Well my Screenplay 5000 has arrived and I have log about 20hrs on it. The VB some were talking about I have not even noticed with the new firmware which is downloadable at Infocus.com. Right now after looking at both the Ae700 which is great and the Screenplay 5000 the sp5000 works better for me and is brighter. I have it set up with a 106" Da-Lite HCCV screen and an HD Feed. The Picture is excellent and my friends have been stunned that the big screen could be so clear. So far I have no complaints.

I am looking to see if anyone out there has any recommended setting preferences I can try out. I have used the AVIA dvd to calibrate but was curious to hear what others were doing.

i was looking at the 5000 not sure why its not as well regarded as the ae700/z3.

Do you have to have the special cable to upgrade the firmware?

Yes, I know the instructions state it is an option but mine came in the box. It was the M1 to VGA/USB adapter.

Derm,

How far off were the factory settings after you were done with AVIA? Is there any way you can post the values of the ones you changed? I have had my PJ for about 3 months now using the factory settings I never seem to find the time to sit down and pop in Digital Video Essentials and make any adjustments. DVD and HDTV both look pretty damm good out of the box. Anyone that sees is is amazed by the size and quality.

Boyscout,

Mine also came with the M1 to usb cable

Cheers.

Yeah, I think I got it too! LOL Just never thought to use it.

I saw this projector last night. It is extremely bright. I didn't notice any vertical banding, but I'm no videophile.

The only knocks on this pj are no on-board video processing and 2000 hr. lamp life.

But, it's the cheapest 720p pj I've seen. I don't understand why it's not more popular.

Cheapest? Isn't the MSRP higher than the Z2 and L500U by about $300?

Originally posted by m0tion
Cheapest? Isn't the MSRP higher than the Z2 and L500U by about $300?
I assume you just trying to be a smart ...

How about we ask the previous poster re-phrases it to latest generation 720... (not that most of the reader figured it out on their own..)

Motion you've added a lot of value to this thread - thanks

Cheers

Mike

mike:

Well, I'm not going to deny that I'm a smart guy, but I don't try to be.

Actually, that wasn't my point at all, I'm in the market for a 720P LCD projector (the only thing I'm missing right now is the money, heh) and I've been looking at the Z2/Z3/L500U/L700U. As far as I know the MSRP for the SP5000 was $2000 and the street was pretty close, but all of the other projectors in the list can be found for less than that. The Z2 is going to be the cheapest 720P LCD projector on the market right now that I know of so I was pretty interested to hear exactly how the SP5000 could compete with it in price.

I guess I'm a little slower than every other person on this forum because it wasn't obvious to me he meant newest-generation projectors. Even if that is what he meant I still think he's wrong.

Here is something for you to think about, no matter how little value my post added to this thread, yours added less.

I am still going to be tweaking the adjustments but found this to be very neutral. You will need to adjust the brightness to your screen but this should be a good starting point.
Gamma = Photography
Color Temp = High
Contrast = 50
Brightness = 47
Green Gain = 45
Red Gain = 59
Blue Gain = 53
Blue Gamma = 54
Red Gamma = 56

Save that setting and then play around with it. I still am getting some errors on the green but working to correct that. So far it looks great with the HD feed.

I upgraded the firmware this morning and I STILL don't see any VB. ;-)

The fan seems to be quieter, but I only ran it for a few mins before I had to head to work. The fan noise was my biggest concern so hopefully, this helped.

I must say that I had a difficult time upgrading the firmware though. I had the right cable, but the instructions that said to follow them explicitly, were not complete and I had to do a bit of guess work and 2 calls (half hour hold time each time) to Infocus customer support.

The support department was like talking to the keystone cops. I finally gathered that I didn't need to install the USB drivers for my Windows 2000. And the amber light that was suppose to be lit would not be lit, but as long as it wasn't green, it was ok to proceed.

So much for explicit instructions! This is my first time contacting Infocus support and I sure hope it is the last time I need to. Totally unsatisfactory experience.

Hopefully, they have invested the money they saved on support personnel into the product itself. I've always said the best customer service department is the one you never need to use.

Originally posted by m0tion
I guess I'm a little slower than every other person on this forum because it wasn't obvious to me he meant newest-generation projectors. Even if that is what he meant I still think he's wrong.

Projector Central:

"The 5000 is the least expensive 1280x720 resolution projector on the market."

BoyScout ,

Would you be able to look into the new option for 2.35:1 sources and tell us what exactly it does ? I guess if you input an Anamorphic 2.35:1 DVD movie , select this as the Aspect Ratio and then see what the image looks like on a 16:9 screen .

I'm still hoping that this is the Vertical Squeeze function required for Anamorphic lens playback but I'm doubtfull .

Thanks in advance ,

Scott...................:D

SP5000 should have higher contrast than AE700 or Z3 when all are calibrated to D65, that's just Infocus's rap since I don't know when, they market the specs in the mode that people will use it and generally the out of the box image is pretty spot on.

Cheers...
Duy-Khang Hoang

I just saw one 5000 today at a local in home demo offer from another member on a different forum. The PQ was stunning, but my only concern is the fan noise. For those that have seen the 700 Panny in person and the IF 5000, which one has a more quiet fan noise? The fan noise of the 5000 that I saw in person is definitly audible, but I demoed it the whole time without audio. I think with any kinda audio from the movie is played the fan noise won't be that big of a deal. What do you guys recommend on the image size for the 4805 and 5000 if I was to sit about 10 feet away?

The fan noise since I updated the firmware has not been noticable and the unit sits about 5ft away from me on the ceiling.

I didn't realize I had a new aspect ratio (2.35:1) until reading the forums this morning! LOL

I will check it out in the next few days and let you know.

As far as the fan noise, the noise was substantially reduced with the firmware upgrade. I can't tell you how it compares with the panny. I didn't notice the fan noise when I saw the AE500 and I didn't see the AE700.

I checked out The Patriot in The 2.35:1 option and it just zooms in on the picture to give it a full frame. So you lose the edges on this option.

I tried the Day After Tomorrow last night and all I noticed was instead of being centered, the picture was flush vertically -- perhaps it wasn't an anamorphic disc?

hmmm....so the updated firmware improved the fan noise a lil huh? It's such a hard decision to choose between these 3-chip LCD FPs. I'm stuck between the Z2/3, Pan 500/700 and the IF SP5000. From my impression of the reviews that I read it seemed that the 5000 is the brightest of all. The 5000 that I saw in person was really bright also, does it have a D65 preset like the 4805?

I believe the SP5000 defaults to D65 out of the box with the specs measured at that setting. But surely someone who owns one will chime in to verify this.

Cheers...
Duy-Khang Hoang

I purchased the Knoll 225 HD about 5 months ago. Shortly after which I discovered that it is really the SP 5000 that has been rebadged by Knoll. I bought it from a small audiophile shop not far from me here on Long Island (NY) and was trying to do research on it but could not find anything about it other than the info posted at Knolls website, This worried me so I was about to return it when I stumbled on a post in this forum that pointed me in the right direction. I almost blew a fuse when I found out they had overcharged me $1000.00 for the same pj that was selling for $1999.00 everywhere else! When confronted with this, the folks at the store where I bought it first tried to defend it by saying it was not the same pj. One quick call to Knoll was all it took to find out that the ONLY difference was that the splash screen was changed to say Knoll at startup and the badging on the pj...otherwise it's the same. Needless to say...when having to choose between me returning the pj or them giving me back the difference, they chose the latter. Of course I will never buy from them again but it is a pity as they are the only ones with the knowledge of and dedicated space for displaying pj's in my area. So much for my shopping skills.

After five months I think I have a good feel for this pj's strengths and weakness. I will preface this with the fact that I have only seen the pj's at the shop and never seen any others anywhere else so my experience is limited. I am displaying my pj on a 96" wide (110" diag) dalite contour electrol with HCMW screen at approx. 180" back (I know this is a little too close). The pj is mounted about 3 feet above my head and about 17' from the screen.
First of all there was never any vertical banding. The fan noise was rather loud but this has been reduced with the firmware upgrade. I have also found that 2.35.1 does cause some loss of picture but the tradeoff is getting the picture to fill the screen and I do use it on certain discs. SDE is somewhat noticable at less than 2 x screen width but not with all content. I just watched I Robot last night and this particular disc is a good transfer and SDE was virtually non existant with a minimum of artifacts. On discs that are lof lesser quality sde is more noticeable and artifacts are much more noticable so garbage in garbage out. This pj is plenty bright and can be used with a controlled amount of ambient light ie. a shaded lamp or spots directed away from the screen. Daylight watching is possible as long as you can control the light to minimize washout.
I am using m1-dvi with my hd cable box and was startled at how good the hd reproduction is. Had some friends over for the superbowl in hd and they were blown away by the size of the screen and the PQ even with some lights on.
I have not as yet calibrated it with a good calibration disc but I have tweaked it according to another post at avs: Gamma = Photography
Color Temp = High
Contrast = 50
Brightness = 47
Green Gain = 45
Red Gain = 59
Blue Gain = 53
Blue Gamma = 54
Red Gamma = 56
I also tried the de-focusing trick to reduce SDE but was not happy with the soft picture this produced and would rather have a little SDE and a sharp picture. The geometry of the display is a little quirky and it takes some work to properly register. There is also some minor "bending" in one corner that I have not been able to eliminate.
The colors are very good. The whites are very bright and white but of course the black level is not up to the level of a dlp (at least the ones I saw at the store) but still quite acceptable, to me anyway.
I have not had any problems with over heating or intermittant shut down as others have posted and I suspect this may be more a problem with setup or environment.
As far as watching non HD channels...as long as I choose upconvert 1 or 2 on my cable box the PQ is very good and i recieve almost all channels in EDTV. If you do not have this option you will not be happy with the PQ in standard broadcasts as they are basically unwatchable.

Im my very humble and very uneducated opinion I think this is a very good pj at this price point and am so far happy with my purchase. That being said, I would welcome the oppotunity to do some a/b comparisons with the AE700 and the Z3 so if anyone who is close to me has either of these pj's and is interested let me know.

gman8691

I also live on Long Island (Nassau County) and purchased an Infocus 5700 a year ago from a local dealer who has treated me quite well. My setup is somewhat similar to yours (110" diagonal Da-Lite HCCV screen) and I sit about 14 feet away and see no screendoor. If you feel you need a local Infocus dealer on Long Island send me a private message.

John

Now that this PJ has been out for a little bit, whats the concensus? Anybody put some serious hours on one yet?

I was hearing about some defective units. Hows reliability now?

Originally posted by gman8691
I the only ones with the knowledge of and dedicated space for displaying pj's in my area. So much for my shopping skills.



So you want a knowledgeable staff, a dedicated, probably killer, light controlled, comfortable setup with high end audio to demo and compare projectors at your leisure in, but you feel they ripped you off for marking it up more than the warehouses, who have none of the above to pay for every month. And they gave you back their profit to boot!

That other brand exists not to rip people off, but to allow shops like that to be able to afford to sell a product at a reasonable enough markup so that it can be demoed properly. Looks like you got to have your cake it eat it too. You underestimate your shopping skills.

Originally posted by audiomagnate
So you want a knowledgeable staff, a dedicated, probably killer, light controlled, comfortable setup with high end audio to demo and compare projectors at your leisure in, but you feel they ripped you off for marking it up more than the warehouses, who have none of the above to pay for every month. And they gave you back their profit to boot!

That other brand exists not to rip people off, but to allow shops like that to be able to afford to sell a product at a reasonable enough markup so that it can be demoed properly. Looks like you got to have your cake it eat it too. You underestimate your shopping skills. :rolleyes: Oh I'm sure the dealer still made his profit. If you are happy to give a dealer an extra grand for his time and expertise that's your purgative but somehow I think you would feel differently if you were the one who actually got stung.;)

Originally posted by jjcritch
Now that this PJ has been out for a little bit, whats the concensus? Anybody put some serious hours on one yet?

I was hearing about some defective units. Hows reliability now?

Had mine running for over 3 months now. I'll have to check the hours on the lamp, but I think it is over 300.

Really happy with it. No VB before or after the firmware upgrade. Some SDE at < 4 ft on a 110 in screen. Fan pretty noisy before upgrade, much quieter now. A couple of issues with the PJ overheating and auto-shutting down. Nothing that has damaged the PJ that I am aware of.

Originally posted by audiomagnate
So you want a knowledgeable staff, a dedicated, probably killer, light controlled, comfortable setup with high end audio to demo and compare projectors at your leisure in, but you feel they ripped you off for marking it up more than the warehouses, who have none of the above to pay for every month. And they gave you back their profit to boot!

That other brand exists not to rip people off, but to allow shops like that to be able to afford to sell a product at a reasonable enough markup so that it can be demoed properly. Looks like you got to have your cake it eat it too. You underestimate your shopping skills.



First of all..they did not have a "comfortable killer light controlled setup"... it was a dingy little room off the dingy little showroom where they had the plasmas, it was not light controlled, or very comfortable for that matter, but they did have several pj's set up in there and two screens. As far as staff...just the two guys who own the place and no staff.

Second of all....the price that I quoted (1999.00) was, at the time, what B&H photo, one of the largest brick and morters in NY, was selling it for. Also EVERYONE else b&m or on-line, including Infocus themselves, was selling it for 1999.00! I do agree that the space provided and the knowledge provided is worth extra and I would have gladly paid and extra couple of hundred for that but $1000.00 plus tax over list? That sounds "reasonable" to you? Sorry but thats robbery where I come from.

Once I felt that they had ripped me off I wanted no part of paying for ANYTHING over and above the retail value and I told them as much when I confronted them with this. If you include that fact that they do not stock ANY projectors (they only have the demos) and have to order everything they sell, then I think that even $200.00 over list is too much. Do you really think they paid 1999.00 for this PJ? Of course they did'nt! They made a profit, just not the killer one they were hoping for.

As far as the other brand (Knoll) existing for the reasons you stated...well that is complete nonsense. Knoll makes (or has made in the past) some very expensive projection equipment and this is their way of capturing a portion of the low end pj market without having to build the thing themselves...just take someone else's and pay them to let you put your name on it...of course then the consumer has to pay the extra frieght.

As the previous poster stated, if it was you that paid almost 40% more then the retail value, would you reallly have thought it was ok? Or would you have stood up for yourself as I did and fought for what you thought was a fair deal? The way I see it, where and how I spend my money is the ONLY weapon I have against unscrupulous retailers who sell what they think are "blind" items to unsuspecting consumers at grossly inflated prices.
All I can say is thank God for the internet and the information that is available here. I will never again buy anything untill I thoroughly research it on-line and even then I will be skeptical.

How is it with gaming?

gman8691

There are many boutique manufacturers that relabel and retweak - but the majority of the markup afford the dealer to provide service and demos. Usually a boutique will give you a swap-out immediately - no 2-3wk wait at Infocus for a repair.

Knoll is no different than DreamVision, Studio Experience, Runco, or Toshiba and others who do not directly manufacture their products. Rebranding to capture niche markets is a very common strategy for any commodity market. Or do you also think Lexus is an overpriced ripoff? If value was not provided to the intended customer - they would not afford to be in business!

The dealer was not ripping you off by overcharging you for the Knoll - that is the Knoll price.

Of course the advertised price is the same everywhere for Infocus - because that is Infocus requirement - but they cannot require the selling price. Have you tried to find an Infocus SP5000 at a brick and mortar dealer that does not have an online operation to support volume sales? As an Infocus dealer myself - I would say good luck in that search. I know I don't carry one. Ask yourself why and you will have answered the question.

If you know that you want the best warehouse price - then shop at the online warehouses. While some brick & mortars do fail to provide good in-home or show-room service - it is also true the online warehouse cannot simply provide those services. So they will migrate to brands that suit their business models - and you will migrate to the vendor whose services meet your needs. If the boutique dealer is ripping you off by charging list - then by the same argument the online warehouse is ripping you off by not providing the same service.

gman8691

All the ScreenPlay products conform to a standard of marketing based on factory D65 calibration. If you do not have a colorimeter sensor that cost $$$$ then you are likely not to get closer by eye.

Most people make the mistake of adjust the RGB gain controls to correct perceived errors in the ColorBars or ColorRamps test patterns. This in fact is the wrong control - as RGB gain is for determining the color of white - not the color of color.

For gain and gamma leave them be. The best standard gamma to use is film.

The ScreenPlay 5000 menus are slightly different than the others because it was not designed in the US like the rest of the line. Since I don't have a demo I am not able to contribute specific calibration knowledge.

But generally with ScreenPlay - do brightness/contrast/color/tint basic controls with your test pattern DVD and you are good.

There are many boutique manufacturers that relabel and retweak - but the majority of the markup afford the dealer to provide service and demos. Usually a boutique will give you a swap-out immediately - no 2-3wk wait at Infocus for a repair.


No retweaking done here according to Knoll..just changed splash screen. As stated in my above post...no stock only demos so no immediate swap possible here either.



Or do you also think Lexus is an overpriced ripoff? If value was not provided to the intended customer - they would not afford to be in business!


Although Toyota and Lexus are often built on the same platforms there are significant differences in each vehicle which provide the extra value...I will state again..Knoll says they are the same machine so no extra value here, just extra cost.





The dealer was not ripping you off by overcharging you for the Knoll - that is the Knoll price.



This may very well be the case but it is impossible for me to know because Knoll does not list a price on it's web site...they also do not provide the firmware update that has been available for 6 months at the Infocus site. They don't even have a list of available accessories or faq's or ANYTHING else related to this pj. What are they giving me for the extra $1000.00?

That being said, where is the extra value being provided by the dealer or by Knoll? Should'nt the dealer be aware of who actually makes this pj? And should they knowingly sell a pj at 33% more then it's actual value when it can be had under it's manufacturers name for so much less? Correct me if I'm wrong but, should'nt the dealer be trying to get me the best deal possible so as to get ALL of my business and not just make the one sale?


Have you tried to find an Infocus SP5000 at a brick and mortar dealer that does not have an online operation to support volume sales? As an Infocus dealer myself - I would say good luck in that search. I know I don't carry one. Ask yourself why and you will have answered the question.


I can't find ANYONE else who is stocking this pj! And the answer to the question is because it is not worth 33% more then the sp5000. You obviously know this and choose to provide a better value for your customers which is commendable on your part.

I realize the formats are different, just wondering if anyone has compared side-by-side the 4805 and the 5000...in other words, is the 5000 worth the extra $500?

Mike

I think that all depends on personal preference. One is DLP and the other LCD. Advantages and disadvantages to both. Personally, I chose the 5000 and paid the extra.

i think another huge diff between the 4805 and 5000 is that 4805 is not true HD, while the 5000 is native 720p. The 4805 has the fajorurda chipset (which is worth alot to most people). With that said, I had the 5000 for about a week, but took it back cause I wasnt happy at all, went with the pan Ae700

Can we get back on the subject and forget about the Knoll clone and whether or not it's overpriced? I'm sure there's alot of people that are actually interested in how the 5000 hold up against the other 3 chip LCDs out there. Why weren't you happy with it, REL, please elaborate? I currently have the Optoma H-31 and am thinking about selling it to get an used 5000. From what I've seen in person, from the stores and a forum member, the screen will make a big difference in the resulting picture. My local Magnolia Hi-Fi has it with a Stewart made grey screen, where the other forum member had a Stewart made screen, believe it's white. I actually liked it with the white screen better, even though the grey screen gave the deepest blacks.

Originally posted by REL77
i think another huge diff between the 4805 and 5000 is that 4805 is not true HD, while the 5000 is native 720p. The 4805 has the fajorurda chipset (which is worth alot to most people). With that said, I had the 5000 for about a week, but took it back cause I wasnt happy at all, went with the pan Ae700

Rel, why were you not happy with it?

Mike

I got mine from the local warehouse dealer. First thing I didnt like was that after 2 hours, it would auto shutdown cause it was getting to hot. The picture quality was just kinda washed out in my eyes, i dont know what it was but the PQ wasnt sharp to me even after I tweaked it. I kept it around for about 3 weeks hoping the pic would get better, but it never really did. I noticed VB on it, and in the room it was in then, i had to sit kinda close, so I also saw alot of SDE. Overall, i nor the wife, was impressed with it. I even exchanged it with another one, and it was the same thing (didnt over heat as often, but still did it randomly). I just wasnt happy. I then went back to research more, and after a coupld weeks, i went with the AE700 blind, ordered from AVS, and couldnt be more happier with the unit. As soon as I hooked it up, the Wife was blown away, friends all said it was better. I will give the SP5000 one thing, it was a light canon, it was certainly brighter i thought.

Mine has shut down a few times for heat. Not a lot and not regularly. I wish it didn't shut down at all. I've got about 200 hrs on it and I recall that it has shut down 3 or 4 times.

I've NEVER seen VB on it, even looking for it. IMO, it is a LOT sharper than the Pannies I saw, although I didn't preview the 700. I can't imagine it being softer than the 700 with its soft focus "feature".

I do see SDE @ <1:1 distance.

Originally posted by FiveMillionWays
How is it with gaming?

anybody have any opinions on gaming with this pj?

I'm confused about something here, this projector does no video processing? Does that mean it has no scalar? How does it take 480 inputs then? Sorry, I'm new to the topic, just trying to understand.

You'd have to ask someone else regarding the scaler on this projector. On the Infocus website, on the specs for the 5000, it doesn't specify Faroudja and I'm sure they would if it does have it, since it's a great feature. I do have a Denon DVD2200 anyways, so its internal scaler is good enough. I'll be picking up a used SP5000 this Friday. Let me know if you guys want me to run any tests or demos with it, if you have any particular questions regarding it. Thanks.

BlazeMaster, looking forward to your review.

The SP5000 uses a Pixelworks scaler. Does an excellent job!

Darryl

OMG, I just wrote a 300 word review and AVS timed me out and I had to log in again and it deleted everything I just wrote. I'm so %@*!ing pissed. I guess you guys can just ask me any specific questions about it and I'll try to answer it the best I can. I'm not going to sit here and type everything again. Thanks

Is the sp5000 better then the ae700?

no comment

Blazemaster, that happen to me before and it was very frustrating when it happened.

Now back to the topic. So I assume the image is very bright and how about the sharpness, color. vertical bending and screen door. Will you keep it and what kind of projector you have before? Thanks.

Blazemaster, is the SP5000 so good that you cannot tell us more. I saw it on the other thread that you also consider Z3/AE700 before settle on the SP5000. Is there any special reason?

Hey Vic Y...since I got some time on my hands I'll go ahead and try that review again.... This is all based on my limited experience with a FP and the only other thing that I've owned is the Optoma H-31, which drove me crazy with motion or rainbow artifacts. It got to the point that I'd see it all the time and know exactly when I'll see it. And when I do see it, it makes me dizzy and just not a good feeling, so I had to look for something else.

Brightness : this thing was alot brighter compared to the H-31. The original owner of this 5000 had it with a 0.80 gain 180" diagonal Stewart made screen and it was plenty bright at his place. When I brought it home, the first thing that my girlfriend noticed was its brightness.

Contrast : because this thing is so much brighter, I think it makes you perceive it as having stellar contrast as well, especially when there's combinations of bright and dark stuff on the screen. I think our eyes kind of adapt to whatever you're used to and whatever lacking there is in contrast, you don't notice it anymore. Does that make any sense? The H-31 is slightly better at showing shadow details, but very very slightly. You'd literally have to have them side by side to notice any difference. I'm very happy with the 5000's PQ.

Sharpness: This is a given that the 5000 is much more detailed and sharper than the H-31 (720p vs. 480p). I don't see any kind of VB or SDE that affects most of the LCD FPs. The original owner was very proud of this also when he demoed the 5000 for me at his place. He played alot of scense that would typical cause the artifacts to show up, but there is none.

Fan Noise : This thing is definitly louder than the H-31, but it doesn't really bother me too much. The fan goes loud and fast when you first turn it on, and it'll settle down a little bit after it warms up. After my mount arrives, it'll be higher and further away from my head. Besides there's also a firmware upgrade for it, can somebody link me to that upgrade and instructions for installing it to the 5000? The firmware will slightly reduce the fan noise I've heard. I can always get a hush box later down the road, but the noise is acceptable for me at the moment.

Ease of use: I'll have to say that the H-31 is actually easier to install and setup. The lens shift feature on the H-31 comes in handy for me, with my room layout. The max throw distance that I have is only 11.5 feet, so being able to project the image above or below eye level is really good for me. The 5000 don't have this feature as far as I can see. I liked the remore on the H-31 much better also, it's easier to access the commonly used features.

Build Quality: The H-31 and 5000 seems to made out of the same type of plastic? But the 5000 is quite a bit heavier, so it seems like it's much sturdier. I've heard of the occasional auto shut down that the 5000 goes through and I asked the dealer this. His reply was that, although it happened to him once in a blue moon, but both him and I agreed that it's a safety feature, not a flaw.

Overall...I'm very happy that I got the 5000 and rid the upgrade bug until the 1080p stuff comes down to reasonable prices. I've seen arguments that some will prefer the lower resolutioned 480p DLP over higher resolutions 720p LCDs, just as long you project a smaller image or sit further back on the 480p DLPS. Now that I've seen both side of the argument in my own environment, I'll have to say that I'd take the higher resolution 720p LCD anyday. What's the point of getting a big screen, if you're going to be sitting so far back from it? The sharpness of the LCD is just too good for me to sacrifice for the very slightly better color quality. I'm typing this really fast, because I don't want to get timed out again and so if I missed anything, let me know. Thanks.

LOL it did time me out again....can't believe this, good thing I Ctrl C and Ctrl V again when I came back. Sneaky AVS.

I have had my SP5000 since Nov of last year. I am running a Panny S97 DVD player with the most current firmware, a JVC DVHS and a DISH HD811. I have a Carada 100in 1:85:1 screen in High Def Gray. I do see VB in some scenes and have SDE (I am only sitting 14 ft away) DVD's and DVHS look nice though. I do not always see the VB unless it is a bright scene such as a sky shot, and even the SDE is not to the point of annoying for me at least. I saw a pre-production Panasonic 700 and did not think it had as much SDE, but at the time I was still looking for my first projector and was enamored with the size of the picture, rather than the quality. I am quite a bit knowledgeable now. Can't wait to finally see a D5 based LCD at 1080P for a decent price.

Blazemaster, I think I understand the "stellar contrast" part of your review. I remember reading a review online from an Austrialian website that comparing AE700 and SP5000. It use a different method (checker flag) instead of on/off to measure contrast and it shows that SP5000 is a lot better than AE700. It also said that SP5000 is sharper than AE700. Now I think that review is little bit baised but I do think it has a valid point.

I think the SP5000 will throw a better image for a newbie without a dedicated room. I am sure that AE700 will have deeper black and less screen door but I think I am leaning toward infocus. I wish I can see this 2 projector side by side but it is almost impossible to find them in a B & M store.

Thanks for the write up blazemaster.

Just got my SP5000 a week ago. I am in heaven.

If you gents have any doubts about this being a gamers dream come true, put them safely to rest now. Halo 2 on this thing is out of this world.


One concern however. The top 2-5% of my screen flickers, and is brighter than the rest of the image (noticeable during black screens mostly). What is going on? Is it defective? I have never owned a projector before...

Edited... please read the forum rules regarding pricing and price posting.

Sorry. Never thought that'd be an issue. :S

I finally made up my mind after 6 months of looking and bought a SP5000 as my first projector this morning. I chose SP5000 because of the brightness, color accurancy and the name infocus. BlazeMaster's review certainly push me over the edge.

As my room is not a dedicated theater room, I think brightness and preceived contrast is more important than on/off contrast. Also I do not want to watch TV in complete darkness. With off-white ceiling and light brown color walls, I do not think there's will be a whole lot of difference between contrast measurment of 1200 to 2000. As projector central stated the reflection of the light from the wall will affect the contrast a lot more. I have not have a chance to see the SP5000 in person but I have seen Epson 200 & 500, Yamaha 510, Sony HS20, 51, Optoma 31, 77, 79, Sharp 2000,10000,12000, Sims & Marantz. Honestly I like the image of DLP a little bit more but LCD still throw a very nice image.

I am going to mount it on the back wall with Peerless PWA-14 about 14.5-15 ft from the screen. I am consider 105" model B with either high power or HCMW. Hope it work out for me. Also it I use keystone to move the image 6 in to 1 ft, will it greatly affect the image quality?

Sounds like a following is developing. Other than the auto shut down, I have heard very little negative and a whole lot of positive. Just curious, how many other PJs in the SP5000 price class exist? (and technology class: 720p, LCD)

Mike

Hey Vic Y, the reason I choose the "no comment" reply when you asked me between the 5000 vs. the AE700 was because I still haven't gotten a chance to see the AE700 in person yet and I didn't want to start a heat of arguments, since I'm in no place to comment on the AE700. After having the 5000 in my place for a couple of weeks now, I'd have to say that I'm very glad that I chose a higher resolutions projector, I can sit so much closer or at the same seating distance, but not able to see pixels as easily.

One thing that I do have against the 5000 is the fan noise. It's quite a bit louder than the H-31 that I've had for about 3 weeks. I'm looking for hush boxes for them, because I'm thinking about upgrading my speakers, so might as well get rid of the unwanted noise in the room as well. Anyone know anybody that did a DIY job on making hush boxes or know someone that custom makes them? Thanks.

Bomelia, there's a couple of other 3 chip 720p LCD Front. Projs. out there among the SP5000 that are probably the most popular in its class. The Panasonic AE700 and Sanyo Z3 were very good contenders, but because they're so much harder for me to see in person in my area, I liked the PQ of the SP5000 enough that I didn't really think the other 2 would be significantly better in PQ. Their fan noise, I've heard are much easier on the ears.

I really do not want to send this thread elsewheres, so if you know of a better place to continue this, please say so. I am settling on the IF 5000, now I need a screen. Paint or Screen? I have heard of this Goo paint. Are screens normally powered for up and down? Does the 5000 need a high gain screen?

My room is 15x15 with 10 ft ceiling. I believe I can achieve a 90" + screen.

Mike

ttt

Blazemaster, do you have the upgraded firmware. The other threads said the upgrade firmware will lower the noise to a more acceptable level. In me setup the projector will be 4 ft behind me so hopefully it won't bother me that much.

Bomelia, the offset of the SP5000 is only 5 % so your projector needed to mount a lot lower than your ceiling to make sure your screen is not too high. I'm going to get a dalite model B(CSR) High Power screen. I prefer a bright, vivid image.

Originally posted by bomelia
I really do not want to send this thread elsewheres, so if you know of a better place to continue this, please say so. I am settling on the IF 5000, now I need a screen. Paint or Screen? I have heard of this Goo paint. Are screens normally powered for up and down? Does the 5000 need a high gain screen?

My room is 15x15 with 10 ft ceiling. I believe I can achieve a 90" + screen.

Mike

I'd suggest contacting the folks here at AVS and talking to them about your needs. I bought my Da Lite HCCV screen material from them, paid what I felt was a very good price, built a wooden frame and wrapped the material myself.

I came close to ordering a refurbished sp5000 a couple weeks ago at a great price but canceled out after looking at Jason Turk's screenshots comparing the 5000 and 4805 along with his short review. I suggest anyone interested in this projector who can't see it in person take a look at the threads. I did a search on Infocus and Jason Turk to find the 2 threads. To me the 4805 pics blow away the 5000 on the DVD material shown. (FYI, I've prefered the look of dlp to lcd on the projectors I have seen in person)

The firmware upgrade reduced the fan noise significantly. I hardly hear it now unless I am listening for it.

I am using BO (black out) material for a screen which looks really good IMO. I haven't used anything else, so I can't give you a comparison. I have been thinking about using the silver screen paint to boost the gain.

I'll take a look at the thread by Jason Turk and give you my opinion. I haven't seen that thread.

edit: did a search on Jason Turk Infocus and only got this very thread. Perhaps you can post the URL?

I saw Jason's thread several times and I think the screenshot of SP 5000 look OK but it's nothing to write home about. It is difficult to judge the quality of the projector base on a picture. Jason did said it is a pretty nice projector with very smooth image. Jason also said he did not have any source to show off the resolution of the SP 5000.

www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=455580
www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=449397

Hope these links work, if not I'll try again

can someone give me instructions on installing the firmware onto the 5000? I'd have to download it, but how do I install it to 5000?

Bomelia: have you actually seen the 5000 in person? It's bright enough that I don't think it can be much brighter? If any brighter, I'd be putting on shades when watching it. I have never heard anyone liking the resulting image when you put a high gain screen with modern digital projectors, take a look and see how many high power screens are for sale as used on Videogon, that should give you a good idea of how popular they're. If you're using the 5000 with a high gain screen in the dark, your eyes won't feel too comfortable after a while. I'm actually leaning towards a negative gain screen like Carada's High Contrast Grey. Send DaLite an email and request for some screen samples, but personally I think you'd be much more satisfied with their HCCV, Matte White, and etc, not a higher gain screen. It looks good with bright scenes, but it makes it almost impossible to see any shadow details in the dark scenes, personally I'd trade the brightness for more realistic blacks. It's your money though, so do what pleases you.

Thanks, appreciate all the tips on screens. I live in a moderately sized town, may have to go to Nashville for one-on-one viewing and comparison. And, no, I have seen none in person. I am trying to get a bit street smart before I expose myself to the sales folks (not that I belive I can overcome them!!, but I am trying).

I plan to normally use this at night for watching movies, in which case I will have no ambient light problems. During the day for sporting events, I can apply dark curtains, but complete control is not realistic. If the matte screen will work, then I will be interested since I tend to tune down the brightness on my TVs.

Thanks!!

Mike

PS: What is blackout material? Most of what I have read suggests that any screen needs a black border. Again, I really am trying to keep this within the bounds of the IF 5000 discussion. Those that have one, what screens have you liked. Anybody used that paint?

I use a 110" dalite hi contrast matte white with my sp 5000. It seems that most are usiing the high contrast cinema vision but so far I'm pretty happy with this combo.
As far as downloading the firmware...my pj came with the cable needed to update the firmware. You should also have it. It is a 3 way cable with an m1 connection for the pj, a usb for the computer and what looks like a serial or rs232 connector and they are all blue. I used the usb. The instructions from the infocus website (I did this about 3 months ago so it may have changed) are not exactly correct but I managed to get it done. Fan noise is greatly reduced and you get another aspect ratio (2.35:1 but there is some cropping done here).
This pj is plenty bright and can be used with some ambient light during the day but you have to control most of it. I sometimes watch with a lamp on and the pq is still very good.
I read the review posted above and I thought it seemed very positive. I do have to agree that the screen shots would lead one to believe that the 4805 is the better pj but it's hard to form an opinion based on screenshots so take it with a grain of salt. Keep in mind that the 4805 is and wvga pj with 854x480 resolution while the 5000 is wxga with 1280X720 so pixelization may be an issue on the 4805 especially if you sit less than 2 screen widths away. Of course being that the 4805 is a dlp, the 5000 cannot match its contrast ratio. If you watch hd tv then this pj is capable of producing a fantastic hi def picture. Some dvd's with really good transfers rival the hi def pq but it does not do well with poor quality transfers. The 4805 has a Faroudja scaler (5000 does not) so it probably does a better job with poorer quality dvd transfers and sd tv.

Bomelia, I'll strongly suggest you to not get the HighPower screen for any of the modern digital projectors. You just get too bright of an image that it not comforting to the eyes. There's also alot of people's experiences with them in the Screen sections. Go there and get a good idea. I personally, think that the High Contrast stuff are the best for the 5000.

Vic Y: Regarding the fan noise, I finally got my RPA064 mount, so the projector is now about 3-4 feet away from my ears and the fan noise gotten much closer to the acceptable level. I think my strategy was good that, I started with it being the closest to my ears, and move it further away and eventually getting the firmware upgrade to reduce it further. But having it further from your ears has helped alot. With the 5000's offset, it either has to be the top of the image or at the bottom of it, so if you have your image at eye level, the projector will physically has to be pretty high up.

gman: I bought this projector used from a moderator at another forum for a pretty good price. I think he just forgot the M1/USB connector. I should go and bug him for it.

Blazemaster, I understand your point but I have read Tryg's excellent, I mean unbelievable screen review threads and decided I really like the high power. Also because of the setup of my tower speaker, my screen is going to be 36" high (12" more than I wnat). This will take away some of the gain of the highpower. The last determine factor for me is high power seems to be the the most wrinkle resist materail out there.

Bu the way, I ordered my screen from Jason/AVS. They have very good competitive price and offer great advice.

IMO, the screen shots from Jason's review show MORE contrast on the 5000. The 5000 looks a LOT brighter than the 4805 as well. Personally, I wouldn't judge a screen's capabilities from a screen shot anyway. I'm not sure what you are seeing as the huge difference (at least from the screen shots).

Anyway, the Firmware upgrade has a readme file included in the zip file. It has an included USB driver for other than XP. You don't need the driver if you have XP.

I believe you hold down the menu button while turning the projector on and the orange led will come on, but not the green light. At least not for 10 secs. It is during this time that you start the file transfer. If you start the transfer within this 10 sec window, it will upload. If the green light comes on before the file is finished, you missed your opportunity and have to try again.

You need the M1/VGA/USB cable to do the transfer, but what I understand is that it is always included. I didn't think it was in mine, but found it in the bag. Everybody else says that it is there as well.

The NBA playoffs on TNTHD and NBATV are UNBELIEVABLE!!!

I had an in-home demo of both the 4805 and the 5000. They're both excellent machines.

The biggest difference is the 5000 is a frickin' light cannon. An exceedingly bright projector. It has higher resolution, but lacks Faroudja video processing/scaling, has lower contrast, and shorter bulb life.

For those that think resolution is king, a side-by-side comparison of these two pj's is ideal. The 4805 is clearly the better picture, at least to me, which proves there is much more to picture quality than just res.

I got the 4805 and a high power screen. Love the combo. Jason at AVS had very good prices on Da-Lite screens.

If I had gotten the 5000, I might have gotten the High Contrast screen.

One final point, I know my combo probably results in what is technically speaking an image that is too bright, but the fact of the matter is most people prefer a nice bright picture, whatever the technical flaws.

yup, those screenshots do not do a good job of showing the resulting image that you'll end up with in person. There's just too many variables that changes the picture that you end up with on your monitor. If you really have to go with a High Power screen on the SP5000, why don't you get one used on Videogon, there's so many there that you can even negotiate on the already reduced "used" prices!..LOL I'm going with a fixed mounted screen so I don't care whether the material is good at resisting wrinkles or not.

Do I need the M1 adaptor for DVI source?

Vic,
Yes you will need the M1 adapter to be able to connect your DVI cable. Just be sure to get the proper adapter for your DVI cable type. There are three types: DVI-A, DVI-I and DVI-D. Here is a link that will help you determine which type you have: http://www.ddwg.org/dvi.html

I need some help here. I received a refurbished unit Friday and had been playing around with it. My screen (ordered from Jason) and the DVI cable won't be here unit next week so I just connected the projector through component cable and shot it on my creamy light brown wall and a piece of white poster board. First the projector is very bright and the picture is very sharp. I tried the setting posted on the first page and also the setting from the one of the online review. However I think I got major problem with "red push" and green. Especially bother me is the color of green grass, I was watching ESPN HD baseball and this year Master and the grass is almost brown.

Both settings do not work very well for me. I tried to calibrate it with Avia and I have to set red color at 30 and green at 75, then the green color start showing up better. Now granted I am comparing the color to my Sampo 34" CRT, am I expecting too much from a projector or do I have a problem? Also will DVI a lot better and more color accurate?

When I just sit there and watch the image without comparing to what I remember I used to see on my 34", I'm OK with it. Any advice will be welcome.

congrats on the unit Vick

I hope now you see why a higher gain screen won't look good with the SP5000. The bright stuff looks too artificially bright and the dark stuff looks like LIGHT GREY, not even dark grey.
Regarding your questions regarding settings. You really shouldn't take what other people use for their settings because, every factor in the chain will make a difference on the resulting image. I know, not everyone is after the most realistic, natural, or film like image. If you're having problems with the settings that you found on AVS, go ahead and use DVE or Avia to fine tune it a little bit more. Can you show me the settings that you found on AVS for the SP5000? I can try tweak those settings a little bit and tell you what I come up with. I just sold my Denon DVD 2200, I'm ordering the DVD2910 by Friday, so I won't have a DVD player until probably 2 weeks later, so it might take me a while to get back to you on the settings. Good luck.

Blazemasetr, this is the setting I found on page 1 and actually pretty similiar to the one I found on the Australia review website.
Gamma = Photography
Color Temp = High
Contrast = 50
Brightness = 47
Green Gain = 45
Red Gain = 59
Blue Gain = 53
Blue Gamma = 54
Red Gamma = 56

I have also try to start from the factory setting and use Avia to Calibrate it. You are right about the brightness, I am shooting an approx. 90" image to my wall tonight and it is so bright that I have to set the brightness at 30. I end up setting the contrast at 64, red gain at 30, green gain at 75 and blue at 50, color temp - medium, gamma - film. It end up looking not bad but again am I supposed to compare the color of a projector to a 34" CRT TV.

I also remember krasmuzik and other members always stated that Infocus have pretty accurate color out of the box. If I have to make that much adjustment on the RGB gain, do I have a defective unit?

Hey Vic, wow you're fast.
Very interesting, I thought that usually with film based materials, the "Film" settings are usually preferable and same with the "medium" settings of color temperature. I hope this isn't the first time you've seen a LCD based displays, because the SP5000 is pretty much exactly what I expected to see comparing to all the other LCD based displays out there. Like I said before, I don't have my DVD player anymore, just sold my Denon DVD 2200 and are waiting to purchase a DVD 2910. Where do you live? I live in Northern California, if you're near by, you're more than welcome to bring your 5000 by and we can compare and see the differences. I'd love to see what this light cannon looks like with a fresh bulb myself. I bought it used with about 700 hours on the bulb. If I remembered correctly, I read that you said you're projecting your image on a cream wall? I'm projecting my on a grey wall, which is very close to the Carada High Contrast Grey samples that I have on my wall, and the colors looks very good to me. No brown tint at all with images with alot of grass. Try getting some white stuff or paper and project the image on that and see if you still see the brown tint.

Vic Y

Leave the RGB settings alone - put them back to 50! You are trying to adjust the color of color with these - when these are only for adjusting the color of grey using $$$$ sensors. Nothing you do here will change the color of green - all you can possibly do is wipe out green highlites/shadows. The SP5000 green is correct - it is your brown wall.

Don't compare to your Sampo unless you have spent $$$ to get ISF on it. Chain store TV's are rarely correct. So stop watching it and trying to compare - it is not a reference.

Also don't adjust brightness/contrast because it is so "bright". There is only one correct setting for these using AVIA - so you can just barely see the moving black bars (brightness) and moving white bars (contrast) Get this correct first before you worry about color. Then get out your blue filter and adjust the color/tint controls - but not until you get a white surface to project on.

I have not calibrated the SP5000 - the menus are different from the rest of the line. But color temp high and photo gamma are likely wrong. You want a warmer (lower to 6500K) color temp , and film gamma.

Blazemaster, I lived in Dallas area (Frisco), so thanks for your invite but I cannot come by this week. ;)
I did try the projector with a white poster board and a piece of paper but the grass still not very green(same color on my wall).

krasmuzik, I remember exactly what you said and that's why I am questioning if my unit function properly. I did use Avia to set the Brightness (black bar) and Contrast (white bar). Before I use Avia, I change all the setting back to original, medium color, film gamma and 50 setting across the board. However with component in, the projector will not let me set tint and color, but using the blue filter, the color/tint seems to be perfect. On the color bar, I have no problem setting the blue but I have a difficult time setting the green and red. I know my sampo is not ISF but I spent a lot of time using Avia to calibrate it.

I know all my testing was done on a temporaily setup but I don't think the "green grass problem" and "red push" will just go away with the new screen. For example, on last night ESPN HD baseball game, the infield is like red clay and the grass is like it is in winter, the skin tone of the person is also very pinkish. I am not very critical when it come to video/audio and even my wife can pick up the color problem right away.:eek:

Let me just wait for my DVI cable and my high power screen to come in this week and hopefully I will have better luck with the DVI in. If I still have problem, I will try to post some screenshot.

When I first got my 5000, I was playing around tweaking the settings and got to a point where I couldn't fix it. However, a factory default restored the baseline and I waited until I got the AVIA disc.

Even after using AVIA, my settings are not much different than factory. I believe I reduce the brightness to 47 and increased the red gain to something like 53 but other than that, everything else is at factory.

Switch your DVD player to 480i. Find the DVD Players video mode controls and get into the user memory that has everything defaulted to center. Then you can adjust color/tint. Not much you can do about HD broadcasts being off.

I suggest you get the DVI cable - then you will not have any video decoding errors to deal with unless your component to RGB function is screwed up in your source player.

ISF corrects your greyscale - which you cannot do using AVIA unless you have the spendy sensors. The red/green filters in AVIA are only for verifying the video decoder is correct once you have the basic adjustment complete with the blue filter. In this case it is irrelevant if you do not have access to the video decoder service controls.

Did you center your RGB gamma controls yet - rather than video decoding red push- you could be stressing the Red gamma curve.

Humour me and describe the colors left to right on AVIA color bars. There is something fundamentally wrong here. You simply cannot change the primary colors from where they are. Green is Green.

First, other than the color problem, I am pretty happy with the projector. It is very bright, sharp and I am bother by the fan noise at all. I hope a real screen and a DVI connection will solve my problem.

I post some pictures in my gallery trying to show the problem I am having. It's pictures of the Master and Avia color bar. Pictures from my directview, SP5000 factory setting and after adjusted. What I adjusted is red gain 30, green gain 70, blue gain 55, red gamma 55 & green gamma 45. It's my first time to take picture and upload so the quality of images are not very good but the images show the problem I have.

Vic, I'd first restore the factory's default settings first and see the color problems still lingers. If still there, contact Infocus support department and see if they can resolve the problem for you. The reason that you can't adjust the tint settings in component is that, the unit adjust that for you, which I thought was a pretty neat feature. With Infocus, you really don't have to adjust much at all I heard, usually just brightness and contrast slightly due to variety of DVD players. And oh BTW: those screen shots that you will be taking won't really help us much either, same reason why you can't choose screens or projectors by screen shots.

I think your best bet is contacting Infocus Tech Support if the problem is still there after restoring to factory defaults.

I have a question about this PJ. Do you have to purchase the M1-DVI adapter in order to plug in a DVI cable? It looks like I would need one to connect the DVI output of my D* HD receiver. I'll probably be using the component input for DVD and Xbox/PS2. How much does the M1-DVI adpater run? Thanks.

Edit- Never mind, I just found the answer. My fault for not reading the previous page...oops ;P

Vic Y

I am an experienced calibrator - a picture is worth a thousand words. The color bars on the factory setting are correct. Restore everything to factory defaults - then simply adjust contrast/brightness per DVE.

In the factory color bars. White is White, RGB is RGB, and CYM secondaries are all balanced and not pushed to either primary.

In your adjusted settings, white is now pale blue - and nearly the same as the blue Cyan. Magenta is now Purple. Yellow is now lime green.

So the factory defaults are correct on your DVD input.

Your problem is with the SAT box. Does it have RF inputs? Get a DVD/VCR hookup - or a DVD/RF kit at RadioShack. Run your DVD player over CH3 to get the calibration pictures - and set your output of the SAT to the problem rate. If you cannot do this - then find the HDNET or whatever HD station broadcasts test patterns- look in the HD Hardware forums and they will say when test patterns are broadcast.

It would appear that you have a defective Green on the SP5000 SAT input - but this is likely not the projectors problem since your DVD works fine on that input?. BTW Your TV is grossly pushing red - you cannot see any folds in Tigers shirt. It also seems to have a wierd autocolor circut - the buildings in the background are also green - but on your projector - they are clearly a different color.

What you have here is a defective Y signal (Green) - either the cable is bad or not plugged in or corroded (try a new short one just for testing) or the color space is wrong on the projector (is it REC709 or REC601 or AUTO?). Pull the green cable on the TV - my bet is you get the same picture.

Blazemaster and krasmuzik, thanks for helping.

krasmuzik, I really hold you opinion in high regard and have read hundreds of your post. Actually your posts is one of the major reason I decided to get a Infocus projector.

Now back to my setup, I am running component cable from the comcast 6412 dual tuner HD box and the DVD player into my AV receiver and from the AV receiver into either the CRT TV or the projector.

Now back to the pictures, I have also recorded Master through HDMI into the computer. I check the screenshot on my dell 20" WS computer monitor(DVI connection). The picture is the same as the TV. I can see Tiger shirt's fold clearly, I guess it is the digital camera playing trick. Also the tournament painted all the TV tower, equipment crane green to ensure everything green. I have also try to watch couple DVD with green grass and tree, the same problem also pop up.

Anyway I definitely have a problem with green with may be a red push. I will try to use different cable, try the probjector with VGA in, composite in to see if I will see another different result. Also on the component signal it is sync on green so I cannot pull the green signal. I hope it is not a projector related problem.

If I have a color decoder problem with the projector, will a DVI signal bypass the decoder?

Yes - with DVI your source is responsible for decoding - the projector will recognize it as RGB computer - you will need to adjust RGB offsets/gains equally as if they were brightness/contrast controls to get it adjusted to RGB video. INHD does a Sat AM test pattern broadcast you can use - set your box to record and keep.

The test pattern will have pure green - then it should be obvious if you are missing the green wire.

I am not sure where the color space menu is on the SP5000 - but that is the first thing to check, after double checking with a short cable. It is possible the service menus ADC could be misadjusted on the component input (Y or G) - the SP7205 gives you access to this on the service menu without password - but not sure the SP5000 exposes this. At any rate factory reset should fix that.

Check with a short direct connection - it could be the AV receiver defective as well. I have the same Comcast box and no problems with component on any of the Infocus models (not had in a SP5000 demo though)

Kras,

Looking forward to your SP5000 review!

I keep trying to find this thread stating that IF will soon have a 720p DLP (3 chip??) for under $2500. I realize that that would be crazy...but what if?

Mike :)

bomelia

I will not be reviewing the SP5000 - only way for me to get one is to buy the dealer demo. I would much rather have the SP7210 as a dealer demo. If Infocus thought their LCD was as good as the DLP - it would be priced accordingly - instead it is a good way to get the same resolution if you can live with the LCD compromises or fear the RBE.

For a 3chip DLP - multiply by 10X and you are in the ball park.

What Infocus excels at is out of the box calibration - and their LCD has the advantage over the DLP in having proper saturated green without it harming brightness that results in yellow pushed DLP green.

Vic Y has some problem with no green at all - so I thought I would jump in and help troubleshoot. It is amazing how the brain works - it is grass so should be green - your brain says I think there is green - yet there is no green in that pic! Then my brain kicks in and says nobody paints buildings and poles grass green so the TV must be wrong - sure enough they did paint them! This is why test patterns are important - you know what they should look like.

Otherwise I don't contribute to this thread - I do not have the box so what can I contribute? Sure I could "hype" it and this could be a monster thread - but just because I am an Infocus dealer does not mean I have to hype whatever they do! Though I prefer to think that I just help rather than hype :D

krasmuzik, once again thanks for your help.:)

After hooking up the projector to my computer (VGA) and figuring out how to configure it as a secondary display. I put on the Master and it just like magic, a beautiful, colorful, sharp picture just appear. It is a lot better and very similar to my directview. I also try three different component cables with no luck. One things I notice is the startup screen is supposed to be a blue background like this message board, with the component in it is actually dark(black) blue.

I guess there's something wrong with the projector at the component input but I probably will not bother to sent it in because I am going digital all the way. Now I see what this projector can do, I cannot wait to get everythings set up in next couple days. The DVi cables, M1 adaptor, projector wall mount and 106" high power model B CSR should be here in next couple days. :p

Vic Y, do you ever check Videogon for good deals? There's a 106 High Power screen there for sale used. My cheap ass is there checking for stuff all the time, it's the only way I can afford the midrange stuff. I just bought a center speaker off there and in the process of shopping for a sub as well. Anyways, glad that you're able to get your 5000 figured out.

Blazemaster, I check Videogon daily on projector/screen before my purchase. There's some good deal but I need to give Jason at AVS a big thumb up. They give me a very good price(within a few dollars of the lowest price I can find on the net) on the high power screen and also give me professional advice on what to pick and look out for. Also they customized my screen - black casing and drop, that I cannot find on Videogon. After months of searching, I also got a new sub - the mighty Dayton 10". A very good sub for the price.

Has anyone had success using a M1>HDMI adapter and running an upscaling DVD player through the 5000? I can't get a sync at 720p and have switched M1 adapters, HDMI cables and DVD players.

Anyone?

"I am not sure where the color space menu is on the SP5000 "

Start at "Main Menu"

Select "Picture"

Select "Advanced"

Select "Color Space"

You will now have the option of Auto , RGB , SMPTE240 , REC709 , and REC601 .

Good luck ,

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

Scott

was in same place - just has SMPTE240 as extra option.

Vic Y

The startup screen being off is wierd - are the menus off color as well?

Then something is wrong for sure!

Originally posted by krasmuzik If Infocus thought their LCD was as good as the DLP - it would be priced accordingly - instead it is a good way to get the same resolution if you can live with the LCD compromises or fear the RBE.

Kras,

Please list the major compromises.

From all that I have read, as digital resolution and response time continue to increase in LCD...the list of compromises decreases. Is this a fair statement?

Mike

bomelia

Sorry this thread is not the place to start a LCD vs. DLP rwar. Those threads usually get shutdown. My point was Infocus has their reasons for not pricing them the same.

Got my DVI cable and DVI/M1 Adaptor, I hook it up and no problem on the DVI input either. I am running a 60 ft DVI cable and don't seems to have any problem or picture quality problem. My screen is going to be here tomorrow and I just can't wait. Also for people don't own this projector, this projector is very very bright, perfect for a setup that have ambient light problem.

My Denon DVD2910 should be here late next week. Will let you guys know if it has any problem syncing to the DVD player's upconverted 720p signal.

Vic Y: were you able to get your 5000 to syn at a 720p input signal? If so, which connection did you use, component or DVI/HDMI?

I am using comcast HD tuner/dvr box right now through DVI. My Liteon upconvert DVD player only have component out and it will not work with the projector because I have bad component in. I have try VGA with my computer and syn at 720P through VGA, I need to change the output signal of the video card from 60hz to 70hz. I will try to use DVI( computer) to connect the projector probably by tomorrow.

My experience has been that DVI is not an issue. Only trying to sync up 720p with the M1>HDMI adapter doesn't work. Curious, again, if anyone else is seeing the same thing.

Jay,
I have heard this is a known problem and InFocus is supposed to be working on a fix. No idea when/if it will be fixed.

Kras,

Yeesh, that seemed a bit abrupt. However, I still feel that it was an apropriate question...unless of couse, the rational was not objective, and that is all I am looking for.

Everything I have read suggests that improved LCD technology can eventually rival DLP. Eventually.

Of course, that is my informed, unbiased POV.

Peace,

Mike

Hi guys,

I have had my sp5000 since November of last year and I am happy with it accept for one issue. I had an older JVC dvd player hooked up to it originally and when I switched to 480P I would lose 2 or 3 inches of picture from the right hand side of the screen. You could see a faint line of where the image should be. I figured it was the pos dvd player that I had so I just left it set at 480I for the time being figuring I would eventually get a new player, besides HDTV looked great at both 1080I and 720p. I recently picked up a Harmon Kardon DVD22 and low and behold id produces the same result in 480p. I was wondering if anyone else was experiencing this also. I have everything hooked up using the component connections and am only seeing this problem when in 480p mode weather it is the DVD player or the HDTV tuner.

Glad to hear most are happy with their SP5000.
I was seriously considering the Z3 or AE700, but a relative has a friend who does commercial installations and can get me a good price on InFocus and BenQ products. The SP5000 seems pretty good as it would leave me enough $$ to buy a newer DVD player to replace my RP-91 and get a decent screen. The prewired room has total light control and I can be very flexible on my ceiling mounting.

Questions:
Any dust blob problems? I didn't see any posted, so is it a non-issue?
Lamp preplacement cost? Is it the usual $300?
Performance equal to or better than that of the Z3 and AE700?
Any other models in this price range to consider?
Anybody using the Elite screen with this model?

I haven't experienced any dust blob problems.

The bulb replacement is ~$300 However, the bulb is only rated at 2000 hrs rather than 3000 for other units.

Don't know about the other questions.

Poncho

commercial installers are not authorized for the residential ScreenPlay line - and same in reverse! I am not even allowed to get even the X3 - only the SP4805! Heck I even tried to order the X1 projector bag since SP4805 comes without - and I was not allowed to order it wholesale - had to pay retail! So unless your friend of a friend also has residential business that allows them into the residential market - no ScreenPlay. I bet they can get the BenQ though - they play lip service to market segregation.

I just received my Denon DVD2910 and am having problem getting the 720p input to the 5000. It's working fine on the 480/576p and 1080i, but I can't get any images at all with 720p, any help?

I've also tried installing the firmware upgrade and am having problem with that as well. The instructions for the firmware is not very clear in case of XP platforms, and my XP is automatically looking for a generic USB driver, so I cannot manually install the Infocus USB driver. Anybody that's computer savvy enough to teach me how to bypass the XP's auto search for generic drivers, so I can get to the install Wizard to install the Infocus USB driver?

Well he quoted me a good price on the 5000 and their more expensive DLP model, so I assume he can get it. When I asked about a quote for an Z3 or AE700, he said he couldn't get them. I heard he does bar installations which I assume is commercial. Don't know what else he does.

Poncho,

Infocus Screenplay has really tightened down on distribution - they want their dealers to be demoing something from the high end in the Home Theater line - and I get quarterly calls checking up on me. He must do the occasional residential job, maybe putting in something for the owner of the bar!

SP5000 is Home Entertainment lineup - sold online/retail not just ScreenPlay dealers. But SP5700 and up is only ScreenPlay dealers.

I bet he is a NEC dealer too - they like to go in bars with their HT models - those are sold thru both residential and commercial installers.

Gentlemen ,

The SP5000 is in the house and so far I love it . It did however arrive with -07 firmware which really didn't surprise me and in an attempt to upgrade to -09 I've run into some problems .

I downloaded the Firmware upgrade file from the Infocus website , extracted it into an SP5000 directory , printed off the PDF instructions , read them , and tried the USB driver install . I used my Laptop with WinXP SP1 but Windows "found new hardware" and installed XP drivers without asking for my intervention . The new hardware became a "Human Interface Device" and would not allow me to change or update the driver .

I next tried my desktop with Win98 2nd ED and observed the same thing . I managed to delete the driver/hardware and manually force a select into the directory with the Infocus driver but got a new error message stating that the driver contained no information about the hardware !

If I ignored all the error messages and tried to go ahead with the upgrade I then got "no USB driver installed " and several other errors relating to the procedure timing out .

Help !

If anyone has successfully executed this procedure I would be very grateful of some assistance .

Thanks in advance ,

Scott.................... :(

from what I've read the built in xp driver works fine, you don't want to install infocus' usb driver.

Go back and re-read the instructions word for word. I had a hard time too, using Windows XP SP2. You have to actually have the SP5000 unplugged to start the process. Here is what I did to get it to work:

Unplug (just turning it off using the power button won't work) the projector.

Connect your M1-VGA(with USB) to the PC and the projector.

Assuming your PC is on and the M1 cable is connected, press and hold the menu key while connecting the power cable to the projector. Immediately release the menu key and then press it once, you should see the status light display a steady amber. At the same time you should get the "New Hardware Found" wizard. From here you can point it to the correct driver and avoid all that "HID" stuff.

Now, disconnect the projector again. Start the flash utility and follow the prompts as instructed in the directions. You should stop when you get to the "Select Link Type" screen.

Press and hold menu, plug the projector in, release the menu key and then immediately press it once. You shouldn't be prompted for a driver this time.

Press next on the "Select Link Type" screen on your PC, you should see the projector begin to upgrade.

I hope this helps a little, I know that the instructions provided in the upgrade are a little unclear.

Scott R K, I'm going through the exact same problems that you went through. But somehow the projector now seems a little bit more quiet now then before. Before my attemp to the upgrade the firmware, the projector's fans seems to get really really loud when I use the DVI/M1 inputs, now it seems like it's calmed down quite a bit.
Glenn, I'll try your way again later tonight, and I'll report back the results. Thanks.

gkurcon ;

Excellent ! It works ! I deleted the origininal HID drivers , followed the procedure you mentioned and this then gave me the access to specify a location . I then did see the "Finish" screen stating that the Infocus Flash driver had been loaded although I still can't find it in the Device Manager . However the upgrade went as planned and v-09 is now on board .

Is the AVS Forum the greatest community for HT or what :D

Thanks a million again . Now I'm off to try and upgrade my Samsung HD-841 which won't read my CD :( But I have hope !!

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

Scott, glad to help. I had the same trouble as you and Blaze and couldn't understand what the problem was. I work with computers for a living so I was beginning to doubt myself when I couldn't load a simple driver on to my laptop :rolleyes: . Anyhow, glad it worked out.

Thanks for the info and advice. This is Chicago, so there are ways around distribution rules. Every deal begins with the words "I gotta friend who can get...."

This guy can get BenQ at a good price. Not aware of any other brands. Not sure about DLP. When I watch a DLP projection TV, my eyes start to bother me after a while, kind of like eyestrain. I'm sure the newer ones with the faster color wheel eliminate this.

from what I've read the built in xp driver works fine, you don't want to install infocus' usb driver.

Actually, I made a mistake. With Windows 2K, you don't need to install the USB driver, but with XP you do.

I had SP5000 with my high power screen together for 10 days now and it has been great. I have been tweaking my HTPC with zoomplayer, dscaler & ffdshow to try to get better image out of my DVD.
In my setup, the porojector is about 3 ft behind me and about 3 ft above my head in the living room. It was projected on a 106" diagonal screen and my seating is approx. 12 ft from the screen. The picture is very bright, sharp and color is also very good. I can still watch basketball game in daytime, with light on or the adjacent kitchen fully lit up. The high power screen is doing a wonderful job rejecting ambient light. I use Avia to adjust the brightness and contrast, and my setting is brightness (25) and contrast (70) when light is all turn off. This give me a very nice image with very nice black. In my setup I can't hear the fan noise at all. The only drawback for me is I saw vertical lines on certain scene - scene with blue sky and white snow. I think it is vertical banding but I am not sure. Also I think I am sitting a little bit too close. It is a lot less noticeble from 14-15 ft out. Even with this drawback, this is still a great projector for the money.

This is going to seem like a really lame question but is there only one power setting for the lamp or did I completely miss this in the menu somewhere ?

Getting old and the mind is the first thing to go or is it the second ? Can't remember .

Scott................. :rolleyes:

Hey Scott, I'm still having problems installing the firmware. At least I'm making some kinda progress now, I can avoid the generic driver that Windows install wizard finds for it. Do I need to delete the HIDs that I was not able to avoid installing before? And how do I delete these HID?

ok ok, I finally got the firmware upgrade to work. But I'm having problems with fan noise that's not addressed by the firmware upgrade. Right now, I have both the component and DVI/M1 connections on the back of the SP5000 occupied. And the fan noise would sometimes just all of a sudden, start kicking up a few notches and becomes a leaf blower which becomes really irritating when watching it. When it does happens, it seems like it happens more when I'm using the component input, but it have happened a few times when I'm using the DVI input also. Keep in mind that, it doesn't always get loud like this out of nowhere, usually after the projector been turned on for 5-10 mins. I've noticed that, with the firmware upgrade, when the projector is behaving quietly and normally, the firmware improved it even further. My problem is when it gets really loud, any suggestions?

This is going to seem like a really lame question but is there only one power setting for the lamp or did I completely miss this in the menu somewhere ?

Getting old and the mind is the first thing to go or is it the second ? Can't remember .

Scott................. :rolleyes:


There is only one power setting.

Has anybody has any luck or know how to get into the service manual?

Well , the SP5000 has been in the house for two weeks and I seem to be having a heck of a time dialing it in . I do only have 10 hours on the lamp but I expected a much better picture by now .

As a reference point , in the beginning of LOTR The Fellowship of the Ring , The fourth chapter , The Shire , Frodo is sitting on grass in a forest . My grass looks almost fluorescent . Later , there is a shot of a field of yellow flowers against a backdrop of green hills . Again , everything looks like it is glowing and yet , closeups of Frodo's or Gandalf's face look excellent with flesh tones and details better than I've ever seen .

I've tried three DVD players and used DVI , Component and S-Video connections .
Gamma = Film
Color Temp = Medium
Contrast = 62
Brightness = 48
Color Space = Auto

All grayscale cuts and gains are at 50 . I've used AVIA and DVE .

I replayed the above scenes on my calibrated Proscan and the image was beautiful just as I remember it .

I scanned this thread again for other postings of setup parameters but most were not that far off . I suspect a major grayscale problem but I'm not sure . Could those with a good setup post their setting for comparison ? It would really help .

Thanks in advance ,

Scott............. :(

Calibrated as in ISF or calibrated as in DVE. How do you know your ProScan is 6500K or even D65? I know my ProScan is not even remotely close - but then it is a decade old maybe they added factory calibration since then. Have a stare at your colorbars - do they look right?

I've searched but can't find the vertical offset for the 5000. Would someone please tell me what it is?

wae5

http://www.infocus.com/service/sp5000/resources.asp?site_lang=1&site_region=1&

Resources->Excel Calculator

Hi KRAS ,

Thanks for the reply . Up late too I see ;)

The Proscan is just AVIA Calibrated by me . I do have access to the Service Manual and Service Menu but have only tweaked the geometry settings , lacking a colour analyser for the grayscale .

On a happier note , with the SP5000, I re-connected using component cables , set Contrast and Brightness and Colour BUT selected Color Temp=High and Gamma=Photography . Wow , now I have a much better picture . I've left all the Cuts and Gains and Gamma settings at Factory default . I then retried the DVI connection and was once again left with a slightly "fluorescent" picture .

I now have Smart-III in house and my next challenge will be to sit down one full evening and check the tracking and see what suggestions for individual Gammas the software comes up with . I will post all my findings and settings once I get them done . I owe that much to this Forum :)

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

Scott_R_K

I would not say high color temp and gamma photo is better - it is just what you are used to with the ProScan. Most TV's are set for a very blue 9500K-11000K because they are naturally brighter at that color temp.

If you look at your colorbars - Cyan should not be sky blue, nor should Magenta be purple - but that is what 9500K-11000 color temp does.

To get used to 6500K (the low/warm setting) you have to stop watching the other sources. Before long you will start seeing the colors you have been missing and how everything is much more real life (or should I say reel life - that is true to the original film)

I suspect what you are seeing with DVI is your source may not be handling the SD/HD coding to RGB properly - they have different color matrixes. You may be seeing oversaturated SD. Also with the high color temperatures it is impossible to get the colorbars right - no matter how much you try with the blue filter.

I am not sure SmartIII will help much - it is best used where the greyscale/gamma is not flat across IRE - really useful on the Sony's/Panny's. Infocus usually tracks fine, and any ISF is just to finetune to D65.

Scott_R_K, I have an complete opposite situation. My component input's color is not right but my DVI is looking great.

Scott_R_K

I would not say high color temp and gamma photo is better - it is just what you are used to with the ProScan. Most TV's are set for a very blue 9500K-11000K because they are naturally brighter at that color temp.

If you look at your colorbars - Cyan should not be sky blue, nor should Magenta be purple - but that is what 9500K-11000 color temp does.

To get used to 6500K (the low/warm setting) you have to stop watching the other sources. Before long you will start seeing the colors you have been missing and how everything is much more real life (or should I say reel life - that is true to the original film)

I suspect what you are seeing with DVI is your source may not be handling the SD/HD coding to RGB properly - they have different color matrixes. You may be seeing oversaturated SD. Also with the high color temperatures it is impossible to get the colorbars right - no matter how much you try with the blue filter.

I am not sure SmartIII will help much - it is best used where the greyscale/gamma is not flat across IRE - really useful on the Sony's/Panny's. Infocus usually tracks fine, and any ISF is just to finetune to D65.

Excuse me ? My Proscan is far better than any Direct view TV I've seen and I do know crap when I see it and I'm sure you would agree if you too saw the picture I'm seeing on the Infocus . The oversaturated SD makes good sense . I remember someone else posting something similar a while back . Doesn't help much other than throw out the Source and move up . I will , just not now .

Something else is still wrong . I went back and forth between DVI and Component to try some different setups and the last venture into P-Component removed the Sharpness control I had yesterday and added Phase and Tracking ! I definitely smell a problem with the Source . I'll try the Toshiba again with Component and the previous settings and see if the PJ will connect properly .

Scott.................. :(

How do you know your ProScan is set for 6500K - does it have a menu option to that effect? You already said it was not ISFed. You set your projector color temp to high - which is a further clue how your ProScan is set.

I don't care how good TV sets are - they are designed with high color temp to look bright at the CircuitShack under fluorescent lights.

I hear this all the time about the ScreenPlay projectors - and turns out people are comparing to their TV's. My advice is always the same - stop watching the TV and come back and complain in two weeks. They never do - well then they complain about the TV calibration. Screenplay projectors are very closely calibrated greyscale/gamma out of the box with the proper settings - sometimes it takes recalibration of our viewing habits to realize that.

If you can post a colorbars/greyscale screenshots - I can probably tell - surprisingly this worked before (camera did not muck anything up - and I have a calibrated computer monitor).

Anybody use ND filter with the SP5000? Will it help? In my setup at night time, I have brightness at 20 and contrast at 70, so the projector is plenty bright in my setup. With all the filter talk with AE700, I am just wonder will it help SP5000 to further improve the image quaility.

Vic Y

Set your brightness and contrast per the testpattern DVD - this is a digital box so they have their proper limits for your source.

Generally Infocus projectors are at least as bright as rated in the calibrated movie mode.

In the dark you probably prefer movie brightness of 12ftL.

ftL = lumens *gain / sqft.

An NDx is used to chop down your lumens in that formula. The Panny is using a non neutral filter to help calibrate greyscale optically. Generally not needed on Infocus.

kras, I did use Avia (that's all I know how to do) to adjust the brightness and contrast setting. I do not have a light meter but according to my own calculation with a screen gain of 1.5 (7 ft high back shelf with high power screen) - 1000 lumen *1.5/42 s.f. = 44ft/L.

That's like 3.5 time more than 12ftL. So should I try to use a ND2 or ND4 filter? Thanks.

You are fine if you want a bright TV for a lit room - the 12ftL is for a dedicated dark theater room.

I am bringing this thread back up because I just got a SP5000 Refurb set up and am blown away with the quality of this picture!

I pulled it out of the box and confirmed it had the new v9 firmway. I hooked it up to a HT PC with the M1 - DVI cable and wow! I haven't had to touch a thing to dial it in. The picture is perfect right out the box. I ran through DVE and Avia as well as the THX Optimize in Finding Nemo but cant improve on the default settings. Its nice to see a factory callibration that is so dead on (for me at least).

This projector is the best kept secret in budget home theater equipment right now. Call me crazy but my theory is that Infocus hasn't given a PJ to Projectorcentral to review because if they did, no one would waste time with the 4805 anymore....

Its like the old Nintendo delaying the release of "Zelda II: Adventures of Link" for the NES, If they would have released it when it was done- people would have stopped buying the first Zelda. They therefore came up with the "microchip shortage" story. I wonder if Infocus wants to keep people in low resolution dlp projectors as long as they can, for a similar reason.

Has anyone compared the projector side by side with the 4805 or AE700?

I've had my SP5000 for about two weeks and so far am very happy with the picture and performance, with one exception. I'm about 20 hours in and have already experienced one auto-shutdown due to overheating.

I just finished reading through this entire thread and saw a number of references to this issue. I guess it's a fairly common problem with this model.

My questions are these: Have those of you who experience this just learned to live with it? When it occurs, do you give up on the movie for that particular sitting, or do you take a short break and then fire it up again? Do you attempt to clean the filters before the next use or just ignore it? Does it happen with higher frequency over time? Do you have to unplug it, as I did, in order to eventually shut down the fan? Is there anything else we should know about this issue?

Sorry about all the questions, but I'm a little disappointed with this and am trying to adjust my expectations going forward.

Two questions:

1) How loud is this projector?

2) Can I use an HDMI adapter with the DVI port on this projector (and still have HDCP support and all that)?

Two questions:

1) How loud is this projector?

2) Can I use an HDMI adapter with the DVI port on this projector (and still have HDCP support and all that)?

My SP5000 is ceiling mounted, about 7 ft high, almost directly above my head. In most cases I don't notice the fan noise after it's running for a few minutes. If you can place it further behind your viewing location, you probably won't notice it at all.

The projector doesn't have an actual DVI port, it's a proprietary port called an M1 port, in other words, you can't just plug a DVI cable right into the projector. It supports HDCP via the available M1-DVI and M1-HDMI adapters. I have a 30 ft M1-DVI cable that I bought direct from InFocus, works fine with my D* HD box.

I came close to ordering a refurbished sp5000 a couple weeks ago at a great price but canceled out after looking at Jason Turk's screenshots comparing the 5000 and 4805 along with his short review. I suggest anyone interested in this projector who can't see it in person take a look at the threads. I did a search on Infocus and Jason Turk to find the 2 threads. To me the 4805 pics blow away the 5000 on the DVD material shown. (FYI, I've prefered the look of dlp to lcd on the projectors I have seen in person)

Can someone post the link to Jason Turk's post on screenshots?

Can someone post the link to Jason Turk's post on screenshots?

Go back to page 3 of this thread and you'll find the link.

I was curious if anyone on here has done anything similar to the following:

I'm looking at an upgrade to a new HD STB from D*. According to the specs I've seen it looks like the box has component and HDMI outputs. Of course, my current box is connected using the 10 meter M1-DVI cable. So I'm thinking I'll have to get a DVI-female to HDMI male adapter for the M1 cable. Anyone try this? I'm just curious if there are any issues.

Go back to page 3 of this thread and you'll find the link.
Thanks but the links don't work

http://archive.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=455580

For the SP 5000. I'll see if I can find the archived 4805 pics.

http://archive.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=449397

Here is the one of the 4805 on similar material.

I read through this whole thread and surprisingly found many people very happy with their Infocus 5000.

To those who had both the 4805 and the 5000. What would you consider advantage and disadvantage of each projector. I'm trying to consider if the 5000 is worth the extra price difference of $300 + Cost of new Screen.

Just thought I would mention that at least where I am at, Costco has the Screenplay 5000 with a 76in 16x9 by mail in for $1200. I am planning to pick it, I have been decided on this projector recently and this just seems to help out that much more. The only thing is that on the Infocus website it says their free screen promo ends on the 15th, so I am guessing so does the free screen at costco too.

No, Costco is not an authorized dealer. What they say is what you get. I wish they had the Z3 !

No, Costco is not an authorized dealer. What they say is what you get. I wish they had the Z3 !

I think they are. My 4805 have a problem and when I called in to see what they could do, they were willing to fix it. I assume that they knew it was in warranty due to the mail in rebate I mailed in. They probably also know I bought it from Costco...

I just picked up a 5000 at Costco and opted to get the 92" screen upgrade (from the free 76" screen) at a discount along with discounts on a replacement bulb and a universal ceiling mount at www.infocus.com/register Saturday. The little flyer you pick up at Costco instructs you to use "COSTCO" as your billing code.

The screen and ceiling mount should be here tomorrow. For now the 5000 is on an etagere directly behind the sweetspot shooting a white sheet on the wall. I'm very impressed so far and can't wait to see the image on a proper screen.

I've noticed the 5000 shutting down for about a minute when it sees a sync glitch from the DirecTV H10-250 HDTV Tivo (last night I suspect the local ABC DTV station we were watching at the time was sending some glitches.) On second thought, I wondered whether the one-minute shutdowns might have been the overheat protection kicking in, since I read about that issue in much earlier posts in this thread. Has the shutdown problem been addressed by InFocus for newer units? If not, maybe I should put an outboard muffin fan on it.

No, Costco is not an authorized dealer. What they say is what you get. I wish they had the Z3 !

Costco let's you return anything you buy (except computers) anytime if you are not satisfied; I wouldn't care if they were not authorized.

Authorized dealers will not care about you once their return period is over and then its upto the user and the manufacturer

David,

How much was that upgrade if you don't mind me asking?

And everyone else, I picked up a da-lite 77168 87x116 glass beaded manual pull down screen to use with this projector. I was told this would be good with movies in ambiant situations. Does that sound right?

I finally installed the 92" upgrade screen yesterday. It's an incredible improvement over the white sheet, that's for sure!

The website shows a 16:9 white screen with the InFocus logo on the shroud at the top of the screen. What they sent me is a 92" 16:9 white screen Draper Luma and I'm thrilled with the results. Had a gray screen been on the list of available upgrades available at a discount I probably would have gone with that (one of the available upgrades is a gray 108" screen but that's too big for my room) but I'm able to carefully control light in my room so the white screen is working out fine. From about 14 feet away I can easily fill 92" with the SP 5000.

About the 5000: I love it overall with a few reservations, some of which are things that admittedly just go with the territory on an LCD projector, such as "dayglo" greens. The rest of the color spectrum looks great though, especially deep reds: incredible. Black level retention could be better, of course but that's not that big of an issue for me. And I'll live with the LCD "screen door effect" for a few years until the prices on 1920X1080p LCD projectors come down from the sky. The pixels in 1920X1080p will be so numerous and therefore so small that they'll be even easier to mentally "tune out" than they already are with a native 1280X720p LCD projector like the SP 5000. God knows I'll take screen door effect over the DLP-signature fixed pattern noise any day! And, no, I've never seen rainbow effect on a DLP, but I certainly won't deny that some do.

The first few days of use the SP 5000's image was excessively green for the first 15 to 30 minutes of operation, but now that only lasts a few minutes.

I have changed only a few video settings from the original:

1. I set gamma on "Photography", which looks far more correct on video and film than the very contrasty "Film" and "Presentation" settings.

2. I set color temperature to "Low" instead of "Medium."

Everything else seems spot-on as delivered from the factory, which I find remarkable.

I did notice an odd thing about the menu. Some upconverted 4:3 SD video still has closed- captioning signals in the bottom of the vertical blanking interval that many stations fail to strip off before upconversion for their DTV feed and it's nice to turn on the 5000's overscan setting to eliminated the resulting flashing white element that you see just above the top of the image area. But if you turn the projector off and later turn it back on it defaults to no overscan. Then you have to go back into the menu if it's needed again.

The fan is rather noisy for the first several minutes then it gets really quiet for about 6 hours in my setup before getting noisy again for a while. I have a plan to fix this. I'm going to get a really quiet outboard fan to blow air toward the 5000's air intake to help keep it cool. This sounds kludgy, I know, but it won't be visibly noticable in my setup. Hopefully when I spring for a 1920X1080p projector one day, it will be quieter!

If I actually realize the rated 2,000 hours of bulb life I'll be pleased. That's about a year of normal use for me. What's bothersome is that while some other projectors rate bulb life at up to 3,000 hours, I've read anecdotal reports on this forum that bulbs on various competitive projectors are going as early as 750 hours. We'll just have to wait and see on the SP 5000. I have a replacement bulb on backorder from InFocus just in case. I guess it's smart to just always have a replacement bulb on hand for any projector that needs one.

I'm planning on installing the ceiling mount today. And a muffin fan.

I installed the 5000 on a ceiling mount and placed a muffin fan over it, still waiting for another auto shutdown to occur. I downloaded the v09 upgrade on my laptop today. My SP 5000 came out of the box running v07. Will load the upgrade soon.

I began using the DVI port with my DirecTV H10-250 HD DVR and noticed jerky motion on pans and lateral movement when feeding 720p from the DVR. 1080i into the DVI port looks fine in this regard. There was no such problem when I was using the component inputs from the DVR. The upgrade appears to address image stability in some way according to the InFocus website so maybe it will fix this.

I'm feeding the component inputs with Y, Pb, Pr component video from a Pioneer 563A DVD player at 480i with the 5000's internal scaler upconverting to 720p with stelar results. It looks every bit as good as my HTPC using WINDVD v5.0 and PowerStrip Beta!

If my added fan keeps the 5000 from shutting down I'll be a happy camper.

I picked up my SP 5000 last night and had my first shutdown after the first 45 minutes. I called infocus today and the guy had never heard of this problem, but I was aware due to this site. So it is not that much of an occurance? He also thought it would defintely have the newest firmware on it. I am checking tonight, but will the new firmware help the overheating issue? I know it changes the fan speed after shutdown, so I don't think there is anything else addressing this issue in the changes.

P.S. There is nothing blocking the exit of air on any side of the projector, it is also only like 60 degrees in the house due to our gas heater not being turned on yet, so that is not an issue.

No wonder Infocus is unloading these refurbs so cheap. Nice to see that they haven't fixed the shutdown issue. I though I read that Infocus will no longer be manufacturing LCD machines in their next lineup. Not sure if that applies to both business and home theater or not.

So, what I am hearing is that people are just doing work-a-rounds to fix this issue or is there a better way, minus all the extra fans and stuff?

Infocus hasn't updated the firmware since Nov 2004, and that didn't address the shutdown issues many have had. I was originally planning to purchase a refurb unit, then I bought the 4805 (which is great but I'd still prefer 720P) and while happy am thinking of dumping it to finance a plasma (which I'd get more use out of now that I've got 2 little kids at home)

ScreenPlay 5000 Software Revision History

17-November-2004


* Eliminated the About menu. Replaced it with the Source Info menu, which provides expanded data on the source signal. Expanded the Service Info menu to include more information about the projector.
* Removed artifacts in projector menu tint and color when connected to a DVI source
* Eliminated fan speed increase when lamp is shut off
* Improved SECAM detection
* Improved video frame synchronization
* More stable with IR noise
* Filter time warning added
* Added new aspect ratio format for widescreen films (2.35:1)
* Improved detection and positioning of HDTV sources
* Fixed position on 1080i and 480i from X-box.
* New default values for contrast/brightness/color on component video
* Adjusted NTSC/PAL progressive picture (white stripe)
* New sharpness filter
* Added PowerSave feature
* Eliminated source loss during logo capture
* Eliminated stripes in letterbox and 16:9 text
* Contrast/Brightness for DVI and progressive EDTV sources
* Improved frame locking on RGB sources

Tempted to buy one from given what is going on with refurb pricing. Even if I hate it I think I could ebay it for about the same or even more money once Infocus blows out their final stock of these projectors. Pricing has become ridiculous for manufacturers of projectors. No wonder Infocus is loosing money. I remember buying the Infocus 350LP for >$5k when it came out. Now rufurbed front projection HDTV can be had for under $1K.

The Infocus website (http://www.infocushome.com/amer/eng/products/screenplay/sp5000.asp) now shows the SP5000 at $999 !!

The Infocus website (http://www.infocushome.com/amer/eng/products/screenplay/sp5000.asp) now shows the SP5000 at $999 !!

Free Screen Too!

I currently have a 4805. I really have been wanting HD for my Xbox 360, I saw the 5000 for $999 at Costco and decided to try it out. So far, all I can say is yuck. The black level is terrible, it more like a grey than black, even with the brightness way down. I'm not used to LCD's and I wasn't really trying to see it, but the VB was very bad, even my wife saw it right away. I didn't really like the screen door effect even though the resolution is so high. It did have a much crisper picture with the Xbox than my 4805, but I found the other tradeoffs not to be worth it. Unless someone knows how to tweak it to get a deeper black and less VB it's going back tomorrow. Does the black level improve significantly with some bulb burn in? I guess I have to wait until I can get a Z4.

I thank you for post on the SP5000. It (along with advice from others) have saved me the hassel of buying the 5000 only to ebay it after comparing it to the 4805. I was hoping to have a 720P machine for the winter olympics but will probably still be using the 4805 until DLP is available for <2k.

If you read some reviews the Sanyo Z4 sounds very nice, I'm not so hot on the DLP like I used to be with some of these new PJ's. I think they are overpriced.

I reread your note and it didn't comment on the color. I love the fact that the 4805 is almost perfectly calibrated for color temp out of the box. What did you think of the SP5000 colors out of the box? (I thought this projector might fit the bill for my parents who would like an occasional movie during the day and also to project digital photos)

As for the grey blacks, you could try to find a neutral density filter (many 4805 owners have them as well) to cut down the light output since it sounds like it is overly bright)

As for the grey blacks, you could try to find a neutral density filter (many 4805 owners have them as well) to cut down the light output since it sounds like it is overly bright)

I've returned it now. But about the color, it seemed very good. I didn't see much difference over the 4805. I can't complain about that. If I didn't already have a PJ, and if I could get a unit without VB, since they are the same price, I might actually choose a 5000 over a 4805 for most HD sources. But it's certainly not worth the tradeup from a 4805 if you already have one. The 4805 has tons better contrast, and less SDE. Wait for something better in my opinion.

Funny that even with 2X the number of pixels you noticed that screendoor more on the 5000. That is my main complaint with the 4805. The other is a lack of resolution on HDTV and computer use (compared to wxga)

Funny that even with 2X the number of pixels you noticed that screendoor more on the 5000. That is my main complaint with the 4805. The other is a lack of resolution on HDTV and computer use (compared to wxga)

The screen door is just much more noticable on a LCD. I can't quite explain it, perhaps it was partically due to the VB, but the image just doesn't look as smooth as it does on the 4805. And I was testing using HDTV. The image is much crisper, but less smooth as best I can explain it. It just wasn't a real improvement in my opinion. If I ever find a Panny ae700 I might try it because it has smoothscreen.

The screen door is just much more noticable on a LCD.

Isn't that because the gap between pixels is larger on an LCD than DLP? Even though the 5000 has more pixels, the gap between them is still larger and therefore more noticeable than a 480P DLP? At least that was my understanding about SDE and LCD vs DLP.

Isn't that because the gap between pixels is larger on an LCD than DLP? Even though the 5000 has more pixels, the gap between them is still larger and therefore more noticeable than a 480P DLP? At least that was my understanding about SDE and LCD vs DLP.

Exactly, at least on older LCD's. I just meant that the picture was hard to describe exactly why I didn't like about it, besides the really bad black level, there was something else that really bothered me. I don't know if it was the VB or the SDE or both.

Well due to a failure on my Sony VPL-HS10's blue LCD panel I though I would give the sp5000 a try. I mean at 999 + free screen at Costco what do I have to lose right? Well all I can say is what a disappointment! I mean the HS10 had it's share of issues but once tweaked it was a decent projector.

Here is my very short critique:

Black level is terrible! I have owned the following:

Sony 400Q
Sony 10ht
Sony HS10

The 5000 had the worst black level of them all from my memory. As it turned out the black level uniformity was terrible as well. In fact I even went back to exchange for a different unit just to make sure I did not have a defective unit. The second unit had a color uniforimity issue with red but the same black level issue. I spent several hours with the 2nd unit to tweak it out. I was able to get the over all color tweaked out great but the uniforminity with RED killed the deal. I took it back today and now have shifted my focus to the H31 or the 4805.

My sources were as follows:
Zenith 318 @ 1080i and 720P using component
SA 8300 using component

My advice...do not waste your time. Even with true HD souce this projector was sub par.

Thanks for the review Chuck. Anyone who has used/tested this projector take any screenshots? It looks more and more like I'm going to stay with the 4805 for the foreseeable future.

Let us know how the panny compares to the 4805. One of the things I loved best about the 4805 was it's out of the box calibration compared to other projectors i've had. Looks like Jason Turk said he had to do a bunch of work to calibrate the unit. I just looked to see how many hours I've got on my 4805 since I got it in april, only 60, 5 of which was from a time that the electric went out and came back on when the projector was in stand by (learned my lesson). Thinking I should have gone with plasma as I probably would have gotten more use. I've had a basement home theater for 5 years, but with 2 kids under the age of 3 I just don't have time for the theater till they get older.

I'm still working on my wife, but I should be getting it soon :) From everything I've read the black level is comparable to higher end DLP's, so I expect it should be just about on par with the 4805. I've also read the panny has almost perfect out of box colors, unlike the Z4. If it's close to the 4805 black, I will be happy with the other advantages. I'm just scared to go LCD, but for the money you can't beat it.

I've also read the panny has almost perfect out of box colors, unlike the Z4.Actually, AVS's Jason Turk says that the Panny 900 "out of the box was poorly adjusted, at best" and "required loads of calibration" (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=607546). Check his review.

I posted this earlier on another thread: I had the 5000 (from Costco) here and the 4805 (directly from Infocus) here a few weeks ago and compared them. No contest, the 4805 is in another league....yes, on some 720 material you will have more info with the 5000, but the contrast sucks, the black level sucks and the screen door effect was very very distracting. The 4805 has far less SDE, has better color, contrast and blacks. It just plain looks more real. My wife noticed the better picture immediately with the 4805. I took the 5000 back to Costco and have been enjoying a very good picture for about one month on the free 76" screen from Infocus. I use the Oppo player with DVI (one of my two DVI cables produced a much better picture). I put a 750 watt split bobbin balanced isolation transformer on the 4805 and the picture jumped another notch. Finally, two ZSleeve Heavies were added (one each) to the power cords on the Oppo and 4805 for another jump in picture quality. Watched Shark Tale last night.....WOW!!! In a couple of years I will upgrade in the $2-3000 price range. By then there will be incredible 720s and maybe even some 1080Ps....more fun ahead.

Actually, AVS's Jason Turk says that the Panny 900 "out of the box was poorly adjusted, at best" and "required loads of calibration" (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=607546). Check his review.

I've read two other reviews that commented on the great out of box colors, who knows.

I've read two other reviews that commented on the great out of box colors, who knows.You can probably trust Jason. He sells them.

You can probably trust Jason. He sells them.

Does he sell them online, or just locally?

Does he sell them online, or just locally?I assume both. Here is the AVS web-site (http://www.avscience.com/) - contact him.

For the last several months I've been using a Optoma EzPro 739 presentation projector. Last week i pulled the trigger on a SP5000 ($899 refurb thru infocus).

I've been follwing this thread for a while now. Right from the start I noticed a huge improvment in color over the presentaion projector i was using (I have a greywolf screen and a perfectly dark environment).

One problem i noticed is that with any motion i see horizontal banding (looks like internlaced lines on a tv). When a scene is still it looks fine..but when any motion starts they appear. I thought maybe it was the component input so i tried the xbox 360 thru a component > VGA cable. The 360 is set to 720p output and noticed the same thing.

Does it sound like i got a defected unit or perhaps I missed a setting?

Any help would be appreciated.

For the last several months I've been using a Optoma EzPro 739 presentation projector. Last week i pulled the trigger on a SP5000 ($899 refurb thru infocus).

I've been follwing this thread for a while now. Right from the start I noticed a huge improvment in color over the presentaion projector i was using (I have a greywolf screen and a perfectly dark environment).

One problem i noticed is that with any motion i see horizontal banding (looks like internlaced lines on a tv). When a scene is still it looks fine..but when any motion starts they appear. I thought maybe it was the component input so i tried the xbox 360 thru a component > VGA cable. The 360 is set to 720p output and noticed the same thing.

Does it sound like i got a defected unit or perhaps I missed a setting?

Any help would be appreciated.

I hate to tell you but this is just a lousy PJ, I found there was something just bad about the picture I couldn't quite put my finger on, perhaps what you are describing. I think it has to do with the really bad screen door effect and verticle banding.

I don't know if there is a sevice menu, but from the owner's manual, I couldn't see any adjustments for vertical banding. I think the sanyo units are the only ones that have a user adjustment for that.

This unit is going back. They are sending me a replacement. If I see the same problem, it will be going back for good.

I can't imagine this lines i was seeing is normal. Other than those lines I was happy with the image quality. Perhaps I'll try the panny if this doesnt work out.

Version 10 released.

http://www.infocus.com/service/sp5000/software.asp?site_lang=1&site_region=1&

Got the replacement sp5000 on monday..installed the latested firmware listed above and I still go the same results as last week with the horizontal lines appearing during motions. As a result I am returning the sp5000 and spending twice the amount and going for a SP7200.

Would have been nice to save the extra money :/

Got the replacement sp5000 on monday..installed the latested firmware listed above and I still go the same results as last week with the horizontal lines appearing during motions. As a result I am returning the sp5000 and spending twice the amount and going for a SP7200.

Would have been nice to save the extra money :/


Wait! Why in the world are you doing that? The 7200 is ancient now and it was never that good to begin with. The Panasonic AE900 rivals or beats even a PJ like the 7210 from reviews I've read, try one of those before you spend on a 7210. And no way should you buy the 7200, it's way too old. I believe the contrast ratio is like 1300:1, that's sad by today's standards.

I did consider the Panasonic AE900. Read a ton of good reviews, but they say VB was seen and after my experience with the SP5000 I wanted to stick with DLP.

Also i was able to get a sp7200 for several hundreds less than than the average price of the AE900. That being said...they are both out of my price range (reason i wanted the sp5000 to work out so bad ($899). I ended biting the bullet and went for the 7200. I really want native 720p for the my xbox 360.

Right now im using a optoma 739 (1024x728) and I think it looks good. So if the 7200 is any better ill be happy. The whites on the 739 are too washed out :(

Here is some shots of my current setup with the optoma on a 106" greywolf screen:

The incredibles:
http://www.isayx3.com/misc/inc.jpg

Titantic HD via the xbox360:
http://www.isayx3.com/misc/titanic.jpg

Project Gotham 3:
http://www.isayx3.com/misc/pgr.jpg
http://www.isayx3.com/misc/pgr2.jpg

I just think your going to realize even a tiny bit of VB (which all reviews say is basically isn't visible or not there) is a far better trade off than a 7200. You've got to remember the 900 is on a completely different level from the 5000, newer LCD panels. You at least need to get a 7205 or 7210, or check out the Optoma perhaps H78. Try reading some reviews at projectorcentral.com, they compared the 900 to a OPtoma H79, which is very high end, and actually preferred the 900, I think that should tell you something. I myself would much rather have the H79 DLP, but if it's even comparable to that PJ, it's got to blow away something as old as the 7200. Since I don't have $7000, I've decided to go with the next best thing a Panny 900 myself, even if it's not perfect. By the way, I'm currently using a 4805 DLP, so I'll let everyone know how it compares when I get it.

Hey, could some kind SP5000 owner please tell me whether the infamous M1-D/A connector on the back panel of the projector is female or male. I'm about to take the plunge (site/sight unseen) based on experiences here and elsewhere. I will get cables and adapters from a second source. The M1-2-DVI adapter I'm looking at has a male M1-D/A on one end and a female DVI on the other end. Will the male M1-D/A end fit into the projector's connector?

Also, I'm planning to get all three of the following cable types, all 50-feet long; (1) M-M DVI-D dual link (24AWG), (2) 3-conductor component (RG-59u) and (3) a M-M SVGA with ferrites. Whereas a 50-foot run may not give the greatest results, and may vary with output equipment, the projector itself, cable build and the setup environment, a shorter run is not an easy option for my planned setup. I'll just have to settle for the best two of the three, or try a different projector. Any experience using 50-foot runs to the SP5000 with these type of cables will be appreciated.


TIA,
TH

PS: Thanks to all contributors to this great thread.

It's a male connector.

Here is an image found that shows all the connectors:

http://www.eurostar-ostrava.cz/images/panely/sp5000celek.jpg

I don't know how good they, but monoprice.com has M1-DVI 50 ft. cables for around $55 shipped on ebay.

isayx3

It's a male connector. ...

Thanks for answering my question, but since language is a fine art and not an exact science, language can be interpreted in many beautiful and imprecise ways, particular if sex is involved (hehe). It depends on how you look at it. So, I'm not sure that I asked my question in a precise manner. And I'm not sure I interpret you answer correctly. Also the images on the link you provided don't help answer my question, at least on my PC monitor. So, I'll try to be more scientific.

Here goes: What kind of M1-D/A cable or adapter is needed for plugging into the M1-D/A connector on the back panel of the SP5000? Should the cable or adapter have pins (male) or should the cable or adapter have sockets (holes or female)?

Thanks, and I don't mean to cause any trouble. I'm just not too good at writing nor reading precise language.

Thanks again,
TH

Woops....i got it backwards..a male cable will work. It is a female connector on the back of the projector.


So...tThe cables that plug into the projector should have pins. Similar to this M1/HDMI cable:

http://i12.ebayimg.com/02/i/05/ac/ef/a3_1.JPG

sorry for the confusion :)

Thanks again isayx3,
Like I said, language is not a precise science, but a very fine art (sometimes tainted by sex, hehe).

Now, is there any reason I should not order an SP5000 tomorrow and the cables I detailed in my first post. One's home is the best place to demo a projector along with the source conponents and connecting cables/adapters.

I'm going for it. However, my planned vendors have adequate return policies.

Thanks for all contributors to this very fine thread.

'TH

I just personally tried 2 units in the matter of a week..and I saw horizonal banding during any motion in the scene. Although my friend didn't notice it, it drove me nuts..specially with the xbox 360.

I personally don't think it was normal so perhaps you won't see it on the one you get. Good luck.

have you guys tried the new firmware they just put out? i uploaded it and now it won't recognize my xbox or xbox 360 over component.

I did install the new firmware. Xbox 360 still worked worked for me, but I am using a component to vga cable.

My SP5000 was delivered this morning along with the free 76" screen from Infocus. The cables and adapters I ordered from a second source also arrived today. Good timing. I had it up setup temporarily and running in about an hour.

All I can say is wow after running it for about 11 hours in two sessions, one during the afternoon and one after dark. I am indeed pleasantly surprised.

1. The new firmware v.10 was already installed.

2. All three 50-foot cables worked. SVGA to an old RCA DTC-100 HDTV tuner. DVI-D via an M1-2-DVI adapter to a PC with an ATI Radeon 9000 video card. And component cable to a Pioneer DV363 DVD player set for progressive scan and selected through a Pioneer AV receiver.

3. Though it was a rainy day, daytime viewing in a well lighted room with the blinds open was as good as some old CRT projection TVs I've seen. Though detail in the dark colors was lost, there was nothing else missing. For nighttime viewing, I had to set both brightness and contrast down to 35 for comfort.

4. The fan generates a steady low sound and is not an issue with the PJ setting on a table right beside my knees.

5. Screen door effect was not visible at 12' from the 76" screen and not really distracting even at 6' away. Yes, when I looked for it at 6' I saw it, but when I watched the program, I really didn't notice screen door at 6'.

6. There was no auto shutdown as others have reported. I set up a thermometer alongside the vents and noted the temp varied between 140 and 144 F, as the room temp was adjusted from 65 to 69 F.

7. I don't know what vertical banding is, so I didn't see any, even when displaying test patterns from the Digital Video Essentials DVD. The PC display of docs and spreadsheets show very sharp black print, without any fringing that I could see from 12 feet.

8. No adjustments were necessary when the PC was connected via DVI. I previously had the PC's DVI port connected to a TVs HDMI input and set at 1280x720. The PC was immediately recognized as an HDTV at the same resolution. The 1280x720 PC output is a pixel-2-pixel match to the SP5000 and is a very pristine digital display. DVDs played on the PC with PowerDVD5 were clearly better than on the Pioneer 363 via component.

9. Out of the box, the grayscale seems to be as perfect as any calibrated TV that I've seen, but I had to set Gamma to photography and color temp to medium. The picture is then very smooth and the colors are not reddish, nor greenish nor blueish, just about studio perfect.

A few issues;

1. After powering on the PC and switching to DVI, the HDTV tuner was not recognized when I switched back, defaulting back to the PC. But this was fixed by setting "Auto source" to "OFF" in the SP5000's menu. Maybe this will solve the problem that others are having with devices not being recognized. Also, I think the device must be outputting a signal to be recognized.

2. Really not an issue, but the picture is too bright at night for me unless I decrease both brightness and contrast to about 35 each.

3. Though I knew this prior to purchasing the SP5000, it has two design features that limit installation options, and present a challenge for my situation;
a. It lacks any means to shift the lens like later Sanyos, Panasonics and others. Thus, it must be placed on a table at a level just below the screen or ceiling mounted at a level just above the screen. Nothing in between such as a shelf at mid-screen level is possible.
b. The throw is short and is limited in zoom range.
Our multipurpose room is too busy for the table option, thus it must be ceiling mounted. But the ceiling is 18.6' high where the projector (short throw) needs to be to project onto a 96-inch screen. Already there is a ceiling fan hanging about 8' from the ceiling, and another pipe from the ceiling will be unbearable. The screen can't be much larger because it must neatly balance to space between a door and a fireplace without crowding. So the solution is to "ceiling" mount the PJ underneath a shelf on an 8-foot room divider to be placed behind the seating area. A free standing shelf unit that tall must be built.

Performance-wise, I have not found anything about the SP5000 that I don't like. Even the free screen is quite decent, but I'm working on a DYI screen.

Thanks to all of you who posted to this thread. Your experiences were certainly considered when I decided to give it a try.

Again thanks,
TH

I did install the new firmware. Xbox 360 still worked worked for me, but I am using a component to vga cable.

can you try it on component? I'm wondering whats up with my projector.

the picture is too bright at night for me unless I decrease both brightness and contrast to about 35 each.Others will jump in and tell you, but this is not the way to control image brightness!!!

You say you have DVE. Use that to set the 'brightness' (BTB) and 'contrast' (WTW) controls and then leave them alone - they've done their job.

To reduce brightness, use a neutral density filter mounted on the projector lens. I'll leave it to others to say which one (I don't know what size is required).

have you guys tried the new firmware they just put out? i uploaded it and now it won't recognize my xbox or xbox 360 over component.

I installed the new firmware and my PC input got messed up by loosing a little all all 4 sides of the screen, like it zoomed in or something. But resetting to the default settings on the projector fixed it.

...You say you have DVE. Use that to set the 'brightness' (BTB) and 'contrast' (WTW) controls and then leave them alone - they've done their job.

To reduce brightness, use a neutral density filter mounted on the projector lens. I'll leave it to others to say which one (I don't know what size is required).

Yes, this is the standard recommendation for TVs where "video black" does not vary widely during the day and at night, whether the lights are on or off. I'm not sure that this pertains to projectors where the screen is its natural whitish color in daylight and is nearly invisibly black in near total darkness.

However, I made my first intense attempt ever at adjusting front projectors when I got the SP5000 yesterday. And after watching it for nearly 11 hours, the bright display in near total darkness prompted me to find relief for eye strain. I'll try it with DVE in daylight and after dark to see if the needs for adjusting change with ambient light.

TH

In your previous post cautioning against reducing contrast and brightness to reduce light output, you are right. I adjusted contrast and brightness using the patterns in DVE during early afternoon with all window blinds open. Then I checked the settings after dark with all window blinds closed. The correct settings are the same regardless of ambient light.

What I said in my previous post consists of speculations guided by misconceptions. Pure nonsense, if I have to say it myself.

Yes, one can reduce light output by reducing white and black levels (contrast and brightness) but the contrast ratio will be severely limited.

After I build a larger screen using a dark paint, this may somewhat reduce the density of light reflected from the screen. Am I right here, or are these more misconceptions.

TH

Quick Question. I picked up a 5000 last month, i've been more or less been impressed with they system *dark scenes are iffy but I haven't even tried tweaking it ... and I am using just s-video at the moment*

Anyway. I have about 15-20 hours logged into the projector. I've recently noticed a slight discoloration (it seems brighter) in the project image. Its located on the far left side of the screen a few inches above the bottom. I am wondering what this problem would be. Is this a dreaded dust blob? I'll hopefully have the time to play arounds with the projector tomorrow but I figured it would be a good idea to ask here first.

Thanks

-Brian

picked one up at costco over the weekend (went looking for an ae700/900 but it appears that no costco's are carying those at the moment). Seem pretty good (on my off white/non flat wall,) should be a lot better with a screen. 360 works fine with component for me, SD tv looks poor (which is expected as it often looks poor on HD sets), HD looks good for the most part.

My wife got me one for X-mas from Costco early Christmas that is. I opened it up to make sure it worked as I am building a new home which will not be completed until April so I will not be using it until then. The pic to me looked pretty darn good although it was on a tan wall projected form a distance of about 10ft. I went a head and installed the new firmware with out a hitch.
I went ahead today and ordered a oppo DVD player which I think will make a nice combo I hope. This 4 month wait is going to kill me.
PS I also ordered the upgraded screen (92") with I received in 5 days of placing the order. Its is a Draper Luma.

Matt

As I said I have an Infocus 4805 and bought the 5000 at Costco to try it out, the picture is really really bad. The black level is terrible, and it just had an overall poor image quality. The thing you don't realize is you can't tweak the black levels. There is no type of iris or lamp power control, the black levels are not going to get any better. If you turn down the brightness control it will just crush near black to black, but the bottom lowest level of black will never go down. It's always going to be grey because this PJ just can't produce a good black at all. You would really be better off saving a bit more for something else, or just get the 4805 until you can get something better. It really has a much more pleasing image. And remember this is from someone who really wanted to like the 5000, the price is great.

Any of you guys who think the picture looks good must be new to projectors. As I said I have an Infocus 4805 and bought the 5000 at Costco to try it out, the picture is really really bad. The black level is terrible, and it just had an overall poor image quality. The thing you don't realize is you can't tweak the black levels. There is no type of iris or lamp power control, the black levels are not going to get any better. If you turn down the brightness control it will just crush near black to black, but the bottom lowest level of black will never go down. It's always going to be grey because this PJ just can't produce a good black at all. You would really be better off saving a bit more for something else, or just get the 4805 until you can get something better. It really has a much more pleasing image. And remember this is from someone who really wanted to like the 5000, the price is great.


Maybe Im goofy but perfect blacks has never been a issue with me and you are correct I am new to the PJ world but one mans trash is another mans treasure . I believe the picture will be good enough for me and the wifey to enjoy a movie on Sat. night with out breaking the bank. It may have its shortcomings but from what Ive read in the past couple of weeks is all PJs at this price point have some form of short coming and if you over analyze it you will never be happy.
Just one mans opinion
Matt

I have beent trying to take a look at the ae900, and If any costco was selling it I would jump in a minute, but I am not sure I want to order it sight unseen as I dont know if the improvements (i know there will be improvements) will justify the difference in cost (about $600 after rebates and adapters).

I've had my SP5000 now for a decent amount of time (225 hours since it came back from the shop with a new lamp). And I'm loving it. Is it the perfect projector? No, but you aren't going to get the perfecrt projector for as cheap as you can find these. My previous projector was an Optoma H30 (pretty much a 4:3 version of the 4805). The H30 had better contrast and MUCH better scaling (taking any signal and converting it to its native resolution). But the SP5000 is WAY brighter (no need to turn down the lights AT ALL, the picture is viewable in all but direct sunlight) and extremely sharp. I use my projector as my computer monitor, as well as my TV, movie player, and game machine output, and in all of those uses except DVD playback the quality is clearly better on this than the H30. Especially computer monitor, I use it at 1280x720 or 1024x768 and it's super sharp; the H30 (even though it had a better 4:3 resolution than the 4805) was always blurry (I used 1024x768). The SP5000 especially rocks at true HD sources (though I recommend having your cable box/whatever scale the picture to 1280x720, the projector isn't very good at it).

Anyways, I thought I'd take a couple pictures and let you see for yourself (caveat, the quality of the picture is changed by my camera and crappy photgraphy skill).
http://www.meeds.net/SP5000Deer.jpg
http://www.meeds.net/SP5000Nemo.JPG

Anyone know what size the lens is? Sounds like an ND2 (neutral density) or more likely ND4 filter is needed when using this projector in the dark.

I've had my SP5000 now for a decent amount of time (225 hours since it came back from the shop with a new lamp). Why was it in the shop? And how many hours did you have on it at that time? And I'm loving it. Is it the perfect projector? No, but you aren't going to get the perfecrt projector for as cheap as you can find these.I am in total agreement. I was considering the SP4805, but when I saw that the 1280x720p SP5000 was just $100 more (after rebates), I quickly jumped and am very happy I did.... the SP5000 is WAY brighter (no need to turn down the lights AT ALL, the picture is viewable in all but direct sunlight) and extremely sharp. This is one of the reasons I selected the SP5000 over other PJs. Though other PJs tout higher contrast ratios, I chose brightness for daytime viewing over more perfect blacks that you can't see in high ambient light anyway.

I was enjoying a football game in HD lately and was thinking, I am glad I chose the 1280x720p SP5000 over the 854x480p SP4805 (which I was strongly considering) because I was able to read the dark gray writing on the jerseys at a distance rather than to note that there is real black writing and not be able to read it.

I caught Jay Leno one night and noted that I could actually see details of the makeup on the guests faces, something not very possible with the 854xi480 SP4805. Also, I note with great interest the design of Jay's black shoes and later asked myself "were Jay's shoes black enough?" Just shows that once we stop comparing dark gray to real black colors projected by our value 720p projectors, we begin to enjoy the details in the programming.

After all of this, I replied to tell you that the screen shots are great and to ask, "what screen were you using?"

TH

I caught Jay Leno one night and noted that I could actually see details of the makeup on the guests faces, something not very possible with the 854xi480 SP4805. Also, I note with great interest the design of Jay's black shoes and later asked myself "were Jay's shoes black enough?" Just shows that once we stop comparing dark gray to real black colors projected by our value 720p projectors, we begin to enjoy the details in the programming

Well Said

Anyone know what size the lens is? Sounds like an ND2 (neutral density) or more likely ND4 filter is needed when using this projector in the dark.

I was wondering the same thing.

Doh, my website went down and thus my pictures. Anyways, the projector had to go to the shop because its lamp died after the first 3 days (about 16 hours on the bulb). They replaced the bulb and sent it back.

The screen I'm using is a super-cheap Matte White screen that came packaged with my old Optoma H30. I'm thinking of getting a new screen, a grey one, that'll make the blacks blacker at a cost of some brightness.

So has anyone tried the SP5000 with an ND filter? The Australian site mentioned earlier measured the checkboard contrast as higher than a Panny AE700. The AE700 must get by on its dynamic iris while the SP5000 has a better LCD panel. If black levels are a concern, an ND filter could be the solution. Once black levels are comfortable, this projector ought to be able to outperform the AE700.

Honestly, I'm quite surprised Infocus didn't provide a reduced bulb mode. Perhaps they expect to make their money on bulb replacements? It seems foolish to have not done this; it'd extend bulb life, prohibit overheating, and lower black levels (though wouldn't effect contrast).

Speaking of, now that the new flash has been out for a while, are people still having overheating problems?

I haven't had any overheating issues, and I have yet to upgrade to version 10 (I'm lazy...) Oh hey, my website's back up, so my pics are working again. Whee!

Dreamweaver posted...
I haven't had any overheating issues, and I have yet to upgrade to version 10 (I'm lazy...)....

I've had my SP5000 now for 11 days (of the 15-day return period) and while thoroughly checking it out, I had my first overheating shutdown at 22 hours and the second one at 38 hours. After each shutdown, I vacuumed the filters, but didn't really see anything that could clog the filters.

However, both shutdowns occurred on Sundays when I had a cigarette smoker in the room close to the projector. There was not a lot of smoke accumulating in the very large open area with 18-foot ceilings, but the smoke was very visible in the bright light beam. Has anyone else noted whether overheating shutdowns are correlated with smoking near the projector? I note that in the "safety precautions, it is cautioned not to expose the pj to smoke for prolonged periods. Also in the warranty exclusions, it is stated that the warranty excludes damage due to smoke (including cigarette smoke). I assume this really means in a room heavily filled with smoke.

During several sessions, I placed a thermometer at the air exit vent and noticed the temp is at 140 F within 5 minutes of startup. It then slowly rises to 142-145 F within an hour, while the room was as only about 68F. I'm not sure that I had the thermometer at the same location each time I was monitoring temp, but this morning I noted the temp kept rising within two hours to 155F just before I shut it down. After the first shutdown I noted the temp was about 155F. From my experience with cars, a continuing slow rise in temp indicates an insufficient cooling system. Does anyone know whether overheating was a problem with the original firmware version. I tried to call Infocus today (Monday) but they are closed for the holidays.

I have never had the 5000 auto shutdown, in the 8-9 months period that I've had it. But I did the firmware upgrade a while back. I just build a rough draft of a hush box couple of days ago and it's pretty effective at keeping the fan noise in the box. I still have to seal the box better, but other than that I'd say the hush box is a very effective at keeping the 5000 quiet and improving the dynamics of my speakers.

I had a cigarette smoker in the room close to the projector.No-one is allowed to smoke on my propoerty. That eliminates the scum that forms on all glass surfaces, including projector lenses <!!>, which in turn accumulates a thick, sticky dust coating.

I worked in TV repair part-time as a teenager: I'm sure that having to clean this gunk off the insides of the TV sets prevented me from even thinking about smoking.

IAC, if you value your projector you will not allow people to smoke anywhere near it!

If my room is 13.6 feet deep and I will be table mounting it at the back of the room, how big a screen should I go for? I was originaly thinking of the 106 inch greywolf (but I thought the room was 15 feet deep), now I am wondering if I will be able to fill a screen that big, though I think the 92 would be smaller then I would like.

I've had the 5000 for over a year now and have never had it auto-shutdown or get hot. I have my projector around 13' back and am throwing about a 96" image. I couldn't be happier with the pj.

jkresh,
Go to the Infocus webpage here (http://www.infocus.com/service/software/projcalc.asp?site_lang=1&site_region=1&) and use or download the image size and distnace calculator. First selected the model, then select and enter either screen size or distance to get the corresponding measurement.

Also, I note with great interest the design of Jay's black shoes and later asked myself "were Jay's shoes black enough?" Just shows that once we stop comparing dark gray to real black colors projected by our value 720p projectors, we begin to enjoy the details in the programming.


Black in a high contrast scene has never really been that big of a problem, so I'm sure his shoes were plenty black enough. The real problem is in dark or low contrast sceens. That is when a poor black level becomes very obvious; Not on brightly lit stages where there is some black clothing.

You can really tell how poor the black level is on a digital pj when it comes to dark or low contrast scenes. Depending on the projector it can be very distracting. The 4805 is decent for black level, but still nowhere near CRT.

I have it about 13 feet back also, and shooting a 92 in. image. I'm kinda picky about the PQ, so I don't like going much bigger than a 92. If I have more viewing distance or watch my HD program, I might consider going bigger than 92. For those that just got into the SP5000 game, I now have a Chief made mount for the SP5000, email or PM me if interested.

jkresh,

I forget to mention that Infocus also has a more extensive PJ screen calculator that's an MS Excel file. It is specifically for the SP5000. In addition to image size vs PJ distance relationships, it also calculates Foot-Lamberts using screen width and gain. Download it from this page, here (http://www.infocus.com/service/sp5000/resources.asp?site_lang=1&site_region=1&).

thanks, for the link. I just found out that I was wrong on distance, I apparantly do have about 15 feet, so screen size shouldnt be an issue

I have been very satisfied with this projector. I have had it almost 2 months now and doing great. I have a throw distance of about 17 feet with about a 140in screen. Obviously HD looks the best, but a nicely remastered DVD also looks good. I haven't even bothered looking at SD tv on it. It has a computer as my main input getting the most quality I can out of the DVI-I output.

I just ordered mine.. $899 with free screen, free shipping... 76" is about it for my current living room.

I'm pretty excited about it. My 1st front projector.

Hi, I'm getting a 5000 next week and I'm trying to decide on what kind of screen to get.

Many people seem to complain that the 5000 gives a washed out picture so I was thinking of getting a grey screen to compensate. Will that actually help to produce deeper blacks?

I don't know anything about gain either. Would 1.0 or 0.8 be better for deep blacks?

Also, I need a screen that is portable, something on a tripod I guess, because I'm moving into an apartment soon and won't be allowed to attach it to either the wall or ceiling.

I will probably be mostly watching stuff in the dark, but it would be nice if I could have some lights on at the same time if possible. I'm thinking about 90-100" inch screen size would be good, heard that's pretty optimal for size vs. quality.

I looked at a nice Da-Lite Picture King 92" with the White Matte, but it's too expensive, like $400. Anything out there like $1-200?

greywolf is supposed to be good as a high gain grey screen, check the thread http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6788174#post6788174

I was playing doa4 for about 2 hours tonight and I noticed a purple blotch (on characters in a certain part of the screen), it also showed up in Return of the Sith, on Yoda in the fight scene with the emperor. I turned off the projector, wiped the lens with a microfiber cloth, turned it back on and ran it for about half an hour and so no blotch (it was off for less then 2 minutes). Any ideas as to what caused this? Also should I exchange the projector (got it from Costco, less then 2 weeks ago) or wait for it to happen again?

I was playing doa4 for about 2 hours tonight and I noticed a purple blotch (on characters in a certain part of the screen), it also showed up in Return of the Sith, on Yoda in the fight scene with the emperor. I turned off the projector, wiped the lens with a microfiber cloth, turned it back on and ran it for about half an hour and so no blotch (it was off for less then 2 minutes). Any ideas as to what caused this? Also should I exchange the projector (got it from Costco, less then 2 weeks ago) or wait for it to happen again?


It is my understanding with COSTCO returns, that there is no need to hurry out and get a replacement. I think I'd see how it goes if that is the only issue you have hed with it.

I know they have a lifetime return polocy, only problem would be if I wait a while for it happen and they stop carrying the projetor (still would get my money back, but might have to buy something else instead)

I'd just hate to see you get a different one, that really did have some issue with it.

Hard call for sure.

anyone think this projector is safe on a wood stand, or would a metal/glass one be better as they conduct head better and should keep it cooler?

I know they have a lifetime return polocy, only problem would be if I wait a while for it happen and they stop carrying the projetor (still would get my money back, but might have to buy something else instead)

If I were you, I would purchase another one from Costco and keep it unopened and return one once I am convinced which one to keep.

Not the best option but if I wanted the 5000, I can't think of any other choice. By not opening the PJ, the policy is not being misused. And if it is opened, the first one would be going back anyway. This would mean blocking money for the second PJ till you decide what to do.

I am not so attached to the 5000 that if I had to switch I would be that upset, however if costco stopped carrying it and I had to spend significantly more (500 to 1000) to replace it, that would be difficult at the moment.

local costco is out anyway so I guess I will have to hope the purple blotch doesnt come back

I just got my SP5000 today, but I have two questions.

First. Does using the Zoom wheel affect quality? I mean, if it's zoomed to make the picture as big as possible, does that lower the quality? Or is better for PQ to zoom it to make the picture as small as possible?

Second. 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?