I just got my SP5000 today,

Gamma is set to Film, and Colour Temp is on Low, everything else default, and when I view anything interlaced it is fine. But whenver I change to progressive scan, I get extremely washed out and smudged images, any idea what is causing this?

my settings:

Set gamma = Presentation (best by far)

color temp = high

Contrast = 52

brightness = 36 for DVD, upconverted to 1080i (Zenith DVB318, component)

brightness = 44 for HD (Dish Network 811 via component & HD from HTPC via RGB)

YMMV

It's been asked a few times but not answered, so I'll repeat it: what size ND filter does this projector take? Thanks in advance.

I just placed an order for one and plan on pairing it with an outboard video processor. Bypassing that shortcoming, I expect great things from this projector. It will replace a 4805; I am not happy with it when ambient light enters the room. More often than not, I have some ambient light.

I need to know what size lens the SP5000 has also. I have read all the threads on the SP5000 and went to the InFocus web site but can't find the answer.

Anyone know?

I need to know what size lens the SP5000 has also. I have read all the threads on the SP5000 and went to the InFocus web site but can't find the answer.

Anyone know?


ND filters are really not for such 3 chip projectors. The RGB are already being created with filters. Not to say you should not try one, but I would not expect good results with it.

hey guys, i was considering the infocus onsite offer ($1000 refurbSP5000+76" screen) or going to costco ($1050+tax). i know costco is good on returns, but im not sure its worth the extra $100+. (i can sell the infocus screen)

-paul

I don't know what size the SP5000 would take for an ND2 filter... However, it is not recommended for setups with ambient light. If you have embient light, you would need to take the lens off and then put it back on again when in total darkness. The lens cuts light output by about 25%-50% hence, why the black level is improved.

My projector the Sharp Xr-10X (2,000 lumen projector) does take a 62mm ND2 filter; the same size as the Infocus X1, X2, X3 projectors. I know that since I took my filter off my Infocus X1 and attached it to the Sharp Xr-10X.

I would recommend getting a clear non-glare filter just to protect the lens from any accidents/scratching etc.. It is a lot easier to replace the <$30 filter, then living with a projector lens that is scratched etc...

The refurb is under $900.. The deal you quoted is for new. It is officially against forum policy to post pricing besides MSRP.


I think you get some lattitude by saying below $XXX as your not posting exact price. Just to keep in mind for future posts here is all.

I'm new to HT and projectors. I have been reading on this forum for two months and I have been trying to decide what to get. I bought the SP5000 from my local Costco and brought it home with low expectations. I was amazed when I hooked it up.......the only projector I have seen is the SP7200 which is way more $. I have the picture displaying on my wall right now and will decided on an image in the 120-150" dia range.

My question is that is says the resouliton is 480P. I thought this was a 720P projector? I know that 720P is a higher resolution than the 480P, but how do I get this to display 720P? Also what is 1080I?

I'm new to HT and projectors. I have been reading on this forum for two months and I have been trying to decide what to get. I bought the SP5000 from my local Costco and brought it home with low expectations. I was amazed when I hooked it up.......the only projector I have seen is the SP7200 which is way more $. I have the picture displaying on my wall right now and will decided on an image in the 120-150" dia range.

My question is that is says the resouliton is 480P. I thought this was a 720P projector? I know that 720P is a higher resolution than the 480P, but how do I get this to display 720P? Also what is 1080I?

I don't own this projector, but I'm guessing that it's reporting the scanrate of your input signal, not what the projector is sending out. According to the user guide on the InFocus website, the 'About' menu does just that. You'll have to connect an upconverting DVD player or hi-def STB to see anything else. The projector can't display 1080i, so even if you feed it a 1080i source, it'll just rescale it to 720p.

ND filters are really not for such 3 chip projectors. The RGB are already being created with filters.This complete and utter nonsense!!

Where do you guys get this stuff!!??

The SP5000 will take a 72mm NDx filter.

"Hollywood" (SMPTE) standards state that the brightness of a screen image should be 16fL (with 'no film in the gate'). This translates to roughly 12fL in a video projector.

The SP5000 is a very bright projector. On a 'typical' 92" screen with 1.0 gain, the image brightness would be 44fL.

This is about four times the desired brightness and can lead to viewer fatigue and headaches. Using an appropriate filter, the brightness can be reduced to desired levels. Using a neutral density filter has the added advantage of improving black levels and reducing screen door effect.

A user intending to try and improve their image using such a filter would be well advised to know what the brighttness level of their image is. Infocus provides a screen calculator (http://www.infocus.com/service/sp5000/downloads/ScreenPlay%205000%20calculator%20with%20screen%20brightness. xls) on their website for this purpose. The user must know the gain of their screen to use the calculator properly.

Once the correct data is in hand, the user can select an appropriate NDx filter to suit their circumstances. Any photo shop can advise which ND filter to use once the user knows his existing and desired image brightness levels.

This complete and utter nonsense!!

Where do you guys get this stuff!!??

The SP5000 will take a 72mm NDx filter.

"Hollywood" (SMPTE) standards state that the brightness of a screen image should be 16fL (with 'no film in the gate'). This translates to roughly 12fL in a video projector.

The SP5000 is a very bright projector. On a 'typical' 92" screen with 1.0 gain, the image brightness would be 44fL.

This is about four times the desired brightness and can lead to viewer fatigue and headaches. Using an appropriate filter, the brightness can be reduced to desired levels. Using a neutral density filter has the added advantage of improving black levels and reducing screen door effect.

A user intending to try and improve their image using such a filter would be well advised to know what the brighttness level of their image is. Infocus provides a screen calculator (http://www.infocus.com/service/sp5000/downloads/ScreenPlay%205000%20calculator%20with%20screen%20brightness. xls) on their website for this purpose. The user must know the gain of their screen to use the calculator properly.

Once the correct data is in hand, the user can select an appropriate NDx filter to suit their circumstances. Any photo shop can advise which ND filter to use once the user knows his existing and desired image brightness levels.



I got it from two sources and stated where I got it.
I did answer the question correctly at 72mm. I was looking into it before purchase.


Infocus emailed me directly stating this, and a local retailer also told me the same thing when I asked about the ND2 filter being used with the SP5000 and the Z3.


They never said not to do it, just said it was reccomended against on such projectors. I sort of took it on faith being it came from two different respected sources. I'm not so sure it is nonsense, you don't want to many filters in an optical path, it can start hurting the image quality, because the wavefront error is the sum of all glass in the optical path. I didn't order the filter, I like the projector very much without it. No headaches, the misses said it fatigued her much less than our previous crt based display.

I got it from two sources and stated where I got it.
I did answer the question correctly at 72mm.Well, either you or I are on drugs because you neither mentioned 72mm nor provided any references. I quote your posted response here:ND filters are really not for such 3 chip projectors. The RGB are already being created with filters. Not to say you should not try one, but I would not expect good results with it.

Sorry about that... It was in a different cross thread where I mentioned it. My confusion. I obviously need some drugs or at least better drugs. I didn't realize this was mentione din two different threads until your post above this one of mine.



http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=630584



But I had inquired about ND2 filters before purchase and that is what Infocus emailed me back about it, and then a local retailer said the same thing about the Z3 when I asked about it.

Does anyone here have a problem with SDE? Im projecting a 106" image onto a grey screen that I bought from Infocus and Im seeing SDE at a vewing distance of 14'. I have even tried reducing the picture size down to about 60" and not only do I still see SDE, as I make the screen size smaller I begin to see VB. Maybe Im extremely sensitive to this but is there anyway to try and reduce SDE?

is there anyway to try and reduce SDE?See message #260 above.

Anybody know a good place to get one of these filters?

Anybody know a good place to get one of these filters?Try Froogle (http://froogle.google.com/froogle?ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&q=hoya+nd2+72mm&lmode=online&scoring=p).

Most people use ND2 but depending on your image brightness, an ND4 might be appropriate. ND2 provides 1 stop decrease in light, and ND4 provides a 2 stop decrease in light.

Is there a way to decrease the brightness temporarily w/out using an ND filter?

I'm new to HT and projectors. I have been reading on this forum for two months and I have been trying to decide what to get. I bought the SP5000 from my local Costco and brought it home with low expectations. I was amazed when I hooked it up.......the only projector I have seen is the SP7200 which is way more $. I have the picture displaying on my wall right now and will decided on an image in the 120-150" dia range.

My question is that is says the resouliton is 480P. I thought this was a 720P projector? I know that 720P is a higher resolution than the 480P, but how do I get this to display 720P? Also what is 1080I?


Where do u look to see what resolution is being displayed?

Where do u look to see what resolution is being displayed?

It displays the source resolution in the lower left corner for a couple of seconds when a source is locked.

The projector is ALWAYS displaying a 1280x720 resolution regardless of what source resolution is displayed. if it says 1920x1080i, that means the souce is 1920x1080i and the projector then scales it to 1280x720p. Same for 740x480p, the projector scales it to 1280x720p.

Anybody have much experience using these two together?
I currently have the 4805 and am wondering if it is worth the upgrade. I use the projector probably 80% for gaming, 10 for dvd and 10 for HDTV.
The few posts I could find were conflicting regarding how well the 5000 would be for gaming. Plus they weren't using a 360 which is a true hd system which I would think would make it a better match for the 5000.
Any help would be appreciated. At these prices the 5000 is really tempting.

Can anyone tell me what will happen if I try to play my old exbox (480p) on this projector? Will it look really crappy or are there settings to change when doing this. Which projector will do native 480 better, the 5000 or the 4805?

Just so you know the SP5000 is a native 720p projector, which means that it can't do 480p even if you prefer the 480p. So if you want a projector that can do 480p better between the 4805 and 5000, your solution would be 4805 (5000 cannot do 480p).

Just so you know the SP5000 is a native 720p projector, which means that it can't do 480p even if you prefer the 480p. So if you want a projector that can do 480p better between the 4805 and 5000, your solution would be 4805 (5000 cannot do 480p).

From the infocus specification:

Video Compatibility: Full NTSC, PAL, SECAM, 480i, 480p, 576i, 576p, 720p, 1080i

So 480P would seem to be fine on this pj.

yes, thank you for clarifying that stickboy2k..I know it is compatible with 480p, but what I meant was that the SP5000 cannot display signal at 480p, everything is displayed at the projector's native resolution @ 720p. His question was which projector display 480p better, so the answer is the 4805, because 5000 cannot display at 480p at all.

yes, thank you for clarifying that stickboy2k..I know it is compatible with 480p, but what I meant was that the SP5000 cannot display signal at 480p, everything is displayed at the projector's native resolution @ 720p. His question was which projector display 480p better, so the answer is the 4805, because 5000 cannot display at 480p at all.


So what will it do when presented with a 480P signal?

The SP5000 will upconvert it to its native resolution at 720p. For example, if you are watching standard definition DVD, the SP5000 will show it at 720p. If you are watching HDTV w/ 1080i signal, it will still do the same and convert and show it at 720p. Same concept with the 4805, regardless of what signal is input, it will only show everything at 480p.

The SP5000 will upconvert it to its native resolution at 720p. For example, if you are watching standard definition DVD, the SP5000 will show it at 720p. If you are watching HDTV w/ 1080i signal, it will still do the same and convert and show it at 720p. Same concept with the 4805, regardless of what signal is input, it will only show everything at 480p.


So when the 5000 upconverts it you are at the mercy of the scaler, right?
Are you saying all 480P content will look worse than a native 480P signal?
I know the x1 is great at scaling, is the 5000 good also?

I am really just starting to research this for xbox 360 gaming 720P. I already have an x1 for movies. Running 480P.

not quite sure what you are getting at...basically it really depends on what type of media you will be watching the most. Based on the coming of HD DVDs, xbox 360, PS3 and increasing HDTV channels, it really doesn't make much sense to get a 480p display or projector. I'd get something that is 720p native (1080p would be even better, but way too expensive for me) considering that there will be more and more HD stuff within the end of the year.

Right, My question was, would a 5000 scale a 480P signal at decent quality for movies/original xbox games.

For ME, I don't care. The X1 is PERFECT for DVDs, the 5000 *seems* perfect for the 360.

1080P is out of my range also, unless I go LCD Sceptre 37" Panel, But I think a Pj is a better investment.

All digital TVs and projectors will scale everythings to the native resolution. If you are happy with the X1 and don't care about 720P, stick with the X1.

For 480p content, the 4805 will have a better image quality than the SP5000. Unless you want to watch 720p content (like the Xbox 360), the 4805 will produce a better picture.

Here's what I do with DVDs on my two-week-old 5000. (I invite your suggestions.)

Yes, 480p DVDs upconverted by the 5000 to 720p look horrible. In the 5000's picture menu, I set Aspect Ratio to Native, so that a smaller 480p image is projected. Then I increase the throw distance so that the image fills more of the screen. This looks much better than either the upconvert or any fiddling with the zoom.

Two obvious drawbacks: some light overshoots the screen where it should be black, but with a dark background behind the screen, I can deal with this. Also, the PJ has to be portable.

Here's what I do with DVDs on my two-week-old 5000. (I invite your suggestions.)

Yes, 480p DVDs upconverted by the 5000 to 720p look horrible. In the 5000's picture menu, I set Aspect Ratio to Native, so that a smaller 480p image is projected. Then I increase the throw distance so that the image fills more of the screen. This looks much better than either the upconvert or any fiddling with the zoom.

Two obvious drawbacks: some light overshoots the screen where it should be black, but with a dark background behind the screen, I can deal with this. Also, the PJ has to be portable.

Well, there's too much trouble doing that. Just get a better DVD player that can upconvert. I played DVD through my HTPC, running ZP/ffdshow and it looks awesome.

Anybody here have any experience using a SP5000 with an XBOX 360? I am concerned (a bit) about the black levels and motion blur.
Any help will be GREATLY appreciated.

As for this discussion, I am VERY happy having the X1 for 480P it is terrific.

This projector will be soley for the 360. :)

I bought an SP5000 for my 360 about a month ago.

It did an alright job and I didn't notice any motion problems, but I just couldn't get past the poor contrast and terrible vertical banding my unit had. The black levels were poor but passable. I didn't attempt any games with predominantly dark scenes (a la Doom3), do I don't know how it would do with those games...but I imagine it would not be very good.

I don't think it is a bad projector and I don't think the VB can be this painfully bad in every unit, but overall, I just found the picture lacking when compared to other HD sources I could compare to...in fact, my ED panny plasma blew it away (I know it's not a fair comparison, but from a resolution standpoint, the ED still blew the 5000 away).

I've cut my losses on it by re-selling and the z4 deal hooked me (it shipped today!!!), but I think if you compare it to a X1, you'll be pleased by the step up.

Thanks, what the z4 deal?

Sanyo Z4's can be bought now with a rebate for a free bulb. I won't post the price, but it can be had for significantly less than $2000.

I have an xbox 360 with the sp5000, have also run it on an ed plasma and on my 2405fpw (24 inch 1080p). It works fine on the projector, though if you are running alot of dark games or using it in ambient light I would recomend a greywolf screen (makes a big difference over a white wall, probably not as much over a matt screen).

Bought mine two weeks ago from Infocus. Thought I would share a few impressions.

Bought the sp5000 because it was LCD instead of DLP, 16:9 HD, and had a price point below my threshold of pain with factory schwag thrown in. Such a deal. Reccomendations here were largely positive and websites with screenshots and comparisons showed it to be somewhat underrated in specs and performance.

For all you DLP guys out there, don't waste your breath. I don't know jack about rainbows, just mechanicals. If it moves, it wears. If it wears, it breaks. I can deal with fans. Fans are simple devices that are usually cheap and replaceable. But, A spinning color wheel and a couple of million mirrors pivoting on microscopic hinges? Yeah, there is nothing that can go wrong there...No thanks. Just call me a moron now and lets move on. :D

Projector is currently putting a 91" (diag) image on a plain white wall from about 11' away. Projector is inside an end table so when the projector is off, it "disappears". The 76" screen supplied by Infocus is nice, but I would need to do a lot of work to make it disappear when not being used - may have to save it for the dedicated HT.
For this projector, though, the plain white wall works very well.

Getting 1080i signal from TWC Hi-def box through generic 25' component cables. RGB through 15-pin analog from PC. Video card does 1280x720, so no worries about scaling there.

Viewing distance is 11-15 feet. "Screen" wall is opposite a 120" picture window with unlined light-colored drapes - ambient light control only happens after dark.

Picture is breathtaking with HD. It is amazing how a 91" picture in your living room causes you to stop and stare. I could not be happier.

Light cannon - whoever coined this phrase in referring to the sp5000 is correct. This projector works very well in this light environment. I bought the 72mm md2 filter, but don't use it.

SDE - If i sit too close to be able to appreciate the entire 91" picture at once, I can see sde. For me that is at about 3'. But there is no banding. If you need to sit this close to the picture, either see an optomotrist, or a shrink - you have problems that need tending...

Color - well done out of the box. Natural. Easily adjustable through menus. Up to three user presets under a remote button, as well as brightness and contrast.

SD quality - better than what you would expect from blowing up a crisp 27" image to 91". Taped, re-broadcast re-runs really show the flaws of the source material. It is kind of cool to be able to tell its a bad dub and not a bad transmission, though, in a geeky kind of way. When the TV finally dies, a panasonic ed plasma will probably take over those duties anyway.

I long for the day when all channels are as clear as DiscoveryHD Theater.


Overall, very happy with the performance.

Loafing Joe,

Great report for us considering this Pj. You wouldn't happen to have a xbox 360 would you?

This "firmware" upgrade that's supposed to reduce the fan noise... have new ones started coming with the upgraded version straight out of the factory yet? I'm just about sold on getting one of these, but don't know anything about finding and installing these "firmware" upgrades...

what is the number for the latest version that reduce the fan noise?

i just received a 5000 from infocus directly about 2 weeks ago and it has the latest firmware.

can't wait until im watching blu-ray HD movies on it !!!

but don't know anything about finding and installing these "firmware" upgrades...

Trust me it is very very easy! I was afraid to do it but completed the task in minutes.

what is the number for the latest version that reduce the fan noise

The latest version is 753-0363-10

For those with the SP5000 and a 360:

How is the noise of the projector comparable to the 360? I would assume it's quieter than the 360 when the DVD drive spins up. So, is the SP5k about as loud as the 360 when the DVD drive isn't spinning?

Loafing Joe,

Great report for us considering this Pj. You wouldn't happen to have a xbox 360 would you?

Nah. Get my fix from PC games.

Can't wait to crank up Battlefield2 or COD2. However, Due to the graphic nature of the games, and the volume level they demand to be played, we must wait until all Spouse and child units are preoccupied outside of the house for a substantial period of time.... ;)

Oh, and of course, now all the other TV's in the house are unsuitable for my 12 yr old to watch. I may have to get another projector to keep peace.

For those with the SP5000 and a 360:

How is the noise of the projector comparable to the 360? I would assume it's quieter than the 360 when the DVD drive spins up. So, is the SP5k about as loud as the 360 when the DVD drive isn't spinning?

Don't know about 360, but it is much quieter than my black-box micro-atx P4 w/1 40mm case fan.

I sit 2 feet away, with my ears about 4 ft from the exhaust fan. I only hear the fan when the unit powers up. Once it quiets down from the initial warm-up, it is not intrusive.

Between me and the projector sits the PC, on the floor. When that fires up, I have a noise problem.

Now this is in a front room with a large window and hardwood floors. Certainly in a back room or basement with less exposure, there may be a difference.

Nah. Get my fix from PC games.

Can't wait to crank up Battlefield2 or COD2. However, Due to the graphic nature of the games, and the volume level they demand to be played, we must wait until all Spouse and child units are preoccupied outside of the house for a substantial period of time.... ;)

Oh, and of course, now all the other TV's in the house are unsuitable for my 12 yr old to watch. I may have to get another projector to keep peace.


I use a pair of Medusa 5.1 headphones, they are awesome.

my SP5000 is on the way, X1 sold yesterday also, had it for almost 3 years. Hated to see my X1 go......, HD still looked good, but I want true 720p. Will post a review/photo as soon as I can. Having a Final4 party that will be the icing on the cake. HD for a net cost of $550......cant belive what will be out there in another 3 years. Which leads me to say thats why I like buying technology with a high value/performace ratio. Sell my SP5000 in 2009 for $350, buy a 1080p PJ for around $1200 net cost...... just watch!

Ok I'm not a newbie at PC Gaming but this is the first time I have tried to use the projector as my display. I can't seem to get any games to display correctly on this thing. I have the htpc running 1280x720 it works as a monitor and dvd player But games like madden 06 are sending 640x480 to it and it is too big. I'm probably missing something simple just hoping someone has an answer.

So, is the Madden '06 a PC game? If so, there should be a setting in the game which dictates playable screen size.

Beware though, if it is like most PC Games it will be 4:3 format. Meaning you may be able to adjust the playable screen size to 1024x768, but not 1280 x720.

I haven't tried running any games yet. Pitiful as the HD olympics coverage has been, I can't stop watching them on the big screen.

I just got mine yesterday. The room's in chaos now so it hasn't been properly set up, but I did do some tinkering with a temporary set up (plugged into my HTPC and sitting on a table top).

What's with the cable with the VESA and USB to connect to a computer and the DVI to connect to the projector? I'd understand a plain VESA-DVI converter, but this appears to also be able to take USB signals from the computer and send them to the projector through the projector's DVI input. What kind of info would I send to this projector through that USB thing? Is that how "firmware" gets updated? If so, is there anything else it does, or just that?

Is that how "firmware" gets updated? If so, is there anything else it does, or just that?Yes. Just that.

Several years ago, the avsforum guided me to the Infocus X1. Loved the experience of wall-sized TV and never regretted the choice. (Well, maybe a little when the color wheel started making some noise this year.) In recent weeks I checked out the low-cost options for HD PJ's hereand settled on the 5000, even though I really like the DLP experience.
Had it for a couple of weeks and continue to be amazed at the clarity and brightness of the image. I'm watching Olympic events I don't care about, just to spec out the picture!
It's hard to imagine why this PJ has not been better received. But, I for one am happy that Infocus is pushing them out the door at less than a grand! Thanks to the members who made me aware of this choice.
-- just another satisfied customer in upstate NY

Several years ago, the avsforum guided me to the Infocus X1. Loved the experience of wall-sized TV and never regretted the choice. (Well, maybe a little when the color wheel started making some noise this year.) In recent weeks I checked out the low-cost options for HD PJ's hereand settled on the 5000, even though I really like the DLP experience.
Had it for a couple of weeks and continue to be amazed at the clarity and brightness of the image. I'm watching Olympic events I don't care about, just to spec out the picture!
It's hard to imagine why this PJ has not been better received. But, I for one am happy that Infocus is pushing them out the door at less than a grand! Thanks to the members who made me aware of this choice.
-- just another satisfied customer in upstate NY


Same here. I've had an X1 for over 2 years and put around 1700 hours on it. I picked up a 5000 last week and am really blown away. I've been watching a lot of OTA HD as well as HD from cband, and the 5000 is really amazing. Even more amazing is how well it works in ambient light. It's really nice to be able to watch shows without sitting in the dark.

I got mine recently and got it set up on a shelf high on the wall behind my couch just yesterday. (The back feet need to be shimmed a bit above the front foot to put the image on the wall instead of the ceiling, but I don't care.) I'm using the funky proprietary input that's falsely labelled DVI, with the cable that came with it to connect to my computer by VESA and USB. I love it but would like to know a few more things that have stumped me so far.

1. What are the definitions of the terms in the color control menu, like "offset"? I'm familiar with "gamma" mostly from experience, but that one and maybe one other I'm forgetting were new to me. Whatever they are, I had to turn the green down a bit, and it looks fine, but I'd like to know the "theory" behind what I did.

2. In the computer, I've set the screen size to the projector's native size, but the image I'm getting from my computer seems offset to the right. The "extra lit area" around the screen is larger on the left, the "overscan" option clips off some from the right but not the left, the projector menus float out to the left of anything else, and at one extreme end of the "Horizontal position" settings, there's even a narrow stripe of blue to the left of the big black field that's to the left of the real picture. I've run the "Horizontal position" option all the way up and down, but it only increases/reduces the black field to the left a bit; it doesn't eliminate it. The practical picture I'm getting is about 84" wide but it looks like I could get roughly another foot at the left and I'm missing probably the same amount of the picture at the right just getting dropped off the edge, because the picture's scooted too far to the right. What else can be done about this? Do I have to send it back and have them send me another one?

3. I've seen some very faint horizontal fluctuations in brightness or something a couple of times for a few seconds. It wasn't bad, but I didn't see it enough to figure out a pattern of when it shows up. It might be brought on by dim or dull gray/brown scenes or by relative lack of motion. I thought it might be a refresh rate issue; I was hoping to use a multiple of the DVD video's native frame rate, but my computer mysteriously only has 75 Hz and 85 Hz modes for 1280x720. But I don't know if that's the cause of the effect I saw or not. (And how would I get the video card to allow more modes anyway, unless it just happens to be included in a new driver I could downlaod for it?)

4. So far, I've switched back and forth between my two "monitors" by making whichever one I'm going to use the "primary" one. This works fine, but seems cumbersome; I'd rather keep the desktop panel primary and the projector secondary, but then how do I get the computer to send some programs to the secondary one? So far I haven't gotten anything on whichever is the secondary screen but the desktop background image.

5. Very rarely, I've seen a sort of "image echo" to the right of where the echoed feature belongs. What is this and how can it be dealt with? It's practically unnoticible in movies (I don't remember if it was there even on subtitles), but pretty bad with some things in the computer realm like icons and their names against the desktop background. If I intended to use this projector for computer presentations, I'd send it back...

Edited... read the forum rules.

I'm very interested in getting some answers to Delvo's questions, as we've had similar problems with image shifting here in our conference rooms: 3 - Dell M2300's and one big Infocus (Don't know the number on that one; it's mounted remotely...)

What's worked for us is to make certain that the computer desktop and the external monitor (PJ) are set to the same resolution.

Is this the correct procedure?

Tony

Well, the shifted-to-the-right issue has just completely disappeared. I'm now getting exactly the perfect fit with no lost picture at the right or wasted space at the left anymore. The only problem was that I had to move a speaker out of its way. :D

I guess I'll ask about dual-monitor management in the HTPC forum.

So that's two of my issues for this thread down, three to go...

Dual monitors setup with HTPC can be tricky. It took me several weeks to get it down.

hate to sound like a broken record here, but I too replaced my X1 with a SP5000 the week and couldn't be happier! When you throw in price, its a grand slam home run, and when I factor in the money I recouped from my old X1, even the wife is happy. We watched CSI Miami in HD the other night, and I could even follow the plot cause I keep thinking bout how sharp this or that was, or how pretty that girl was!.... Bottom line, get the SP5000, forget the negative comments, remember what you will pay for it. Keep your SP5000 for 3 years, then get that new 2009 low-cost 1080p PJ with lens shift, ultra silent fan, with hi-lum output, wireless HDMI. Got to love technology.

Hmph... the offset issue in #2 of my post above, which went away the next time I turned the projector on, is back again. :(

At least I've learned how to handle the dual-monitor situation. I just set the projector as secondary, extend the desktop over it so it's like its left edge is adjacent to the right edge of my tabletop monitor, and keep in mind that it doesn't behave the same way I've seen prior extended-desktop setups behave when the monitors' heights were the same in pixels (and the background images were designed for exactly that height and their combined width).

OK, I haven't seen the problem I called #3 above since the first couple of hours of use.

But that still leaves a couple of things I don't get. The image is still pushed off to the right, as if I had set the "horizontal position" wrong in my monitor settings. The farthest over I can scoot it to the left still leaves several inches of the screen unused, which I know are there and part of the screen because the projector's menus show up there, to the left of the left edge of the images I get otherwise. If the menus are there, then the LCD panels must have pixels there, which means there are columns of pixels of screen that I can't use for the "real" image I want to see. What am I supposed to do?

And that faint "image echo"... I seldom see it at all, and even then only if I'm looking for it, but what it is and how does one deal with it other than ignoring it?

And how do you get a "firmware upgrade"? (I'm hoping that might solve the too-far-over-to-the-right problem.) I've checked the InFocus website but found nothing there.

And how do you get a "firmware upgrade"? I've checked the InFocus website but found nothing there.It's right there on the bottom of the InFocus support page (http://infocus.com/service/index.asp?site_lang=1&site_region=1&)!!?? It's disguised under the heading "Recent Firmware Updates".

I've had my SP5000 for about a month and a half now.

Yesterday, I got the indicator that I needed to clean the dust filter. So I unplugged the projector, waited an hour, unscrewed the access hatch and vacuumed both the removable filter and the small nonremovable dust filter. I screwed the hatch back on after vacuuming the filters.

When I plugged my SP5000 back in and turned it on, the power light glowed green for about 10-15 seconds while the fans spun up, but then the fans slowed down and the LED started blinking red. After about 45 seconds of this, the LED turned green, the fan sped back up, only to start blinking red again.

The ScreenPlay 5000 manual says that this means "A fan or lamp failure has occurred." So, following its instructions, I unplugged the unit for 1 minute, plugged it back in, and tried again, only with the same problem.

I unscrewed the access hatch, made sure the pieces were firmly placed, and screwed it back in, but it didn't help.

Has anyone seen their LED blink red before? Did you solve the problem?

1. What are the definitions of the terms in the color control menu, like "offset"? I'm familiar with "gamma" mostly from experience, but that one and maybe one other I'm forgetting were new to me. Whatever they are, I had to turn the green down a bit, and it looks fine, but I'd like to know the "theory" behind what I did.

2. In the computer, I've set the screen size to the projector's native size, but the image I'm getting from my computer seems offset to the right. The "extra lit area" around the screen is larger on the left, the "overscan" option clips off some from the right but not the left, the projector menus float out to the left of anything else, and at one extreme end of the "Horizontal position" settings, there's even a narrow stripe of blue to the left of the big black field that's to the left of the real picture. I've run the "Horizontal position" option all the way up and down, but it only increases/reduces the black field to the left a bit; it doesn't eliminate it. The practical picture I'm getting is about 84" wide but it looks like I could get roughly another foot at the left and I'm missing probably the same amount of the picture at the right just getting dropped off the edge, because the picture's scooted too far to the right. What else can be done about this? Do I have to send it back and have them send me another one?

3. I've seen some very faint horizontal fluctuations in brightness or something a couple of times for a few seconds. It wasn't bad, but I didn't see it enough to figure out a pattern of when it shows up. It might be brought on by dim or dull gray/brown scenes or by relative lack of motion. I thought it might be a refresh rate issue; I was hoping to use a multiple of the DVD video's native frame rate, but my computer mysteriously only has 75 Hz and 85 Hz modes for 1280x720. But I don't know if that's the cause of the effect I saw or not. (And how would I get the video card to allow more modes anyway, unless it just happens to be included in a new driver I could downlaod for it?)

4. So far, I've switched back and forth between my two "monitors" by making whichever one I'm going to use the "primary" one. This works fine, but seems cumbersome; I'd rather keep the desktop panel primary and the projector secondary, but then how do I get the computer to send some programs to the secondary one? So far I haven't gotten anything on whichever is the secondary screen but the desktop background image.

5. Very rarely, I've seen a sort of "image echo" to the right of where the echoed feature belongs. What is this and how can it be dealt with? It's practically unnoticible in movies (I don't remember if it was there even on subtitles), but pretty bad with some things in the computer realm like icons and their names against the desktop background. If I intended to use this projector for computer presentations, I'd send it back...

re #4

Make whatever monitor you are going to use the primary and don't share the desktop with the other. why waste your GPU running two monitors in a HT situation?

re#5, #3 and #2

Mine works very well displaying anything from the computer and completely fills the screen with a very sharp computer display. I hook it to my laptop and my HTPC and both work Very well.

The SP5000 is 720x1280 @ 60hz native, and thats what it should be set to.

Sounds like you need to get your Video card set up right. You have never mentioned what your computer hardware consists of, nor your OS, so no one can help much.

And if you plugged in the USB from the 5000 it should let the computer recognize the 5000 and report (EDID) it's capabilities, allowing it to set the proper refresh rates.

Generally in windows XP under the "adapter" tab in the Display settings there is a button that says "List all Modes" (choose 720x1280 @ 60hz)

Although at first teh only refresh rates available for 1280x720 were 75 and 85 Hz, I later got it to let me do 70, and then finally got a 60-Hz option to magically appear just recently, so I snagged that before it could go away again (and why DO resolutions sponaneously appear and disappear on the list of choices like quantum-vacuum/zero-point subatomic particles, anyway?) and set my projector to it. Next time I fired up the projector, the empty space at the left was gone. Now every pixel is in place perfectly, no more messing with the horizontal position or the tracking. :)

I've had my SP5000 for about a month and a half now.

Yesterday, I got the indicator that I needed to clean the dust filter. So I unplugged the projector, waited an hour, unscrewed the access hatch and vacuumed both the removable filter and the small nonremovable dust filter. I screwed the hatch back on after vacuuming the filters.

When I plugged my SP5000 back in and turned it on, the power light glowed green for about 10-15 seconds while the fans spun up, but then the fans slowed down and the LED started blinking red. After about 45 seconds of this, the LED turned green, the fan sped back up, only to start blinking red again.

The ScreenPlay 5000 manual says that this means "A fan or lamp failure has occurred." So, following its instructions, I unplugged the unit for 1 minute, plugged it back in, and tried again, only with the same problem.

I unscrewed the access hatch, made sure the pieces were firmly placed, and screwed it back in, but it didn't help.

Has anyone seen their LED blink red before? Did you solve the problem?


Yeah , 'fraid so :( .

After returning my first SP5000 for a "better" one , at 82 hours on the clock , I got the blinking red light . Solution was a new Lamp all under warranty as it had failed at less than 90 days or 500 hours .

There is a remote possibility that the hatch did not go back on right . There is an interlock on the Lamp door that is opened when removing the filter . If it didn't seat correctly the PJ would think the door was open and not fire up the lamp .
Just a thought .

Scott...................... :cool:

Check out this review.

http://www.audioholics.com/productreviews/avhardware/InFocusScreenPlay5000Projector1.php

It really points out the strength of this projector. I love movie at night but I love watching HD football and HD Master in the afternoon in my living room with my kids around me.

I decided to go with the SP5000 after reading all the post here, just been waiting looking for best price , well last week after googling for price - I noticed that a $1099 price came up at ( of all sites) Target !, so I proceed to site , add projector - price is $1099 MINUS 10% ( I had gotten an email a few days earlier from target on line offering 10% off anything !) - when I entered the special code - price came down another $110 - so projector cost me $1068 ( including $18 for shipping and $60.48 in tax) - Plus I sent in the $300 rebate - WOW $768 for this projector - arrived from amazon last Friday ( looks like Target uses amazon to fulfill electronics orders) - great HD picture ( Comcast HD) projecting to my bare wall in my finished basement( 120 inches ) - can't wait for results on a real screen ! I feel like the cat that swallowed the canary ! :D :)

mate that with a high-contrast screen (or painted wall), and the wee-lil-bit of brightness you give up, will make your black levels nice and deep

Anybody here have any experience using a SP5000 with an XBOX 360? I am concerned (a bit) about the black levels and motion blur.
Any help will be GREATLY appreciated.

As for this discussion, I am VERY happy having the X1 for 480P it is terrific.

This projector will be soley for the 360. :)

I have an Xbox 360 and the SP5000. I have had the 5000 for a few weeks and it is replacing my X1. There is obviously a big difference between the X1 and the 5000 for the 360. I am in no way an expert, so take my thoughts with a grain of salt. I haven't had any problems with the black levels of the 5000, but I did buy a 106" Grey Wolf screen, which might be helping some with that. I haven't had any problems with blurring on the 360. I have played COD2, PGR, Perfect DarK Zero and College Hoops 2K6 so far. The 5000 is also much brighter than the X1 and I can have more ambient light with the 5000 than the X1 and it is still an acceptable picture.

I do notice some vertical banding with the 5000 and am still trying to determine if it an acceptable level or not. I have nothing to compare it to and it only is noticable on light background shots...like a scene of a sky or a white background. I am still in my 30day return period so I can return for another unit still, but I don't know if that will be worse, better or the same.

Overall, I am happy with the 5000 vs the X1 so far. I haven't sent it any HD tv signals yet, so the 360 is the only HD signal I can test it with. Anyone know if there is way for me to determine how much vertical banding is too much? I only notice it when I specifically look for it, so it doesn't affect my viewing experience much, but if it gets worse it might.

well. that would be up to yourself then. Like you said, you only see it when you look for it on lighter backgrounds. I share the exact experience with it, and personally, it doesn't bother me much, because I only notice it for about less than 10% of the total viewing time.

Blazemaster, I agreeded.

Mine came with the Y shaped cable, but I don't see where to plug in the monitor cable from my computer. I have a GeForce 6200 on the way with DVI. Do I need to order a new cable that is different from the standard computer monitor cable?

UPDATE: Never mind, I had no idea that VESA was the name of the RGB cable from the monitor. Works fine. Does DVI > M1 look better than VESA?

Hi everyone!

I just received an SP5000 today. This is my first projector and my family plans to use it for DVD's, Yankee games and some video games.

I tried my new pj out tonight in a temp set-up against my living room wall. Picture looks bright and clear. Only noticed the fan when audio was off, otherwise didn't hear it at all.

My question is, how do I know what version of firmware I have? I have not adjusted anything or even used the service menu at this point.

Please be easy on me guys. I'm a middle-aged soccer mom just trying to figure all this stuff out and enjoy time with the family, definately NOT an expert.

Also, I do see some SDE but I have to be about 3-4 feet close to the wall before I notice it. Would other artifacts be"noticeable"- would I easily regonize VB?? I'm not a videophile but I do like good PQ and I am a "detail" person.

Thanks for the feedback!!!

I bought this model based on the reviews and the positive comments here and at other forums. I have to say, unless mine is a lemon I am at a loss to understand how it has been so well received. Luckily I have a 30-day return/refund period, which I will be taking advantage of tomorrow.

There is red light bleeding in the top left and bottom right corners, and a bluish light coming in the top right and bottom left corners.

The screen-door effect is so bad it's like watching an interlaced tv, even when the picture is only about 3/12 feet across and I'm 6 feet away. I have great component cables but I might as well use the rca plugs.

Does this sound familiar to any SP5000 users?

Sounds like a lemon to me...

Gordons,

I am no expert but I just bought an SP 5000 too (just got it yesterday) and I have not experienced any of the things you are describing. I do see SDE on an image about 7' wide when I am 3 feet or so back, otherwise I really need to look for it. The colors look uniform and clear but there does seem to be a bit of a shift toward green. I have not made any changes to the settings yet but so far I am happy especially for the price I paid. I'm going to try it out again tonight-I'll let you know if I see anything new.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

Cheers!

Just got mine two weeks ago, and do not have issues with SDE here either. Only noticeable if I'm really close to the screen.

I do have VB, but it's only really noticeable with slow action, white/gray background scenes when I look for it.

This is my first LCD FP, so I do not know if the VB really is that bad, so I'll keep it for now (instead of returning it) with hopes of upgrading in a few years.


Movies look great, but it seems that the user-presets need to change based on the movie. One preset for Sleepless in Seattle did not work for Waterboy (reds too flourescent). Anyone willing to share some presets? I'm projecting onto an off-white wall.

Thanks!

After about 70 hours on the projector, last night I had a green spot show up on the upper left hand portion of the screen. It showed up for all video sources, but was only noticable on certain scenes, but it did show up also without a video source, so I am pretty sure it was the projector. I turned it off and back on and the spot went away.

This is the first time since I have had a projector (X1 for 3 years and SP5000 for 3.5 weeks) that I have had any discoloration of a screen.

Would the spot have been a dust blob, even though I didn't clean anything, just turned it on/off?

I am still in my 30 day period, so I called my online retailer and they are sending out a replacement. Do spots occasionally show up on LCD projectors rather than DLP's?

I figure I can get a replacement for free, so I would rather be safe than sorry. Would you guys have gotten a replacement or do you think an occasional spot is normal?

The "Dust Blobs" seem to be a normal problem with the "cheaper" :o PJ's as these units very rarely have completely sealed optical paths . On some models , the Sanyo Z3 I think , the Manufacturer actually provides access holes in front of each LCD panel to allow the user to occassionally blow out the dust . :eek:

I've read that the Dust Blobs will appear shortly after ownership , mine appeared at 84hrs on the clock , and are caused by residual particles in the cooling air path that simply make their way onto the face of the LCD panels .

There have been some very creative people here at AVS who have worked out a solution for those up us who find ourselves asking..."What are those coloured blobs?"...

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=556431&highlight=Dust+blobs

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=572889&highlight=Dust+blobs

http://www.jhallman.com/hometheater/dusting.htm

I chose to remove the offending dust myself , using the techniques shown above , as I couldn't imagine having to send the darn thing back each and every time I got one of these things . There was also no guarantee that after a Factory cleaning that there wouldn't be another one coughed up during shipping . So I took the plunge and had quick success . Twenty minutes tops and it was better looking than when I first got the PJ . Now I don't care if they come back , I'm prepared :D

Good Luck ,

Scott.................. :)

From time to time, I have dust blobs and all I do is clean the filter, vacuum, etc. I don't think I am brave enough to take it completely apart.

The "Dust Blobs" seem to be a normal problem with the "cheaper" :o PJ's as these units very rarely have completely sealed optical paths . On some models , the Sanyo Z3 I think , the Manufacturer actually provides access holes in front of each LCD panel to allow the user to occassionally blow out the dust . :eek:

I've read that the Dust Blobs will appear shortly after ownership , mine appeared at 84hrs on the clock , and are caused by residual particles in the cooling air path that simply make their way onto the face of the LCD panels .

There have been some very creative people here at AVS who have worked out a solution for those up us who find ourselves asking..."What are those coloured blobs?"...

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=556431&highlight=Dust+blobs

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=572889&highlight=Dust+blobs

http://www.jhallman.com/hometheater/dusting.htm

I chose to remove the offending dust myself , using the techniques shown above , as I couldn't imagine having to send the darn thing back each and every time I got one of these things . There was also no guarantee that after a Factory cleaning that there wouldn't be another one coughed up during shipping . So I took the plunge and had quick success . Twenty minutes tops and it was better looking than when I first got the PJ . Now I don't care if they come back , I'm prepared :D

Good Luck ,

Scott.................. :)

Scott, none of those links is about an SP5000. The first shows an SP4805, which is InFocus, but is a DLP design, so rather different. The other posts are LCD projectors of different manufacturers. Can you briefly describe the disassembly of the SP5000, perhpas using references to the links.

Thanks.

i was just watching tv and saw this, tell me if this is a good deal.... sp5000 with a screen!

search shopathometv(dot)com for the sp5000...

$1200!!!!

sp5000...$1200!Not necessarily a good deal!

The unit has a $1299 MSRP and has a current $300 rebate from Infocus as well as a free screen (http://store.infocus.com/escalate/store/BasePage?pls=infocus&bc=infocus&page=Main).

Now, if you can apply the Infocus $300 rebate to the online price, then you would save $99 overall.

Here's the Rebate Form (https://www.infocusrebates.com/start/claimform.php?ppromoid=1699).

Scott, none of those links is about an SP5000. The first shows an SP4805, which is InFocus, but is a DLP design, so rather different. The other posts are LCD projectors of different manufacturers. Can you briefly describe the disassembly of the SP5000, perhpas using references to the links.

Thanks.

GSMOLLIN , I realize that the links were not for the SP5000 but the procedures are very similiar . I took a deep breath and by studying the pictures and reading the text it turned out to be fairly straightforward . The only problem I had was a small ribbon cable keeping the bottom plate attached to the PJ . I didn't want to try and unhook it so I just "blew" around it . No big deal .

Good Luck and take your time ,

Scott.............

My question is, how do I know what version of firmware I have? I have not adjusted anything or even used the service menu at this point.

Kamull,

Use the remote that came with the projector. (This is from memory, so you may have to poke around a little). Click the menu button and a little menu should pop up in the corner. use the up/down arrow keys to navigate and the button on the right to select.

Move down towards the bottom of the menu and there's something like "service options". One of the choices is something like "service information". It will tell you the number for the firmware you have.

If this is too vague, I'll specify which options to use when I get home.

GSMOLLIN , I realize that the links were not for the SP5000 but the procedures are very similiar . I took a deep breath and by studying the pictures and reading the text it turned out to be fairly straightforward . The only problem I had was a small ribbon cable keeping the bottom plate attached to the PJ . I didn't want to try and unhook it so I just "blew" around it . No big deal .

Good Luck and take your time ,

Scott.............

I've had TWO dustblobs since I got my SP5000 - <10 hours of service. One was a green star (depending on the color of the background; size of a baseball on the projected image) to the right of center, and the other was a reddish semi-circle at the top of the screen.

First blob - FP SITTING UPRIGHT: I blasted some compressed air around the sides of the lens to the "top" - the side with buttons...

Second blob - FP MOUNTED UPSIDE DOWN: I blasted some compressed air around the sides of the lens to the "bottom" - the side with buttons...

Both times, I also blasted around the side vents, but I bet the above procedures were more effective having seen where the LCD panels were when I opened the SP5000 up.

Both times the blob disappeared.

With the first blob, after blasting air with the power off, I took the cover off and was going to blast air onto the panels with the projector on to see if the image cleared up. Lo and behold, there was no blob when I undid the cover and started up the FP. So I assumed that my preliminary blasting with the cover attached cleared things up.

SO TRY IT FIRST AS DESCRIBED ABOVE WITHOUT TAKING THE TOP OFF. As mentioned the ribbon cable and the IR sensor cable attaches the top of the FP to the bottom, so be gentle.

NOTE: The recommendation is to tilt the projector, NOT THE CAN OF AIR! With the top cover still connected by the ribbon cable, this procedure would be tricky. Tilting the can of air may spray liquid, that is why you tilt the projector.

I've really enjoyed reading through this thread. However, I'm looking to upgrade from my SP4805. I'm getting mixed signals on the quality of the SP5000.

I've had the SP4805 since 12/04. I've been quite happy with the results. However, with the arrival of next gen consoles and the pending release of the HD-DVD and Blu-Ray, my desire for true HDTV has grown.

I've been pleased using the SP4805 with DVD/Xbox and the occasional HDTV broadcast. However, I'm thinking that 720p would really offer me more enjoyment with more HDTV content.

I realize that the SP4805 has better black level and contrast. However, my room is not fully light controlled. While I can control the lights (afterdark), my room has white floors and ceilings. I know that I'm not getting the best black available to me right now.

I'm thinking that the SP5000 will compensate for the lacking black by being brighter overall. I've always felt that the SP4805 could use more color saturation and LCD typically offers this. So my questions for fellow SP4805 owners turned SP5000 owners are these?

How does the color saturation compare?
Does the less deep black really become noticeable in a less optimized viewing room?
I don't care about 480i sources, but, will 480p DVD be scaled well to 720p by the SP5000?

I've really enjoyed reading through this thread. However, I'm looking to upgrade from my SP4805. I'm getting mixed signals on the quality of the SP5000.

I've had the SP4805 since 12/04. I've been quite happy with the results. However, with the arrival of next gen consoles and the pending release of the HD-DVD and Blu-Ray, my desire for true HDTV has grown.

I've been pleased using the SP4805 with DVD/Xbox and the occasional HDTV broadcast. However, I'm thinking that 720p would really offer me more enjoyment with more HDTV content.

I realize that the SP4805 has better black level and contrast. However, my room is not fully light controlled. While I can control the lights (afterdark), my room has white floors and ceilings. I know that I'm not getting the best black available to me right now.

I'm thinking that the SP5000 will compensate for the lacking black by being brighter overall. I've always felt that the SP4805 could use more color saturation and LCD typically offers this. So my questions for fellow SP4805 owners turned SP5000 owners are these?

How does the color saturation compare?
Does the less deep black really become noticeable in a less optimized viewing room?
I don't care about 480i sources, but, will 480p DVD be scaled well to 720p by the SP5000?


The SP5000 will scale everything to 720p, but it's scaler is not as good as what the SP4805 has (according to reviews I've read)...

I picked up a Sony DVPNS75H upconvert DVD player that does the scaling itself to 720p, then I send that over a 50ft HDMI->M1 cable, and that looks much better than my old DVD player over component cables to the SP5000...

In short, the SP5000 will upscale content, but even a MSRP $130 DVD player will do a better job...

A good $130 dvd player will do a better upscale job to 720P than most of the projectors.

SP4805 is a native 480P projector and cannot compare to SP5000 at all.

Also in a room not completely set up for home theater, my thought is you can't really tell the difference of black level between SP4805 and SP5000.

SP4805 is a native 480P projector and cannot compare to SP5000 at all.




Thanks for the feedback so far. However, how did you mean the above statement? Do you mean that the SP5000 is that much better or that the SP4805 will show DVD in a superior way?

One thing I should note is that my DVD player is 480p. I'll be feeding that to the projector until I obtain whichever High Definition DVD player I choose. I'm banking that the player will upconvert standard DVD to HD (my assumption here). At which point, the SP5000 scaler becomes moot.

My bottom line is that I really want an upgrade from the SP4805 and I'm hopefull that the SP5000 is an upgrade. Going from DLP to LCD scares me but this is meant to be a stop-gap until 1080p units are more affordable. I'd like to spend as little as possible now since I know that I want a 1080p in the next couple of years but I really want a 720p right now.

Thanks for any input.

Well, I am trying to respond to timdg. He mentioned that SP5000's scaler is not as good as SP4805 which scale everything down to 480P. Trying to compare scaler of both projectors is like compare apple and orange.

I like SP5000 more because it is a true HD projector. However, if you have complete light control (include darker color wall and ceiling) and sit more than 2X screen width back, SP4805 probably looks better.

Well, I am trying to respond to timdg. He mentioned that SP5000's scaler is not as good as SP4805 which scale everything down to 480P. Trying to compare scaler of both projectors is like compare apple and orange.

I like SP5000 more because it is a true HD projector. However, if you have complete light control (include darker color wall and ceiling) and sit more than 2X screen width back, SP4805 probably looks better.

While both projectors will always scale to their native resolution, I was merely trying to point out that the 4805 has a specific scaler processor which is very highly rated, while the 5000 does not contain that same chip. But again, I do not own both so I cannot compare - this is just what I have read in many reviews...

I will agree that a full HD signal on the projector looks awesome!

Just read thru this thead. Lots of good info.

I currently have the X1 and have had it for almost 3 years. It has served me very well. I am looking at upgrading to the SP5000.

I just recently got an xbox 360 and it looks pretty good on the X1 but now I want true 720p.

We watch a lot of HD content. I have an expressvu HiDef PVR, the xbox 360 and we watch DVDs of course.

What did people with an X1 do with it? Mine currently has just over 2500 hours on it.

I am in Canada and have no idea where I can get a SP5000 with a 30 day money back guarantee.

I would also like to know how it mounted in place of the X1, what ceiling mount can be used and how the celing mount affects the screen height.

I have noticed that the SP5000 ceiling mount is a lot shorter than the mount I am using for my X1.

I would appreciate any feedback.

TIA

Bob

Anyone have recommendations on a good place to purchase a replacement bulb? - I want to have one on hand.... Thanks!

I would also like to know how it mounted in place of the X1, what ceiling mount can be used and how the celing mount affects the screen height.

I have noticed that the SP5000 ceiling mount is a lot shorter than the mount I am using for my X1.

I would appreciate any feedback.

TIA

Bob


Ebay is excellent place to find a mount - I got a perfect one that is very solid, and even has an opening for the fan... You can get them with/without extensions - just don't get one of the cheapest ones that are made from speaker brackets...

Hi guys!!! :D

I hope someone can help me. I've been trying to install the firmware upgrade to my SP5000 without success. Am I doing something wrong?? :(

I am unsure if my pj is in "flash mode." We manually installed the USB driver that came with the firmware but my pc will not recognize the pj to install. Is flash mode a steady amber light or does the light actually flash?? :mad:

I have tried this on two seperate occasions and stayed on the phone with Infocus Tech support to no avail. Just so you know- none of this lingo really means anything to me. I am not electronically savvy but my college age kids are and they have been trying to help me.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!!!!

Kari :)

Howdy all. We have had our 5000 for a couple of months, give or take, now. It is our first projector and our first jump into any form of high definition dvd viewing. I had 2 issues I wanted to bring up. But, after reading the new replies to this thread, I think I may be down to 1.

The first issue is a blueish-purple sploch on the screen. From all the reading, it sounds like it may be a dust blob. I will try what SpinControl recommended and see if it goes away.

The second issue comes when I send 1080i over either component or hdmi cables. Let me first state that when I send 720p the picture looks great! No issues with that. When I change my NeuNeo dvd player to 1080i the image "zooms in" to the upper left corner of the image and says that it is receiving a vga signal. The easiest way to show the problem is by dividing the 720 image onto the screen into quadrants.

12
34

With 1080i, I see the image in quadrant 1 zoomed to fill the whole screen... like

11
11

Does that make sense? Anyone else have this problem. I think my projetor came with the newest firmware, but from reading this thread it sounds like it may be a good idea to try and update the firmware anyways. Is that correct.

Thanks for any help.

When I run my Sp5000 with my RCA upconverting player, I notice no artifacts at any resoultion, from 480,720 and 1080, they all look great. I think I prefer running the player at 720p, but I think it is just that it is the native res of the pj. I have heard some people prefer to run it at 480, I would think 1080i is the least desirable since the player has to upconvert and then the pj has to downcovert.

Would any of you SP5000 users (who use an HTPC with your setup) be willing to watch a couple of small .VOB files I could email you and tell me if you see certain artifacts in the video content?

I ended up calling Infocus about both problems because SpinControls recommended solution did not work for me, so I am wondering whether it is a dust blob or not. I got a RMA so they can figure it out and I wont accidentally destroy my projector.

On the second issue, the tech support person said that down converting 1080i is a true/real issue with the latest firmware upgrade. Of course, he stressed that I probably do not really want to pass anything higer than the native resolution to the projector. I agree with this, but the projector is suppose to convert 1080i down to 720p and it will not do it, which, in my book, is misleading advertising. Had I known this, I may have chosen to purchase one of the other 2 projectors on my final list. Hopefully this issue will be fixed in the next firmware update.

hummm, havent haeard bout that one. I have the latest fw and I have not issuess with 1080i from DVI or Component from both a dvd and STB. Maybe some other SP5 owners can chime in.

I have a question for SP5000 owners out there. I currently have a 6600GT outputting to my Mits 65" 65819 (about 5 year old TV). I have been outputting via RGB, but I plan on moving to a projector (likely the SP5000), so I obtained a dongle for component output for my video card and have been playing with it on the Mits to make sure I can get it working via component before I pull the trigger on buying a PJ.

I am having a heck of a time with overscan on the Mits. I can't seem to get a minimal amount of overscan, and I can't get my desktop properly centered. I'm thinking it might be driver issue, as the settings I'm trying don't seem to be doing what I think they should be doing.

Anyhow, for those of you that output 720p component from an HTPC, do you have any issues with this? Do you output in native mode, or do you using overscan compensation? Can you get your desktop fully visible and centered easily?

I have a question for SP5000 owners out there. I currently have a 6600GT outputting to my Mits 65" 65819 (about 5 year old TV). I have been outputting via RGB, but I plan on moving to a projector (likely the SP5000), so I obtained a dongle for component output for my video card and have been playing with it on the Mits to make sure I can get it working via component before I pull the trigger on buying a PJ.

I am having a heck of a time with overscan on the Mits. I can't seem to get a minimal amount of overscan, and I can't get my desktop properly centered. I'm thinking it might be driver issue, as the settings I'm trying don't seem to be doing what I think they should be doing.

Anyhow, for those of you that output 720p component from an HTPC, do you have any issues with this? Do you output in native mode, or do you using overscan compensation? Can you get your desktop fully visible and centered easily?


Why Component? Just go RGB (VGA) Or DVI/M1DA to the SP5000.

Why Component? Just go RGB (VGA) Or DVI/M1DA to the SP5000.


Well, I was hoping to only have to run a component cable and use my component switch box.

Will I get a better image using VGA? I have to go about 25'. Would I need an amplifier?

A few questions for SP5000 advocates:
1. Did many of you purchase the 1,2,or 3 yr extended warantee for the PJ through infocus?
2. Did many of you purchase the 1 yr extended warantee for the bulb?
3. If my SP5000 is about 20' away from my HTPC, can someone direct me to the best place to buy my DVI-M1 cable? If I have a Radeon 7500 card?
4. Last but not least, is anyone seeing the "scanline effect" that appears on vertically moving objects (horizonal pixelization around the borders of the object as it moves)? I read one post (possibly in this thread) of someone seeing it, but no one else has mentioned it. That person did not post their seating distance or screensize, and as I understand this artifact it's really present on almost any display device. I know I've even seen it on CRT when I stand up close just a few inches from the screen.

1. no
2. no
3. I got a regular hdmi cable and a hdmi to M1 converter. I ran my hdmi under the crown molding. It is a 45' cable
4. I have not seen anything similar to this.

A few questions for SP5000 advocates:

3. If my SP5000 is about 20' away from my HTPC, can someone direct me to the best place to buy my DVI-M1 cable? If I have a Radeon 7500 card?


www.monoprice.com - using 50ft cable from them for hdmi, separate 50ft cable from them for svga... great prices!!

Tim.. sorry for a newbie type question, but which cable specifically for the SP5000?
(assuming I have a Radeon 7500 card). Do I want DVI-D, DVI-I, DVI plain, and to M1-D ?

I struggled with that - ordered the only 50ft dvi cable they had, DVI-D if I remember correctly - it plugged in everywhere fine, but my card would never send the signal over the cable. Not sure if the problem was my ATI 9800 card, the 50ft cable or what. My card has DVI and SVGA though, so I got an external box that duplicates the svga signal so the computer does not have to drive two displays. Then I plugged my monitor into that and the 50ft cable to the projector - works great!

I got my cables from monoprice, great price for nice cables.

My experience is 50 LF VGA cable run is fine. However running 50 LF DVI cable, it really depend on the strength of the signal source. I can run 50 LF DVI from comcast box with occasionally small pixel but same run from the HTPC is not watchable. I ended up purchase a DVI switcher with signal booster and it eliminate the long DVI run problem.

What about scaling down? How well does the SP5000 scale a 1080i signal to it's native 720p resolution?

I will be using an SA8300HD for my high-def cable, and I'm wondering if I'll be better of with the scaler in my cable box or letting the PJ do the work...

jman311, that's a question you need to answer yourself. Try both 720P and 1080I out of your box and see if you can tell the difference. Don't forget to report back.

I don't own the SP5000 yet, and my current TV only does 1080i.

Base on my experience with Comcast 6412 HD-DVR, I prefer the look of 1080i more.

You mean you prefer 1080i scaled to the native 720p on the SP5000? Or just 1080i in general?

My 5000 would not scale down 1080i, see my problem a few posts ago.

I prefer feeding the projector 1080i and let the projector do the scaling. ;)

I also prefer 1080i more than 720P in general.

Dando2,
I've had a similar problem with the image zooming in (ie you see 1 quadrant of the image filling the whole screen (maybe every other line shown) and/or flickering (really bad, like a strobe light). This only happens sometimes when I try to view 480p, never on 720p, and haven't tried 1080i.

First, here's my setup:
- JVC RX-402B Receiver that takes ALL signals and "upconverts" to a single HDMI out
- JVC HDMI out goes to DVI adapter to DVI/M1 25' cable to SP5000
- Inputs to JVC are DVD 480i via component, RCA HDTV tuner set to 720p via DVI/HDMI and 480i VCR via composite

The JVC upconverts 480i to 480p and doesn't change the resolution of any higher signals. So the signals coming out of the single JVC HDMI can be 480p, 720p or 1080i depending on the input.

Ok. So what I've found was that I think the SP5000 doesn't re-sync correctly when an input signal changes resolution. Ie., I keep the SP5000 on input 2 (M1) and change my JVC to various inputs of different resolution (for me= 480p or 720p). HDTV tuner 720p always works. But the VCR or DVD sometimes gives me this zoomed in image.
- If the zoomed in image is stable (not flashing or flickering), I can hit the auto-image button and it will re-sync and the image is fixed.
- If the image is flashing like a strobe light, the only thing that will work is turning the SP5000 off, unplugging it, plugging it back in, and turning on. The image will usually come back correctly, or it'll at least be stable such that the auto-image button can fix it.

Talked to Infocus tech support and he suggested going back to Firmware version 9, but didn't know if that would fix the problem or not. Haven't tried to go back a version, yet, since I typically am just watching HDTV and that always works.

I love my SP5000! I am amazed everytime I watch Bikini Destinations on HDNEt.....As for gaming I had a friends Xbox 360 on it and he says he hates to play now on his 42" plasma anymore. The 5000 has even given new life to my old Xbox. I have said this in all my post, for the money the 5000 is top dog.

hpwong,

Thanks for the information. When I get my projector back from Infocus I will try what you suggested and let you know what happens.

The version 10 firmware sucks. It screwed up 1080i for me as well so I just put version 9 back on.

If you're having problems with version 10, go back to version 9

yeah, i'm having probs w/ version 10 as well..do u think they'll put out a better firmware anytime soon?

or at least a way to decrease fan noise on ver 9?

Does anyone know how many mm the lense is on the SP5000. I'm trying to get a neutral density filter for it, but Infocus does not know and I have to order it online so I can't just try out different sizes. Thank You

Does anyone know how many mm the lense is on the SP5000. I'm trying to get a neutral density filter for it, but Infocus does not know and I have to order it online so I can't just try out different sizes. Thank You

I've read 72mm on this site somewhere...maybe at the beginning of this thread.

Hi i'm new to the forum but have stopped in to look around from time . I have now had my SP5000 a little over a week now and i have to say that i love this projector. I've looked at many projectors at some friends homes who i've meet through another forum and i have to say that the sp5000 looks better then all of them. Sme of these projectors are the newest latest and greatest models but still the sp5000 out shines them.

I also got a HI-DEF H-20 rig installed the same day as the projector and i'm also pleased with it. I'm an audio guy first but since going the projector route i'm finding a new passion with video. I was running a Benq PB-6100 but when the bulb went out i decided to just b uy a new projector.

Thought i would say hi and thanks for all the great info you guys have to offer.

I have now had my SP5000 a little over a week now and i have to say that i love this projector.

Me too. I bought mine a couple of months ago and finally got around to hanging it
last week. I am running the Oppo DVD and Comcast HD through it and to me the pic is stunning. I have had no shut down problems. The first time I started it up
I did see some VB but have not seen it since strange as it maybe. I have hung the the projector 13.5ft from the screen painted directly onto the drywall using Behr "Pewter Mug". My screen size is about 98" diag. and i have no screen door effect at 16ft. I am running the lastest firmware. Version 753-0363-10
For the price paid at CostCo I believe you would be hard pressed to find a better projector for the money or double the money.

MisterG12,

I have also NOT seen any of the isssues that a few people mentioned here. It almast seems like they are talking about a diffrent projector. One of my friends has the 4805 , he loves his projector and pushes it pretty hard. When he came over to look at the sp5000 he was shocked . I guess he also read some of the negative remarks posted here . He told me that i the sp5000 has much less SDE then his 4805 , infact we almost had to get right upto the screen to even notice it .

I think the thing that shocked him the most was the black levels . Again from reading some of the comments here he expected them to be pretty bad , that was'nt the case and he actually thought they were darn good. Like i said i have now been around a few newer projectors that cost twice the price and have to say this sp5000 is a better projector . At $998.00 with a 100" screen after rebate this thing is a steel .

hpwong,

Thanks for the information. When I get my projector back from Infocus I will try what you suggested and let you know what happens.

I received my projector back yesterday. The spot it was putting out is now gone :) Unfortunatly hpwongs suggestions did not fix my 1080i problem. I guess I will live with 720p.

I received my projector back yesterday. The spot it was putting out is now gone :) Unfortunatly hpwongs suggestions did not fix my 1080i problem. I guess I will live with 720p.

Re-flash it to version 9 and it will fix the problem.

http://www.infocus.com/service/software/downloads/SP5000_753-0363-09.exe

I've had the SP 5000 for about 18 months now, and it's been great. Black levels are pretty good, but could better in some scenes (such as in 'Last of the Mohicans', running through the woods in the dark is dim). Also, I have never seen VB, and SDE is not an issue, unless you watch from ~ 4 ft. (Why would you?). BTW, I have the 1st firmware upgrade, whichever that one is. Anyway, on to the main concern. The only major problem I have is watching fast motion with this display. For instance, in FOTR, the fast battle scene in Balins' Tomb, is hard to watch, as the motion doesn't seem to be smooth (or clear, or something). I did not notice this at the Carmike theater. Another example, in 'The Bourne Supremacy', the action scenes are virtually unwatchable. My wife actually closed her eyes during the fast scenes. Is the DVD player (Sony DVP-NC675P) the culprit? Is it the scaling in the PJ to 720P? Any info would be appreciated. I am thinking about upgrading to an upconverting DVD player. Does anyone know if that will smooth the fast motion scenes? Further improve black levels?

Current Set-up
SP5000 via component
Yamaha HTR-5740
Sony DVP-NC675P
Polk RTI series speakers w/JBL sub
106" DIY painted screen - color is 'Pewter Mug'
Seating distance - 18 ft.

I have the Neuneo 2085 upscaling dvd player and I watched Bourne Supremacy recently. No problems at all with picture quality during fast scenes.

Stevenator, from what I've read about this PJ you do NOT want the PJ to do any of the work with scaling and the like. I do not know enough about DVD players to tell you what to purchase but if you can upgrade to something that takes any load off the PJ you should see an improvement at least with artifacts and blur. Not sure on the black levels.
I will be using an HTPC through DVI-M1 when I evaluate it later this week, the PC's video card will be doing all of the work before the signal gets to the PJ at a true 1:1 pixel mapping, I have a feeling this PJ will really shine (for it's economical pricepoint) using an HTPC.

Just got a refurbished SP5000 off ebay, I'll be evaluating it for the next two weeks (the amount of time which Infocus gives you for a full money back return policy.). All I've done so far is power it up to see the splash screen and to see how bright the image looked.

Here's my thoughts so far:
1. Working with infocus customer service has been great. They answered all my questions very quickly. If anyone is interested in those questions and answers let me know and I'll PM you or post them. In a nutshell you can get the refurb currently from ebay direct from infocus for fifty dollars less than infocus.com, all other issues related to the purchase being the same, plus you can get 1 yr warantees on both the bulb and pj.
2. It came with a dust blob which didn't give me a good first impression. I powered the unit down after awhile and followed the instructions SPIN CONTROL posted earlier in the thread. I was very relieved and somewhat impressed that I was able to remove it quickly with simple canned air WITHOUT opening the unit.
3. The image doesn't seem as bright as I thought it would be. The refurbs have "x" amount of hours on them, (mine says 0 but not sure if it's reset at the refurb shop). I powered up my trusty Panasonic 75u (rated at 1200 lumens) and the blue splash screen seemed about 20% brighter on the 75u, although the menus looks brighter on the sp5000.. so not sure about that as a valid test yet. I'm willing to have a small hit in brightness if I can get a little more contrast ratio than what I had before, but I know my 75u didn't perform very well with ambient light, I can't see yet how the sp5000 could do much better.

Jude,

I too have a Screenplay 5000 that I purchased new about 6 weeks ago. While I really like this pj, especially for the price, I have had 2 or 3 dust blobs so far. I have not had to use canned air or anything to remove the blobs. I have just turned off my pj as soon as I noticed the blob and let the fan cycle through cooling down. When I restart it, the blobs have been gone. I don't know that I will always be so fortunate but I hope so!!! Enjoy your SP 5000!!

Okay just hooked up my SP5000 tonight. I got it to replace a BenQ 6200 (XGA, DLP) that was need a new bulb. I had a anamorphic lens in front of it also. Did a quick calibration. I've watched couple hours of various clips and programs. BTW have a HTPC with a 6600GT feeding via a vga cable.

First impressions and concerns an questions
1) brighter than my 6200 ever was ( which was rated 1600 lumens) - good !! - I love bright projectors - this way I can run their bulbs to end of life with a brightish picture

2) black levels - mixed bag. Absolute black is on par with my old setup - good. Shadow detail is NOT as good - boo...

3) sharpness - good sharpness - can notice SDE and pixelation from 1.2x - does not bother me really

4) fan noise - a lot louder than my 6200 - maybe louder than my X1 before that.

5) VB - tons of it - everywhere, every color, everybackground. It's KILLIN me. I'll try different power options tomorrow and see if that helps. powercord, outlets, UPS etc... Any tips on eliminating it would be appriciated.

6) Colors seem good to me -

7) There is also something else not right - maybe aby product of the bad VB. Horizontal Motion Artifacts. Someone earlier in the thread mention it - maybe "scanline effect"

What does it look like? not very good so far.... I've tried several differnt HD clips and shows and all show the VB and other blocky noise. It just doesn't look detailed or good. - it's kinda hard to explain.

Any body have any tips please chime in, I'm open to anything. - I was really surprised HD didn't look as good as on my old setup. It must be in how I setup up the SP5000.

Thanks
Fred

Fred my first thoughts might be not to use VGA cable but to use DVI out on your HTPC and go into the M1 connector on the SP5000. You are using analog now w/ the VGA connector, maybe digital will yield better results? I would tend to think that it WOULD have an effect on VB.
I'll be using such a cable from my HTPC and posting more soon as I finally have a chance tonight to evaluate the sp5000, I have source material which I *KNOW* produces the scanline effect on my old projector (when viewed without an anamorphic lense), I'm curious to see how the SP5000 produces, especially going all digital this time wheras before I was over VGA cable.
Fred can you give some examples and descriptions of the lack of shadow detail you are noticing? Of course that doesn't surprise, you are moving from a DLP rated at a higher contrast ratio.
I'm *REALLY* surprised that the SP5000 seems brighter to you? I'm wondering if you got your BENQ originally with a dim bulb, or are comparing it strictly by the last impressions you had of it before you lost your bulb, at which point it was probably much dimmer than it's original 1700 lumens. I am feeling that it is NOT as bright as my ANSI rated 1200 lumen Panny 75u, which only had about 300 hrs on the bulb.
One other thought, whether you use VGA or DVI, make sure your graphics card set to 1280 x 720 at 60HZ ?

I did get my benq refurb - so a "not new" bulb may have been the case. Also then 6200 I ran on video - not presentation mode which is brighter. It is hard to be certain about the difference - the way I do it with out a meter is to see how many lights I can turn on and still have a good image. Pretty unscientific, I know but I run this test with every new projector or bulb when I get as a way of guesstimateing relative brightness.

I'll try the the cable change as a last resort as I don't want to buy a new cable yet:) I could try it on the svideo from an old dvd player I have and see if the VB still there. I'd probably rather just the adapter and buy an hdmi - dvi cable ( just in case the SP5000 doesn't last long at my house)

I do have it set to 1280x720 60 hz - tried other refresh rates also to no avail.

I thin that if I can get rid of the VB, I can be satisfied with the SP5000 for a year or two. I always buy a new projector when I need a new bulb - I like new toys. Which is why I always try to keep my projector cost under a grand. If I bought an expensive( for me) one I'd have a harder time upgrading in a year.

Thanks again for all you help, and Ipost back tonight after I try a few things.

I think unless we have sophisticated expensive equipment your unscientific method is the best approach-- especially when all of these manufacturers specs are always out of alignment, exaggerated or under-rated, which makes this whole PJ buying game a bit of a pain.

Fred: What other projectors have you owned before the BENQ? Just curious. You don't seem to be too hung up on staying with DLP like many who own DLP, tend to stay with it. Have you had many/any LCDs previous to your BENQ?

Fred, I urge you to go to this link below, and just buy yourself a short DVI-D / M1 cable, for under ten bucks, and they ship almost immediately (I got mine in two days). This is apparently where everyone recommends going to get your cabling. You need to get it quick so you can eval the unit and decide on returning it/etc.

http://www.monoprice.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10238&style=

I start with a XGA toshida LCD about 7 years ago - bright with horrible contrast and colors - but I loved it. Then I had an X1 for a couple years, then the 6200. My brother has an AE700. And I still have all of them :). I thought I would give LCD another try - not sure I made the right choice but we'll see. I didn't want to go with another XGA and there are no 1280 DLP that are in my price range - the HD72 was tempting but it's short throw would take it out of my closet and into my room - not really what I wanted and it might not have been bright enough.

I did order some cables BTW and will try that tomorrow. - I have Partsexpress and Cables-to-go minutes from work and my house - so I can pick them up and return easily.

I'll try the the cable change as a last resort as I don't want to buy a new cable yet:) I could try it on the svideo from an old dvd player I have and see if the VB still there.

If VB shows up on the Screenplay splash screen (without any hookups) then it's the LCD panel (per InFocus). You'll have to send it back to Infocus to get it/them fixed. Search for my discussions of it...I brought up a question that has not been answered. Basically, can one bad LCD panel cause VB for other colors?

Mine's getting repaired right now...

Ok here's the good news and bad news on the SP5000 refurb I picked up.

GOOD NEWS: Picture amazingly bright, crisp and clear. No motion artifacts for my setup, which is about 1.2x seating distance, don't notice SDE, nor do I see any VB. I urge anyone who has an SP5000 to demo it using an HTPC ! As far as fan noise, I don't know what everyone is talking about with it, I cannot hear it, at all.

BAD NEWS:
1. I am seeing noise artifacs on some backgrounds, for example a light blue/grey wall, I can see noise througout the wall, I don't think this was true with my older XGA projector.
2. The picture generally somehow has a dark tint to everything. It's almost like there's extra line of shadow cast onto anything black. I have to believe it's some mis-setting on my PC/video card, and/or some kind of picture tweak I can make on the projector. I will be doing a shootout on Monday with what I was using to see if what I'm noticing was true before or not, and to determine for sure if it's the video card/settings or the SP5000.

I sure wish there was an SP5000 owner locally here in Portland/Vancouver that I can see the same source material. If this can't be fixed and is normal for the projector I will need to keep shopping. If anyone has any quick links to SP5000 threads posting the BEST projector settings for this model please let me know.

Update and more questions

1) fan noise - it starts off quiet and after ten minutes it get loud. It mounts closer to one of the walls in my closet than my other projector and isn't getting good airflow. Therefore when it gets hot it turns the fans to high - easy fix.

2) tried putting the projector on a power conditioner to see if that would help VB. I think if it did help it was marginal.

3) got my hdmi cable ran - 10m from partsexpress. with DVI connected to my computer and M1-hdmi adapter on the projector. Couldn't not get my 6600gt video card to show. Hooks up my wife LCD monitor and it found fine. Must not put out enough juice to make it through 33 feet of cable. So I threw in an old ATI 9250 ($40 maybe). Lit right up!. So I tried a few clips that really show the noise and VB. Still there, but reduced maybe 50%. I never thought the cable change would have made a difference. It's possible that I'm imagining it but I don't think so. Still not sure if it's good enough for me but things do have a way of growing on you, or in this case you get better at ignoring them:)

Anybody have any luck connecting to a 6600gt? - I'll try again later because the 9250 doesn;t cut it - VMR tearing a lot.

4) the VB shows up a little in all colors but is especially noticable in green.

SpinControl,
It would be my (uneducated) guess that on bad lcd panel would effect other colors to some degree as light is always passing through that panel ( even when it is black - hence the dark gray blacks of LCD's)


5) also the shadow detail loss I spoke of earlier might be a result of this thing being so bright... more relection back on the screen, even though my walls and ceilings are a dark purple. And my pupils are smaller :)

I'll update later weekend after I have more time to play and maybe I'll pick up ND2 filter to tame this beast.

Currently my setup is:

8300HD Cable Box from Scientific Atlanta that I got from Adelphia Cable

Screenplay 5000 Projector (love it)

Tonight when I came home from work my cable box was sending me an HDMI HDCP error message telling me that the cable box could not send a signal because the HDTV that I had is not HDCP compatible which is a copy protection system. That is not true. The Screenplay 5000 should not have problems with HDCP compatiability and so I started working on the internet and figuring out what was wrong.


THANK GOD FOR THIS FORUM

I'm using a nice HDMI cable and that's my only connection from the cable box to the projector. I haven't gotten the Component cables working and by gosh I don't WANT to. I like the HDMI picture and even though I'm not a videophile I know what looks good to ME. HDMI looks great.



Recently upon recommendation from forum members in this thread I upgraded to the version 10 firmware and I thought I was a technical genius (which I'm not).

It actually worked and all was well for a while.

So, tonight when the error message appeared I started to get really frustrated. I called adelphia and they told me that it was my TV. They also told me that there was no way to get an HDMI signal from the cable box to the projector. The don't know technical things. They are just reading a script.


When I was running the older version of the firmware I had no problems other than a momentary spalsh screen saying HDMI BLOCKED and then it would go away. Maybe I didnt' watch much TV through the HDMI connector..... or something but tonight when I tried to watch some cable the cable box started giving me an error message that wouldn't go away on the HDMI connection no matter what I tried.

FINALLY I decided to re-flash the firmware back to the version 9 and see what happened. I found the link to the softare on this forum!


So, I re-flashed the firmware back to version 9 There are two options of files to select, and I selected the "home" file (you'll see it if you try this) becasue the other file didn't work.

Anyhow, long story longer.....

Once I reflashed the system, I unplugged everything. Then I booted up the cable box and then I started the projector. <B>THEN I plugged in the HDMI cable and SHAZAM! Nice bright colors, high qualty HDMI with no error messages. </B>

Anyhow, I just wanted to post a thank-you to <B>NOHDjunkie</B> for his link, and post my struggle.

Thanks to everyone for their inputs!

Dan

You're welcome Dan.

Infocus should really put out a new FW version because 10 is causing a lot of problems. 9 however, works fine and seems to "fix" problems people are having with new machines that are coming with ver. 10 loaded.

10 only lasted about 2 hours on my 5000 before I reflashed it back to 9. I called infocus immediately and told them 10 was flawed and screwed up my system. I Urge all of you that experienced issues with 10 to do the same and maybe they will put out an new version sooner than their usual once every 12 months.

I've had my SP 5000 for about a week now and tonite I noticed a yellow spot on the screen. I hadn't seen it before and I am concerned. It shows up on light colors and not as bad as dark colors. If anyone knows what this is please let me know. I may call the company I bought it from. I hope it's not a major problem, although it is under warranty. Thanks in advance for any guidance. JIM :eek:

Jim, don't worry... that sounds like a dust blob to me. Get yourself some good quality canned air, and with the projector OFF, blow it into the small opening between the back of the zoom lense and the front of the projector WITHOUT tilting the can. Then blow it straight into the vents on BOTH sides of the projector. Mine came out with no problem.

Thanks Jude. I started getting worried since It wasn't there initially. I will get canned air today and try it. Jim :)

Well I have to say I am very pleased with the SP5000. I discovered my image problems with it were not the PJ's fault-- but my HTPCs... After pulling my hair out with my HTPC's video cards/drivers/etc and then downloading TheaterTEK I'm left with a great image. Blacks could be better but for under 1K this is real nice. I have two more days before I can still return it so if someone wants to speak now, or forever hold your peace!
My conclusion about this PJ is that it doesn't perform to my liking over component, s-video, or VGA, but over DVI via HTPC it really works well, no artifacts/noise.
I had done a ton of research when I decided I wanted to move away from XGA 4:3 and started with the AE900, was close to buying it then I was able to demo it in my HT room and it didn't grab me... then to the AE700, then the 500, then considered the z4, the z3, and the z2, then looked at the epsons powerlites, then considered buying a used sony vpl-ht10w I think it was... then moved back to something with a warantee, and stumbled on the sp5000, and read this thread below,
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=639502
Then worked out a deal (actually its standard from infocus for this model) to have 15 days of trial with ability to return for full money back, and had to try it. I will try to post some screenshots once I get the DIY panamorph and my 2.35 screen up and running.

I'm sending my unit in tonight as soon as they email me the RMA # to get it repaired. Couldn't get past the VB and noisy-grainy image. Anybody ever sent theirs in to get repaired? how long was the wait?

BTW - I tried the email "support" first since I hate talking on the phone, but nobody ever got back to me after a week, so I ended up calling them anyhow.

What have other people experienced with the component connection? According to the post above Jude finds it unacceptable compared to using the DVI connector. I am particularly interested in experience plugging the XBox 360 into the component as MS dosn't offer DVI or HDMI connectivity. My SP5000 should be on the way.

Fred, can I share with you my experience? When I first plugged in my SP5000 to my 2.8 Athlon PC with Radeon 7500 card I also quite a bit of noise and graininess. After I plugged in a standard DVD player and didn't see the noise I knew something was amiss with my PC and/or the cable and/or the M1 interface on the SP5000. I tried an nvidia card and it got worse (in hindsight I think I got a bad card), then I started all over again with the 7500 and re-installed the newest catalyst drivers and the picture looked sweet. Long story short: if you haven't already you should pull all your 6600 GT drivers and start over. Also re-install your DVD playing software and it's video filters, one of these is what got me back in business. Also scares me how much an HTPC image can change after enough stuff has been installed on it.

Which email address were you using? I got same day support at 'TechnicalSupport@infocus.com' for some misc questions which they were fairly helpful with. You might work with your sales rep directly if you have one to see if they can leverage some better turn around from the tech support team via email.

Hyper_Eye keep in mind that I was projecting onto a 96 x 54 screen, and was seated about 1.2x, and my equipment was certainly probably not ideal for use with component (just a standard dvd player with component out and no other devices in between doing any of the video processing). If your total equipment loop is superior, and/pr your screen is smaller or you sit further back you may not notice the artifacts that I saw via component.

Component was better than the S-video for sure but not as good as the VGA or M1 connector via DVI. I think a number of people are using component with the SP5000 and are completely happy, but not sure of what all the hardware is in their loops.

Does anyone out there know any good reason for me to flash back from firmware 10 to 9, if I'm only hooking up a PC to this unit? I've read this and that and would like to get an updated opinion if anyone has one... I know the saying "if it aint broke don't fix it" which IMO my new purchase "isn't" on FW 10, but I would like to know what I'm missing.

Hyper_Eye keep in mind that I was projecting onto a 96 x 54 screen, and was seated about 1.2x, and my equipment was certainly probably not ideal for use with component (just a standard dvd player with component out and no other devices in between doing any of the video processing). If your total equipment loop is superior, and/pr your screen is smaller or you sit further back you may not notice the artifacts that I saw via component.

Component was better than the S-video for sure but not as good as the VGA or M1 connector via DVI. I think a number of people are using component with the SP5000 and are completely happy, but not sure of what all the hardware is in their loops.

I will be viewing on a 76" screen at roughly 8' back. Also, the 360 will be displaying in 720p which, of course, is the native resoution for the SP5000.

I have a feeling you're going to like what you see at those measurements. Would like to get a review from you if you can, especially on your thoughts on shadow detail and contrast.

My component and hmdi to M1 connector both give excellent pictures. They just need different color adjustments to get the "same looking" picture. My dvd player puts out 720p over both component and hdmi. I would imagine that there would be a lot of difference if my component came from a "regual" dvd player.

I'm sending my unit in tonight as soon as they email me the RMA # to get it repaired. Couldn't get past the VB and noisy-grainy image. Anybody ever sent theirs in to get repaired? how long was the wait?

BTW - I tried the email "support" first since I hate talking on the phone, but nobody ever got back to me after a week, so I ended up calling them anyhow.

Fred,
I sent my unit in on a Wednesday. They received it the following Tuesday, but did not get to it until Friday. They sent the unit back to me the following Wednesday. I recieved it on Monday. Turnaround (given when I mailed it to them) was 2.5 weeks. I assume that if you ship earlier than Wednesdays, you may get it back in 2 weeks (depending on their backlog).

With that said, I sent it in for VB. I do not think that it was fixed. First, I looked at the Screenplay blue splash screen, and VB was still clearly visible on the projected image. This is a sign that it is NOT the inputs b/c the splash screen comes up without any inputs.

Then, I popped in Finding Nemo, and the picture is still littered with VB with blue ocean scenes and near the end of the movie with the brown/gray ocean scenes. The return packaging slip and online status did not report what was "fixed", so I'll need to call them directly. I have not had a problem getting through to someone quickly.

I give Infocus an "F" for the repair. Granted, I know that it is extremely difficult for them to understand my problem when I'm not there pointing it out. However, you'd think that "static" vertical bands 1 inch wide would be clearly visible. The unfortunate thing is that they are most likely not projecting a 100" screen size, and they may be using a static image. VB in my opinion shows up much more clearly when there is motion in the background.

Best of luck in your repair. Hope it goes better than mine did. Others report that VB was repaired in their units. I do not know why mine wasn't...unless my definition of VB is different than others.

SpinControl, is it possible for you to take a digital photo demonstrating the vb? Perhaps if you move the projector back or zoom out making your image big enough to fill a 120" screen for example, that it would enlarge the artifact on a portion of your screen, such that you could take a photo to either send in to them or maybe post out here to get some more opinions.

Also, I assume if you weren't they updated your firmware to 10.

Was the problem always there or did it show up after use for awhile? (in which case I'd wonder if it's the age fo the bulb that makes it start popping out.)

Did you buy new or refurbed?

If you can somehow demonstrate that this problem on your unit isn't present on other units, and you are still under a warantee, that you should be able to leverage some kind of exchange, if at least for a refurbished unit. The fact that the vb is on your splash screen might help you compare apples to apples with another sp5000 owner.

Last but not least what kind of screen are you using? I read somewhere that people who notice VB more tend to have a certain type of screen. Can you project onto another screen or white wall to make sure the VB doesn't change?

I received my SP5000 today... with no power cable... or remote... or anything else for that matter. I am assuming that stuff was put in the same box as the screen but that package is late and I suspect it won't be delivered until tomorrow. Bummer. The plug looks like a standard PSU plug (like the back of your computer.) Is this true? If so I will test it out with one as I have plenty of spares.

I used a different power cord on mine and it worked great. I kind of doubt the cords will be with the screen, they usually pack that stuff with the projector.

I decided to try it and a standard PSU plug worked fine. I plugged a mac mini in and that is what I am typing from. I am looking at an 86" image projected on a wall (non-white) right now. I have done no adjustments yet and it already looks fantastic. I played Quake2 for quite some time and it was stunning. I also played World of Warcraft for a little bit and it looked great as well. I am not going to be plugging my 360 into it until I am done purchasing my new sound system so I can't report on that yet. I am using 1280x720 on the desktop and in the games so I am using a native resolution. I do hope everything else is in the box with the screen. Otherwise I am going to have to call and get that stuff sent. Navigating the menus without the remote is a real pain. The unit is a refurb but they put a new lamp in it and there is not a single mark on it. I have put over an hour on it. So far I am extremely pleased with my purchase and I can't wait to see what I get with the 360. So far I find the blacks to be completely acceptable and the fan noise isn't loud at all.

I have yet to hear ANY fan noise on mine. But fan noise has never bothered me anyway, so I was never worried about it.
I'm curious Hyper, how do you know for sure you have a new lamp in there? Mine read 0 hours on my refurb, but how can we tell that the techs didn't simply resent the lamp timer?

According to the info they gave me, if the lamp has over 25% usage on it they put a new lamp in. According to them they do not reset the lamp counter. I actually don't believe a new lamp was put in. I believe it was never used. Looking at how nice the unit looks I believe it was probably DOA.

I read on another forum that using a 3rd party (non Infocus) M1 to dvi or hdmi adapter will not work with the projector. Is this true is anyone using a third party M1 adapter to dvi or HDMI.
The infocus adapter is like 30 dollars higher than third part.

I read on another forum that using a 3rd party (non Infocus) M1 to dvi or hdmi adapter will not work with the projector. Is this true?It's BS.

It's BS.

Its bs, are you saying your using a third party or do you know someone that is I believe you just checking.

are you saying your using a third party or do you know someone that isBoth.

appreciate the help for clearing that up. Thanks

Well, Infocus received my projector back for repairs. It only took one night to get there. So hopefully I have it back in a week(and a half) or so. I'll reply when I get it back.

On a side note - I purchased the SP5000 to replace my aging bulb in my Benq. When I turned it on last night the refused to light up and the lamp indicater came on. Lasted about 1880 hours. Talk about timing:) . So I took my old X1 out of the closet , which I replaced with the Benq because the bulb was getting dim, and set it on the coffee table and projected a 60" sized "screen". Man, I forgot what a good picture this thing could put out! HD was noticably less sharp, but over all still very good.

jnorton I am using a monoprice 15ft cable and it works just fine. Have never seen a post/thread from someone who had access to both to discuss differences in PQ using either.
I did use the infocus supplied vga cable and it looked about the same, slight edge to the monoprice dvi-m1 cable.

Hey Fred I copied & pasted a msg I posted in this thread concerning your sp5000 experiences so far, into a PM to you. Just wanted to check to see if you had tried completely uninstalling your 6600 and dvd playing software from your HTPC to see if a re-install might fix the noise and tears you were seeing. It definitely made a huge impact on my image to the sp5000.
Speaking from experience with this recently, I feel strongly HTPC owners should reinstall everything every projector upgrade if not sooner!

Jude,
I did uninstall drivers and different video cards even. Neither of my other projectors or monitors show the same noise and grain over the same cables and setups. It must have been the projector. We'll see if they get it fixed. I even tried other computers with totally different codecs installed.

SpinControl, is it possible for you to take a digital photo demonstrating the vb? Perhaps if you move the projector back or zoom out making your image big enough to fill a 120" screen for example, that it would enlarge the artifact on a portion of your screen, such that you could take a photo to either send in to them or maybe post out here to get some more opinions.

Also, I assume if you weren't they updated your firmware to 10.

Was the problem always there or did it show up after use for awhile? (in which case I'd wonder if it's the age fo the bulb that makes it start popping out.)

Did you buy new or refurbed?

If you can somehow demonstrate that this problem on your unit isn't present on other units, and you are still under a warantee, that you should be able to leverage some kind of exchange, if at least for a refurbished unit. The fact that the vb is on your splash screen might help you compare apples to apples with another sp5000 owner.

Last but not least what kind of screen are you using? I read somewhere that people who notice VB more tend to have a certain type of screen. Can you project onto another screen or white wall to make sure the VB doesn't change?

Jude,
It has always been an issue since I bought the projector NEW at the end of March 2006. The firmware version has always been 10. I wonder if going back to 9 might not help with the problem.

Anyway, I project onto a textured wall in my basement, so I will try to see if projecting onto a smoother surface improves anything. I will also take a photo of the problem and post it for comments.

Thanks!
SC

Hey Fred, are you using an M1 cable? If so then you most likely didn't use that same cable with your other projector(s) unless they were infocus as well. So possibly a bad cable? If you weren't using an M1 cable maybe consdier ordering a short one just to eliminate the possibility that whatever port you were using on your sp5000 might have some issue with it, or possibly the sp5000 doesn't like the length of the cable you are using where your other projector was ok with the signal.
One other idea which you may have already tried was to plug in via a different source, a dvd player using different input.. component or s-video just to see if the same noise is there.

For those suffering from VB, some more research for you to contemplate, this thread talks about AE700 owners who's VB magically "went away" after 120+ hours. (so maybe bulb brightness is the culprit here !)

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=549660

Jude
The same posterization and noise is present on svideo and the vga input. I have a hdmi cable with a m1-hdmi adapter and I also have a couple dvi-hdmi adapters so the cable was the same just the adapter was different.

Well... I am on hold with Infocus support right now trying to get my accessories. It seems they forgot to include them. Hopefully they will send them quickly.

Jude,
It has always been an issue since I bought the projector NEW at the end of March 2006. Right now it has ~40hours of use on the lamp.

Anyway, I project onto a textured wall in my basement, so I will try to see if projecting onto a smoother surface improves anything. I will also take a photo of the problem and post it for comments.

Thanks!
SC


Here are links to photos of my Vertical Banding. Any comments from owners on how this compares to your SP5000 projected image is appreciated...in other words,
1) are your images similar, or do I really have a problem?
2) how does my splash screen compares to yours...does yours show VB like mine?
3) I think that this is bad VB. Do you? To me, the bands are so distracting that they limit the sharpness of the image.


http://www.geocities.com/sp5000_vb/splash1_blue.jpg

http://www.geocities.com/sp5000_vb/Splash2_blue.jpg

http://www.geocities.com/sp5000_vb/Splash3_angled_blue.jpg

http://www.geocities.com/sp5000_vb/Splash4_wall_versus_parkland_plastic_blue.jpg

http://www.geocities.com/sp5000_vb/Image6_gray_background.jpg

http://www.geocities.com/sp5000_vb/Image7_greenishgray_background.jpg

http://www.geocities.com/sp5000_vb/Image8_FingingNemo_greenishgray.jpg

http://www.geocities.com/sp5000_vb/Image9_blue_background1.jpg

Spin
A) Looks like my projector - except my blues weren't as bad as my greens, reds, grays, blacks. actually blues were the only acceptable background.

B) my splash doesn't look as bad as yours - i can just barely notice it

C) this amount of VB is totally unacceptable

you've got me worried about my repairs now :( i can accept some VB but not the amount I had ( or you have).

If I were you I might try to get a replacement unit - can't get much worse....

best of luck and let us know what transpires

Spin
A) Looks like my projector - except my blues weren't as bad as my greens, reds, grays, blacks. actually blues were the only acceptable background.

B) my splash doesn't look as bad as yours - i can just barely notice it

C) this amount of VB is totally unacceptable

you've got me worried about my repairs now :( i can accept some VB but not the amount I had ( or you have).

If I were you I might try to get a replacement unit - can't get much worse....

best of luck and let us know what transpires

Thanks for the feedback, Fred.

Not sure what they labeled your problem, but my workorder was for repair of "static banding". Initially, they said that they could not reproduce the problem! Whatever repair they made did not work b/c the image is still the same.

Best of luck on your repair. Hopefully, they get yours corrected the first time and then they can fix mine!

Thanks for posting those Spin, that really demonstrates this issue to a T. A few thoughts:
Definitely this is a problem. I do not see ANY VB in my SP5000, whatever the background color, nor on the splash screen, I see nothing like what your pictures post -- I only see smooth shade of blue. This is definitely unacceptable, without a doubt.

A question, though, how big was the image that you are projecting to snap these photos of your VB? Or, how far back was your PJ and what was your zoom.

I forget, did you say the problem showed up out of the blue, or was true since you had the unit? If you had the VB from day 1, didn't you consider returning it outright?

If you haven't already can you do a factory reset of your projector settings? Also try turning DOWN your brightness? I'm just curious if they affect your VB at all. The reason I say this, even though I know digital pictures of a PJ image can exaggerate certain aspects, your "INFOCUS" logo on your splash screen looks overly-bright, and glowing. So... I imagined that if your PJ's brightness was out of whack in some way, or that somehow your bulb is somehow brighter than the standard SP5000 bulb, that any VB will then surface and/or be made worse.

Which makes me also wonder if *ALL* SP5000's have VB but the brightness settings/slight fluctuations in bulb manufacture can make the VB come out or be hidden.

One thing I will do for you this weekend when we watch some movies on our unit, I'll fiddle with my brightness ont he splash screen and see if I can make some VB come out, this will give you some extra data to cope with the issue.

You need to email all of the folks you have dealt with on this issue, submitting those digital photos, and ask them to exchange the unit or fix the problem.

A question, though, how big was the image that you are projecting to snap these photos of your VB? Or, how far back was your PJ and what was your zoom. The projector is about 13 feet from the wall, so the image is slightly under 100" diagonal. I can see the banding if I sit 14 feet from the wall (1.6x the screen width). This is totally unacceptable since I want to sit 11-12 feet from the wall. I see no screendoor unless I'm 6 inches from the wall.

I forget, did you say the problem showed up out of the blue, or was true since you had the unit? If you had the VB from day 1, didn't you consider returning it outright? From day 1 the problem was there, but I did not notice how bad it was until I popped in Nemo. I bought it at target.com and considered returning it for an exchange, but they were out of stock. I then called InFocus technical service, and they said that they would fix it, so I decided not to return it to target... "as the issue would be fixed". Since I sent in for the rebate, I cannot return it to target anymore. Hopefully, they can fix it or send me a new unit. They were backordered at InFocus, but their online store now says that they are shipping.

If you haven't already can you do a factory reset of your projector settings? Also try turning DOWN your brightness? ...your "INFOCUS" logo on your splash screen looks overly-bright, and glowing. So... I imagined that if your PJ's brightness was out of whack in some way, or that somehow your bulb is somehow brighter than the standard SP5000 bulb, that any VB will then surface and/or be made worse. I've done a factory reset before, and it did nothing. I will try it again just to make sure.

The logo on my wall really was not that bright. Because I had all the lights off and no flash, the digital camera's iris was opened wide and overexposed the logo - since it was the brightest thing in the room. I don't know if the bulb is brighter than other bulbs. My assumption is that when it was at InFocus for service they used the same bulb.

Thank you for the continued feedback, Jude.

SC

I have VB, too but mainly in light blue(sky) or white (snow). It can be very distracting when I watch a movie with a lot bluw sky or snow. However 98% of the time I don't notice it unless I really looking for it.

I did notice slight VB last night when watching "Enemy at the Gates". This movie contains a LOT of greys and that is where I noticed it. I couldn't help myself and had to hook the 360 in. That is what I was playing the DVD in. I also played Halo, Halo 2, Black, Quake 4, and Oblivion on the 360 and none of those had any VB whatsoever. Those games looked fantastic on the SP5000 (and this is coming from someone who has been using a CRT HDTV for the last few years.) The 360 was hooked in with component and set to 720p. When I had the Mac hooked in through VESA with 720 resolution I did not notice VB on a DVD ("National Treasure"). I will play with it some tonight and see if I can't get rid of the VB on the 360 with "Enemy at the Gates". I did notice that if I slightly took out the focus the VB would disappear. I didn't care for the soft image that resulted. I like it sharp. I will report on anything I find.

I have VB, too but mainly in light blue(sky) or white (snow). It can be very distracting when I watch a movie with a lot bluw sky or snow. However 98% of the time I don't notice it unless I really looking for it. VicY, is your splash screen littered with VB like mine? Have you watched a movie like Finding Nemo where 75% of the movie is in blue?

I did notice that if I slightly took out the focus the VB would disappear. I didn't care for the soft image that resulted. I like it sharp. I will report on anything I find. I've tried adjusting the focus-ring; the VB only goes away when everything is blurry.

Spin, your screen size when you took the photos is basically the same screen size as what I use normally, so very confidently I can tell you that it's not present in my unit at basically the same setup.
You said you tried resetting the factory settings but maybe you can try turning the brightness down and up, (can we do that on the splash screen? I'm pretty sure...) also change the predefined gamma from what you have to one of the other two settings (presentation, photography, or film).
Also try seeing what the change if any at full then minimum zooms.
I personally like the "photography" setting, it matched up best with the THX video calbration tools in the way of contrast, and although I saw things I liked better about each setting, I felt the "photography" was the most 3-d.

Here is what ProjectorCentral has to say about vertical banding:

"Vertical banding consists of subtle (sometimes not so subtle) vertical bands often in the range of about 1-inch thick, evenly spaced across the entire picture. DLP projectors don't have this problem. Most LCD projectors don't either—it is not an automatic byproduct of the technology. It is a flaw that can occur in the manufacturing process of the LCD panels themselves, and some LCD panels will tend to manifest it more noticeably than others. The panels that cause the most visible problems are usually weeded out in the vendor's quality control process. However, those that create just a hint of banding often pass through QC, since it is prohibitively expensive to discard all parts that exhibit flaws which may have no practical impact on picture quality."

Based on this, I would try to get a new projector. Yours is defective.

Based on this, I would try to get a new projector. Yours is defective.Well, I got another RMA number. InFocus will again pay for shipping to their service center.

RE: an exchange...I was told that the exchange would not be for a new unit, but a like-new, and that I would be charged $99. So, we'll see what happens with the second repair effort before I contact a service supervisor.

This time, I will send a few photos along to highlight the issue for the tech.

Thanks for everyone's help.

After playing a couple more games and testing a few more movies on my unit I have determined that VB is extremely slight (hard to find) to non-existent. My picture looks fantastic. I hope they get your unit repaired this time. You should be as happy with your unit as I am with mine... and I couldn't be any happier.

I don't have VB at the splash screen. My problem is white, grey and baby blue. I still love my projector and probably hang on to it until the price of 1080P projector get to my range.

hi all i have an sp5000 very happy with it.
i have one slight problem. the picture on my 360 looks very soft and slighty blurred. my projector is about 11 feet away and the zoom is on about 1/2 way. i am projecting on to a white wall. could you please post some of your settings for me to try.


thanks paul

Hyper_Eye posted "The 360 was hooked in with composite and set to 720p." Did you mean component? Not trying to nitpick:)

efcfan, you can't remove this blur at all using the focus ring? is it the same zoomed all the way in and out? does the splash screen have a slight blur to it? What are you hooking your 360 into the projector with? Has it always had this slight blur? Is it with all 360 games? Can you hook some other equipment in like a dvd player and describe if the picture has a similar blur?
If you haven't already you might want to reset to factory settings and see if it makes any change at all. Then work from there using different gamma settings etc to see if you can impact it whatsoever.

i will do a factory reset.the slight blur has not always been there. my 360 is via component to m1 adapter. it is on dvds and sky+ aswell. it does not seem to be there on the splash screen. do you know what are the most common settings for the 5000, overall i am very happy with it at the price i paid. this is my first pj so any help would be appreciated.

is it uniform blurriness(softness) - could be that you have the projector angled up or down? the projector should be perpendicular to your wall or screen

yes i would say it is a soft picture. i is only on a temp stand at the moment. the pj is angled upwards. as i say this is my first pj, so should i try not to put any angle on the unit. the first 2 weeks the picture was a lot better.

thanks for all help

Hyper_Eye posted "The 360 was hooked in with composite and set to 720p." Did you mean component? Not trying to nitpick:)

Yep... that is what I mean. I have been using HDTV for about 4 years now and I still get them confused all the time. But, I do know which cable is which.

Two weeks ago after only having my SP5000 for about a week I started getting the "ONE BLINK" error indicating that I had a lamp burnout or the lamp would not strike after 5 attempts.

Even though I only had about 20 hours on the first bulb I bought TWO new bulbs and finally today I instaled one and turned the power back on.

ONE BLINK again indicating the bulb is burnt out. So, I tried the OTHER new bulb and it TOO says "one blink".

Is there somethign fishy going on that I don't know about? The fans are turning, and things look normal.

Is there a reset that I don' t know about?

I'm becoming frustrated with this SP5000.

Hi guys!!

I am pretty new to HT in general and I've been enjoying my SP5000 for a few weeks. I am running into a little annoyance and I'm hoping some of you experienced guys can help.

My picture looks beautiful overall and I am very satisfied. However, if I am watching a movie with a very loud explosion my picture will disappear for a few seconds and "searching for signal" will show on the screen. I think this may be a source problem but since I'm new to all this I'm not really sure. The picture returns after 1-2 seconds but this is frustrating!!

I should mention that I am using a 25' component cable. I have read that most of you prefer the HDMI. Would you mind educating me on that?? My receiver and dvd player do not have HDMI only component,s-video & composite. Is there an adapter I can use? Also, my receiver has to have the same type of connection from beginning to end, meaning for example, dvd via component to receiver via component to pj. Is there a way I could still use HDMI??

Thanks for your help!! I'm trying to learn!!

Kamull - I would check all of your connections. It seems like the bass from explosions is rattling your system causing a momentary disruption in the signal to the projector.

Kamull - I would check all of your connections. It seems like the bass from explosions is rattling your system causing a momentary disruption in the signal to the projector.

That's exactly what I was thinking. You beat me to it.

I'll check all my connections tonight when I get home from work and give it a try.

Do you think I need to turn my sub down??

I'll check all my connections tonight when I get home from work and give it a try.

Do you think I need to turn my sub down??

If all your connections are solid I don't see any reason to turn your sub down.

if you turn it down a little or all the way just to test, watch the same scene that blew out the connection before, and if the problem goes away then of course that's the problem... then, to get your sub back to where you like it, you just need to see if you can make your connections tighter or more stable, maybe try a shorter cable run temporarily with the sub on full to see if the problem remains, or use a different port altogether. Seems possible to me also that if you used a different/better quality cable it might fix the problem as well if that cable you have is somehow faulty.

Hi guys!!

I am pretty new to HT in general and I've been enjoying my SP5000 for a few weeks. I am running into a little annoyance and I'm hoping some of you experienced guys can help.

My picture looks beautiful overall and I am very satisfied. However, if I am watching a movie with a very loud explosion my picture will disappear for a few seconds and "searching for signal" will show on the screen. I think this may be a source problem but since I'm new to all this I'm not really sure. The picture returns after 1-2 seconds but this is frustrating!!

I should mention that I am using a 25' component cable. I have read that most of you prefer the HDMI. Would you mind educating me on that?? My receiver and dvd player do not have HDMI only component,s-video & composite. Is there an adapter I can use? Also, my receiver has to have the same type of connection from beginning to end, meaning for example, dvd via component to receiver via component to pj. Is there a way I could still use HDMI??

Thanks for your help!! I'm trying to learn!!

Is the loud explosion usually accompanied by a bright flash of light? Maybe the sudden brightness is messing with it?

If you are running your video through a receiver or switcher, try it straight to the PJ. It could be poor cabling, too long cabling, or poor connections due to switcher (stand alone or through a receiver). You will notice this only on HD and bright flashes due to higher bandwidth. It may vary by DVD players or video source as the signal output varies between video components.

Thanks for the input everyone. I tried checking all my connections tonight but I still have the problem. I am using the Balrog scene from LOTR FOTR and everytime the balrog strikes Gandalf's staff I momentarily loose the signal. Grrrr!

Huey- sounds like a good idea. I'll give that a try tommorrow evening. If that doesn't work I guess I'll try buying a different (and better) cable.

Keeping my fingers crossed!!!

You guys are brilliant!!!

I tried Huey's suggestion of by-passing the receiver and it seems to work fine.

Gotta run-late for work!! I'll keep you posted after I try it out further.

Have a great day!!

I got my projector back yesterday - 6 day turn around - pretty impressive. VB is still there on greens, grays, and fleshtones BUT is reduced maybe 70% The noise and grain are are also reduced but still there. I actually haven't got it home yet. I brought it over to my brothers house, and hook it up beside his AE700. I'll get a chance to bring it home tomorrow and tweak and see how bad it really is. It didn't seem to perform very good next to the AE700. The detail just wasn't there. hard to describe.

Spin - anyword on yours. If I'm not satisfied with it this time - I might pony up $99 for a replacement, if it comes with the same warranty, and I get it before I send in my old one( so I can compare).

I got my projector back yesterday - 6 day turn around - pretty impressive. VB is still there on greens, grays, and fleshtones BUT is reduced maybe 70% The noise and grain are are also reduced but still there. I actually haven't got it home yet. I brought it over to my brothers house, and hook it up beside his AE700. I'll get a chance to bring it home tomorrow and tweak and see how bad it really is. It didn't seem to perform very good next to the AE700. The detail just wasn't there. hard to describe.

Spin - anyword on yours. If I'm not satisfied with it this time - I might pony up $99 for a replacement, if it comes with the same warranty, and I get it before I send in my old one( so I can compare).

Make sure the Gamma is set to "photography"

One thing also you might want to try Fred is click on the "auto image" button, after doing a factory reset, and start from there, making sure NOW that gamma is set to photography and also set the color temp under settings to "Low". (At least, I felt this was the best looking.)

NOHD: Did you tweak any other settings with your SP5000?

NOHD: Did you tweak any other settings with your SP5000?

I tweaked couple of the RGB Gamma and offsets a little. But only a few points off of the factory settings (50)

Photography is the only Gamma setting that looks good. If you have Film or Presentation selected the image will look like crap.

I just wanted to take the time to thank all of you for your feedback in helping me get the most out of my HT experience.

Considering that your dealing with a soccer-mom who never learned how to set the vcr clock I think I'm doing a pretty good job learning. What a fun hobby this is turning out to be!

I am very pleased with my SP5000 and my hubby, the kids and all our friends seem to be having a blast too.

I couldn't have made it this far without my fellow AVSers. I hope to join in and be able to offer intelligent feedback one day soon!

Kamull isn't this place great? It can be a real time hog though if you're not careful. Watch out when you want to upgrade.
By the way, what kind of use does your SP5000 get? Daily TV watching? Hi Def? DVDs? What equipment do you have setup with it and what size is your screen? Did you find any settings that you like better than others as far as the SP5000's configuration menu?
Have you had any issues at all with your unit?

I got my projector back yesterday - 6 day turn around - pretty impressive. VB is still there on greens, grays, and fleshtones BUT is reduced maybe 70% The noise and grain are are also reduced but still there. I actually haven't got it home yet. I brought it over to my brothers house, and hook it up beside his AE700. I'll get a chance to bring it home tomorrow and tweak and see how bad it really is. It didn't seem to perform very good next to the AE700. The detail just wasn't there. hard to describe.

Spin - anyword on yours. If I'm not satisfied with it this time - I might pony up $99 for a replacement, if it comes with the same warranty, and I get it before I send in my old one( so I can compare).

Fred,
I sent mine in on Monday. UPS reports that it has been delivered.

In addition to sending in the unit with a summary of the issues, I sent in some photos, too. Hopefully they will correct the problem in each of the photos. One thing that I noticed was that it took about 15 minutes for the problem to appear. Within the first few minutes of turning on the projector, all colors look smooth. You can pause a scene and see the VB materialize as time goes by.

If they do not fix it properly this time, I will bark up a storm to get a new unit. This was a defect from the day I received the unit. Because they promised to fix the problem, I sent in for the rebate by cutting out the UPC - otherwise I could've sent it back to target. In the 8 weeks that I've owned the unit, it's been in repair or transit to repair for 4 weeks, so paying $99 (for a "like-new" unit) is outrageous.

If you are in a similar situation, Fred, I would suggest that you get the right people on the phone. I look at it this way...if the CEO of InFocus had this unit, would it be "acceptable" for his/her home theater? I would say that it would not and that they would put their best technician on it to repair the problem.

Another thing I guess that I could do is to dispute the purchase as it is within 90 days. Target may take the product back or give me an exchange even though the UPC was cut out as the credit card company would be on my side. I was faithful in my contract with both parties, but my only recourse/leverage would be through target as that is where I purchased the unit...I have no leverage against InFocus - except to threaten to complain loudly here and in other forums.

Best of luck! Hope it all works out for the both of us.

SC

spin
my also takes a few minutes till it gets real bad. Starts off barely noticable and within 10 minutes it's there.

Tonight I put some test patterns up on the screen to see if I was getting 1:1 mapping. i not sure what is normal - I hope somebody here can tell me what these look like on theirs. it appears that my green panel is off by almost an entire pixel to the left. it consistent across the whole screen. Also, on the left hand of the screen the blue and red pixels are equal spaces apart from each other but on the right they begin to overlap. NOW it does not surprise me that my picture looks like sh*t.

attached in the zip are the patterns I used. the 2 bmp files are representations of what it should look like and what it does look like. I used RGB colors to better isolate the panels.



somebody please correct me if I am interpreting these wrong. And is there a good way to take pictures of these? I tried but it did not come out good.

spin
my also takes a few minutes till it gets real bad. Starts off barely noticable and within 10 minutes it's there.

Tonight I put some test patterns up on the screen to see if I was getting 1:1 mapping. i not sure what is normal - I hope somebody here can tell me what these look like on theirs. it appears that my green panel is off by almost an entire pixel to the left. it consistent across the whole screen. Also, on the left hand of the screen the blue and red pixels are equal spaces apart from each other but on the right they begin to overlap. NOW it does not surprise me that my picture looks like sh*t.

attached in the zip are the patterns I used. the 2 bmp files are representations of what it should look like and what it does look like. I used RGB colors to better isolate the panels.



somebody please correct me if I am interpreting these wrong. And is there a good way to take pictures of these? I tried but it did not come out good.

Wow... I don't know what these patterns would look like on mine (I don't have it hooked up) but that is horrible.

Fred, I am having trouble figuring out what you are trying to do or represent with these files. I unzipped your file and all I got were a bunch of small black dots, one of them I could zoom in on which looked like an RGB pixel pattern. Just for my own curiousity, I would like to know what procedure you are following to use these files exactly.
I think, though, I understand what you are saying: when you look up close your pixel patterns are drifting from being where they should, and that this is what is causing your VB.

Jude
I just tile( not stretch or center) them as my desktop "wallpaper". I'm not sure if this explains the VB but it does explain why my display doesn't look very good.

Fred
Once you tile the graphic across your desktop, then what do you do exactly? And which file specifically are you using to tile? The msg you posted had a total of like 5-7 files if I remember correctly, some seemed to be only very small squares. If you use only one of these files to tile what do you do with the other files?
Also just to make sure, you are running your desktop set to 1280 x 720, correct, 60MHZ, correct? Are you using the M1 connector on the projector, or VGA? Is it possible you have a bad cable? Sorry if you've gone through this already before on a previous post.

Just received my SP5000 yesterday, and so far it looks like I am one of the lucky ones. I got it just in time to set it up for the Suns/Mavericks game on TNT. My first impression was that it's so much brighter and bigger than the picture my old X1 was throwing. I'm now throwing a 9 1/2' wide picture and am seated about 13' back and I didn't see screendoor in anything other than the absolute brightest scenes. My vision isn't perfect, but I pass the DMV eye test without glasses.

I am upgrading from an X1 with 3800 hours. One nice thing to know for X1 owners is that the SP5000 can make use of those component to VGA cables you have. I've had everything running with these cables to a KVM switch. I didn't have to change anything, so I was able to start watching as soon as I got itout of the box. I did just order an M1/DVI cable from Monoprice for comparison sake, but the VGA input looks good so far.

After the basketball game I watched Robots that I had recorded on my Comcast 6412. It looked great and I didn't see any vertical banding. I think I agree with the poster earlier in this thread that the SP5000 scales better than the cable box. Unfortunately you have to shut the cable box off and go to a menu to change resolution. ABC, FOX and ESPN are 720P and everything ese is 1080i. I'll probably just leave the box on 720P.

I ran it for about 7 hours last night sitting upside down on the same shelf that I had my X1 on for the past 3 and a half years. I thought this would be a good test to see if I could get it to overheat (there is only a couple of inches of clearance on the side). It did not. The fan seemed to be running in high mode, a little louder than the X1, but it was still easily drown out by the movie.

So my first impression is very good. Much better than what I expected from reading this thread, particularly the black levels and comparisons to the 4805. I don't think the shadow detail is significantly worse than the X1. Dark scenes were perfectly watchable. I went with the 5000 because I wanted the resolution upgrade and the added screen size in my room. The price after the rebate and a 30 day return policy was too good not to try it for myself. If it continues to run as well as it did last night I think I will be keeping it for a couple of years.

The only problem I have noticed so far was when using my PC. In the very center of the picture was mosquito noise that was apparent when using the cable box or DVD player. It made the text on that part of the screen fuzzy and difficult to read. I'm using Powerstrip, and am guessing I'll have to tweak the settings from what I already have on there for my LCD TV.

Kamull isn't this place great? It can be a real time hog though if you're not careful. Watch out when you want to upgrade.
By the way, what kind of use does your SP5000 get? Daily TV watching? Hi Def? DVDs? What equipment do you have setup with it and what size is your screen? Did you find any settings that you like better than others as far as the SP5000's configuration menu?
Have you had any issues at all with your unit?


My sp5000 is getting an average of about 18hrs per week since I got it. The time may increase a little since we've been able to move it to the HT room. I did have a temp set up in my living room and had to wait until dark but not anymore!!!

I don't use the pj too much for daily tv viewing. It is used for MLB and dvd's. I was previously running both the cable box and dvd player through my receiver but recently changed that due to my loss of signal problem. Currently, I am via s-video to the HD cable box and component to the dvd player. I use progressive scan for dvds and I'm happy for the most part. I'm reading about dvi cables and thinking that over. I may order one soon but I just finished my room and it's only wired with component,s-video and composite. Darn it!

I am finding that we don't really watch much HD tv. The YES network is currently not broadcast in HD in my area but hopefully it will be by mid summer.

My viewing is 106" diagonal with 2 rows of seating at 10.5' and 15'. Berkline 090's with power recline and buttkickers. I like the "photography" setting best.

I have had 2 minor issues with my pj. Dust blobs appeared twice when I had it in the temp setup. They drove me crazy!!! I was pretty lucky. I powered down the unit and let it cool ,when I turned it on again they were gone.

We are truly loving the SP5000, especially for the price!! I plan to use it for 1-1.5 years and hopefully upgrade and keep the 5000 as a back up or use it in my living room after dark.


**Congrats roto on your new pj! Have fun!!

Cheers!
Kari

hi a newbie here, great forum.I just got the infocus sp 5000 Saturday, my two questions would be what kind of cables to I need to buy for Comcast motorala hddvr to hook up to the sp 5000 to watch HDTV and what kind of cable to I need to hook up my xbox and xbox 360 to sp 5000 to play videogames in hd, my friend says just get a component cable from monoprice and I will be allright, I just wanted to see what you guys think thanks.

Check the back of your cable box to see if it has DVI or HDMI. You can get a cable from Monoprice that has the M1 connector for the projector on one end and DVI or HDMI on the other, depending which you need. I ordered an M1 to DVI cable the other day for about $10.

You can also get a component to VGA cable if you aren't going to hook a computer up to the projector. That will give you one extra component connection.

Kamull that's really interesting on the dust blobs-- someone else also posted that they just shut off the unit and then the next time they turned it on, they were gone ! So apparently canned air may not be necessary in many cases. The good news is that the one annoyance you have on this model is apparently easily remedied.

My refurb came with a dust blob ! Which wasn't a good first impression. I used canned air and the next time I booted it up it was gone, but who knows if it was the canned air or the shutdown/fan process of the unit itself.

I got my first dust blob last night after only having the projector since Friday. Odd thing is that it was the day after I had powered it off by hitting the switch on the surge protector. I just did that out of habit because that's the way I always had shut off my X1. That was the first time I didn't shut it off with the remote.

I don't know if that actually had anything to do with getting the dust blob, but after a couple of hours waiting for it to go away, I went ahead and shut it off (with the remote this time), gave it about 5 minutes, a couple short blasts of canned air under the lens for good measure and turned it back on. Success!

Good to know it's easy to get rid of, but if it's going to do this every few days it's getting sent back and I'll spend the extra bucks to go back to DLP. Do you hear me, SP5000? :mad:

Roto when you say you were shutting it off with the surge protector do you mean after the projector finished it's cool down of the bulb? Of course, normally, you should/MUST press the power button on the PJ itself so that it can cool down and once the fan has stopped you can actualy then completely turn off the power to the unit.

If you had already gone through that process, I don't think turning it off at the surge protector would make any difference with dust blobs.

DLP gets them as well of course! I was just at someone's house who had a >$2000 DLP unit and it had a very large dust blob right in the center. I don't think he will have as easy of a time removing it as a SP5000 owner would ! Dust blobs would be not be a reason to return this unit, poor CR might be arguable, but not dust blobs!

Just FYI, after my first blob that I removed the very first day, I've powered the unit up about 10-15 times for a few hours at a time and have not seen another one show up yet, but I'm not worried about it at all with how easy they seem to be to remove.

Roto when you say you were shutting it off with the surge protector do you mean after the projector finished it's cool down of the bulb? Of course, normally, you should/MUST press the power button on the PJ itself so that it can cool down and once the fan has stopped you can actualy then completely turn off the power to the unit.
No, I just hit the switch with the lamp on. This was always the way I did it with the X1, because if you just left it in standby mode the power supply fan was always on. Eventually after several threads debating whether the X1 should always be turned off with the remote to allow the fan to run, Bob Williams stated that it was ok to just hit the hard switch, and possibly better. He said it was only designed to let the fan run so that you could turn it back on sooner.

Anyway, that's the way I've been turning off my projector for 3 years. I just did it out of habit. Since the 5000 doesn't have a fan running all the time, I plan on just using the remote. I just found it interesting that the first time I didn't use the remote a dust blob showed up. Combine that with Kamull being able to get rid of blobs just by turning the projector off, it makes me think that it's probably a good idea to stick with using the remote to shut it off.

I may be misinformed but as far as I know I thought one always should put a PJ into it's gradual cool off mode (where the fan kicks in for a short time) before actually turning it off cold.
I would think one would be diminishing the bulb's life by not following the process with the temperature change being more accelerated. I would bet the X1 is a rare exception.
I still am skeptical that this is what caused your dust blob, though-- but I think you should be going into standby anyway for bulb life rather than dust blobs.

I'm not saying that's necessarily what caused the blob, but it certainly seems like something different is happening to clear them when the fans are running and the lamp is off. They don't seem to go away when the lamp is on. I barely used the canned air at all.

And I really don't want to dredge up the soft vs hard power off debate. It was almost as bad as DLP rainbow arguements and even more pointless. I was just explaining why I didn't use the remote.

Roto, I was completely unware that there even was a debate. Can you summarize, I am very interested-- if it's possible that it's BETTER for my lamp life to just turn it off cold, I'd like to know about it! Can you summarize the argument for powering off hard ?

Roto, I was completely unware that there even was a debate. Can you summarize, I am very interested-- if it's possible that it's BETTER for my lamp life to just turn it off cold, I'd like to know about it! Can you summarize the argument for powering off hard ?
Well,it was a couple years ago when it was an ongoing debate with the X1, but here are a couple of threads discussing it.
Hard powering down (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=532435)
"Hard" powering down a projector? (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=633736)

Posts #4 and #7 in the second thread summarize the debate pretty well. I doubt it makes a huge difference in lamp life either way. In one of the old X1 threads, Bob Williams (Infocus Engineer and active AVS member) agreed with post #4 and explained that the fan running at power off was in order to allow the projector to be turned back on sooner. I'm sure that's the same reason the SP5000 runs the fans on high when you first turn it on. You don't want to have the lamp strike when it's hot.


By the way, found a new dust blob last night. That's two days in a row. This time I skipped the canned air and just turned it off after the game was over. Turned it back on a half hour later and the picture was clear. The blobs may be easy to get rid of, but if it's going to continue at this rate my lamp won't last very long turning it on and off all the time.

Roto, on the dust blob subject, I have to believe you had really bad luck there, the SP5000 DOES seem more susceptible to dust blobs to me based on research but still not anywhere near the rate you are getting. Are you in a very dusty environment? I don't think I've read anything about an SP5000 owner who had more than 1. Anyways, would it be feasible for you to blow some canned air in there once in awhile rather than powering down to get them out? I wouldn't be surprised though if you dont see another one for awhile...

On the hard/soft power-off, very interesting threads!! I love this forum... so much to learn! I came away after reading the threads, however, that the fan could potentially provide a means to keep the lamp from overheating after it has been turned off. Maybe this could be compared to pulling a roast out of the oven, internally, it actually continues -- for a time -- to RAISE in temperature even outside in the cool air of the kitchen (sitting on a table, outside of the oven, in open air). I didn't see any actual posts from Bob but I would assume this gets pretty deep and there's more to consider.

Further still.... before reading those threads I have always imagined the fan actually provided a MORE gradual cooling off process, by starting slower with a gradual airflow cooling -- meaning, it provided an environment where the lamp would cool down slower than it would have otherwise if just turned off hard and left to cool down more rapidly. Until the roast out of the oven analogy the fan cooling down the lamp faster certainly would have made me agree that turning the power down hard would be preferable than to cooling down the fan faster.

Rob,

Sorry to hear about your dust blobs. Frustrating, isn't it??

It's been just about 2 months now since I got my SP5000, I've put about 145 hours on it. Still only had 2 dust blobs so far.

Like Jude, I turn off my pj with the remote and allow the fan to run and completely cool the unit down before powering it up again. It's probably overkill but I usually leave it off for at least an hour or so if we've used it early in the day and want to watch it again in the evening. Don't know if it really matters- I'm just trying to take good care of it.

BTW, both of my dust blobs showed within the first couple of weeks. Everythings been "hunkie-dorie" since then. (I'm now knocking on my wooden head! HA!)

Kari

Well, the dust blob streak ended. There weren't any last night. I wouldn't say I'm in a very dusty environment. I only bothered to clean my X1's lamp housing once or twice a year, and never found much to clean.

Anyway, I plan on using the 5000 a lot the next few weeks before my return policy expires. Seems like dust blobs and overheating are the main issues people have been having with it. The dust blobs are a minor nuisance as long as it doesn't happen frequently. I was more concerned about the overheating, but that hasn't happened to mine yet. I had the side of a bookshelf a few inches away from the vents the first couple of nights. That didn't do anything except make the fans kick into high after about an hour and it continued to run fine for several more hours. Now the shelf is out of the way and the fans have stayed in low.

An infocus tech said that if you do ever get an overheat / shutdown on your SP5000 you should proceed to clean the air filter, even if you haven't reached the projector's scheduled reminder to do so. I did this just for kicks, because it's so easy, but mostly because I wanted to make sure that was taken care of before the problem (might) happen in my 15-day return window. To clean the filter you just unscrew the plate at the bottom, pull out the filter and hold a vacuum to it for a minute.

Roto, you (and any new SP5000 buyers) might want to do this immediately. That way, if you get an overheat, you can tell the tech/rep that you had already cleaned the filter and got one, so you can just return it immediately rather than delay with cleaning it and waiting for it to happen again.

If you like rebates there's an incredible deal going on for the SP5000 now.

Does anyone know if the SP5000 has discrete IR codes for on and off? I found some info on some other Infocus projectors that do, nothing on the SP5000 so far.

jman, if there's a procedure I could follow to verify one way or the other for you, let me know. I assume this useful if you want to use other remotes to control the PJ?

Well, I just got my first shutdown from overheating at 151 hours. There was nothing visibly blocking any vents and the pj didn't really "feel" hot. I had only had it on about an hour and a half when the powering down occurred. It is ceiling mounted in a basement HT that is a comfortable temp.

I followed the directions in the manual to unplug unit, wait one minute and then plug it in and power back on. No problems getting the unit back on.

Do you think this is something that is scheduled to happen when I passsed the 150 hr mark or is my pj truly overheating? I plan to let it cool down and dismount it and clean the filters. BTW, my firmware is only version 7. I have tried twice to update the firmware, even while I was on the phone with an Infocus tech. I have been unable to get my unit in flash mode to complete the install of firmware.

What do you think? Am I doing something wrong? Should I send my unit in to Infocus to install the newer firmware? Should I buy the extended bulb warranty while I still have time??

Advice please guys!!

Kari

Kari, if you have never cleaned the filter before, then I would bet 75% chance that cleaning it will resolve the issue for another 150 or so hours. If I'm wrong then my next best bet is that your firmware needs updating, which if you can avoid it don't send it in to do; try to do it on your own, it shouldn't be too difficult , should just plug the usb/m1 cable in ad go to the infocus website to download the firmware and follow the instructions. Do you have windows XP on yoru PC or some other version? What happens when you plug the projector into the usb port?
Last but not least buying the extended warantee on the bulb.. I don't think the bulb is the issue, if the filter and firmware are not the issue then the sp5000 may just have a defect, which all of us may come to realize. However you should be able to send it in if none of the above resolves the issue, the technician I talked to seemed prepared to do so if I ever ran into the problem.
As far as the bulb warantee... here's my opinion. I've thought about it and I think I'm going to decide to just buy a NEW replacement bulb, if you froogle it you can get the bulb for right around two hundred bucks. Seems like a smarter investment, if you're goijng to spend around half of that for the bulb warantee (if I remember correctly).

I've had an SP5000 for 2 months, and put approximately 240 hours through the original bulb. It has operated very well considering the extreme environment it is in (*Iraq). I haven't had many problems, although the excessive heat has caused it to shut down a few times (I installed an air conditioner right next to it to alleviate this).

This afternoon, I attempted to turn on my projector, but it wouldn't light up. The unit powers up, the fans run, and the LED is solid green for about 15 seconds. After that, the LED blinks red for about 15 seconds (1 blink every 2 seconds). And, then it goes back to solid green for another 15 seconds. After about 5 minutes cycling between the 2 states, it powers down.

The error code in the manual indicates that the lamp is not striking. I'm about to order another bulb, but I'm a bit concerned. I can't imagine the bulb should only last 250 hours.... and considering it will probably take a good month to get here, I was hoping someone else had this issue in the past, and could offer suggestions on how to resolve it?

Thanks,

-m

You right that a lamp "should" last more than 250 hours, it's rated for 2000. But absolutely it "could" have only lasted 250 hours... there's lots of threads past and present of owners who didn't get a very good life out of their bulb. Is your PJ under any kind of warantee? Since you've only had it two months I believe th bulb is covered for another 30 days (??)

It's short life may indeed be attributed to the conditions it's operating under, if you install the new bulb and have your A/C unit fully operational for the new bulb it wouldn't surprise me if you get 2000 or more hours out of the new one.

I just got my SP5000 setup a couple days ago and wouldn't say that I've been "thrilled" with it, but it's not bad especially for the price. I love the brightness, but I've ran into several problems, but one of them I haven't seen discussed in this thread before.

1) Unit overheated the third time I used it, and that was only after being turned on for about 5 minutes. I do live in AZ and the house is around 80F, but still that's ridiculous. I ran it during the daytime earlier for about an hour when it was hotter and it had no problems.

2) This is the one I've never seen mentioned before: Out of the box, the gamma adjustment sub-menu was broken. When i navigated to it and opened it, it was just a bunch of random gray blocks that appeared in the top left of the screen. The menu was no longer legible and pretty much was locked up. No other sub-menus had this problem. i reflashed from firmware 10 back to 9 and the problem went away.

3) VB is slight, but occasionally noticeable, I can live with it. Much better than having DLP rainbows.

4) The lack of zoom makes it difficult to find screen materials larger enough. I guess that I knew this before buying, but still, it'd be nice if it had the ability to go a touch smaller since I'm at about 125" diagonal. I'm running with RS-MaxxMudd over Behr SilverScreen with is great, just make sure you have no texture on your wall. Something at least 60" tall that is nice and smooth.

5) The quality of HD programming was not as good as I expected. My previous Benq PB6100 might have even looked sharper in HD. Maybe it's my cables... I'm uisng a component to VGA adapter from the HD OTA Tuner and running a 25' VGA cable to the SP5000. It's just not as drastic of a difference from SD programming as I'm used to.

I'm wondering if reflashing to 10 could cure problems assuming the gamma menu still works. Are people having more problems with overheating with firmware 9 or 10? I can only imagine what overheating does to the bulb life. If I still have problems over this week, I might be sending this guy back and saving up for something of better build quality.

Any suggestions? Thanks...

Okay... I just experienced my second warning and shutdown due to overheating. :mad: This is twice now in under a week with less than 10 hrs between episodes. I took my pj down and cleaned the filters after the first shutdown a few days ago and it had been fine until tonight.

I think this could be related to my firmware version 7 but as I mentioned on an earlier post I can not get my pj to go into "flash mode" to receive the install. I have tried on two different occasions on two different computers but the computer kept indicating that it "could not find driver." I am not computer savvy but I was assisted by my kids who are in college and more computer experienced than I am. I have Windows XP on my computer. The process of installing the firmware was walked through via telephone with an Infocus tech but it seems as if the problem is getting the amber light to indicate "flash mode." Do you think there is a flaw in my pj??? I think I'm going to call Infocus.

Bun: I would bet reflashing it to 10 will NOT bring back the wierd sub menus that you had. I'd bet you somehow had a corrupted 10 and pushing a new 10 to the unit would not bring the grey blocks back. Furthermore it may help with the overheating issues.

As far as the zoom, is your projector fixed in it's position, you can't move it any further forward or back from where you have it placed? I assume this is the problem you mean, from that position you can't zoom it in to a little smaller zie that you'd like. It sounds like you already had a screen all setup-- were you thinking about changing the size of your screen?

As far as the quality of HD, what other output adapters does that HD OTA tuner have? If component is the best, maybe you should try running component to component without any adapters in between, as short as you can go (move the tuner temporarily near the PJ just for a short test) and see if the PQ changes. Also, what do you have your gamma set at and color temp? Was your Benq unit shooting HD at the same sized screen?

jman, if there's a procedure I could follow to verify one way or the other for you, let me know. I assume this useful if you want to use other remotes to control the PJ?

Yeah, for use with programmable universal remotes to make foolproof power-up & power-down commands/macros. I see there are discrete codes mentioned on infocus.com for other projectors, hoping there are some out there for the SP5000.

Sometimes there is a "secret" method to have the remote send out the discrete IR codes by pressing a certain button combination or sequence.