This weekend 'mystery' theater will screen 'Red Eye' and 'March of the Penguins'. Should be interesting.

Wayne

I love both of those movies and they should look great on your H57. Red Eye was my first 2.35:1 on my H31/UH-50 constant height setup.

-Mike

Thanks Mike! :)

Just finished watching 'Red Eye'. I didn't realize that Wes Craven who directed it. Lots of suspense. Good transfer to DVD. Penguins tomorrow. :D

By the way, has anyone purchased the new Pink Panther cartoon DVD set? That ought to look superb up on the big screen. It's 4:3 unfortunately but still should be fun.

Wayne

Hey Guys

Just went and ordered my new couch for the basement, its one of those hometheater types, except I didn't order the partition/armrests between the seats.
It will be a black leather 4 recliner couch, and should prove to be lots of room for the whole family to sit in comfort under the glow of the H57. Gonna be a long 6-8 weeks waiting for it to be built!

We checked out the latest Harry Potter this weekend, and I had my brother and his wife over to watch "Crash". We had to send the kids out for that one, not exactly a movie I would recommend for young viewers.

All I have left in the basement family/hometheater room to do is some trim, and hang a few pictures and stuff on the wall. I've had to hold off on construction because I was getting too busy, and had too many irons in the fire. Inorder to keep from burning-out, the basement had to wait. I plan on posting a couple of pictures one of these days.

Shane

Shane,

Crash was well done but it averages about one 'F' word per minute so you were wise to exclude the little ones. Haven't seen the latest Potter movie yet. I love how the H57 exhibits darker movies such as the Potter series.

Sounds exciting about your home theater room. Yes, do treat us to some photos when you get a chance. I'll bet your brother and sister-in-law are projector converts now! :)

March of the Penguins showed beautifully on the H57. This coming weekend I've got '40 year old Virgin' and 'The Island' lined up. Looking forward to those two.

Wayne

Hi folks,

Back after a long gap. Been busy with my H57 - already consumed 200 hours.
I am a big fan of Cricket and watching these matches on the big screen has always been my dream. It was a treat to watch.

Crash is a good movie. I dint realize that when I bought the movie to watch..but turned out to be a thought provoking movie.

Harry Potter - Goblet is an average fare. The colours were too dull to enjoy the movie and overall a not upto expectations.

Shane,

I noticed that when the projector runs continuously for more than 6 hours (a cricket match lasts from 1 day to 5 days), it sometimes does not shut down properl when switched off. The red keeps blinking and I had to pull the power to stop it.Not sure why this happenns....

There has been another peculiar thing I noticed since the last couple of movies. My wife and myself watch the movies reclining on the sofa and since the last 4-5 movies, we started dozing off...we are not able to comprehend whether we are tired after the day's work or just the prescence of such a big screen and the darkness around makes us sleep.....

Thats all for now.

Cheers
VJ

Shane,

Crash was well done but it averages about one 'F' word per minute so you were wise to exclude the little ones. Haven't seen the latest Potter movie yet. I love how the H57 exhibits darker movies such as the Potter series.

Sounds exciting about your home theater room. Yes, do treat us to some photos when you get a chance. I'll bet your brother and sister-in-law are projector converts now! :)

March of the Penguins showed beautifully on the H57. This coming weekend I've got '40 year old Virgin' and 'The Island' lined up. Looking forward to those two.

Wayne

VJ,

One thing you and your wife could do is to try to arrange a day whereby you both recline on the sofa earlier in the day. Obviously this will have to be a day where both of your schedules will permit earlier viewing. It would be somewhat interesting to experiment in this manner to try to determine whether the effect is caused by the darkness/big screen environment and possibly also the DLP spinning wheel which might exacerbate already tired eyes.

We don't run our H57 as long as you have but I have noticed on a couple of occasions that the unit will fail to turn off and the red light just blinks perpetually. All I've done is to unplug it like you did and replug. That solved the problem. Also, I have experienced a few times where the unit won't turn on properly. In this scenario, there is no light coming out of the lens yet the fans are operating. Turning the unit off, waiting several minutes and then re-starting brought everything back to normal.

Everybody try to check out the movie 'The Island' when you get a chance. Not only is it an interesting movie but it is one of the very best transfers to DVD that I've ever seen. Very clean, crisp, bright and pure eye candy. A great movie when you want to show off your H57 to family and friends.

Wayne

Wayne,

Thnaks for the suggestions. Shall try out....

I did watch The Island - The resolutions was fantastic. The movie is good sci-fi. Interesting that you quoted ----i paused couple of times during the movie and the picture was so smooth that it was unbelievable that I was watching it on my wall.....

I have subscribed to Netflix and get all new movies immediately. Fantastic service they have.

But most comforting and competetive is the public library here...they have all the new movies DVD released the same day and you can book it online and watch for free. I booked Harry Potter online and watched on the day of release i.e 7th march - free!!!!!!!!!. Hats off for the library management here. Their movie collection set for the old & new is almost 90%.

Thats all for now. Enjoy the weekend.

Cheers
VJ


VJ,

One thing you and your wife could do is to try to arrange a day whereby you both recline on the sofa earlier in the day. Obviously this will have to be a day where both of your schedules will permit earlier viewing. It would be somewhat interesting to experiment in this manner to try to determine whether the effect is caused by the darkness/big screen environment and possibly also the DLP spinning wheel which might exacerbate already tired eyes.

We don't run our H57 as long as you have but I have noticed on a couple of occasions that the unit will fail to turn off and the red light just blinks perpetually. All I've done is to unplug it like you did and replug. That solved the problem. Also, I have experienced a few times where the unit won't turn on properly. In this scenario, there is no light coming out of the lens yet the fans are operating. Turning the unit off, waiting several minutes and then re-starting brought everything back to normal.

Everybody try to check out the movie 'The Island' when you get a chance. Not only is it an interesting movie but it is one of the very best transfers to DVD that I've ever seen. Very clean, crisp, bright and pure eye candy. A great movie when you want to show off your H57 to family and friends.

Wayne

Wayne

My brother does like the H57 and he was quite suprised with the PQ, but he's not really the type to invest a lot of money into a hometheater system.

VJ

That's an interesting problem you and Wayne have noted regarding shut-down and start-up. I personally haven't experienced this....yet?.
When I installed the power in the ceiling, I had the fore thought to have the plug switched, so all I would have to do is flip a switch if i want to kill the power. In fact I cut the power whenever I'm not using the projector. I think it helps for wear & tear, power surges, and accidental turn-ons by children or someone not "qualified" to operate the system.

We watched "Zathura" the previous weekend and liked that movie, and this weekend, watched its predecesser "Jumanji". We all seemed to give the nod to Zathura as the better of the two. We also watched that show based in Africa, about the guys wife and the drug company, can't remember the name, but not too bad a movie. edit "The Constant Gardener"

Tonight I want to fire-up "Stealth", not sure if is a really great movie, but I'm hoping it should be some "eye candy" on the H57. I picked it up cheap at the previously viewed section at the local BlockBuster.

I got an update on my couch, should be in late April or early May, right around my birthday. So, my wife says thats gonna be my present. I'm gonna have to dig the homemade "buttkicker" out of ny old couch and put it in the new one and get it fired up. Been quite a while since I had it going.

Shane

Shane,

Yes, get that home made buttkicker going. I absolutely love my real one.

'Stealth' is a super movie match for the H57. The special effects are incredible and there is some really nice scenery. It isn't a real sharp movie as they go, so it may appear a little smooth or soft to your eyes but it's visually stimulating otherwise.

Wayne

Wayne,

I did watch The Island - The resolutions was fantastic. The movie is good sci-fi. Interesting that you quoted ----i paused couple of times during the movie and the picture was so smooth that it was unbelievable that I was watching it on my wall.....



Wayne/VJ

You guys have tweeked my interest in this movie "the Island" as I like sci-fi. Is it a new release or an older one?

Also thinking of checking out "Doom" anybody seen that one?

As far as "Stealth" goes I thought the picture quality looked great on the H57, but I dozed off and missed parts of the big rescue. Some slow parts in the show made me lose interest I guess. Too much stress....and poor sleeps...

Maybe this weekend I will take a couple of basement theater/family room photos.

Later
Shane

Shane,

'The Island' has only been out for a couple of months or so I think. It has a very creative premise that I don't think has been done before. Haven't seen 'Doom'.

Looking forward to those photos when you get a chance.

Wayne

Hello

I Just wanted to say I picked up an H57 off ebay last week, and I am still amazed at the picture it throws.

I upgraded from my X1 that I had for 3 years, and the difference between the two is night and day. I'm thinking about upgrading to a 96" screen, I currently have an 80" and the picture is almost too bright.

One question I have is I am getting some dots on the vary top of the screen when using my LG/Zenith 318 dvd player in 480/720/1080. I can't seem to get rid of them, anyone have this problem?

-Pat

Hi Pat,

Welcome to the thread and congratulations on your H57 purchase!

The issue you're describing is unfortunately normal for that player. I also have the very same unit but I don't use it anymore as I've 'graduated' to the Oppo which in my opinion just kills the LG/Zenith 318 player in almost every respect. I can't remember exactly what I used to do to eliminate the dots but it seems that I may have used the phase control on the projector perhaps in conjunction with a button on the player's remote in order to move the image a bit.

It's annoying and I hope that you can get rid of it. I too went from an X1 to the H57 with a brief 'vacation' on H31 land. :)

Yes, you should definitely get a larger screen. I'm at 92" and find that ideal for my room size and couch distance. Also, do consider buying an ND2 filter which will cut your lumens in half and be far closer to SEMPTE standards for film viewing.

Good luck!

Wayne

Hey Guys!

So my eyeballs are hurting, 3 nights in a row at 1 am a piece is adding up. My face looks really silly as well, I got this retarded grin on my face I can't get rid off. Oh well...
Some initial observations: I can definitely see rainbows, I guess I am one of the lucky ones. It's not a deal breaker though. I paired it up with LG 531 DVI, one word: CRAP! White crashing, artifacts everywhere, went back to 480i via component on my cheap panny, let Optoma do the heavy lifting, no contest. LG going back!

Colors and res. are great, I don't have perfect light control, but my blacks are plenty black. Little calibration so far. I do have Spyder2Pro Studio to get into greyscale soon. I am projecting onto a Do-Able board DIY that has so many followers. It has a gain of around 1.3, white surface.
I added Hoya Fl-day, nicer, deeper blacks, more 3d from already fine image. Less rainbows. It allows me to sit around 11 feet from 100" screen without any SDE, nice smooth image. I will still play with CC20R or CC10R as I want to cut blue as well as green to balance out the colors. I want to stay away from ND2.

Next stop is Oppo and OTA here in Vancouver. One thing I noticed is that camera panning scenes are not as sharp and smooth as I'd like. Takes away from action shots. Anyone using Oppo are you using 576p Pal resolution or upconverting higher? I think 576p would be the only way to get 1:1 pixel mapping and avoid scaling in the H57 fro the best pic. There seems to be no options in the menu for scaling. I'll post some pics. Cheers!

Mike

Sounds good about the pictures Mike! :)

So you're going to do your own greyscale calibration eh? Very cool! Let us know how that works out.

Too bad about the rainbows. Please consider getting an ND2 filter. Your image may be too bright and possibly contributing to RBE. The H57 is one bright projector! The gain of your screen sounds just about right.

You should enjoy the Oppo. Mine is fantastic paired up with the H57. I use component cables and allow the H57 to do the progressive scanning. I let my computer send DVI signals to the H57 @ 1280 x 720p. Stunning!

The Oppo will upconvert to 1080i and 720p through DVI. I haven't tried a Pal disc yet because I don't own one but I'm quite happy with 480i through component.

Wayne

Hey Wayne,

Thanks for the info, I purchased this projector on your advice so I feel I owe you one :)
I have done a lot of research myself, going from Germany to Netherlands in search of reviews and info on H57. I can post it if interested. There is quite a bit of info in Europe about it. Anyways, ND2 filter cuts lumens in half without fixing the greyscale. My fl-day is cutting lumens down by about 30%, I'd say, while limiting green. When looking at the spectral graph from a Dutch review site (ISF calibrator) it looks like there is a slight red deficiency, more blue and green at higher IRE levels. If I can balance it optically without getting into cuts and gains that would be preferred, hence the use of colour correcting filters as opposed to neutral density. They were able to increase measured contrast from 1900:1 (very good for any projector) to 2150:1 with the use of filters. I'll let you know once I am done playing with it all and you can try it yourself. At the end of the day it's an awesome pj, so tweaking it is just a hobby. Cheers!

Mike

Well, it's been about six months for me now...I love this thing!!! I'm Very happy with my Samsung HD931 at 1080i. I'm now a NETFLIX addict....I can't wait for next movie to arrive.....

Sorry to MIA.

Other things have taken priority at home, as the basement sits unfinished. Now that summer is here, I am hoping I have the chance to finish the basement.

Wayne and friends -- hello!

Everyone who has purchased and installed their H57 - congrats. I'll be with you shortly.

I'll try to check back in from time to time.

Will

Nice to hear from you Will! :)

I can't believe that it's been 7 weeks since I last posted. I thought the thread was history.

My H57 is in at Optoma being serviced under warranty although I had to pay the shipping one way. Two things of concern for me: I'm experiencing light seepage again through the casing seams and hopefully they'll be able to tighten it up as they did last fall.

The second issue is with regards to the DVI input on the H57. I recently decided to purchase one of the new Toshiba HD DVD players, the HD-A1, in order to see what an HD-DVD disc might look like on the projector. Through component it was absolutely the cleanest, best image I've ever seen, even better than Rogers cable HD! Unfortunately, when I went to use the HDMI output of the Toshiba with a DVI adapter, the signal would not be recognized by the H57 no matter what I tried. I swapped cables, tried unhooking and re-hooking cables, tried starting up each device in different order and no luck.

To eliminate the Toshiba player and my cables from consideration in troubleshooting, I hooked up both the player and my cable plus adapter to a 27" Viewsonic flat screen LCD TV and it received the HD signal from the player's HDMI output flawlessly. The TV only had a DVI input. So the issue points to the H57 as the culprit. The input on the projector is supposed to be HDCP compliant according to the manual. I'm wondering if any of you H57 owners reading this thread have tried to send an HD signal from any source via HDMI to your projector? If anyone has successfully done this or would like to try, I'd be interested in how it has or will turn out.

If they can't fix the problem and there aren't any new H57s available, I'm going to upgrade to a 720p projector. Likely the Optoma HD72 or if I feel like really splurging, the H78DC3.

I'll post about what happens when I hear back from Optoma Canada. I just sent the unit by courier yesterday and they should receive it today.

Tacjam,

Glad to hear you're still enjoying the H57! Online rental is great isn't it? :)

mbonikow,

Hi Mike. Your filter experimentation is something I've never read about on the forum before. Sounds interesting. Keep us in the loop! :)

I see Dave Mack posting on the HD72 thread on occasion.

If you're still subscribed to this thread Dave, peek in and let us know what's going on with you. I see by your posts that you're already in the upgrade mood. :cool:

Wayne

I guess thats life with the electronics of today..... At least it's mostly covered, although paying for shipping sucks, it's fair.

I hope you get looked after Wayne -- You've single-handedly made Optoma a lot of money.

Will

Hi wayne!

I too am looking to upgrade now. Either the hd72 or the in76. I've heard that the hd72 takes the 1080i signal, downconverts it to 540P then upconverts to 720P. Not much different than the h57. The in76 takes the 1080i signal, converts it to 1080P, (thus keeping all the pic. info.) and then downconverts to 720P. Also, out of the box it is supposed to look perfect whereas the hd72 needs alot of work from what I've read.

Let us know what happens! D

Thanks Dave! :)

Nice to hear from you. It's like an old high school reunion today. :D

I think I remember reading about the 540p downconversion but I wasn't sure if it was a fact or conjecture. I don't like the sounds of that. I wonder if there's anyway to confirm this.

If you make a move keep us in the loop. ;)

Wayne

Hiya Wayne! I think it's been confirmed about the HD72 downrezzing.
Don't know about the new optoma, 7100 or something. Free lamp with that one now but out of my $$ range. If the IN76 dropped to 2K it would be a no-brainer.

:) d

Appreciate that Dave. :)

The price is right for the HD72. In August you can get it here in Canada along with a 92" Panoview screen and a mount and a 5 meter DVI cable for about what the going rate for it is now in the U.S. Not a bad deal!

Too bad about the 540p thing but people seem to like the projector for the most part and I'm not sure what difference there really is between the 'bob' and 'weave' interlacing as far as on screen viewing goes.

Infocus make good projectors. My first one was the X1 and it was fantastic, especially for the price. Of course the H57 smokes it. :)

Wayne

Hey Guys!

Wow, everyone is still alive! Have not checked the forum in a while...

As for the HD72 and the new HD7100, if you guys are itching to upgrade I would splurge for an HD7100. From the research I have done it has superior optics and 5000:1 contrast without iris. GuitarMan who is the defacto Optoma man in AVS is making it his pj at the moment (switched from H78DC3). I don't like the white segment in the HD72. On that note I don't think it's worth to upgrade to those pj's. I'd wait. I went to a top place here in Vancouver and did some critical viewing of a 3 chip DLP Sim ($30K), single chip DLP Sim (10K) and Ruby (current 1080p standard for under 10K) to see what all that fuss is about... Let's just say I would not trade my H57 for the 10K Sim, and I'll wait for the Ruby to come down in price.

Wayne,

The Toshiba has HDMI to DVI sync issues with a bunch of pj's, so don't sweat it with the H57, it's not your Optoma, it's the Toshiba player. I read it in the other forums. If you do get it to sync post some pics, how do you compare it to a good dvd transfer on Oppo?

I am still playing with the filters, in Europe you can buy H57HC4, which stands for a tweaked German Optoma with a filter. They optimize it quite nicely. So far I am pretty happy with FL-D, but I will get a CC red filter if I can find the right size. Once I get it all dialed in with calibration I will post the pics here for you guys to show the difference. I want to buy Stewart Firehawk to complete my setup. My final step is an anamorphic lens for a 2.35:1 setup. There is a guy who is making a nice lens in China for around $300, comparable to ISCO II in quality. It looks very exciting and few guys in Australia are evaluating it at the moment. That's where my $$$ are going rather then incremental improvement of the 720p pj's. I get to use a full res. of my H57 in a 2.35 width like in theaters, much more immersing!

OK, tired of typing, Cheers!

Mike :)

Hi Mike,

Problem is, I couldn't get an HDMI to DVI signal to my H57 from my Scientific Atlanta Explorer 8300 HD Rogers Cable PVR either although people locally at Best Buy tell me that several of their employees have synced that very box digitally to their TVs without a problem so I have to wonder if my projector isn't operating HDCP friendly at the moment.

I'm jealous that you got to compare all of those expensive toys. :) I realize that there isn't a big jump from our resolution to the 720p pjs but I'm starting to prepare for the HD-DVD/BD revolution and I don't want any scaling but a 1:1 pixel mapping image. I'll put up with a 1080i to 720p downrezzing if I have to though. I'm actually sitting quite close to my screen and I think would benefit from the extra pixels that a 720p pj would give me. Plus, I'm getting tired of my H57's light leakage recurring. I've actually had to use off-white masking tape in several layers to cover up the greenish light emanating from several seams. I also have a low ceiling at the back of my recroom which severely limits my placement options and screen sizes due to the large offset of the H57.

Optoma Canada is purchasing the Toshiba HD-A1 HD-DVD player to hook up to my H57 in order to try to simulate the conditions that have caused me problems. Hopefully this week I'll hear back from them either way.

Hopefully no one reading this will infer that I'm not happy with my H57's picture. However, Optoma's reputation as far as that goes is stellar right from the H30 on up through the high priced models so I don't feel that I'll be losing anything if I upgrade. I'm actually looking forward to the vertical lens shift, 0 offset, electronic zoom and focus and maybe even getting rid of the power supply buzz that has plagued the unit since day one.

The Toshiba player exhibited beautiful images such as I've never seen before, even through HD cable. It was better than my HTPC performs with SD material. Virtually no artifacts at all. Very clean and sharp. This was of course through component cables. I purchased 'Serenity' in HD and I rented the same movie in SD to compare and the HD was definitely better.

However, the difference isn't worth $699.99 Canadian in my opinion.

Your tweaking with filters is interesting. I don't think I'd ever get into that myself but I am intrigued about your constant height setup and the cheap lens. Let us know how that goes. I have given this issue some thought recently and in the past as well and I believe that I would regret giving up a huge 16:9 screen for HDTV viewing if I went strictly 2.35:1. Probably for me not worth the trade-off.

Wayne

Wayne,

I been using the HDMI to DVI cable with H57 from SA 8300 without any problem.

Had anyone compare the H57 with H27. I recently have a chance to compare the two and I found the H27 seems to handle SD source (DVD) better than the H57!

Optoma Canada returned my H57 and it now works when using HDMI sources. They had to replace the main board. They even purchased the Toshiba HD-A1 HD-DVD player in order to try to replicate what had been happening at my home. Sure enough, my H57 wouldn't work with the Toshiba over HDMI until they replaced the board.

I returned the Toshiba player but I have hooked the H57 up to the SA 8300 since I got it back and it synced with it just fine so I'm glad I sent it in.

Kudos to Optoma Canada for purchasing the player and properly repairing my projector. :)

I've never seen the H27 in action but it's supposed to be at least as good as the H31. I did briefly own two H31 units and I preferred the H57 in every respect.

Wayne

Glad to hear that Optoma Canada saw what you saw - and fixed it. We can't really ask more than that.

I am making progress in the basement, I would expect the theatre to open at the end of July (at the latest). I have very little work left, and will start the audio/video rack shortly. I do have to spend some time relabelling wires I ran, as some didn't get labelled as well as they should have.

I still need some guidance on what kid of switching device to use, so that all my video feeds can be selected to two destinations (large screen TV or PJ)

I see lots of expensive choices, but I don't think I should have to spend $100 or more for this device.

The clock is ticking ... tick.. tick...tick..

Will

Thanks Will! :)

It's nice to know that Optoma Canada will work with their customers so well. They've always treated me well.

I haven't made a decision yet as to whether I should upgrade from the H57 or not. I've ordered a 106" High Power screen from Da-Lite and will wait until I install that screen and spend a little time getting it acquainted with the H57 before I make a final decision. At least that's what I'm telling myself at this moment. It could change. ;) The screen should arrive here late next week or the week after.

Your room has been a long time in the making. I'll bet you can hardly wait until the work is done and you can put your feet up and enjoy the projector.

Have you tried Monoprice cables for your switcher? Probably more than $100.00 but much less than a Gefen.

Wayne

Hiya Wayne, I am looking to upgrade. I listed my h57, the extra lamp and my Zenith DVB-318 upconverting player for Sale on Craigslist. Will see if any response. Otherwise maybe here or HTF. I think I'm going for the IN76 even though it's more than the hd72. I want the res. of 1080i-1080P-720P and not the 540P to 720P of the hd 72. Upgrading is about more res for me so I'm not gonna cheat myself.

:) d

I wish you well Dave. :) I'm waiting for my new 106" High Power screen before I make a decision about upgrading. Trouble is, this H57 just keeps plugging along. No lamp issues or resets although I've had other problems but really no reason to upgrade other than to scratch an itch. :) I do think though that this new screen may bring out SDE and show the resolution limitation of the H57 at a short distance from screen to couch.

You won't go wrong with Infocus. I had the X1 before switching to Optoma and it was a real hoot!

I'm not sure is this 1080i > 540p > 720p is something to worry about but I must confess that I don't really understand the issue. I'm curious as to why this hasn't been mentioned by reviewers like Art (Presenter) or others as a negative. Does this downrezzing introduce the possibility of artifacts perhaps. Otherwise, it's really 720p isn't it? :confused:

Wayne

I just ordered the H78DC3 package from Costco.ca. I've decided that I want more resolution, especially since I'm moving from 92" to 106" at only 10 to 11 feet away from the screen.

I'll post about the experience as/when it happens.

It will be a good idea to hang on to the H57 in case this doesn't work out. I may try the August deal on the HD6800 if the H78 gets returned.

Dave,

Any news on the In76?

Wayne

Wayne, congrats! Sad that you're leaving the h57 family though. (But I'm planning on it too!) PLEASE keep us filled in! I had 2 people so far interested in my PJ but they were both flakes. As soon as I sell it, I can upgrade. I wonder if I could find a deal on the 78 anywhere meself?
Have fun! D

Yeah don't give that H57 away Dave. :) It's just too awesome a pj! If you do a search you may be able to find the H78 at a good price since it's been discontinued already. :(

As long as the bulb/orange-red led issues don't surface I should be fine.

You keep us in the mix as well about your situation.

Wayne

Upgrading from the H57... getting a HD72. Is it worthy? Please, help me!

Or should I get a Mitsubishi HC3000? Or neither?

Dreyfus,

The HD72 will give you increased resolution and a second digital input (HDMI) which could come in handy. The offset % seems to be about the same as the H57 and that goes for the lumens as well. I think that the HD72 is a nicer looking unit than the H57. They should be about the same db levels. There may be better optics on the HD72 therefore a sharper image and improved focus uniformity across the screen.

The Mitsubishi HC3000 is well regarded but I believe it's also more expensive. The reviews I've read don't convince me that it is the projector for me. I like the Optoma colors. It's something I immediately noticed when switching over from Infocus.

Don't forget about Optoma's 0 dead pixel policy. :)

Wayne

Thank you, Wayne!

Based on your coments, I guess I´m gonna buy the HD72.

By the way, have you read anything about "blowing whites" on the HD72? I´m kinda worried about that.

Yes, I followed that issue quite closely and with proper AVIA or DVE calibration, reasonable gamma settings and white peaking parameters, there is no problem with the whites or blacks.

There's an excellent post by the Optoma engineer explaining all about it but I can't remember where. I think the reset problem is the main thing you'd have to worry about and that has been fixed via firmware. You just have to make sure that your unit has the new firmware on it otherwise you'll have to send the pj in for firmware updating.

Good luck! :)

Wayne

Wayne,

So you are getting into H78, don't blame you, the upgrade bug is hard to kill. I'll stick with the anamorphic lens and Firehawk for now. Awesome machine, watch out for the bulb issues though that have plagued H77/H78/H79: severe dimming. Hope you get a good one. Will be interesting to see you compare the two for us.

Dave,

I would Ebay your package, H57 fetches usually around $1200-1300 and you have a spare lamp. Craigslist stinks for selling higher end. Ebay seems to know the value of H57 a lot more from the auctions I followed.

Cheers!

Mike

Thanks Mike! :)

I'm crossing my fingers on the lamp issue and hoping I'll be one of the 40% or so that don't seem to have any of those problems.

I'll post my observations and comparisons after I've had a chance to set the pj up and the new screen and gotten acquainted with everything.

You guys want to watch a movie that's just pure eye candy? Check out 'The Thing About My Folks'. It has some of the most beautiful scenes of autumn tree colors I've ever seen anywhere including in person. It was filmed in upstate New York and environs in the Fall and really is a silent character in the film that will take your breath away on the H57! :cool: You want to impress anyone or sell your unit, have this DVD playing.

Wayne

Mike, you're right. I just listed it as a package with the extra lamp and the Zenith dvb-318 upscaling dvd player. Good idea. Fingers crossed! Wayne, keep us in the loop!

d

I will Dave! :)

I recently bought a nifty little universal projector mount from the people at Vantage Point. I took down my old mount from fellow AVS member 'Mandarax' and put up this one which is holding up the H57. I intend to use this mount with the H78DC3 when it arrives. This mount will hold a projector up to 30lbs!

It is adjustable in roll, pitch, and yaw using a hex key. It's a 6" mount and feels really solid and heavy.

Here's a photo:

Wayne, all! I just sold my H57 package with spare lamp and Zenith dvb-318 dvd player on Ebay for my buy it now price of $1699! I was psyched. Then I checked who bought it. A new Ebay member with a feedback number of ZERO. Hmmm....
Then they guy sends me this email....

"Hello David,

Season's Greetings to you.I am Arnell Johnson from Newellton,La,US.I'm contacting you concerning your item on Ebay which i eventually became the winning bidder for your item.Morever i'm presently serving our beloved nation here in Iraq with the United Nation and i intend sending this item to my wife who works with the American Embassy in Nigeria as a visa Officer.You shouldn't worry about the shipping fees to her okay?.I'll take care of it with my Personal FedEx Account # after payment so you won't need to pay any money when mailing it to her over there.I will be making my payment to you via PayPal,So get the package ready for immediate or next day shipment okay.Make sure you send me your PayPal Email Address so i can immediately make out my payment to you for this item purchase.You are to mail it out immediately you get the confirmation mail from PayPal.Mail me back it's urgent.

Regards.
Arnell.

Ok, I'm a bit spooked. Season's Greetings? In Freaking JUNE! No mention of the product itself. Mailing out IMMEDIATELY! When I clearly state in my auction that it will be UPS ground. Here is my ad...
http://cgi.*********/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=ADME:L:EOISSAA:US:11&item=9740463623

Should I be spooked? I know Paypal is decent but if he claims anything wrong, they freeze my funds yes?
Any help would be appreciated! Thanks! d

I've sold over 400 items on eBay and have a 100% rating. This could be a scammer or simply someone who doesn't know better. I would handle this as follows:
1. For now disregard whatever this buyer is attempting to communicate; it is irrelevant since the ball is in his court to make payment as agreed, the contract entered when he chose to "buy it now".
2. Keep sending pleasant, regular emails stating the conditions of your auction regarding payment. You could even look up the eBay rules that apply and include them in your email (optional). Again, disregard any emails from the buyer other than absolute compliance with the terms of your auction. It's best to not engage in any discussion. If this is a scammer, that is what he is wanting and is baiting you to do.
3. If he then does not respond as a sane human being by paying as agreed, report the matter to eBay and don't delay about it.
4. Chat in the eBay chat rooms. They will support and advise. You may end up having to re-list your item if the buyer does not pay as agreed.

Unfortunately, if it's Ebay and the word "Nigeria" is involved, you're almost guaranteed it's a scam. The scams are so rampant that I won't sell to overseas buyers anymore.

-Mike

Thanks guys, unfortunately I DID email him last nite thinking maybe he was legit.
Here was this morning's email reply.
"Thanx for your prompt mail am ready to offer you $280 for the 2 items,just for you to know that am serious,i will pay right away and as soon as you have been notified.My payment method is USPS POSTAL MONEY ORDER.If ok by you kindly get back to me with the full name and address of where you want the money order to be mailed out to so i can proceed with payment immediately.I will take all the shipping responsibilities i have an account with fedex and i will like the item to be shipped through my fedex account.So you wont need to pay any shipping cost cos all the shipping cost will be billed to my fedex account.So once the payment has been approved and you have recieved the payment approval confirmation via email from USPS,i will send you all neccessary shipping document for fedex to come and pick it up.plz get back to me with your full name and address with your confirmed email address,so i can proceed to payment immediately.Thanks"

Nice english. Sorry, my auction clearly said PAYPAL only and N. America only. No money orders, no Shipping to Iraq. Great. So how do I contact Ebay re: this? I loooked on their HELP page.

I am pissed.

Well this just gets better and better. He sent me not one but 2 fake PayPal emails stating that he had transferred the $$$. They looked pretty convincing too, but the return email was someone @accountants.com (covered up of course..) I logged into PAYPAL separately and of course there is no transaction.
Then he sent me this email...Hello David,
I have made out my payment to you for this item purchase and the exact amount of what i bought from you has been deducted from my account,So check your mail for the confirmation mail from paypal.Get the Package ready for immediate Shipment.You are to take the Package to any FedEx Location close to you for drop off.Paste the information below on the package and make sure you fill the international airway bill form correctly with the information below.Then do me a favour by putting the item worth as $400.00 so as to reduce customs charges against her when receiving it over there.Ship it via international priority.Then a tracking number will be giving you which you will then send to paypal at fund-verifications@consultant.com and your account will be credited with the exact amount of what i bought from you immediately.Hope to hear from you when you have it maild out today.Have a nice working week ahead.

FedEx Account Number :- 211730692

NAME:- RICHARD A.ESTHER
ADDRESS:- 17B ADESHINA STREET
CITY:- IKEJA
STATE:- LAGOS
COUNTRY:-NIGERIA
ZIP-CODE:-23401
PHONE:-08034852880

Sincerely
Arnell.

Ah, the joys of Ebay...

Wow - I wonder how many people actually fall for that stuff. When you re-list the item, there's an option to require immediate Paypal payment, designed to deter scammers.

Keep us updated.

Thanks, Mjolson. I am pissed. I've used Ebay for years and never had an issue like this. It puts the PJ in Limbo until the "buyer" officially does not pay. I can't even report it yet, (Even though I sent them an email explaining everything...) Now, I think I will have to pay to re-list it. I will definitely do the Immediate Paypal requirement. Is there an extra fee for that?

Grrrr...!!!

Dave,

Sorry to read about your trials and tribulations with Ebay. :(

Hopefully you'll get this issue resolved to your satisfaction real soon. :)

Since you've mentioned an interest in the IN76, I thought I'd point out a post that just came up over on the Optoma H72 thread from EEBuckeye. He is giving up on the IN76 due to the fan noise and is considering the HD72.

So if fan noise bothers you, you might want to factor that into your buying decision. I'll bet it would be tough going from a quiet H57 to a noisy projector. It would be for me that's for sure.

Wayne

Hiya Wayne! I did read that. Hmmmm.... Until I get tis Ebay thing sorted out I can't even re-list my H57 yet. :(
When are you getting your 78?

And yes, a comparison between the IN76 and the HD72 firsthand will be very interesting.


:)

I called Optoma Canada today to find out an approximate shipping date and he confirmed that any projector ordered from Costco.ca will ship from Optoma Canada. He couldn't give me an exact date but suspected that it should ship either late this week or sometime next week.

In the meantime, I received my new Da-Lite 106" High Power screen today and it's one beautiful screen. So bright and white! I'm planning on using the H57 on it until the H78 arrives.

The new mount of which I posted a picture a few posts back has turned out to be not so great after all. Very difficult to adjust and frustrating almost to the point of pulling what little hair I have left out. :eek:

So I've ordered a Peerless mount with a 30 day warranty and I'll see how I like that. I'm also considering a PerfectMount.

Wayne

Hi Guys!

The electrical is done and is now live. Yahooowweeeee

The mudding is 1/2 done, with only some difficult corners remaining...

This weekend I plan to finish up the mudding, and prepare/trace/label some of the wiring a little better. I will also mount my speaker mounts, and will only remove them once I am ready to paint.... I can almost see the picture now......:)

Will

Hey guys,

What a COLLOSSAL pain in the A$$ the whole Ebay scam thing was. I had to file a claim change my buyer preferences, re-list the item etc.... My h57 is back up if anyone knows someone interested. Apparently these "Nigerian" scammers are all over Ebay ending auctions by the dozens until they get reported and banned. Then they just re-sign up with a new member name. I'm sure many people get scammed out of their $ every day.
The h57 is/was a great first PJ but I definitely want a 720P PJ now.

Wayne, good getting in under the gun with Costco!

:) d

Will,

I can see your room now....all completed and you sitting there with your feet up enjoying something cold (maybe warm too :) ) and viewing a great movie on a great projector!

Dave,

What a drag for you! :( I've always been a little leery of Ebay and stories such as yours do nothing to dissuade me of my position.

I've been trying out the new High Power 106" Da-Lite screen with the H57 until the new H78 arrives. From my seating distance at around 11', the H57 shows way too much screen door for my liking and I'm now really glad that I ordered a 720pj. Those extra 1/3 of a million pixels ought to clear up the SDE quite a bit. :)

And yes, I'm kind of shocked that I ordered the H78 only 5 days prior to their being unavailable anymore there.

I'm trying out a couple of mounts. I received a Peerless universal mount today and will see how that goes. I have 30 days to evaluate it. I've also ordered a PerfectMount universal unit to compare with a 30 day money back guarantee as well. Both were about the same price so the best one stays.

Wayne

The H78DC3 has shipped from Optoma Canada via UPS. I should get it Monday or Tuesday I would think.

I've measured for the mount location re: the new Peerless mount which I'm evaluating. It's in place and awaiting the new projector's arrival. So far I'm fairly impressed with the Peerless mount. Very solid with good adjustments for pitch, yaw, and roll. Of course the real test will come when it's got 17.5 pounds hanging from it. :)

The Peerless mount will not work with the H57 unfortunately. The holes are spaced too closely together and the projector mounting plate covers them up. Oh well.

I keep forgetting that I'm getting a 92" Greywolf screen as well which I can't use. :( I've got three 92" screens now. I'll have to sell them as I've made the decision to stick with the 106" High Power.

Unfortunately the H57 shows too much pixellation from 10 to 12 feet away in conjunction with the 106" screen so I'm glad I played my hunch and ordered the H78, especially now that it's no longer available from where I purchased it.

Wayne

Can't WAIT to hear the report of the new PJ, Wayne!

And here is my settup if anyone is interested!

http://hometheaterforum.com/htf/showthread.php?t=236702

Peace!

Wayne,

I am surprised to see you sit that close to the screen. I tried to sit 10-12 feet from my 102" screen, but my eyes just get too tired plus I find you loose the 3d effect of the pj. The image blends much nicer on smaller screen or greater distance. It will be interesting to see if H78 helps. My solution to the distance is the 2.35 setup as I find that is more optimal for my eyesight. For some reason width is much easier to handle than height. I might know someone for the Greywolf in Toronto area, pm me the price if you decide to sell it and I'll pass it on.

Dave,

Sorry to hear about the Ebay, lots of scammers out there... I saw your auction, if you don't mind my feedback, put it up for auction with reserve price, dump the player, have the spare bulb in. Auction it for a longest time with expiry on Sat. or Sunday around 5/7pm for both time zones! You'll get much better bites IMHO.

Just watched Casanova last nigh, cute movie plus the colors of costumes are off the chart on my H57. Visual feast!

Cheers!

Mike

Thanks Mike! :)

I'll keep that in mind about the screen. Unfortunately, if I ever wish to return the H78 to Costco, they insist on the screen being returned also. So I would be foolish to let it out of my sight. ;)

I know what you're saying about the short viewing distance to the screen but it doesn't seem to affect my wife and I negatively so far. We watched the Stanley Cup playoff game the other night and my wife commented that she thought it was just like being there. Music to my ears!! :D

Our recroom doesn't allow us to move the couch back much further than our present 10 to 12 feet. We could squeeze another two feet perhaps but the room layout would suffer and WAF problems might ensue. :eek:

Wayne

Thanks for the advice, Mike. I have 3 people watching the auction right now. We'll see what their plan might be?

:)

Hi Guys! :)

Okay, I've had exactly one day with the new pj but only a few actual hours playing with it. Using a Peerless universal mount which works really well with the H78 but won't fit the H57 due to the mounting hole spacing being not far enough apart.

It came with the 92" Optoma Panoview screen which I haven't opened yet and intend to out of curiosity but the new 106" Da-Lite High Power will be the flagship screen in use.

This H78 is one big fella let me tell you. It weights about 10lbs. more than the H57 and is larger in all dimensions. It has a great heavy feel to it. Makes the H57 feel and look like a toy in comparison. The H78 looks like it's built very well and seems very solid.

The 0% offset of the H78 is totally different than the huge drop required by the H57 and I have my screen set higher now to reflect that.

My first UNCALIBRATED impression of the H78 was that it wasn't blowing me away the way the H57 did after having briefly owned the H31 and before that the Infocus X1. This kind of shocked me a bit and reminded me of just how terrific a projector the H57 is.

Then I realized that I was comparing the H78 on a 106" screen, with my memory of the H57 on a 92" screen and it occurred to me that the improvement in picture quality, even though not as huge a jump as I had hoped for, was in reality a bigger leap than I was giving the H78 credit for.

I have since also played with my HTPC and the H78 and I can tell you I have never seen a sharper, more clearly defined desktop image on any projector before. The H57 always exhibited a focus problem on the left hand side of the desktop. Clear on the right though. I used to try moving the screen and projector but nothing helped. The focus ring was set as sharp as possible but there is a definite focus uniformity problem with my H57.

The H78 is razor sharp from edge to edge and corner to corner! :) Now it's not as bright as the H57 but it is still very bright even in low lamp mode and I am considering getting an ND2 filter for it. The one I've been using with the H57 will not fit the lens of the H78.

The H57 is a quiet projector and the H78 continues that tradition and improves upon it! :) The difference being also that the H78 does not exhibit the power supply buzz that has plagued some of the H57s and H30s.

I have found the H78 easier to calibrate with AVIA because it isn't as bright. With the H57 I did have some difficulty finding the bars and also being able to get rid of them as well.

The H78 can be manipulated or adjusted without opening up the seams like has happened to me twice now on the H57. Once the seams of the H57 are opened, light shines out from inside it and it is very annoying. The second repair that Optoma Canada performed has held so far.

The H78 has a power zoom and a power focus that can be adjusted via remote control. What's really cool is that you can walk right up to the screen and adjust the focus to really sharp or reduce SDE by softening it up a bit.

SDE is a bit of a factor for me due to my short seating distance of about 11 feet from the screen and the fact that the screen is so bright. The extra pixels help but I may have to move the couch back a foot and maybe even the screen too. Or I might get lazy and do nothing. :) It's not really that bothersome to me that I have to do anything about it.

There is a manual vertical lens shift which is handy for projector placement. I have used it and am glad it's there.

I've tried so far Spiderman from both the Oppo via component and DVI and the HTPC via DVI. I've also exhibited Behind Enemy Lines to see what a 2.35:1 movie would look like. It throws a nice image regardless and I couldn't be happier up to this point.

More tweaking to do yet as I'm only getting acquainted with the new unit and still fine tuning my setup as well so busy days ahead. :cool:

I haven't yet had a chance to try HD from my PVR and I hope to do that in the next few days or over the weekend. I expect the H78 to shine here more than it does with DVDs.

Well, that's it for now.

Wayne

Nice, Wayne! Keep us updated. What do You plan to do with the h57? I am not having luck selling mine.

Dave,

What are you doing up at 3:15 a.m. PST! :D

I haven't made up my mind as to what to do with the H57. I might try to sell it but I also think it would make a terrific backup in case the H78 goes in for service or I return it for some reason and am without a projector for a bit.

Sorry to hear that you're having so much trouble selling yours. :( If people only knew how good the H57 actually is they'd jump on your offer. It's almost like taking candy away from a DAVE MACK!! :)

Wayne

Yep! I'm throwing in a replacement lamp (worth $400) and a zenith dvb-318 region free upscaling DVD player, worth $200. All I'm asking is $1500!!!!!
AGH!

:)

Yep! I'm throwing in a replacement lamp (worth $400) and a zenith dvb-318 region free upscaling DVD player, worth $200. All I'm asking is $1500!!!!!
AGH!

:)

Unfortunately everyone wants 720p now. You may have to split the items up to get them to sell. I'd even consider the projector alone if the price was right.

-Mike

Mike, PM me.
I will sell the PJ separately.
I don't mind giving a deal but I want to upgrade so I need to make some dough.
The PJ, less than a yr. old and the extra lamp.

:)

Wayne! How's the new PJ!!!!!!

Dave,

Thanks for asking. :)

I'm liking it more and more as I work with it. I bought an ND2 filter today because to my shock and awe, er uh, I mean surprise, this projector in combination with a High Power screen is like a giant plasma and I was reminded of how necessary it was for me to get this same filter for the H57 for the same reason.

So I got a 72mm filter which fits the lens rim exactly and I've used a small piece of velcro to attach it. I haven't had a chance yet to see what it looks like in operation but I'll be doing that this weekend.

I tried HD material for the first time last night by playing a Windows Media 1080i clip and I absolutely couldn't believe how immaculate the image on screen was. It was even better than the HD I'm used to on my CRT RPTV! No SDE and color saturation so deep it was like being there.

I also intend to try out the Panoview screen that came with the H78. I'm curious about how that might compare to the High Power and the HCMW which I've mothballed forever due to the waves.

With the vertical lens shift and the power zoom and focus, this is the easiest projector I've ever used when trying to line up to a screen squarely.

I've got a home-made masking system that I've concocted to block the bars for 2.35:1 movies and I've got some work to do yet in fine tuning that but the pj is levelled and the lens lines up with the screen's mid-point and I'm ready to watch my first movie with my wife this weekend. :)

By the way, I've also never seen the Oppo look better than with this pj, even at plain old 480i component de-interlaced by the H78.

So, I'm not regretting the upgrade thus far and would do it again in a minute. Hoping I won't be one of the 'lucky' ones to experience the bulb olympics but I knew that going in so whatever happens I've got the great Costco warranty to fall back on if I need to.

I've got to tell you that I'm really intrigued about the new scaler that comes with the HD7300. I'll be following that closely. But if all goes well, this should be my last projector until 1080p comes down to my price level.

Any bites on your offer yet?

Wayne

Howdy Folks

Been a while since I've checked in. Big changes coming up, I'm pretty muched finished my basement and now I'm going to move!
I been wondering, if my projector comes up as an item to sell with the house if I can replace it easy enough with another. I just looked at Costco and they have the Optoma HD6800, anybody know anything about it? Is it as good as the H57 or better?

Wayne, I figure you should know something.

Shane

The H57 has sold out and won't be available until at least late July. :( Recently a big box chain held a successful promotion of it and cleaned out Optoma of it's stock.

So, given that this projector has sold like hotcakes, why isn't there an official thread about it? Why haven't more H57 owners been talking this baby up?

I started out with the H31 but upgraded to the H57 and I'd never go back. So come on all you H57 owners out there. Pipe up! :)

Wayne
Hope I do this right. Just set up my 57 tonight. Am using the component input. Looks great to me! Will I get a much better pic using DV input? And does AI have to be enabled through setup? Any info would be appreciated. Thanks

Bob

Howdy Folks

Been a while since I've checked in. Big changes coming up, I'm pretty muched finished my basement and now I'm going to move!
I been wondering, if my projector comes up as an item to sell with the house if I can replace it easy enough with another. I just looked at Costco and they have the Optoma HD6800, anybody know anything about it? Is it as good as the H57 or better?

Wayne, I figure you should know something.

Shane

The HD6800 is basically the same machine as the HD72 - better than the H57.

Shane,

As Mike said, the HD6800 is the same machine as the HD72 except it's not as bright and has better resolution than the H57.

Bob,

My experience has been that DVI into the H57 is better than component. You could try both and compare.

The H57 doesn't have AI. You're probably thinking of the HD6800/72.

Wayne

Thanks for the response, after I posted I did some research and discovered that the HD6800 is the Costco version of the HD72.

The HD6800 is priced well and if the opportunity arises I, will definitely check the 6800 out. I just watched the Pink Panther, and to be honest, I am still very happy with the H57.

If I have to move it with me, I may make a change from an overhead projector, to one that pops out from a coffee table or something. The ducting in the new place I'm looking at may pose a problem to overhead mounting. The coffee table mount should block the power transformer buzz too.

One day soon I'll take some picks before I move.

Hi Wayne!

Sooooo, how is that H78 treating you? Did you get a chance to compare A/B with H57? HDTV, dvds, etc... Hate to bee a pain in the arss but you are the only one I know that can do a THOROUGH comparison since you actually care about H57. Cheers!

Mike

Hi Mike. :)

I'm really glad I upgraded. As good as the H57 is, the H78 is worth the extra dough in my opinion. I like the 0% offset for my configuration and the extra 300,000 some odd pixels. As a result, I'm seeing very little SDE or pixellation now, even after having also upgraded my screen to a larger size.

DVDs look better but the H57 can still put out an image that isn't really too much different. The real difference is in HDTV resolutions, especially 1:1 pixel mapping. The scaler in the H78 appears to be very, very good when I do need to use it. I like what it does with my Oppo's interlaced signal over component. The image in this case is far better than the H57.

Also, any web surfing on the H78 blows the H57 away due to the lens clarity and focus uniformity.

Color saturation is better with the H78 as well as contrast ratio. It's a sharper image too.

And oh so quiet. I have to strain to hear the H78, even during quiet scenes.

I received a Panoview 92" screen along with the pj and tried it out for the first time last night. Boy, that screen is something else. It has some of the punch of a High Power and it deepens the blacks and contrast ratio perceptively. Unfortunately, the benefits come at a price because there is a sheen to the screen which can be easily seen in bright scenes such as a blue sky. The screen is also very noisy when putting back up into it's case and the spring mechanism isn't as good as any of the Da-Lites that I've owned. You almost have to push the screen up as if there isn't a pull to it.

So, I may utilize both just for the heck of it but the real workhorse will continue to be the High Power because of it's size and extra brightness and better workmanship and lack of sheen. But the Panoview is really cool!

Another thing I like about the H78 is the motorized zoom from the remote. And it zooms differently than the H57, in fact in a better way because the top of the image stays constant while the other sides get larger or smaller. This is really neat because I can adjust the image to fit either the 92" screen or the 106" screen from the couch via the remote without having to get up and move the projector on it's mount which would be a hassle not worth the effort.

The ND2 filter is surprisingly working out well even though the H78 isn't as bright a pj as the H57. I suppose my High Power screen helps in that regard. I was very surprised to notice that even with the ND2 filter on, the Panoview screen looked good even though it's a grey screen. My experience with grey screens is that ND2 filters aren't a good match and the image is far too dark but not with this screen due to the 1.8 gain.

Anyway, that's the report for now. Still fiddling and calibrating etc...

Wayne

Hi Wayne!

The screen you got is GreyWolf, which has a gain of 1.8 due to the reflective bead structure. It is meant for mounting on the table, as it reflects most of the light back at the projector. So the mounting of the PJ is extremely important with it. Ceiling does not work with it very well as you loose a lot of light output. There is a 400+ long thread on Greywolf and the new Greywolf 2. Still it's a good screen when used as directed and awesome for daytime viewing. Cheers!

Mike

Mike,

Actually, this screen is the Gray Wolf II. Says so right on the casing. :) I don't really know what the differences between the two are.

Yeah, I know about the table mounting versus ceiling mounting options with high gain screens as I've owned a 2.8 gain Da-Lite High Power screen for about 2 1/2 years now. I have found the secret to getting the most out of ceiling mounting with a high gain screen by not mounting the projector too high. Thus, I have mine about only 6 feet off the floor and the other part of the secret is to keep the screen very low to the floor. In this way the angle from the projector's lens to the screen to your eyes is quite small and that's the key. When I stand up I do notice a difference with both the Gray Wolf II and the High Power from Da-Lite but they're both way brighter than plain old matte white screens which I've also had in the house. And the difference sitting down to standing up isn't much really if you keep both the projector and the screen low. Keep the angle from lens to screen to your eyes as little as possible and ceiling mounting with high gain screens will work very well. As a matter of fact, I would never go back to a screen without massive gain like this. I'm too used to the punchy images that I've been getting.

Now the Gray Wolf II isn't as bright as the High Power. After all it's rated at a full 1 part gain below the High Power. Thats pretty significant. Also, the Gray Wolf II is truly a gray screen while the High Power is a bright white. Unfortunately I can see the sheen on the Gray Wolf II whether the projector is shining an image on it or it's just hanging there in the room with the pj off.

By the way, I'm having a problem that I've posted a thread about in the over $3500 forum and also in the video processing forum and I never once got a reply in either one.

I'm getting a resolution from my Scientific Atlanta Explorer 8300HD PVR via HDMI>DVI>H78 that reads 1440 x 480 and there are all kinds of sparklies but no picture.

I know it's not the cable because I tested it with the Samsung 850B upconverting player HDMI>DVI>H78 and I got images at either 480p, 720p, or 1080i.

So it seems to be an issue of communication between the H78 and the PVR. Also, the PVR does send an HDMI signal to my H57 so the PVR appears to be working alright, at least with the H57 but not with the H78. And the H78 won't give me a picture from the PVR but it will from the Samsung. :confused:

Who wants to strangle the inventors of HDMI? Raise your hands. :eek:

Anyway, any advice would be appreciated. I don't want to send the H78 in for repair or exchange because you just never know what you might get in return. This is the only thing I have to complain about and I can put up with it if I have to. I have swapped out early projector purchases before, only to get one that solves the problem I was having but introduces something different like a lens that isn't as good for instance.

Any ideas? What about DVI Detective? Does that only work with computers? Or should I consider a new DVDO VP20 or some such video processor. I really, really don't want to spend that kind of money just to get the HDMI signal from the PVR to the H78, especially considering the expenditure that I've just outlayed for the projector and I can't really afford another major purchase right now.

Wayne

Still selling my h57 with spare unopened bulb for a GOOD price!!

:)

My girlfriend hit the reset button on my Optoma PJ remote and when it said, "Hit OK to reset" she did!!!!!

All my RGB info is wiped and everyone looks kinda green! I set them last year and didn't write the settings down. I am using an optoma greyhawk 92" screen. Antbody have their RGB settings I could see? I know it's PJ dependent but it will get me back in the ballpark.

To quote "Titanic".....
"women and machinery do NOT mix!"


She feels awful and is pouting now...

:D

Boy, I sure got a good chuckle out of that Dave! :) Great way to start a Holiday Monday! ;)

Okay, unlike some people whose names I won't mention ;) I have written down and kept all of my calibration stats with various projectors, screens, and sources.

So, I don't know if this will help you too much but here's my numbers for the H57 using a Da-Lite HCMW (gray) screen. It's not retro-reflective and it's gain is about 1.1 but these values should get you started in a direction whereby people won't look like they're from Mars. :)

This is using the LG/Zenith DB318 upconverting player by the way:

Contrast 53
Brightness 53
Color 52

RGB Contrast> R 0
G-5
B 5

RGB Brightness> R 0
G-5
B 5

I had a significant green push on the LG/Zenith player.

Here are my numbers when using the Da-Lite High Power screen @ 2.8 gain with the LG/Zenith:

Contrast 52
Brightness 48
Color 56

RGB Contrast and Brightness same values as above.

Hope this helps. Tell your girlfriend not to feel bad. Of course if she ever did it again you'd have to sell her along with the pj. :D

My wife and daughter every once in a while screw the electronics up in our home too. Then it's left up to me to come to the rescue.

Naturally, when I ask them what they did, they don't know! :confused: Suddenly there was no picture so they started pushing every button on the remote just in hopes of getting the picture back by maybe pressing the right one. :eek:

You're not alone big guy! :)

Happy Independence Day to all my Stars and Stripes buddies. It's a national Holiday here in Canada as well. We call it, drum roll please...., are you ready? "Canada Day" Ta-Da!!

Hey I don't care what they call it as long as they give me a day off with pay. :D

Wayne

Anyone know what the offset percentage of the h57 is? I am either getting the hd72 or the IN76 which has like a 16% offset. Thanks!

Dave,

There was a post earlier on in this thread whereby a tech rep at Optoma was quoted as stating that the H57's offset is 37%.

I think that's a little high though as my offset used to be 13" exactly when using my 92" screen.

My configuration works out to be about 29% which would be a 13.05" drop so I think just under 30% offset should be fairly accurate.

Looks like distance between the HD72 and the top of the screen is less than the same with the H57.

Wayne

Thanks Wayne!

I might have to move my screen! I would LOVE to get the hd7100 but from reading that thread it seems that it has a few bugs and can't display the Tosh HDdvd player!

Thinking of moving to the HD6800 from the H57. Has anyone done this?
90% of what I watch is through a Cable HD box (PVR) all 720P. Will this make a big difference? As my resolution now on the H57 is at most 576p?

I love the picture on the H57, but I always kind of regretted not going full HD resolution. But it was all my budget could afford at the time. Now I can afford the 6800 from Costco. Sooooo.....?

Thanks,
Allan

Allan,

If you mostly watch HD programming @ 720p then I think you should make the move. It's a good deal and as terrific as the H57 is for DVDs and HD programming, a 720p projector will give you 300,000 more pixels to play with specifically when watching HD. That's no chump change and it does make a difference because I just recently upgraded to the H78 720p unit and it does improve upon the H57's performance for HD. As for DVD, I've found that the difference between a 720p projector and the H57 isn't as big unless you're increasing your screen size at the same time which I did. I went from a 92" diagonal to a 106" and the H57 showed pixellation on the larger screen where the H78 shows little to none.

I hate to see so many people leaving the H57 family but I guess I started it! :o :)

So far I can't bring myself to part with my H57. I'd like to sell it but if the H78 tanks then I could always temporarily fall back on the H57.

The great deals on the HD72 are hurting the resale value of the H57. I was told that directly by a dealer just yesterday. :(

Wayne

Hiya Wayne!

I just sold my h57! I kinda feel bad though, it was a good and loyal PJ, (I'm a sentimentalist...) I will be joining you in 720 land soon. I have to decide which one to spring for. The hd72 has a KILLER deal now but I think the IN76 or the Mits hc3000 are a little better. If I'm bothering to upgrade, I might as well go for better PQ. I would LOVE the hd7100 but even with the rebate that's like a bit more $$$. The h78 that you have would be awesome but I am a bit afraid of the bulb olympics. You did Costco so you're well covered.

Decisions...

:)

I'm with ya Dave! :( Kind of bittersweet I would imagine. I may not sell mine. We'll see. It's not that it's as good as what I upgraded to but for the money I'm not sure that there's anything out there right now that can top it.

If you don't like loud fans stay away from Infocus products. They all have a reputation for this as far as I know and I owned one a little over a year ago. Good company and fine projectors otherwise though.

Every manufacturer has it's issues and reputation eh? I know what you mean about being a loyalist. That's the way I am usually. I seem to be a customer for life of Optoma's now. I just can't get over the Optoma colors on every projector I've tried of theirs. H31, H57, and now the H78. They do have a name for producing awesome colors that's for sure. I'm a sucker for that. They might have more than their share of issues or at least it may sometimes seem like that but I still can't seem to tear myself away from the images Optoma projectors shine on the screen.

Anyway, congratulations on selling your H57.

Hey Will, hurry up and finish your rec room will ya! ;) We'll all have upgraded and gone on before you get to use your H57. :eek:

Wayne

AGH! It's been one day and I am going through PJ withdrawal!

Would you like to borrow mine? ;) It's just sitting minding it's own business in it's original box, waiting for me to bring it out to play. :)

Wayne

Guys,

As you may or may not recall I've been having problems with my new H78 working with my Scientific Atlanta 8300HD PVR over HDMI. I bought the Monoprice switcher and an extender from Octava and the problem is gone. Below is an exact copy of a post I contributed under the HDTV Reception Hardware forum:

"Problem solved!

I received both the Octava HDMI Extender and the Monoprice 5x1 Switcher yesterday. Exactly 7 days from California to my residence for the Monoprice including the Independence Day Holiday so thanks to Monoprice for a quick delivery. They also claimed that the switcher is only worth $10.00 so I wouldn't have to pay tariffs, duties etc.. when the product crossed the border so again kudos to Monoprice.

The bottom line is I now have both products incorporated into the video chain and the HDMI signal problems I was having from my SA8300HD PVR are now history. I can't tell you which device solved it or whether it was a combination of both or just
going from an HDMI>DVI adapter to a straight HDMI cable into the switcher. I'm not about to dismantle the chain just out of curiosity to find out whether the problem would be still solved with only one of the two products in the mix. I am curious but you know the old adage, if it ain't broke....

Boy this switcher is fast! I have my HTPC, Oppo and PVR all plugged into it and when I use the remote, sometimes the image is immediately present without any lag time at all upon changing inputs. At most it's only a few seconds, mainly when I change to the PVR input.

The Octava HDMI Extender is an interesting product as well. It's about half the size of a pack of cigarettes, I mean it's really tiny! It has a bright blue light which shines when it registers a digital signal so I knew right away when I attached the same HDMI>DVI adapter that I had been using at the PVR end, to the Octava, that the adapter was passing a successful digital signal. Nice. Eliminates trial and error and guessing games.

I have a 50' DVI cable going from the Monoprice to the Octava which is six feet of HDMI>DVI cable away from my projector.

Oh and by the way I forgot to mention something fantastic and that is that the signal reception is better than before. Not only are there no sparklies but the image appears to be brighter and cleaner. I can't really explain it any more efficiently than that. It's just a noticeable improvement that was somewhat unexpected.

I would recommend either of these products to anyone, especially in a situation where there are signal issues."

Wayne

Wayne! What are you doing up so late! Go to bed!
Great news re: your settup! Awesome! Well, I pulled the trigger tonite and got the hc3000u. After reading Art's review today and many others I think it's the best for under 2K. Can't wait to join U in 720P land!!!!!!
http://projectorreviews.com/Manufac...C3000/index.asp


:) d

That's funny! :) Almost 8 a.m here in EST land.

Thanks! I'm now completely satisfied with the H78.

Congratulations on your decision. This will be really cool to hear about your comparison between Optoma/Mitsubishi, 576p/720p, H57/Hc3000.

I believe DaGamePimp has it and really likes it.

I like Art's reviews. By the way, if you haven't read it yet, go into his archives and read his review on the H57. It's one of the reasons that I bought it in the first place.

Can't wait to hear about the new pj!!

Wayne

Hey Deserters!

Just kidding :) Where did you order that switch and how much was it? I could use one of those as there is only one DVI input on my H57.

Also, if anyone needs a spare bulb for their H57 let me know, I have two new bulbs and will let go of one. Cheers!

Mike

Sorry Mike!!!!

The h57 was indeed a FAB first PJ for me. Like Wayne, I am now entering the 720P waters!

check monoprice for switchers. You will need a DVI-HDMI adaptor or 2 though.

:)

Hi Mike,

I did indeed purchase my switcher direct from Monoprice. $140.00 including shipping. The first one worked for 24 hours then I lost the signal completely from all three sources. I don't know what happened but I unplugged everything and then replugged it all back in this afternoon and everything came back. However, the remote doesn't work any more so I contacted Monoprice by phone and they've kindly shipped out another switcher for me to evaluate. I should get it by the middle of next week. I'm to return the first switch if the second one turns out to be the charm. Monoprice isn't charging my credit card for the second switch. All they ask is that I don't take a loooonnnnggg time determining whether the second switch is a keeper. They said they'd have to charge me for the second one if they didn't see the first one back after 45 days. How reasonable and fair is that!! :) Of course I'll only take a few days to check things out and go from there.

Seems like a good company to deal with. :)

Wayne

Thanks for the info Wayne!

I guess I should put my foot in my mouth... Just sold my H57 to a friend last night, I don't know what happened, it's still all blurry, one moment I was watching a movie, next moment my wall is bare and I got a pile of cash in my hand... I am blaming you guys, you are contagious! :eek:

I think HC3000 is next, or the H78DC3.

Woah, dude!!!!!!!!! What the?!?!?
The hc3000 has practically the same offset as the h57. The h78 quite different I believe. Be aware of the potential bulb dimming issue for the 78 though...
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=657386&highlight=h78


:)

Yup you spends yer money and you takes yer chances. :) That's what I decided when I opted for the H78, well aware that I could be one of the 'lucky' few to have a bulb issue. That's why I bought it at Costco just in case. A Costco employee told me that a bulb problem on a projector is specifically why he bought his there.

I am so used to projectors with huge drops that the H78 has been a very nice surprise. Well I wasn't REALLY surprised because I knew theoretically how it might look but once you get everything in place it kind of hits you. Wow, I can raise my screen a bit now. :) The H78 is essentially a zero drop projector and with the lens shift you have some flexibility.

So Mike you all of a sudden sold your H57? :o I wonder what prompted you to do that? ;)

The H57 is still highly regarded and will fetch a good trade-in value if you can find a dealer who allows such.

It seems like many of the regulars to our thread here have elected to study at post-graduate school. :D 720p rocks!!!! Now I want 1080p but I'll be glad to 'suffer' with 720p until I can afford the higher resolution.

Wayne

Yeaahhh, decisions, decisions. I would have never sold it, but the offer was too good, I basically used it for 5 months and got all of my money out. Hard to argue when 720p's are dropping like flies in $$$. Now I got the spare bulbs left over.

HC3000 sounds really nice and it seems to be in a good price point, however the rainbows did bother me with H57 and H78 has 5x wheel so that's why I am considering that one. HC3000 has the 4x wheel speed.

Wayne how do you find the rainbows on yours? If you scan quickly from side to side can you see them? Also, I wonder if h78 uses the same bulb as H57 since both are 250W, I am pretty sure I can swap just the housing and use the bulbs from H57 I have for the H78. That would make it more of a deal for me. I know people do it all the time with other pj's.

Mike

Mike,

I wasn't aware that people were playing musical bulbs with their projectors. :) I don't know whether the H57 and H78 use interchangeable bulbs or not but it would be interesting to find out.

As far as rainbows go, the worst time I had with rainbows was with the Infocus X1 as I was new to projectors and especially DLP. It's only a 2x speed color wheel. The H78 hasn't been a problem for me in this regard. If I shake my head from side to side or dart my eyes quickly around then yes I've noticed them a bit but I have to really work at it to see them. Mostly they just aren't an issue for me with this machine. But they weren't much of a problem with the H57 either although I think perhaps they were slightly more pronounced with that pj but again, not an issue for me at all.

Wayne

ahhh this thread died. Looks like everyone has moved on to bigger and better things :)

My bulb went POP last week. Only 350 hours on it too... does anyone have a bulb kicking around they want to sell ?

Methinks it's still in the closet too. Mystery, you in there too? :D

Talk about saving a thread from the archives!!!!!

Well.... :)

I did trade in my H57 for a SpyderTVPRO calibration sensor and software. I just love it by the way. I find it fun and more importantly, accurate. :cool:

Anyway, I moved on to Optoma's H78DC3 in the middle of last year but the lamp just went on it at between 600 and 700 hours about a month ago.

So..... :)

I looked at all of the new 1080p projectors and agonized about whether to go that route or to buy another 720p unit until the second generation of 1080p comes out. I figured that by then, prices should be even lower, perhaps even drastically given the crazy price drops over the last year. Also, these projectors should be brighter and overall better performers than the reviews are revealing.

So.... :D

I just bought the Optoma HD7100 about a week and a half ago and I am absolutely thrilled so far. The optics are everything that is said about this projector. Extremely sharp from edge to edge and corner to corner. It's also calibrated pretty much to D65 right out of the box. I've never had a projector that needs so little tweaking. Flesh tones and colors are pretty much spot on. It's not dim nor is it overly bright. I'd say just about right on my 106" Da-lite High Power.

And don't get me started on the 4 way lens shift. Phenomenal! Every DLP projector ought to have this. ;) Easiest installation of my 5 projectors in total. I can't say enough about the lens in this projector though. I am crossing my fingers that I won't get the start up issues some others have had but you never know. Unfortunately it won't do the HDMI handshake with my RCA HDV5000 (HD DVD) player so I watch HD discs over component. Poor me! :rolleyes:

I put on Starship Troopers tonight for fun and my wife asked me if it was HD. Of course she does know what HD looks like. It wasn't but not only is this movie a great transfer, the HD7100 elevates it to near HD levels.

The H57 is a terrific projector and to me is better than 480p but it clearly can't match the 720p projectors. I saw the Panasonic AE1000 1080p projector recently and it's very nice. You truly can't lose with any of these beauties. I still remember my H31 and even the Infocus X1 which was my first projector. Both of those were astonishing in value considering their respective prices.

Thanks for bringing the thread back. We had some fun while it lasted. Sorry to hear about your bulb blowing pattya. :( You didn't get enough hours out of it. I'm sure you'll have no problems finding a decent lamp for your H57. You might want to consider one of the newer models now though if you can afford it. The H57 is now kind of old technology. Isn't that sad? :o Everything seems to be obsolete almost as soon as it's introduced to the marketplace.

CMRA,

What are you using these days for a projector?

Wayne

mystery, good to hear you're enjoying the 7100, what is this the 5th projector for you?

I wish I could afford a new optoma but I still have a year left of university to pay for!! A bulb-less h57 would not go for much on ebay, so it looks like I'm stuck with boring old 576p for the next year or so :p

-Pat

Well.... :)

CMRA,

What are you using these days for a projector?

Wayne

For digital, Dt-500. Mostly with HD-A1. Where have you been? ;)

Hiya Wayne!

Sorry to hear about the 78 lamp! Guess that really is a screwed up design by optoma!
I have the Mits hc3000 and it looks phenomenal. I hear the 3100 is even better!

:) hope all you former h57 owners are doing well!

d

I hear ya Pat. Studies come first. :)

CMRA,

I haven't run across you in awhile. I had been hanging around in the HD DVD forums until all of this RS1 excitement recently. ;) Your projector is a Sharp if I'm not mistaken isn't it? They make good ones.

Dave,

Good to hear from you. This thread used to be like an old English Pub where all the H57 buddies used to hang out. And H57 wannabees. :) Just like CMRA, you've got a good make there too in the Mits. Lots of good reviews on that one.

Wayne

Hello Wayne & all

Just thought I'd pop in to see what's up, I see you bought another projector eh.
I'm still using the ol H57 and am pefectly happy with it. I moved out of my old house right after I completed my family room and now have everything set up here in BC.

Later
Shane

What a great projector the H57 has been! :) You never hear of any big problems with it like you do so many other makes and models. Good to hear it's surviving your moves Shane.

Wayne

I've just built a Core2Duo HTPC and along with an XBOX 360 add-on HD-DVD drive, PowerDVD 7.3 ultra and AnyDVD, my H57 has suddenly transformed into something I never thought it could be. Sure it's only 576P but feed it a HD signal and to my eyes, the results are phenomenal considering we don't have HDTV here in NZ yet. I was thinking of upgrading to a 720P or even maybe the 1080P Panasonic AE1000, but I'm just enjoying a sharper almost 3D image I've never seen before. My Oppo hardly gets a look in these days. Friends have described it as "picture perfect" and for the outlay involved, I couldn't be happier.

The H57 is a superb projector to show HDTV. You aren't missing out on very much. I moved on to an H78 and then to my present HD7100, both being 720p units. Although they do improve upon the H57 in resolution, the difference isn't night and day.

I wouldn't be too quick to upgrade to the Panny. It's a dim projector when compared to the H57 which is an absolute light cannon. I couldn't watch my H57 without an ND2 filter on it it was so bright.

Congrats on your new setup. Any problems with stuttering or freezing when viewing HD material?

Wayne

Thanks for heads up on the Panny. A bright image is crucial to me, so I'll be wary of that. I use a Da-Lite HCMW 106" screen and have always found it a good match to the H57 since I bought my H57 nearly two years ago. I've had zero problems with my H57, and if you remember, like you also started with the classic X1. Maintaining a HTPC is something I wanted to avoid, as the Oppo 971 has been fantastic, but not being able to support HD divx and xvid formats has been the catalyst for adding this to my setup, using the Oppo for SD DVD still. I've gone with the Nvidia 8500GT which gives great visual quality at low cost, and is supposed to offload H264 processing once XP drivers gain that capability in June (currently supported by Vista only). We're PAL over here, although we have access to lots of NTSC material and I've had to create hotkeys in Powerstrip for 50Hz, 60Hz, and now 48Hz (for film based HD-DVD) refresh rates. I've had no problems with stuttering. My Core2Duo E6420 rarely goes over 50% utilization, and the only freezes I've had were when changing refresh rates while PDVD is running. The XBOX drive is a real bargain when used with a HTPC (around US$180 here in NZ) and I sure hope it ends up as the dominant format (no regional zoning etc). I use Theatertek for most other material, but being a HTPC newbie, I'm still learning.

Hay Wayne, was that the Panny AE1000 or the AE100 you mentioned was somewhat dim? How does your HD7100 compare for light output to the H57?

Cheers,
Dave.

Dave,

For an HTPC newbie you sure seem to have a handle on things! :) I have TheaterTek as well but find I'm using my Toshiba HD A2 mostly now as it upconverts to 1080i as well as or better than my HTPC from what I've seen so far. I also have the Oppo and use it primarily for TV shows on DVD to my CRT RPTV.

I too hope that HD DVD wins out as I've thrown my support and money behind that format. But I did the same thing with my first wife and well 'nuff said 'bout that!! ;)

I was indeed speaking of the AE1000, the 1080p projector from Panasonic. I've seen it in action and found it to be sharp, clear and smooth but without the DLP 'pop' and 'wow' factor that I'm used to.

The HD7100 doesn't need an ND2 filter like the H57 does. Keep in mind, I have a 106" Da-Lite High Power screen which when combined with the H57 definitely needs some toning down. Your screen may react differently to the H57.

I haven't had any projectors of the five that I've owned that could compare in brightness to the H57 including the HD7100. Keep this in mind when you go to upgrade. I would recommend getting a Da-Lite High Power screen to use with dimmer projectors.

Wayne

First of all sorry for my lesser english.

I am from Belgium and am know for two and a half years the proud owner of a H57. No problems until now...

When the projector is a few minutes on the image turns : green - purple and a little fuzzy...

I suppose my lamp is at the end of its life so I will buy another lamp, but I want to be sure offcourse... Can anyone confirm me the origin of the problem?

thx in advance.

ps my connection is component...

greetings from belgium.

Quiller,

Sorry to hear about your problem. It might be the color wheel. Or it could be the lamp. If it's 2 1/2 years old then it probably doesn't owe you anything. I would guess that you've put a lot of hours on the bulb. I wouldn't buy another bulb unless you're sure that the bulb is the source of your problem.

See if you can get it checked out by someone qualified to work on Optoma projectors. It may not be worth fixing as the H57 is now an old projector unfortunately given that it's only 1024 x 576 DC2 technology. Now you can get 1280 x 720 DC3 for around $1000.00 U.S.

Good luck!

Wayne

Quiller,

Sorry to hear about your problem. It might be the color wheel. Or it could be the lamp. If it's 2 1/2 years old then it probably doesn't owe you anything. I would guess that you've put a lot of hours on the bulb. I wouldn't buy another bulb unless you're sure that the bulb is the source of your problem.

See if you can get it checked out by someone qualified to work on Optoma projectors. It may not be worth fixing as the H57 is now an old projector unfortunately given that it's only 1024 x 576 DC2 technology. Now you can get 1280 x 720 DC3 for around $1000.00 U.S.

Good luck!

Wayne

I understand but I don't want to give up on my H57 right away because it gave me a lot of movie pleasure ;)
If I have to buy another can someone give me some modelnumbers of optoma that would perform great for watching movies - television?

I think that your best bang for the buck right now is the clearout prices on the HD7100 Optoma projector. It's a DC3 unit with horizontal and vertical lens shift. It's fairly bright and has pretty accurate colors out of the box. The contrast ratio and black levels are nice and it's not noisy. I've had both the H57 and HD7100 and the HD7100 is an ENORMOUS upgrade to the H57. There just is no comparison. The lens on the HD7100 is very sharp and the focus uniformity from corner to corner is crisp. You can get this projector for around $1000.00 now. It was around $3000.00 or more only a year or so ago.

The H57 treated me very well and I was happy with it while it lasted but eventually it stopped working for me and I upgraded to an H78DC3 which also stopped working and then went on to the HD7100 which is/was the best projector I've ever owned so far. I am without a projector now because I sold the HD7100 and will possibly be upgrading again to a 1080p projector after we move to another house in the Spring. However, I might just buy the HD7100 again because the price is just so darn tempting and the images are beyond excellent.

Some people have had a few problems with the HD7100 though so you might wish to do a bit of research but it was generally good in my experience.

Wayne

I am watching HD-material on my H57 in combination with an ATi 2600Pro graphics card (htpc). All works fine except for some light studder (or judder) during pans and fast action scenes (like a frame just hangs for a fraction of a second). I learned this happens because of the fact that the HD-material is 24fps and the ATi 2600Pro pops out a 50Hz signal. That means that 2 of the 48 frames are displayed twice instead of once. I think I can solve this by letting my ATi 2600Pro send out a 48Hz signal instead of the present 50Hz. Unfortunately 1024x576@50Hz is the only mode available. I can't select a custom refreshrate because the option "hide modes this monitor cannot display" is greyed out (probably due to plug & play monitor). Is there anyone who can tell me how I can let the ATi 2600Pro send out a 48Hz signal? Thanks a lot in advance.


It seems like I solved the problem with Powerstrip v3.75. I can adjust the (vertical) refreshrate. Set to 47.960Hz (twice 23.98fps -> HD material) my H57 switches to 48Hz and the studder/judder seems to be gone. But I have to say I've only watch about half an hour. I now just wonder if 47.960 is the best frequency for 23.98fps HD material. Or is there a better frequency? Also, are there any other tweaks to have a smoother running picture? I am aiming for perfection with my H57.



Looking for the best settings when it comes to fps I thought of the fps option of Haali Video Renderer. I can only set this to a number with no decimals. Best settings seems to be 24, 48, 72, 96 or 120. Does anyone know what actually the framerate is that any player will output using Haali?

Hi,

Recently my H57 has started diplaying two or three thick white lines on the right hand side of the screen, they flicker on and off and sometimes one of them shows a messed up version of the picture on the screen instead.

I get the lines whether I am watching my PS3 or my DVD player which although both use different cables, both play through the same Yamaha amp.

Before I send it off to the manufacturer, does anyone have any thoughts to fix or diagnose the problem?

Thanks

Sorry. No clue as to what's going on there but if you're still under warranty Optoma should take care of you. I don't recall a problem quite like that one.

Wayne

Well I finally upgraded my Toshiba DVD to a new Denon 2930CI DVD player. I tried hooking up the HDMI via DVI and but the Denon seems to go into a COPYRIGHT (HDCP?)protection mode, and switches to a crappy picture and wonky colors.
So, now I just have it hooked up via component and 480P.
I tried an HDMI booster, but that didn't help. Naturally I'm disappointed in this combatibility issue, and was wondering if there is a way to adapt the HDMI to the RS-232 computer input.
I have yet to troubleshoot the Denon on a TV to check if the HDMI is defective, as it will be a real pain in the butt to disconnect all the wires etc and yank it out of the rack to bring the unit over to a buddies place.
Any ideas, comments, advice?

I use my H57 with both a Toshiba HD-A2 HD-DVD Player and a HTPC via an HDMI switcher and HDMI to DVI adapter. I've never had any HDCP handshaking problems, although I believe Wayne used to with his H57 and first generation Toshiba HD-DVD Player. Optoma fitted a new motherboard to his projector to fix it if my memory is correct. My experience so far with HDMI and other equipment hasn't been so smooth. There appear to be lots of incompatibilities between various implementations of HDCP handshakes, and the the various versions of HDMI. It's a mine field out there. I'd try the Denon on your TV, and maybe try another HDMI to DVI cable, and try another HDMI equiped player with the H57 to see if a pattern emerges.

Yes, this HDMI/HDCP handshake crap is a headache and not only with the H57. I've had some problems with upgrades as well.

Wayne

Yes, this HDMI/HDCP handshake crap is a headache and not only with the H57. I've had some problems with upgrades as well.

Wayne

I haven't seen this thread in ages. Mystery, how's it going? You still enjoying your H57? How many hours now? CMRA

Spong
My old Toshiba worked fine with the H57 via HDMI-DVI and I'm using the same cables. So I think I'm ok there, its the HDCP handshake that I think is the trouble. I did e-mail Denon and optoma and got no reply from either?
I will likely yank the Denon and pack it over to a friends to check the HDMI, and hopefully it will likely turn out to be OK. Thats the only way I can confirm the HDMI is functioning properly.

Your comment about Wayne's motherboard made me wonder if Optoma has the ability to change the programing, might be worthwhile attempting to contact them again.

Its probably too late to bring the H57 back to costco for an exchange or warrenty? Would be nice if they'll give me a newer model?

However, it would be easier if I could just fix the compatability problem.
Nothing is more frustrating than spending hard earned cash on something and not being able to use it to its full potential!

Good to see your still around for advice Wayne.

Well, thanks ULTRAMAG! :o I sure don't feel too helpful though. :(

This is like an old High School reunion every time this thread gets resurrected. There was absolutely no buzz about this projector at all when I started this and I just couldn't figure it out because it was and probably still is a pretty good unit considering it's age and limitations. At the time it was in my opinion the best kept secret in the projector industry.

Yes, my particular unit had an electrical humming or buzzing sound to it and it also stopped syncing with my HTPC. I actually had purchased the new H31 which was the darling of the under $3000.00 Forum at the time but it was also having problems being seen by my HTPC and while it was in for evaluation at Optoma, they gave me the option of upgrading to the H57 for $500.00 more which was a steal at the time. I jumped on it and immediately it was apparent that 1024 x 576 was better than the H31's native resolution. The H57 also was a light cannon and paired with my 92" High Power Da-Lite screen, my whites were being blown out and I was seeing little to no detail so I slapped an ND2 filter on the H57 and voilà, all was well.

Unfortunately, I had to send the H57 in for repair on more than one occasion and they did replace all of the fans and the main board and perhaps other things. This helped with the HTPC syncing issue but not so much the buzzing noise which was also by the way a complaint amongst some H30 owners and that was by most accounts an awesome machine at the time as well.

Anyway, when I got my H57 back from Optoma the last time I sent it in for repairs, I turned it on and guess what? DUST BLOBS!!! They had given me dust blobs where none had been before. For me, that was the last straw. I have never trusted Optoma to repair a projector since that time even though I went on to an H78DC3 and an HD7100 after the H57. I'm just too paranoid that they'll send it back with dust blobs now.

So where am I today? The H78DC3 died after about 600 hours because of lamp failure. I returned it to Costco. The HD7100 has well documented problems with lamp strikes and I also returned that one to Costco last October. Since that time I've been without a projector and have been patiently researching my next purchase. I won't be going with Optoma again. It's time to give another manufacturer a chance. :) Besides, I can't stand the huge offset that most Optoma projectors need. I'm moving to a new place in April and I've known this pretty much since I returned the HD7100. At the new place I will for the first time since starting this hobby, elect to NOT ceiling mount a projector. I'm tired of standing on a chair and not having the projector conveniently nearby for adjustments and I'm also tired of not having horizontal lens shift which can make a ceiling mount tricky.

So, I bought a Sonax 5' high black audio/video stand and I'm planning on having the next projector sitting on the top or next to the top shelf with the ability to move the projector and/or the stand horizontally which takes care of any tweaking needed to align the image on screen. Most of the new projectors have at least vertical lens shift now so I'm not worried about that and I've also noticed that it seems like only the Optoma and Infocus projectors have huge offsets so I'm staying away from those. I started out with the Infocus X1 by the way before I moved on to the H31/H57 etc...

This black audio/video stand will be black (the room is also going to be a black bat cave, my first one and I'm stoked let me tell you...okay the carpet will be beige but I can put an area rug in front of the screen if necessary, otherwise all the walls, ceiling, window treatments-honeycomb cellular blackout shades-and even the receptacle/switch plates on the walls will be black-trim around windows, doors and where the floors meet the carpet will be black).

I'm considering going to a 133" 16:9 High Power screen. I've been using a 106" screen for a little while now and it's a great improvement on the 92" but all screens eventually 'shrink' and it's time to go bigger. :cool:

So which projector will I get? I've 'narrowed' it down to either a BenQ W9000/10000, W5000, Mitsubishi HC6000, Epson Pro 1080UB, or who knows? ;)

One problem with the BenQ projectors and I mean every one of their 1080p units, is that they all need to be used in a fairly long room due to the lens not being short room friendly. I will have only about 14 to 15 feet lens to screen distance available and can only accommodate a 106' to 110" screen depending on which unit I settle on if I go for a BenQ. I do want a larger screen so I'll either have to perform the 'tweak' on the lens that is documented in the forums that turns the BenQ W9000 for instance into a moderately short throw projector, or I'll have to spring for one of these:

http://presentation.navitar.com/pages/product_information/screenstar_projection_conversion_lenses/overview.cfm

This will set me back $1200.00 to $1400.00 but if I can pick up a W9000 or W10000 used, that will help.

Anyway, that's my story. Sorry for the length of it but it's been a while and there's lots of catching up to do.

CMRA,

Good to hear from you. I see you around posting from time to time. I just heard this morning that Toshiba has officially pulled the plug on HD DVD. This is a sad day for me as I initially was a huge HD DVD backer before I went format neutral. I still haven't gotten over VHS beating BETA. LOL!!

I hope that Microsoft carries the ball now for HD DVD. I like competition and I believe that it will keep Sony on it's toes.

Oh well, hope you're well and enjoying this hobby still, especially screens.

Anyone else have a journey they'd like to share? I feel like I'm in a coffee house here. :D

Wayne

Wayne

Projectorless again! Not sure if I could handle that, I'm gonna run my H57 to the ground or until the bulb burns out. Then I will look to the market and see whats available in 1080P projectors, hopefully there will be some good deals to be had. I'm sure you will have gone through 2-3 more by then, and will be able to point me in the right direction.

Interesting that your jumping the Optoma ship, and possibly looking at BenQ. I remember them having a real short life on their bulbs when I bought my H57, which scared me away from BenQ.

Your new room sounds like quite a project, post some picts when you get it near completion.

As far as my Denon goes, I am suffering a little buyers remorse, as it looks like my HDMI-DVI problem will not likely be resolved. I wanted a quality player to match the rest of my components in my system, thinking of improving my weakest link. Although I have seen visual improvements in the reduction of digital artifacts, the player doesn't seem to have the "pop" of colors that the Toshiba had through the HDMI. I have made adjustments on the Denon and the projector to improve things, however it just doesn't give me the stisfaction that I was hoping to acheive. The sound quality however is crystal clear, open, and more alive, with a more authoritive bottom end.

I'm looking to borrow a calibration DVD (Avia?) to set the system up properly, as I have yet to do that. At least that way I will have a standard to compare with, and feel a little more assured that what I see it what I am supposed to see (make sense?). Maybe I will attempt to use one of those optimzers that come with a DVD(I think Pearl Harbour has one) and calibrate with that first. Anyone have any luck with those? Or are they only for calibrating with that movie?

Sorry to hear about your current problems. :( But the good news is that your H57 is still going strong. :)

Those calibration discs are pretty good. I think I have most of them. Not Get Gray though. About 1 1/2 years ago now I bought the SpyderTVPro which is an excellent and easy way to fairly accurately calibrate any display, even projectors. You can't get it anymore as they've replaced it with a more expensive version.

Wayne

Hey Wayne,

I didnt realise you returned your HD7100. Its funny as I finally picked one up to try it out. It certainly was nice for the space I had with the short throw lens and the animorphic lens. I took it back as I was still happy with my H57.

Sure the lens was not as good as the 7100, but I think it was too good as I could see the SDE. Also I didnt like the vent in the front as after awhile you could see heat wave enveloping the picture. That was the last straw.

Now my H57 is acting up. It turns on for about a minute and shuts off...the led is blinking that there is a fan problem which I checked and its fine or the bulb malfunction. Since I only have just 1000 hours on the bulb...that is BS. I dont know if I want to spend 400 on another bulb for just 1000 hours...or invest in the Epson 1080UB. The only thing I dont like about it is that it has no stretch for Animorphic. I guess I could use my HTPC to stretch, but not all movies have that option...especially the .TS files.

Yikes! :( Once the lamp starts doing things like this it's the beginning of the end usually. Yes, the HD7100's lens is phenomenal, maybe even too good. You almost have to defocus a bit so as not to see pixel structure. It's the sharpest lens I've come across yet. I especially liked the way my desktop would look over DVI/HDMI. Crisp as a tack.

I wouldn't pour that kind of money in an H57 now. Technology has come so far since the H57 was introduced. I noticed how much better my H78DC3 was than the H57 and then I couldn't believe how much better my HD7100 was than the H78DC3.

I still favor DLP but I really like what I've been reading about the Mitsubishi HC6000 even though it's LCD. It's got a super fast iris, 19db (essentially silent), motorized zoom, focus and lens shift horizontally and vertically. In econo mode the lamp is supposed to last 5000 hours!! :eek:

I'm currently bidding on a BenQ W9000 right now. It's used but so far you can't beat the price. If I'm successful, I'll finally get to see what all the fuss is about with 1080p. :)

Wayne

I thought about the Benq W9000, but its still a DC2 chip and my required screen size means I have to have the projector further back...which isnt possible in my situation. So I had to pass on the BenQ. Looks like my only option is LCD. I thought I would never jump ship on DLP.

Yes, I worried about that too but it seems that DLP manufacturers are 'clearing out' their stock of DC2 chips and including them in new projector designs. :confused: DC4 is only in expensive DLP units right now.

In the case of the BenQ9000, it's my understanding that because you can close the iris down all the way if you prefer, this apparently improves blacks. I guess there are other calibration tricks in the menus and it seems that it is basically the same projector as the much heralded W10000 other than a 15% loss in contrast.

As for the long throw lens, I hear you! :( This is why I intend to either do the lens tweak by removing the offending piece that limits the throw distance and range, or barring that, opt to pay for the Navitar lens that I linked to a few posts back. If I can pick up a second hand W9000 I'll be saving money and can put that money towards the Navitar lens which can be used with other long throw projectors in the future. This may be the best way to go.

Think about it. It may be an option for you as well. Otherwise, there are some pretty tempting LCD projectors out these days. I worry about misconvergence, color shifting, panel degradation (not so much a problem hypothetically with the new D6 and D7 inorganic panels) and dust blobs. Oh I also hear of motion smearing. I wouldn't like that. But then again, I'm not wild about dithering and rainbows with DLP products but these don't really bother me so it's not an issue.

I recently saw a Mitsubishi 720p LCD projector at a local authorized dealer and it was the most impressive LCD beamer that I've ever seen. I can only imagine what the new 1080p machines look like with the new panels. Now, it didn't have the DLP 'pop' and 'wow' factor but it wasn't calibrated and it also wasn't using a screen with gain. I like High Power screens because I prefer an image with lots of punch to it. But still, the blacks weren't bad and the colors were good too. Contrast ratio was a little low for my taste but again, I think a little improvement could have been made with some adjustments and a better screen.

Wayne

If I'm successful, I'll finally get to see what all the fuss is about with 1080p. :)

Wayne

Two words: viewing distance.
I've just auditioned my 4th 1080p PJ. At 1x I was troubled to find ANY SDE on any of them. (FWIW, the RS1 was the best, but the others were no slouches either). Now I really want a look-see at the Epson UB.

Exactly. And in my case, with only 14' lens to screen to work with, and a 133" screen at that, 1080p should make a big difference over 720p as far as SDE goes.

I wouldn't mind an audition with the 1080UB either. :)

Wayne

Anyone try this calibration DVD with a H57 or a front projector?
http://store.monstercable.com/store/product.asp?id=81
its the Monster Calibration Wizard

Yes, I have it and it's excellent! :) It shows you actual scenes instead of test screens and it tells you what to look for and how a properly calibrated image should appear. It's kind of fun and just different enough from the typical calibration discs to warrant it's inclusion in one's library in my opinion. As a matter of fact, I have found that using this disc to optimize contrast is actually more accurate than Avia or DVE both of which I also own. But the best is SpyderTVPro except that it costs a whole lot more than one of these discs.

Anyway, I would highly recommend the Monster/ISF disc as a useful addition in your collection of calibration tools. It's easy to use and it works.

Wayne

Exactly. And in my case, with only 14' lens to screen to work with, and a 133" screen at that, 1080p should make a big difference over 720p as far as SDE goes.

I wouldn't mind an audition with the 1080UB either. :)

Wayne

Of course, there's this new DLP eye catcher too:
http://www.projectorcentral.com/benq_w5000.htm

Oh, and those new and upcoming lasers too.:eek:

Tell me about it. :rolleyes: :) I've had my eyes on this one for a while now. DC2 though. Not a deal breaker but Optoma HD7100 had DC3. Same with Optoma HD78DC3 before that so it seems like a wee bit of a step back but as I said, I'm not willing for that to deter me.

PC review looked good. I'm waiting for Art at Projectorreviews.com now. Still need a long room to get a large screen image unless you get the Navitar lens or somehow do the lens tweak that could be performed on the W9000. Haven't heard yet whether the same fix can be done on the W5000.

LED...Lasers... Makes me kind of pause when pulling out my wallet now. Kind of makes sense to go used right now until the dust settles.

Wayne

Dave! :)

Good to hear from you. This is all so surreal resurrecting this thread from the 'dead'.

I knew if we all didn't keep tabs on you you'd get creative and start a family. ;) :)

Nice photo man. He looks like I did whenever my H57 wouldn't sync with my HTPC. LOL!! :D

So you escaped the insanity of California eh? Hope everything's working out for you and your significant other..(wife?).

Still into projectors? If so what's your story?

Wayne

Hiya Wayne!

Yep, got married, had the girl, (Katie Mack) and released my Album.



Still into PJs. We have the Mits hc3000 which looks pretty swell. (Bulb is about to go soon though). Would love to jump to 1080p land but priorities, you know? Will probably just get a new bulb.

Back in NYC, back in the theaters, working backstage at "Phantom.."

How are you?

:) d

She's a cutie Dave! :) Been 22 years since my daughter was that small. :eek:

You've recorded an Album!? :cool: How cool is that!!

I'm good. Just purchased the BenQ W5000 today. :) Moving in April but couldn't wait and was afraid it would be gone if I dithered any longer so it's on it's way. :cool:

Wayne

Congrats! Let us know how that puppy is!
How did the 78dc3 fare for you in the end? Any lamp issues?

:)

She's a cutie Dave! :) Been 22 years since my daughter was that small. :eek:

You've recorded an Album!? :cool: How cool is that!!

I'm good. Just purchased the BenQ W5000 today. :) Moving in April but couldn't wait and was afraid it would be gone if I dithered any longer so it's on it's way. :cool:

Wayne

Wow, someone's not effected by the 'recession'. :D

Bold move. Time to start a new thread?

Wow, someone's not effected by the 'recession'. :D

Bold move. Time to start a new thread?

LOL!! :) Yeah, it's kinda ballsy buying a new house right now and a projector to boot. Hey, if you don't take risks you might as well pack it in. ;) That's what makes life interesting.

A new thread eh? What would we call it? The H57/W5000 official amalgamated thread? :D

Or I could start a thread about how Ebay suspended my account for no good reason yesterday. :mad: Still won't say what I did or didn't do. I think they randomly select members for suspension in order to gather personal information on them. They want all kinds of personal data on me in order to 'reinstate me'. I think it's a scam and I'm angry about it. I did a search on Google and it turns out they do this a lot to innocent people then make them jump through hoops and divulge all sorts of details before they'll let them use Ebay again.

Wayne

Congrats! Let us know how that puppy is!
How did the 78dc3 fare for you in the end? Any lamp issues?

:)

Oh yeah! I knew all about the potential lamp failure with that projector but bought it anyway. I installed extra external fans to draw out the heat from it and lowered the operating temperature several degrees which I think helped. I only was able to get about 600 hours out of the bulb though so I don't know how much the fans really assisted. One day the projector just refused to show an image and I kept getting a blinking orange light I think it was. It was toast. Then I bought the Optoma HD7100 and had issues with that one too. The lamp would strike inconsistently. It's awful holding your breath every time you turn on the projector expecting it to NOT show an image. I eventually got fed up with that and am officially divorced from Optoma. ;)

Ironically I should have stayed with the H57 for reliability. It gave me sync problems with my HTPC and it wasn't as good image wise as the H78DC3 or the HD7100 but it never failed to strike the lamp successfully. It was probably the brightest projector I've ever owned. I had to have an ND2 filter on it because it was so bright.

Wayne

Wayne! The Ebay thing sounds an AWFUL lot like "phishing", meaning a fake email scam, NOT from Ebay where they get you to log in to a fake ebay page and give up your info!
Good Lord, I hope not! Check it out! Forward that email to "spoof@e bay.com" and they will tell you if it's legit! You might have just given out your personal info!

http://antivirus.about.com/cs/emailscams/a/blebayscam5.htm

When I tell my htpc to feed my H57 a 720p or 1080p signal I get a distorted picture colorwise, mostly green and pink. The 1080p distortion is more severe than the 720p distortion. Outputting at 576p restults in a perfect picture. I don't recall my former dvd player giving a distorted picture when outputting 720p or 1080p. I need to output at 720p in order to use the hardware acceleration of my ATi 2600pro videocard. So I would love to know what causes the distortion. Maybe I am able to fix it. Can anyone enlighten me on this?

Wayne! The Ebay thing sounds an AWFUL lot like "phishing", meaning a fake email scam, NOT from Ebay where they get you to log in to a fake ebay page and give up your info!
Good Lord, I hope not! Check it out! Forward that email to "spoof@e bay.com" and they will tell you if it's legit! You might have just given out your personal info!

http://antivirus.about.com/cs/emailscams/a/blebayscam5.htm

Hi Dave,

Thanks. Yes, I checked into it and the email I was sent was also in my 'My Messages' section of EBay. Only real emails originating from EBay can also appear in this section so it's unfortunately not a fake. Also, my account with EBay has been suspended and I can only surf the website and observe what's for sale. I cannot bid or buy anything anymore. I chatted online with an EBay representative and their canned speech emulates exactly to the word what others have been told by EBay in similar circumstances. I've been in contact with EBay's 'Trust and Safety Department' which is also very real. I was hoping this was phishing too. No, I have come to realize that EBay is an illegitimate business model that operates just close enough to legitimacy to make it popular and profitable for themselves and many others.

However, they do engage in unscrupulous tactics that are nothing more than an information grab from unsuspecting, mostly innocent people. Here is their email to me:

Dear Wayne,

Thank you for writing eBay in regard to the suspension of your account.

Your account was suspended under the "Abusing eBay" section of the eBay

User Agreement. This section states that eBay may suspend a user's
account if we think that the user is creating problems (legal or
otherwise) or acting inconsistently with the letter or spirit of our
policies.

To have your account considered for reinstatement, please fax us both
of
the following:

- *Completed* Request for Reinstatement form (To be processed, the form

must include the User ID and email address of the suspended account
that
you're appealing, as well as a working phone number.)
- Copy of your driver's license or other government issued ID with your

name and address clearly visible

Also include *one* of the following:

- Copy of a recent credit card statement (copy of the actual credit
card
is not acceptable)
- Copy of a recent bank statement
- Copy of a recent utility bill

To print a copy of the Request for Reinstatement form, go to:

http://pages.*********/help/community/poisec9reinstform.html


***Important***
All contact information listed on the documents that you submit with
your appeal must be consistent with the contact information listed on
your registered eBay account. If any differences exist, you must
provide
an explanation for these discrepancies, as well as documentation that
confirms your explanation.

If your eBay contact information is your work address, please send
official documentation to validate this.


***Important***
Be sure to include the User ID and email address of the suspended
account that you're appealing on the Request for Reinstatement Form. If

your fax doesn't contain this information, we won't be able to process
it.

Please fax all documentation to:

eBay
Attention: Abusing eBay Appeals

U.S. Fax Number: 1-877-349-1798
International Fax Number: 001 + 801-545-2700

Please allow 48 to 72 hours for your request for appeal to be
processed.
Sending us an email before that time may delay your request.

***Privacy Note***
Any documents submitted to us will be destroyed after the information
has been reviewed and verified. If you're concerned about including
your
credit card number, you can black out all but the first and last four
digits. However, your full name and address must be legible for us to
process your request.

To review the eBay User Agreement, go to:

http://pages.*********/help/policies/user-agreement.html

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Rae
eBay Customer Support

Wayne speaking again. Now after receiving this I sent them a strongly worded response demanding that they lay out the charges against me so that I could defend myself. Here is my response to their email:

Well 'Rae', you're going to have to do better than this if you want me
to divulge all of this personal information.

I think I have a right to know EXACTLY what it is that I did wrong! A
general accusation about 'Abusing EBay' is insufficient and too general.
Anyone can be labelled as an 'abuser'. I must know what it is that EBaylabeled
claims I did wrong.

I need from you specific instances of wrongdoing. In the past week I
have bid on two projectors. Exactly what did I do improperly. Did I
bid too often? Did I bid too high? Did I bid not high enough? Am I
not allowed to bid at all? I let one item go because I thought the
bidding was getting too high. Is this somehow a cardinal sin?

I use both EBay.ca and ********* because the items are not the same on
both sites. I also visited EBay in the U.K. Is that illegal or
something?

Please no more playing footsie with me and spell it out man! What
policy did I violate and how did I do it? Why didn't EBay contact me
and warn me if there was something I was doing improperly?. Why execute
someone who hasn't had a fair trial? I have standards and ethics that I
go by as well and EBay has violated them too. Perhaps I will suspend
EBay from all contact with me as a result. Maybe you should suspend all
of your accounts as you seem to do this with reckless regard and pounce
on people without adequately explaining to them what it is that they
supposedly did wrong. I did a search on Google about this and found
that EBay engages in this practise routinely. Sounds like a power trip
to me. Am I angry? You bet. The fact of the matter is that I have
done nothing wrong which explains why I'm being accused of generalities
which EBay is hiding behind. It must be part of an account purge of
some kind.

So, if you think you can find anything concrete to blame me for then
do so. I can tell you that if there really is something that I did
wrong, it was done in ignorance and all I need is a simple explanation
of the 'sin and transgression' so that I will know what NOT to do in
the future if there even is one between us.

Now, I expect EBay to crack the whip and ban me for good because I've
decided to be indignant and stand up to a 'big corporation' which
doesn't need me. So surprise me and reinstate me.

Wayne

Wayne speaking again: Okay here is their response to my strongly worded email:

Dear Wayne,

Thank you for writing eBay in regard to your suspended account.

I apologize if this process has made you feel like we do not care.
Although I cannot go into any specifics of the suspension, as to keep
the integrity of that process in place, I can tell you that we never
intend to make our members feel singled out in any way. This process is
not perfect, and unfortunately in that process, a few honest members may
be required to take one or two extra steps before they are allowed to
participate on eBay. I can tell you that without this process, eBay
would not be the marketplace it is today, and the act of bidding and
selling would be greatly compromised. We do appreciate your presence on
eBay, and hope that you continue with the reinstatement process.

If you would like to have the account considered for reinstatement then
we require that you proceed with the appeals process as previously
outlined. We fully understand if you would not like to follow through
with your suspension appeal. However, if you decide to not provide the
information that we have requested, your account will remain in the
blocked status that it is currently in.

If you need further assistance, please don't hesitate to reply to this
email and let us know.

Sincerely,
Jerec

eBay Customer Support

Wayne speaking again: Okay, there you have it. Sorry for the lengthy post but I'm very angry about all of this as I stand unjustly accused. They obviously have nothing on me or they would spell it out. My advice to those of you reading this who use EBay is to be very careful and aware that this could happen to you and does happen to many people. Just do a Google seapracticerch. I did and my eyes were opened.

Wayne

I understand your anger Wayne, but know that you always have the choice to fully ignore businesses like eBay. It might be the best way to handle this, unfortunately.

Yes, you're quite correct. I certainly don't intend to fax them all of that personal stuff.

Anyway, sorry to hear about your problem with the H57. I wonder if you need to update the drivers? HTPCs can be a colossal pain! :(

Wayne

I will update the drivers this weekend. Thnx for the tip. I was thinking that the output signal just isn't strong enough for 10 metres of DVI cable. I heard videocards have a relatively weak signal compared to standalone dvd players. Don't know for sure though.

You might need an extender of some sort. Sometimes digital signals need a boost on long runs. You might try an experiment by testing all of the different aspect ratios from your HTPC via a shorter cable. If they work then you know it's the long cable that's the culprit.

Wayne

You might need an extender of some sort. Sometimes digital signals need a boost on long runs. You might try an experiment by testing all of the different aspect ratios from your HTPC via a shorter cable. If they work then you know it's the long cable that's the culprit.

Wayne
Yes, I am afraid that's the only way to know for sure. Unfortunately that means I will have to uncouple my projector which was quite a job to setup properly.

You must have it set up as a ceiling mount then? This is one of the reasons why I'm refusing to purchase any more projectors with a large offset requiring high ceiling mounting or low table positioning.

From now on I'm only buying projectors with good vertical lens shift and will shelf mount. It's going to be so much easier when you have to do what you're faced with or for tweaking the positioning, especially horizontal. Replacing bulbs and cleaning filters can be easier with shelf mounting as well. I'm about to find out for sure very shortly! :)

Wayne

You're absolutely right. I wasn't aware of this at the time I bought the H57. But I doubt if I will ever buy a projector again after my H57 dies, regardless of the vertical lens shift. I might want to have a large tv (50"or 65" LCD or plasma) which I can use for regular tv viewing as well. A projector is not really suited for regular tv viewing due to limited lamp life. Also when using a gameconsole like a Wii it's necessary to be able to stand up straight right in front of the screen. A projector probably gives a huge shadow which makes it unsuitable for this. Anyway, in the meantime I will enjoy my H57 as much as possible. :-)

Don't completely give up on projectors Moondust! :)

Probably every other gaming system but the Wii will work with this technology. Even if the Wii is important to you there is a projection method that will work with the Wii but it would require you to implement a rear projection setup whereby the projector is BEHIND the screen. All projectors are able to be used in this manner if I'm not mistaken. You just go into the menu system and configure it so that it can be used like this. The problem is that probably most people don't have enough room behind their screens to distance the projector far enough in order to get a large enough image. A real short throw projector or a short throw external lens might help in this regard.

To tell you the honest truth, I don't really know very much about this subject but for those who need to stand up in front of their screens it is probably the only solution available. At least it's not totally hopeless. :)

Wayne

I my case the available space is pretty limited. Rear projection is no option. I think I will feel less tense using a large LCD or plasma anyway since they don't depend on a single lamp that can break any second. Also, watching HDTV every day will exhaust the lamp way too soon. LCD en plasma means more independence. Anyway, my H57 is a long way from dying I hope, so I can set this decision aside for the moment. :-)

Oh sure! I can see why you'd like to go that route. Less headaches, worries, etc...

The lamp on the H57 is so bright and dependable that it should last you a long time. It may even outlast the projector itself. :)

Wayne

Mystery, don’t assume that the Navitar lens will work with just any projector unless someone is using the setup. I tried a Navitar SSW06 Screenstar 0.65X wide angle adapter with my H57. It cut off the corners of the image and I had to return it. (It was also huge). I am currently using an Olympus 0.7X 55mm wide conversion lens. The projector is 7.5 feet from a 92” screen. It works fine. But I tried several conversion lenses before I found one that would work. Of course the Optoma 0.8X lens worked but I needed a little shorter throw. BTW I am looking at the PT-AE2000U for my next projector. It will give you a short throw.

Yes, you need to research this subject before buying. I did just that and confirmed that the Navitar lenses work with the BenQ 1080p projectors.

Wayne

Has anyone seen the Optoma HD80 1080P in operation? Hows it compare in brightness to my good old H57? We're bringing the kids over from NZ to do the Disneyland thing in late September so may look at picking something up while there. Perhaps it'll be on run-out by then? When I imported my H57 from the US, the freight charge was pretty horrific, so it just occurred to me that it maybe a good time to go shopping.

Well I decided to get another HD7100. It was cheap on fleabay with only 49 hours on it. Makes me wonder if it is the same one I bought at Costco and returned it. ;)
It will certainly fill more space on my 135" screen with anamorphic lens compared to the H57.

I also bought a spare bulb (just the bulb..no cage) for cheap for the H57. Maybe I can get it going again and sell it to a buddy. Shame to let this projector collect dust....it has served me well..except for the damn bulbs!!!

Has anyone seen the Optoma HD80 1080P in operation? Hows it compare in brightness to my good old H57? We're bringing the kids over from NZ to do the Disneyland thing in late September so may look at picking something up while there. Perhaps it'll be on run-out by then? When I imported my H57 from the US, the freight charge was pretty horrific, so it just occurred to me that it maybe a good time to go shopping.

That's not a bad idea. You should be able to save some cash by doing that. :)

Wayne

Well I decided to get another HD7100. It was cheap on fleabay with only 49 hours on it. Makes me wonder if it is the same one I bought at Costco and returned it. ;)
It will certainly fill more space on my 135" screen with anamorphic lens compared to the H57.

I also bought a spare bulb (just the bulb..no cage) for cheap for the H57. Maybe I can get it going again and sell it to a buddy. Shame to let this projector collect dust....it has served me well..except for the damn bulbs!!!

Not a bad pickup on the HD7100. The H57 seems to be one of the most reliable projectors Optoma has ever had.

Wayne

Not a bad pickup on the HD7100. The H57 seems to be one of the most reliable projectors Optoma has ever had.

Wayne

Well my bulb came in and just reused the cage for it. So far it seems to be working...just sucks it only lasted 1000 hours though...was hoping for more. At least I could sell it now..but I'll let it run for about 10 hours to be sure.

My BenQ W5000 arrived today via UPS undamaged. :)

Since we're moving, I was only able to unpack it and hook it up briefly to my Blu-ray player @ 1920 x 1080p via HDMI. Shooting a small image from the coffee table on to the rear wall of the recroom painted a flat black. The image was surprisingly good considering. Brighter scenes suffered of course and the texture of the wall could be seen but shadow detail was really good out of the box. I liked the colors and contrast too. I did no tweaking at all. Just wanted to look at the menu and see if everything was working properly. I don't think there's anything wrong with it so I've boxed it back up for the move. I can't wait to show it on a proper screen.

It's a quiet projector. It has a manual and a dynamic iris. I used Brilliant Color to give the image some pop since I was using a black wall. It's enormous. Biggest pj I've ever owned. Heavy too. The lens is gigantic. It had no trouble syncing via HDMI. My last projector, the HD7100 could be hit and miss in this regard. The remote has a back light button that allows you to clearly see all of the functions in the dark. It came with a written manual, a European ac cable as well as North American and three filters including the one on the unit. I like the two HDMI inputs.

Anyway, so far it's a keeper but I'll need to test it further after the move.

Wayne

Christmas in March...that's a new one. Congrats.
Of course it's a keeper.

Christmas in March...that's a new one. Congrats.
Of course it's a keeper.

Thanks CMRA! :)

The only hesitation I have about this unit is the purported image noise that Art noticed over on ProjectorReviews.com and some owners have seen it as well. With my High Power screen, this might be magnified but then again, it may be fine.

Wayne

My BenQ W5000 arrived today via UPS undamaged. :)

Since we're moving, I was only able to unpack it and hook it up briefly to my Blu-ray player @ 1920 x 1080p via HDMI. Shooting a small image from the coffee table on to the rear wall of the recroom painted a flat black. The image was surprisingly good considering. Brighter scenes suffered of course and the texture of the wall could be seen but shadow detail was really good out of the box. I liked the colors and contrast too. I did no tweaking at all. Just wanted to look at the menu and see if everything was working properly. I don't think there's anything wrong with it so I've boxed it back up for the move. I can't wait to show it on a proper screen.

It's a quiet projector. It has a manual and a dynamic iris. I used Brilliant Color to give the image some pop since I was using a black wall. It's enormous. Biggest pj I've ever owned. Heavy too. The lens is gigantic. It had no trouble syncing via HDMI. My last projector, the HD7100 could be hit and miss in this regard. The remote has a back light button that allows you to clearly see all of the functions in the dark. It came with a written manual, a European ac cable as well as North American and three filters including the one on the unit. I like the two HDMI inputs.

Anyway, so far it's a keeper but I'll need to test it further after the move.

Wayne

I guess the SDE isn't as bad as well compared to the HD7100 which still hasnt arrived yet. I hate ebay sometimes.
So I take it you didnt win the auction for the W9000 Wayne? And let me guess......I have to use the "C" word for where you got the W5000. That was tempting for me...but DC2 and the throw kinda made me want to go back to the HD7100. I thought about the 1080UB....but the convergance issue was too much to even think about it.

Mike

Thanks CMRA! :)

The only hesitation I have about this unit is the purported image noise that Art noticed over on ProjectorReviews.com and some owners have seen it as well. With my High Power screen, this might be magnified but then again, it may be fine.

Wayne

Can you name a perfect display device? Didn't think so.
Closest I have seen is Kris's G90. At 300 lbs and 600+ watts, it has its faults too.
PS. anytime you start to question your HT, take a trip to the movies. You'll hug your new PJ all the more.

Well my bulb came in and just reused the cage for it. So far it seems to be working...just sucks it only lasted 1000 hours though...was hoping for more. At least I could sell it now..but I'll let it run for about 10 hours to be sure.

Hey Ontario

Can you tell an old H57 die hard what you did with the builb swap?
Where did you get the bulb, how much, easy to change etc.
My bulb hasn't died yet, but its nice to know I have options or a possible backup

Shane

I guess the SDE isn't as bad as well compared to the HD7100 which still hasn't arrived yet. I hate ebay sometimes.
So I take it you didn't win the auction for the W9000 Wayne? And let me guess......I have to use the "C" word for where you got the W5000. That was tempting for me...but DC2 and the throw kinda made me want to go back to the HD7100. I thought about the 1080UB....but the convergence issue was too much to even think about it.

Mike

Hey there Mike,

I haven't had my HD7100 since October and I won't be seriously evaluating the W5000 until around the last week of April so I'll have to go on memory at that time when comparing SDE between the two. I suspect that 1080p will be a positive factor in this regard. The lens on the HD7100 is so sharp that it doesn't miss a trick and everything gets magnified, both the good and the bad.

Be thankful that EBay still allows you to bid even if the service can be slow. They've suspended my account as I recounted several posts back in this thread. I do not intend to hand over any other personal information to them than what it took to join in the first place, especially since they refuse to indicate why they suspended me. So I hate them sometimes too. ;)

The W9000 I was bidding on before they cut me off was heading too high for my liking and I stopped bidding. Then I saw a sweet deal on a Sony Black Pearl and was getting close to winning that when EBay pulled the plug and I lost out. No matter, I think the BenQ W5000 which I did purchase at that place you surmised ;), will turn out to have been the right choice.

Initially the DC2 threw me back as well but I figure that with the Brilliant Color, Dynamic Iris and manual iris as well as any other tricks that these new projectors have built up their sleeves (do projectors have sleeves? :) ), the contrast ratio ought to not suffer too much when compared to DC3 if at all, at least perceptually. The story may be different on paper.

The 1080UB also had me intrigued until I read about all of the units that Jason here at AVS was rejecting. I don't know if too many people know this but AVS has stopped selling the Epson 1080UB because of the misconvergence issues. These problems associated with LCD projectors turn me off. I'm not affected by rainbows and I like the DLP image with it's 'pop' and 'wow' factor. The only other technology I'd consider is LCOS, especially JVC's DILA.

Wayne

Can you name a perfect display device? Didn't think so.
Closest I have seen is Kris's G90. At 300 lbs and 600+ watts, it has its faults too.
PS. anytime you start to question your HT, take a trip to the movies. You'll hug your new PJ all the more.

LOL! :) I used to think that my very first projector, the Infocus X1 was perfect. Talk about bang for the buck. That was 6 years ago now. Can't believe how fast the time has gone. I've gone through 5 projectors since then including the present one and you're right. None of them have been perfect but all of them have been huggable! :) Especially the H57! ;) Every one of them provided me with an experience superior to going to the cinema. Then again, I've never attended at a digital projector cinema so I'm only comparing film. I've heard digital projection at the theater can be pretty nice. The only thing that beats home projection so far that I've seen is the Imax presentations.

Wayne

Hey Ontario

Can you tell an old H57 die hard what you did with the builb swap?
Where did you get the bulb, how much, easy to change etc.
My bulb hasn't died yet, but its nice to know I have options or a possible backup

Shane

I happen to stumble across the bulb on fleabay and it was the exact part I needed for the H57. I took a chance.....got it for 200 but ticked me off as the buyitnow price was 139, someone had to bid 119 to eliminate the BIN. Much cheaper than a whole unit from Optoma, even at 200.
It was easy to change. Just remove the old bulb unit from the H57. 4 screws, 2 braces and a tab to remove the old bulb..pop in the new bulb carefully (dont get your fingers all over the place!!) and reinstall. I know it was a new bulb as it was still sealed in the antistatic bag and had the wiring harness already attached. Even had that first time strike smell to it.
I took a chance in getting it to see if it would help the issue with my H57. It sucks as the auction ended near the same time as the HD7100. I decided I couldnt let the HD7100 slip out of my hands so I got that as well just in case. So now I have (well..when the HD7100 shows up) 2 perfectly good projectors. Now to let my H57 go. I would stick with my H57 if I didnt get the HD7100. With exception of the bulb going at 1019 hours....it was certainly a good projector...even with less pixels than the HD7100.


The bulb is a PHILIPS PROJECTOR BULB TOP 222 UHP 250W 1.35. When it comes to replacing yours...just take your bulb out and have a look at the label to know what to look for. You might come across one.;)

Hey there Mike,

I haven't had my HD7100 since October and I won't be seriously evaluating the W5000 until around the last week of April so I'll have to go on memory at that time when comparing SDE between the two. I suspect that 1080p will be a positive factor in this regard. The lens on the HD7100 is so sharp that it doesn't miss a trick and everything gets magnified, both the good and the bad.

Be thankful that EBay still allows you to bid even if the service can be slow. They've suspended my account as I recounted several posts back in this thread. I do not intend to hand over any other personal information to them than what it took to join in the first place, especially since they refuse to indicate why they suspended me. So I hate them sometimes too. ;)

The W9000 I was bidding on before they cut me off was heading too high for my liking and I stopped bidding. Then I saw a sweet deal on a Sony Black Pearl and was getting close to winning that when EBay pulled the plug and I lost out. No matter, I think the BenQ W5000 which I did purchase at that place you surmised ;), will turn out to have been the right choice.

Initially the DC2 threw me back as well but I figure that with the Brilliant Color, Dynamic Iris and manual iris as well as any other tricks that these new projectors have built up their sleeves (do projectors have sleeves? :) ), the contrast ratio ought to not suffer too much when compared to DC3 if at all, at least perceptually. The story may be different on paper.

The 1080UB also had me intrigued until I read about all of the units that Jason here at AVS was rejecting. I don't know if too many people know this but AVS has stopped selling the Epson 1080UB because of the misconvergence issues. These problems associated with LCD projectors turn me off. I'm not affected by rainbows and I like the DLP image with it's 'pop' and 'wow' factor. The only other technology I'd consider is LCOS, especially JVC's DILA.

Wayne

Hey Wayne,

I didnt realise that AVS stopped selling the 1080UB. I did know about the rejection rate that was going on. Doesn't surprise me really. Guess that's what you get for mass production. As for the JVC's offering, it would be nice to get but damn is it ever expensive. Not as bright and didn't the RS-1 have no anamorphic option?

I read that issue you had with Fleabay. They really do suck! As for my projector...I should of just asked the guy if I could just pick it up...be a lot quicker and they are only an hour away. Maybe it will show up today...who the hell knows.

I thought about the W5000 as well, but I noticed the "C" word had it for a bit, dropped it off the website, then it came back 400 bucks more than before (I dont think there was a sale either). As for DC2, it was really nice with the H57, but got spoiled by the HD7100 and DC3. I know the dynamic Iris would mimic a nice contrast, but I'm still all for native contrast. How long did it take for your W5000 to show up? At least they didnt include a screen, so incase you do take it back, you dont have to lug that damn screen back too.

Hey Wayne,

I didnt realise that AVS stopped selling the 1080UB. I did know about the rejection rate that was going on. Doesn't surprise me really. Guess that's what you get for mass production. As for the JVC's offering, it would be nice to get but damn is it ever expensive. Not as bright and didn't the RS-1 have no anamorphic option?

I read that issue you had with Fleabay. They really do suck! As for my projector...I should of just asked the guy if I could just pick it up...be a lot quicker and they are only an hour away. Maybe it will show up today...who the hell knows.

I thought about the W5000 as well, but I noticed the "C" word had it for a bit, dropped it off the website, then it came back 400 bucks more than before (I dont think there was a sale either). As for DC2, it was really nice with the H57, but got spoiled by the HD7100 and DC3. I know the dynamic Iris would mimic a nice contrast, but I'm still all for native contrast. How long did it take for your W5000 to show up? At least they didnt include a screen, so incase you do take it back, you dont have to lug that damn screen back too.

Hey there Mike,

Yeah the RS1 doesn't have the anamorphic option but the RS2 does. They're both a lot of money.

Lots of online dealers have been playing with the BenQ W5000 prices. It seems to finally have settled for the most part.

Projectors come and go on "C's" website. I see that the HD7100 has finally disappeared for good on the site. They do run out of stock periodically and then take it off the site, only to put it back on within a day or so when stock is available. If they have a manufacturer's rebate sale and drop the price by $400.00 or more I'll go in and exchange it for another one. I've tried to get them to price match their own sales but they're not set up for that and you have to return the item and then re-purchase it all over again. :confused:

Yes, it's nice not to have to return a screen as well. I didn't like the screen that they bundled with the HD7100. I prefer my High Power. :)

I ordered the W5000 a week ago Sunday and it arrived 8 days later. That's pretty fast I think. I hear what you're saying about DC2 vs. DC3. Seems like a step backwards to me but it is what it is. I still remember the phenomenal image of the HD7100 and I will be carefully scrutinizing the W5000 to see how it compares. I understand that both are considered uber sharp. :) I still remember the clarity of my HTPC desktop (before the HD7100 lost it's sync for good :mad:). The lens on that thing is something else. Sharp as a tack and it's calibrated straight out of the box almost perfectly with very little tweaking left to do. :) I also still remember being on pins and needles every time I fired it up, praying that it wouldn't misfire. :( I couldn't live with the worry of it anymore. I'd had several non starts with the bulb.

So, we'll see how they compare. Of course I'll be going from memory but I have that glorious HD7100 image on HD DVD Aeon Flux seared into my subconscious.

I'm expecting nothing less from the W5000.

Wayne

The W9000 I was bidding on before they cut me off was heading too high for my liking and I stopped bidding. Then I saw a sweet deal on a Sony Black Pearl and was getting close to winning that when EBay pulled the plug and I lost out. No matter, I think the BenQ W5000 which I did purchase at that place you surmised ;), will turn out to have been the right choice.
Aha, so now it turns out you actually have to thank Ebay for pulling the plug on you. Otherwise you wouldn´t have made the right choice.:D:D:D

Hey there Mike,

Yeah the RS1 doesn't have the anamorphic option but the RS2 does. They're both a lot of money.

Lots of online dealers have been playing with the BenQ W5000 prices. It seems to finally have settled for the most part.

Projectors come and go on "C's" website. I see that the HD7100 has finally disappeared for good on the site. They do run out of stock periodically and then take it off the site, only to put it back on within a day or so when stock is available. If they have a manufacturer's rebate sale and drop the price by $400.00 or more I'll go in and exchange it for another one. I've tried to get them to price match their own sales but they're not set up for that and you have to return the item and then re-purchase it all over again. :confused:

Yes, it's nice not to have to return a screen as well. I didn't like the screen that they bundled with the HD7100. I prefer my High Power. :)

I ordered the W5000 a week ago Sunday and it arrived 8 days later. That's pretty fast I think. I hear what you're saying about DC2 vs. DC3. Seems like a step backwards to me but it is what it is. I still remember the phenomenal image of the HD7100 and I will be carefully scrutinizing the W5000 to see how it compares. I understand that both are considered uber sharp. :) I still remember the clarity of my HTPC desktop (before the HD7100 lost it's sync for good :mad:). The lens on that thing is something else. Sharp as a tack and it's calibrated straight out of the box almost perfectly with very little tweaking left to do. :) I also still remember being on pins and needles every time I fired it up, praying that it wouldn't misfire. :( I couldn't live with the worry of it anymore. I'd had several non starts with the bulb.

So, we'll see how they compare. Of course I'll be going from memory but I have that glorious HD7100 image on HD DVD Aeon Flux seared into my subconscious.

I'm expecting nothing less from the W5000.

Wayne

Hey Wayne,

Well my lucky day finally arrived. My package came in. Just finished setting it up. Wasn't as hard as I thought fit exactly where the H57 was (although I was worried about the weight the ceiling mount has to support)....gotta love the lens shift, which was something I did miss when I returned it the first time. Seems to be ok with 50 hours on it. Didnt have any sync issue for flickering. After some defocusing to eliminate SDE and with the anamorphic lens....it looks spectacular!!! The terminator dream sequence in T3 looks so 3D like. scary!!! And I did forget how well the lens is for PC...wow!! Very clear.

Even better is that I found spare bulbs I can order for half the price of what Optoma is charging. And its easy just like the H57 to change the bulb from its basket.

So I think the second time this projector has impressed me again!! And it wont be going back this time!

Mike

:) LOL! :)

Touché! :o

Well, I think I would have been happy with the Sony Black Pearl if I had been the highest bidder but all's well that ends well. It's kind of strange how things turn out sometimes isn't it. Fate? ;)

Wayne

The bulb is a PHILIPS PROJECTOR BULB TOP 222 UHP 250W 1.35. When it comes to replacing yours...just take your bulb out and have a look at the label to know what to look for. You might come across one.;)

Cool,

Keep us updated on the longevity of the "bulb Swap" when your buddy takes over the H57.

thanks

:) LOL! :)

Touché! :o

Well, I think I would have been happy with the Sony Black Pearl if I had been the highest bidder but all's well that ends well. It's kind of strange how things turn out sometimes isn't it. Fate? ;)

Wayne

So Wayne, how did things turn out?

Well, I did receive the BenQ 5000 on the 3RD of March. I fired it up on the wall because the screen was packed away for the move. Of course, this isn't the best way to evaluate any projector but it looked pretty good given that the wall was flat black!! :eek: I'd always wanted to do that just to see what the images would look like. Needless to say, black levels were great! :)

It was sort of like watching on an Optoma Graywolf screen. Anyway, all I wanted to do was to see if the projector worked so that I could return it right away if there was a problem. I went through the entire menu system and tried everything and all seemed well. It synced immediately with the HDMI cable. Tomorrow we get the keys to the new home and the fun begins as we start taking small items over until the big moving day on the 17Th.

So, a true evaluation of this projector will begin in earnest probably later this month or early in May. Fortunately I purchased it at a place with a very good return policy and I have lots of time in which to test it out. ;)

Unfortunately there are some over on the official thread that are bothered by what they feel is an exaggerated display of video noise in solid backgrounds at times. This could possibly be DLP dithering. I will be on the lookout for an inordinate amount of this artifact and if it's worse than the average DLP projector which I've owned, I'll no doubt consider returning it. People seem to think it's a good projector otherwise so I guess it depends on one's tolerance level.

If this projector doesn't work out I may go back to a DC3 unit @ 720p until the dust settles with 1080p.

I trust all's well with you in projector land CMRA? :)

Wayne

Hi Wayne, Have been waiting to hear what you thought of the W5000 after owning an X1 and H57 like I still do. As mentioned before, I'm looking at budget 1080P replacement options so the W5000 is on my list as well as the Optoma HD80. Unfortunately, I'll probably never be able to see one here in NZ, so will need to rely on opinions like yours. Must say your enthusiasm and judgment of the H57 in it's heyday was spot on. Now that I've seen HD on a 1080P projector, I've been well and truly bitten. Hope the video noise problem on the W5000 is a minor issue. Also hoping it handles 24P correctly. I've gone mad in the HD-DVD firesales, so have lots of material to watch. Also NZ has just started limited free-to air TV transmissions in HD. We're one of the first countries to use terrestrial with MP4 h264 encoding and the results are very promising.

Hi spong :)

Yes the 24p problem is apparently an issue as well but it doesn't affect me because although I have both HD DVD and BD players, neither of them output 24p. I understand that BenQ is working on a firmware fix for both the 24p and image noise. Thanks for your comments. You must be going into Fall now if I'm not mistaken?

Wayne

I trust all's well with you in projector land CMRA? :)

Wayne

My DT-500 purrs along nicely, first time, every time. By far my best PJ purchase ever...so far. Since I almost never watch closer than 1.5x 1080p isn't as pressing as I thought it once was.
Naturally, laser projection has my attention. The goodies include wider color gamuts, CRT contrast ratios, and light engines that last the life of the display. Who wouldn't want that?

Well, I hate to say it, but the bulb swap discussion was timely. Mine popped the other night at only 507 hrs!:eek:

Found the test bulbs on fleabay, gambled and ordered 2. Installed one and the H57 did the ole fire-up and shutdown routine. I thought maybe something had been damaged when the original bulb blew.:confused:

Did some research in the forums and H72 users that were experiencing the same problem were told by Optoma that their bulbs were old.

Fortunately, I had the second bulb, installed it, and it seemed to work fine. No problem during the couple hours of testing last night.:D

Time will tell how long it will last.

Just goes to show ya how useful these forums can be!

Hiya Wayne!

Where ya moving to? We got back to NYC in November and are finally getting a big place on May 1st.
Still have the Mits hc3000. Bulb it as 2800 hours and still looks great! I heard from the guy I sold my old H57 to in Cali and the bulb blew 2 weeks after he bought it! Optoma has some MAJOR issues with their bulbs methinks!

Hope the move goes well!

:)

Hey there Dave!

Just staying in town but going to the north end to a one floor condo (two if you count the basement where the theater is). You're moving too? I feel for ya.

Boy your bulb sure doesn't owe you anything does it? :) Too bad for the purchaser of your old pj. Yes, unfortunately Optoma has had some bulb issues. I found out the hard way with the H78DC3 and the HD7100. Both nice projectors by the way other than the lamps blowing out or flickering or not starting.

All the best with your move as well! :)

Wayne

Hey Wayne, it nice to see you and the others still keep checking in.

Jeeesh!................I'm feeling kind of lonely around here.

Everyone seems to have sold off their H57's!

I'm sure glad about the "bulb swap" tip, saved me some big bucks. I am still peaved about the lifespan of the original, even though I got several years out of it. But 507hrs is not 3000hrs, and $400 for a new complete "bulb assembly" is a big pill to swallow!

As long as I can get a cheap supply of reliable bulbs, my H57 ain't going anywhere! (At least not for a few more years)

Yeah, I'm telling ya, this thread is like a coffee house. I think you're in a good place right now. You're happy with your H57 and it's lasted you quite a while with the potential to go on for several more years. Now that you also have a supplier of bulbs you might never switch! :)

The number of hours that you use your bulbs is quite low with respect to the time that the projector has been in your possession and with respect to most members on the forum that I've noticed. You should expect better performance than you got with your first bulb hours wise. Well, being out in Beautiful British Columbia would explain your little use of the projector right? ;) :cool: :)

Anyway, if you get too lonely feeling like the only H57 owner left, we could just nickname you 'Maytag'! :D

Wayne

ULTRAMAG, can you enlighten me on the cheap bulbs? My bulb is now at a 1000 hours and I would like to have a new one at hand when it plops. I live in The Netherlands (Europe). Thanx.

Here's just a quick note about my impressions of the new BenQ w5000 projector that I FINALLY got to set up here at the new home that I FINALLY moved into. :)

Although my wife and I are still unpacking and REALLY busy I have somehow found the time to hang the screen and position the projector. ;)

Initial observations without any calibrating at all are positive. I'm sitting beside the lens about 14' from the 106' Da-Lite High Power screen. The image from that distance JUST fills the screen and I do mean JUST. There was literally no room to spare so it turns out that I planned this out correctly.

There is no screen door from this distance. I have seen no rainbows whatsoever. It's running in whisper mode which is BenQ's term for eco or low. It's very quiet, even when powering up or down and remember, my head is right beside it only about 18" away or so. Electronic vertical lens shift is nice and has good latitude or is that longitude?? :)

Lots of options to tweak, with two irises. One is Dynamic Black which probably should be left on and the other is the lens iris which you can physically move up and down 19 position steps. The room is a deep brown with blackout roller blinds on the interior of the two windows and outside the frame mounted exterior blackout honeycomb cellular shades. This provides I'd say approaching pitch black conditions of over 95% inside the room even on a bright sunny day. Those of you with windows in your projector room, this is the way to go believe me.

I basically love this projector. :) I've decided not to mask the screen anymore which was a huge hassle, especially with a pull down screen. Now I just retract the screen to a smaller size and then use the lens shift to move the image to fit the new screen size. This eliminates most of the bars above and below the 2.35:1 image. If I want to completely get rid of those pesky bars I can do that too by either of two ways; after adjusting the screen once more to make it even smaller in height, I can use overscan to cut off some of the sides of the image which makes people and things in the resulting image bigger but there are no bars; the other method is again to pull up the screen to make it slightly smaller and use lens shift to position the image where I want it. With my particular screen, I either lose a bit off the top or a bit off the sides using either one of these two methods but I end up with no bars. I may stick with the earlier way of doing this and put up with minuscule bars but retain all of the image.

Of course this projector is classic DLP with that punchy look, especially given that I have a 2.8 gain retro-reflective screen and believe me, with the projector on a shelf just a ways over from my eyes, I'm not losing much of the brightness.

This is a massive projector probably two to three times the size of the H57. It syncs well with anything I throw at it, recognizing the HDMI signal immediately. The remote is well laid out and very responsive off of the screen. It's also backlit by a button for that purpose and is easy to read in the dark. The hours on the bulb in the menu system are calculated cleverly by both whisper and normal mode as well as the overall total. This is neat. You can track your usage of hours for either lamp mode.

HD DVD looks fantastic. I haven't tried BD yet but I have tested my Scientific Atlanta 8300HD PVR and HD is very nice.

Well, that's it for now. Unfortunately my unit has two dust blobs at the bottom of the screen just to the left of center. I will be returning this particular unit for that reason and no doubt replacing it with another.

Wayne

Great to see your report Wayne. How did you find the noise levels in solid areas like skys etc? I'm assuming from your purchase date you'd have received a 1.02 firmware version? Hopefully your replacement will be updated? I'm slowly working my way through the 28 page thread on the "Little test for W5000", so I'm not at the end yet. Maybe we should rename this thread H57 old boys now moved on to W5000? I say this because there's just been a new agent appointed here in New Zealand for Benq projectors, not far from me here. They're going to bring one in for me specially, and the price will be about the same as current USA street prices, which over here makes it a bargain. I should have it in around 4 weeks. Can't wait. Now I'll have something even better to play my 70 fire-sale HD-DVDs on. I wonder if the ceiling mount for my H57 will be low enough? I can't quite visualise how much the vertical lens shift will give me on my 106" screen.

Hi spong! :)

Have your cheque/check or credit card handy. ;) I seriously doubt you'll allow anyone to pry this projector out of your hands.

The video noise issue is in my opinion blown out of proportion. I have generally only seen it with the BC (brilliant colour/color) option turned on. There have been a couple/few occasions where I did seem to notice some video noise with BC off but I also noticed this noise on my 40" Sony LCD flat panel TV so I'm beginning to think that most of this noise is source related. Also, I'm sitting at about 14' from my 106" screen so perhaps this helps. I haven't really gone up to the screen much, well, I did once in order to look at the pixels. I wasn't even thinking about video noise and I walked away still not thinking about it so that ought to tell you something. :)

I know what you mean about HD DVD. I still love the format and wish it hadn't failed. :( Anyway, if you have Troy in HD DVD you REALLY need to see it on this projector regardless of your opinion of the movie. I actually happen to like it so that helps. LOL! I'm quite familiar with this movie because I use it to not only show off my projectors to others but I also like to use it post-calibration to evaluate my efforts. It has a lot of really bright scenes as well as some excellent darker scenes that help determine shadow detail quality.

So, to make a long story, well, uh, er...LONG, :) in doing some more testing of this projector before I exchange it, I was seeing what appeared to be more detail or at least detail that I hadn't seen before with any other projector that I've had in my home. The sharpness of this unit is incredible. Colours/colors pop off the screen and shadow detail seems very good. Because of my dark room I have to have the IRIS stopped down to about position 2 or 3 out of 19 and it's almost too bright even then (High Power screen being the culprit no doubt).

There is quite a bit of movement on the vertical lens shift. You should go on to the BenQ website and check out the specs for the shift.

Well, that's it for now. Awesome projector. :) Let us know how you make out with your test of it.

Wayne

ULTRAMAG, can you enlighten me on the cheap bulbs? My bulb is now at a 1000 hours and I would like to have a new one at hand when it plops. I live in The Netherlands (Europe). Thanx.

Moondust, I sent you a reply via pm. So far one of my cheap bulbs is working great. Still waiting for the replacement bulb for the other DOA one. Hopefully you can track down some cheap bulbs too.
Let me know how things go.

I've had my H57 for a couple of years now, and after many hours of being captivated by this beautiful machine, I've found only one, yet huge flaw. This projector goes thru bulbs like candy. I'll readily admit, the image this projector puts out is totally engrossing and so beautiful. The colors are so rich and the blacks are very dark and full of detail. Many of you H57 owners recommended that the image quality could not be beat at that price. And trust me, you guys weren't lying! But, I'm so disappointed that the bulbs go out so fast and aren't reliable at all. Way back in the day when I bought the projector, I got in on a free bulb deal. I thought they would last long enough until upgrade time. But unfortunately the first bulb died after 500 or so hrs. and the second just died at 1000. I just can't be buying 300 dollar bulbs left and right.

I'm really just tempted to buy a plasma where I know it will last me awhile. Not just a couple of years and crossing my fingers that today is not the day my bulb turns its back on me and dies. On top of that, I can't watch the projector for say more than 7 continuous hrs. without running a big chance of giving your bulb the kiss of death.

I love my H57, but sometimes I go to sleep at night praying that it will turn on the next day. (JK) When I blow out my birthday candles I wish for bulbs for my Optoma.

What do you guys suggest I do? I've read there are cheaper alternatives to the more expensive bulb but I'm not quite sure to look.

Thanks for the advice.

Joe

Scarface
I was and still am in the same boat as you. I followed Ontarios advice (see attached quote) and tried the option of just finding the bulb, and installing it the original cage. I did find some "test bulbs" for considerbly less (75 clams), and gambled with those. One is working well, so far, the other I sent back for replacement. Hopefully between these 2 bulbs I will lengthen the longevity of the H57 in my system until I feel the need to upgrade. Moondust is also looking for cheap bulbs, but I haven't heard back from him to see if he was successfull.



I happen to stumble across the bulb on fleabay and it was the exact part I needed for the H57. I took a chance.....got it for 200 but ticked me off as the buyitnow price was 139, someone had to bid 119 to eliminate the BIN. Much cheaper than a whole unit from Optoma, even at 200.
It was easy to change. Just remove the old bulb unit from the H57. 4 screws, 2 braces and a tab to remove the old bulb..pop in the new bulb carefully (dont get your fingers all over the place!!) and reinstall. I know it was a new bulb as it was still sealed in the antistatic bag and had the wiring harness already attached. Even had that first time strike smell to it.
I took a chance in getting it to see if it would help the issue with my H57. It sucks as the auction ended near the same time as the HD7100. I decided I couldnt let the HD7100 slip out of my hands so I got that as well just in case. So now I have (well..when the HD7100 shows up) 2 perfectly good projectors. Now to let my H57 go. I would stick with my H57 if I didnt get the HD7100. With exception of the bulb going at 1019 hours....it was certainly a good projector...even with less pixels than the HD7100.


The bulb is a PHILIPS PROJECTOR BULB TOP 222 UHP 250W 1.35. When it comes to replacing yours...just take your bulb out and have a look at the label to know what to look for. You might come across one.;)

Ultramag,

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll definately try that out. I believe those expensive OEM bulbs and these cheaper ones are the same wattage right? Do you see any risk in using a different type of bulb? Why is it that these bulbs burn out so fast? I was hoping they'd get to at least 2000hrs., but they haven't even come close. There's no way I'm going to buy a bulb and just wait and see how long it will last me. Without using cheaper bulbs, I have no use for my projector and that's really, really sad.

Scarface

The bulbs are exactly the same bulbs that come with the projector minus the housing. Without them I would be choking up the $400 for a new one and feeling ripped off. At least you got more mileage out of yours, mine popped at 500hrs. It literally exploded sending little glass fragments around the bulb housing. I have always been sceptical about the bulbs and their prices, but decided to get the H57 anyways, thinking I would get 2-3000 hrs out of it which would relate to a few cents per movie. After my bulb popped I scoured the internet looking for a cheap source and was going to settle on a replacement from from C----o as they seem to have a good replacement policy but I really didn't want to fork out 400 clams just in case my projector was damaged from the exploding bulb. Luckily I found the cheaper "test" bulbs on ebay and tried them out. One was rejected by the projector, the 2nd bulb is working fine. And I just rec'd a 3rd today to replace the initial faulty bulb. So now I have one working and a spare for 150 clams+shipping. If I get a 1000 hrs out of them I will be happy, and if no more cheap bulbs are around, then maybe I'll upgrade the projector.
Have you looked for any bulbs yet? I see the guy I got mine form has some more, but he is hard to find, pm me your e-mail and I will send you a link. He's still asking 75 if you want to try your luck!

Ultramag,

I really feel for you on that one. I too only got 500 hrs. out of my first bulb and about 1000 for the second. Not too bad I guess. I did buy that bulb that was recommended for $75 not including shipping. Its a test bulb for an RMA unit. I hope I get some decent usage out of them and maybe I'll buy a couple more later. Do you think we have some faulty units or is this just a chronic issue with the projector?

Thanks for the help.

Joe

Scarface

Glad you got a hold of some of those test bulbs, who knows how long they are gonna be around. I got lucky and he sent me some to Canada, but it doesn't look like he's doing it anymore.
As far as faulty bulbs or projectors go, I think its just the nature of the beast. I remember reading about BenQ projector bulbs going after only 2-300hrs, back then they were blaming it on bad bulbs. Who knows? I'm just glad the cheap test bulbs are around! And my H57 is back up and running. So for now all is good. Have you received your bulbs yet?
I looked back in the posts and you were working on your movie room at the same time I was. I ended up selling my house shortly after I finished my basement, and moved out here to BC. I made sure my new house was hometheater friendly, and things are working out quite nicely out here.

Ultramag,

I was only able to get one test bulb so I'm really hoping I get lucky and it works fine when I install it. I tried buying some others but I let a couple of days pass and they were sold out. I did finish that theater room but it still needs some work. My walls are two tones with the top crimson red and the bottom jet black with the trim also jet black. I'm using a cheap Yamaha htb audio setup and it sounds pretty good for a $100 buck system. (I got a pretty good deal on that because it was an open box.) I'm projecting onto a parkland plastic that I got from my local hardware store. I'm telling you, for 10bucks it looks really damn good.

I'll make sure to let you know how things are going after I install the bulb.

I'm an owner of a H57 unit. Call me one of the last of a dying breed. I've had the projector for 3 years now, I'd guess.... I bought it months after the review at Projector Central. So I've had it awhile. And just a few minutes ago a resounding popping sound echoed throughout my master bedroom, and alas, I'm in darkness. This is the second bulb to explode on me. The first shattered after maybe 30 hours... or less. I maybe put 500 hours on this second bulb. I have not been overly happy with the projector for this reason. As for the picture, it has always been satisfactory when fed hi-def through Directv. I understand the difference between a hidef 1080 projector is a huge jump in quality, and interestingly enough, I have been researching projectors over the last few days. I'm sitting about 14 feet away from a 110 Da-lite screen, and I prefer my projector shelf mounted VERY high so that anyone walking across will not disturb the image. Currently my shelf is atleast 13 feet high. My H57 was inverted and was shooting the projected image downward. Is this pretty common with projectors, that they all have this capability? I was researching the Benq W5000 and liked what I saw, but it has limited abilities to throw a 110 image at 13.5-14 feet, so it's been eliminated for that reason. The other front runner for me, and the winner so far, is the Epson 1080UB. It looks like a real winner. Can it satisfy what I'm looking for? Can I put it on my shelf where my Optoma was...? And how long do the lamps actually last? I know it has a reported lifespan of 2000 hours, but so did the Optoma, and my two bulbs lasted maybe a combined timeframe of between 400-500 hours. (And maybe even less than that!! I didn't count...) I did order a replacement bulb for the H57, and did so begrudgingly. I know the projector is only worth between $500-700 now, and it pains me to pay nearly that much in bulb ($327) Any suggestions, comments are appreciated.

I've had my H57 for 3x years, and the original bulb is still going strong at 1400 hrs. I also got a "free" spare one with it, that's still sealed in the box. I've always been very careful and hardly ever turn it on more than once in a single day, and when I do use it, it's been for around 1-4 hrs at a time generally, always in low power mode. I think the bulb has lost some brightness as my new Benq W5000 that arrived this week seems very vibrant in comparison, even in low power mode with the iris closed down. I use a Da-Lite HCMW 106" screen with the top mounted approx 850mm from the ceiling, and the bottom of the screen around 830mm from the floor. My H57 was approx 270mm from the ceiling due to the large offset. I'm having to get a new pole made for my W5000 to drop it down to around 850mm although there's a fair amount of flexibility with the W5000's movable lens. There was no way it would reach with the old mount though. The W5000 needs to move back further about 300mm to fill the screen. The added resolution, punch and amazing contrast of the W5000 has easily exceeded my expectations. I admit I've seen a little noise on bright areas of white and blue etc, but I haven't calibrated it, or even mounted it in it's final resting place yet. Also, it's running 1.08 firmware - upgrading to 1.12 next week so plenty of work to do yet. I still have a lot of respect for the H57, and it's treated me extremely well, especially with hi-def material.

Yea, the H57 looks pretty decent with hidef material... You have been very lucky with it. I had the spare bulb too, and as I said, both popped very early. Oh well... I'm getting geared up for the Epson Pro 1080UB. If I can get it for what I'm seeing it at, I might just go for it and forgo the H57 altogether. Just depends. Hopefully things will work out for me in the next couple of days, and I can pick this beauty up.

I hate to throw cold water on your idea but in the interest of full disclosure and possibly helping you to not make a mistake, you owe it to yourself to check out the official thread about the 1080UB on AVS. I haven't checked into it's reliability in over 4 months but back then I was trying to decide what to do after having returned my Optoma HD7100 due to startup issues. I researched very heavily and finally like spong, decided to go for the BenQ w5000. I'm very happy with it. It's the best projector I've owned since I started into this hobby. I've owned the Infocus X1, the H31, H57, H78DC3, and the HD7100 since the Spring of 2003. Up until the H78DC3, the H57 was the best projector I'd had in my home. The H78DC3 was 720p and the difference between it and the H57 was readily apparent. A 1080p projector will blow the H57 out of the water and as we all know, the H57 is no slouch.

Early reports on the 1080UB were not good, especially amongst AVSers. I can't exactly remember the problem but the reports were so prevalent that even Art over on Projectorreviews.com addressed the issue in his blog after having given the projector a glowing review. He didn't necessarily agree with AVS Forum members that there was a problem, only that AVS Forum members are no doubt the pickiest people in the world. :)

They might have cleared the issues up by now but you should definitely check the thread(s) and determine whether this unit is still right for you.

It got so bad at one point that AVS decided to stop selling the 1080UB because too many units couldn't pass their stringent quality control tests.

One thing you can do is research a certain lens produced by a company called Navitar. This lens will allow you to use the BenQ w5000 in your room from the distance you need and will easily fill up your 110" screen. It's not cheap but once you've got it, it will work with most projectors. You just place it in front of the projector.

Good luck!

Wayne

Interesting to hear that about the 1080UB Wayne. I was tempted to go with the Optoma HD80 or 803 etc, except that I'd read that reliability was becoming a problem with recent Optomas. Try as I may, I find that after owning a string of DLP projectors, there just seems to be something missing when I've viewed LCDs. To me, they just don't seem to have the same pop, and I definitely find DLP gives me less motion blur. Also coming from a PAL country, where we've always taken smooth motion for granted (at 50hz we don't need 3.2 pulldown with it's associated motion judder) I must say that being able to display film based HD-DVDs in their native 24fps mode makes a word of difference on the W5000 with my Toshiba HD-EP10 set to output 24fps. I now see the same fluid motion that I get with our 50hz SD material.

Thanks Wayne. i've read many of your posts on this site, and find you very informative. Well, I actually committed to buying the Pro 1080UB on ebay last night. Funny, I've read EXTENSIVELY about this product on a variety of sites, and haven't seen any trend of negative reviews.... But I will look up the thread here that you are referring to. I thought I already read it tho. But I'll look again. I'm assuming you are referring to the convergence issues that some people have noticed. But even those people reported that the unit was solid overall. Once again, I will do more research. But to my way of thinking, as long as the unit's bulb doesn't die on me a few hundred hours in, I'm doing ok. I did read somewhere about buying a lens or some contraption that will allow me to use the Benq W5000 in close quarters casting a 110, but I thought the 1080UB was a fine alternate. Hopefully I'm not wrong with that thinking.

Ok, as wayne suggested, I read the dedicated thread for the Pro 1080UB. Most of the complaints were formed due to convergence issues, as I had thought. There were a fair amount of complaints on this. However, there were many users who loved their projectors as well. My thinking is to go with the 1080UB because of the added brightness and placement flexibility, and if there is an issue, I can return it to the Ebay vendor and he has stated that I can order a Benq W5000 from him, or any other model, for that matter. That works for me. At least the 1080UB doesn't have alot of complaints about exploding bulbs at 40-500 hours, like the H57. Because after that happens, you are pretty much screwed. Optoma wouldn't replace my bulb, and I fell outside of my return policy period. Think of it this way, wayne. You loved the H57, and it did a great job for you. However, with me and many others, we had issues... That prevented us from using the product and in turn costed hundreds of dollars to get back up running. But your experience was positive. Undoubtedly the same thing is going on with 1080UB users. Some are having issues with convergence while others are not. As for me, I will have the unit quality tested and ISF calibrated. If he says I'm screwed, then I'll exercise my warranty and/or return options. Bottom line is I will be going from a 576 to a 1080p resolution projector, and when you think of it in terms of that, I don't think I have anything to lose in moving forward on this one.

Right! That's what it was. :) Convergence! I think you will notice a difference too like spong suggested in that LCD is different than DLP. There is a pop and wow factor included with DLP that is difficult for any other technology to imitate. Having said that, Art at Projectorreviews.com went from a BenQ 8720 720p DLP to an RS1 and gave a glowing review of the 1080UB so you may really like it. I hope you do. They say that the contrast ratio on the Epson is comparable to the RS1. I've paired my BenQ w5000 with a Da-Lite High Power screen at 106" diagonal and all of my walls are very deep and dark brown including the ceiling. Most of the furniture is black in the room as well so in essence I have a cave with a very bright screen.

So, go ahead and see what you think of the Epson. You can't lose if you need to exchange it. I think there was another thing that I now remember about the 1080UB that you may want to keep an eye or ear on. ;) I believe that the motor of the IRIS in the lens can be heard doing it's thing and some people have reported that it's a bit noisy. This may not be an issue for you. I think it would be far worse to actually SEE the IRIS at work. I saw the Sony Black Pearl recently at Future Shop here in Canada and the image was going from dark to light and back again almost every second. It drove me nuts! I don't know if there was something wrong with the projector or what but if a poorly instituted IRIS does this I just couldn't watch a projector that has it. I understand that some LCD based projectors are better than others in implementing the IRIS.

Anyway, watch out for convergence and IRIS noise issues. There is this motion blur thing with LCD based projectors that may or may not bother you. DLP has rainbows and dithering of course so no technology is perfect. :)

I had to get away from Optoma because as spong said, they've just had a string of models that have proved to be unreliable and very frustrating. This BenQ w5000 starts every time without incident which is a refreshing change for me coming from the Optoma HD7100 720p model which you never knew if it would fire up or not.

Let us know how you make out Sushijin.

Wayne

"This BenQ w5000 starts every time without incident which is a refreshing "

It's so good to read posts like this. Fortunately, I have yet to experiance a pj 'meltdown" or even suffer the typical malodies.
More folks need to speak up to assure the readers the issue units are in the minority.

I believe that the motor of the IRIS in the lens can be heard doing it's thing and some people have reported that it's a bit noisy. This may not be an issue for you. I think it would be far worse to actually SEE the IRIS at work.

Wayne

My shelf that I mount on is like 13 to 14 feet high, so the unit is positioned pretty far above where I'm sitting. I think the people who noted the sounds were seated very close to the unit. I don't anticipate any problems with that, and if there are problems, the return policy is always there... which is a good thing. And I reserched the 1080UB a lot more today, and I gotta say, the vast majority of critics and users alike give it an enthusiastic thumb's up. That one thread has pretty much all of the negative commentary that I've seen. And as one user on there noted, he didn't buy the projector to watch grids and patterns. Certainly there will be some testing and calibrating done, but I'm not going to get myself in an uproar if the pixels are slightly off in a convergence test. But I will return with a review of the 1080UB once it's finally up and running. Thanks again for your input. It was greatly appreciated.

You're welcome and have fun with it! :)

By the way, can the 1080UB be set that high without tilting the projector down and then keystoning? I wouldn't know of course because I'm only concerned about my projector. ;) :D

I think it would be interesting for others to chime in here and divulge their projector and screen heights. I think it's interesting to see what others do with their configurations in the room.

My BenQ w5000 is on an audio/video stand at the back of a 16' room and the shelf that it sits on is about two feet over from my sitting position and just above my eye level by maybe a foot. The screen is about 2/3 higher than eye level and the bottom of it is approximately 20" off the floor.

Wayne

You're welcome and have fun with it! :)

By the way, can the 1080UB be set that high without tilting the projector down and then keystoning? I wouldn't know of course because I'm only concerned about my projector. ;) :D


Wayne

Excellent question, and I think the answer is yes. The unit has a vertical lens shift feature, and apparently it can be implemented without having to worry about keystoning, etc. With the H57, that wasn't the case. I had to invert it and keystoning was necessary. I couldn't tell the difference though. The picture always looked pretty darn good to me. But with this 1080UB, placement is VERY flexible, and without degradation. So I should be set. And to be honest, I like the projector very high because I don't want interference if someone walks across the screen. With my setup, I can walk a few feet away from the front of the screen, and at 6'2" (188cm) in height, I wont put a shadow on the screen. That's pretty impressive projector positioning, I think.

Well, you can always raise your screen a bit if you have to if the lens shift doesn't move the image down far enough. That's a nice thing to be able to walk in front of the screen without becoming a screen yourself. :D

Do be careful with extreme lens shifting though. If you have to go full out in one direction, in this case vertically, it may limit the amount of shift that you have available horizontally and that also may be dependant again on the projector. The Sony Black Pearl for instance is this way if I'm not mistaken.

So, if you pretty much have you shelf centered to the screen horizontally then you should be able to use 100% of the vertical lens shift without degradation. Even if you have to use a little keystone it won't be the end of the world but keep in mind that keystone is a digital manipulation of the image and in my experience creates a blurring effect although minimal.

You must have a cathedral ceiling in your projector room?

Wayne

Yes, I have very high ceilings in my living, family, and master bedroom. The theater is in my master bedroom. I remember my father walking in my master and seeing my 110 screen, and he thought I was crazy to put that kind of setup in my bedroom. I personally think it's been one of my better ideas. Anytime I had a date, we would obviously watch the movie in my bedroom, as that had the best setup. The projecter wowed many a woman. The bedroom setup worked on so many fronts. LOL. I'm getting married now, though, so it will no longer have that application.

About the projector shelf, it was centered and balanced perfectly by a construction worker, so as to make sure the projector would be properly balanced. I will tinker with the unit first myself, but after a couple of weeks will bring a ISF calibration expert out to do his thing. The pro model that I ordered has extra calibration settings and is ISF certified. Have you had any or all of your units calibrated by an expert? I didn't with the H57. I thought the picture looked decent already, and didn't bother. this time I'm thinking yes, tho.

Professional calibration isn't something I'll do most likely. I like fiddling around with it myself using several discs like AVIA, HD DVE and the Monster calibration disc. I also have SpyderTVPro which does a great job getting flesh tones correct as well as giving me an overall pleasing image with good contrast and shadow detail. I'm happy enough. Perhaps it could be better but it looks natural to me and can't be far off from where it should be. I pay enough for these projectors without having to put out more cash to calibrators.

I can tell you this. I have had two televisions professionally calibrated by an ISF trained technician and both times he did such a poor job that I regretted getting it done. I have found that I'm able to dial in an image to where I want it better than he can and it only takes a little of my time and I quite frankly enjoy it too.

You may find that it's worth your while though. Don't necessarily go by my experience. There are plenty of people who've had their projectors ISF'ed and been ecstatic with the results.

Wayne

Well, I have the 1080ub now, and have been playing with it the last few days. So far logged 17 hours, and let me tell you, this one is a beauty for the price. I paid $2900 for the pro version, and it even came with the mount (not using... have shelf already) and the extra bulb. Those items were not to be included in the package, but they sent anyway! Pretty much the same price as the home version, so I made a killing. Worth it for that 3rd year warranty that the Pro gives over the home cinema version. The projector itself... What can I say... Outstanding so far. Brilliant colors, blacks are good (I don't hear the auto iris at all... Projector runs silently), high-definition content shines through. And can you say bright??? This projector is friendly even with lots of ambient light. At one point my girl turned on the light in the room and I set it to Cinema Day, and the picture was quite strong. It was an impressive display to be sure. With the H57, a light turned on in the room spells certain death to whatever you are watching. Not here.. I checked out the patterns and looked for convergence issues. I didn't see anything that I needed to be worried about. The remote control was far more substantial then that of the H57, with lots more options and configurations then I was used to. But the layout is good and a nice improvement. The 1080ub allows for 2 HDMI inputs, which is pretty typical of projectors in this class. The H57 had one DVI input, so obviously I took huge steps forward in pretty much every aspect of the game. So all in all, very happy. Just hope these bulbs last alot longer than they did in the H57. But so far I haven't read exploding bulbs being an issue.

Congratulations Sushijin! :) I'm glad for you. I actually have an opportunity to take a test drive with this projector in the comfort of my own home next weekend courtesy of a local high end dealer. It will give me a chance to compare it to my own BenQ W5000. I'm looking forward to it.

I recently visited a couple of places that sell the Home and Pro 1080UB. Both were impressive but you really have to have it in your own home to fairly compare. I did notice the iris working on both units with the speakers off. It sounded like a clicking and clacking noise not similar to a hard drive. Curiously, both dealers were not using the iris because they felt that the black levels were good enough without it on. It was in both cases when I asked to have it put on that I was able to hear it. I suspect that when the speakers are at a normal level there isn't much to worry about.

How many pixels are you out regarding your convergence? Have you put up a 100 IRE test screen yet to check on brightness uniformity? Put up some text from a computer and see if the focus uniformity is even.

Have you noticed the fan get noisier with certain picture modes?

It seems like a pretty good projector to me based on my limited evaluation. The head to head match up will really tell the tale.

Wayne

I can't hear the fan at all with the volume even at a pretty low level. That's probably due to the projector being pretty far from me.

It appears that convergence is off by .5, but there is no noticeable degradation in the picture. It's quite sharp. I have yet to test brightness conformity, but to the naked eye, it looks to be good. But when I have it calibrated, all of this will be sorted out, I'm assuming.

My fiance was against the idea of buying a new projector at first. She thought getting a new bulb for the H57 was the best way to go for now... That is, until we got the 1080ub up and running. She is now a believer as well.

Interested to see how the projector performs on your comparison.

Your convergence is extremely good I would think. I'm looking forward to getting this projector in for a couple of days. Should be interesting.

Wayne

For anyone who's interested I've posted my humble review of the Epson Pro Cinema 1080UB on oddly enough the BenQ W5000 'little test' thread.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=14229526#post14229526

Wayne

For anyone who's interested I've posted my humble review of the Epson Pro Cinema 1080UB on oddly enough the BenQ W5000 'little test' thread.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=14229526#post14229526

Wayne

So, which one is the keeper, Wayne?

Well CMRA, as impressed as I was in many ways with the 1080UB, it wasn't a hard decision to stick with the W5000, at least for now. ;)

I've never really had an opportunity like this before when evaluating projectors. You just can't know for sure how any particular unit is going to work for you in your own environment by basing a purchasing decision on an experience at a dealer's showroom. Of course, this is rarely possible and you make the best decision after reading reviews, researching and attempting to view the projector in question wherever you can.

This dealer had the 1080UB set up in a very dark environment which was basically the same as mine except that my carpet is a tan and brown fleck pattern whereby the dealer had pretty much an absolute cave. My ceiling and all walls are a deep brown, actually next to black. However, they were using the typical high end Stewart Filmscreen with a negative .8 gain. My screen is a Da-Lite High Power 2.8 gain so I wasn't going to be able to really know how the 1080UB would look in my home without borrowing one for a demo.

There are trade offs of course. If you can't stand a little video noise extraneous to that found on the disc, then the 1080UB may be one to consider. If you don't like motion blur on LCD panels then DLP is the way to go providing you aren't bothered by rainbows. :) I did see the motion blur on the 1080UB and although I wouldn't have made it a deal breaker, it did bother me when going back and forth and not seeing it on the W5000.

The 1080UB is the winner in the setup department with it's vertical AND horizontal manual lens shift (I'd prefer motorized but you can't have everything I guess). The zoom lens on the 1080UB would allow me to have a screen as large as 133" diagonally whereas currently the largest that I can go with the W5000 from the same distance is my present screen at 106".

Blacks are probably better on the 1080UB but because the image is 'punchier' on the W5000, the impression of deep blacks is there. Although the contrast ratio is stated to be higher on the 1080UB, I would assume that this refers to on/off contrast and that ANSI contrast is better on the W5000 which no doubt contributes to the 'wow' factor and perceived gains in contrast on the BenQ.

Colors are intoxicating on the 1080UB but probably over saturated. I found it difficult to get the skin tones as good as those on the W5000. There was a sheen on people's cheeks and foreheads with the 1080UB that I couldn't get rid of and it wasn't seen on the W5000. People's faces also seemed rather sunburned on the Epson.

The lens on the W5000 is EXTREMELY sharp. I have all sharpening functions off on my unit and the image is still razor sharp. With the 1080UB, I'd say that the image was JUST sharp enough with no leeway for error. It was acceptably sharp but not breathtakingly sharp as the images seen on the W5000. Adjusting for sharpness on the 1080UB involved binoculars and deft handling of the focus ring. It was like trying to open a safe. Not that I'd know anything about that! :) On the W5000 there is more room for focus adjustment at it's very sharpest. Turning the focus ring right or left of perfect focus allowed more play before the image started to blur. I like that.

The audio noise of the fan on the 1080UB is louder than the W5000 when the color mode is set to a brighter option. The dynamic iris on the W5000 is virtually silent whereas the one on the 1080UB sounds like a hard drive searching. It isn't a problem when sound is at normal levels.

Both remotes have back lighting which is great. However, the remote of the W5000 has more options that can be accessed without going into the menu. Also, when going into the menu on the W5000, it remembers where you were at and takes you there on the subsequent visit. Not so with the 1080UB and you have to go through the sub menus all over again.

Convergence was quite good on the particular unit that I was evaluating although not perfect. With the W5000 this isn't an issue. I didn't check for color uniformity but it has been reported as being a problem by some owners of the 1080UB.

There has been a price drop on the W5000 and I've found it to be at least $1200.00 cheaper than the Pro 1080UB.

So, I could be happy with the 1080UB but I'm ecstatic with the W5000. Both are very good projectors with draws and drawbacks. Given that the W5000 exhibits a brighter, sharper and punchier image for over $1000.00 less than the 1080UB, in my estimation it is one of the best bargains in the pj world to be had at this moment.

Wayne

Awesome. Now if we could just swap out the light engine for lasers.:D
I keep hitting my 1080p 'pause' button for that. Wish they would hurry up about it.

Hello all! First time poster. I have a question about the H57.

I just moved into a rental property, and the owner very kindly left us his H57 projector to use! I set it up last night, but I noticed that the image seems to project very high... I'm not really good at explaining all this...

Basically, I had to prop up the back of the unit with wood, because it would basically project onto the ceiling! I tried messing about with the screen size settings and zoom but to no avail...

Is there a setting I'm missing or is it supposed to do this?

This projector has a fixed offset (no lens shift) and it's large. Therefore, the image will show higher up the wall if the projector is upright, and lower down the wall if the projector is upside down. You basically want to place the unit either low on a coffee table for instance or on the ceiling.

You can go into the menu system to change the image so that it will appear right side up should you choose to turn the projector over to make it upside down.

Many of the newer projectors now come with lens shift which allows movement of the image up and down the wall so that you don't have to place the projector too high or too low.

When I owned my H57 I was able to place it about 6 feet up the wall with a 92" screen and I placed the screen about 18" up from the floor. It worked well.

Wayne

Hi guys,

I pilot my H57 with a Crystalio 2300 scaler, the source is a Denon 2900 connected to the scaler via SDI. From the latter I use a DVI connection to the vpr.

The picture coming out from the H57 has started looking quite bad. :mad:
Everything is very dark, but not well detailed; the colours are also very pale.
So I needed to increase the brightness and the contrast and try to play with colours (both in the scaler and in the vpr). The result is not acceptable at all.

Yesterday I had to switch everything off and watch the dvd with my plasma, since I couldn't stand anymore such a pale picture.

I guess the problem might be the lamp... its life is around 1000 hours, do you think it is time to change it?

Has anyone of you experienced the same problem?

Shall I proceed and change the lamp?

Thank you very much in advance!

Hi deskopt,

I started this thread and since that time I've moved on to own an Optoma HD7100 720p projector and now a JVC RS2 1080p.

The H57 was a fine projector in it's time but the science behind projected images has improved so vastly that I couldn't in good conscience advise you to replace your bulb unless you absolutely cannot afford to upgrade. It sounds as if you have some nice equipment there. Why not use a projector more befitting these items?

It's truly amazing what you can get nowadays for only around $1000. It's also possible that your problem isn't the bulb. 1000 hours isn't much and many people have found the H57 bulbs to go much farther than that. The other problem is that you might have a difficult time finding a bulb now especially at a decent price. Then again, what happens if you replace the bulb and fix the problem only to face a major repair within a short time after that? Now you're into the bulb replacement cost and a costly fix putting you well above what it would take out of your pocket to buy a brand new HD resolution projector.

Just some points to ponder. If it were my decision and I had the bucks, I'd upgrade.

Wayne

Hi Wayne,

thanks for your prompt reply.
You are absolutely right, but the problem is the money. :(
I cannot afford a new projector right now, that's why I was thinking about substituting the bulb.

The main issue is whether buying the bulb resolves the problem or not.
Based on the symptoms described, would you think that a new bulb might give new life to my projector?

Would pale colors, dark and "tired" picture mean that the bulb has reached its not returning point?

Thank you

It does sound like it could be the bulb but 1000 hours seems too early for a bulb to go. You might consider calling Optoma and getting their opinion. They might even take a look at it for you and diagnose the problem. Sometimes they can move you into a better projector that is a demonstrator of theirs or refurbished. The cost usually isn't much more than that of a new bulb so this is something I'd definitely consider. That's how I got my H57 in the first place. I'd purchased an H31 and wasn't happy with it and they offered to upgrade me to the better resolution of the H57 for about $500.00 over and above what I had paid for the H31. It was an absolute steal of a deal at the time.

I'd be worried to purchase a new bulb and be on the hook for that expense and then it turns out that your bulb was fine after all. It's kind of a gamble don't you think? Especially when $$$ are tight...

Wayne

I too am having exact same issues with my H57 and because of money issues am considering replacing the bulb instead of upgrading.One difference is I only have 400 hours on this bulb so I hope a new bulb solves my problem.Good luck with your bulb change let us know if it solved your issues.

Hiya Wayne! Fellow h57 owners! I have upgraded twice but just wanna see how everyone's doing. I am cyrrently selling my Mits hc3000u which is a pretty nice 720P unit with a brand new bulb as I have moved up to the panny 3000. I would not spend $400 for a bulb for the h57 again as in my experience the Optoma bulbs don't last that long anyways. On my old h57, the bulb went out at a little past 1000 hurs i believe.

anyways, will be posting the mits soon in for sale forum. hope everyone's been good. :)

Hello there Dave! Hope you're well. I hope we all don't go through women the way we do projectors. :)

I'm with the JVC RS2 now and definitely loving it. I used to be a DLP guy but now swear by LCOS.

Hope you enjoy your new Panny. Should be pretty nice with all those bells and whistles on that one. :cool:

Wayne

Long time no hear. How's everyone doing?

:)

Hi Dave. I'm still enjoying my JVC RS2 and it now has around 4200 hours on the original lamp in just under 2 years. It's still plenty bright too. I guess my Da-Lite High Power screen and my dark walls and ceiling doesn't hurt! No desire to upgrade at all. I could live with this projector for years and years if it would allow me. We'll see...

What are you watching on these days?

Wayne