Hello,
After reading praises of the people here about the Da-Lite High Power. when i got a good deal on a used Da-Lite Model C High Power screen, i decided to buy it. It arrived last Thursday. I have not installed it yet but , last night i asked some friends to hold it up while i did a quick test. Here are my surprises!:

I am testing it in my living room (HT room), completely darkened but, with light-color and white painted walls and ceiling. In this environment, I am not able to see any slightest difference in brightness or other aspects from my matte white gain 1.3 screen! Is this normal? I thought i should see a significant difrerence in brightness. I do not even see any reduction in brightness when i move away from the axis of the lens!

So i have got suspicious maybe this is not a high power fabric at all since nowhere on the screen material and the case is written that this is High Power. There is only one label on the case that says 'Da-Lite'!

Now is there any method i can use to test this and make sure this is really a high power screen?! The situation sounds funny but real for me!

Thanks, Ramin

Ramin call Da-Lite up and have them to send you a sample book of all their current screen material to you.

The High Power material looks like white reflector tape if you look at it from an angle and has a fairly smooth surface. Most matte white surface’s have a weaved look to them. You should be able to see the difference easily.

Dale

I wanted to let everyone here know that Optoma sent me another H79 projector, after my most recent lamp issue with the H79 (number 6). I haven't had time to test yet, but I have to say that the response to my problems from Optoma tech support has been really good. It's probably the best support I've experienced.

I have been away for a trip and have not been able to write to this site. I checked the screen during the day when there is light coming into the room through the windows and now, i am convinced this is really a High Power screen. I noticed the central bright cone is extremely narrow and as soon as one is out of that small cone, the screen's brightness drops to the level of a matte white screen. The brightness drop-off happens rather immediate! I think i might have completely missed the small central bright cone
the first night i checked the screen! My understanding is that this screen's application is very limited by the room's geometry and seating locations.


Ramin




Hello,
After reading praises of the people here about the Da-Lite High Power. when i got a good deal on a used Da-Lite Model C High Power screen, i decided to buy it. It arrived last Thursday. I have not installed it yet but , last night i asked some friends to hold it up while i did a quick test. Here are my surprises!:

I am testing it in my living room (HT room), completely darkened but, with light-color and white painted walls and ceiling. In this environment, I am not able to see any slightest difference in brightness or other aspects from my matte white gain 1.3 screen! Is this normal? I thought i should see a significant difrerence in brightness. I do not even see any reduction in brightness when i move away from the axis of the lens!

So i have got suspicious maybe this is not a high power fabric at all since nowhere on the screen material and the case is written that this is High Power. There is only one label on the case that says 'Da-Lite'!

Now is there any method i can use to test this and make sure this is really a high power screen?! The situation sounds funny but real for me!

Thanks, Ramin

I have been away for a trip and have not been able to write to this site. I checked the screen during the day when there is light coming into the room through the windows and now, i am convinced this is really a High Power screen. I noticed the central bright cone is extremely narrow and as soon as one is out of that small cone, the screen's brightness drops to the level of a matte white screen. The brightness drop-off happens rather immediate! I think i might have completely missed the small central bright cone
the first night i checked the screen! My understanding is that this screen's application is very limited by the room's geometry and seating locations.


Ramin

The limiting factor is the cone, certainly. The screen reflects the max light back toward the projection lens. I've decided to go with the Da-Lite High Power screen fabric after getting the Sharp 20000, which replaces my H79. The H79 was slightly brighter than the Sharp, so I started doing some research into screens. I also requested a sample from Da-Lite. If I stand right next to the projection lens, the difference between the High Power and my Firehawk is almost literally night and day. The white pause bar on my Dish 622 glows like the sun compared to the Firehawk. From other seating positions, there's almost no difference. Fortunately, in my room I can make some changes relatively easily.

This fabric would make a great screen for H79 owners, too. The key is to be able to get your eyes within a 15 degree viewing angle of the lens for maximum effect. That is, 15 degrees from the center of the screen, with the lens as your starting point. That's up/down/left/right. Table mounting your projector could be nearly ideal, if you can swing it.

I'm going to be ordering the High Power this week, once I confirm a few things about frames and mounting.

I have run into problems with my european H79 Themescene model. At 974 hours of usage without any problems the projector suddenly turned itself off, with the LAMP-led lit (not TEMP). This happened 4-5 times the same night, and it turned itself off within 40-50 minutes. I tried it the following day, to make sure it wasn't a heat problem and sure it acted the same way. The projector was sent away and after a month it came back from the Optoma service, stating "nothing wrong with projector". They tried the projector for about 40 hours. It came back and has been working great for about 100 hours. The other day the problem came back though (timer at 1158 hours), and now it turns itself off within only 10 minutes with the LAMP-led lit. I would guess the lamp timer is somewhere around 1300 hours total (was reseted with about 100 hours on the lamp). I am thinking of buying a new lamp and I sure hope this problem doesn't come back. Anyone recognize this problem? I would guess the lamp has lost 30-35% brightness from when it was new.

Volvoguy, I'm sorry to hear about your problems with the projector.

Sounds to me like same problem hit again and it was misdiagnosed first time at the service center. If you still got possible lamp warranty left when this happened first time, if I were you I would try to negotiate with the service center and try to convince them that they didn't find the real cause for the problem in the first time and now same problem occured again. They should take some responsible but knowing how Optoma handles things they probably won't.

Cause for the problem is most likely broken lamp which is very common issue with the H7x series, and also it seems 7100 series owners are also suffering from same problem. You can consider yourself lucky gettings so much hours out of the bulb. Many H7x owners have had similar problems in the first couple hundred hours.

There's couple things you might try at home.
You could take bulb out and see if anything looks wrong. Take a close look at the glass if it is malformed in any way or looks cracked. Then you should get a new lamp because it may explode if you continue using it. But if it looks fine maybe you could try running it at high lamp mode.
Have you cleaned air filter on the bottom side of the projector regularly? It should be cleaned every hundred hours or so. If it is very dusty there will be problems with heat and it will cause problems since cooling isn't very effective in the begin with this model.



Also since last time just a trip to the service center fixed it, maybe you could try to simulate trip to the service center without actually sending it there. Just put projector in a box and kick it around and drop few times and don't forget to leave it outside for few hours and then back in the house. Just kidding :). DON'T DO THAT.

Volvoguy, I'm sorry to hear about your problems with the projector.

Sounds to me like same problem hit again and it was misdiagnosed first time at the service center. If you still got possible lamp warranty left when this happened first time, if I were you I would try to negotiate with the service center and try to convince them that they didn't find the real cause for the problem in the first time and now same problem occured again. They should take some responsible but knowing how Optoma handles things they probably won't.

Cause for the problem is most likely broken lamp which is very common issue with the H7x series, and also it seems 7100 series owners are also suffering from same problem. You can consider yourself lucky gettings so much hours out of the bulb. Many H7x owners have had similar problems in the first couple hundred hours.

There's couple things you might try at home.
You could take bulb out and see if anything looks wrong. Take a close look at the glass if it is malformed in any way or looks cracked. Then you should get a new lamp because it may explode if you continue using it. But if it looks fine maybe you could try running it at high lamp mode.
Have you cleaned air filter on the bottom side of the projector regularly? It should be cleaned every hundred hours or so. If it is very dusty there will be problems with heat and it will cause problems since cooling isn't very effective in the begin with this model.



Also since last time just a trip to the service center fixed it, maybe you could try to simulate trip to the service center without actually sending it there. Just put projector in a box and kick it around and drop few times and don't forget to leave it outside for few hours and then back in the house. Just kidding :). DON'T DO THAT.

I ordered a new lamp today. It will be delivered in just a few days. Luckily they had 1 lamp in stock :) I did take the lamp out and it looks fine. Filter is also very clean, no dust or heat issues in my living room. The real problem in my case is I bought the projector from Germany (I live in Sweden) and if a problem occurs I have to send it to them. Last time it took a month before I got the projector back. That is not something I want to do again. I have informed the dealer that the problem has once again re-occured. Probably he will tell me to send it back again for testing, but I don't think I will do that. How many times will I have to send it back before they conclude the lamp is failing? I had 1000 hours lamp warranty, but that is now exceeded. Also, shipping a projector to Germany with extra insurance is not cheap and two times shipping is one fifth the price of a new lamp..

Still strange about the problem though, they tested for about 40 hours (I checked the lamp timer) and I did use it for about 100 hours until the problem came back. Now it turns itself off within 10 minutes. Before it was 40-50 minutes.

Since the timer was reseted at 100 hours I am close to 1300 hours and that is pretty much was I expect from a projector lamp (1300-1600 hours) so buying a new lamp feels ok. I just hope the problem really IS the lamp and not something else. In a few days I will know..

The real problem in my case is I bought the projector from Germany (I live in Sweden) and if a problem occurs I have to send it to them. Last time it took a month before I got the projector back. That is not something I want to do again.

Souds like getting a new bulb is a better solution. Such a long trip and need to send whole projector every time means very high risk for it to get damaged during shipping.


I have informed the dealer that the problem has once again re-occured. Probably he will tell me to send it back again for testing, but I don't think I will do that. How many times will I have to send it back before they conclude the lamp is failing? I had 1000 hours lamp warranty, but that is now exceeded. Also, shipping a projector to Germany with extra insurance is not cheap and two times shipping is one fifth the price of a new lamp..

So it was your dealer who gave extra bulb warranty. Then you may have a chance, but with Optoma I don't think so, they won't admit there's any bulb problems with the H7x. Maybe if new bulb seems to work ok you could just send old bulb to the dealer.


Still strange about the problem though, they tested for about 40 hours (I checked the lamp timer) and I did use it for about 100 hours until the problem came back. Now it turns itself off within 10 minutes. Before it was 40-50 minutes.

Sometimes rough handling of electric devices may fix them for some time, so maybe trip to the service center helped last time.


Since the timer was reseted at 100 hours I am close to 1300 hours and that is pretty much was I expect from a projector lamp (1300-1600 hours) so buying a new lamp feels ok. I just hope the problem really IS the lamp and not something else. In a few days I will know..
1300 hours is nearly half of advertised bulb life and if it was bright enough all the time it is not so bad but I would definitely give feedback to Optoma. Many H7x owners lost their bulbs at around 300 hrs.

Please let us know if new bulb works or if it turns out that problem is elsewhere.

Please let us know if new bulb works or if it turns out that problem is elsewhere.

Will do! New lamp ships today and will be here before the weekend.

Update:

New bulb arrived friday and all is working fine. Got 14 hours on the new lamp (hung-over sunday ;) ) So the original lamp lasted about 1300 hours total. I don't know if that is good or bad, I never kept a projector for more than 1 year, but this one I am really satisfied with so I decided to keep it for another year. Plenty of brightness and pop with the new lamp also. HD-DVD also looking excellent throught component 720p.

Update:

New bulb arrived friday and all is working fine.

Nice to hear that projector was not faulty, just bulb.

Plenty of brightness and pop with the new lamp also.

You mean it is now very much brighter?
I've been wondering should I run original bulb as long as it works or get a new bulb and have much brighter image (and keep original one as backup).

Not to be a wet blanket, but enjoy the brightness while it lasts. I'm my case I found that the output dropped by 32% within a short amount of usage. It went from 307 lum--> 211 lum after only 120 hours on a new bulb. I hope you have better luck than I. :(

I'm thinking about picking up this unit used, anyone have any other problems with it besides a frequent change of the bulb? I'm not sure if this unit is worth picking up considering how cheap the newer generation of 720p DLP units been coming for these days. Comparing 79 to the newer Optoma budget 720p DLP units, this thing still has the best picture around right?

First bulb went in 450 hours. Over a thousand on second. Picture is fantastic. Some plastic parts are pretty cheap nut over all build is good.

I'm thinking about picking up this unit used, anyone have any other problems with it besides a frequent change of the bulb? I'm not sure if this unit is worth picking up considering how cheap the newer generation of 720p DLP units been coming for these days. Comparing 79 to the newer Optoma budget 720p DLP units, this thing still has the best picture around right?

Image quality is a notch above my previous pj - the Toshiba MT700 (HD2+ 720p), and that Toshiba is/was quite a stellar unit as far as image is concerned. The H79 seems like it needs to be calibrated though.

Image quality is a notch above my previous pj - the Toshiba MT700 (HD2+ 720p), and that Toshiba is/was quite a stellar unit as far as image is concerned. The H79 seems like it needs to be calibrated though.

Yeah well your mom needs to be calibrated and you don't hear me complaining about it on message boards to everyone.

Except for right now.

But in all seriousness, yes I agree - the factory settings are definitely pretty far off of D65K. It seems that most people who have had their H79's calibrated have reported some settings pretty far off of factory, so I'm sure you'd get your money's worth. That thing will be absolutely beautiful on your GreyWolf, and have plenty of brightness through the (hopefully long) life of its bulb.

Who told you you could talk? Go put a quarter in your nickel slot.

Anyhow, yeah, definitely considering that ISF...~$500 is tough though for the traveling guy. I'll have to price locally as well. Then you can copy my settings and pay me half. And then calibrate your own mom.

I have an Optoma H79 that has developed a problem all of a sudden. Any scenes with bluish backgrounds are really blotchy. I don't know the exact terms to use, but I describe it as smears in the blue with banding of all different shapes in the blue areas. It looks like all different shaped clouds within the blue scenes. This is the only way I can describe it. Also, when there are scenes of bright lights that are blue in color there are all these bands or halos around the lights.

It is really frustrating as it is only in the blue areas.

I thought maybe it was my Denon 3910 dvd player which is hooked up to projector by DVI, so I switched over to Dish satellite and still have the problems. I even used a different DVI cable to hook the dvd player up thinking maybe it was the cable and still have the problem.

I went into the service menu and did a factory reset and that did not help either.

I did a search to try to find others with this problem, but did not find any.

Does anyone know what this could be or what else I could try ?

I have an Optoma H79 that has developed a problem all of a sudden. Any scenes with bluish backgrounds are really blotchy. I don't know the exact terms to use, but I describe it as smears in the blue with banding of all different shapes in the blue areas. It looks like all different shaped clouds within the blue scenes. This is the only way I can describe it. Also, when there are scenes of bright lights that are blue in color there are all these bands or halos around the lights.

It is really frustrating as it is only in the blue areas.

I thought maybe it was my Denon 3910 dvd player which is hooked up to projector by DVI, so I switched over to Dish satellite and still have the problems. I even used a different DVI cable to hook the dvd player up thinking maybe it was the cable and still have the problem.

I went into the service menu and did a factory reset and that did not help either.

I did a search to try to find others with this problem, but did not find any.

Does anyone know what this could be or what else I could try ?

Funny you should mention this. I have a similar banding/contouring problem with the latest H79 I've been sent from Optoma, as a 4th replacement for the bulb problems I had with the other three (along with 2 other lamp replacements). This projector has been compared directly to another Optoma (H31) and a Sharp XV-Z20000 with the same sources and the problems are not present on either of the other projectors (at least not to the extent they are with the H79). It's a serious contouring/banding problem, not something you'd hardly notice.

Anyone else?

Joe,

Can you explain a little more about what yours looks like ? My problem is strictly with the blue colors only. Is your problem also with the blue colors ?

A real good examle on mine is with the movie Monsters Inc. where Sully (the monster) is in the blueish colored room and the little girl is hinding from him but is actually on his back. That scene has the banding everywhere on the floors and walls of the room. It is really bad.

Can you explain a little more what yours is doing and what colors ?

Thanks,

Joe,

Can you explain a little more about what yours looks like ? My problem is strictly with the blue colors only. Is your problem also with the blue colors ?

A real good examle on mine is with the movie Monsters Inc. where Sully (the monster) is in the blueish colored room and the little girl is hinding from him but is actually on his back. That scene has the banding everywhere on the floors and walls of the room. It is really bad.

Can you explain a little more what yours is doing and what colors ?

Thanks,

My problem exists with high contrast scenes, not with just the color blue. Instead of clean gradients, the projector displays solid areas of high contrast with distinct bands of color and/or brightness.

I have seen this problem too with my H78. I noticed this as soon as I bought HDMI DVD-player.

It looks much like contouring problem in the early H77's but in this case adjusting CW doesn't help.

But this problem shows up only in some scenes with blue color.
Good example is Titanic: Special Collector's Edition (my Wife's DVD, not mine of course :) ).
There is underwater scene where is this submarine in the beginning of the movie. Blue colors in this scene show up some contouring.


I believe this has something to do with DVI being only 8-bit since progressive component is problem free. Also I see difference when adjusting white balance settings, so calibrating does help a little.
Also extreme brightness/contrast adjustments can make this worse, try adjusting both DVD and pj so that B/C adjustments are as near to their neutral position as possible.

I tried hooking my DVD player up with component video cables and the problem is still the same on mine. It does not matter if it is DVI or component for my problem.

I tried hooking my DVD player up with component video cables and the problem is still the same on mine. It does not matter if it is DVI or component for my problem.
Did you wrote down all the service menu settings before doing factory reset? Doesn't all values go back to defaults in this case, so at least white balance, color wheel index and maybe ADC settings (for progressive component only) may need adjusting. Be very careful in the service menu! Optoma software seems to be designed in a way that you can mess things up pretty bad by just peeking in the wrong menu there.

Can you take a few photos of scenes where problem shows up? Then maybe I could say if you are suffering from same problem, or if yours look worse. Probably it looks worse if your are seeing it all the time.

Yes, I was sure to write down all settings before doing the factory reset. I was pre warned not to go into anything other than the picture and ADC settings while in the service menu. (thanks to Guitarman for posting that here).

If I can get the time tomorrow, I will try to post a picture of what I am seeing.

I had the same problem with my first H79 which was replaced due to another issue. My second H79 has the same problem. At some point I was told to play around with the color wheel speed settings in the service menu. That seems to help, but they seem to need to be adjusted every few weeks.

Are these issues with the scaler in the H79 or the actual projector?

Are these issues with the scaler in the H79 or the actual projector?

The projector.

Hey guys,

I'm currently viewing the most recent H79 that Joe got back from Optoma after he reported serious banding and contouring. I'm pleased to report that this unit seems to be working much better!! All of the bad problems with halos, bands, and a kind of solarized effect on faces in dark scenes have vanished. There's a little bit that you can see if you look for it, but for the most part the picture is beautiful again, and I can enjoy it without being distracted. Joe asked Optoma to send him a unit that didn't have banding, and it looks like they listened to him. Strange, because it seems that they sent this unit because they knew that it didn't have a problem. Why, then, have they released so many units with banding?

This pj is great, but I seem to have problem running my Zenith 318 upconverting dvd player into it via dvi. The Zenith just locks up right away when I connect the dvi cable. I remember going over to Joe's for a comparison of the Zenith and the Oppo, and not having a problem. However, we were viewing through an external video scaler, I think. Can anyone shed some light on why what might be happening, and what might fix it? The Zenith is a wonderful player and I'd like to keep using it until I get HD DVD. I also have a Samsung HD931 player, and it has no problems working with the H79, but the blacks are crushed beyond belief. I can't watch it. Could something be going wrong with the Zenith's HDCP handshake with the H79?

Banding can often be fixed by adjusting the colour wheel timing via the service menu, though the H78/79 shouldn't really suffer from it now unless there is a fault with it (it was fixed with a firmware update after the H77). It's sometimes caused by using the DVI connection in PC mode rather than video mode, so making sure it's in DVI and not pressing resync (which puts it into PC mode) could help with this.

Have you used a test disk to accurately set the white and black levels? Not doing this can also cause black crush. Some DVD players with their won brightness controls sometimes have them set too low, so no adjustment on the pj will reveal the black detail. Raising the player brightness to make the detail visible (ideally from a test disk) should allow you to set the brightness on the pj accurately.

Gary

http://www.cigarbest.com/sales/palcontour.jpg

Lol, can't help myself I get a kick out of that image. H79 protocol fixed even the minor contouring/panning issue. It was applied to some H77 Dark Chip 2's also.

Gary,

Thanks for the info. Right now banding seems to be under control. Still, I'm curious about the dvi signal being set to video or pc. I haven't messed with the resync button at all. If I want to switch back and forth between the 2, is there any kind of indication that'll let me know what mode I'm in?

I'm using guitarman's numbers right now, and they seem to be good in my setup, though I had to adjust the advanced menu settings to get rid of the green shift. The Samsung 931 has a known issue of crushing blacks, and there are no picture controls on the unit for brightness. contrast, etc. There is a choice of dvi A or B. I guess you're supposed to try the other if you get no dvi picture on one. The dvi port on the Sammy is set for dvi pc, and there's no way to change it. I did notice that the black crush problem went away when I started using my pc to play dvds. Windows Media Player Classic has given the best results so far.

Gary,

I did notice that the black crush problem went away when I started using my pc to play dvds. Windows Media Player Classic has given the best results so far.

It's normal. Your Sammy does not pass Blacker than Balck and Whiter than White signal (aka BTB and WTW).

Normally common codecs on Pc displays in correct way BTB anf WTW signals.

Just an advise: don't use the Sammy on H79. It's rubbish and you're gonna loose the benefits from your pjectors.

Bye, from Italy..

Hi Jedi,

I use an HTPC with my H78 as it gives much better results than a lot of DVD players. Plus you can play more than just DVDs or use it as a media server (for HD as well as DVD content).

I've only ever used HTPC since they work well as scalers as well as deinterlacers and the graphics cards are designed to work with mpg - using hardware mode helps reduce mpg blocking too IIRC. I did try some standalone players, but unless you want to spend a lot of money you'll get better results from the PC (providing you're using a good graphics card).

I use PowerDVD 6 though WinDVD is also pretty good. TheaterTek is said to be the best player available, but Zoomplayer is more flexible though somewhat complicated. It uses your existing players filters within it (PDVD for example) and allows more control over things like aspect ratio for example (ideal for constant height setups).

Try the HTPC forum for more info.

Gary

Gary, the HQV test dvd says my Win and Power both fail deinterlacing tests miserably. My friend also took the disc home to test with a large group of PC's/different video cards and they all failed in the same manner.

Tom, have you tried the force weave or force bob options if the auto setting doesn't give good results? I don't know what tests the disk says they fail on, but the deinterlacing results are visually better than many scalers I'd seen when doing comparisons with scenes from Titanic (original disk) and Star Trek Insurrection for instance. You needed a good DVD player combined with a scaler to get comparable results.

It'll be interesting to see if Theater Tek had similar failings, but most demos I see at events here in the UK (Sim2 for example) use HTPC rather than any standalone player (although that will change with HD DVD and BD until a PC can play them back reliably), and since they want the best image for their projectors, I doubt they'd choose an inferior playback device when they have high end DVD players and scalers to hand, especially when the projector is the HT5000 1080 3 chipper.

Having tried Theater Tek when it was 1.5 I found no visual improvements so got a refund. In fact it didn't seem to work as well as Zoomplayer did using the PDVD filters.

A good test for artefacts is MI: III DVD. Even the VP50 had problems and faired no better than the HTPC, but the Genum chip in the HD1 removed the moire effect from the Vatican wall at the UK demo I saw (and the Pearl failed it too). I can't remember what the player was though.

Gary

MI III I only have the HD version. They fail the first common deinterlacing tests on the HQV test disc. It has three horizontal bars fanning vertically. If all bars are smooth it's excellent, if two bars are smooth (good), if one bar is smooth (fair) no smooth bars (very poor)

The Bravo and and all the HTPC's showed no bars as being smooth. Similar results with the panning past seat bleachers in a race track scene, quick pick up of the moire pattern rates very good. The tests showed no pick up at all.

Moving flag test wasn't very good also.

Hi Tom,

Sounds like it may have been in auto mode for those tests so manually selecting weave for film or bob for video may have fixed it - this tends to fix any issues since it isn't relying on identifying flags. The Peter Finzel test disk has similar tests which pass when the correct deinterlacing mode is selected.

The only DVD I've not been able to fix so far is MI III and considering the VP50 can't either I'm not overly worried since that scaler costs a bit more then PowerDVD or WinDVD does with a decent graphics card.

Where can I get this particular disk? I'd like to have a play with it if the failures you mention can be corrected by selecting deinterlacing modes manually. Does Getgrey have similar tests as I can borrow a copy of that.

Gary

Thanks guys. I will continue to use the pc to play dvds. However, does anyone have any idea why my Zenith 318 locks up with the H79? With my H31, it will play as long as I don't have dvi connected when I power up the dvd player. Once the picture is going, I connect dvi and I'm all set. The H79 locks right away when I connect dvi no matter what.

Yesterday my Optoma Themescene H79 made a loud noise and then it started to sound like an airplane. I guess one of the fans has broken. The PJ works and can be shut down properly, I think the lamp fan is ok so it seems like one of the other fans. Is it possible to exchange one of these fans myself? Otherwise I must send it abroad, to Germany.

Thanks for any tips.

Kinda late reply but I was testing the Tosh HDA1 HD-DVD player with the H79 today, so I have some info. Did you figure out what the sound was?

Ok the Toshiba puts out a PC level video brightness so you'll see no black bars in a pluge pattern in HD DVE when first hitting the DVI button (which is video level brightness). You have to hit resync each time when using the Tosh, then you'll pick up PC level brightness and the black crush will be gone.

Trick is on my machine someone has messed around with the service gamma tables and tuning can now be tiresome almost impossible as every time you hit a advanced RGB color the image shifts back to video brightness levels. Anyway I was set to grayscale tune PC brightness for the need for no black crush. I found only the service DLP-contrast and DLP-brightness will allow grayscale tuning without color shifts back to video level brightness. :)

Here's what I get, you may want to try them.
DLP-brightness or Bias
Red 49
Green 50
Blue 51

DLP-contrast or gains
Red 70
Green 59
Blue 53

User contrast and brightness is
Contrast 4
Brightness 0

Gamma 1
TV mode choice

Final result looks extremely nice, great old machine. Funny the H79 is now considered old. Still a 720p projector to beat.

So you are saying you hit the DVI button and start the HD DVD. Then you hit the DVI button again while the HD DVD is playing to set to PC scale.

These DLP setting are in the service menu? It's been away for me, so could you refresh my memory on the service menu code.

Thanks.

DVI is video level, once the video is on hit the resync button on the remote.

Service, the four buttons in a row on the top of the PJ, looking from the back to the front hit the two left and right buttons at the same time. You DLPcontrast and brightness will all be at 50, so easy to remember.

You'll have to watch it, every time you stop the player to put in a new disc the H79 will revert back to DVI-video level, so remember to re hit the sync button. You can freeze a scene to see the difference. Like a good flesh tones shot will look red in video level, will go brighter in PC level and look more natural. Plus you'll see allot more details in the blacks without the crush.

Did you figure out what the sound was?


Yeah, the color wheel was broken. It was replaced under warranty. Projector is back and working very well. They also did a complete check up on the other mechanical parts of the projector, very nicely done. I will be putting it up for sale soon though, the warranty expires January -08. I will get the new Projectiondesign M25 or the Sim2 D80E to replace it.

Picture-wise, the H79 has been an extremely good performer. Only complaint I have was the first lamp had to be replaced at 1200 hours. New lamp has reached 700 hours, without dimming problems e t c.

I had a color wheel break up on an H56, they better get some stronger super glue

Bummer, seems DLP is a global tuning it filtered over to component which I use for HDTV and messed up the grayscale.

Guitarman,

I've been pretty happy with My H79 (of course your early comments had bearing in my decision) for the last 2.5 years but as I become more critical in my viewing I've been noticing the footprints left behind when bright objects go to black.

This is most noticeable on white credits on dark background, when they change, the area the white occupied now becomes a darker black than the surrounding black.

I'm sure there is a name for this and a cure, please educate me.

Update:
It's and OPPO DVD effect. If I've had the dvd playing but using other sources when I switch back to the OPPO the footprints are there already.

I haven't seen the footprints, but I'll look and see.

A light bulb went off and I figure the numbers I posted for grayscale with the Toshiba HD-DVD player could just be applied to the user advanced RGB's. I tried it and it works, the image looks just as good as before. Just remember to hit the resync button to get to PC-video level. What I see is more saturation and the grayscale balance looks excellent.
Who else is using the Tosh HDa1 with the H79?

I sold my H79 a couple years back but recently came across them at under $1k for refurbs. Anyone still think this is a good deal? Hard to believe I paid over $6k for it. Then again, the Marantz VP12S4 MKII can be had for two grand now. I recall thinking that the H79 held its own against the Pearl I replaced it with. More POP and image sarpness/depth.

same here.. I can't believe you paid over 6 grand for something now you can get for under a grand! Is the VP4001 on par with the H79?

I sold my H79 a couple years back but recently came across them at under $1k for refurbs. Anyone still think this is a good deal? Hard to believe I paid over $6k for it. Then again, the Marantz VP12S4 MKII can be had for two grand now. I recall thinking that the H79 held its own against the Pearl I replaced it with. More POP and image sarpness/depth.

I sold my H79 a couple years back but recently came across them at under $1k for refurbs. Anyone still think this is a good deal? Hard to believe I paid over $6k for it. Then again, the Marantz VP12S4 MKII can be had for two grand now. I recall thinking that the H79 held its own against the Pearl I replaced it with. More POP and image sarpness/depth.


You bet it's a good deal the projectors loaded with very useful features. Optics picture quality are still as awesome as ever. Along comes HD-DVD/Blue Ray and things get even better. Who else is using HD-DVD with their H79, if you tried them how did the grayscale numbers work out?

I'm still using my H79. Hopefully it will last a bit longer. Have been focusing on upgrading other parts of my HT. With a good quality video processor and new HD sources, I'm still getting the most out of the H79. I think the picture looks pretty darn good. And with the recent bulbs that a member had for sale at a great price, I'm set for a while. Yeah, I know that a new 1080P FP would improve things, but I can wait... ;) SJ

Nice economy, I have a few 250watt H79 bulbs to keep going. Darn good is right. :)

hmmm...so I was all set to get the BenQ PE7700 for under $800, but I just saw the refurb h79's and I'm rethinking my decision. Should I jump on the h79? I'm thinking yes. One way or the other, either is an upgrade from my 4805. Sway me quick so I can stop the agonizing with all the late night reasearching. It's killing me.

With $100 Tos A2's, everyone should be running high def dvd's (and upscaled regular ones) on their pj now.

Over the 7700 for sure. I have mine going right now. People worry about keeping it cool it's easy. A small computer fan laid on the intake vent does keep it very cool. Nice simple tweak. You can hunt down 250watt UHP bulbs, just the bulb part for the low $160's. Super DC3 picture for sure. Don't mess up. :)

alright. Think I'm sold. Now to haggle with these guys and see how cheap I can get it for.

Is it easy to replace the bulb in the existing housing? Where can you just get the bulb? A couple different google searches didn't prove fruitful.

me too. it's time to replace the bulb, but how do you do it? i can't find the instructions. does anyone know where to find a howto article?

alright. Think I'm sold. Now to haggle with these guys and see how cheap I can get it for.

Is it easy to replace the bulb in the existing housing? Where can you just get the bulb? A couple different google searches didn't prove fruitful.


Just a couple of screws and use rubber gloves, no finger grease allowed on the bulbs. :)
fleabay has em on and off.

Hey there gang:
Can anyone let me know where is currently the best price place to get a new bulb for my H77? I have a policy to replace the bulb but I also want one on hand in case of failure while waiting for said replacement.
Thanks.

Just a couple of screws and use rubber gloves, no finger grease allowed on the bulbs. :)
fleabay has em on and off.

Yeah, that didn't help much...WHICH screws? The top or bottom?

Check out the manual:

http://marketing.optomausa.com/PDFs/usermanuals/Optoma_H79_Manual.pdf

Check out the manual:

http://marketing.optomausa.com/PDFs/usermanuals/Optoma_H79_Manual.pdf

Thx. Anybody in habit of removing the lamp for blowing out dust etc. regularly?

I just picked up a refurb with full warranty for $980. Think I ended up much better than trying to make the entry mitsu or optoma work for my 12x12 room. Otherwise I would've been going with an LCD for a little bit more. Now I just need to finish redoing the room (drywall sucks) so I can set everything back up with the new pj and A2.

a little buyer's remorse or quandry. I can pick up a new Marantz VP4001 for about $1200. Anyone compare the two? Is it worth $200 more? I hear great things about it. I've got two days to return the H79. Any thoughts?

I fired up an ebay optoma H79. Having read about the heat problems optoma projectors seem to have, I twist tied a 92mm, 48cfm 30db clear fan to the side vent. I plugged the fan directly into the 12v trigger and it is spinning at full speed so the trigger can to provide a full 250ma (otherwise the voltage would drop and the fan would spin more slowly). It continues to work great for two 8 hour sessions. I'll let you know if the trigger dies as some have postulated might happen.

I put a thermocouple 6" inside the bottom exhaust vent and down towards the bulb. Temperatures without the new side fan were 65c (149F). With the new fan turned on, temperatures dropped to 44c (110F). The bottom of the projector was warm but significantly cooler to touch. A 20c drop in temperature is significant. I'll let you know how it lasts.

Does anyone have experience with the new 156 watt replacement lamps that are suppose to be the equivalent of the older 250 watt bulbs? Do they give the same light output? Do produce less heat? How are they lasting?

After 3 years of service my H79 has just exploded. Yes the color wheel is all over the place little bits of colored glass everywhere. Luckily the 3 year warranty is good until March 4th, so I called and got an RMA from Optoma. Optoma said they don’t repair these anymore but send out a referb instead.

It broke just in the nick of time. ;) You get a refurb, wonder if that means you get a new bulb also. Put a mark on your bulb to keep an eye on it.

Well my HD78DC3 is busted again. I am so weary of problems with it, and I can't afford to replace it.

This time I am getting flashing white light in all the lighter areas of the picture. It starts with minor flashing and then gets more and more, until almost the whole screen is flashing white and it quits on bulb fault.

Has anyone else seen this symptom? It takes about a half hour for it to fail. Looks like an overheating component of some sort. Of course I'm out of warranty.

Well my HD78DC3 is busted again. I am so weary of problems with it, and I can't afford to replace it.

This time I am getting flashing white light in all the lighter areas of the picture. It starts with minor flashing and then gets more and more, until almost the whole screen is flashing white and it quits on bulb fault.

Has anyone else seen this symptom? It takes about a half hour for it to fail. Looks like an overheating component of some sort. Of course I'm out of warranty.

Did you try putting a fan on the side vent for cooling? My fan is definitely keeping the whole project reasonably cool.

Hey guitarman how come your links don't work any more? :(

Yes thanks Orion. In fact I am the one who originally developed the workaround of the fan on the exhaust, two years ago. I was hollering that the core problem with these lamp failures was HEAT, but nobody believed me, and so I gave up and went my own way.

There's alot more to this than I've said, but apparently no progress has been made in understanding these projectors during the past year of my absence here. A year ago I developed a lamp upgrade for this projector. It's a new lamp system which is 20% brighter and yet consumes 15% less power so it runs far cooler than the OEM system.

So far 655 hours on my first lamp with no noticable dimming, although I did suspect this white flickering problem may be related to the upgrade. Not so. I've replaced my upgrade driver with a new one, and it did not fix it. So I've been doing some troubleshooting and have narrowed the problem to a differential voltage comparator chip (LM393M) on the projector's thermal board. New chip comes in next week and I'll know whether it fixes it then.

AH! Found my old ID now... (form. Quantum7)

It broke just in the nick of time. ;) You get a refurb, wonder if that means you get a new bulb also. Put a mark on your bulb to keep an eye on it.

I did not send my bulb in with the PJ it was new only had a couple of hundred hours on it. So either they will send me a refreb without a bulb or I also get a new bulb out of the deal.

Does anyone have experience with the new 156 watt replacement lamps that are suppose to be the equivalent of the older 250 watt bulbs? Do they give the same light output? Do produce less heat? How are they lasting?

Any info on this 156 watt lamp? I searched around and found nothing on it.

Any info on this 156 watt lamp? I searched around and found nothing on it.

Where did you hear about it, what's the scoop?

I picked up another H79 yesterday local, it's got 550hrs on it and the light output tuned is 12ft candles, a new H79 could be 15 to 17 ft candles when new. So this one's running pretty sweet. The only fan thing I do is lay a small fan on the inverted projectors intake. I do notice with the extra fan the case around the bulb are is allot cooler. Does it help I don't know, we had Danielo from Europe running tests and someone else and they said it didn't matter fan of no fan. I figure it can't hurt if the PJ's running a little cooler. How do you hook into the trigger input, do they have pins you could use at radio shack.

If you use an outside electrical source I'd pull the fan immediately as you shut the PJ down. You don't want to find you've left the second fan going two hours later after the PJ's been off. After the fast shut off cooling cycle it's best to have the bulb go into a slow long room temperature cool down.

Still have my nearly 3 year old H79. I have my 5th bulb ready to go. And the 4th bulb in use has 300 hours on it.

so far my bulb life has been:

650,507,560

You might want to just put $2 in jar marked "bulb fund" every time you sit down to watch for the evening.

I've been luckier, I think on my first H79 I was past 1,000 and still looking good. I colorfacts tuned some signals with the 79 I got yesterday, when done man what nice picture. I got frustrated with tuning HDMI from a Tosh AX2, forgot at first about the brightness shift from re-sync vs direct DVI. Inadvertently hit the resync while tuning the grays and ended up with some odd red shift. Then I remembered, this time I went into the service menu and used the picture RGB choice. Now the Tosh looks great.

Too bad about HD-DVD I really liked the features/pop up menu's, will miss it. If the studio's only came out with the Bond movies (right Sony) and Lord of the rings I would have enough software to hold me and not even bother with Blue Drag. :)

Additionally: there's a new budget Optoma that I measured out at 52 ft candles because of it's RGBCYM color wheel and brilliant color II, big difference over a new H79. It even beat the HD81LV which was about 42 ft candles which also uses the RGBCYM wheel but has a 3002watt bulb the HD71 has a meak 200watt bulb and got the 52 ft candles.

Any info on this 156 watt lamp? I searched around and found nothing on it.

A number of dealers have this statement by their h79 replacement bulbs.

"Product Description

The brightness of a projector lamp fades over a period of time. To achieve dazzling presentations, nothing beats the bright, clear image that a new lamp is able to produce. Besides, lamp failure is inevitable and the sudden occurrence could spell trouble. If you are a traveling presenter, it is a good idea to always carry a spare lamp for such a possibility. This 156 Watt P-VIP durable Replacement Lamp from Optoma produces excellent, crisp, clear brightness and has been specifically designed to be used with Optoma H78DC3/H79/H77 Projectors."

If you search on 156 Watt P-VIP you will find several listings like that. I wondered what it meant?

How do you hook into the trigger input, do they have pins you could use at radio shack.

Radio Shack has a small 3.5mm plug that fits nicely into the trigger port. The trigger goes off as soon as the projector does. It's been running now for about 35 hours and working great.

I found a nice 90mm clear fan with a speed adjustment so I can control the noise if that's a problem. I just wired in the new plug, twist tied it in place over the side exhaust vent with white vinyl ties and plugged it in.

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=15951&vpn=TRICOOL%2092MM%20DBB&manufacture=ANTEC

The whole projector is pretty cool except right under the light housing which is moderately warm. Given that heat and electronics don't go together I think its always a good idea to keep things on the cooler side.

So far I am having trouble with my Toshiba A2 calibrating it with the H79. I am beginning to think its because the color space for SD and HD are different and I am using the SD version of GetGray. On start up the picture has a green cast to it. As soon as I touch any color control the H79 moves to my calibration settings. Nothing I change in the service menu stops the default green effect. I wonder if that green is caused by using and SD dvd and during its upconversion, there is a translation of color into the wrong color space?

I got the fan hooked up. Try hitting re-sync on the remote just after you've chosen DVI. This puts the PJ into a PC brightness level. The Toshiba's put out a PC level and the onboard darker lighter choices don't work on player. You may find it tricky tuning the advanced RGB's in PC mode because on some PJ's when you hit a RGB color it sends the pj back to video mode. You could make logical guesses on what you need then hit the re-sync again to shoot back to PC mode to take a look. Lets see how good you are? :)

You should see the patience needed to do this with colorfacts, which I did and ended up with and excellent Tosh ax2/HDMI image.

Also I've seen a couple of H7x machines with a green DVI bias, it's fixable but allot easier with colorfacts or you could call an ISF. Push up the red and blue in the advanced gains and bias, leave green as it is, re-do the user brightness & contrast, then further tweak the red and blue if needed.

Also I've seen a couple of H7x machines with a green DVI bias, it's fixable but allot easier with colorfacts or you could call an ISF. Push up the red and blue in the advanced gains and bias, leave green as it is, re-do the user brightness & contrast, then further tweak the red and blue if needed.

Right now I can't turn the red up enough to make proper levels on the 100 IRE. Do I need to turn the green and blue down in that case until the red matches the green at the top? Doing that will also affect the gamma so do I have to turn the brightness green down as well?

A number of dealers have this statement by their h79 replacement bulbs.

"Product Description

The brightness of a projector lamp fades over a period of time. To achieve dazzling presentations, nothing beats the bright, clear image that a new lamp is able to produce. Besides, lamp failure is inevitable and the sudden occurrence could spell trouble. If you are a traveling presenter, it is a good idea to always carry a spare lamp for such a possibility. This 156 Watt P-VIP durable Replacement Lamp from Optoma produces excellent, crisp, clear brightness and has been specifically designed to be used with Optoma H78DC3/H79/H77 Projectors."

If you search on 156 Watt P-VIP you will find several listings like that. I wondered what it meant?

Designed by Optoma? I'll have to ask about that.

Right now I can't turn the red up enough to make proper levels on the 100 IRE. Do I need to turn the green and blue down in that case until the red matches the green at the top? Doing that will also affect the gamma so do I have to turn the brightness green down as well?

When I had my H79, I had to turn R contrast up quite a bit and the R brighntess had to be turned down quite a bit. The G/B were just a few off of 0. Used PICTURE Mode Cinema, Gamma 1, White Peaking 0, Color Temp 2 and Image Mode on TV. SJ

If you're running out of headroom on a color you can use the service menu. Use the Picture choice for DVI and you can use either ADC or Picture for analog sources. Don't ever open or look at the item caller gamma choices.

To get into the service area -
The four buttons in a row on top of the projector, hit the left two and right one at the same time, use the remote to move around. Menu would help bring you out of a choice, exit at the bottom.

I did not send my bulb in with the PJ it was new only had a couple of hundred hours on it. So either they will send me a refreb without a bulb or I also get a new bulb out of the deal.

Update from Optoma today. They no longer have any referbs to sent out on warranty repairs so they are going to try and repair mine but are waiting on a light engine replacement with a new color wheel and said it could be a couple of more weeks before the parts are in. I asked if they can't get the parts what will they do, he did not have a good answer. So much for having a 3 year factory warranty on the H79's.

"I asked if they can't get the parts what will they do, he did not have a good answer. So much for having a 3 year factory warranty on the H79's"

That's an easy one, they'll upgrade you to a 1080p projector most likely.

Well, my H78DC3 is busted for good. Lasted only two years before flashing white in light areas and then bulb fault. So, $4,500 divided by two years is... oh, I don't want to think about it.

They're selling for $400 now; OMG. I am tempted to buy one to cannibalize for parts, but am concerned that it might be throwing good money after bad. I've learned quite a bit about its internal circuitry, but have no tech docs so can't trace the problem to the component. Maybe another PJ would let me board-swap, but what if that one's about to fail too? No confidence in these things.

Well, my H78DC3 is busted for good. Lasted only two years before flashing white in light areas and then bulb fault. So, $4,500 divided by two years is... oh, I don't want to think about it.

They're selling for $400 now; OMG. I am tempted to buy one to cannibalize for parts, but am concerned that it might be throwing good money after bad. I've learned quite a bit about its internal circuitry, but have no tech docs so can't trace the problem to the component. Maybe another PJ would let me board-swap, but what if that one's about to fail too? No confidence in these things.

Many of these had problems with the bulb power supply. I had mine replaced 3 times about just over a year ago for this. The other time was the fan controller and power supply. And now finally the color wheel.

"I asked if they can't get the parts what will they do, he did not have a good answer. So much for having a 3 year factory warranty on the H79's"

That's an easy one, they'll upgrade you to a 1080p projector most likely.

Do they have a 1080p that does not have a huge offset that is one of the reason I did not upgrade to another Optoma. My PJ is ceiling mounted and is inline with the top of the screen.

Lens shift DLP not yet from Optoma but coming. They have about a 30% offset right now. Maybe they can put you in the DC3 HD7300 this way you'll get the scaler and the 7100 has lens shift.

Well, my H78DC3 is busted for good. Lasted only two years before flashing white in light areas and then bulb fault. So, $4,500 divided by two years is... oh, I don't want to think about it.

They're selling for $400 now; OMG. I am tempted to buy one to cannibalize for parts, but am concerned that it might be throwing good money after bad. I've learned quite a bit about its internal circuitry, but have no tech docs so can't trace the problem to the component. Maybe another PJ would let me board-swap, but what if that one's about to fail too? No confidence in these things.

Such a great picture, sorry about the break up. But $400? allot of owners here wouldn't like to see that. I couldn't find it, google says $1200 to $1500, Ebay says $6,300.00 with no completed sales. :)

Here's one (http://cgi.*********/Optoma-H79-Dark-chip-3-DLP-Projector_W0QQitemZ300204182685QQihZ020QQcategoryZ48655QQcmd ZViewItem) that did not sell for $899. And I was offered one for $400 by the seller in a prior failed sale. I offered him $250, but he wanted $400.

Good picture, yes. Crap projector, yes, and I think that's clear to most from its lack of reliability. I should have remembered that buying cheap quality is always more expensive than buying good.

I don't know there sure is a ton of H79s and H77's rolling along just fine. I saw over 100 H77's at my house and all of them were great, though the H79 is a good step up. The link was my H79, it has 560hrs and only lost 20% of the light output. See they're not all bad.
Better luck, pray it doesn't happen with a $12,000 Seleco or Marantz, it could though.
Again best of luck.

I've been enjoying my H79 ever since a few months after it was available, I'm on my 3rd bulb and all has been fine. Tonight I was 3/4 of the way through a movie and there was a flash on the screen and a horrible loud noise that sounds like one of the fans just went ballistic. It was still projecting a normal image but I shut ot down right away, waited a few minutes, turned it on again and the loud noise comes back again. I read a few pages earlier that a fellow had what sounded similar and it ended up being a color wheel problem.

If that is so, wouldn't the picture be affected? And if not and it is a color wheel, is this something Optoma can still fix this late in the product's lifespan?

I live a few miles from Optoma in the bay area so if it still acts up I'll drop it off tomorrow, but just thought I'd ask in case this is something that was a common problem and someone might be able to clue me in on what I might be in for.

I've been enjoying my H79 ever since a few months after it was available, I'm on my 3rd bulb and all has been fine. Tonight I was 3/4 of the way through a movie and there was a flash on the screen and a horrible loud noise that sounds like one of the fans just went ballistic. It was still projecting a normal image but I shut ot down right away, waited a few minutes, turned it on again and the loud noise comes back again. I read a few pages earlier that a fellow had what sounded similar and it ended up being a color wheel problem.

If that is so, wouldn't the picture be affected? And if not and it is a color wheel, is this something Optoma can still fix this late in the product's lifespan?

I live a few miles from Optoma in the bay area so if it still acts up I'll drop it off tomorrow, but just thought I'd ask in case this is something that was a common problem and someone might be able to clue me in on what I might be in for.

That's exactly what happened to mine. The color wheel needed to be replaced. Luckily I still had a month warranty left.

Hi There,
Don't know if anyone can help me?!

I recently bought a used H79 and it is as great PJ but I am having a bit of trouble with the color balance. I used Tom's settings at the very start of this thread which gives really great grayscale. However I find the image a touch lacking in color overall and a bit too green as well. I wonder how I can go about correcting this a bit without messing up the grayscale. I don't own any sensing equipment unfortuately just yet!

Any help would be really appreciated,
Colin

Buy the cheapest Colorvision software package you can find that includes the sensor and then use the free HFCR software to calibrate. This is not as good as a professional calibration, but good enough for most people. Lots of good information in the Display Calibration Forum here.

Hi There,
Don't know if anyone can help me?!

I recently bought a used H79 and it is as great PJ but I am having a bit of trouble with the color balance. I used Tom's settings at the very start of this thread which gives really great grayscale. However I find the image a touch lacking in color overall and a bit too green as well. I wonder how I can go about correcting this a bit without messing up the grayscale. I don't own any sensing equipment unfortuately just yet!

Any help would be really appreciated,
Colin

Buy the cheapest Colorvision software package you can find that includes the sensor and then use the free HFCR software to calibrate. This is not as good as a professional calibration, but good enough for most people. Lots of good information in the Display Calibration Forum here.

Hi Mike,
Many thanks for that info. The Colorvision spyder look like a good buy. I also heard you can use something called "displaymate", without the need for a sensor?! Do you know anything about this?

I will check out the display calibration forum like you suggested.
Cheers again

Buy the cheapest Colorvision software package you can find that includes the sensor and then use the free HFCR software to calibrate. This is not as good as a professional calibration, but good enough for most people. Lots of good information in the Display Calibration Forum here.

Hi again Mike,
I had a look at the Display calibration forum just to see if there were any settings for the H79 I could use for a quick fix for my green tinge issue but couldn't find much.

I'm going to look into getting a Colorvision Spyder very soon.

In the meantime I was just wondering if you or anyone knows what the Red Green and Blue figures in the "DLP Contrast" and "DLP Brightness" setting of the Service Menu should be set to as my figures have more red in those settings than green and Blue.

I have been using Guitarmans settings (at the start of the thread), - which gives fantasitc greyscale but I was getting a green tinge with the DVI input. He listed ADC and PICTURE settings for the Service Menu but didn't mention anything about the DLP CONTRAST and DLP BRIGHTNESS settings. If someone could maybe have a look at their H79 service menu and tell me what they have for those figures it would be much appreciated,

All the best,
Colin

My 1st lamp went down after about 7-8months. My 2nd after about 4-5 months (thought the extra lumens were "cool" when I went to brite mode a couple weeks ago). Now I'm shopping for another bulb.

Does anyone have a link to the "fan mod" (I have mine ceiling mounted)?

Does anyone else have vertical lines that disappear from the screen after about 30min (I guess this could also be my DISH HDVR)?

Any help appreciated - I'm off to bulb-hunt!:rolleyes:

I was getting a green tinge with the DVI input.

You have to push the resync button after switching to DVI.

Any help appreciated - I'm off to bulb-hunt!:rolleyes:

Let me know if you find it cheaper than Provantage.com

Bought my last 4 bulbs there. 650,560,507 hours on the first 3.

Hi Mike,
Many thanks for that info. The Colorvision spyder look like a good buy. I also heard you can use something called "displaymate", without the need for a sensor?! Do you know anything about this?

I will check out the display calibration forum like you suggested.
Cheers again

DisplayMate is a PC based pattern generator just like using a calibration DVD. We have a free HTPC pattern generator over at www.SpectraCal.com

Let me know if you find it cheaper than Provantage.com

Bought my last 4 bulbs there. 650,560,507 hours on the first 3.

With or without high altitude mode and/or a fan modification?

sea level, factory stock.

PHILIPS UHP 250W 1.35

TOP 222

TEST BULBS FOR RMA UNITS. MAXIMUM OF 2 HOURS USE PER BULB.

GUARENTEED NOT TO BE DOA

on Ebay for $75

Has anyone tried these????

That's exactly what happened to mine. The color wheel needed to be replaced. Luckily I still had a month warranty left.

As it turned out it was indeed a color wheel engine. Total cost for repair with tax was to be about $950 since my H79 was about 16 days out of warranty. I was starting to think about alternatives to the projector if i was going to have to spend $1k, but after a talk with a nice guy at Optoma they decided they would do the repair under warranty. Pretty fargen cool if ya ask me! :D

However, as great as that is, my bulb was determined to be dim and I just bought it last August. I have very few hours on it since I'm touring half the year so it's kind of a drag to have to spend the $400 so often. Oh well, I guess I can't expect them to comp me everything. :rolleyes:

Hey Guitar-dude (or anyone else here that's seen both), how do you compare the HD80 to the H79? I was thinking about picking one up before the nice fellow at Optoma stepped up to help me out. I'd still be interested if it was at least as nice looking. And if so does it also have the premature bulb dimming prob?

Cheers,
-Dave

[QUOTE=sotagear;13412092]As it turned out it was indeed a color wheel engine. Total cost for repair with tax was to be about $950 since my H79 was about 16 days out of warranty. I was starting to think about alternatives to the projector if i was going to have to spend $1k, but after a talk with a nice guy at Optoma they decided they would do the repair under warranty. Pretty fargen cool if ya ask me! :D

No i,ve had not the chance to compare this beautty to a h80.

I can compare it however to a Sony crt g70(both in da house)

This thing is in a leak of its own,it is not a crt killer,

but comes close enough to throw any forthcoming bulb to it!

Greetings : Coen.

PHILIPS UHP 250W 1.35

TOP 222

TEST BULBS FOR RMA UNITS. MAXIMUM OF 2 HOURS USE PER BULB.

GUARENTEED NOT TO BE DOA

on Ebay for $75

Has anyone tried these????


I too have an H77. I bought two and have installed/tested one. While i don't have any equipment to test the actual brightness of the bulb, I was definitely satisfied with the brightness. For the price, I think it's a must buy. Let me know if you have any more questions.

Hi
I have had an Optoma H79 for about 3 years now and I am wondering if anyone has the electrical drawings for them I can purchase. I would like to get a better understanding why it eats bulbs? Also when my bulbs fail the start up screen looks GREAT and even the first few seconds of the video look fine but then it shuts down it that what everyones does when the bulb fails? I am guessing it is so sort of current limiting and if that is true there must be a mod that can be made to continue operation.

Thanks
Randy

lewke,

So if I purchase one of these Philips used test bulbs off ebay, will I be able to easily install it using my current H79's bulb housing? According to the picture on ebay, it looks like all you get is the bulb itself. These seem like a great deal, and perhaps I should pick up more than one.

Thanks,
Adrian

Randy, we can't get the prints because they are proprietary to Coretronic, the company that actually designs and builds the electronics for these projectors.

The cause of most lamp failures is way too much internal heat, due to the older lamp technology they used, and the poor heat-flow designed-in.

No, your failure is not typical. Most people's lamps go out by dimming and dimming, until the image is hard to watch. Yours is some other fault. Assuming you're getting the Lamp Fault light, chances are the lamp is still the problem.

Thanks for the info, I had 2 bulbs go out at about 500 hours each. Both of them start up screen looks GREAT and even the first few seconds of the video look fine but then it shuts down. I was sure it was the projector so I set it back to Optoma but they set it back saying it was a bulb. I still could not beleive that it could look so good and say bulb fault so I bought a refirb from Digital Plaza on 11/26/07 (came with a 6 month optoma warranty) and it was said to have a new bulb well last night it started doing the same thing. I am an electronics engineer by education so it is difficult for me to beleive a company would sell something that the customer would have to pay $400 every few months to keep going. The problem must be in a current sensor has anyone tried a lower wattage bulb? Is there any other bulbs that might work at a lower cost?

Thanks for you help
Randy

jedi35,
I just purchased one myself, that was a quote from someone who has an H77. But yeah, its just the bulb, you have to reuse your old housing, I think its just like 4 screws or so.

OK, I'm going to try a couple of these, since they are so cheap. I'll report back on what I think.

Hi
I have had an Optoma H79 for about 3 years now and I am wondering if anyone has the electrical drawings for them I can purchase. I would like to get a better understanding why it eats bulbs? Also when my bulbs fail the start up screen looks GREAT and even the first few seconds of the video look fine but then it shuts down it that what everyones does when the bulb fails? I am guessing it is so sort of current limiting and if that is true there must be a mod that can be made to continue operation.

Thanks
Randy

Maybe there's a internal counter invovled, reset the entire machine in the service menu. Note your tuning numbers first.

With my PJ ceiling mounted I found it easy to install a fan on one side of the intake filter. The projector would feel much cooler to the touch, I hooked it up to the trigger right on the PJ. I guess it couldn't hurt and might make you feel more secure. There' hasn't been a ton of feedback on users adding the fans and finding their bulb stays bright much longer. If anybody has some input post it?

I plan to add the fan and thanks for the advice. I have a new lamp on the way but I also purchased 1 of the eblay lamps to try at this rate I will be broke real soon.

Is the H79 the only projector eating lamps? I am thinking of upgrading to a full HD any suggestions?

thanks
Randy

No lamps vary on age on many brands of projectors LCD and DLP. The first H79 I had was at 900hrs and still worked good, though I went to using bright mode because I preferred the image a little brighter.

I have taken one of my H79s apart and it appears I can fit a nice quiet 31 CFM fan into the heat discharge tunnel. if I seal it up it seems to pull a nice draft through the lamp area. Any comments? Any other ideas that my extend the lamp life?

Thanks
Randy

Sounds like a good idea, see how much cooler the PJ feels it has to be a good thing. One item though you want the bulb to cool down slow on turn off so the basic fans doing this job is best.

I am thinking of upgrading to a full HD any suggestions?

Randy

Do it. The H79 was quite good for its time, but imaging quality of current units have taken huge strides in the last three years.

If you by any chance had an NEC HT1000 and moved to the Optoma H79, you saw a leap in imaging quality. Moving from the H79 to the JVC RS2 gives an even larger increment. The improvement over a H79 (even with a depixelation lens) is ASTONISHING and worth the cost if you can swing it.

OK, I'm going to try a couple of these, since they are so cheap. I'll report back on what I think.

Any update? Coming out of a machine that is DOA is somewhat concerning.

Yes I received mine yesterday and so far so good. However it appear that all have been sold now.

Good Luck
Randy

OK, I installed both of my new ebay bulbs yesterday, and both are fine, thank goodness. It was a bit of a pain working with some of those tiny screws and metal flaps in my bulb plastic housing, but I figured out a couple of tricks that made the second bulb installation go easier. By the time I decided that I needed to grab a couple more of these, they were sold out. Bummer, this was a great deal!! Funny thing, my bulb that went bad doesn't show any signs of stress or that it's dead. I got about 900 hours out of it. I guess bulb failure is something that you can't always see by looking at the bulb itself.

Adrian

I wish I got anything close to 900 hours my 1st was 560 my second went at 490 and my 3rd at 385. I am starting to look for a new HD pj and reported lamp life will be a BIG issue so anyone with comments will be appreciated.

Thanks

Guy suggested a great one, JVC RS2 = deep pockets special :) Lets hope their bulbs don't go dim at 900hrs. There's a good possibility they can.

Did you hook up the extra fan? If you use the trigger it will shut that fan off on cool down so you're ok. Like I said you just want the projectors stock fan to cool things down on shut down.

I never did modify my H79's airflow system. It ran in tabletop position for the last three years. Averaged about 2500 hours/year. Bulb life was definitely longer than the super short ones reported here. Typically, a bulb would be run in low mode until 600 hours at which point it grew too dim. The remaining time in high mode let the bulb finish its life at around 1,000 to 1,200 hours total.

The only problem that the machine developed at the end is what appears to be a color wheel problem.

The step up to the RS2 is not cheap, but now a digital projector gives the image depth illusion of CRT even in difficult dusk and night scenes, while still giving digital ease of setup and full HD resolution. I'm using Genie lifts just for removing CRT's.

The H79 has provided an enjoyable image over the years, but I'd stay away from head to head comparisons against newer machines. That IS the secret to being happy with your home theater. Don't go comparing against other people's setups until you are in a position to upgrade.

Yes I installed a good size but fairly quiet fan into the air duct system. The heat discharge is massive and I am using the trigger to turn it on and off. It is a little more difficult because I used an AC powered fan but it works great I am doing my second H79 now and all is going well.

Thanks for the information
Randy

My H79 is ceiling mounted and everything is stock, with no extra fans. I guess I should be happy that I got 900 hours in economy mode, right? With the help of a buddy, we got the pj back up on the ceiling, and I'm enjoying a nice, bright colorful image again for the first time in months. We'll see how long this lasts.

Adrian

I wish I got anything close to 900 hours my 1st was 560 my second went at 490 and my 3rd at 385. I am starting to look for a new HD pj and reported lamp life will be a BIG issue so anyone with comments will be appreciated.

Thanks

Randy I got 650, 507 and 560 or very similar results to yours. I'm wondering if your projector is inverted ceiling mounted and subject to a little floor bounce from above. Mine is and I'm curious about the longer life reported for the table mount results. The vibration and inversion may be significant factors.

I also believe that Guitarman's set up is a wall/shelf mounted rack in the back of the room.

Yes you are correct, my projector is ceiling mounted and since heat rises it would be warmer up there and I like a BIG sound so I am sure it gets hit hard. I do use it every day so it does get a work out.

Thanks
Randy

"Typically, a bulb would be run in low mode until 600 hours at which point it grew too dim. The remaining time in high mode let the bulb finish its life at around 1,000 to 1,200 hours total."

That's about what I found also, not that the PJ stopped working at 1200 hours just it was time to get the brightest picture back. The trick of scrounging up just the bulb part for under $100 is a huge benefit these days.

Oops, I just caught a typo. I meant to say that my pj is ceiling mounted with no extra fans. I edited my post, and the pj is fairly close to the ceiling, which means that it is inverted, as you know.

Does anyone know if this guy is going to have more of these bare bulbs on ebay? I tried to contact him with a question but got no response.

Adrian

I just noticed the bulbs are back on Ebay

Good Luck

I bought one of those replacement bulbs on ebay, the first was DOA, the second arrived today. It works but it's dimmer than the bulb I wanted to replace with it. I even pulled out my Nikon D50, put in manual mode and shot pictures of the same 2 scenes with both bulbs to be sure my eyes weren't playing tricks on me. Yup, the new bulb is a whole stop dimmer than my old bulb that has over 600 hrs on it. I email him back to let him know about this and I'll see if he responds.

Bummer.
http://www.meniketti.com/images/Old_Bulb.jpg
Old Bulb

http://www.meniketti.com/images/ebay_Bulb.jpg
New ebay bulb

Update 4/26/08: The ebay bulb guy sent me another replacement bulb that works perfectly. He said there were only 2 cases out of 100 bulbs sold that the new bulb was dimmer than the bulb being replaced. So I guess I just had some bad luck on what I received. The willingness of this fellow to make things right is a plus to placing an order with him. Recommended.

Has anyone heard back from Optoma service lately? I've been trying to get an RMA from them for over a month, but no one answers e-mails (tried three different accounts). Is Optoma going OOB?

It's best to call the tech area for the RMA.
408-383-3700

I'm looking to buy an H79, any condition.

I'm looking to buy an H79, any condition.

Does anybody know :

Will these lenses work with this allready outstanding projector :

68.0-75.5mm= IMX914VT

75.5-93.0mm=IMX913VT

I have seen the new Epsons(no offense) even without pixelmagig lenses they do NOT come close.

Well imo good luck with your lsd fluid crystalssss

After 3.8 years my bulb on my h78dc3 is shutting down a couple of minutes after the start (600 hours). It looks like I need a new bulb. I have read various threads on cheap alternatives. Can someone steer me into the right direction to not pay $400 for a new bulb. Many many thanks!!!!!!!

http://www.provantage.com/optoma-sp-l3701-001~7OPTO04L.htm

Hmm.. is this a bulb issue? I have been running in high lamp mode for the last 350 hours. When I turn the pj on in high lamp mode it shuts off and the red bulb light is on after 2 minutes or less. I was able to switch to low lamp mode and now the PJ doesn't fail?!?!?!?. If I switch back to high lamp mode the PJ will turn off with the red lamp light on. No temp light or over heating in an air conditioned room. Is this a lamp issue or worse?

After 3.8 years my bulb on my h78dc3 is shutting down a couple of minutes after the start (600 hours). It looks like I need a new bulb. I have read various threads on cheap alternatives. Can someone steer me into the right direction to not pay $400 for a new bulb. Many many thanks!!!!!!!

Punch in Phillips 250 watt UHP Lamp Bulb on Ebay, look for under $200. The member shuting down should snap up a back up at least to test and probably use.

Heat, bumping, Turning back on too fast are items to shorten bulb life. Put a computer fan up there on the intake filter area to push more cooL air through.

My H79 focus controls do not seem to work. Pressing either the panel or remote brings up the focus icon, however, the adjustment controls do not work. I don't doubt operator error. Could I have "locked out" the controls? Can the electronic focus be bypassed internally? Thanks.

How about the zoom? There's no bypass they should work all the time. You might try a full factory reset in the service menu. You could open up the machine and take a look maybe a wire came off. You might be able to shift the lens focus from inside. Then when it's set reinstall the cover. You'll have to disable the bulb door trigger switch, you could use a Q tip for that. The PJ won't come on with the cover off because of the trigger. If you need help getting the cover off lmk.

Thanks, I'll keep you posted.

I have a problem with my projector (ThemeScene H79). It begins to occur some days ago. The projector puts out just ten minutes after putting it on; then, the red led of the bulb's indicator comes to light, while the cooler's blue led blinks. I don't know if the problem comes from the bulb, or if, on the contrary, it is a failure of the projector, which I should send to SAT to have it repared.

The bulb has 700 hours in eco mode. Some days ago, I have realized that the projector has lost brilliance.

Best regards

I have a problem with my projector (ThemeScene H79). It begins to occur some days ago. The projector puts out just ten minutes after putting it on; then, the red led of the bulb's indicator comes to light, while the cooler's blue led blinks. I don't know if the problem comes from the bulb, or if, on the contrary, it is a failure of the projector, which I should send to SAT to have it repared.

The bulb has 700 hours in eco mode. Some days ago, I have realized that the projector has lost brilliance.

Best regards

Your PJ is saying there is a bulb issue and then shutting down. This is starting to happen to me as well. I'll pick up a new bulb soon and let you know. Im around 550-600 hours and that sounds like the "average" life of these bulbs. I would just pick up a new PJ in this price range, but then I would be forced to buy a scaler for my 2.35:1 setup.

Sounds like the bulb.

I had this problem (or one very similar to it) 10 times - you read that right - 10 times! Four different projector exchanges from Optoma later and many more bulb exchanges and it was never resolved. Optoma just kept sending me bad projectors and bad bulbs until the warranty nearly ran out. Then they told me it was just a bad lamp and sent it back. Sorry, Charly, it's your problem now.

Pardon me if I'm a little bitter about a $5,000 projector. Don't get me wrong. I loved it when it worked and probably would still be running it today as my main projector. It looked great. It just never worked for more than about 3 or 4 months at a time.

The latest new lamp, BTW, lasted about 200 hours before the red LED started blinking at me in a pattern I know so well. Meanwhile, my main projector has been a Sharp 20000 for the last couple of years. Not a moment's trouble with it, nor the Sharp 9000 I owned a few years before. Guess which projector manufacturer is on my list of "will never buy from this company again"?

Sorry, guys, to post such a truly negative story, but if someone is reading this thread in an attempt to figure out if they should buy a used H79, my experience says look somewhere else. And if you have a lamp issue with the H79, you might have to face the possibility that it won't ever be resolved to your satisfaction.

Thanks to all for the answers.
I will request a new bulb.

no bulbs on ebay!!! Help.. Does anybody know where I can just get the BULB? I saw it one place for $300, but was hoping for under $200.....

???

I have changed the bulb and solved the problem.
The bulb has cost me 260 €

anyone upgrade or have a H79 with a dead bulb, they like to get rid of cheap, looking to upgrade my H77 to H79 on a budget.

^ lewke, you have a pm