My wife and I got hung up watching three chapters of 24 in the backyard. Movie Time was displayed on a 100" DIY/blackout cloth screen. We couldn't get enough of it. We could smoke cigars and drink wine with impuneity. :)

I'll do a formal review soon, but for starters this machine is too cool for words. It's incredibly bright and rich with color and contrast. This puppy is grayscale tuned. The speaker sound is excellent also. Plug & Play all the way. Take it with you to a hotel, take it camping, take it on your yacht. :)

Review later

Oh before you ask. It's better than the H31, allot better. Key thing being brightness and contrast. I'm not up on foot candle conversions but I got 25.5foot candles at a 92"X52" screen. That's allot higher than the Dark Chip3 got. Probably up near the 1,000 lumens level.

Sounds sweet, how does it compare to H27? considering that i can't afford additional 500$ for DV10.

thanks tom.

how does black level and shadow details fair on this bright puppy? how far was it set up from the screen?

how about audio...this is not computer speakers sound, is it?

It is an H27 but with the 7 segment wheel which makes for the high brightness. Black/shadow detail is excellent. It has RGB/RGB adjustments the the H27 doesn't have, but the darn thing is already tuned wonderfully.


9ft gives you a 92"wide 106" diagonal image. Everybody's going to be surprised how nice movies sound. Crystal clear and articulate, speakers are at the back angled outward. There's a sudo surround sound effect. Decent bass but there's a subwoofer jack on the panel, a mini plug. I'll get a RCA to mini plug adaptor and try it with my HSU.

Oh I absolutely have to have one of these.

Pretty cool. Does it come with a carrying case?

Very cool! does the picture look smoother in terms of pixelation compared to the other budget pjs?

Yes the carry case has MOVIETIME writtin large across it, inside are pockets to hold the cord and remote. I plan to doing a Shrek or Nemo showing Saturday evening in the front of the house. Should create a stir. :)

Looks like i will be ordering H27 tomorrow then, unless DV10 is really THAT good then i could sell my DVD and get DV10... can't wait to see upscaled shots, if you plan to make such of course. :)

Tom - any idea what the offset is on the DV10? Is it as severe as the H27 or more like the H31?

Thanks.

I noticed there's a USB input. For Digital Camera's or Cam-corders I bet.

Super high offset like the H27 (57%) but a much shorter zoom range. I had to be 14' back with the H27 at full zoom to do the same screen size, 9ft back with the DV10.

Glad you finally got one in to review guitarman. Look forward to more observations. You gonna bring it inside to setup and post the usual screenshots?

Looks like i will be ordering H27 tomorrow then, unless DV10 is really THAT good then i could sell my DVD and get DV10... can't wait to see upscaled shots, if you plan to make such of course. :)

yeah, i wonder how it compares to an H27/Oppo combo? since i think the built in dvd only does 480p.

this DV10 with the Graywolf will work wonderfully, i bet... :)

Bring it inside, funny. It will be tuff but I have to. :)

The player is doing 854X480 1.1 pixel match, plus no wires in the digital domain. There's an aspect choice called 1.1 pixel match. Looks like I was at 40Ftl off the 106" graywolf screen. If you like bright this is it. I think I'd suggest a darker screen for this projector or ND filters.

How's the noise factor Tom? Does she whisper or scream?

Very quiet at 27db. I had the projector 2ft in front of me on a coffee table, didn't notice the fan sound plus this made the speaker sound close up and personal.

I'm not up on foot candle conversions but I got 25.5foot candles at a 92"X52" screen. That's allot higher than the Dark Chip3 got. Probably up near the 1,000 lumens level.

One foot candle = One lumen per square foot therefore 25.5 fc equates to 850 lumens.

Thanks, that's brighter than the H79.

Is this projector worth considering over the H31? I was considering the H31 and plan to ceiling mont it, so does the DV10 work well with a ceiling mount since it has a large offset?
Also can the builting dvd player work upsidedown ?

Dan

I expect if you ceiling mounted the DV10 the DVD would fall out into your popcorn - not pretty. It's a tabletop only thing.

Anybody that can table mount or floor mount under a coffee table should consider it. I ran some tests with the reference deinterlacing test DVD. The machine fared very well with jaggies and motion/cadence etc. Just one step below the Faroudja chip. I also played the Galaxy Quest opening of the Spaceship fly by. The sequence played clear and motion was smooth. If I play that sequence with the Bravo D2 or Toshiba I have it will be jerky with lots of jags. So I'd say the Ti solution is working excellent, just like with the NEC HT510.

What about HDMI/DVI with HDCP? The specs I have seen do not include one for this unit. If so, it's a great for dvd, but forget about Blu Ray.

Walt O

Guitarman,

Concerning the sound (not the fan, the speakers!)> How loud can those little speakers get w/o breaking up? Especially when your outside and the sound isn't contained (energy being lost into the wild), can it deliver w/o sounding boxy?

Also, the speakers are stereo (according to Optoma), is there a way to adjust the center channel track volume within the mix? Sometimes (or most of the times) when the surround track gets mixed down to stereo, the center channel gets buried and dialog becomes hard to make out..

Fleaman

What about HDMI/DVI with HDCP? The specs I have seen do not include one for this unit. If so, it's a great for dvd, but forget about Blu Ray.

Walt O

Doesn't seem to have DVI, but it does have VGA which they probably have a adapter to run component with. So, you can connect an outside dvd player, blu ray or whatever...but of course, this isn't really an HD projector...

Fleaman

So upside down placement on top of a shelf is a no go?

:D

Guitarman,

Concerning the sound (not the fan, the speakers!)> How loud can those little speakers get w/o breaking up? Especially when your outside and the sound isn't contained (energy being lost into the wild), can it deliver w/o sounding boxy?

Also, the speakers are stereo (according to Optoma), is there a way to adjust the center channel track volume within the mix? Sometimes (or most of the times) when the surround track gets mixed down to stereo, the center channel gets buried and dialog becomes hard to make out..

Fleaman

The clearity of the dialoge is the best part, it's very out front. You can turn it to max and there's no distortion. Sounds great a night for some reason. :)

You know the dvd click into a lock you might be able to upside down shelf mount. I think I saw projector angles in the menu's, I'll check.

You know the dvd click into a lock you might be able to upside down shelf mount. I think I saw projector angles in the menu's, I'll check.

Or you could just turn it upside down the next time you fire it up and see...

I'll check it but we must have projector options ceiling, rear, front etc. Pretty sure they're there becuase it's basically an H27 inside.

Doesn't seem to have DVI, but it does have VGA which they probably have a adapter to run component with. So, you can connect an outside dvd player, blu ray or whatever...but of course, this isn't really an HD projector...

Fleaman


Granted, but then again, neither is the H27, H31, or 4805, and lots of people are watching HDTV feeds on those through DVI/HDMI. Since the input is on the H27, I really don't understand why they left it off this one.

Walt O

You could send HDTV over the VGA input and use the 1.1 pixel match aspect. Should look fine enough over VGA. I'll check it out. The players a lock right now doing 854X480 at 1.1 over digital domain. I hope it's a durable DVD player.

guitarman,

With the weather over there still in mid 70's at night, I imagine outdoor movie nights to be total blast.

Victor

I don't know if I can give up my outdoor viewing now. Like I said I better buy one of these things. :)

I'm new to this forum, I've had my dv10 for about two weeks now. I'm using it with a 92" greywolf. The images are every bit as bright and saturated (and clear) as guitarman says.

Last week I hooked my samsung direct tv HD receiver to the dsub/component input. All I can say is that the terrestrial HD broadcasts (Leno, CSI etc.) are awesome and even better looking than the built in DVD!
I'm new to PJ for hometheater but are familiar with Optoma business PJ's, I use them frequently, the dv10 blows them away.

CES 2005 goers said the same. Optoma, what took you so long? Good thing this unit isn't priced more in line with the H31...I couldn't resist.

I'm about to bite the bullet. If I order ASAP I can overnight it in time for this weekend (having company over).

Having said that, I'm still torn between the H27 and the DV10. I'm a projector newbie, starting from scratch, so maybe the DV10 fits me better? I don't have a good DVD player, I don't have a sound system, I don't know how to calibrate these things. But, $500 difference in street price is pretty hefty. (I'll be adding a 92" Optoma Grayworld screen, regardless of which projector I get.)

Mostly, I want to watch DVDs and SDTV from my HTPC. HDTV might be coming in the future, but probably not any time soon. Any final advice before I make my choice?

Any final advice before I make my choice?

I purchased a panny AE700 a couple months back. I would have definitely
given the DV10 a hard look were it available then, I just couldn't wait. Part
of it was that the panny rebate and excellent AVS forum sponsor pricing
got the AE700 price within spitting distance of the DV10.

But my advice would be that if this product appeals to you, get it. There are
those that poo-poo the DV10 as a "toy" projector, but sounds to me like it
does just fine.

I brought my AE700 + DVD player on vacation and it was a huge pain, but really
amazing experience. The portability of the DV10 looks fantastic, even if it's
just for moving in/out & around the house. I'm dying to know how it stacks
up to the AE700!

--Joachim

The portability is a big selling point for me. Moving it to different rooms, taking it over to a friends, showing movies with the kids from church, etc.

I think I'm gonna order it. I'll let you all know how it turns out.

- Dan

For presenations it all has the capability of doing 1100lumens. The game video choice is blasting bright yet colors still look good. I took my measurements using AI and user changes which got 850lumens. This is very high lumen level over the majority or HT projectors.

Were you able to get your subwoofer working with it?

Didn't try it. I would need a stereo mini pin to RCA mono adaptor. In looking at the manual there's a mini pin in stereo on the PJ, then it connects to the Optoma sub with two RCA's. There must be a way to rig up a Stereo mini to mono RCA for conventional subs. Ofcourse when you use the 5.1 optical out the subs picked up there.

Hey guitarman,
whats the biggest size image have you done with the dv10? do you think it would be a bad idea to go 2x the size of your 100" diagnal widescreen? and if you did do 200" widescreen, how would that compare with the 100"widescreen? i know it would look worse, but how would you scale the pq of it from 1-10 and for viewing it inside and outside (for the 100" and the 200", 1 being bad, 10 being best) thanks

Arty

My only concerns are with the dvd portion of this rig. The first being obsolescene with HD dvd ( Yeah I know it could be awhile yet ) coming out. The next being if the dvd portion breaks down you are SOL untill you get it back from optoma.
If you can plug in a stand alone HD or SD dvd unit then fine but then you would be back to seperates again.
I quess I look at this like the TVs with built in dvd player. I haven't really been impressed with the build quality of those. Cheers

You can go pretty big with screen size at 850 and 1100 lumens but 200" diagonal is way out of range. Probably 120" maybe even 138"diag.

You can go pretty big with screen size at 850 and 1100 lumens but 200" diagonal is way out of range. Probably 120" maybe even 138"diag.
I've done something like this with sheets sewn together outside (about 16' wide) with a projector probably a hair dimmer and it was a blast. I'm not sure I would recommend it for a permanent setup, but as long as it is dark out I don't think people are really that picky about having images be bright. And a lot of theaters have images on the dimmer side. I wonder what kind of ftL the old drive-in movies used to do in general. For a semi-permanent big screen setup outside I think some of the PVC (plastic) type screen material would work best.

--Darin

PastorDan ...Ive seen this dv-10 with 106" 1.08gain screen on a tv shoppng channel for the price you would pay for just projector itself!

I've connected a subwoofer with a mini stereo plug into a split R/L rca. I do not output is actually a sub output. I can hear some higher frqs coming thru. I am going to use the optical output into my yamaha processor and use it's sub out.

does anyone know how long a fiber cable can be for an optical audio signal be? I will need to run mine about 20' to the yamaha.

PastorDan ...Ive seen this dv-10 with 106" 1.08gain screen on a tv shoppng channel for the price you would pay for just projector itself!
I got a similar deal, although with a 92" screen. 106" is almost too big for the room I'm putting it in. Thanks!

I've connected a subwoofer with a mini stereo plug into a split R/L rca. I do not output is actually a sub output. I can hear some higher frqs coming thru. I am going to use the optical output into my yamaha processor and use it's sub out.

does anyone know how long a fiber cable can be for an optical audio signal be? I will need to run mine about 20' to the yamaha.

With optical audio the sky's the limit. I use a 30' cable that doesn't miss a beat. Highs out of the mini plug out is wierd. Maybe if you tune the cross over real low it might help.

I've done something like this with sheets sewn together outside (about 16' wide) with a projector probably a hair dimmer and it was a blast. I'm not sure I would recommend it for a permanent setup, but as long as it is dark out I don't think people are really that picky about having images be bright. And a lot of theaters have images on the dimmer side. I wonder what kind of ftL the old drive-in movies used to do in general. For a semi-permanent big screen setup outside I think some of the PVC (plastic) type screen material would work best.

--Darin

Yeah but you had to listen to sound coming from your living room. ;) DV10's got it all. All to go, darn it's under 60 out here tonight I have to stay inside.

Yeah but you had to listen to sound coming from your living room. ;)
You should have heard the sound. I didn't realize how well 5.1 sound works outside when you don't get reflections back (yep, I went to the effort to spread some speakers out). At one point most of use looked for a dog that was barking off the the side and back and then realized it was just in the movie. But, this thing would be a lot easier.

--Darin

Oh before you ask. It's better than the H31, allot better.

And if this is based on the H27, does that mean the H27 is a lot better than the H31 too? :D

~ Kiran <entropy@io.com>

Also wondering about the answer to entropy's question above....


Cheers!

I think if you hook up a DV10 to something similar below, talk about instant 5.1 outdoors

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.gsp?product_id=2663659&cat=105878&type=19&dept=3944&path=0%3A3944%3A133251%3A77622%3A105878#long_descr

Victor

Tom: When will we see your comparative review with the H-27? I'm anxiously waiting!

Yeah but you had to listen to sound coming from your living room. ;) DV10's got it all. All to go, darn it's under 60 out here tonight I have to stay inside.

Watching outdoor reminds me of the movie Cinema Paradiso. There was a segment in the film where the projectionist reflected the image from his booth slowly out the window and right across the wall of an apartment building so villagers can enjoy the movie. But the way that image floated across on a grander scale showed the beauty of this film.

I just saw some your DV10 screenshots in the other thread. They don't seem to look as good with your previous set of screenshots with the H31. My worry here is if the low rez will be too noticeable, compared to my Sony HS20. I once had the chance of comparing the Infocus 4805 and Sony HS20; no matter how good the 4805 was, in terms of color and contrast, I still preferred the smoother look of my HS20.

Anyhow, I ended up ordering the DV10 this morning to do some comparisons. I don't think the Graywolf screen should be used for comparing projectors. Its texture seem to mask a lot of the image artifacts and details...in a subtle way though.

And if this is based on the H27, does that mean the H27 is a lot better than the H31 too? :D

~ Kiran <entropy@io.com>

I don't think so. I got it looking pretty good but tuning is easier with the H31 because it has full RGB control. The H27 has RGB overall adjustments no RGB-brightness RGB contrast.

Watching outdoor reminds me of the movie Cinema Paradiso. There was a segment in the film where the projectionist reflected the image from his booth slowly out the window and right across the wall of an apartment building so villagers can enjoy the movie. But the way that image floated across on a grander scale showed the beauty of this film.

I just saw some your DV10 screenshots in the other thread. They don't seem to look as good with your previous set of screenshots with the H31. My worry here is if the low rez will be too noticeable, compared to my Sony HS20. I once had the chance of comparing the Infocus 4805 and Sony HS20; no matter how good the 4805 was, in terms of color and contrast, I still preferred the smoother look of my HS20.

Anyhow, I ended up ordering the DV10 this morning to do some comparisons. I don't think the Graywolf screen should be used for comparing projectors. Its texture seem to mask a lot of the image artifacts and details...in a subtle way though.

What I see in those screenshots is the extreme brightness the projector has. Those are on the graywolf with a floor mount so there's even more added brightness.

Got my DV10, haven't even set up the greywolf screen yet. Just playing it against the wall for fun. I noticed that my LotR:Two Towers DVD seemed to pause and skip at times, and there were occasional strange checkerboard patterns in small parts of a scene. Anyone else experienced any trouble with the internal DVD player?

That aside, it blows me away, but I'm a projector newbie, so anything I bought would have done that. I need to get the screen set up.

Not many have this puppy yet. So far mine has played many dvd's fine. Maybe the laser has so film on it. You can see cleaning it is very easy it's right there and open. Use 99% alcohol if you have. You can use the 70% but I wouldn't make a habbit of it. Maybe the DVD is dirty also.

Sounds like a finger/smudge mark on dvd........

I'll try cleaning. I put in two other DVDs (Disc 1 & Disc 2 of Return of the King extended) and it completed CHOAKED on them both. Wouldn't even play them - freeze frame, weird blocky colors, sound cutting in and out.

In fact, the internal speakers stopped making any noise at all, either with a DVD as the source or my GameCube, but I've got some external speakers working (not the optical, the regular sound out port). I hope I just messed up a setting somewhere, but I've tried everything I can find to get them working again, to no avail.

Guitarman, do you have any LotR DVDs to test with the unit?

What I see in those screenshots is the extreme brightness the projector has. Those are on the graywolf with a floor mount so there's even more added brightness.

colors still look great even at optimal brightness...impressive then. :) i'm assuming you took those shots sitting down.

can't wait to get this puppy next week. actually, i'll be getting two puppies...the other one, called Nintendogs ;)

I'll try cleaning. I put in two other DVDs (Disc 1 & Disc 2 of Return of the King extended) and it completed CHOAKED on them both. Wouldn't even play them - freeze frame, weird blocky colors, sound cutting in and out.

In fact, the internal speakers stopped making any noise at all, either with a DVD as the source or my GameCube, but I've got some external speakers working (not the optical, the regular sound out port). I hope I just messed up a setting somewhere, but I've tried everything I can find to get them working again, to no avail.

Guitarman, do you have any LotR DVDs to test with the unit?

I'll try the ring movies tonight. So far everything has played. No speaker sound? Should be automatic. Run thru the menu's see if you can find something, do a reset.

Waiting to see if PastorDan gets DV-10 playing correctly!

I tracked my shipment and noticed that it arrived at the DHL's office in Irvine, Ca Saturday morning...Dang, that's less than 48 hrs!!! Had I known this earlier, I could have already picked it up yesterday to check out.

PastorDan, how's your unit? Sounds like a defective one.

Checking back in - sorry for the delay, had high school kids over all day yesterday. In the end, after I couldn't get things working, I just plugged in an external DVD player (via S-Video) and some computer speakers and we used it that way. HOWEVER, this morning, just to double-check, I tossed a DVD into the internal DVD player and it all worked perfectly, including the internal speakers. I'm at a loss - no idea what the cause was. Although I'm new to projectors, I'm very technically proficient otherwise. I'll keep trying different DVDs over the next week or two. If the problem repeats itself, I'll report here.

Technical issues aside, everyone was THRILLED with the movie showing - Return of the King extended version on a 92" Greywolf screen. I've seen plenty of office use projectors at work and church (even some very expensive ones) but I've never seen anything even close to this! Awesome detail, deeper colors than I thought possible, etc. The PQ has exceeded my most optimistic hopes. And that's from an external DVD player (a cheap Magnavox, I think). Maybe the internal one will be even better - I didn't have time to do much besides confirm that it's working this morning.

Any other questions? Is taking a picture with my Canon A85 of help? No flash I assume, any other tips so that I can take a picture that's useful to everyone?

GOOD to Hear P.D......let us know if and when this occurs again ...i'm thinking about buying one for camping trips!

I have had very good luck with my Panasonic Pt-l300 outside. I have it hooked up via component from a portable Toshiba Sd-p2000 to project on a matt white Draper Consul 70 X 70 . I run the Toshiba in progressive mode and it looks awesome. I can even run the Toshiba off battery power if need be.

My next purchase will be a pure sine converter so I can run the projector absolutely anywhere from 12V power :)

Dan, sounds good. Having it unplugged it probably reset it self. Keep using it, losen it up. :)
Glad you're happy.

Outdoor theater, I was thinking of taking the HT1000 outside it has some little speakers. Probably not near as good as the Movie Times speakers though.

I received my Movietime projector last Friday, with the free 106" Graywolf screen, from Shop at home tv. I had to wait three excruciating weeks for them, but it is well worth it. I initially used a Da-Lite Insta-theater 73" screen, and the picture was fantastic. This is my first projector purchase, so I am very new to this. The large picture was great. We use the Da-Lite in the bedroom, and I just hung the Graywolf in the living room last night. I luckily received the correct gray screen, unlike many others who received the white screen. So far, I am very impressed with the screen. Unfortunately, the screen does not retract easily.


For a cheap surround sound system, I purchased the Soundmatters Mainstage from Crutchfields with free shipping and a 50 dollar rebate until the end of August. I use an optical cable from the Movietime to the Mainstage, and the sound does not sound too bad for a inexpensive system.

I can hardly wait until my friends and family see what this projector can do, so I can see their jaws drop.

Dan, sounds good. Having it unplugged it probably reset it self. Keep using it, losen it up. :)
Glad you're happy.

I called Optoma tech support today. They have received a few other calls with the same speaker problem, although it appears to be a very small minority of units that have the problem (and cycling the power sometimes solves it). He told me they're working on a firmware update or something of the sort, and asked if I could hold my unit for a week or two rather than return it, and he'll call me as soon as they have a fix. I use external speakers now anyway, so I'm willing to give them time to work on it.

I looked at the FOTR and it played perfectly. Infact the tuff panning scenes from that movie played very smooth.

I haven't had problems with the internal DVD player since the first night. Everyone I've invited over so far has been blown away!

Oh before you ask. It's better than the H31, allot better. Key thing being brightness and contrast. I'm not up on foot candle conversions but I got 25.5foot candles at a 92"X52" screen. That's allot higher than the Dark Chip3 got. Probably up near the 1,000 lumens level.


Guitarman: I was this close to buying an H31 before reading your comments. After reading , I found a very good deal on a Movietime and an 80" screen (which is the size I wanted). For a basement room which I have complete control over the light, and on an 80" screen, is the Movietime picture so superior as to be worth the extra bucks? The only thing I have against it is the integrated dvd player, as I was sorta looking for an excuse to buy an Oppo for the hailed picture quality and dvd audio.

I'm a new member an a projector newbie so howdy to all and many thanks.

The advantage the H31 has is you can ceiling mount it and yes use a outboard digital player. Its a darker image so it would work better on a 80" screen. The MT is an extremely bright projector better on a larger screen. Or outdoor uses, like last night just before dark the MT image still had contrast with light in the backyard.

Based on this and other reviews I decided to buy the DV10 for the new patio cover I just put in. It's a 13X30 and I was looking to get a PJ that would work outside. It gets really really dark back there so it should be great.

I got the deal that Compu USA has right now until 9/30/2005:

$1499 + free shipping includes:

DV10
Panoview 92" Manual Screen
A Powered subwoofer
2 DVD movies ( selection was poor but I found 2 movies I didn't have)
a case of Micro popcorn (blasphemy)
and 3 types of snacks (PLanters nuts, Famous Amos cookies, and JOlly Ranchers)

I figure the DV10 was going to @ $1499 anyway, why not get all the free stuff too.. If only it came with a popcorn machine...

Wow, I was going to suggest why not buy at AVS but that grab bag is too much.
enjoy

Since I got the Panoview 92" Manual Screen with the combo package, how will this fair against say the Greywolf everyone is talking about?

The Panoview is the Gray Wolf! I believe that is the one CompUSA is including at least.

Since I got the Panoview 92" Manual Screen with the combo package, how will this fair against say the Greywolf everyone is talking about?


I just checked their add, it's a Mat White 1.0. See how you like it, at least the Mat White won't show waves with video.

You can go with a larger screen with the DV10. The Graywolf might not be best though because you're in the cone and adding high gain. With the 92" diagaonal MW you'll be higher than 850lumens already.

If you want the 92" Greywolf with the DV10 you can get that combo from Microc#%ter.
I just got the ad today. Same price.

Some on the thread have had good success with the graywolf and DV10 combo.

I got mine at Co#tco and it only came with a Panoview 80" travel screen so the system is super portable. It's the travel lite. I paid the same price. The screen looks good, but I just wish it was 100".

After watching it on the 80" which is Matte White, I decided I wouldn't mind the screen being a little brighter so I ordered the 106" graywolf to try it out. I thought I would give it a try, especially since I like to keep a light on while watching movies since I tend to get headaches when it's pitch black. Hopefully the Graywolf will be a little better at ambient light rejection. If I hate it, I'll get the Dalite MW that Tom had recommended to me.

Tom is the MAN!! Even if I went against his advice this time. But because of Tom, I bought the DV10 and love it, even projected on my beige wall. Home theater is so darn cool.

Try sRBG and color temp 1, Ai on also. On mine this gives a very natural image, very bright also.

I'm supossed to take mine back on Monday but they'll have to pry it from my dead hands.

I plan to buy it. Add me to the club. :)

After reading your comments, i jumped in. My dv-10 arrived this afternoon. i couldn't wait to
mount the greywolf - i watched Dick Tracy on my white livingroom wall. If an entry level
machine looks this good on a blank wall, what must the latest and greatest look like?
I LOVE IT.
Thanks for convincing me to get it.
(and this was streight out of the box.)
tjl

I'm really tempted by that compusa deal. My living room isn't that big though and I'll need to leave my current tv and entertainment center where it is. So I was thinking I could mount the screen so it would pull down in front of my entertainment center but this would only give me a viewing distance of 8.5 feet. Is this going to be too short for a 92" inch screen or will I need to project a smaller image onto the screen? Also if I do put like a 70-80" image on the 92" screen is it going to look bad? Throw distance isnt much of a concern because I have a really deep coffee table.

Hrm nevermind I couldn't project that big of an image anyway. Too bad they don't offer a smaller screen.

A repeat of a new thread I wrote today...for those of you on this thread who might miss it:

THE MIND BLOWING OPTOMA MOVIETIME DV 10 PROJECTOR!

My wife had to tell me to calm down after I unpacked the Optoma Movietime DV 10 that just arrived. I was acting like an excited kid, and why not with all that was hitting my eyes...like a beautiful shipping box with crystal clear photos and information, a very impressive and useful carrying case, and the actual machine-which looked smaller than I had imagined and a real eye catcher like a neat foreign car. A fine looking and versatile remote control, an easy to read user manual and other accessories rounded out the package.

I placed it on the coffee table near my Sharp XV-Z900 that sits at the rear of the room (now in its third year of use and on a second bulb), plugged it in and pressed the on button. I knew immediately from the Optoma start graphic that I was in for a treat. You simply pop a DVD into the top lid and close and it starts playing without any command. I began with Toy Story 2. Vivid and crystal clear. Then an old Sinatra favorite film, "Pal Joey" which looked nicer than I remembered. Then the Jerry Lewis "Nutty Professor" that has reds, blues and purples in the opening scene that are so intense that your eyes feel like your mouth does when eating a great piece of pepperoni pizza.

BUT the exciting test was "Lost In Space", because this is where the finer picture qualities were evident. I was quite used to seeing this on my Sharp, as it was my favorite demo for sound and action when people came to see our home theater set up. I was not prepared for what followed and I started jumping around (Anna said "calm down" two more times...but she was jumping up and down by then herself!). The gray frame bars I saw in the past were dark black and almost imperceptible on my Stewart Grayhawk 8 foot diagonal screen (BTW, the projector was only eight feet from the screen and filled it!). The jet blacks in outer space were awesome and the intensity and color of the sharp, noise free images were nothing less than exciting. Even the sound was damn good (no subwoofer hooked up yet) considering it was coming out of two small stereo speakers built into the Movietime. I had the video set to "Game", which is one of five pre-set choices and that seemed to give the most punch. I noticed that the brightness was only about forty percent up on this setting and it was plenty bright. I raised the picture to shine on our white plaster ceiling and believe it or not that looked even better.

I am sitting here still in my bathrobe and have much more testing and comparing to do and will report again. In the meantime, I say "look out" to the other projector manufacturers. This Optoma beauty is going to raise the bar for home theater and portable home theater tremendously!
PS. A sexy feature I liked is how the volume drops and then SLOWLY comes back up when you make any adjustments on the machine.

Sounds great, like I said they'll have to pry it from my dead hands. :)

I became a big outdoor movie fan this summer, but was tired of dragging my 4805 up from the HT and then having to realign it when I was done. Also found having seperate components to be a PITA. So am thrilled to see the DV10 as a possible solution. Also figure this may help with the occasional bedroom viewing when the kids take over the HT but the wife and I still want a bigscreen experience. Thanks Guitarman!

Interested to see if anyone has had success hooking up a Motorola HD box to it.

What's this Greywolf? Where can I read more about it? Is it a 4x3 retractable?

One other comment - I predict the DV10 will be a major breakthru as it can give bigscreen FP capabilities to the masses in a plug-n-play manner. Broader adoption of FP is good of us HT nuts as it will only drive up choice and drive down cost.

I became a big outdoor movie fan this summer, but was tired of dragging my 4805 up from the HT and then having to realign it when I was done. Also found having seperate components to be a PITA. So am thrilled to see the DV10 as a possible solution. Also figure this may help with the occasional bedroom viewing when the kids take over the HT but the wife and I still want a bigscreen experience. Thanks Guitarman!

Interested to see if anyone has had success hooking up a Motorola HD box to it.

What's this Greywolf? Where can I read more about it? Is it a 4x3 retractable?

There's a review thread in the screens area. All that's available now is 16.9 pull ups.

On another note, I left my remote home when showing off the unit at my parents' home and could not change aspect ratio. The instructions state there is a button on the right near the cluster of four buttons, but none are labeled aspect or do that function. Guitarman...do you know what to do? PS. Hope you are enjoying your DV 10 as much as me!

Another strange thing I discovered about the DV 10 is that I was only able to get the volume up to level 14 using the built in up and down volume control buttons. I inadvertently used the remote for volume and lo and behold I was getting nearly double that volume. Room filling sound! I was thrilled. I had just purchased an auxiliary amp/subwoofer from Radio Shack now on sale at half price (49.99) to help with the sound.

Does anyone know why the onboard volume controls don't go any higher than level 14?
Sam

One further post...Anna and I went to see the fun movie "The Man" today (love Samuel L. Jackson!) and we know the AMC theater manager. I was gushing about the Movietime Projector and he offered me a private time to come to the theater and try projecting on a couple of the multiplex screens to see how large it can project witout losing quality. Can't wait!

I am posting without any replies...but here is another thing to consider. The volume level goes to number 30 (double the amount on DVD) ONLY when playing a source plugged into the projector. I ran my camcorder through it and got gangbusters volume. Still only goes to 15 (not 14 as I reported) on the built in DVD. This makes no sense to me, as obviously the amp and speakers have more power than are being used on the DVD's. Hope someone can find out about this quirk...or I will probably have to try calling Optoma.

Sam, I guess the lesson is don't forget your remote. Cool deal at the movie theater. The lighting conditions should be "optoma"l.

I’ve got a couple of bulb life question on the DV10. Given it’s great portability, is there a rule of thumb for not moving the projector to extend bulb life. I thought I’ve heard somewhere that you should let it cool for a good 30 minutes. The cooling fan only runs for around 30 seconds, but that just doesn’t seem long enough to cool the bulb down.

Also the rated bulb life is 2000 hrs high brightness and 3000 hrs in standard. Does this refer to the Bright Mode being on or off, or does this have more to do with the brightness level? I’ll only be watching video with the brightness tuned down.

Yes try not to bump it after shut off. You could move it just don't bang it. 3000 in Normal 2000 in bright. It's really bright in Normal.

Does The Optical Audio Output Provide A 5.1 Signal?
Would Be Great To Jack This Into The Home Audio System For Indoor Use.

5.1 sure, all u need is a long optical cable, they're cheap enough also.

We talked about ceiling mounting the DV10. Even though the disc will stay in place, can't do it there's no upside down projector settings. Just straight up.

I have the optical going to my receiver for 5.1 for my indoor setup. I like it except with the table mount I have the wires running through a floor rubber mold to prevent tripping.

I guess with any floor/table mount you have to do this.

Has anyone tried the mini output for the subwoofer? How does it sound?

Guitarman:

Did you post screen shots of the DV10 on another forum? If so, I can't seem to find them. Can you (or anyone else) direct me there? Thanks!

I felt somewhat alone in my excitement over this newly released projector, the Optoma Movietime DV 10. I want to shout from the rooftops about it and declare it a bigtime winner toward bringing home theater into any household, or for that matter into any room anywhere!

And that excitement was even before owning it (for the past ten days). It keeps getting better and better from enjoying the space age design to marvelling at the functional promise it delivers. My fussy wife said it best when she happened to walk into the room while "The Aviator" on the Movietime showed a beautiful close-up of Hughes and his girlfriend projected onto the Optoma Graywolf 106 inch screen . She bubbled: "That is better than anything I have seen in the theater"!

I don't think enough people have had the chance to see and handle this great new machine, or otherwise this forum would be red hot with posts about it...like when the Infocus X1 was discovered to be a fine machine. To my knowledge it has not been reviewed in the popular home theater magazines yet and has barely had any internet reviews by users, but has had some professional opinions which were all glowing.

I would LOVE hearing from more of you out there about your feelings on the Movietime. Home Theater Lives!

PS. There is a great thread on a great screen match for this projector, the Optoma Graywolf screen, which was started by Guitarman. Also note that I wrote an almost identical post to this one, but it was closed and I have inquired via personal message as to why without any answer.

Didn't you make this post a few days ago? There's already a few threads about this projector.

Yes...if you look at my "PS", I openly admit this post is nearly identical to my first post. There is really only one threat (Great Outdoors) on this machine and it only scratches the surface. We need more discussion!
BTW, Optoma was so pleased with the writing I have done on this machine that they sent the material to their home office. Here is what I wrote:


We have had several days to try out the exciting new Optoma Movietime Video Projector and have even visited a few friends at home. From a picture size of six feet to over fifteen feet, the quality was fantastic. A thrill was showing the fifteen foot image on the white wall above a fireplace in a room with a vaulted ceiling. Just plugging the projector into the wall outlet and putting it on a chair turned the room into a true home theater. The built in sound system and speakers were more than enough for enjoyment. I also feel that the built in DVD player adds to the exceptional picture quality because there are not wired or analog connections to introduce loss...you get direct digital perfection.
The contrast (deep blacks) on this machine are as good as any I have ever seen. The color saturation (rich reds, blues, etc) is so intense that colors literally sparkle like they do on Plasma screens much smaller.
The sharpness is excellent. You can even place this machine on the floor and still have proper viewing area height. They have designed the lens so that you don't have to be far back to get big pictures. For example, only six feet back will produce a six foot picture. Worried about having to have a darkened room? That will always give the best picture, but this unit has so much brightness (even on the bulb saving mode!) that you can enjoy video with normal brightness in the room. This was not possible with low light output projectors of the past. And it is whisper quiet, so you don't hear it running. The user menus are very straightforward and easy to navigate. Right out of the box, without any tweaking or adjustments we had a GREAT picture and perfect performance. The only thing I haven't figured out is how to automatically turn off the subtitles on DVD's. I can do this with the flick of a switch, but I may call Optoma on that question.
Another great experience was plugging in the cable TV box. High definition quality without paying high definition prices. And then connecting our camcorder into it...DVD quality pictures that we had just taken at the Media Super Sunday and at area restaurants singing and enjoying Anna's birthday. Even the dark scenes look good because this projector has a special circuit (new technology) to boost contrast in dark scenes.
Did I tell you about the beautiful carrying case included? It is padded for protection, very rugged, and looks embroidered with big "MOVIETIME" logo printed in. It will hold everything you need including remote, power cable, instruction manual, and accessory plugs. Has a velcro strip to secure projector from moving inside.
The projector has so many nice controls on the topside that you can forget the remote control and still do most functions.
Does this sound like they have thought of everything? Well, they HAVE. And read the effusive professional and user reviews on this machine and read the few user opinions here and you will know that Optoma also thought of just about everything when designing the machine that will change the scope of home theater.
We just tested the machine in our basement on our old crank down beaded screen. We got a fourteen foot (!) wide picture with the full eight foot height from floor to ceiling. Thrilling, as we watched "The Aviator" and were totally immersed in the screen experience. Sharp, vivid, and engulfing with the projector sitting on the floor. We did add a cheapie Radio Shack subwoofer/surround sound unit (on sale for half price at 49.95) to add the deep bass needed for the Dolby Digital Sound.
If you have been thinking of buying a new TV or getting into home theater....think no longer. This unit has only been out a month, but I have researched every available professional article, every post written on forums about audio-visual by users, and all are raving about this great new machine. It has a full warranty for a year and is backed up with excellent customer service.
To see this machine pictured from every angle and a lot more information about it, go to:

http://www.ausmedia.com.au/Optoma_DV10_projector_price.htm

Note that this is an Australian web site, so pay no attention to the high prices quoted.
Finally, here are my first thoughts on this machine, after removing it from the box:

Weighing only seven pounds and taking up less space than a portable typewriter, this machine is revolutionary and will add new meaning to my new pet phrase "Have Projector Will Travel".

THE MIND BLOWING OPTOMA MOVIETIME DV 10 PROJECTOR!

My wife had to tell me to calm down after I unpacked the Optoma Movietime DV 10 that just arrived. I was acting like an excited kid, and why not with all that was hitting my eyes...like a beautiful shipping box with crystal clear photos and information, a very impressive and useful carrying case, and the actual machine-which looked smaller than I had imagined and a real eye catcher like a neat foreign car. A fine looking and versatile remote control, an easy to read user manual and other accessories rounded out the package.

I placed it on the coffee table near my Sharp XV-Z900 that sits at the rear of the room (now in its third year of use and on a second bulb), plugged it in and pressed the on button. I knew immediately from the Optoma start graphic that I was in for a treat. You simply pop a DVD into the top lid and close and it starts playing without any command. I began with Toy Story 2. Vivid and crystal clear. Then an old Sinatra favorite film, "Pal Joey" which looked nicer than I remembered. Then the Jerry Lewis "Nutty Professor" that has reds, blues and purples in the opening scene that are so intense that your eyes feel like your mouth does when eating a great piece of pepperoni pizza.

BUT the exciting test was "Lost In Space", because this is where the finer picture qualities were evident. I was quite used to seeing this on my Sharp, as it was my favorite demo for sound and action when people came to see our home theater set up. I was not prepared for what followed and I started jumping around (Anna said "calm down" two more times...but she was jumping up and down by then herself!). The gray frame bars I saw in the past were dark black and almost imperceptible on my Stewart Grayhawk 8 foot diagonal screen (BTW, the projector was only eight feet from the screen and filled it!). The jet blacks in outer space were awesome and the intensity and color of the sharp, noise free images were nothing less than exciting. Even the sound was damn good (no subwoofer hooked up yet) considering it was coming out of two small stereo speakers built into the Movietime. I had the video set to "Game", which is one of five pre-set choices and that seemed to give the most punch. I noticed that the brightness was only about forty percent up on this setting and it was plenty bright. I raised the picture to shine on our white plaster ceiling and believe it or not that looked even better.

I am sitting here still in my bathrobe and have much more testing and comparing to do and will report again. In the meantime, I say "look out" to the other projector manufacturers. This Optoma beauty is going to raise the bar for home theater and portable home theater tremendously!
PS. A sexy feature I liked is how the volume drops and then SLOWLY comes back up when you make any adjustments on the machine.

PPS. These sell for around $1,500.00...far less than most rear projection TVs and far superior. The folks at Best Buy and Circuit City won't point you in the direction of this projectors and others like it because their profit margin is very low on these.
For the technically minded, some important specs:
Uses the latest Texas Instruments DLP chip, the Dark Chip2
Contrast Ratio: 4000 to 1
ANSI Brightness: 1000 lumens
Lamp Life (200 watt bulb): 3000 hours in econo mode
Aspect Ratio: 16 x 9 native
Resolution: SVGA (854 x 480)
Speakers: Two five watt stereo
Color Wheel: 7 segment (including white); 4x speed
Noise level: 27db
Image size: 48 to 359 inches
Dimensions: 14.5 x 4.6 x 10.7
Weight: 7.8 lbs.
Warranty: 3 years

OK Sam, quit holding back - tell us how you really feel about this PJ. ;)

That has to be the ugliest projector I've ever seen.

Casenpt1:
Au Contraire, mon amie! I loved this machine just by its looks and long before actually getting to use it and discover its wonders. It has a space age look like something out of "War of the Worlds", which is appropriate because it has already brought another world to home theater.

Itsdon:
I DO sound higher than a kite when describing this unit. Actually, I have been high on life ever since getting it (and doing all the research before buying always gets my juices flowing; I have evev bought two other new techie pieces!). To fully understand my excitement, you have to go back to when I first graduated from college and then became a 16MM film collector in the early seventies. I was crazy about the quality of 16MM and loved watching big screen movies. I dreamed of the day that a better technology would eliminate heavy reels, splices and scratches, and noisy projectors and their expensive bulbs that only last forty hours. Well, the day did not come until 2001, when I saw the first video projector (a Sony LCD) that gave me hope. It wasn't until I auditioned the Sharp XV-z9000 that I knew I could be happy again with picture quality that rivaled cinema. (Recently I visited a friend who has 16MM projectors that use Xenon bulbs and I was thrilled all over again at the great brightness and super quality. But I would never backtrack to this antique mode of movie watching). Now that projectors like the Movietime are available, I can finally breath a sigh of relief that my dream came true while I was still young enough to enjoy it.

What kind of stand do you have for this. I am considering getting some type of roll out cart to put this on with the subwoofer and dtv box. The only issue is that it has to be almost on the ground ( i have the DV10 sitting on top of the box it came in on the ground to project up.) I love this thing, the PQ is great right out of the box. A few minor adjustments and wow. I was impressed. Watching Monday Night Football with the guys on the back patio is awsome. BTW it did ship with the greywolf instead of the white like was advertised on comp usa.

Guitarman:

Did you post screen shots of the DV10 on another forum? If so, I can't seem to find them. Can you (or anyone else) direct me there? Thanks!

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=571213

I just got my SECOND Movietime projector (any wonder with my excitement over this unit?!) and it was perfect right out of the box...but it does the same thing as the first one, which is that it displays subtitles to any DVD inserted until you turn them off via the remote button.

Does anyone know how to turn this feature permanently OFF??!! I am still waiting for the Optoma engineers to answer this after ten days....

My did that. Looks like you'll have to que them off at startup.

What kind of stand do you have for this. I am considering getting some type of roll out cart to put this on with the subwoofer and dtv box. The only issue is that it has to be almost on the ground ( i have the DV10 sitting on top of the box it came in on the ground to project up.) I love this thing, the PQ is great right out of the box. A few minor adjustments and wow. I was impressed. Watching Monday Night Football with the guys on the back patio is awsome. BTW it did ship with the greywolf instead of the white like was advertised on comp usa.


Anyone? I hate to keep pulling out the D10 box to put it on to watch movies. It has to be low though as this PJ only projects up. I use this for outside viewing.

I just got my SECOND Movietime projector (any wonder with my excitement over this unit?!) and it was perfect right out of the box...but it does the same thing as the first one, which is that it displays subtitles to any DVD inserted until you turn them off via the remote button.

Does anyone know how to turn this feature permanently OFF??!! I am still waiting for the Optoma engineers to answer this after ten days....

Hmmm, my Samsung HD941 DVD player did this too and there was no workaround. Could it be a Samsung player (or firmware) in that beast?

I just got my SECOND Movietime projector (any wonder with my excitement over this unit?!) and it was perfect right out of the box...but it does the same thing as the first one, which is that it displays subtitles to any DVD inserted until you turn them off via the remote button.

Does anyone know how to turn this feature permanently OFF??!! I am still waiting for the Optoma engineers to answer this after ten days....

Mine does that also, I'm hoping for a firmware flash.

Also, When I play SW AOTC I see what looks like production notes and I can't turn those off. That's distracting.

Mine doesn't automatically bring up the subtitles and actually it never did out of the box.

Whenever I've seen pictures of it on the internet, it's always has a gray body. Mine has a white body. Anybody else notice that?

I love my DV10, but I didn't love the Graywolf screen, unless I set the PJ on top of the coffee table. So now I just have a wall painted flat white and I like the picture a lot better than the graywolf.

As for using the box as a projector table, that cracks me up. I built the base of my projector table out of the stock red oak from Lowes so the projector would sit 3 inches off of the ground. Only problem is, I used a large slab of black granite as the top and I get some reflection off of it. It looks great when not watching a movie, but I think I'll have to start putting a black cloth over it during movie time. I wish I had stumbled onto this thread before I made the granite decision.

When I first heard about the MovieTime PJ I thought this was the one for me because it would be flexible enough to work both for my home theater system and be portable. Then I was disappointed to discover that it didn’t have a DVI input which started me looking elsewhere. Now I’ve almost come full circle with the H31 then the H27 and now after reading all these good things about the DV10, I’m seriously considering it again. I’d like to hook this thing into my 6.1 surround sound system but I see it only outputs 5.1. I’m sure this will work just fine but I am a little disappointed it’s not at least 7.1. Also disappointed that it doesn’t a digital coax output. Because of the nature of this beast I’d think a more durable cable would have been in order.

I just have a few questions that may firm up my decision.

Would someone that has this unit please compare the PQ between its built in DVD and using an external DVD player attached via the VGA D-Sub to RCA input adapter? At this point, I’d be using component video because I have no DV output devices but would like to hear the results of both tests. My main reasons for asking are if the built in DVD were to take a dump would the PQ suffer a lot by using an external source and I may want to use a 6.1 or more surround system. Correct me if I’m wrong but either way I assume this connection would still be better than S-Video.

If I decide to buy the DV10, some places are offering the free 92” GrayWolf Panoview in white(1.0 gain) and some places are offering it in gray(1.8 gain). I’m leaning toward the gray based upon what I’ve been reading but would like some more opinions on which would match up for the best PQ and why.

Any and all comments would be appreciated. Thanks.

I have pretty much the same questions as Mark regarding the DV10.

I don't have one of these but I did read that it will output DD 7.1 from it's optical port. You'd have to have a reciever capable of decoding it though. The unit itself only has the capability of doing 2.1 internally.

According to the DV-10_ebook in the installation section on page 15 under connecting the audio output it only show examples of 2.1 channel/5.1 channel with no mention of any higher. If someone could confirm the 7.1 for me that would be super. It would be one less reason not to buy this puppy.

Thanks!

Itsdon: Thanks for the PM, wrote you one back.

Mark: I've seen the DV10 advertised on most all online sites as being "up to 7.1" for the optical out.

Jimmy

Thanks JimmyDaves for clearing up the 7.1 issue. It seems like I read that somewhere as well but I've looked at so many reviews and spec sheets in my quest that you start to second guess yourself. Now if someone could help me with the picture quality comparison between built in dvd and external dvd and also which Panoview, gray or white would work best with the DV10 I will be that much closer.

Thanks again.

According to the DV-10_ebook in the installation section on page 15 under connecting the audio output it only show examples of 2.1 channel/5.1 channel with no mention of any higher. If someone could confirm the 7.1 for me that would be super. It would be one less reason not to buy this puppy.

Thanks!

There is no DD 7.1. All DD can be is 5.1 at most.

There are post processing formats like Logic 7 or Dolby Pro Logic IIx which can derive 7.1 from the 5.1 descrete channels of DD.

Shelly

Thanks JimmyDaves for clearing up the 7.1 issue. It seems like I read that somewhere as well but I've looked at so many reviews and spec sheets in my quest that you start to second guess yourself. Now if someone could help me with the picture quality comparison between built in dvd and external dvd and also which Panoview, gray or white would work best with the DV10 I will be that much closer.

Thanks again.

Mark....
The onboard DVD player performs excellent and has many good features besides. Due to being directly and digitally connected, the picture quality will be better than a player connected with analogue connections.
You can plug an extrernal DVD player in via composite or s-video inputs (better), but I assume the best connection will be using the component adaptor supplied with the projector. I have not tried using an external player yet, so can't confirm the PQ for you.
I would definitely go with the Graywolf screen. The contast factor and the brightness factor will be superior (especially with some ambient light). The Graywolf is newly developed and just ideal for this machine. Many sites offering a deal with the projector and screen list the screen (often a choice between the 92 or 106 inch sizes) as white, but the screens are indeed gray!
You won't be able to beat the CompUSA deal on this (which expires THIS FRIDAY!) since it includes the great Graywolf, the nice Optoma subwoofer (just fine for the full bodied sound the onboard speakers won't give you), two DVD's, 32 packs of popcorn, and assorted candy and other snacks.
I just ordered my third one and am enjoying them immensely!
Sam

I talked to the Movietime Product Manager today about some minor issues I had with the projector. Here is what I learned:

1-Regarding the subtitles that come on each time you insert a new DVD (you must turn them off manually), he said that is an issue they will correct. Unfortunately, you must send the machine back to them. Note that a few people here have not had that problem, so either it has already been corrected or it varies from set to set.

2-Regarding the instructions that state you can change aspect ratio with the onbard buttons instead of the remote (if you like)...this must be changed because it is a printed error. You can use the onboard buttons to change ratio by going to the menu, however. On the remote, a separate button does this.

3-The only truly important issue could not be answered yet. That is the volume output, which I found somewhat low on DVD's. Yet the volume is twice as loud on non-DVD sources. Makes absolutely no sense to me!

4-He also noted that the supposed DVD included as an instruction manual is not a DVD but rather a CD. It will not play in my CD player. I will try playing it on the computer, but I will be that it won't work there either.

These issues are minor and have not hampered the joy and excitement I have had since getting my first Movietime this month. It is a wonderful new product that performs better than sets costing many times more, looks classy and has a space age design, and is unbelievably convenient. You will find yourself running more movies than ever with it!

Just a theory, but maybe when the built in DVD player is being used, it uses enough power/resources to limit the volume playback?

I thought someone said that the remote would raise the volume to the same levels as other sources, but that the onboard controls maxed out lower.

As to low volume on DVDs. Is it possible that it's decoding 5.1 channels and the power is distributed over 5 channels. There is no discrete amp for each channel, that usually is found in better receivers. The result is that the volume level will drop in this type of setup. That is my guess.

So choosing 2.1 audio in the DVD menu if available might solve the issue, right?

Also, I'm still looking for service menu codes if anyone has them.

I hope you are right about the panoview screen being the gray one because I placed my order today. :eek: Even the order confirmation said it was white so I’m still a bit concerned. I’ll be rather disappointed if I get the white one. The DVD selection was so bad I ended up having to get the sports illustrated swimsuit DVD. I’m sure the wife will never believe that story… I’m hoping it will be a good test to see how natural skin looks on this puppy. ;) I’ll keep you posted on that one. I hope the next time I have something to say it is good news and reviews and not just problems and questions. I can’t wait until I get this and can fire it up to see what it can do.

Thanks all for your help especially Guitarman for the great reviews.

One more thing, Sam why would anyone need three of these things? I hope it's not because you really like the popcorn. It was probably your fault that I had to get the SI swimsuit DVD. Thanks! :D

I hope you are right about the panoview screen being the gray one because I placed my order today. :eek: Even the order confirmation said it was white so I’m still a bit concerned. I’ll be rather disappointed if I get the white one. The DVD selection was so bad I ended up having to get the sports illustrated swimsuit DVD. I’m sure the wife will never believe that story… I’m hoping it will be a good test to see how natural skin looks on this puppy. ;) I’ll keep you posted on that one. I hope the next time I have something to say it is good news and reviews and not just problems and questions. I can’t wait until I get this and can fire it up to see what it can do.

Thanks all for your help especially Guitarman for the great reviews.

One more thing, Sam why would anyone need three of these things? I hope it's not because you really like the popcorn. It was probably your fault that I had to get the SI swimsuit DVD. Thanks! :D


Hi Mark...
Congrats on ordering your projector. The screen WILL be gray, trust me. They ran out of good DVD's last week. I too "had" to settle for the swimsuit one and a title I already had (Romancing the Stone).
One unit is in our newest film room (which we call our music room because that is where Anna and I practice the music we sing as "Stardust" and keep all our pro music gear along with our 1917 Steinway piano that plays reproducing rolls of great artists of the past. I changed the room totally to suit projection and now have two giant inflatable beds on the floor for lazy watching on the 106 inch Panoview screen. Just tonight we christened the room with a double feature and I won't tell you why we missed part of the last one, heh, heh.
The second unit goes in the basement and fills that gigantic fourteen foot screen and we like to see action films on that. Last night we LOVED the Superbit "Vertical Limit", which was so vivid and natural looking that it was if you could reach out and touch the actors.
The third unit might be for re-sale (I am keeping the extra gear in the package for my use) because I know at least one of my friends will want one. If it doesn't sell, it will be my strictly portable unit. One goal is to use the machine to take to senior homes (where we do much of our singing) and show them movies.
Of course I realize I could use one unit for all three purposes, but at this price and with all the extras (I especially needed more screens and subwoofers) I don't think I can go wrong. My first venture into home theater was four years ago when I purchased the Sharp Z9000 for what was then the bargain price of $6,600.00 shipped direct from Japan. And then I sprung for a Stewart Grayhawk for $1,800.00. In comparison, I could get a FIVE Movietime projector/screen combos and still be under that price level.
TECHNICAL NOTE: The Optoma engineer didn't know as much as he should regarding subtitles popping up. I got rid of them permanently by going into the "Set-up" menu (which has some interesting choices) and just turning off the subtitles. Still no luck with getting more volume from DVD playback, though. There is no way to change as far as I can see whether you use onboard volume or remote control volume.

Did you try to choose 2.1 audio in the DVD menu?

It seems that 2.1 audio is the normal setting, since the Movietime uses the onboard stereo speakers and the subwoofer you add with the 1/8th inch plug in the back of the unit. When you use the optical output you get 5.1.

I mean in the DVD disk's menu where you choose the subtitles and audio options not the DV10's DVD menus.

TSB...
I tried changing the DVD disc setting to 2.1 and it helped. I would say I got about fifteen percent higher volume. Still, it is FAR from the amount of volume I am getting with other sources plugged into the Movietime. Thanks for your suggestion.

I'm almost ashamed to admit it but my only form of programming is from a TV antenna on my roof. I do have one of those large C-band dishes that I no longer pay for programming because we didn't watch it much anyway. I have a new DVD recorder that works very much like a VCR in that it has a TV antenna IN and OUT which then normally goes to the TV. Since the DV10 obviously has no antenna IN I was planing on either using the component video out or the S-video out to feed my TV signal to the DV10 to watch my local programming. Does anyone out there see a problem with using either of those cables for this any why it might not work?

Also, I want to connect my DV10 into my home theater receiver via an optical audio cable to utilize my surround sound system. Can anyone recommend a place or brand of quality cables that would be durable and not cost an arm and a leg? The cables would need to be at least 15' and places around here don't seem to carry anything over 12'. I would also need component video or S-video depending on the answers to my first question. I'm guessing I'll have to buy them on-line. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Thanks a bunch.

For a TV Antenna signal, s-video should work fine.
Blown up on the screen, that signal may be a bit poor looking.
You could use component too, but I'm not sure it would be worth the extra $.

I typed in "15 foot optical toslink" in Google and came up with a variety of websites with both audio and video cables of that length.

I so want to pull the trigger on the CompUSA Deal with the DV10 but I have a couple of hesitations and I have to make up my mind before the deal ends on September 30th.

First - it seems that the DV10 produces a very bright and high contrast picture. Doesn't this negate the need for the Optoma Graywolf? I thought high gain gray screens were mostly needed with low light output or low contrast front projectors?

Second - Do I really need the subwoofer? The speakers on the DV10 are much better than on my television which produces pretty good sound. I currently have no audio/video equipment but I'm not asking the DV10 to give me surround sound, just clear sound.

The DV10 doesn't seem to be discounted anywhere like the H27 and H31 are and I'm just hesitant paying MSRP on a projector package deal when I'm not sure if I really need that particular screen or subwoofer.

Any opinions, suggestions? Thanks! Jimmy

I got my unit today. Some funny things happened though when I first tried the unit. When I first turned on the unit and started to adjust the screen the lamp fail light came on within five minutes. It started back up fine, but later it lost power while I was testing a DVD. I'm not sure if it was the unit's fault or my house's wiring, but I'd hate to have that happen often. It seemed to be fine after that and played for over an hour flawlessly. I will have time to give it some extended playing time this weekend. I am very pleased with the unit other than those two occurances. I have seven days to return the unit to the place of purchase for a refund and 30 days to swap the unit if it has trouble. Do you guys think I should see how it acts for a week or so, or should i just exchange the unit now? How much damage could I have done to the bulb when I restarted it quickly and when the power failed?

I should add that here in Taiwan we get an 80" portable 2.5 gain screen in a hard, stiff metal case that pulls up from the floor. I plan to get a 92" Graywolf eventually, but I'm kinda glad it came with the portable screen. It will be easy to carry around this Chinese New Year.

..... Do you guys think I should see how it acts for a week or so, or should i just exchange the unit now? How much damage could I have done to the bulb when I restarted it quickly and when the power failed?

I should add that here in Taiwan we get an 80" portable 2.5 gain screen in a hard, stiff metal case that pulls up from the floor. I plan to get a 92" Graywolf eventually, but I'm kinda glad it came with the portable screen. It will be easy to carry around this Chinese New Year.

Hi TSB,

I think you should exchange it for another unit and fire it up again to see if it has the same occurance. At least that way you get an idea that it may just be the wiring in your house like you suspected. Or when you get the new unit, try it out at a friend's house who does not have wiring problem and see what it does.

That 80" portable screen sounds nice. I placed my order here in the US through Compusa on Monday. I should receive the projector today and the screen and other stuff tomorrow most likely. I will write my impressions once I test mine out. Thanks for writing about your experience.

-Jetend

[QUOTE=JimmyDaves]I so want to pull the trigger on the CompUSA Deal with the DV10 but I have a couple of hesitations and I have to make up my mind before the deal ends on September 30th.

First - it seems that the DV10 produces a very bright and high contrast picture. Doesn't this negate the need for the Optoma Graywolf? I thought high gain gray screens were mostly needed with low light output or low contrast front projectors?

Second - Do I really need the subwoofer? The speakers on the DV10 are much better than on my television which produces pretty good sound. I currently have no audio/video equipment but I'm not asking the DV10 to give me surround sound, just clear sound.

The DV10 doesn't seem to be discounted anywhere like the H27 and H31 are and I'm just hesitant paying MSRP on a projector package deal when I'm not sure if I really need that particular screen or subwoofer.

Jimmy....
The Graywolf will allow you to use the projector with ambient light and still get a very good picture. They are offering this screen with the projector because it is an excellent match from the same company. The gray factor and the gain factor do nothing but improve the picture quality. We have compared the picture using a white beaded screen with gain, which gives a tad brighter picture but doesn't have nearly the same depth in the shadow areas and night scenes.
Th built in speakers are very small and sound crisp and sharp but have no low tones. They also provide a spacial effect and therefore give the impression of surround sound (though not nearly as good as a standard system). However, the subwoofer is a must to appreciate the lower tones and body. It is small and light and a quality unit that I would not want to be without.
You could not get the screen and subwoofer online for less than $350.00 total at the very best prices. Figure in free shipping and your are paying about $1,100.00 for the projector. I doubt we will see that price on the machine alone. Perhaps $1,200.00 or so for just the projector next year.
BTW, the British magazine called "T3: The Worlds' Best Gadget Magazine" just did the first print review and gave their gold award to it saying it was "a simply stunning one box cinema".
Sam
PS. If you aren't happy with the CompUSA order, you can return it all no questions asked. I wouldn't take a chance on losing this great deal. I did many searches last night and no other company has this deal. Projector People are offering the subwoofer and screen and standard free shipping (no DVD's and food), but their offer also expires Friday. Any other offer includes only a screen and either free shipping or no free shipping. Hope you don't hesitate any further!

Hi TSB,

I think you should exchange it for another unit and fire it up again to see if it has the same occurance. At least that way you get an idea that it may just be the wiring in your house like you suspected. Or when you get the new unit, try it out at a friend's house who does not have wiring problem and see what it does.

That 80" portable screen sounds nice. I placed my order here in the US through Compusa on Monday. I should receive the projector today and the screen and other stuff tomorrow most likely. I will write my impressions once I test mine out. Thanks for writing about your experience.

-Jetend

I switched to another outlet and watched half a movie and played Xbox for quite some time and everything was perfect. I really think it was the power outlet I was using, so I'm gonna keep using the new outlet. If it happens again I'll exchange the unit. I have lots of experience with high pressure sodium and metal halide lamps, so I doubt I did any serious harm to the bulb. I'm sure half of it is paranoia. I know it's not good for the lamp, but I suspect it will be OK.

I do hope a firmware fix comes for the volume issue. I have to keep it on "1" when I play Xbox it's so loud, but crank it up near max for movies. Playing ESPN NHL on the big screen was a nice experience. Even the wife enjoys sports games now.

The portable screen is nice and does well in ambient light (2.5 gain), but it's almost impossible to get it to hang perfectly. You need to leave a 1/2-1" border off the screen to fill it completely. Luckily the black portion does a nice job of hiding it, so it's not really an issue.

You can see the screen here. This guy didn't even come clse to getting his right. :D
http://mobile01.com/topicdetail.php?f=168&t=102094&last=740170&PHPSESSID=7b0570ad1e50c2b4101bebc7b4c51ce6

One last quick question regarding the CompUSA package. If I only need an 80" screen, which screen should I get? the 92" or 106"? Thanks! Jimmy

The 80 inch screen is not offered with the CompUSA Movietime package. Besides, it is not a Graywolf, but rather matte white screen and portable. Go with either 92 or 106. I say bigger the better. I just hope you can still order, as the offer expired of midnight tonight. You need to choose two DVD's, but only title was left!
Sam

It figures:

at 8:30 p.m. I go online to order the DV10 package at CompUSA and only "The Doors" is available as a selection for DVD's. When I go to checkout, it say's I need to make 2 selections for DVD's and I can't, so therefore I couldn't place the order. Bummer!

I am perhaps wasting my breath (typing?) on you Jimmy. But if I had reached a dead end, I would have called and placed my order via telephone! You can still try that and tell them the problem you had last night. They will surely honor your request. Let us know how you make out...
S.

Sam:

You're not wasting your breath or typing skills. I wasn't able to reach customer service by phone on Friday because CompUSA's "online" customer service apparently is only available from 9 am to 6 pm Monday through Friday. However, I did send them an email explaining what happened.

This morning, surprisingly, I looked on CompUSA's website and the package deal is still available and I'm able to choose 2 different DVD's (The Doors and Romancing the Stone) which I couldn't do yesterday evening.

I also did a little bit of looking around and it appears that at least a couple of other online stores have this same deal minus the DVD's and snacks for the same price as CompUSA. However, CompUSA is charging me sales tax and the other online retailers are not. What's up with this? And, it appears that if you order the larger 106" screen with CompUSA's package, it will cost you an additional $100.

Jimmy

Shop at home tv.com has the Movietime projector, 106"Graywolf screen, and subwoofer all for $1499.97, and $39.99 for shipping and handling. This is where I purchased my Movietime in August, but I did not get the free subwoofer. I also ordered my projector when they had free shipping. My screen was the gray screen, and that screen is HUGE.

Jimmy....
The larger screen was always one hundred dollars more. Many of the other places offering just a screen charge a good bit of shipping. Just a few have both screen and subwoofer. None have the DVD's and food (including CompUSA which does not show those choices as of today). Some have the package deal running through November.
Yes, CompUSA must charge sales tax because they have stores in most states. The internet only stores do not have do charge tax.
Just pick what deal works best for you and order the damn thing before I go nuts!
Sam

What are the proper cleaning procedures for this unit? I see nothing in the manual.

My screen also has a light area near the bottom. Probably the same as the Graywolf screens have on the top, but mine's on the bottom since it's a pull-up. The line is only a few inches thick and barely noticeable, and I plan to get a Graywolf, so I'm not gonna bother exchanging it. It will still be a nice unit to drag around during holidays.

After thinking I had a choice nailed down, this thread threw me into a tizzy yet again. I had choosen the Infocus 4805 due to the lower price point and general love (545 pages and then some of posts) here, but never liked the idea of having to move a dvd player with it where ever I put it. My big question on this unit is does it play DVD+R's and DVD-R's? I make backups of all my movies and keep the originals in a safe place (got robbed in college a few too many times than I care to remember and lost hundreds of CD's and DVD's). Can anyone confirm if they play copied DVD+R's or DVD-R's on this unit? I use Fuji DVD+R's (8x speed) for my backups. If the unit plays backups, I think this will be the choice for me.

Also, I have found that there are still shops offering the package deal with 92" screen, subwoofer, movies and candy. Seems like they run it for 30 days and then it starts over again the next month.

Would you let us know a few of the places that offer this package deal? CompUSA, which had the best deal previously now offers everything except the DVD's and snacks.

You should definitely get the DV 10. I have an Infocus X1 and have compared the 4805 and the Optoma outperforms it. Plus, you can play your burned DVD's without any problem.

We just added a great piece of furniture to the viewing area we dedicated to the Movietime. It is called "The Rialto" and is made by La-Z-Boy. You might remember that Rialto is an old movie house name. It has two soft as clouds rocker/recliners and a console in the middle that PERFECTLY holds the Movietime at a nice height and has a drawer for accessories and a large bin below for DVD's. You rock awhile and then lean back and get into a position like you are lying in bed and WOW you are in heaven as you watch the perfect images on the Graywolf, totally immersed in a film (my choice was the fine Sports Illustrated Swimsuit DVD that came with my projector) at a distance of about 12 feet away. I felt like King and asked my Queen to go get me a mint Julep!
Sam
PS. Only the dog came to respond to my request. At least I got my feet licked!

The deal I saw was at Compusa. I just checked it again and on the main page it only states the subwoofer and screen, but when you actually click into it the options to choose popcorn, candy and Romancing the Stone and The Doors (only movies left I guess) are there. Seems like a great deal. And if it really does play my backed-up movies that's another plus.

I do have another dilema. I want to use it in my living room, which is quite small and oddly shaped. I only have a max throw distance of around 9 feet (which is the back wall of the room. The projector will have to go on a shelf on the wall and the back of the couch sits directly against this wall. The projector will have to be kind of high up the wall to project and the DV10 doesn't do inversion. I do want to use it in the bedroom and take it around with me, but I have a decent home theater setup I want use with it to get the full effect.

Any recomendations on placement options? I can set it off to the right by 40 degrees or so, but I have to assume that much keystone correction will degrade the PQ too much.

SAM - Congrats on the new furniture.

I can also confirm it plays backups. I have all my backups on SL DVD+/-R made with ShrinkDVD. All my disks have played without any issues. The drive will read anything except DVD-RAM.

You do not want this unit however if you will be placing it high on your wall. This unit is for the tabletop in front of the seating. I can't see getting good results at all with the setup you have described. Sure there's no other room with better dimensions?

The highest I have placed the Movietime is about three feet off the ground and then you must tilt it down. I will say that using the keystone (which has a wide range) introduces no problems. It looks great no matter what setting.

You need about nine feet to fill the 92 inch Graywolf screen and about twelve feet to fill the 106 incher.

Can you not just place the projector lower against that rear wall? It will also be easier to put in DVD's and adjust things that way.

Tonight we watched three films that were all excellent. "Intermezzo" had gorgeous black and white contrast and quality. "Naked Gun 2 1/2" was beautiful. But the big surprise was running my VCD of "The Great Caruso". The video processor in the Movietime actually improved the look of the film and cleaned it up. The color was as rich as Technicolor and close to what we might expect should they ever release this title on DVD.

PC Magazine's latest issue (October 18, 2005) which showed up in my mailbox today did a review of this unit. They compared it to the Cinego D1000 and the HP EP9010. Of the three units tested the Optoma not only beat the other two but earned the PC Magazines Editors Choice Award. I've subscribed to this magazine for years and usually their reviews are right on. They only nitpicked that the Optoma wouldn't allow the use of Monster S-Video cables because the plug is slightly recessed and the Monster is oversized (and overpriced!). Kudos Optoma.

Everything sounds great here as I am watching Shop at Home hawk an NEC for $999

How long does the lamp last and how much does it cost?

The Movietime lamp lasts 3,000 hours in normal mode and 2,000 in brite mode. Most will be quite happy with the normal mode. Bulb replacement is the usual $300.00 or so.

I ordered it from CompUSA online last Monday (September 26, 2005) and it arrived last Thursday. The Screen and the Sub got here on Friday.

Thursday night I fired it up in the basement. It was awesome. Colors and PQ was great. I started watching Disney's Sleeping Beauty and then started just popping in all these different DVDs to see how it looked projected. It's exactly what I wanted. Nice colors and resolution.

It was great to have the projector to be able to just plug this thing in and not have to hook it up to a DVD player or amp. I really like the portability and it works for me. I've been reading about projectors since last year but didn't seriously consider buying til the prices started to become more affordable (for me).

Saturday, I finally had a chance to see what this puppy looks like on a screen and it was amazing. I feel I made the right purchase for the price, PQ and what I wanted.

Now I will be saving up to ge a higher resolution monitor/display. Thinking about LCD but we'll have to look more into that.

Anyway, to wrap up, great projector. Aside from the Optoma, the only other projectors I saw before buying was the some of the Infocus. I am very happy with my purchase.

Thanks for confirming that it plays backups.

As far as setting up at a different place on the wall, I just don't have any other options other than to ceiling mount or shelf mount high on the back wall. I will be sitting right under it. I will use any projector I get in the bedroom too which will have more set up options. But the real problem is the small living room and limited set up options. I have a recessed opening that fits my large entertainment center perfectly. The two seater couch sits directly opposite it with the back of the couch against the wall and the wall being 9 feet from the from of the entertainment center. I will put the screen above it and will sit sort of higher than it should (about 48" from the floor to the bootom of the screen), but if it comes down lower it will block my center speaker muffling dialouge. I know, not exactly the best set up, but the surround sound kicks ass in this room. Plus I have kind of a bad neck and looking upward more is better for me.

I was looking at the H27 last night as an alternative since it appears to be identical to the DV10. Any comments on performance compared to the DV10?

I was pretty set on getting an Infocus 4805, but Costco sold the last 5 units in the last week (and these units had been there for about 8 months and have never sold, then POW! All gone.) Not having to order it online was a big selling point, plus the price. But, its an old product that is due for an upgrade, so it only seems right to look to newer released products.

Love to see Costco get this unit. I want one.

Martin, yeah the DV10 is 850lumens the H27 maxes out at 585lumens. The DV10 has higher contrast, 2400.1 after tuning to D65k.

After doing so extra research I was noticing that it seems that really the H31 is nearly identical to the DV10. The H27 is very similar, but appears to be a "lesser" model. Although, the issues with the H31 and HTPC use abound, it appears that the H27 may have fixed this problem with having strictly digital DVI and not both like the H31.

Kingfrog - Costco does have this on their website for sale with an 80" travel screen for standard price. Haven't seen it in the store. In my local store they have the Infocus sp5000 and an Epson Powerlite (can't remember what model).

Still wish I had better set up options as I would love to get this bad boy. Pair it up with Logitech's Z5500 using optical out and you've got a killer theater and minimal equipment/cables. Not that I'm not into components and wiries. The wife just doesn't seem to be into them as much as I am...

anyone ever get the service menu code for this unit or maintenance instructions?

I've had this projector now for a week and I am so happy with it. I think I saw someone post their settings and calibration for this unit but I can't recall where or what page it's one.

I was especially curious about what settings you, Sam Samuelian, have it set to? You seem like the perfect person to ask about this.

The only calibration/adjustments I've ever done on my old tv was the THX thing that came with the Star Wars movie so I wondered how everybody else did theirs or what settings they have it set to.

I know I need to get one of those calibration DVDs (AVIA, Essentials) but I figured I'd asked first before having to buy it. Thanks.

Guitarman, Sam, etc:

I also would be interested in what Jetend is asking (the previous post).

I received my DV10 on Saturday and was able to spend an hour with it last night, but I haven't received my Graywolf screen yet or the Subwoofer.

Just my intial impressions:

The sound is "ok". I'm sure it's much better with the subwoofer

The picture "appears" to be good. I haven't done any type of calibration to it. I put in a couple of references movies (Charlotte Gray, The 5th Element Superbit). I have to say that the colors are pretty accurate to my eyes , even though I'm projecting onto a very reflective white wall (my walls are so reflective and bright that I can read the manual during bright scenes). I don't see any of the orange reds (or as Carson would say "Persimmon") that others who own the H31 have complained about.

I did notice some "mosquito" noise in broad sections of white or light gray areas such as clouds or sky. I'm not sure what would be causing this.

One question: Can you change the picture presets for "Game", "Vivid", "Cinema"? When I tried to adjust some of those presets, it went back to its original settings when I got out of the menu. The only one I seem to be able to set all parameters on is the "User" setting. I'm not sure I totally like any of the presets so far.

The fan is super quiet, however it appears that one side is the intake air slot and the other side is the outflow. I was sitting next to the outflow and it was very hot air. I then felt the underside of the unit and it was VERY hot! I was not expecting this.

To Guitarman and Sam:

Have you guys adjusted any of the tweak settings like Gamma, White Peaking, Color Temperature; True Vivid, etc? Also Saturation and Output Level.

And Lastly, I'm using the 16x9 1:1 setting.

Thanks! Jimmy

Jimmy....
Congrats on getting your Movietime. I will gladly address some of your concerns a little later when I have more time.
In the meantime, who is "Jetend"?
Sam

I know that according to the specifications, the MovieTime is supposed to accept PAL sources, but I wonder if the DVD player incorporated in the unit also plays back region free PAL DVDs.

This is crucial for me since most of the recordings I watch come from European and Argentinean programming (all PAL)

Has anybody tried to playback a ripped (or region free) PAL DVD movie or recording in the Optoma?

Ok guys where are you? :)

I've only been able to watch my DV10 twice now. Once on Saturday and once last night. (The following comments are made without my graywolf screen which just arrived today and I'm using a very reflective very white wall at the moment)

I agree that this unit does some things very well: black levels, contrast; colors, etc.

But, I'm not happy with it for some reason. I actually prefered my old calibrated Sony HS10 with the filter on it from 2 years ago.

I watched "Birth" last night and the opening scene is a man jogging in the snow and I couldn't believe all of the "mosquito" noise in the picture. Horrible. Some scenes were stunning, but most scenes (mostly indoor scenes) were like watching a bad videotape.

There are some adjustments I know that can be made to this projector, but the manual tells you nothing about what they do and how they should be set (Gamma, White Peaking; Saturation; Output, etc.)

I don't know, maybe things will change when I put the Graywolf up this evening.

I do have to say that when I was watching "Birth", that I had the projector on a low stand about 2 feet in front of me and the dialogue was clear and clean and actually seemed to coming from the projected image and not from the DV10 itself. Great job on that, and that's without the sub.

Let me hear from you guys! Jimmy

Jimmy, I used to own the DV10 but returned it after realizing that my Sony HS20 gave out a better image after calibration. The DV10 is still superior in terms of contrast and black level but it didn't quite match the overall uniformity and smoother image of the HS20. It all came down to Resolution as I preferred my Sony's 720p compared to the DV10's 480p output.

Now you said something, like you're bother by mosquito noise...and you've ordered the Graywolf? hmmm :rolleyes: :)

I'm sort of lost at helping on settings since I had to send the demo back before the first month was up. Maybe I put somthing in my DV10 review thread. I'm seem to remember liking sRGB best. Any noise means your brightness level is high. Use the THX optimizer to set the blacks and whites.

Not much in the review thread other than what I just said.

"In reading the manual this morning it says 16.9 1.1 aspect is for PAL"

That was there so It looks like PAL is ok.

ever find the service menu?

Business Week magazine has just published a review of this unit and the Epson MovieMate. They like both but give the nod to the Optoma.

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/tech/D8D6N46G5.htm?campaign_id=apn_tech_down&chan=tc

ever find the service menu?

No service menu divulgence for the DV10.

Jimmy and others:

I would not be bothered enough by the "mosquito noise" in the extreme white areas to return the Movietime, since it performs so great otherwise...but your posts prompted me to investigate and also write one of the Optoma engineers I have been in contact with.

He said that what we are seeing is "high white peaking distortion" and that we should try to change the display mode to Image AI or Cinema. He was right about what it was called and wrong about what to do!

I noticed by accident that one of the menus contained WHITE PEAKING and that it is factory set to maximum of ten. The manual says that to get a more natural picture to adjust it to minimum. I tried five and was very, very happy to see that the mosquito noise was eliminated without significantly changing other values.

Sometimes trial and error is best! I have more to write in answer to your questions. Please be patient with me!
Sam

Hi guys,

I am wondering how the DVD section works with home burned DVDs.
Did any of you find any compatibility issues with different -R or +R media?
Any help will be appreciated.

Gustavo

PS: Navarros, where are you from? I read you view Argetinian DVDs, I live in Montevideo.

All my backups work unless I use DVD-RAM. -R, +R and +RW work fine on my DV10.

I hope Blu-ray doesn't get shafted like DVD-RAM did. It sucks when inferior tech wins.

Jimmy and others:

I would not be bothered enough by the "mosquito noise" in the extreme white areas to return the Movietime, since it performs so great otherwise...but your posts prompted me to investigate and also write one of the Optoma engineers I have been in contact with.

He said that what we are seeing is "high white peaking distortion" and that we should try to change the display mode to Image AI or Cinema. He was right about what it was called and wrong about what to do!

I noticed by accident that one of the menus contained WHITE PEAKING and that it is factory set to maximum of ten. The manual says that to get a more natural picture to adjust it to minimum. I tried five and was very, very happy to see that the mosquito noise was eliminated without significantly changing other values.

Sometimes trial and error is best! I have more to write in answer to your questions. Please be patient with me!
Sam

Ah, in the whites. What you were seeing is white crush. High white peaking even just white peak at 1 can crush out the whites. What you were seeing is in say a white cloud formation a pixelated mess. :)
Glad you sorted it out.

I was planning to use a MV10 connected to my stereo (analog only) audio system, using the stereo output, using the SPDIF is not an option, I don't have a digital audio processor.

I downloaded the manual and after reading it, it seems to me that this is not possible, I didn't find a way to disable the internal speakers.

Is there a way to keep the analog signal and shut down the speakers?
Is any of you using the projector connected to a stereo analog system?

Thanks for your help.
Gustavo

I know it's possible because the Optoma has stereo RCA audio inputs. What I want to know is if it's possible to use the Optoma internal speakers + subwoofer to play music from the ipod WITHOUT HAVING TO TURN THE LAMP ON.

Can anyone recommend a good component to VGA cable for this unit? I'd like one to run either from the component switching on a receiver or dirctly from the Xbox HD pack. I seem to get interference using the included adapter.

I was planning to use a MV10 connected to my stereo (analog only) audio system, using the stereo output, using the SPDIF is not an option, I don't have a digital audio processor.

I downloaded the manual and after reading it, it seems to me that this is not possible, I didn't find a way to disable the internal speakers.

Is there a way to keep the analog signal and shut down the speakers?
Is any of you using the projector connected to a stereo analog system?

Thanks for your help.
Gustavo

Hi,

I have mine hooked up through the digital out not analog. I do have the VCR connected as analog into the projector so I can watched regular TV.

As for disabling the internal speakers, I had the same problem when watching DVDs so I just turned the volume to zero on the projector and everything has been working out fine. I get my Digital Surround Sound from the amp to the speakers and it is AWESOME!

Purely by chance, I did find that when I have different source, it keeps the volume and the Image settings for the source so when I switch to Composite Video, it turns the volume on the projector. That works for me since I don't have the VCR hooked up to the amp yet.

Hope that helped or something.

-Jetend

Jetend,

Thanks for your answer, but my situation is different.

One of the places in which I plan to use my MV10 (when it arrives to Uruguay next month) is my audio room. I have a Hi-End Stereo only system there, with no digital input.
I was planning to use the analog stereo ouputs with my system but setting the volume to zero to shut down the internal speakers probably will turn the analog output down also...
I think the only choice will be opening the MV10 and installing a switch to cut off the speakers...

How does HDTV look on this projector?

navarros -

You're kidding, right? You want to use a $1500 projector as a docking station for your iPOD? Kinda like using a Gucci loafer to pound in a nail, don't you think? It might work, but whats the point.

jvos,

the point is that I don't have an independent theater sound system, just the projector for wacthing dvds (+ a subwoofer) and an ipod for listening to music (with headphones). i happen to have a kensington docking station, which has no speakers, i was just wondering if I could use the projector's speakers + subwoofer to listen to music from my ipod. One more thing: i live in a very small studio and I don't have room for multiple speakers + receiver + cable mess. that's the point.

gvera,

While not a great solution, since the analog audio output is variable, you should be able to set the volume on your amp/receiver such that as you turn up the projector volume, the output from your stereo will ramp up more quickly and be significantly louder than the Movietime speakers. That way you use the Movietime remote for everything once you're up and running. While the built-in speakers will be playing, their output should be low enough in relation to the stereo speakers to have minimal effect. You'll just have to find an amp/receiver volume setting that is high enough to drown out the built-in speakers but no so high that volume level 1 blows you out of the room.

Matt

gvera,

While not a great solution, since the analog audio output is variable, you should be able to set the volume on your amp/receiver such that as you turn up the projector volume, the output from your stereo will ramp up more quickly and be significantly louder than the Movietime speakers. That way you use the Movietime remote for everything once you're up and running. While the built-in speakers will be playing, their output should be low enough in relation to the stereo speakers to have minimal effect. You'll just have to find an amp/receiver volume setting that is high enough to drown out the built-in speakers but no so high that volume level 1 blows you out of the room.

Matt

What's wrong with being blown out of the room? :D

gvera,

While not a great solution, since the analog audio output is variable, you should be able to set the volume on your amp/receiver such that as you turn up the projector volume, the output from your stereo will ramp up more quickly and be significantly louder than the Movietime speakers. That way you use the Movietime remote for everything once you're up and running. While the built-in speakers will be playing, their output should be low enough in relation to the stereo speakers to have minimal effect. You'll just have to find an amp/receiver volume setting that is high enough to drown out the built-in speakers but no so high that volume level 1 blows you out of the room.

Matt

Matt,

Thanks for your suggestion.
I'm sure that it will work, but as an audio purist geek don't like the idea at all.
They should have put a proper 2.0 or 2.1 line output in this machine as every DVD has, even the $50 ones. I turned away from this machine and gone the fixed projector route instead, a H78DC3 is in the way to my home, to be used with a Denon 3910, these should give me good image and sound.
I may consider the DV10 in the future as a second projector though.

Gustavo

Folks:
Forgive me if this has already been asked & answered....

I just received my Optoma DV10 - and I am projecting still Picture Montages onto a Portable Da-Lite 84x84 projection screen.

The projector sits about 6 ft from the screen - and fits the width of the screen fairly nicely, however there is some keystone on the lower right part of the screen.
I 've tried to use the keystone adjustment on the DV10 - and it really doesn't help by the time I start seeing a difference the lower left side becomes distorted.

I also tried adjusting the screen - since it comes with a bracket that will bring the top portion of the screen out further than the bottom.

Any suggestions - would be most helpful.

Thanks...

Given the amount of info. I have gained from these boards as a long-time lurker, I thought I would express my pleasure with this DV10. This is my first foray into front projection and I have been thrilled with the DV10 and Graywolf combo.

Setup: coffee table mounted DV10 approx 10.5 ft from the 92" Graywolf. Viewing distance approx 13 ft. TV via Comcast HDDVR (as an aside, Comcast customer service is definitely not Comcastic, despite the ads which imply otherwise :mad: )

TV: SD either digital or analog cable is barely watchable most of the time. Basically, blow up a lousy signal to 8 ft and what you have is a really big bad picture. HD on the other hand is outstanding. No pixellation to speak of, bright and vibrant. I have a 2 y old 50" Samsung DLP RPTV and this thing rivals it for "punch," for lack of a better term. Better blacks for sure vs the Sammy.

DVD: Very pleased with the built in player. I second everyone's comments here who were surprised by how well the built in speakers sound. Definitely not surround, but very crisp with good range. One note, had to return my first DV10 as every time the player was powered off but not disconnected from the power source no audio would be present on start up. Needed to totally disconnect from the power source before audio would work again. Spoke with Optoma and they were aware of the situation and promptly switched out my PJ, no problems.

Pros: great HD, DVD picture very vibrant, good blacks with the Graywolf
true portability-have outlet will travel
can watch with some ambient light without much picture degradation

Cons: louder than expected, not uncomfortably so, but certainly louder than the aforementioned Sammy DLP
runs hot-I have a 2 year old and have to make sure she gets nowhere near the venting on the left of the unit

BTW, RBE is definitely present with this unit. Not bothersome to me, and I knew I was susceptible as I already had a DLP TV, but it is clearly there, although perhaps less so than with the Sammy. Also, my Graywolf screen came dented as many others have, but other than the cosmetic problem not a problem with the screen itself. I have not been bothered by the screen "sparklies" and really only notice them when looking at the screen with the projector off.

Once again, thanks to all for sharing their experiences with this unit. Have had it for about 2 wks now and am already plotting potential upgrades. Please don't tell the wife!

Happy to hear of your experiences and how pleased you are, as I have been for the past two months.

BTW, I just read a so-so review of the Movietime in "What-Hi/Fi" magazine, a British publication. They gave it three stars out of five and downed it for soft images, no depth, and other things that made me wonder if they had the same machine we do! Most other reviews in magazines have been quite favorable and a few compared it to other units with DVD player/amp and it always came out on top.

I just got my DV-10 yesterday and had "Meet the Fockers" from Netflix waiting to be watched. We watched it on the deck last night with the heaters on.

I had it placed to fill the 92" Graywolf. I guess I would say that I'm pleased, even impressed (vibrant colors) but not totally blown away. Slight "screen door" visible at 8-10 feet. Super easy to use. Bright on AI. The brightness and gray screen handle some dappled light through a bush pretty well without me having to go unscrew the bulbs. Built-in speakers are adequate (haven't received sub yet). Having to place it so low (knew that going in) is less convenient than I would like because it would be easy to kick on the floor and the dog will inevitably walk in front of it 20 times during a movie. It's definitely easier to set up than my old 640x480 Sharp LCD pj + DVD player. Love the carrying case.

After Fockers I watched some scenes from Stars Wars Episode II. Nice picture and seems to handle dark scenes well.

It's gonna be a nice projector. Some of my not being blown away probably has to do with spending the money on something I didn't "need" but I'm sure we'll enjoy using it.

Folks:
Forgive me if this has already been asked & answered....

I just received my Optoma DV10 - and I am projecting still Picture Montages onto a Portable Da-Lite 84x84 projection screen.

The projector sits about 6 ft from the screen - and fits the width of the screen fairly nicely, however there is some keystone on the lower right part of the screen.
I 've tried to use the keystone adjustment on the DV10 - and it really doesn't help by the time I start seeing a difference the lower left side becomes distorted.

I also tried adjusting the screen - since it comes with a bracket that will bring the top portion of the screen out further than the bottom.

Any suggestions - would be most helpful.

Thanks...

Keystone on one side suggests the lens needs to be facing the screen straighter.

New owners, try sRGB choice I thought that looked the most natural for most video. Actually there were a few mode choices which looked very good, a matter of taste.
enjoy

I agree with txmatt re: SDE. At 13 ft, I wouldn't want to be sitting much closer to view DVDs with this for fear of SDE.

Some of my being blown away probably has to do with my first time purchase of a front PJ and not knowing how good a 1080p DMD can look. Ignorance can be bliss :)

Has anyone compared the DV10 to the new Panasonic AE900? The reason I ask is that while I'd prefer to get the DV10 I'm concerned about SDE at 11-12' from viewing a 92" screen on the DV10 and the AE900 also has more flexibility in terms of positioning. Of course, it costs a lot more, too. Is the picture quality comparable on both? Basically trying to decide between these two projectors (though am open to other options--need short throw and very quiet projector, however).

Pedro2:

I've had the DV10 for a couple of weeks now and have just ordered the Panasonic AE900 so I'll be able to give a fairly good comparison of the two. The reason I'm going with the 900 is due to the flexibility in positioning over the DV10. I do have the 92" graywolf, but have not put it up yet. The DV10 has a very good picture quality. Unfortunately, I found the zoom to be very little and the offset too extreme. Also, I was bothered somewhat by the "rainbows", especially during high contrast scenes or night scenes. I have an 12x12 room and wanted to put the DV10 against the wall which made the picture too big and the zoom was too limited to make it that much smaller. The DV10 is plenty bright enough for a huge picture but with the limitations of the zoom, you don't have much choice.

I should receive my Panasonic 900 on Friday the 28th and should be able to give you a fairly good comparision. I do wish that I had known that Panasonic does not consider the Vertical Banding to be a defect. Also, I wish I had waited a day to take advantage of the $200 rebate now being offered on these projectors.

Jimmy

Jimmy.....I would also be interested in your opinion of the new Panny 900. I never had an LCD projector and am tempted by the reputation and price. Where have you seen the $200 rebate?
thanks,
Sam
PS. Yes, the zoom for the Movietime is rather useless. I think the offset is purposeful to allow users to place the machine on low coffee tables or even the floor. If only they had included a vertical lens shift like the cheaper Nec HT 410 has!

Jimmy, great--I'll eagerly anticipate your comparison! I also did not know about the rebate. One other concern: it seems that a large number of people have complained of short bulb life on the AE700U, so this may also be a problem for the AE900U...
I wish I could actually see both of these projectors locally. Oh well.

Has anyone had problems with the power-cord connection on the DV10?

The power-cord is very loosely connected to my DV10 and I am starting to get concerned. Tonight the projector shut down twice while watching movies just from touching the cord - there was very minimal pull - if any - on the cord in both instances. When I touch the cord I can hear a faint crackling sound. I've never seen a power-cord this loosely connected to a piece of electronics before. Is this normal?

Pedro2:

I've never owned a Panasonic projector so this will be a new experience for me. In the past I've owned Infocus and Sony with no problems.

Cathor:

I don't have that problem at all with the power cord on my DV10. It's a very solid connection with no looseness at all, so I believe what you're experiencing is not normal.

Jimmy

Please excuse my ignorance on these setup issues, but does the DV10 have to be placed right in the center of the screen or can it be somewhat off to the side and then project the image at a slight angle without distortion? The reason I ask is that looking at our potential seating position again it seems like the best place for the projector would be right beside the couch rather than in front of it. The throw would then be about 11.5 feet for a 92" dagonal screen. Would this work with this projector or do I need something with a more flexible setup? And would the screen door effect be too noticeable on this projector from 11.5 feet viewing distance?

Has anyone else noticed that ProjectorCentral and Optoma have totally different calculations on their screen calculators for the DV10? Not sure what to believe--presumably Optoma, though Projectorcentral indicates they get their info from the manufacturer! They're not just a little different but very different. I basically need a projector that can display a 92" picture anywhere between 8.5 and 11.5 feet. Does anyone who has this projector know if it can do this? If not, something else?

Has anyone had problems with the power-cord connection on the DV10?

The power-cord is very loosely connected to my DV10 and I am starting to get concerned. Tonight the projector shut down twice while watching movies just from touching the cord - there was very minimal pull - if any - on the cord in both instances. When I touch the cord I can hear a faint crackling sound. I've never seen a power-cord this loosely connected to a piece of electronics before. Is this normal?

Hi Cathor,

I don't have that problem with my projector. The power cord is secure and tight. No looseness. I have bumped the cord accidetally but never have had the cord come out or loosen. Hope you can resolve your issue. It doesn't sound normal.

Please excuse my ignorance on these setup issues, but does the DV10 have to be placed right in the center of the screen or can it be somewhat off to the side and then project the image at a slight angle without distortion? The reason I ask is that looking at our potential seating position again it seems like the best place for the projector would be right beside the couch rather than in front of it. The throw would then be about 11.5 feet for a 92" dagonal screen. Would this work with this projector or do I need something with a more flexible setup? And would the screen door effect be too noticeable on this projector from 11.5 feet viewing distance?

The Movitime needs to be directly in front of the screen, it doesn't have a way to correct for keystone if it is off-center.

On my 92" screen, screen-door is visible but not offensive at 9-10 feet. You can see it if you're looking for it, but it's not enough to distract from the movie. I would think 11+ feet would be fine.

I think I solved the power cord issue. I replaced the Optoma power cord with a power cord from my plate amp and the problem went away. It seems like there is a problem with the female connectors on my Optoma cord.

On another note - due to the image offset I usually use the DV10 on my wooden floor. I've noticed the picture is crooked - about a 5 inch drop from right to left on a 92 inch screen - and I was wondering if this is a typical problem when using a floor or table as the projector "stand". I checked my floor and while not perfectly level I was still surprised that the picture is as crooked as it is. I know people have had similar issues with the H31 (or their floors) and just wanted to make sure it's common to stuff something under the projector to avoid a tilted picture.

Pedro2 - I'll second the 11+ feet recommendation

thanks for the replies. Sounds like I need a projector with horizontal off-set (right?) so the image is not distorted when the projector is not directly in front of screen. The Panasonic would be more flexible in this regard, it seems.

Pedro2 - I don't think you can go wrong with the Panny. If I had a dedicated room it would be on the top of my list with the Z4.

For everyone still considering the DV10 - the CompUSA deal is now 1299

Pedro2:

I've had the DV10 for a month and I just received my Panasonic 900 today. I will let you know how they compare.

Jimmy

looking forward to your comparison of the two...can you also let me know if there is any horizontal and vertical lens shift at all with the DV10--seems like it is pretty inflexible in terms of positioning/setup.

Pedro2 - there is no horizontal lens shift on the DV10. The offset is pretty extreme - more than I imagined - so unless you place it on the floor or on a very low coffee table you will be projecting on the ceiling. For reference I use the 92 inch Grey Wolf and have 9 feet ceilings.

All that being said - it's a very impressive projector and the quality of the build-in sound will surprise you (adequate for 70%-80% of my movie viewing).

Cathor--does it have horizontal lens shift?

It has come down to this projector or the AE700U from Costco (the return policy gives me extra peace of mind for my first projector).

Pedro2 - my mistake - I meant no horizontal lens shift in my earlier post (now corrected). There's quite a bit of vertical lens shift.

Looks like the DV10 is on sale for $1099 without the screen and sub, at amazon.

http://www.htdude.com/

That's through CompUsa so there will be tax and shipping.

Has anyone noticed this issue? Does it go away with use?

From on online review:
"Now if they would only get it RIGHT! The cooling fans throw hot air out both sides, and this air is POISONOUS. After a few minutes the whole room smells like melting plastic - really BAD. Come on folks, this can't be that hard to fix. I had one for a week and returned it because it was impossible to breathe. What a heartbreak - such a fine projector with such a dumb flaw. I wrote to Optoma (optoma.com) about it, but if you and others write as well, maybe they'll listen and fix an otherwise excellent projector."

The air is not poisonous and your breathing will be fine, but the DV10 does have a distinct electronic smell when in use. It may go away over time and it may not be different than the "smell" from any other projector. It doesn't bother me and none of the friends I've had over for movie nights have mentioned it as an issue. You can always buy it from a retailer with a good return policy and return it if you find the "smell" problematic.

Yesterday I received my new Optoma DV10 and had some spare time to try it out.

Of course now I have a few questions for everyone. First, has anyone one figured out a way to plug in separate speakers and turn off the built-in ones? Or can I just lower the volume on the projector and still use the RCA jacks to send the stereo signal to a set of 2.1 amplified speakers?

There reason for wanting this is because I like to to sit close to the screen and maximize the size of the screen and my wife like to sit off to the side. So for me the projector and sound was coming from two feet to my right and for my wife it was coming from 6 feet to her left. It was weird not having the sound come from the direction of the picture. If I could have moved the sound 6 feet forward it would have been OK.

My second question is, why am I still alive after breathing toxic fumes all night? Actually, no one noticed any fumes at all. I think if you sniffed the projector from a foot away you would smell a slight "electric" odor, but then you would also look rather silly too.

Now before anyone asks, I should add that the picture on my 106" Da-lite HCCV screen was amazing. It was better that my Sanyo Z2 with much more contrast and deeper colors. I just watched DVDs so the lower resolution on the DV10 was not noticeable. I could not belive that a 480p resolution picture blown up to a 106" diagonal could look so sharp!

Welcome to the world of happy Movietime owners! This little machine is great and has given our family much pleasure in the past two months.

You can lower the volume all the way down and use an external amp ONLY with the optical output. Otherwise, you need to have some sound coming out of the Movietime to use the other speaker output. I agree that the sound is bothersome when you hear both going at once.

I agree that the unit puts out too much heat, which is hard not to notice when you have to sit to the left of it as my wife does on our twin rocker/recliner unit with the projector in between. Their next model should address this.

However, I don't agree that there are poisonous odors coming out of it. In fact, if you carefully read the included literature you will learn that this projector actually ionizes the air using the bulb and purifies it just like those expensive units that have been sold in stores for years. People have laughed when I tell them this is a bonus feature of the projector.

Last night we saw "I, Robot" and "Jurassic Park 3", which both looked wonderful on the Graywolf 106 incher. It didn't hurt having the brand new sound system I installed yesterday, an open box special from Circuit City with their best Infinity tower speakers, center, rears, and a Velodyne subwoofer powered by a Harmon Kardon receiver. Tears rolled down my eyes in delight, since I was thrilled at having such a fine level of entertainment in my own home.
Sam

I agree that the unit puts out too much heat, which is hard not to notice when you have to sit to the left of it as my wife does on our twin rocker/recliner unit with the projector in between. Their next model should address this.

No! We've been doing movies on the deck with the evening temps in the 50's and low 60's. The warm plume of air coming from the Movietime is one of my favorite features. It helps augment my propane tabletop heater. ;)

What are people doing about the two big issues that I see with the DV10 projector?

First, if you put it on a coffee table it projects almost toward the ceiling. You must place it on the floor or below knee level where little kids have easy access to it and you can accidently kick it during movies.

Second, does anyone use external speakers through the RCA jacks? I was think of trying a 2.1 computer speaker setup because it has its own amplifier and volume control. What is everyone else doing? I really do not like looking one direction and the sound coming from another.

One other question. What is everyone doing for a portable screen? I already have a nice pull down in my basement, but I would like to take this my family's houses or use it outside in the summer?

Everdog - I have my projector standing on a 2 shelf tv unit - with casters - that I bought from IKEA years ago. The projector is standing on the lower shelf and while only a few inches from the floor I find the stand to provide adequate protection from kids and pets.

I'm using the Da-Lite BGS System for my 92 inch Grey Wolf. It's about $80 shipped. I think it would be an acceptable solution for outdoor projection as long as you make sure nobody starts shaking the tripods as it is not the most stable system in the world - especially not when it's extended to 8 feet with a 20 pounds screen.

I'm using the Da-Lite BGS System for my 92 inch Grey Wolf. It's about $80 shipped. I think it would be an acceptable solution for outdoor projection as long as you make sure nobody starts shaking the tripods as it is not the most stable system in the world - especially not when it's extended to 8 feet with a 20 pounds screen.

Do you think it could be weighted down with small sand bags? Is it quick and easy to set up? And what kind of room are you using it in?

Thanks in advance!

You can weigh it down with sand bags, but the issue is more related to the system being top-heavy. It takes less than 5 minutes to set-up - one person can easily do it. I'm using the stand in our family room. I'll post some pictures once I figure out why my Canon 300D no longer will accept compact flash cards.....

Is there a definitive answer to the "subtitles always on" issue? I haven't looked in the setup menu, but will turning them off there also stop the commentary names that pop up in Star Wars II & III?

Yes, the solution lies in the set-up menu. Just go there and set it for subtitles off. Apparently some machines were set this way and some were not from the factory. I informed Optoma about this issue and others.
Sam

Before I buy this I'm hoping one of you can answer these last questions I have. Looks like I can't mount this thing up high. Is there no way to mount this thing up high? Like above a 7 foot door? I guess sticking it on the floor temporarily wouldn't hurt too bad.

My center wall sticks out from the rest of the 30 foot wall and is only 77 inches wide. Didn't really want to have the 92" Greywolf screen hanging off the ends. Can I get a smaller screen and resize the screen with the Optoma movietime?

Will resizing the screen kill the quality?

thanks in advance,

Dale

I picked up an Optoma DV10 Movietime projector over the weekend. My previous projectors were Sharp 37..., NEC LT150z, Plus Piano, Optoma H30, Infocus 4800, BenQ 7800 and BenQ 8700.

This Movietime has a Very Good picture! It even looks good on HDTV.

I do believe that this unit is defective. It has the subtitles every time you start a DVD, Which I believe I read a work-around on that. After turning the unit off and then back on there is no audio. I think that that requires sending the unit back to Optoma. I know that someone else in these postings has had this problem. The power cord requires wiggling to get power to the unit.

One problem that I have not seen mentioned here is that I cannot get the unit to stay on the lower bulb setting. It keeps going back to the bright setting. Anybody seen this?

I find that this projector has a bit of "clay face".

Does anybody here have some good optomised settings for this unit?

the subtitles can be turned off via dvd menu.

if you activate the a.i. feature, the bright mode is turned on.

you should not turn the unit back on right away - let it cool down first.

tjl

brooster,

I had the same audio problem you are describing. Optoma is aware of it and claims it is a firmware problem. I swapped mine out for a new one and have had no problems since. Given your other issues, you may want to go this route as well.

I was wondering if you can connect the MovieTime to an external amplified (500 watts) subwoofer, but without using a receiver in between. I've read that this Optoma has a 3.5 audio output plug that can be directed to the two output jacks in the back of the subwoofer.

I have an Acoustic Research amplified subw (ARs500) with lots of inputs. I guess I would need to use the "normal" (L+R) input.

I haven't received the Optoma yet and therefore I haven't been able to experiment.

I don't mind if I don't have 5.1 capabilities (I can use my wireless DTS Pioneer Headphones for that), but I would like to give some depth to the stereo sound that produce the unit's two small speakers.

Does it make a big difference?

Yes, the Optoma can be connected to a powered sub... they actually sell a small one as an accessory. There is an audio out jack that is a 1/8" stereo plug. With a 1/8" stereo plug to RCA (L+R) cable, you should be able to connect it to just about any powered sub. With the sub's low pass filter and the level set correctly, a nice sub will add a lot of impact to the built-in speakers.

I guess I would need to use the "normal" (L+R) input.



There are only two sound outputs on the MovieTime. The optical/digital out and the headphones/mini-jack out. I use the mini-jack output to the L+R input on my subwoofer and yes it does add depth.

I have found the best solution (besides the optical out to a receiver) is to get an amplified set of speakers/subwoofer like the kind made for PCs. I borrowed a 200 watt Logitech 2.1 set, and turned the volume down on the MovieTime and up on the speakers, and it worked well. The problem is the volume on the MovieTime matches what is output on the mini-jack. So you will always have sound coming out of the MovieTime speakers.

My user settings keep going back to default. Anybody else having this problem?

I have a quick question how do I go about hooking up a 5.1 surround sound to the optoma dvd projector? I will be getting mine on Monday when fedex delivers it and just wanted to know how I go about doing that?


Thanks

Chris

Digital optical output on the Movietime to a 5.1 decoder/receiver.

Digital optical output on the Movietime to a 5.1 decoder/receiver.



Thanks! One more question what do you guys use to put the center speaker on? Any good products you guys can suggest?

I was considering using a high-end computer speaker bundle for the Optoma. Something like the Logitech® Z-5500 Digital, but I don't know if these bundles can receive the Optoma's optical cable or they are only configured to work with a computer card (with three outputs)....

The thing is that I dont want to clutter the room with more cables and a separate receiver.

Any idea?

From the Logitech page for the Z-5500 Digital...

"Source Inputs
Digital optical for DVD or CD players, PlayStation®2, Xbox®
Digital coaxial for DVD or CD players or PC sound cards (requires coaxial cable, sold separately)
6 channel direct (3 stereo-mini connectors) for 2, 4, or 6 channel PC sound cards OR
6 channel direct (3 stereo-mini connectors) for 3 stereo analog mini audio sources, like CD and DVD players, Playstation 2, Xbox, or 2 channel PC sound cards (some devices may require stereo mini to dual RCA adapter, sold separately)
Analog stereo-mini (on side panel of control center) for portable CD, MP3,or MiniDisc® players"

The digital optical input should do it.

I've noticed the DVD player of this projector is very sensitive with DVDRs. I watch a lot of recordings from HDTV channels and it's annoying the level of pixelation I get with the incorporated player. Does anybody know if it's a question of the kind or brand or media used or it is always like that with DVD recordings? Does anybody know of any brand of DVD-R or DVD+R that plays smoothly with the Optoma MovieTime?

Anyone find a way into the service menu or a way to make the player region free yet?

Does anybody know if it's possible to play CDs without having the lamp running all the time? How do you turn it off without turning off the whole unit?

I was curious about other user's normal viewing screen size (as opposed to when they take the projector out from the home viewing environment). Currently, I am projecting onto my 92" Screen that came as part of the deal when I bought the projector.

I've been thinking about getting the next large size, I think it's 106". Was just wondering if anyone else is thinking about uping their screen size. Thanks.

As for navarros question about turning the lamp off, well I think I accidentially discovered that but can't test it right now since I am at work. I think if you push the power button once and when the screen says lamp off or mute picture, if you click over to the mute picture, it should shut off the lamp. Haven't played around long enough to find out if the unit shuts off. Hope that's the right answer. Please post if you find anything. Thanks.

I typically view movies at about 10' wide (projected on to a wall), this is in a windowless basement room that is about 14' by 28' (WxL). I have to soften the focus just a tad to avoid the screen door effect.

At 850lumens the DV10 can easily do a very large screen. But for the screen door most will need to view at a 1.8 or 2.0 screen width distance.

So would anyone recommend this projector for use with an htpc? I have no need for a dvd/audio/whatever player, but the projection calculations, cost, packages, and so on make this a good candidate for an X1 upgrade...

Plus I can get my wife to buy the coffee table she's always wanted, and simply put it on the bottom shelf:
http://www.worldmarket.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=1195&Ne=1100001&sectionId=2868&N=1100043&categoryId=1100043&pCategoryId=1100038&gpCategoryId=1100002&Ns=NEW_ARRIVAL_FLAG|0||CATEGORY_SEQ_2894|0

Or Am i better off with an h31, 4805, or whatever?

(Screen is a 92" silverstar)

I had a DV10 that I returned. It was an early model that had a few problems. The audio would only work if you unpluged the unit every time you turned it off and the unit forgot the user settings every time it was turned off, even if you didn't unplug it. One thing that bugged me was the fact that the power cord didn't fit very well. When I would move the projector while it was running there was a good chance that the projector would shut off.

The DV10 picture looked great! Very bright with excellent contrast. I had a Mitsubishi HC900 576p projector at my house at the same time and the colors were nicer on the DV10. I even liked the speakers on the DV10. Very clear and I could hear the surrond effect pretty good.

I kept the HC900 because of the better resolution on HDTV and the fact that the picture looked great on the 4,000 hour low bulb setting. I put a FL-Day filter on the HC900 and the colors are almost as nice as the DV10.

The HC900 IS worth checking out. I heard that it works well in a HTPC setting . I like the picture more than my BenQ 8700+ that I had a year ago.

Having said all that, The DV10 is a great DVD projector!

I recently sold my Optoma EP719 because i wanted a projector with a native widescreen resolution and right now im looking at the MovieTime projector and the Infocus 4805 which do you guys think is better honestly? i dont really need the onboard dvd player i mean it wouldnt hurt but im not sure if id use it much also i have external speakers already so i probably wouldnt use that much either i think i saw earlyer in the thread that the MovieTime scored just below the Faroudji which is the chip the 4805 uses so im guessing that the 4805 is slightly better? im not sure about the movie time because i have my projector mounted on a shelf behind my head and if i stick it there the smallest image i could get is 112" and i sit about 11 feet back from that which isnt really optimal i mean im sure it would still look good. but im just curious which one you think would be better? i like both and both have great reviews..i just cant make a decision

I have a Movietime and I'm not a 4805 expert, but if you're not going to use the DVD player or speakers and the zoom doesn't fit your needs, it wouldn't seem the Movietime should even be in the running. The all-in-one solution is the big advantage of the Movietime and it's a little more expensive because of it. If I didn't need/want that, I'd probably look at something like the 4805 or Optoma H31.

you will be using some keystone if you mount the movietime on a shelf. you probably should look at some other choice if you dont need portability. (it really has a good pq though)