lamp turn on (i.e. once per day or multiple times per day)?

I am not sure exactly how many hours I had, but it could not have been more than 70 hours.

I used it mainly on weekend nights so it was not used daily. I normally watched a movie or two on at and then turned it off, so it was used for longer periods of time. I'm sure during the setup phase I turned it on or off at least a couple of times within 30 minutes, and I remember once in the dark I accidently hit the power button twice and had to restart it.

I won't know for sure if it is the bulb until the Service center in MA takes a look, but from the sound of all the posts, it looks like it.

Anyway, to FGs request:


On off pattern: I tried to follow a practice of powering off the PJ only when I knew it would be off for more than an hour.
Approx. number of hours: plus or minus 100
I also had several warm restarts (<30 mins.).


I'm wondering if instead of a PJ problem, maybe the first batch of MT700s had a bunch of suspect bulbs installed????

Gimp, I thought you only had it working over BNC. I only said I doubted it worked on HDMI if it only worked on BNC for you. Do not take offense Gimp, I am trying to avoid the BNC cables like the plague.

I would guess that my bulb had 150-200 hrs on it. Can't really say on warm restarts as my wife and daughter are the primary users, however this isn't our first projector, so they know better. It had been on for about 45 mins when it went out.

wow,

when something goes wrong.......:(

nothru,

any reason your avoiding the brit connectors?

just curious..

Yeah, I have five component devices and one four way component switcher, so I need that second component input! Until I win the lottery and can afford a 4 way HDMI switcher (or until they come down to a price I'm willing to pay) then I need my components!

Nothru22, before I got my DVI/HDMI cable I connected my HTPC via a vga breakout cable. After selecting the 1280 x 720 standard resolution (ATI 9600) the projector locked on and the image was perfectly centered. No issues at all.

How well ventilated is your projector? Is there anything inhibiting airflow on all sides? Ceiling or table mount?

It would be good to pin down some common denominators if we could.

Table mounted.....no obstructions :mad:

i only ask cuz these buggers always come in handy in certain situations :cool:




http://akamaipix.crutchfield.com/products/2005/119/l119VAMBFR3-f.jpeg

My lamp started flickering at 81 hours, or at least that's when I first noticed it and took note. It only did this in standard/low mode, but I got it replaced. I sent it in on Monday or Tuesday, had it back Friday a few weeks ago. They replaced the lamp and the ballast, although I had to call the repair shop to get that data. It never went totally dead, I didn't wait for that. Mine is ceiling mounted in the middle of a large room, nothing near the vents.

The new lamp appears fine so far after dozens of hours, not sure how many offhand. Course, now my 6500K calibration is shot and I have to redo that somehow. With it not calibrated I get lots of RBE in dark movies. Did not have that problem before.

Gimp, I thought you only had it working over BNC. I only said I doubted it worked on HDMI if it only worked on BNC for you. Do not take offense Gimp, I am trying to avoid the BNC cables like the plague.

Glad it was a misunderstanding. I'm not offended, sorry if I came off like that - I just want to help and I'm nearly 100% that this post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=5825247&&#post5825247) will solve your HDMI connection issue. It's what I'm doing to get DVI->HDMI from my 6800, with the sole difference that I only have one DVI out.

It does make you jump through hoops to get it set up, but after it's setup it should be easy to use (i.e. cables stay in and at most you setup a Alt-D hotkey to select a display profile). If you have any trouble let me know.

I did not see much difference between HTPC DVI and BNC on movies, but they are relatively noisy - MPEG artifacts are the limiter on PQ for me rather than connection. The desktop did seem much clearer to me over HDMI and I think this would translate to a direct improvement on games.

Where is the treat display as an HDTV option contained? This method you mentioned is how I got it to work over BNC, if it works for me over HDMI I will be overjoyed. I do think HDMI is probably better quality than BNC, I'm just trying to preserve my second component hookup to run my Gamecube on.

Sorry for the delayed reply on my lamp issue.

Yes Toshiba is replacing the bulb free of charge, but I got lucky (if you want to call a bulb failure that) because I hit my 90 days in about 2 weeks. That being said I purchased a 3 year bulb warranty when I bought my projector from an online retailer.

I would estimate that I had 80-100 hours on my bulb and it failed while the projector was on and had been running for about 2 hours. My wife and I had just finished watching a movie on comcast and left the room to eat a little snack in the kitchen and when we went back into the theater room, the screen was dark. The fan was still running on the projector. I powered down the projector and let it sit for about 45 minutes and then tried to power it up again. I heard clicking sounds similiar to what has been previously described, the fan blows briefly and then the red lamp light comes on.

According to Toshiba, the bulb is shipping out today and shoud arrive in about 2 days. I called it in yesterday so we will see what happens...

Toshiba is going to have a lot of unhappy customers if early bulb failure is indeed a systemic problem with these projectors...

The "Treat Digital Display as HDTV" option is under "NView Display Settings" isn the video driver properties. In the lower right of the tab, click "Device Settings". Of course you may first need to trick the card into thinking it has a digital display like I suggested in my earlier post.

My projector was ceiling mounted when my bulb went out.

It has been 4weeks and still no bulb.

Spiky - Approx when did you get your bulb? According to the useless Toshiba people they have not had any for 3 weeks. Another poster PM'd me and said they have been waiting for a while as well.

If any dealers who have some pull call Toshiba I would be interested in what they say about the # of failures recently and their shortage of bulbs. This shortage clearly indicates alot of them are going out.

When I get a new bulb (if that day ever comes), do I get a 90 day warranty on that bulb as well or am I SOL b/c I think this is going to be an expensive PJ to maintain and use. At $400/bulb it will cost $4/hour to use if this continues.

No dice on the HDMI. I will try again tomorrow night.

Hopefully I've "burned in" my bulb enough at 260 hours and I'm past the danger zone. I tried to watch a lot while I was in the 90 days to make sure I didn't have a early death bulb. It seems like I've read on other pjs that early bulb failures seem to happen at <100 hrs. Of course that's all anecdotal.

I'm well out of bulb warranty anyway so it doesn't really matter...

I had hoped to try out the MT700 with a Optoma Graywolf screen tonight (sort of a gray version of the Da-Lite High Power), but I got sent a Optoma Matte White screen instead...

Oh well. Tomorrow the FL-D should be here so I should have enough to play with this weekend.

Have 140 hrs on bulb. Ceiling mounted, a cool environment in basement, not overly humid. No obstructions. Will be using PJ a lot this weekend as bulb warranty expires on 7/17. Generally turned on once in any 24 hr period, for 2-4 hours. Except when Harmony was driving me crazy with their programming suggestions, but I still waited at least an hour before turning on PJ.

Will check manual on bulb usage. There is a new thread in this forum about the Panny bulb.

Take care of that bulb FlyingGimp. How far out of warranty are you?

Spiky - Approx when did you get your bulb? According to the useless Toshiba people they have not had any for 3 weeks. Another poster PM'd me and said they have been waiting for a while as well.

I would say June 15 if I'm calculating correctly. But I sent in the whole PJ. If you do that, it is under that warranty and they have a 24 hour fix rule. If they can't fix it in 24 hours, they have to send a new one. They pay shipping both ways.

By FlyingGimp:

"I had hoped to try out the MT700 with a Optoma Graywolf screen tonight (sort of a gray version of the Da-Lite High Power), but I got sent a Optoma Matte White screen instead..."

I hadn't heard of the Optoma Graywolf screen until your post. I have been looking for a gray screen with some gain, but a Firehawk is just too much $. I got a 2'x2' screen sample of the Da-Lite HCMW, and was about to order one, but I'm going to wait now for your comments (assuming you'll post them :) )

I do not have any DVI capable monitors, so maybe that is the key to my success. Another thing, the 8-bit color on everything is starting to bug me. The 4400 pilot is nearly unwatchable. I can't figure out how to calibrate it out. This can't be a drawback of DLP can it? I'm going to call Toshiba.

I do not have any DVI capable monitors, so maybe that is the key to my success. Another thing, the 8-bit color on everything is starting to bug me. The 4400 pilot is nearly unwatchable. I can't figure out how to calibrate it out. This can't be a drawback of DLP can it? I'm going to call Toshiba.

Can you post a screenshot?

I've thought about it, I guess I will break out the crappy digi-cam, but that thing could never take dark shots well.

I've got it working over HDMI!!! I "rented" a DVI capable LCD from Best Buy and followed Gimp's instructions and it worked! Hopefully it will retain the settings, I saved them in a profile, because I don't feel like going through that ordeal again. I will try to get the screen shots tonight.

EDIT: False alarm, it loses it the second I restart. Anyone know how I can force it to stay in digital monitor mode when it restarts?

Nothru - what I do is have my pj settings setup in my first Display Profile. I have the display profiles setup with a hotkey to Alt-D. When I want to use the pj I just hit Alt-D then click the left button to get a signal.

I'm not at my HT machine now, but it was something like Hotkeys or Shortcuts to set up the Alt-D for display profiles (or maybe it was already setup by default?). Let me know if you have trouble finding it and I'll post where it is.

I'm pretty sure I set everything right. When windows starts and I hear the intro sound, I do control D, but nothing happens on the projector. If I plug the DVI monitor into it then, I still get no picture until I restart. What is your bootup process?

Edit: Special thanks to the law firm of Flying & Gimp.

Nothru - when you have a monitor connected, you need to make sure you have a hotkey assigned to the Nvidia Display Profiles. When you hit the hotkey you will see a menu in the middle of the screen with all the Display Profiles you've created. Make sure your DVI enabled 720p is the first profile that the mouse is automatically resting on.

I have Alt-D (not Ctrl-D) setup to access Display Profiles. However I don't know if Nvidia sets this up by default or if I setup it up (I know I setup some other Nvidia hotkeys). If Alt-D does nothing when you have a monitor connected, then you need to go into the Nvidia Hotkey menu (or whatever it's called) to set it up. You can also setup a hotkey to switch directly to a profile.

My boot-up process for the pj is:

1) Have DVI disconnected from the pj (mine locks at anything other than 720p)
2) Alt-D
3) Click left button
4) Plug DVI cable into pj input

To combat the OT police: this is working around a compatibility problem related to the MT700. I'm sure there are a few lurkers having the same problem who we're helping out.

Smooth - when someone mentions making sweet sweet love to their projector, you must quote it in case they decide to retract their true nature later. Hopefully what Nothru is doing is legal in his state.

Yeah, at first I felt guilty for hijacking this thread, but if this helps anyone with the same problem, then great. Battlefield 2 and Counterstrike Source look FANTASTIC at 720p and 70 inches. I have it set to cntrl D and if I have a monitor hooked up to it then it works great (the switching to 720p mode on the monitor).

nothru -- Just another note: cntrl-D is not a good choice because it does an "Exit", "Halt", or "Stop" function in some programming languages. Using the Control key as part of Hotkeys is not recommended, in general because of this reason {cntrl-C = copy, cntrl-D = halt, cntrl-X = cut, cntrl-V = paste, are commonly used functions}.

Try booting like I do without the pj connected, switch to the 720p pj profile and then plug the pj. My 6800 crashes my machine if I boot with the pj connected. Perhaps your 6600 is getting funked up somehow during boot.

I have a 7800 on the way, hopefully to be shipped in two weeks, so we'll see if Nvidia corrected this. I'm assuming it's a FW issue since for me it hangs during the bios screen with no driver loaded.

FlyingGimp/Nothru,

I've got my MT700, and my 6800, but I have thus far been too lazy to order an HDMI cable (I already had a 25' VGA breakout). Anyway, what happens if you leave the PC on and power the PJ on/off. The workaround seems like an aweful pain if it has to be done everytime I power the PJ. However my HTPC remains on for months strait.

It should be no problem to leave your HTPC running as long as it's outputting 720p to the projector. The only time I have problems is when I feed the pj something other than 720p over DVI.

You likely will have to do the fake-out switching DVI cables setup I posted a while back, so you'll need another DVI display.

Well that was what I mean, do you have to do the DVI trickery each time you start the PJ, or just when you start the PC?

Can anybody tell me if Toshiba (or BenQ fot that matter) has fixed the letterbox zoom so that it can be used with an anamorphic lens. I haven't followed this thread in a couple months and was just wondering if there was a firmware fix available yet.

Thank you

Stranger - just when I start the pc do I have to switch cables around.

I gave up and ordered the BNC cables today. I guess I'll just have to live without the second component input.

Can anybody tell me if Toshiba (or BenQ fot that matter) has fixed the letterbox zoom so that it can be used with an anamorphic lens. I haven't followed this thread in a couple months and was just wondering if there was a firmware fix available yet.

Thank you

I'm not aware of any firmware upgrades, so I would expect it's not fixed.

Regarding the lack of bulb availability, I have been unable to find any from either Toshiba or BenQ. Apparently, they didn't plan for this very well. :(

For all you filter experimenters, I tried the CC20R filter last night and while it's closer to balancing RGB gains, the blue is still off. Without the filter, I had R-33, G-23 and B-25. With the filter, it's R-31, G-32 and B-36. It definitely removes any hint of dithering that still might be left after calibration, but the picture looked a little softer as well. The softness may be due to using a cheap Tiffen filter, but I'm not sure as I noticed this with the Nikon filter as well. I didn't get the uniformity problems I had with the Nikon though. I might try a magenta filter next, but my guess is that it will put green out of whack. I think I have an FL-D filter laying around as well. ;)

gobrigavitch, that isn't what the zoom is for. It is a mostly useless function to minimize black bars for letterboxed dvd's on 16x9 tv's. I have a panamorph lens and played with the different zooms, but all were useless.
A few projectors, like some of the optima's I think, and some samsung DVD players have the vertical stretch for anamorphic lenses.
I got the iScan HD+ to do the stretch. The beta software I put on really works nice for it. The Samsung players are a lot cheaper way to get it though.
Warren.

Mike, just curious if you left the ND filter on when you're using the CC filter. And is the goal to get the gains to be close to each other or are you trying to get to a certain level?

Thank you.

The ND filter was off. Yes, the goal is to have RGB gains as balanced as possible so all colors can be driven equally. This leads to a higher contrast ratio than possible otherwise. This is all just trying to slightly improve an already great picture. We tweakers that don't have HTPCs have to have something to do. :D

I was reading the Tiffen website before your reply thinking that the objective is to balance the gains. I have a number of filters (for photography use) at home just not sure if it is any of the following but I wonder if these might help.

812 warming filter - "Exclusive tiffen filter, improves color of all skintones; absorbs blue cast casued by electronic flash or outdoor shade."

Enhancing filter - "Creates brighter, more saturated reds, browns, and oranges with minimal effect to other colors."

wnielsenbb - have you played with the Iscan HD+'s 48hz mode? If not any plans to? I'd love to hear whether you can get judder to go away.

Filter monkeys - a 69mm filter will hook on to the outside edge of the MT700 if the filter is rotated properly. It doesn't screw in, but does seem to hang there okay. This works better for me than the sort of 52mm threading. I also confirmed with a $1 ebay filter that 49mm is too small.

Michael - Mostly green and a little blue need to be cut down on the MT700, at least on my 250hr+ bulb.

As measured by my SMART meter I get 6400K with my B+W FL-D at gains R-50, G-50, B-58. I got a Hoya FL-D today that I'm going to try (apparently different mfgs FL-D have wildly different characteristics). 58 is where my blue maxes out at 100 IRE, so I happened to use it as my basis. I'll post graphs of max gains after I do a run with the Hoya.

MikeSRC - any reason you're down in the 30's on gains? Was this necessary for perfect color balance? It seems logical that gains should be as high as possible to avoid dithering and maximize contrast.

MikeSRC - any reason you're down in the 30's on gains? Was this necessary for perfect color balance?

With my MT700, higher or lower gain numbers result in a color temp that's either too high or too low. That's starting with a color temp of Middle", which used to be the closest to 6500. The newer MT700s have higher settings because you need to start with the color temp on "Warm". I've been getting calibrated RGB gains of 47, 31 and 32 repectively on the recent units. So, a CC filter should give you values in the upper 40s for all gains.

Flying Gimp, I haven't tried 48hz. I haven't noticed judder. I ran juddertest when I had my computer hooked up at 60 hz and it worked fine, so I assume the iScan works fine at 60 too. I am very happy.
I wonder if they got the FOV fixed in Battlefield 2 with that last patch. I am thinking Battlefield 2 will be fun in 2.35:1
Warren.

Oh, wait, that would be a different problem wouldn't it. The 7700 never would sync at 48hz for me or anyone else I know, and I spent a good hour playing with different settings.
Warren.

Quick question...maybe I'm just a little naive here...but is the 700 "officially" out yet? It isn't listed on the Toshiba website & I couldn't really find any retailers carrying it. Hrm...time to search around some more...

It's been available about 3 months, or so. Search Google for "TDPMT700".

Toshiba is notorious for not keeping it's web site up to date.

Yeah...I was checking on that earlier & only found those few places. It was actually your review CT that made me start looking more into this projector as an option. :)

Well, I called Toshiba just to see what they were going to say about lamp availability for the MT700. The part number is TLPLMT70. A google search showed a Toshiba accessories page (CLICK HERE (http://ceaccessories.toshiba.com/product.asp?sku=2688231) ) listing the item as "In Stock" but "Available for Pre-Order". The Toshiba rep didn't have a clue about what that meant. He said I needed to contact the Toshiba group that did the web page to ask them, but had no contact number for them. He also couldn't find the TLPLMT70 in their inventory. I guess he's the first one in his family to walk upright.

My suspicion is that there's been such a high rate of early lamp failures for their MT700 (bad bulbs?) that Toshiba was caught with their pants down and is trying to catch up to demand.

So, as it stands, my PJ is at the Topps Service Center in MA where they have ordered a replacement lamp. The only thing I can do now is call them every few days and apply pressure to Toshiba. Maybe I ought to tell them I have an uncle at the better business bureau. :)

I agree that there must be a high rate of failures which has caused them to be low on bulbs.

My suggestion as someone who has waited over a month, is to send in the entire unit and claim it doesn't work and not mention the bulb b/c I have heard that they are supposed to turn it around in 2 days. I don't know if I beleive that but it is better than waiting for the bulb.

I talked to a Supervisor last Friday and he said they would ship me a bulb on Friday from the Sales group (don't know what that means). It did not ship Friday, it shipped Monday via Ground when they said all along it would ship 2nd day air. Another lie they like to tell is their is no warranty on the replacement bulb, but now I have been told by 3 people that you do get one. The Supervisor in my case said he would do me a favor and give me the warranty in my file as a favor.

Thanks for the feedback. I did exactly as you said. I called Toshiba and said that the PJ died even though I suspected the bulb. They had me send the entire unit to the MA facility. The MA facility received it on Thursday and told me that they were ordering a replacement bulb on Friday. I was contacting Toshiba separately just to get a feel for what they knew, which was very little.

I am hoping that the MA facility will get the bulb soon. If they don't have it by Thursday, I will call Toshiba and squeak at them some more. I also was told by their customer service rep that a replacement bulb would be covered by the 90 day warranty.

All this bulb talk has me worried. I'm out of my 90 day warranty, but I do have the 3rd party bulb warranty that was part of the package when I bought my Tosh. That warranty is worth beans if bulbs aren't available. :(

I'm guessing it would be to my benefit to get on the waiting list for a spare. Then if I loose a bulb I can still use my projector while I'm waiting for a replacement under the warranty.

I guess he's the first one in his family to walk upright.




:D

maybe he's just a little "wet" and haven't been trained (properly)...

it does seem like the original bulbs are a little flaky & and the next production run is throwing things off a bit..

Vashon,

You maybe overly generous in assessing Chazmo's experience as this is unfortunately all too typical of both "sales" and "technical" support.

At least the poor fellow at Toshiba admitted to knowing nothing. Usually support just mouths BS.

More often than not I get answers right here in AVS forum. Having to to outside, we are left to our own devices and our own conclusions.

I am also still awaiting my bulb and have gotten a similar 'run around' from the folks at Toshiba customer support. I had 5 different communications with them at 5 different times with 5 different people, and got 5 different answers:

Call 1 - Customer service rep (CSR) logged in all my infomation and asked me to fax in the proof of purchase. She said that once they received that info, the bulb would be sent ou via fed ex and arrive in 2 days.

Call 2 - Next day I call back to confirm that they had received my fax and get status of the bulb shipment. This individual told me that it took 2-3 days to process the paperwork and then the bulb would ship and arrive in 7-10 business days. He also said that the bulbs were on back order but expected some in last week.

Call 3 - Toshiba called me and left a voice mail indicating that they received all the necessary info from me and were shipping the bulb that day and I could call back in the afternoon to get the tracking #.

Call 4 - I called Toshiba to get the tracking number and the person told me that they did not have any info indicating that it had been shipped and their system was still showing that they did not have the bulbs in stack.

Call 5 - I called Toshiba again and was told that my bulb did ship out but was sent via normal US postal service and did not have a tracking number.

So now I am waiting for it to arrive (assuming it actually shipped).

I am hoping this problem is with the bulbs and not the design of the projector (e.g. a cooling or airflow issue)...

Brian

The bulb shortage is silly but could partly explained by unexpected high sales of these projectors. It seems they are really selling like hotcakes.
Funny that I haven't heard bulb problems from the BenQ 7700 group (which includes me.) Really glad I spent the extra bucks at the moment.
Not to say a company would do something underhanded, but if it took one little unnoticeable thing to make a product you are building for a competitor fail faster.... hmm... nah. No point in starting conspiracy theories.
Warren.

I haven't seen this mentioned here yet so I thought I'd bring it up: Has anyone else considered using the new Optoma Greywolf 1.8 gain screen with their MT700/PE7700? To me it looks like a great match, but maybe best with a ND2 filter to cut the ft-lamberts a bit until the bulb is half-gone.

At $299 retail :eek: it seems like a helluva deal (since other folks were discussing it in the same sentence as "Stweart"). I have an itchy trigger finger that is getting sick of DIY hassles (Mr. Roller glares at Mr. Parkland) and I may give this a try. 106" would work fine in my setup. Any comments?

http://www.optomausa.com/optomausa/public/products_accessory_screen.jsp
(bottom two screens)

Detailed Info: http://www.optomausa.com/optomausa/doc/screen/GrayWolf_DS92106PM.pdf

Other thread:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=557382&page=1&pp=30&highlight=optoma+greywolf

Jon, my GrayWolf will be arriving shortly. I really wanted one with a black case, but Optoma confirmed it doesn't exist. So, I'll either send it back, or attempt to paint the case when it arrives.

I haven't seen this mentioned here yet so I thought I'd bring it up: Has anyone else considered using the new Optoma Greywolf 1.8 gain screen with their MT700/PE7700? To me it looks like a great match, but maybe best with a ND2 filter to cut the ft-lamberts a bit until the bulb is half-gone.

At $299 retail :eek: it seems like a helluva deal (since other folks were discussing it in the same sentence as "Stweart"). I have an itchy trigger finger that is getting sick of DIY hassles (Mr. Roller glares at Mr. Parkland) and I may give this a try. 106" would work fine in my setup. Any comments?

http://www.optomausa.com/optomausa/public/products_accessory_screen.jsp
(bottom two screens)

Detailed Info: http://www.optomausa.com/optomausa/doc/screen/GrayWolf_DS92106PM.pdf

Other thread:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=557382&page=1&pp=30&highlight=optoma+greywolf


yup,

Tom (guitarman) started the buzz a little while ago, & a few members already have one setup.

news down the pipeline states fixed & electric models soon. one suggestion was cutting the fabric & DIY frame......

Steve - That's great, let us know how it is. I'm very excited about this screen. It appears there is one at a local best buy here in town, hmmm. I'll probably return it when the fixed version comes out, but I want to have it in place for a battlestar galactica geek-out this sunday ;) I am worried, however, that they have the white version and not the grey one.

Vashon - thanks for the info.

Allright, I can't take it. I'm going to BB... I'll be back in an hour hopefully carrying a new toy :)

Wish they were bigger. That sounds like good stuff.
Once I get a screen I am having a Firefly geek-out. If you haven't seen it just buy it. Best sci-fi show ever. Heck, best show period. It has been in Amazon's top 10 for a long time.
#6 currenty. Pretty good for a show that ran less than one season 4 years ago. I have watched the entire series at least 7 times. Some episodes a dozen times. The movie comes out soon.
Warren.

Okay, I'm back (panting heavily)....

Best Buy had one on display (hanging 15ft high in the air) and one hidden in the back. So I am now the proud owner of a Graywolf 106" screen. I'm going to pop it open, mount it and see how it is. All I have to compare it with is a bare 4x8 sheet of Parkland Plastics durotherm lite. I am cautiously optimistic. I'll try to take some pics of it, even though my camera is weird.

Warren - Firefly is at once both one of the greatest triumphs and failures of tv science fiction. I agree - it is definately the best science fiction show I have ever seen, and probably also the best show I've ever seen period. I'm a sucker for Sci-Fi, but Firefly is above and beyond one of the greats. Just like you I've watched the season about half a dozen times; mostly because I keep making my friends watch, get them hooked, and then re-watch the whole season with them. I'm also throwing a Firefly party, but in Sept when the movie comes out and one of my best friends who lives in Boston is visiting (to see firefly of course).

Oh yeah...projectors...screens...back on topic :) Time to go play....

Jon, what took you so long?

I'm interested to hear your results, Jon! I did the same thing as you, except I just left the store and ordered from Amazon... ;) (Don't tell BB...)

I actually have a BW Parkland Plastics sheet as my screen right now as well, so I'm interested in your comparison. Perhaps it should go in the screen thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=557382&page=1&pp=30&highlight=optoma+greywolf) though...

Jon, what took you so long?

Silly Dodge Street construction traffic. A thousand fleas in their britches for delaying my quest for home theater nirvana! :eek:

To let this thread stay on topic I've posted my initial impressions in the Optoma Graywolf thread (didn't want Tim to yell at me :)):

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=5882026&&#post5882026

To sum up - I like it so far and look forward to analzying it more soon and pairing it with a quality DVD player. However, being so critical of my PQ is making me ache for an ISF calibration, or the knowledge and tools to do more than basic Avia. I am itching for D65 more and more.... :(

I just bought a new Toshiba MT 700 projector and set it up on the ceiling projecting to a 16:9 screen 133" diag.

The problem that I am encountering is that the image does not seem to be a
rectangle. The top edge is straight but the bottom edge is not. One corner appears an inch off from the other. I am using keystone correction of -3.

Is this something that I can fix? Or is it something that I have to like with? Why
am I seeing this in the first place.

Thanks in advance.

patnalHT,

Sounds like you don't have everything squared up. Is the projector shooting at a 90 degree angle to the screen?

Your projector's probably tilted. Turn off the keystoning and (depending on your mounting system) adjust the projector so that the top and bottom of the projected image are parallel (even though the sides will not be). You can then use keystoning to even out the sides.

Thanks Mike for a prompt response. I do have the projector tilted as my
screen is about 1.5-2 ft below my projector's level. My mount does have
tilt but does not have an arm I can extend to bring it down.

Should I get a new mount. In which case which one do you recommend.
Also, I thought that keystoning was to correct the problem created by tilt.
Maybe I don't understand what keystone achieves.

Thanks for your help




Your projector's probably tilted. Turn off the keystoning and (depending on your mounting system) adjust the projector so that the top and bottom of the projected image are parallel (even though the sides will not be). You can then use keystoning to even out the sides.

There are many axes on which to tilt your projector... you are confirming that you're tilting back to front (downward I'm assuming). That is what keystone corrects. However, if it's tilting left to right (you stand by the screen and look at it, and it's not parallel to the floor), and it will give you the type of image on the wall that you're getting. You need to lift one side or the other to make the front and back edges of the projector parallel to the ground. Or, as Mike says, get your PJ to have the top and bottom of the image perfectly level on your screen, then adjust the keystone.

keystoning corrects for to high or low a projector, but it kinda sounds like you are off side to side. Use the grid pattern and make sure the center line is the same distance to the left or right wall as the center of the projectors lens. In reality, if you can't fix it, one inch out of the 116 inch width of the screen won't show up on a movie. Just adjust so that edge is in the black border of the screen. I do recommend getting a mount that will work. I saw a universal one on ebay for less than a hundred bucks that should work good.
Warren.

I understand what you are saying but shouldn't that mean that the trapezoid would be symmetrical (i.e I will have the same problem on the top of the screen as the bottom). The
top seems fully aligned it is only the bottom that is off on left corner.

I also agree that with movie on its not an irritant but I just don't like thefact that its not
right.(I am just that type :-)

I will try what Mike said - remove keystone and the try to make the upper/bottom lines parallel. Then adjust keystone.

Almost seems like if I could bring the corner of the screen up by 2" (wall fixed) it would be
just ok. Since there is nothing symmetrical ... don't understand how it will get fixed. Almost seems like my wall is on a weird angle.

I understand what you are saying but shouldn't that mean that the trapezoid would be symmetrical (i.e I will have the same problem on the top of the screen as the bottom). The
top seems fully aligned it is only the bottom that is off on left corner.

Not if it's twisted also. If you have the PJ correctly oriented (level) only pointed down and to the side, then none of the edges will be level. Now if you twist the PJ slightly, then you'll get the top (or bottom) level, and with keystone you can probably get one of the sides vertical, but you won't be able to correct the other two edges.

If you think of it like an airplane, you've got pitch, yaw, and roll off. Roll is what's causing the asymetry.

FWIW, pitch would be if it's pointed up/down, yaw would be pointed left or right, and roll would be, looking at it from the front, whether one side is higher than the other.

Ok I think understand that there is roll in my projector orientation. Now what is the best way to adjust that.

Is what Mike suggested the best way to adjust that... remove keystone get the upper/lower edges aligned and then adjust keystone.

I will give it a try and see whether I can fix this issue. Although, I think I have tried everything myself. (:-))

Never thought I would need Piloting 101 to install a projector :-)

Thanks all!

Ok I think understand that there is roll in my projector orientation. Now what is the best way to adjust that.

Is what Mike suggested the best way to adjust that... remove keystone get the upper/lower edges aligned and then adjust keystone.

That's about the easiest way I can think of.

If you have a hand level, you want the projector to be level from side-to-side. Your screen should also be level across its width. Also, if you're able to rotate the projector on the mount's vertical axis, the lens should be square to the screen. If your room is rectangular (or square), each corner of the back of the projector should be the same distance from the rear wall (if you're anywhere near it). Front-to-back alignment of the projector will be tilted of course, but that's what keystoning will address.

Hey Mike, what do you use to calibrate your PJs? I'd like to get something, but the Opticone is way out of my league, the SMART (which sounds iffy anyway) is not available. I'm considering one of the Spider models, they've got a Spyder2 and look like they'll be releasing a SpyderTV soon too.

Any thoughts?

I use OpticOne and Avia Pro. Flying Gimp has the Smart calibration stuff and could tell you more about that. It seems like the best way to go for the price. I'm not sure about using the Spyder with an FP system. It seems to be geared for RPTVs and other flat screen TVs.

I received my replacement bulb yesterday. So it ended up taking almost exactly 1 week from the time I made the call to actually having the new bulb in hand (not too bad!). I was getting nervous due to the differing stories that I was getting from Toshiba customer service personnel...but everything worked out OK.

I have faint curved-vertical lines in portions of the top 1/3 of the image (projector ceiling mounted). They're only visible in bright scenes.

They exist regardless of source material -- htpc or hdtv. Connection is DVI to HDMI only. I tried a more expense, thicker DVI to HDMI cable, and that didn't solve it. I removed all input connections, and the lines are there on the blue screen.

I think I've narrowed it down to the power cord -- when moving it the lines will temporarily shift or disappear, but they always come right back. I tried a different much thicker extension cord, and replaced the projector's IEC power cord with another 18 awg cord. I've used a different outlet as well to no avail.

While the unit was on I was making sure the new power cord was properly seated in the projector. I pushed it in a bit (not very hard) and the projector shutdown completely -- no orange light at all. It came back on when I unplugged then plugged back in etc.

So, do I try a thicker (14 awg) IEC power cord? Or perhaps a power conditioner? Or does this sound like a power supply problem in the projector?

Help! My Toshbia MT700 is flickering like crazy! I have no idea what's causing it but it happens on component and HDMI and also when there's the no signal blue screen (everything else is off.) It's driving me nuts.

Nothru, turn off that ceiling fan that's in front of it...

What source material are you using? What's the refresh & resolution, etc?

Nothru - Ouch...maybe a bulb being cranky?

I have no constructive input... :(

I am at 135 hours. It was 720p over component and 480p over HDMI but also with no signal at all. It went away after I put it on my new power conditioner and restarted it twice. What ceiling fan that's in front of it?

An update on my issue with curved vertical lines at the top of my image. It was caused by the screws from the ceiling mount. I replaced them with nylong non-conduction screws and the problem is gone!

An update on my issue with curved vertical lines at the top of my image. It was caused by the screws from the ceiling mount. I replaced them with nylong non-conduction screws and the problem is gone!
How did you figure out that the screws were causing the problem ?

Wow, great news Steve! Very interesting... I screwed my metal screws all the way into the female threads on the PJ and there wasn't any problem, though those screws also don't touch anything else conductive (other than the threads themselves).

Nothru, I was kidding about the ceiling fan.. (flickering) Next time I'll put a :D .... (I'm sure you weren't exactly in a fun mood with something like that happening! :))

How did you figure out that the screws were causing the problem ?

I remember reading about it as an issue with a different projector (panny AE500?). I touched the screws with a screwdriver and it caused the lines to move around a bit so I figured I'd replace them. Sure enough, it fixed it.

I remember reading about it as an issue with a different projector (panny AE500?). I touched the screws with a screwdriver and it caused the lines to move around a bit so I figured I'd replace them. Sure enough, it fixed it.
What kind of ceiling do you have and how is you PJ mount installed ? Seems strange that a couple of screws in your mount could cause some kind of a ground loop problem.

This is the mount: http://www.pdrmounts.com/upm50.htm

After figuring the mounting screws may have been the cause, I remembered once when tightening them (while the projector was running) that it caused some very severe interference on the screen. When I removed the screwdriver the severe interference stopped.

Nothru, I was kidding about the ceiling fan.. (flickering) Next time I'll put a :D .... (I'm sure you weren't exactly in a fun mood with something like that happening! :))
I thought you had read in a thread I posted about a month ago that I was buying a vent fan for my equipment closet. Speaking of which, I'm setting it up this friday! I hope my projector actually works for my new home theater!

This is the mount: http://www.pdrmounts.com/upm50.htm

After figuring the mounting screws may have been the cause, I remembered once when tightening them (while the projector was running) that it caused some very severe interference on the screen. When I removed the screwdriver the severe interference stopped.
I would imagine the only way for you to have fixed this by changing the screws would be if one of the screws in where your mount was attached to the ceiling/wall were somehow hitting metal of some kind such as an electrical conduit and thereby causing a ground loop problem.

I would imagine the only way for you to have fixed this by changing the screws would be if one of the screws in where your mount was attached to the ceiling/wall were somehow hitting metal of some kind such as an electrical conduit and thereby causing a ground loop problem.

Well, the entire mount is metal, and is actually mounted to Unistrut which I had secured to the joists from my previous CRT set up. So this makes some sense.

and is actually mounted to Unistrut which I had secured to the joists from my previous CRT set up. So this makes some sense.
That explains it. Metal framing is frequently used in walls/ceilings on a lot of newer homes in certain parts of the country and could easily be the culprit in some ground loop problems.

The mount could have been connected to a signal wire/circuit and acted as an antenna as well, picking up interference more easily (as a screwdriver might as well). Glad you found the problem, Steve.

After much research on PJ's, I think I have settled for the MT700. For those that have had the 700 for atleast 30 days, if you could answer the following questions, I would greatly appreciate it:

1. How is the 700 with HDTV, especially fast action sports? (HDMI Connection).

2. How is the 700 with Upconverted DVD's? (HDMI Connection).

3. How is the 700 with black levels in a light-controlled environment?

4. How is the 700 with SDTV?

5. Do the colors on the 700 pop-out at you while watching an HD Channel such as Discovery HD?

6. Do you prefer the 700 or the Sony HS-51?

~Josh

I don't really know anything about projectors, sorry. They're expensive though, that's for sure!

Actually the total cost, per inch of diagonal measured viewing area, can be less expensive than RPTV, plasma, etc.

This also helps with WAF. :)

What is a good flush ceiling mount for the 700? I will be mounting mine in my basement to a beam which drops down around 12" from the ceiling. I would want a mount that does allow for some adjustments.

~Josh

Check out the Omnimount PMD-2. May not mount completely flush but has good flexibility in overall adjustment capability. Using it for my MT-700.

The color also coordinates well with the PJ. Yes more WAF.

I looked at the omnimount and it will not work. I really need one that is flush to the ceiling. Any ideas?

~Josh

You're not going to find one that's completely flush to the ceiling without doing it yourself.

Would this mount work for the 700?

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-8WWfg1uSotS/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=160250&I=051VMPR1&search=Projector+mount

~Josh

Assuming those arms are long enough, yes it would.

What is a good flush ceiling mount for the 700? I will be mounting mine in my basement to a beam which drops down around 12" from the ceiling. I would want a mount that does allow for some adjustments.

~Josh

This mount works great for me using the Benq 7700. I'm not absolutely sure about the MT700 mount points vs the 7700 though. It has about a 3" drop between the ceiling and the projector.

http://www.peerlessindustries.com/profile.cfm?ut=I&id=PRS&sg=PSS

It should and includes the 6mm screws.
Looks like the closest you'll get insofar as the mount is 2.45" from ceiling. See Pg. 1 of the manual.
Pricey though.

I used this one for my BenQ PE7700 (which is the twin to the MT700). If you don't use an extension tube, it only sticks down about 2.5" from the ceiling.

http://www.chiefmounts.com/product_display.asp?id=6890

nothru,
That is what happened to me, flickering. It was intermittent and only ever on the standard lamp setting. I ended up getting the lamp and ballast replaced under warranty.

beatboy77,
What about using a standard mount, but attaching it to the side of the beam? That's essentially what I did with the PDM mount, attached to the side of a joist above my drop ceiling. It is nearly flush with my drop ceiling, less than 2" clearance.

Maybe take a look at this one. With the flush plate, it appears pretty narrow.
http://store.yahoo.com/technicalconnectionsinc/unprmocepm.html

Spiky,

If I were to side-mount the projector, I would lose over a foot of throw distance and I need all the throw distance I can get to achieve the size screen I want.

Seperate Question to Anyone:

When I install this projector with a ceiling mount, the center of the lens has to be level with the top of the screen, is this correct?

~Josh

Spiky,

If I were to side-mount the projector, I would lose over a foot of throw distance and I need all the throw distance I can get to achieve the size screen I want.

Seperate Question to Anyone:

When I install this projector with a ceiling mount, the center of the lens has to be level with the top of the screen, is this correct?

~Josh

Yes, Josh, otherwise you need to use keystone correction. (In other words, it doesn't have to be even, but the closer it is, the better the image)

Spiky,

If I were to side-mount the projector, I would lose over a foot of throw distance and I need all the throw distance I can get to achieve the size screen I want.

Seperate Question to Anyone:

When I install this projector with a ceiling mount, the center of the lens has to be level with the top of the screen, is this correct?

~Josh

If it is off the top edge of the screen by a very small amount, you can probably just aim the projector and not use keystoning. The change in picture size from top to bottom will most likely not be large enough to notice. As you get farther away from that ideal point, though, you would have to use keystone correction to keep from having a trapezoidal (instead of rectangular) image.

Does anybody else have problems syncing to a progressive DVDp? Sometimes I can't seem to get the PJ to sync up to my Denon 2900 in progressive. It keeps going from "no signal" to interlaced. If I switch the player to interlaced, it is fine. I think I found a workaround, not sure. If I switch to the VGA input and then back it seems to figure out that it is progressive and locks on. But this doesn't work if I try switching to other inputs, and it may just be coincidence.

Also, sometimes the little blue memo in the lower corner that tells the video type (525p in this case) will appear onscreen frequently during a movie, or even continually for awhile, as if it is re-syncing to the signal. Anybody else see this? I'm wondering if it is due to something the player is doing, maybe dealing with bad flags or something. It hasn't given a flicker in the actual picture that I can tell (which suggests this is a damn good player), just this memo appears. I think it was worse in Progressive Mode 2 (flag-reading) which would support my theory, but haven't tested enough to be sure.

beatboy,

For flush mount, a DIY mount could be created. It could be nothing more than a plate wider than the PJ to allow access for attaching to the beam. Bolt the PJ to the plate and screw the plate into the beam at 4 corners. Could be perfectly flush with only the thickness of the plate between the ceiling and PJ if necessary. For leveling, use the screws into the ceiling for adjustment, they'd have to be long enough to allow this.

Perhaps modelled after Tim's mount.

I just got word from a very reliable source that Toshiba will no longer produce any home theater projectors. What is currently out is the last of what they will sell. This comes from a Toshiba dealer here in town. If this is old news, I appologize.

~Josh

Hey i am having a lot of trouble with the mt700 aspect ratio and was wondering if anyone can help. I found the post below while searching for solutions but unfortunately what the author said doesnt seem to work for me.

I have dvd player connected to mt700 via component. Dvd player is set to 480i 16x9 mode. The dvd movie i am playing clearly states 1.78:1(16x9) Widescreen on the disc and it's not bootleg or home copy.

So in theory i should have the perfect 16x9 movie filling the entire screen. But this is what happened:

4:3 - it shows movie in correct ratio (not horizontally stretched etc). But the picture only fills the center of the screen, have black borders both horizontally and vertically.

Through- same as 4:3, but the picture is much smaller = larger black borders

Zoom - picture stretched horizontally. still has borders on top/bottom. Doesnt look good, everything is fatter

Theater Wide - same as zoom except the top/bottom black borders are bigger = picture is stretched horizontally even more

Full - same as Theater Wide, but stretched less (both edges of the movie is cut off)

What's going on? All i want is set the output of screen to 16x9 and ALWAYS HAVE CORRECT RATIO (NO HORIZONTAL STRETCH) so:

1) if it is 16x9 dvd, it fills the entire screen
2) if it is 4x3 dvd, have black bars appear on left/right. correct ratio is maintained
3) if it is 2.35:1 or any of the other widescreen format greater than 16x9 have black boarders appear on top/bottom. So correct ratio is still maintained.

Bottom line is i want to have the correct ratio ALWAYS while filling either the horizontal or vertical screen depends on the format. How do i do this? and why does my 16x9 dvd only show in the center of the screen?

which aspect ratip is actually 16x9? i wish they would actually say 16x9! instead of those stupid names like theater wide....is that the true 16x9 mode?

Your help is much apprecaited, thank you!



I will encourage anyone who is having display problems with the MT700 to first check your DVD player's output setting. My Toshiba allows either 4:3 or 16:9 output. It is set at 16:9, which correlates with my display's (MT700) geometry. With this setting, I achieve correct display on the MT700 as follows:

a) an anamorphic DVD: "full"
b) a letterboxed DVD: "zoom"
c) a 4:3 DVD: "4:3"

This is consistent with the MT700 owner's manual. I can assure everyone that on my unit, the results are a correctly displayed image.

The term "anamorphic" can certainly cause confusion. I believe that all "images" stored on a DVD are in 4:3 ratio. If it is an anamporphic image, it has been "squeezed" in the horizontal direction, allowing full usage of the 480 horizontal lines of resolution. This is probably why the Toshiba manual refers to these as "squeeze signal video images." When the player is set to output 16:9, it stretches the image horizontally to fill the wider screen. With the MT700 set to "full", it upscales this stretched, 16:9 image by a ratio of 720/480. This is what we would call "zoom" in any other context.

When I play a 4:3 ratio DVD (typically a tv-on-dvd), the DVD player still stretches the image horizontally to 16:9. Setting the MT700 to "4:3", essentially reverses this step - squeezing the image horizontally back to it's proper size.

A "letterbox" DVD is really just another 4:3 image. So, it is also stretched to fill the 16:9 space. The MT700 "4:3" setting will still reverse the process, however it would leave a reduced image size. That's where the MT700 "zoom" comes into play. Rather than compressing the image horizontally back to 4:3, it instead stretches to vertically to a larger-than-display 4:3 ratio. The part that gets cut off is just some of the "black bar" part of the image, so that is desirable.

Does that make sense to anyone??

If not, trust me...... My MT700 is performing well in all modes.

gagaliya - that was my post, and I'm still getting correct results with my MT700. I've since added an HDMI feed from a DVR and those images are displaying using the same approach you just quoted. Your's is not the first post to the contrary, so something must be going on with at least some of the units. How long ago did you buy your MT700?

gagaliya:

What you are experiencing is due to the MT700's "Zoom" aspect ratio being wrong. So far we have only seen one report of a unit being correct.

You have your DVD player set correctly. The DVD you are writing about is a non-anamorphic (letterboxed) 16:9 DVD. Few newer DVDs are non-anamorphic, but there are many older ones out there that are. This is supposed to be viewed in "Zoom" mode, but as you noticed the geometry is wrong. In all other 16:9 consumer displays, be they FP, RP, DLP, LCD, plasma, CRT, or LCos, there is an aspect ratio for the proper display of these discs, but not on the MT700.

On the Toshiba: 4:3 mode is for 1.33:1 or 4:3 images (standard TV or older "square" movies) and non-anamorphic 1.66:1 letterboxed images (a common AR in European films); Full mode is for all anamorphic DVDs; and "Zoom" is supposed to be for non-anamorphic (letterboxed) 1.78:1, 1.85:1, or 16:9 images.

Theater Wide stretches 4:3 images so that they fill a 16:9 panel, so it introduces severe distortion. These mades are useful for plasma and CRT panels to prevent burn in caused by a lot of 4:3 viewing on widescreen panels. As DLP can't burn in, you don't need to use it, unless you like the look.

So basically you only need three ARs: 4:3, Full, and Zoom. If you are not sure what the disc is, take a look at it in 4:3 mode. All discs will have bars on the side with the projector in 4:3 AR. If it fills the screen top to bottom, and the geometry is correct, it is a 4:3 disc. Keep it in 4:3 mode. If it has bars on the top and bottom and the geometry is correct (as you descibed in your post) it is a non-anamorphic widescreen disc, and should be viewed in Zoom mode. If it fills the screen top to bottom, but everyone is squished too tall and skinny, it is an anamorphic disc, and should be viewed in Full mode.

To work around the incorrect Zoom AR in the Toshiba, you can either watch in 4:3. The image will be smaller and letterboxed, but correct; or you can buy a DVD player that can do the zoom for you. You can then set the Toshiba to full, and your image will be correct.

Through is for computer or HTPC use, although it can also be used with some upscaling DVD players or STBs.

Pip

Nicely done Pip.

On another note, has anyone else tried the new HQV Test Disk on the MT700? I ran it through my 480i only crappy Sony DVP-315 something or other (dvd player will be ordered someday) and found a few interesting things:

1) It failed the 3-2 Cadence test with the indy race car, but it passed every other weirdo cadence test.
2) There was flickering on the Color Bar test and some of the white/black lines were fuzzed out and gray. Weird thing is I swear I didn't see any flicker the time I looked tonight, but the vertical detail was still slightly fuzzy. The picture detail test could have been a little better.
3) NR was decent, but I thought I observed a little noise. The motion adaptive one had trails when set about 4 or so.
4) Everything else was fine and dandy.

Could my DVD player somehow be affecting the results? I find it *very* odd I'm not passing the 3-2 cadence test.

Wow! thanks guys so much for the explanation, that made everything SO MUCH more clearer. A final followup to wrap this up, again thank you for your help!

1) anamorphic dvds - doesnt matter if it is 1.78:1(16x9), or 2.35:1 etc.. should ALWAYS be viewed in full mode for correct ratio and best result?

2) we are screwed with non-anamorphic 16x9 dvd basically due to the mt700 bug. Is there a firmware update? i bought the unit new just a week ago too:(

3) "you can buy a DVD player that can do the zoom for you.(to work around the mt700 zoom bug)". Guess i should ask this in the dvd forum, but do you guys know if the panasonic RP91 player has this feature? I went through a lot of trouble to buy this out of production unit since it claims to have the best 480i picture.

If it does not have zoom, what are some popular brand/model that has it? What's it called officially? dvd zoom?

now i can finally sleep knowing what is going on with my mt700:)


gagaliya:

What you are experiencing is due to the MT700's "Zoom" aspect ratio being wrong. So far we have only seen one report of a unit being correct.

You have your DVD player set correctly. The DVD you are writing about is a non-anamorphic (letterboxed) 16:9 DVD. Few newer DVDs are non-anamorphic, but there are many older ones out there that are. This is supposed to be viewed in "Zoom" mode, but as you noticed the geometry is wrong. In all other 16:9 consumer displays, be they FP, RP, DLP, LCD, plasma, CRT, or LCos, there is an aspect ratio for the proper display of these discs, but not on the MT700.

On the Toshiba: 4:3 mode is for 1.33:1 or 4:3 images (standard TV or older "square" movies) and non-anamorphic 1.66:1 letterboxed images (a common AR in European films); Full mode is for all anamorphic DVDs; and "Zoom" is supposed to be for non-anamorphic (letterboxed) 1.78:1, 1.85:1, or 16:9 images.

Theater Wide stretches 4:3 images so that they fill a 16:9 panel, so it introduces severe distortion. These mades are useful for plasma and CRT panels to prevent burn in caused by a lot of 4:3 viewing on widescreen panels. As DLP can't burn in, you don't need to use it, unless you like the look.

So basically you only need three ARs: 4:3, Full, and Zoom. If you are not sure what the disc is, take a look at it in 4:3 mode. All discs will have bars on the side with the projector in 4:3 AR. If it fills the screen top to bottom, and the geometry is correct, it is a 4:3 disc. Keep it in 4:3 mode. If it has bars on the top and bottom and the geometry is correct (as you descibed in your post) it is a non-anamorphic widescreen disc, and should be viewed in Zoom mode. If it fills the screen top to bottom, but everyone is squished too tall and skinny, it is an anamorphic disc, and should be viewed in Full mode.

To work around the incorrect Zoom AR in the Toshiba, you can either watch in 4:3. The image will be smaller and letterboxed, but correct; or you can buy a DVD player that can do the zoom for you. You can then set the Toshiba to full, and your image will be correct.

Through is for computer or HTPC use, although it can also be used with some upscaling DVD players or STBs.

Pip

Does anybody else have problems syncing to a progressive DVDp? Sometimes I can't seem to get the PJ to sync up to my Denon 2900 in progressive. It keeps going from "no signal" to interlaced. If I switch the player to interlaced, it is fine. I think I found a workaround, not sure. If I switch to the VGA input and then back it seems to figure out that it is progressive and locks on. But this doesn't work if I try switching to other inputs, and it may just be coincidence.

Also, sometimes the little blue memo in the lower corner that tells the video type (525p in this case) will appear onscreen frequently during a movie, or even continually for awhile, as if it is re-syncing to the signal. Anybody else see this? I'm wondering if it is due to something the player is doing, maybe dealing with bad flags or something. It hasn't given a flicker in the actual picture that I can tell (which suggests this is a damn good player), just this memo appears. I think it was worse in Progressive Mode 2 (flag-reading) which would support my theory, but haven't tested enough to be sure.

On a Benq 7700 I had this once and other syncing quirks when I had a cable combination going from component to VGA then into the BNC connector (a bad temporary setup at the time). It had me confused because it worked fine most of the time. One other behavior during this scenario is that sometimes the PJ would power up in PIP/POP mode. I replaced this with a straight through component cable and it's been fine ever since.

On a related note, I've also hooked up a Scientific Atlanta HD cable box using both DVI and component cables just to compare the quality on the two different inputs. I got it going with DVI, everything looked fine. I set the PJ to component, got a blank display. This may be because the box only outputs through one or the other for HD? I disconnected the DVI, powered the HD box off then back on, still no display on component. I'm now thinking I've broken something. The PJ would show that it's syncing on 1080i but no still no image. I disconnected and re-connected the component cable, same effect. I finally resolved it by restarting the PJ. Everything is now fine. Some folks have been having a lot of similar issues with their inputs. I think the PJ (maybe the MT700 is the same) may have trouble locking on to sources because of cable problems, external video switching, or perhaps multiple inputs from the same source, i.e. HDMI and component through the same HD box. If you're getting these kind of problems, test out everything by simplifying the connections, get it stable, then introduce more complicated switching setups to determine the problem source.

1) anamorphic dvds - doesnt matter if it is 1.78:1(16x9), or 2.35:1 etc.. should ALWAYS be viewed in full mode for correct ratio and best result?

Yes, as long as you're using component inputs. With the HDMI input, you can use "Through".


2) we are screwed with non-anamorphic 16x9 dvd basically due to the mt700 bug. Is there a firmware update? i bought the unit new just a week ago too:(

There is no firmware update. There may be one coming up through BenQ, but we'll have to see if it follows through to Toshiba.


3) "you can buy a DVD player that can do the zoom for you.(to work around the mt700 zoom bug)". Guess i should ask this in the dvd forum, but do you guys know if the panasonic RP91 player has this feature? I went through a lot of trouble to buy this out of production unit since it claims to have the best 480i picture.

I don't recall the RP91 settings, but if there's one for "Letterbox", try it with some of the MT700 settings.


If it does not have zoom, what are some popular brand/model that has it? What's it called officially? dvd zoom?

JVCs usually have that feature, as do others. Unless you have a lot of non-anamorphic letterboxed DVDs (I think I have about 4 out my 300 or so), I wouldn't change DVD players just to accomodate them.

Posted this in the under less than 3500 thead as Did I do the right thing?

Received my TDP-MT700 the end of June. Would not turn on. Steady orange power light and a steady red lamp light. Toshiba said it was the lamp and sent me a new one. Still the same thing. The place were I brought it from said they couldn't furnish me a replacement and to send it back for a refund. Said it looked like this projector has been discontinued by Toshiba.
Toshiba said to send the projector to them prepaid with a 24hr turnaround. After looking at other projector theads, Sanyo no warrantee, Optima and sony problems, I decided to sent it in to Toshiba. It seems to be basically a good projector by reading other theads and maybe a clone of the Benq PE7700. Is this really a good projector and did I do the right thing?

Was avised to post in the Toshiba mt700 thread.

Happy to report the projector is now fixed. Sent to Toshiba prepaid by them. They received it on Monday this week. Just received it back by overnight delivery. They do have a 24 hr turn around. Seems like they replaced the light engine. Before behind the color wheel it looked like fine copper particles. Now it looks clean. Now for adjustments.

i'm approaching 250 hrs on my MT700, i recall reading that due to the sealed light path, there is no filter cleaning, etc. required on this box.

is there nothing i should vacuum or clean at all on this proj? seems there'd have to be dust collecting somewhere.

any other periodic maintenance besides replacing bulb?

There is surely a filter somewhere. Where there is a fan there should be a filter. Check your manual.

edit: oh, yeah. There is a filter life tracker in the projector, just like the lamp life tracker.

i'm approaching 250 hrs on my MT700, i recall reading that due to the sealed light path, there is no filter cleaning, etc. required on this box.

is there nothing i should vacuum or clean at all on this proj? seems there'd have to be dust collecting somewhere.

any other periodic maintenance besides replacing bulb?

That's correct, there is no filter, nor is one needed. Many projectors with sealed paths do not have filters. Just make sure the intake on the side of the projector and the fan vent in front are kept clear.

BTW, the BenQ 7700 does have a filter, but the MT700 does not.

Ahh, I have the 7700 so that explains why I have one. Perhaps that has something to do with the MT700 early bulb failure. They should have used a filter. :)

There is no filter on the 700. The fans pull the air from the intake and across the light.

In my opinion, I'd treat this like any computer with a fan and periodically clean off the fans and the air duct using compressed air. Can't hurt to keep the dust build-up to a minimum to ensure best air flow possible.

Some really good computer cases have filters too. I wish mine did. Here in the desert things get really dirty. I have to clean my computers quite often. TV's get a good coat of dust quickly. I am glad my projector has a filter. Lot easier to clean the filter than the guts of the projector, especially since it is ceiling mounted.
Warren.

I had my glass filter last week it was 52mm with a screwthread on the side, it fits perfectly in the MT700 lens, as if it was made for it. Even the dustcap still fits.
I am very happy with the picture after the lens, more quiet and less (RBE) problems for me. (I know it doesn't cure RBE but for me less light means less times i see it and less it bothers me)

Ok, so after two and a half weeks, Toshiba has decided to send me a lamp and the Topps facility in MA is finally sending my Projector back. Toshiba customer support doesn't know it's ass from a hole in the ground. Anyway, i had more patience than any normal human being would. The entire story (which I have sent to Toshiba corporate headquarters) is here if anyone wants to really see an exercise in frustration:
http://www.icsfilm.net/mt700woes.html

This is in reference to the post I had put earlier.

page 48.

I think I have more or less fixed the skew on side. But now it seems like when I use keystone correction, the image ratio changes. No more 16:9. Is that how keystone works?
Just chop off trapezoid.

Thanks.

What keystone does is blacken the pixels on each side that would be wider at the bottom than the top. You have the same vertical resolution, but you horizondal resolution is lower at the bottom. What kind of screen do you have? You should be able to just zoom a bit so the edges of the image are in the black border.
Warren.

i saw this problem mentioned here, but dont recall a solution:

when i move from HDMI mode to COMP1, the blue 'CompYPbPbbpr1(525p)' message is flashing in the lower right forever.

has anyone overcome this?

hey do you guys leave the mt700 with power on all the time(orange light). I am getting yelled at for not doing a hard power shutoff every day. It's a pain since ceiling mounted.

"if you leave the light on, the projector will have a shorter life than if you turn the power off completely". is this true? how many of you leave the orange light on all the time? :D

On my 7700 I leave the power on all the time, except in very heavy thunderstorms (paranoid, even though I have surge protection). I did the same with my X1, and haven't had any issues thus far (but probably only 1500 hours total).

I leave the power on all the time.

On my 7700 I leave the power on all the time, except in very heavy thunderstorms (paranoid, even though I have surge protection).

Same with me. Fortunately, I can just reach the switch on my ceiling mounted PJ. I used one of the Leviton surge protecting duplex receptacles for added protection.

gagaliya -- Leaving the PJ in the standby mode shuts off the lamp, the color wheel (I would think), and keeps standby power on the electronics and the internal power supply. This reduces the turn-on power surge when the PJ is turned on again and reduces the probability of failure of the circuits in the PJ -- a good thing :cool:.

miltimj -- During severe thunderstorms, I would recommend pulling the PJ's plug. The ESD (Electro-Static-Discharge) from a (close) lightning strike can blow right through the surge protector (they aren't designed to stop that kind of power), as some other members of this forum have discovered. {Are you even more paranoid now :eek:?}

gagaliya -- Leaving the PJ in the standby mode shuts off the lamp, the color wheel (I would think), and keeps standby power on the electronics and the internal power supply. This reduces the turn-on power surge when the PJ is turned on again and reduces the probability of failure of the circuits in the PJ -- a good thing :cool:.


Absolutely. These projectors are made to be left on. As mentioned above, unplugging it during a thunderstorm is a very good idea. I also unplug it when I'm going to be away for a few days or more (as rare as that is ;) ). Also, sometimes if you go directly from a full off to on, the projector can have problems striking the lamp. I've seen it happen a few times now so even when I do turn it off, I wait awhile after turning it on before firing up the projector.

i saw this problem mentioned here, but dont recall a solution:

when i move from HDMI mode to COMP1, the blue 'CompYPbPbbpr1(525p)' message is flashing in the lower right forever.

has anyone overcome this?

It shouldn't be doing that. Does it do it with all sources and have you tried a different cable? If so, you should probably arrange to have it fixed by Toshiba.

Mike, "the failure to strike" is interesting. I guess I've never ran into that with my L300 because (if it's hard off) I always cleaned the filter, switched the PJ AC power on, then turned on my surround sound equipment, get my cup of coffee (or make the popcorn), pull-down the screen, sit down and turn on the PJ with the remote. It's been my ritual for all my previous PJs.

I haven't fired up my MT700 yet, because I had to finish rearranging the equipment cabinet and it's been way too hot in my house (I haven't installed the AC yet - another incentive ;), I guess).

miltimj -- During severe thunderstorms, I would recommend pulling the PJ's plug. The ESD (Electro-Static-Discharge) from a (close) lightning strike can blow right through the surge protector (they aren't designed to stop that kind of power), as some other members of this forum have discovered. {Are you even more paranoid now :eek:?}
Clause, I should have explained my process better. I shut it off, then unplug it, during a thunderstorm. The surge protector is only there for everyday use, as I leave it on 24/7. It's about 6.5' high, so turning off/unplugging is a cinch.

I couldn't agree more with what lightning can do. One of my parents' friends, who live on a farm, recently had every bit of electronics in their home completely fried (using surge protectors), to the point of motherboards, cables, power cords, etc, physically melting. All of their milking equipment was fried as well. Thousands of dollars to an electrician later, and they're starting to have things back to normal.

leaving the PJ in "standby" instead of powering off with the switch. I have all of my gear on surge strips and leave everything in standby unless I'm leaving for a few days -- at those times I'll run around and flip the switches on the strips. Some would argue I should also pull the plugs (it certainly can't hurt) but that's a topic for another day. :cool:

Claus,
Congrats on your PJ choice. Been following your due diligence.
Also have a MT-700. :)

The failure to sync problem is fairly common, from what I've seen. Especially with my component switcher, the projector gets confused when I change from a 480i to 720p to 480p signal in one sitting. Usually being on a different source and turning on the item and then switching to the source will prevent sync failure.

Originally Posted by corba
i saw this problem mentioned here, but dont recall a solution:

when i move from HDMI mode to COMP1, the blue 'CompYPbPbbpr1(525p)' message is flashing in the lower right forever.

has anyone overcome this?It shouldn't be doing that. Does it do it with all sources and have you tried a different cable? If so, you should probably arrange to have it fixed by Toshiba.
I have the same problem. Only on 480p from the DVDp, it seems. I posted about this before, but nobody commented. I'm wondering if it is related to the DVDs themselves. Or my player. I do have my receiver switching component at the moment, but have never seen this from my HD box. I have not tried another cable, and the current one is not great. I'll be making a good one soon, hopefully.

Sorry, there was one comment, also about the cable. I will try fixing that asap.

Anyone try to get into the service menu as just described in the 7700 thread?

I have the same problem. Only on 480p from the DVDp, it seems. I posted about this before, but nobody commented. I'm wondering if it is related to the DVDs themselves. Or my player. I do have my receiver switching component at the moment, but have never seen this from my HD box. I have not tried another cable, and the current one is not great. I'll be making a good one soon, hopefully.

Sorry, there was one comment, also about the cable. I will try fixing that asap.

I'm pretty certain it's not the DVDs or the player. I had this myself before. I fixed up a bad cable combination and the problem never came back. Prior to the cable fix it would happen fairly frequently but not all the time. I think Nothru has figured it out.

Heh guys, wake up! We got somethin' to talk about!

Got into the service menu.

First thing- CW set to 4X. What up with that? :D

Is there anything in the service menu that looks like Color Wheel Sync? I'm interested to hear what all the items relating to "CW" are. I have relatives sleeping in my pj room right now, grrr... Of course I would *never* void my warranty by entering the service menu. I do have a friend with an MT700 who might though.

I own PE7700 and my CW is set to 5x without SLR (whatever SLR means). You can choose among 4x, 5x without SLR, 5x with SLR and 6x. I had try 6x and it screw up the sync. 5x with/without SLR doesn't seems to be any different. So far the tweaking I done that give me more 3D feel is under DLP Degamma. Default for Home Theater profile is graphic. I change to film and the picture looks more 3D.

My Setup:
BENQ PE7700
Radeon 9600 Pro through DVI

Anybody check their MT700 for a dirty color wheel? Anybody play xbox on their PJ via compoment, it look nice and sharp?

Chris

Heh guys, wake up! We got somethin' to talk about!

Got into the service menu.

First thing- CW set to 4X. What up with that? :D

I just woke up! :D

Finally, a way into the service menu! I'll have to check it out this evening. From the 7700 thread, it sounds like the color wheel settings don't do much. I'll have to check the different setting with the Spiderman 2 scene and see how that checks out.

Anybody check their MT700 for a dirty color wheel? Anybody play xbox on their PJ via compoment, it look nice and sharp?

Chris

Mine has a dirty color wheel. Everytime I turn around its playing porno. Dirty, bad, bad color wheel. (seriously, no idea)

Xbox looks as good as 480i/p Xbox can. When playing Xbox the limiting factor in graphical quality is the Xbox, not the PJ. It does look just fine, however.

Mike - I was wondering when you were going to notice :) Sleepy thread over here for awhile.

Mine has a dirty color wheel. Everytime I turn around its playing porno. Dirty, bad, bad color wheel. (seriously, no idea) .

Very funny, +1.



Xbox looks as good as 480i/p Xbox can. When playing Xbox the limiting factor in graphical quality is the Xbox, not the PJ. It does look just fine, however.




On some PJs such as the HT1100, I have found the component input to be a little soft, IMO.

Although I still want to know about if it gets a dirty color wheel or not, if anybody has checked yet.

Chris

With similarities increasingly more apparent between the MT-700 and 7700 threads, ie., service menu, processing technology, EARLY BULB FAILURE, etc., sounds like both threads should be consolidated.

Maybe an EARLY BULB FAILURE thread is in order.

Yeah, most of us suscribe to both anyway.
Someone start a poll to see how many have MT700 vs 7700 and who has a blown bulb.

Although I still want to know about if it gets a dirty color wheel or not, if anybody has checked yet.

Chris

I haven't seen any problems with that. The sealed path should keep that from happening.

Regarding the service menu, there's a lot of stuff there to get you in trouble. One interesting thing (particularly in light of the number of lamp failures) is the section that displays thermal characteristics, including lamp and ballast temp. I'm not usre what the numbers represent exactly, but it might be interesting for everyone to write down what theirs are during normal operation.

My MT700 color wheel speed is set on 4X by default. Changing to 5X causes a noticeable increase in color wheel noise, though not objectionable. There are no IRE settings per se over HDMI, but there may be some other possibilites of addressing the component input IRE levels. More to follow.

wnielsenbb,
The BenQ became available roughly 4-8 weeks after the Toshiba, so will take that amount of time for 7700 customer complaints to catch up to the present. In fact, have noticed they are starting to show up on that thread. Suggests the same bulb used. A poll is a good idea as may substiantiate this is beyond what would be considered a normal failure rate.

Isn't a bulb failure w/ less than 200hrs considered unusual. Toshiba advertises this PJ bulb at 2000 hrs+. Am I missing something?

Mike, any word of a recall?

I got my 7700 april 27th, almost exactly 3 months before it failed.
I agree with mike everyone should check their temps. Setting the projector to high altitude increases fan speed right? It might be a good idea to try that and see how it affects those temps. I would much rather have a little more fan noise and have my lamp live if that is the tradeoff.
Warren.