...
Have a question that I asked a few threads above, on some projectors not 1080P they have the native resolution as 720p and compatible as 1080i and 1080P what good is the 1080P for since it's not a 1080PJ???? :eek:

If you mean what good is it with a HC3000 that doesn't accept 1080p input for a device like a Blu-ray or HD DVD player to provide 1080p output, the answer is not much.

With those devices the data from a movie is encoded as 1920 x 1080 pixels progressive 24 frames per second , and when it is outputted it at 1920 x 1080 interlaced pixels 60 frames per second, with a 3 :2 sequence, it has all the data included. That 1920 x 1080 progressive image at 24 frames per second (repeated twice or three timesin a 3:2 cadence ) from a movie is then taken by the HC3000 and converted to a 1280 x 720 p image at 60 frames per second.

It really doesn't matter if its 1080 i or 1080p, all the data is included. The Mits HC3000 can't handle a 1080p source sou don't worry about it. The HC3000 does better with 720p than many 1080p projectors, and it costs a lot less.

In a few years, hand down the HC3000 and buy a 1080p projector that can handle that 1080p input. In the meantime enjoy the hell out of the HC3000.

It really doesn't matter if its 1080 i or 1080p, all the data is included. The Mits HC3000 can't handle a 1080p source sou don't worry about it. The HC3000 does better with 720p than many 1080p projectors, and it costs a lot less.
.

I am assuming that you have the Mits 3000, do you think that it does a better picture with a 720P vs 1080I, I know that the native mode is 720P, but just wondering on your perception of the PJ.


By the way was thinking of switching to a Optoma HD72, that's where the 1080P question came from.

Thanks for the reply

You should not use a movie image as your reference for calibration. You should buy a real calibration disc like Avia or Digital Video Essentials and use the objective test patterns. Movies are shot with all sorts of stylistic effects. Sometimes directors want the black level pushed, sometimes they want heavy color filters. And sometimes, movies just have bad video transfers that distort the original image. They aren't a reliable source for calibration. You need test patterns.


Where can I buy one of the discs and how much are they?

Where can I buy one of the discs and how much are they?

DVD (http://www.amazon.com/Digital-Video-Essentials-Entertainment-Component/dp/B00005PJ70/sr=1-1/qid=1166020898/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-7212814-4565726?ie=UTF8&s=dvd)
HD DVD (http://www.amazon.com/Digital-Video-Essentials-HD-DVD/dp/B000IHYY3Y/sr=1-2/qid=1166020898/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2/102-7212814-4565726?ie=UTF8&s=dvd) (coming soon)

DVD (http://www.amazon.com/Digital-Video-Essentials-Entertainment-Component/dp/B00005PJ70/sr=1-1/qid=1166020898/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-7212814-4565726?ie=UTF8&s=dvd)
HD DVD (http://www.amazon.com/Digital-Video-Essentials-HD-DVD/dp/B000IHYY3Y/sr=1-2/qid=1166020898/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2/102-7212814-4565726?ie=UTF8&s=dvd) (coming soon)

Thanks, any idea when the HD-DVD will be out?

I know amazon.com sells avia.

I believe you can also get DVE or Avia thru Netflix.

James

I am trying to get some sort of bearing on extended warranty. The previous PJ Panny 500U had no problems with it and had it about 3 years and 1200 hours on the lamp or so.

Now with my Mits 3000 also did not get a extended warranty, so I am wondering since the PJ has been around a while, what problems if any have the owners of the PJ encountered such as premature lamp life or malfunction of the PJ, etc.

Would appreciate some sort of feedback. For some reason or another having second thoughs on getting the warranty, perhaps feeling that my luck will run out sooner or later.

I am assuming that you have the Mits 3000, do you think that it does a better picture with a 720P vs 1080I, I know that the native mode is 720P, but just wondering on your perception of the PJ.


By the way was thinking of switching to a Optoma HD72, that's where the 1080P question came from.

Thanks for the reply I have a HC3000 with the newer menus (says medium instead of 6500 etc) and greyscale settings (more like HC31000 less bluish) . Probably built in Sep 06
I love the friggin thing. AT its current price I consider it a form of legal theft.

I looked at a lot of FP at cedia and CES and other places and I was surprised at its picture when it came out at a list of $3500 a year half ago. Now things have moved on but its 720p picture holds up very well to 1080p projectors that cost 4 times as much.

The color accuracy is spot on. The only thing a 1080p projector does is 1 to 1 map and lessen pixel size, but somehow the 720p Mits HC3000 does something so its DC2 pixels are not visible until you get 2-3 feet away. If you set overscan to 100% its picture is a little better than the default 97% setting. Its a light cannon and is pretty silent.

I have seen better projectors but the Mits HC3000 performance is 98% there at 33% of the cost of the newer 1080p FP's.

I intend to enjoy it for years until I can get a 1080p 24/48/60/72/120 capable projector under 2K.

When you feed it 1080i HD DVD it is amazing.

I love the friggin thing. AT its current price I consider it a form of legal theft.

I looked at a lot of FP at cedia and CES and other places and I was surprised at its picture when it came out at a list of $3500 a year half ago. Now things have moved on but its 720p picture holds up very well to 1080p projectors that cost 4 times as much.

The color accuracy is spot on. The only thing a 1080p projector does is 1 to 1 map and lessen pixel size, but somehow the 720p Mits HC3000 does something so its DC2 pixels are not visible until you get 2-3 feet away. If you set overscan to 100% its picture is a little better than the default 97% setting. Its a light cannon and is pretty silent.

I have seen better projectors but the Mits HC3000 performance is 98% there at 33% of the cost of the newer 1080p FP's.

I intend to enjoy it for years until I can get a 1080p 24/48/60/72/120 capable projector under 2K.

When you feed it 1080i HD DVD it is amazing.


I agree with you the colors are amazing, like your comment about the price as a form of legal theft.

Do you have any other form of DVD player besides your HD-DVD, reason how does that player look on your PJ? How about the non HD movies on your HD player any significant difference.

Tried out the Optama HD70 and it had nice colors but the SDE drove me nuts, could see them as far as 8' and they were so huge that could had played tic tac to on my screen, couldn't believe it, so picked up the Mits. Thinking about getting it ISF calibrated and retrying Tosh HD-DVD player.

Yes I am sure , it compresses any signal down to 2.35 . So you can send a 1.78 signal and compress it to 2.35 when using the 2.35 and Auto settings . So technically you can use a Cinemascope screen with the HC3000 but you are giving up resolution vs. using the entire panel with an anamorphic lens .

Oh and keep in mind that when it does this 2.35/Auto mode it is cropping as well so you lose some of the image top & bottom .

The HC3000 does not do anamorphic stretch all by itself ;) .

It makes sense for those sources that can send the anamorphic signal out stretched and let the display do the compression . But the HC3000 cannot be used with an anamorphic lens unless you have a source/scaler that does the proper stretch ( I have done the stretch with my HTPC even though I do not have the anamorphic lens ) . If toshiba would add this feature to the HD DVD players then I would get a lens .

** EDIT : it is possible that Mitsu could add this feature with different firmware **

--------- Jason

Jason or anyone else - any update on this?? You mentioned Toshiba - does the new HD-DVD do the proper stretching for a true 2.35:1 AR?

If not does, this mean my only option if I decide to go with a 2:35 screen would be to get a projector other than the HC3000 or get a video scaler (probably more $ than I want to invest)?? I have a new HC3000 sitting in a box and I really like the PQ but I like the idea of a 2:35:1 screen

Jason or anyone else - any update on this?? You mentioned Toshiba - does the new HD-DVD do the proper stretching for a true 2.35:1 AR?


No, you need an external scaler.

Well since my last adventure with the Tosh A1 HD-DVD and my previous PJ Panny 500, their was no improvement in PQ with the A1 vs my Oppo 971 decided to take the A1 back.

Now that have the Mits 3000 and noticed the the A1 price had dropped to $350 on a local store decided to retry the A1, phooey my PQ is the same as I had with the Panny 500, my Oppo does just as good of a job as the A1.

Must be doing something wrong, since everyone that has the Mits states how nice the A1 looks, unfortunely not in my house. :(

Any help or SUGGESTIONS will be appreciated. :D

Zapper,
If your 971 up converted looks as good as a HD DVD movie...something is definitely wrong. If you are comparing 2 SD movies, then I can see what you are saying. But the comparison of HD DVD vs a SD DVD, there should be no doubt which one is better unless you have very poor eyesight or aren't picky about video quality.

Must really be doing something wrong the 971 is showing better upconversion then the HD-DVD, on the other hand Sd dvd on the HD-DVD looks a little better, figure that one out.

Have not calibrated the A1, but thought that it automatically would be better it seems that ever one raves about the PQ on the A1 and I can hardly tell the difference.

zapper...what HD DVD disc are you using?

Must really be doing something wrong the 971 is showing better upconversion then the HD-DVD, on the other hand Sd dvd on the HD-DVD looks a little better, figure that one out.

Have not calibrated the A1, but thought that it automatically would be better it seems that ever one raves about the PQ on the A1 and I can hardly tell the difference.


Are you sending 720p or 1080i to your Mits? You should be sending 1080i to your projector.

Are you sending 720p or 1080i to your Mits? You should be sending 1080i to your projector.

Curious.. I have the Mits 3000 as well.. I have been told by my ISF guy that I should always send 720p to match the display... but I stayed with 1080i. Is there a technical reason to do 1080i with a 720p display vs using 720p on a 720p display ? Some say 720p is better for motion, but I could not tell any difference....

The movie The Last Samurai, have tested 720P and 1080I to no avail. Also have the Perfect Storm in HD-DVD. :o

Curious.. I have the Mits 3000 as well.. I have been told by my ISF guy that I should always send 720p to match the display... but I stayed with 1080i. Is there a technical reason to do 1080i with a 720p display vs using 720p on a 720p display ? Some say 720p is better for motion, but I could not tell any difference....


Just curious do you have the A1? if so does it look better then SD- DVD???? What I have read or recall the display should match the source, in this case 720P but on my Oppo have it on 1080I and it looks great.

Just curious do you have the A1? if so does it look better then SD- DVD???? What I have read or recall the display should match the source, in this case 720P but on my Oppo have it on 1080I and it looks great.

Ralph,

I had the XA1 and it looked great, better than the Upconvert for sure. I may be selling the XA1 soon as I got the A2 to try and love it as well.... the HD DVDs look terrific at 1080i. I am looking at an Oppo 981 or 970 to replace my Denon 2900 for Hi rez music plus the Oppo seems to be reliable with all formats. If the Oppo upconvert is as good as or better than the A2, then I will get an Oppo to replace my 2900 (and sale it too.)

The Oppo is a great player, to bad the A1 that I have had are not that great and/or something that I am doing or not doing is not giving me the PQ that every one is talking about. My vision is ecellent beginning to wonder about every body else's, thats a though or they just bought it and perhaps will not admit that the PQ is not that great, but I doubt that.

What are the chances of getting two bad players, like I have had?

The Oppo is a great player, to bad the A1 that I have had are not that great and/or something that I am doing or not doing is not giving me the PQ that every one is talking about. My vision is ecellent beginning to wonder about every body else's, thats a though or they just bought it and perhaps will not admit that the PQ is not that great, but I doubt that.

What are the chances of getting two bad players, like I have had?

Ralph,
you are using an oppo 971 correct? what size of screen (diag size) are you using with the Mits and the Oppo? I think the 971 has been discontinued.

A Carada 100", the last time that visited the Oppo site to look at the Oppo 981 or whatever they still had the 971 If I recall.

One theory that I have is that most people that bought the HD-DVd were thinking that it would look similar to HDNet on their High definitiondisplay and never had the Oppo, so their first so called HD player is the A1.and are in awe at the PQ, when perhaps for less then half the price could had bought the Oppo and never would had to buy or rent a HD-DVD video.

A Carada 100", the last time that visited the Oppo site to look at the Oppo 981 or whatever they still had the 971 If I recall.

One theory that I have is that most people that bought the HD-DVd were thinking that it would look similar to HDNet on their High definitiondisplay and never had the Oppo, so their first so called HD player is the A1.and are in awe at the PQ, when perhaps for less then half the price could had bought the Oppo and never would had to buy or rent a HD-DVD video.

I have a ClearPix2 103" diag screen and HD-DVD looks and sounds stunning wth A2.. when my wife makes comments about PQ, etc.. then I know it must be good! lol
I watched HD-DVD Ant Bully and the animation appeared to be 3D! Really incredible.

An Oppo may become my "poor man's Blu Ray" until BD players are in the 300-400 range.. but so far, there are only 9 BD title I am interested in.. hard to justify $1000-1300 for only 9 titles....whereas I have 25 or so HD-DVD title so far!

If you are ever in the Cleveland area, you are welcome to stop and see for yourself.
Just PM me here.

Oh well someone is enjoying thier HD-DVD. Do you have a scaler? or anything else to help the conversion from the player to the mits?

Oh well someone is enjoying thier HD-DVD. Do you have a scaler? or anything else to help the conversion from the player to the mits?

no scaler.... A2>HDMI> Denon AVR 2807 >HDMI > Mits 3000.

With PQ this good, dont know what a scaler would do for me to justify the cost of one.

Mark

Cleveland is a nice town. last time that I was there was on 9/11 staying at the Marriot by the airport and could see all the confusion on the Tv and out of my Hotel room. Currently I'M a retired Fed and there must had being about 500 of us at the Marriot that day, from all over NY down to Tn.

The meeting lasted less then one day due to the plane flying over Cleveland.

There is no comparison with SD-DVD (from any player) to HD DVD . I have Last Samurai on both SD and HD and the difference is night and day (with most scenes) . The Perfect Storm is a terrible HD DVD regarding image quality . Try something along the lines of Riddick or King Kong and be amazed . Most HD DVD's are also superior to most HD broadcast material be it SAT , Cable , or OTA due to compression noise .

------ Jason

The movie The Last Samurai, have tested 720P and 1080I to no avail. Also have the Perfect Storm in HD-DVD. :o

Your posts are not clear. Were you watching Last Samurai on an actual HD DVD disc, or were you playing a regular DVD in your HD-A1 player?

HD DVD is miles better than regular DVD, and Last Samurai is one of the better-looking titles. If you can't see a difference, then yes you have something set up wrong.

Perfect Storm is not a very good HD DVD. There may indeed little difference between that disc and its DVD counterpart.

Curious.. I have the Mits 3000 as well.. I have been told by my ISF guy that I should always send 720p to match the display... but I stayed with 1080i. Is there a technical reason to do 1080i with a 720p display vs using 720p on a 720p display ? Some say 720p is better for motion, but I could not tell any difference....

Generally speaking, you should feed the projector its native resolution. However, the HD DVD players do a poor job of scaling the 1080p content on HD DVD discs to 720p. In this specific case, you are better outputting 1080i and letting the projector do the scaling instead.

What is the best DVD title to wow people with this set up? I'm just hooking mine up :) .



Your posts are not clear. Were you watching Last Samurai on an actual HD DVD disc, or were you playing a regular DVD in your HD-A1 player?

HD DVD is miles better than regular DVD, and Last Samurai is one of the better-looking titles. If you can't see a difference, then yes you have something set up wrong.

Perfect Storm is not a very good HD DVD. There may indeed little difference between that disc and its DVD counterpart.

Mine was delivered yesterday. I gave it a quick once-over last night to ensure that everything worked. It's unbelievable how easy these things are to setup. Having been a CRT user for the past year or so, I must say that you guys have it easy on the digital side. What I did in 5 minutes last night would have taken me 4 to 5 hours previously. Kudos to Mitsubishi. The image is by no means perfect, but one can still achieve a VERY pleasing image with only minor modifications to the factory settings.

Alas, she must go back in the box for a while so that I can do my best Bob Vila imitation and get the room finished out. I'm looking forward to ceiling mounting this little devil and getting it calibrated. Fun times ahead...

Your posts are not clear. Were you watching Last Samurai on an actual HD DVD disc, or were you playing a regular DVD in your HD-A1 player?

HD DVD is miles better than regular DVD, and Last Samurai is one of the better-looking titles. If you can't see a difference, then yes you have something set up wrong.

Perfect Storm is not a very good HD DVD. There may indeed little difference between that disc and its DVD counterpart.


Was playing a HD-DVD only, bought the Perfect Storm to try out the so called True Dolby but it really doesn't matter since I am unable to get a Good PQ, everything is set to 1080I. Don't understand what the heck I am doing wrong. :mad:

This is my second Tosh and second PJ and yet unable to get good PQ?????
so must be doing something wrong, somewhere.

There is no comparison with SD-DVD (from any player) to HD DVD . I have Last Samurai on both SD and HD and the difference is night and day (with most scenes) . The Perfect Storm is a terrible HD DVD regarding image quality . Try something along the lines of Riddick or King Kong and be amazed . Most HD DVD's are also superior to most HD broadcast material be it SAT , Cable , or OTA due to compression noise .

------ Jason

Have both Dvd's of the last Sumari Hd-DVD and the standard one , hate to buy King Kong and still have a bad PQ then will have 3 Hd-DVD's and no good picture.

Was playing a HD-DVD only, bought the Perfect Storm to try out the so called True Dolby but it really doesn't matter since I am unable to get a Good PQ, everything is set to 1080I. Don't understand what the heck I am doing wrong. :mad:

This is my second Tosh and second PJ and yet unable to get good PQ?????
so must be doing something wrong, somewhere. Overscan set to 100% instead of teh default 97%

Is the optical zoom and focus set properly?

Yes, the optical and focus is set properly.

Yes, the optical and focus is set properly. What are you using for a screen? Can you PM me your entire setup settings and description, I have a HD XA1 and a HC3000 in a bat cave. Maybe I can help you figure it out?

Yes, the optical and focus is set properly.
Are you using a HDVI connection? Just a thought. It is supposed to be better on the HDMI. To double check on the focus, walk up to the screen and confirm the tiny mirror squares are sharp with no raimbow or blur.

After hours of trying to choose a screen from samples I narrowed it down to two which are very close to my likings. First one is Carada Brilliant White and the second is Da-Lite Cinema Vision. I think I will be happy with either one, but what do you guys think which one should I go with and why? Thanks for the help.

Do you guys think the 3000's price will drop any time soon?

I doubt it. I would think the projector will be dropped before the price. They came out with the HC1100 to provide lower pricing for competators already. I paid $2995 for mine about a year ago with no regrets even though it is about half that now. How low do you want it to go ! Nice to wait for new technology to drop in price but when it does, it becomes old technology and you just wait again. In the interim you don't have it. Waiting for new technology to drop in price each year does not add a year to your live or use of the technology.

I doubt it. I would think the projector will be dropped before the price. They came out with the HC1100 to provide lower pricing for competators already. I paid $2995 for mine about a year ago with no regrets even though it is about half that now. How low do you want it to go ! Nice to wait for new technology to drop in price but when it does, it becomes old technology and you just wait again. In the interim you don't have it. Waiting for new technology to drop in price each year does not add a year to your live or use of the technology. I agree. The Minimum Advertised Price (MAP) will stay as it is probably for the next year. According to the Mits folks I know. The HC1000 is in the low slot and the HC3000 is teh step up. Normal preactice is that differential.

You may be able to find it a little lower, but life is short.

Its not going to get much lower, at your opportunity cost of missing movie watching time is worth something too. This PJ is IMHO one of the best bang for the bunks out there.

I doubt it. I would think the projector will be dropped before the price. They came out with the HC1100 to provide lower pricing for competators already. I paid $2995 for mine about a year ago with no regrets even though it is about half that now. How low do you want it to go ! Nice to wait for new technology to drop in price but when it does, it becomes old technology and you just wait again. In the interim you don't have it. Waiting for new technology to drop in price each year does not add a year to your live or use of the technology. I agree. The Minimum Advertised Price (MAP) will stay as it is probably for the next year. According to the Mits folks I know. The HC1000 is in the low slot and the HC3000 is teh step up. Normal preactice is that differential.

You may be able to find it a little lower, but life is short.

Its not going to get much lower, and your opportunity cost of missing movie watching time is worth something too. This PJ is IMHO one of the best bang for the bunks out there.

I just had mine (after over 100 hours on the bulb) ISF calibrated in Oregon by David Evans of 21st Century Calibrations (he covers Oregon, Washington state, and Idaho). He showed up on time, was extremely polite and professional, yet approachable and a great educator. He didn't rush the job, spent a lot of time getting the system right, knew his stuff and did a fabulous job with both the HC3000 and my audio system. He was even able to calibrate my speakers, check for polarity, and phase of the subwoofer. After his calibration, the scene from "Pirates of the Carribean-the Black Pearl" where Captain Jack Sparrow stands on the mast and sails into the harbor was stunning in all of the detail and the color balance. Then the audio and video system rocked the house with Sarah McLachlan's 2003 concert DVD with its Dolby Digital 5.1 audio. I would highly recommend him to anyone!

Dave noted that everything from the factory read pretty much in the 8000 K range out-of-the-box and was able to get everything except 100 FRE into the optimum D65 range while 100 FRE was about 5-7% close to optimum. Another interesting thing he found was the component video signal had significant noise in the higher ranges (about 70 -100 FRE). I wonder if anyone else has run across this problem. As such, the HDMI signal, which was perfect, warranted our decision to avoid hooking up the component cables all together and run my DirecTV HD box and my Oppo 970 DVD player through a scaler with HDMI cables into the projector's HDMI input.

After calibration, on a high gain Vutec Silverstar screen, Dave definitely noted that the HC3000 is a 'light cannon.' He was also impressed by the high quality image of the HC3000 in comparison to other projectors selling for twice or three times the price of its street price. Although the lack of lens shift could make some applications a little difficult, if you have a high enough ceiling with a proper drop mount, he believed this projector is a great choice for a budget-conscious or price-for-quality-performance/value home theater-phile. :D

My system:

Projector: HC3000
AV Rec: Denon 4802
DVD: Oppo 970
Sat: DirecTV H10
Bass Mgt: Outlaw ICBM
F. Spkrs: Paradigm Mini-Monitors
S. Spkrs: Paradigm ADP-350
Center: Paradigm C-350
Sub: Paradigm PS-1000
Scaler: Key Digital Isync Pro

What's a good ceiling mount for the 3000u? I have 8 foot ceilings. I just purchased the 3000u based on a fantastic demo at a local BB (if you could believe that one) - and some great posts from Jason and Josh and others. Thanks for the help guys. Also thinking of going high power as far as a screen - any input?

Josh Z - I bought my 240k years ago based on some of your posts (and others) and enjoyed every minute - and I think you're right again with this PJ.


Herm

What's a good ceiling mount for the 3000u? I have 8 foot ceilings. I just purchased the 3000u based on a fantastic demo at a local BB (if you could believe that one) - and some great posts from Jason and Josh and others. Thanks for the help guys. Also thinking of going high power as far as a screen - any input?

Josh Z - I bought my 240k years ago based on some of your posts (and others) and enjoyed every minute - and I think you're right again with this PJ.


Herm

Herm,

I like my Vutec Silverstar screen with the HC3000u. It's a bright screen, so as the lamp ages, it won't dim as much as with other screens. As for the mount, I'm using the Prestige Universal Mount. It works but it isn't the most stable mount in the world with this projector.

Jack

Hey Kosty: Do your contacts have any idea whether the 3100 is coming to North America and if so when?

Josh Z - I bought my 240k years ago based on some of your posts (and others) and enjoyed every minute - and I think you're right again with this PJ.

I think you'll be happy with the upgrade from the 240k. I sure was.

The 240k was a great projector until the lamp outgassing problems got to be so severe that I developed a dark shadow down the side of the screen that wouldn't go away. At that point, I knew it was time to move on.

Couple quick questions.

Should you unplug the projector if you don't use it for a few days? I have been just turning it off with the remote. I noticed a red light stays on, but that happens with my Oppo also.


Is it worth it to get a calbration disk or can I just plug in Art's setting at projectorreveiws. Would I get a better pic with his setting or a disk?

Couple quick questions.

Should you unplug the projector if you don't use it for a few days? I have been just turning it off with the remote. I noticed a red light stays on, but that happens with my Oppo also.


Is it worth it to get a calbration disk or can I just plug in Art's setting at projectorreveiws. Would I get a better pic with his settings or a disk?

My opinion only, the Oppo is worth about $200 and the PJ is worth a little more thus would unplug it somehow, either by your surge protector or by another means. I have the Panamax surge protector and the PJ is plugged to a separate socket within the protector and when I am done watching the PJ just hit one button on the surge protector and the PJ has no power. If a power surge comes on its not plugged or don't have juice through it so it should be OK.

In regards to Arts settings vs a Disk. First his settings are based on his ambient light and probably his own personal taste why noT try his setting and modify it a little and save it on a different mode and compare yours to his, then if still not satisfied try the Disk for a few bucks.

Simple question that have not been able to locate on the 3000 manual, how in the heck do you check the lamp hours? :D

Simple question that have not been able to locate on the 3000 manual, how in the heck do you check the lamp hours? :D

Press the UP, DOWN, and ENTER buttons on the projector body simultaneously. I'm not sure why Mitsubishi thought it was a good idea to hide this menu page for important projector usage stats, but that's where it is.

Is it worth it to get a calbration disk or can I just plug in Art's setting at projectorreveiws. Would I get a better pic with his settings or a disk?

You can buy a copy of Digital Video Essentials for $18 or less. There's no excuse not to own one.

You can't just use someone else's settings and call it a day. Everyone's projector calibration settings are going to be different. Your picture quality will be affected by your image size, screen color and gain, ambient light, reflectivity of the walls in your room, bulb age, and many other factors.

Press the UP, DOWN, and ENTER buttons on the projector body simultaneously. I'm not sure why Mitsubishi thought it was a good idea to hide this menu page for important projector usage stats, but that's where it is.


Thanks for the info., it seems a little strange why Mitsubishi did it this way other projectors have it on the menu setup.

Hiya guys!

I was waiting on the sidelines for the new format war but today I won that amazon raffle thingy to buy a PS3 so for $499 with no tax and $8.98 two day shipping I couldn't help it and took the plunge. I know this is a dumb question but will the PS3 output 1080i for BD movies? I know it does 720P for the games but the hc3000 won't take a 1080P HDMI signal and I don't want to use component as my HD cable box is plugged in there.
Anybody here who have the Mits and the PS3, what are you doing and how has it been working? Thanks alot!!! dave

What can you tell from the following stats on the "hold up down enter" menu?

S/W version 3.0 HC3000
Set Time (Total) 778h45m
Lamp Time(Total) 778h45m
Lamp Time(Low) 1168h08
Lamp Reset 0
V-freq - Hz
H-freq - Khz
Temp error time 0h00m


Seems to me those times doesn't match. How can "Set time(total)" and "Lamp time(total)" be less than "Lamp time(low)"
And it anyway shows 0 lamp resets too.

Maybe firmware upgrade at some point?
Projector should be 8 months old according to seller.
Does anyone have anything similar in the menu, especially those who have got firmware upgrade done to their hc3000?

I think it has to do with the High/Low lamp mode and how they calculate total hours.

I will be listing my HC3000 this weekend in the marketplace after I renew my avs membership, for a great price, as I'm on the JVC RS1 presale so stay tuned.

muncey

Does the HC3000 allow you to shift a cinemascope image up or down so that black bar (a larger one) is confined to either the top or bottom of the image? I would like to do this with a 1.78 screen and then simply do a horizontal mask across the top bar.

I looked through the HC3000 manual online and it looks like it has a "vertical postion" but it also says that it is not available when the input signal is from the HDMI IN terminal??

Any feedback from current HC3000 owners would be appreciated.

On reading the manual further, the function I may be looking for is "shutter (U)" which is defined as "use to display the black bar on the top part of the image".

Is this what I would use?

Thanks.

You can shift the image but I don't know if it will shift it all the way to the upper or lower edge. I will check this tonight for you.

I just listed my HC3000 here if anyone is looking for a good deal on a used one.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=776437

muncey

Just curious any firmware upgrade or anything on the Mits. 3000? :D

Does the HC3000 allow you to shift a cinemascope image up or down so that black bar (a larger one) is confined to either the top or bottom of the image? I would like to do this with a 1.78 screen and then simply do a horizontal mask across the top bar.

I looked through the HC3000 manual online and it looks like it has a "vertical postion" but it also says that it is not available when the input signal is from the HDMI IN terminal??

Any feedback from current HC3000 owners would be appreciated.


Yes you can shift a 2.35 image all the way to the top or bottom of the panel , I shift mine to the bottom when watching 2.35 content and it does work with the HDMI input .

-------- Jason

Just curious any firmware upgrade or anything on the Mits. 3000? :D

Nothing that I am aware of ;) .

----- Jason

I bought this unit yesterday and love it. but I have two questions that I couldn't quickly find in the manual. One is how does one open or close the iris? Second, I found the on / off setting for brilliant color but I could not find the 1 to 10 type settings that I have read about.
Thanks for all your help in getting to this decision.

Carl

I bought this unit yesterday and love it. but I have two questions that I couldn't quickly find in the manual. One is how does one open or close the iris?

There's a button on the remote labelled "Iris". It's strictly an open/closed option, with no gradients in between. For whatever reason, the function is not listed in the OSD menus, just on the remote.

Thanks Josh. Anyone have a response on the question on the Brilliant Color.

Carl

BrilliantColor is also just on/off. It may have a 10 step scale on some other projectors, but not this one.

Ok Josh, thanks. I thought sure I had read that it could be dialed in 1 through 10. Oh well, I love it either way. 92 inches reflecting off a dull apartment wall, and its awfully good. Can't wait til our house is finished and I get a real screen.

You can buy a copy of Digital Video Essentials for $18 or less. There's no excuse not to own one.

You can't just use someone else's settings and call it a day. Everyone's projector calibration settings are going to be different. Your picture quality will be affected by your image size, screen color and gain, ambient light, reflectivity of the walls in your room, bulb age, and many other factors.

What is the difference between Joe Kanes Video Essential DVD and the Digital Video Essential. :D

What is the difference between Joe Kanes Video Essential DVD and the Digital Video Essential. :D

They're both made by Joe Kane. "Video Essentials" is the older edition. "Digital Video Essentials" is the newer edition with more up to date test patterns.

Thanks, for the reply so if someone is not tech savy or unable to use the standard VE advance patterns, it wouldn't be worth buying it? :)

Thanks, for the reply so if someone is not tech savy or unable to use the standard VE advance patterns, it wouldn't be worth buying it? :)

There are instructions on the disc for how to use the patterns. The disc navigation is admittedly a little confusing, but nothing a person can't figure out if they try.

Avia is a little more user friendly, but has a higher MSRP.

Anyone with a home theater needs to calibrate the display, especially with a projector. It's not optional. The default settings from the factory are far from accurate. If you really can't manage it yourself, hire a professional.

Currently have all of the calibration disk, VE, Avia and some others but don't have the so called Digital Video Essential and wondering if it has any features more then the previous disks. Have my name in for the Joe Kane HD-DVD disk whenever it comes out. :D

Currently have all of the calibration disk, VE, Avia and some others but don't have the so called Digital Video Essential and wondering if it has any features more then the previous disks. Have my name in for the Joe Kane HD-DVD disk whenever it comes out. :D

I think you're safe to hold tight until the HD DVD version is released.

When I first power my HC3000 on and the Mitsubishi splash screen lights up my screen it is projecting about 6 or 7 inches lower than my screen, but it is right on at the top and sides of the screen. I also noticed that there is a little bit of light spill while watching movies that is also below the screen. I noticed while watching LOTR last night. Does anyone else notice this?

Thanks,
Steve

When I first power my HC3000 on and the Mitsubishi splash screen lights up my screen it is projecting about 6 or 7 inches lower than my screen, but it is right on at the top and sides of the screen. I also noticed that there is a little bit of light spill while watching movies that is also below the screen. I noticed while watching LOTR last night. Does anyone else notice this?

I assume you're projecting onto a 16:9 screen? The HC3000U is a 1280x768 projector, which amounts to a 1.66:1 aspect ratio. When set for 16:9 mode, the active picture content only uses 1280x720 of those pixels (1.78:1 in shape), with the remaining 48 rows causing your light spill. You can adjust the 16:9 picture up or down within that 1.66:1 frame, and it sounds like yours is flush with the top.

This is perfectly normal. The best thing to do is put some dark masking material around the screen to absorb the light spill.

Best Buy is selling it for 1499 on sale with free Optoma 98" screen, just came back from the store.

how is the sharpness( hc 3000u) from 14 feet( ceiling mount) viewing on 108 " screen?
I understand it only has 1000 lumens.

My mits its exactly 14' away displaying on a Carada 100" 16.9 screen and the picture is pretty sharp, what amazes me is the depth of the color on the Mits, it' s really excellent for the PJ price. :D

how is the sharpness( hc 3000u) from 14 feet( ceiling mount) viewing on 108 " screen?
I understand it only has 1000 lumens.

I have mine at about 14.5' on a 116" screen and it's spectacular. I have the iris closed and the bulb on economy, and it's very bright, although I'm using a DW screen.

my question is : the projector is going to be 13,5 feet from the screen and mounted on the ceiling 82 inch from floor. Is that going to cause problem, since the lens is not adjustible ? The screen size is going to be 98 " diagonal. I have read review on this projector ( hc300) and there was a concern regarding limited ceiling capability . Just want to make sure before ai purchase one. Thank you

My HC3000 is plenty bright enough; I have a 92" DW screen, iris closed, on low lamp and my viewing distance is 10.5 ft.

have one with a 120 in picture , way sharp picture on HD and HD DVD,s more them bright enough, sometime seems too bright.

my question is : the projector is going to be 13,5 feet from the screen and mounted on the ceiling 82 inch from floor. Is that going to cause problem, since the lens is not adjustible ? The screen size is going to be 98 " diagonal. I have read review on this projector ( hc300) and there was a concern regarding limited ceiling capability . Just want to make sure before ai purchase one. Thank you

My Pj is mounted on the basement rafters and made a hole for the pass through of my mounting bracket on the ceiling tile, the Pj is tilted on the back side just slightly then of course the front is tilted upwards and I adjust the zoom and image and don't have no problems.

The distance from the top of the screen to my ceiling tile is about 3" and the ceiling tile is about 84" from my carpet on the floor.

Hope this helps.

thanks

I have a 106" Da-lite white screen with no gain increase. Will the HC3000 be able to handle this size of screen? Looking at projection calculators, they say it will be to dim?

Any feedback?

Hi, my screen is a Carada 100" Diag, with a gain of 1 , I believe and can turn on a small light and read and still watch movies etc.

If I understood your question right, you should have no problems with the Da-Lite of course how far away are you installing the Projector?

Josh Z,

In an earlier post someone asked about how you view the lamp hours and you mentioned pressing all of the buttons at the same time. Was that all the buttons on the remote or all the buttons on the projector?

Steve

By pressing the 3 buttons on the projector, from back to front at the same time, sometimes it takes 2 or 3 ties to get it.

Whew! Finally got everything hooked up and working. No, hums, buzzes, or flickers (knock wood). I have my cable box (Scientific Atlanta 8300HD) outputting 1080i and 720P through HDMI to my Onkyo 804 and then HDMI to the Mits HC3000. The cable box has an advanced setup wizard that lets you choose the output settings. I chose the 1080i and 720P. Should I just force 720P and skip the 1080i ? What do most people output to their projector from their HD cable box?

I use the 1080I, now sit back and enjoy your movies or HD channels. :D

zapper,

Will pressing the 3 buttons on the projector also get you into the service menu? I notice in the default menu (pressing menu on the remote) you cannot change color and tint.

Steve

Will pressing the 3 buttons on the projector also get you into the service menu? I notice in the default menu (pressing menu on the remote) you cannot change color and tint.

No, the service menu that comes up will only give you projector statistics (lamp age, hours of use, temperature, etc.).

Color and tint cannot be adjusted over HDMI. Theoretically, you shouldn't need to change those on a digital signal.

Ah, so color and tint adjustments are for analog signals then. I have two DVD players right now (I borrowed my Oppo from the downstairs tv). I have the 971 and the xbox360 HD-DVD add on drive. Should I, or can I make color and tint adjustments from those?

I just plugged in the add on drive last night which came with King Kong. WOW, this projector rocks!!!! If I could take a half decent picture I would post some.

Ah, so color and tint adjustments are for analog signals then. I have two DVD players right now (I borrowed my Oppo from the downstairs tv). I have the 971 and the xbox360 HD-DVD add on drive. Should I, or can I make color and tint adjustments from those?

I just plugged in the add on drive last night which came with King Kong. WOW, this projector rocks!!!! If I could take a half decent picture I would post some.

The Xbox can't be connected via HDMI, so you can adjust color and tint on that signal.

the Oppo has some adjustments you can make in its menu.

The xbox is connected via component to my receiver (Onkyo 804) and out to the Mitsu via HDMI. So any changes would have to be done at the xbox add on drive. I don't know if it has that kind of adjustment.

Just a few quick questions for you guys (I'm new to projectors and the technology powering them). Is the light engine in this projector sealed? By that I mean is it possible for dust to enter the light path and cause picture degradation? I just purchased the big brother to this projector, the HC3100. I fired it up for the first time tonight and forgot to put the filter on. I ran it for about ten minutes before I realized my mistake. I'm a bit concerned since I recently finished my basement and there seems to be a lot of dust particles in the air. Are my concerns well founded or do I have nothing to worry about? So much for the quick questions :rolleyes: . thanks

If dust already got into the unit, you should be able to see them(white spot) on the screen with black background.



Just a few quick questions for you guys (I'm new to projectors and the technology powering them). Is the light engine in this projector sealed? By that I mean is it possible for dust to enter the light path and cause picture degradation? I just purchased the big brother to this projector, the HC3100. I fired it up for the first time tonight and forgot to put the filter on. I ran it for about ten minutes before I realized my mistake. I'm a bit concerned since I recently finished my basement and there seems to be a lot of dust particles in the air. Are my concerns well founded or do I have nothing to worry about? So much for the quick questions :rolleyes: . thanks

really, you should try to get that area cleaned up before using the PJ in there.

So I gather from your reply's that it's possible for dust to penetrate the light engine. Before I shut if off last night I didn't notice any specs or abnormalities on the displayed image so I guess I won't worry about it. I'm still waiting for my ceiling mount to arrive so until than I'll do a thorough cleaning of my basement.

I just bought the HC3000 (came today while I was at work) and haven't even had a chance to hook it up. But I have a question that I haven't seen addressed in this thread.

I understand that when you feed it 1080i it uses the "Bob" method to de-interlace thereby scaling to 540p and then up to 720 . However, what about 1080p sources? Are they simply scaled to 720p directly?

I'm trying to determine if it is worth getting a HD-DVD player that can do 1080p. Or can the current "lower end" players do a proper 1080i ->720p conversion?

It has been said many times in the 'HDDVD' thread that there is no advantage to get a 1080P HDDVD unit over a 1080i unit, since the Mit. HC3100 that I had, will do a proper job of interlace->progressive.

As for which scaler to use for 1080i/p -> 720P, it will depend on the quality of the one inside the SD or HD DVD player vs. the one inside the display. Your eyes will be the final judge.

I stated this previously but when we did a comparison of the HC3000 vs. the IN76 (1080i scaling) nobody could see a difference (about 8 experienced HT'ers) . So if the IN76 is indeed doing 1080i -> 720p vs. 1080i -> 540p -> 720p then either the IN76 is not doing a good job of it or the HC3000 is doing a great job with its method (or there is the chance that the HC3000 is doing the same 1080i -> 720p conversion as the IN76 as it has not been confirmed 100% from what I have read) . The Toshiba HD-A1 looks slightly better sending 1080i vs. 720p when connected to the HC3000 IMO so that could also be somewhat telling of the HC3000's scaler ( but then I still do not think the HD-A1's 720p output is what it could be even after firmware 2.0 ) .

The HC3000 can accept 1080p but it is useless as it does not scale it properly .

--- Jason

Thank you for the info. I just upgraded from a 4805 and I'm trying to figure out the best way to get everything configured to maximize HD.

I stated this previously but when we did a comparison of the HC3000 vs. the IN76 (1080i scaling) nobody could see a difference (about 8 experienced HT'ers) . So if the IN76 is indeed doing 1080i -> 720p vs. 1080i -> 540p -> 720p then either the IN76 is not doing a good job of it or the HC3000 is doing a great job with its method (or there is the chance that the HC3000 is doing the same 1080i -> 720p conversion as the IN76 as it has not been confirmed 100% from what I have read) . The Toshiba HD-A1 looks slightly better sending 1080i vs. 720p when connected to the HC3000 IMO so that could also be somewhat telling of the HC3000's scaler ( but then I still do not think the HD-A1's 720p output is what it could be even after firmware 2.0 ) .

The HC3000 can accept 1080p but it is useless as it does not scale it properly .

--- Jason

I have been off this forum for quirte a while. I am interested in your comparison between the HC3000 and IN76. Do you have a link to some past postings or external web site where your observations are posted? Was there a clear winner in your mind? I will shortly be in the market for one of these 2 units.

Thanks and glad to be back here on the AVS Forum.

After reading this thread for over the past week and many Googled pro reviews on the HC3000, I bought it last week and had it set up in time for the Super Bowl. On another avs site I learned about the diy Parkland screen and built that also.

All I can say is that this is a dynamic duo to me and I love owning this pj.

I am a tweaker and as I said I have been reading this thread for days (I am currently on pg 47) and have been copying settings and suggestions from the thread. I know that every pj and situation is different, but it's nice to have a reference, or established jumping off point to start tweaking.

This is my 1st post here but I feel that I know many of you from this incredibly long thread.

Thanks to you all for making this a great site for novices like myself.

I was leaning towards the HD1000U, but I can get the HC3000 for about $400 more. Is the picture really that much better? My room has good light control, but I'm stuck with white ceilings and light colored walls. Would I be better off with the increased brightness, or the better black levels? Help!!

Well, that's your call but have my 3000 in the basement with light blue walls and white ceiling tiles on the ceiling and light brown carpet.

Compare if you want better blacks or more bightness on the PJ in your room. I chose to go with better black's and some brightness and you can see still see the movie.

Compare the advantages that are particular to you or the family, and go from their and don't look back. My opinion................... :eek:

Well, that's my conundrum, which way is best. My H31 has pretty good blacks, but isn't the brightest PJ around. The HD1000 would be way brighter, but without having a "batcave" would the better blacks of the HC3000 even be that noticable? With the money saved I could upgrade my screen to a larger, high contrast grey from my present matt white, which would make the HD1000 blacks even better. Tough decision, I'm sure either way I'll be happy. I'm probably gonna go with the brighter PJ, if they were both the same price the decision would be tougher.

Their you go, you have a purpose to get the 1000 and upgrade the screen at the same for about the same price as the 3000, a lot of folks are happy with the 1000 so is Projector central site, is their #1 pick. You cannot go wrong.


http://www.projectorcentral.com/home-theater-multimedia-projectors.htm

I noticed last night that I'm getting a circular bending in the picture (kinda a soft U shape) and it's very noticable when you display the DirecTV program guide. I haven't messed with any settings other than picture/color/sharpness etc. Is it my physical set up or is this normal? It's not really noticible when veiwing TV/Movies but it's there all the same.

Have read on earlier threads about setting the overscan to 100%. Someone said the default was like 97% and said if you change it to 100% you see a big difference. Is this true and where do (what menu) you change this setting?

I've read this also and found the setting in the last menu SIGNAL (far right) bottom option, USER. I understand that you have to set it for every resolution.

I tried it last night while watching '24' and found that the FOX logo would move increasing towards the center of the picture as I got closer to 100%. I have no idea what the benefit is, but I didn't really notice any dramatic improvement in the PQ.

I was nearly ready to whip out the plastic and order a '1000U when I saw how the 3000 has come down- as another poster mentioned, the diff is only about $400. That makes it tough- the 1000 is a little brighter and cheaper, the 3000 has better blacks. My screen is only 84" and light control is near absolute, so the edge in blacks may be worth it to me. Plus the 2 yr warranty is appealing...

I am in the same boat now. I have just started investigating a projector for a HT Room.

My room is 22x20 so I will have seating at about 15' from the screen and I am looking to have a 120" screen. I have a vaulted ceiling so projector height and placement is not a problem for me.

The Mits HC3000U is also in the same ballpark as the Optoma HD73 now as well. But the HD73 uses Dark Chip 3 versus Dark Chip 2 on the 3000U.

I did some more looking around and I found the 3100 is using the DC3 but isnt being sold in the US.

I really dont know what to do now. I want the DC3 technology because well, its newer and I have read good things.

I personally would spend $400 for the newer Darkchip but I dont know if i would spend the money over the 1000 system.

I think ill have to look at the HD73 more, since its the same price as the 3000U

The hd73 is around $500 more than the 3000u right now.

Actually no the HD73 is about $100 more than the 3000U. (used froogle)

In that case send me the link to where I can get a hd73 for less than $1500

There is a camera place that has it for cheap, but I would imagine the bulb is extra.

I dont think im supposed to post vendors so if you go to froogle.com punch in hd73, sort by price low to high. there is one for $1415. Dunno anything else about the site maybe they are more. I could only fine the 3000U for $1300 so even if the price was $300 more getting the DC3 chip is probably worth it.

Until the 3100 comes out in the states that is.

Got the overscan figured out.

Can anybody who has a avia disk or even a light scensor calibrator share their settings for calibration. Especially if they have a Carada Brilliant white screen which I have. So far love the pic, but would like to love it even more.

One more time using Mits Calculator: Ceiling hight is 83 inch bottom of the projector is 78.8 inch, distance from the screen is 165 inch screen size is 96 inch diagonal. bottom of the screen is 17.7 inch from the floor and the top is 64.7 inch from the floor . Is this going to work? I am getting it as soon as I hear from somobody. Thanks.

Well My ceiling tiles is about 7' from the floor my screen is 100" diag and it's about 5" from the bottom of the ceiling tiles and about 49" in height.

My projector is tilted in the front slightly upward and of course the back of the PJ is tilted down.

Your dimensions should work, you can alway tilt the PJ up or down to a certain degree, if you purchase the pj from a place that you can return it within so many day's with no penalties, you have nothing to loose and a great PJ to gain. My two cents worth.

By the way Good luck.

After reading this thread for over the past week and many Googled pro reviews on the HC3000, I bought it last week and had it set up in time for the Super Bowl. On another avs site I learned about the diy Parkland screen and built that also.

All I can say is that this is a dynamic duo to me and I love owning this pj.

I am a tweaker and as I said I have been reading this thread for days (I am currently on pg 47) and have been copying settings and suggestions from the thread. I know that every pj and situation is different, but it's nice to have a reference, or established jumping off point to start tweaking.

This is my 1st post here but I feel that I know many of you from this incredibly long thread.

Thanks to you all for making this a great site for novices like myself.


Well have my Mits 3000 displayed by a Tosh A1 HD-DVD player.

My settings are as follows: (NOTE this is for my anbient condition and it might look different on other surroundings)


Image: Cinema
Contrast: 10
Brightness : 6
Color temp: Medium
Color: 2
Tint: 0
Sharp: -2
B/C on

Screen Size: 720P (16.9)
Lamp mode: Low
Aspect: Auto
Cinema Mode: Auto


Hope this somewhat helps. :D

I just bought an HC-3000 at BB and was asked whether I'd like to buy an extended warranty for it. My original reaction was to veto it automatically as I have done many times in the past on other products. However, the salesman pointed out that this warranty (cost: $250) would provide for a one-time free lamp replacement during the 4-year warranty period. The customer service person I talked to at Mitsubishi (great guy, BTW) said that lamps for the HC-3000's sell for $390! I have 30 days to decide whether to sign up for it or not.

So what's the catch? It's pretty obvious this is a deal too good to pass up . . . unless there is a catch I couldn't find after reading all the literature. What do all you HC-3000 owners think? If you bought your projector through BB, was this deal brought to your attention and, if so, what did you do? BTW - the proposed extended warranty is through AIG Warranty. Thanks in advance.

Ask to see the fine print they send you if you buy the warranty - and have sufficient time to return the warranty for full refund.

Do the warranty math from your point of view - will you come out ahead? Heck Ya! Now do the math from the stores point of view - will they come out ahead? Their break even will only occur if wholesale lamp price is $250 - yet they likely pay more for the lamp - and profit only part of the warranty since it is underwritten by AIG. Did you see any store stock of lamps bought at volume so they can afford the warranty - or will they redirect you to Mitsu or a service center to buy it - with excuses of it being custom ordered service part? What is the likelyhood the lamp will fail in four years for the buying population - pretty high right? Does the store sell warranties as a money loosing service? Check their financials - the majority of profits comes from selling warranties - not from selling displays! Since the math does not work - expect them to find any excuse not to pay off in the hopes only the few prevail for the free lamp.

Infocus used to offer a three year lamp warranty - but quickly withdrew it from the market once the corporate beancounters did the math! It was a money loosing customer service - great for you - bad for them! Their lamp warranty pretty much is no excuses replacements - but they only offer the initial year version anymore.

It does not matter what sales said to get the warranty sale - it matters what the fine print says in the contract.

I once got conned by the "corner electronics store" into buying a warranty for an cellphone earset - with the promise that even the dog chewing on it will be covered (the whole reason I went to buy a new one). Fine print specifically excluded pet damage - but you only find that out after you buy it and bother to read the fine print!

Thanks for the advice. I definitely intend to read the fine print and I would only buy it if I was completely sure I could receive the free lamp - it does clearly state this provision in the brochure BB gave me. I'm pretty sure my only previous extended warranty purchase was in 1985 on a japanese made, Honda Prelude. What a massive waste of money - the car never broke down! (live and learn!)

BTW - I consider it an honor to get a reply from such a knowledgeable source as yourself! (I lurked on all 3 4805 forums since early '04 and read your great advice to others on more than numerous occasions!) Unfortunately, my 4805 had the light tube problem after about 2 years.

Who is the outfit providing the warranty. I have a tosh dlp rear projector and a Mits 3000 front projector. Have used the tv warrantee for two lamps so far. Just bought the 3000 warrantee. Ran me over $350. 4 year including lamps (I got it late in the first year so it is now 4 year, not 5). Well worth it. The mits warranty is as follows

TedUnlimited LLC Item #12102228
RepairMaster 5 -Year Extended Warranty - Lamp Replacement
Price: $189.00
Quantity: 1
Inventory SKU: A-RMLMP5
Date: 12/6/2006 4:05:56 PM

TedUnlimited LLC Item #12102229
RepairMaster Extended Warranty Non-Plasma Television Under $3500
Price: $224.00
Quantity: 1
Inventory SKU: A-RMT53500
Date: 12/6/2006 4:05:56 PM

zapper,

Thanks for your settings and I'll give them a try.

Bill - the proposed warranty is thru "AIG Warranty Guard' per the BB Perf. Serv. plan brochure given to me. Inside the brochure reads in part:

"Plans for DLP, Projection LCD TV's and stand-alone projectors provides for one (1) bulb replacement during the term of the plan, this benefit does not apply towards the No Lemon Policy."

Therefore, I think this means that I'd get a free lamp for sure except in the rare? event that I get a bad unit that has to be fixed 4 times (what invokes the "No Lemon Policy"). This projector has been around for well over a year and I've seen no mention of any frequently recurring problems on this forum. I'll verify with a phone call tomorrow to AIG.

Of course, I still need to ceiling mount this thing to ensure the offset isn't too drastic on my low ceiling (80"). I'm not at all afraid of keystone and my initial, handheld, trial looked good (with my other projector blocking it's path!)

Wayneunit :

Of course, I still need to ceiling mount this thing to ensure the offset isn't too drastic on my low ceiling (80"). I'm not at all afraid of keystone and my initial, handheld, trial looked good (with my other projector blocking it's path!)

Well My ceiling tiles is about 7' from the floor my screen is 100" diag and it's about 5" from the bottom of the ceiling tiles and about 49" in height.

My projector is tilted in the front slightly upward and of course the back of the PJ is tilted down.

Your dimensions should work, you can alway tilt the PJ up or down to a certain degree, if you purchase the pj from a place that you can return it within so many day's with no penalties, you have nothing to loose and a great PJ to gain. My two cents worth.

By the way Good luck.

Thanks, Zapper. I'm pretty confident it will work on my ceiling as my old 4805 also had a significant offset.

Regarding a potential return, my HC3000U was an "open box" item (thankfully with 0 hours and 0 lamp resets, too!) and I got 2 people at BB to verify I wouldn't have to pay a restocking fee! Plus it says "open box" on the receipt - right below the heavily discounted price!!

Zapper - your room layout is similar to mine (7' 3"). I'm planning to get the hc3100, one way or another, but have been concerned about the amount of screen tilt needed. Can you tell me how may inches off perpendicular the top of your screen is? Thanks.

Zapper - your room layout is similar to mine (7' 3"). I'm planning to get the hc3100, one way or another, but have been concerned about the amount of screen tilt needed. Can you tell me how may inches off perpendicular the top of your screen is? Thanks.

Hi this is one of my previous posting on this thread.

My Pj is mounted on the basement rafters and made a hole for the pass through of my mounting bracket on the ceiling tile, the Pj is tilted on the back side just slightly then of course the front is tilted upwards and I adjust the zoom and image and don't have no problems.

The distance from the top of the screen to my ceiling tile is about 3" and the ceiling tile is about 84" from my carpet on the floor.

Hope this helps.

Not to bring this thread back from the dead, but I think I might be having HDCP issues with my Samsung ATSC tuner. For some reason my component outputs quit functioning, though I was still getting audio, so I purchased a DVI to HDMI cable at BB for $60(!!!) to see if the tuner was still working. Sure enough, it worked and we watched our weekly TV addiction, Lost. The next day I placed an order with Monoprice for a similar 24AWG DVI to HDMI cable and it arrived by the next Wednesday, just in time to watch Lost again. After hooking it up and the projector was on for a few minutes, it lost the image and said "no signal." Resetting the tuner would cause the image to come back, and then it would go away again with no signal being displayed from the projector. So, it works with the $60 Best Buy cable, but cuts out with the Monoprice cable.

After thinking it was a problem with my tuner, as the component outputs did go dead suddenly, I've come to the conclusion that it's something wrong with the cable. Does this sound like a bad/defective cable causing problems with HDCP?

Just hit 1,000 hrs and loving it. Watched earlier tonight Happy Feet Hd DVD and the colors and Dolby Digital HD sound were incredible. By far the best hd dvd purchase so far this year.

Mr Ian B

Just hit 1,000 hrs and loving it. Watched earlier tonight Happy Feet Hd DVD and the colors and Dolby Digital HD sound were incredible. By far the best hd dvd purchase so far this year.

Mr Ian B


You are so lucky. My light went out after no more then 15 hours and 5 days after the warrenty expiered. Mitsubishi did good and gave me new bulb. Got lucky there.

Sorry if this has been asked before. Is the only way to adjust the size of the image w/ the manual zoom? Thanks.

Sorry if this has been asked before. Is the only way to adjust the size of the image w/ the manual zoom? Thanks.

Other than where you mount the projector, yes. Well, there's also the overscan, which can be used to increase the image size as well, but only slightly.

Other than where you mount the projector, yes. Well, there's also the overscan, which can be used to increase the image size as well, but only slightly.

Actually, the image size doesn't change. It just scales within the same dimensions.

Hey Guy's...I just got my HC3000 projector hookup and I need to get a upconversion DVD player now.......and a guy at a shop by my house it trying to sale me the Yamaha DVD1700....Dose any of you know anything about the player?
Or can you tell me of one that I should be looking for?

I just got my HC3000 projector hookup and I need to get a upconversion DVD player now

I'm using the 1st gen Toshiba HD DVD player (HDA1) with my HC3000 and the upscaling is outstanding. My understanding is that the Toshiba's 2nd gen A2 HD DVD has comparably good upscaling at a slightly lower price than the Yamaha. Plus, you get hi-def disc capability which looks EXTRAORDINARY on the HC3000. (NO SACD or DVD-Audio on the Toshiba, though, if that was something you specifically wanted out of the Yamaha.)

You might browse through the HD DVD forums here and check some of the feedback about the upscaling on the Toshiba players. It's been widely praised (so you don't have to just take my word for it <grin). Plus the second gen players correct some of the slow startup performance that was characteristic of the first gen units.

Finally, the Toshiba XA2--their top HD DVD player(at a higher price)--is reportedly better still.

Actually, the image size doesn't change. It just scales within the same dimensions.

Way to be pedantic! :) For the end user, the visual image does appear to increase in size. Regardless of the actualities, the perceived result is that.

Way to be pedantic! :) For the end user, the visual image does appear to increase in size. Regardless of the actualities, the perceived result is that.

Pedantic not... quite relevant! :p And yes I'm anal, but....

The title of the question was Screen Size not image size. My assumption is that he was trying to fill the screen but didn't have enough zoom or distance available.

Pedantic not... quite relevant! :p And yes I'm anal, but....

The title of the question was Screen Size not image size. My assumption is that he was trying to fill the screen but didn't have enough zoom or distance available.

You sure?


Sorry if this has been asked before. Is the only way to adjust the size of the image w/ the manual zoom? Thanks.

That sure looks like "size of the image" and not "screen size." :D I realize he put screen size as the post topic, but the question was about image size.

I just acquired a Mitsubishi HC3000. I'm a CRT PJ owner and have been running 72Hz refresh rate with my HTPC. What refresh rate should I run with the HC3000?

I just acquired a Mitsubishi HC3000. I'm a CRT PJ owner and have been running 72Hz refresh rate with my HTPC. What refresh rate should I run with the HC3000?

Howdy Phil. It's good to see another DFW AVS member. I believe the HC3000 tops out at 60Hz for 720p. At 1024x768, it operates between 60-85Hz

Hey all, got a 3000 coming in the mail in the next week.

What mount is everyone using these days for this PJ?

I see a bunch on eBay, are they any good?

Howdy Phil. It's good to see another DFW AVS member. I believe the HC3000 tops out at 60Hz for 720p. At 1024x768, it operates between 60-85HzHey Joseph,

We have a small group of CRT PJ owners, including a few digital PJ owners, that have HT meets 3 or 4 times a year. I'll PM you next time we have one.

I ask this question in the CRT forum as well. AVS member benareeno recommends 48Hz. His reasoning being, "48Hz shows no flicker on a DLP and helps the smoothness." That sound reasonable?

Hey all, got a 3000 coming in the mail in the next week.

What mount is everyone using these days for this PJ?

I see a bunch on eBay, are they any good?

I'm using a modified Monkey_man DIY mount (MM is a user here).

I'm using a modified Monkey_man DIY mount (MM is a user here).


I also used the MM way and the total cost was under $20.00 and it works fine.

Hey Joseph,

We have a small group of CRT PJ owners, including a few digital PJ owners, that have HT meets 3 or 4 times a year. I'll PM you next time we have one.

Excellent. I would enjoy that a great deal.

I ask this question in the CRT forum as well. AVS member benareeno recommends 48Hz. His reasoning being, "48Hz shows no flicker on a DLP and helps the smoothness." That sound reasonable?

The HC3000 doesn't support a 48Hz refresh rate on the HDMI input, unfortunately. The Refresh rates for 720p are fixed at 50 and 60Hz. I'm not quite sure what it's capable of on the component inputs, and the manual doesn't say.

Does anyone project the HC 3000 at 120"...I found a used one for sale but I can't mount my pj any closer than 17 feet and this is as small as I can get it...I'm afraid it won't be bright enough with any ambient light. Would a high gain 120" do the trick? (It will be used for 80% controlled lighting and 20% afternoon sports)

Thanks for any advice you can give.

Does anyone project the HC 3000 at 120"...I found a used one for sale but I can't mount my pj any closer than 17 feet and this is as small as I can get it...I'm afraid it won't be bright enough with any ambient light. Would a high gain 120" do the trick? (It will be used for 80% controlled lighting and 20% afternoon sports)

Thanks for any advice you can give. I run on a 110 DIY screen.

Go with a high gain or grey screen. The toggle between low lamp mode and standard really boosts the light output.

You can drive a great picture on low level ambient light but it washes out fast and any direct reflections kill the picture and washes out easily. A grey screen , standard lamp mode and low level indirect lighting work ok.

No problem with the screen size though, it can push 120 easily.

I run on a 110 DIY screen.

Go with a high gain or grey screen. The toggle between low lamp mode and standard really boosts the light output.

You can drive a great picture on low level ambient light but it washes out fast and any direct reflections kill the picture and washes out easily. A grey screen , standard lamp mode and low level indirect lighting work ok.

No problem with the screen size though, it can push 120 easily.

Thanks, I would be projecting from 17 ft. with the zoom at full telephoto to get 120", does the zoom on this pj cut the light output significantly? If so, I could coffee table mount at 11 ft. with a drastically smaller image (~92"), let me know if anyone is running the setup and what your thoughts are.

Hey all,

I just got an HC3000 this week. A new Dalite HP 106" screen will be coming shortly.

With my light controlled, flat black painted theater...I have a feeling it is going to be too bright.

So, I'm thinking a filter would be a good idea here. Is there a particular brand that is recomended? How does it attach to the lens ?

Thanks

Hey all,

I just got an HC3000 this week. A new Dalite HP 106" screen will be coming shortly.

With my light controlled, flat black painted theater...I have a feeling it is going to be too bright.

So, I'm thinking a filter would be a good idea here. Is there a particular brand that is recomended? How does it attach to the lens ?

Thanks
Hoya HMC 72MM ND2 About $40 - $50.
"HMC" series is multi-coated.
"ND2" should be all you need. ND4 if you want darker.
Hoya is a good compromise on price / quality.
72MM fits nicely but you ned to secure it with a few pieces of tape around the edges.
I'm using an ND2 for a HC3000 projecting on a a 92" dalite hi power. I have no desire to go darker.

Why get a high power screen just to knock down the lumens with a filter? I was thinking of getting the HC3000, and I'm using a 96" Carada CCW screen. Would this be a good combo? Just curious, but from the reviews it seems this PJ is plenty bright, and not in need of a HP screen.

Why get a high power screen just to knock down the lumens with a filter?
Three reasons:

1- I already own it.
2- Its very punchy regardless of the PJ lumes.
3- It shows no "waves" due to the thickness of the fabric without the need for tension type pull down.


I was thinking of getting the HC3000, and I'm using a 96" Carada CCW screen. Would this be a good combo? Just curious, but from the reviews it seems this PJ is plenty bright, and not in need of a HP screen.

I think pretty much any quality screen will look good with this PJ. Black levels, contrast, colors, sharpness, usability, noise level are all excellent, particulary for the price.

Your first reason works for me! Sounds like my screen will work just fine, I'm gonna have to just order this PJ and stop analyzing!

I was thinking that when the bulb reaches half-life, I could remove the filter and still enjoy similar brightness.



Why get a high power screen just to knock down the lumens with a filter? I was thinking of getting the HC3000, and I'm using a 96" Carada CCW screen. Would this be a good combo? Just curious, but from the reviews it seems this PJ is plenty bright, and not in need of a HP screen.

I was thinking that when the bulb reaches half-life, I could remove the filter and still enjoy similar brightness.
Very True. I'm pretty much sold on the Hi Power material regardless of the PJ. You can always make a PJ less bright.. more expensive doing the reverse.

Well, I think the component inputs on my projector may be hosed. I couldn't get my OTA receiver to work over component. I used a DVI to HDMI adapter, but video keeps dropping out and going to static.

Well, I think the component inputs on my projector may be hosed. I couldn't get my OTA receiver to work over component. I used a DVI to HDMI adapter, but video keeps dropping out and going to static.

Stupid question but are you sure its not the receiver? Have you tried other sources with the Mits or another display with the OTA box? Also, "static" on a digital port to me is is still a signal (just not a usefull one). If the HDMI port were completely hosed I believe you'd be getting the "No Signal" message on the Mits.

Stupid question but are you sure its not the receiver? Have you tried other sources with the Mits or another display with the OTA box? Also, "static" on a digital port to me is is still a signal (just not a usefull one). If the HDMI port were completely hosed I believe you'd be getting the "No Signal" message on the Mits.

I have two of the Samsung OTA receivers and both failed to work over component (though one was questionable). I used the DVI port with a DVI to HDMI converter and it worked, but at random moments the screen would go from the broadcast picture to static. I'd have to reset the interface to get it to come back. The audio, which was being output over optical to my receiver never cut out. It has no problems working with my PS3 over HDMI into the projector. Also, I put it on other channels, and it did not experience any of the dropout problems like ABC digital did.

I'll try moving some other sources into the theater tonight to see if anything works over component. I have an upscaling DVD player that I can easily move, I just didn't have enough time after watching Lost. And my wife said that if I don't get this resolved before next Wednesday at 9:00 Central, I will not enjoy the consequences! :)

OK, nothing works over component. As a matter of fact, when I switch to the component input now, the two lights on the projector that are green (Power and Status) when it's on go to different colors. Power flashes green/orange and Status goes orange, and it appears to shut down. The fan doesn't cool the bulb, and I have to unplug the component cables from the unit, power it back on, and it then goes through the cooldown procedure. I guess I'm calling Mitsubishi technical support in the morning. I've never heard of this happening to anyone else.

I just checked the manual, and it says for that light combination it's time to unplug the unit and contact the dealer.

For the record, the projector was purchased on 9/4/2006 and has 232 hours on the unit and the bulb in low power mode.

I just checked the manual, and it says for that light combination it's time to unplug the unit and contact the dealer.

For the record, the projector was purchased on 9/4/2006 and has 232 hours on the unit and the bulb in low power mode.
Thats sucks but stuff happens. Please report back with your Mitsubishi service experience. At least you don't have a 3100 to ship back to Japan.

Thats sucks but stuff happens. Please report back with your Mitsubishi service experience. At least you don't have a 3100 to ship back to Japan.

Will do. So far, it's been maddening waiting for 10:00 AM CST so I can call Mitsubishi support, as they open at 8:00 AM Pacific. That's 11:00 AM Eastern time. I can't imagine a large company making most of the US wait for support that late in the day. With future purchases, this is definitely going to be a consideration.

After contacting support, they were courteous and helpful. The person I talked to actually owns the 3000, and we talked shop. After listening to my symptoms, he sent me the RMA authorization form, and my projector is heading to the repair center today. I still have the box, but I wish I had kept the styrofoam inserts. I guess my wife threw them out. I guess I'll have to bubble wrap it pretty well.

SNAG! I can't find my receipt as proof of purchase. I know I have it, but it wasn't where it was supposed to be. They seem to require it when faxing in the RMA form.

most places of purchase would fax you or email you a receipt.

I'm with Kevin with regards to the hp screen. I'm running my Mits 3000 in low lamp mode with a 106" Hipower screen with stunning results. I was projecting on a plain white wall for a few months and recently hung my hp screen - the difference is night and day. And not just in the brightness department. As Kevin stated - the picture is punchy. Colors are bold and vibrant. Looks like a giant plasma. I couldn't ask for a better picture.

most places of purchase would fax you or email you a receipt.

BB was able to print a receipt for me. I didn't even have to go to the one on the other side of town (the only store in town that had the projector NIB), as they could print it up at the one by my office. :D

Dealing with Mitsubishi customer support = Great. The CS Rep was knowledgeable, helpful, and above all courteous. He knew about AVS, and we talked shop about the HC1000 and the HC3100.

Dealing with the Mitsubishi factory repair people = hellish. Support told me to call them after I faxed my paperwork in to get my RMA number as quickly as possible. Instead, I've been treated rudely when someone actually answered the phone, and no one called me back after I left a message.

OK, I finally heard back from them. The person I talked to was polite this time. Apparently the repair center has one person who does RMA processing, and she's not coming in today. She said I should have an RMA # tomorrow.

OK, I finally heard back from them. The person I talked to was polite this time. Apparently the repair center has one person who does RMA processing, and she's not coming in today. She said I should have an RMA # tomorrow.

Now, that's more like it.

Now, that's more like it.

I just can't believe they only have one person who can process RMA paperwork. The ability to do that seems to be somewhat important to what they do.

Maybe they don't get a lot of RMAs ;)
Actually, I do not see many refurbs Mits PJs being sold. In fact, I don't remember seeing any site like eCost, Woot etc. selling Mits. refurbs.

Maybe they don't get a lot of RMAs ;)
Actually, I do not see many refurbs Mits PJs being sold. In fact, I don't remember seeing any site like eCost, Woot etc. selling Mits. refurbs.

True, I looked for a refurb HC3000 (as is my ususal practice) and could not find one anywhere. Considering they've been on the market a long time, I would have suspected it to be an easy find.

Another update. The nice lady at Mitsubishi Factory Service called me this morning with my RMA number at 10:05: CST, which would have been first thing in the morning for her in California. She gave me my RMA #, and the projector is on its way fully insured back to California via UPS. They'll get it Tuesday, and they say they have a 72 hour maximum turnaround time, so I should have it back early the week after next.

Another update. The nice lady at Mitsubishi Factory Service called me this morning with my RMA number at 10:05: CST, which would have been first thing in the morning for her in California. She gave me my RMA #, and the projector is on its way fully insured back to California via UPS. They'll get it Tuesday, and they say they have a 72 hour maximum turnaround time, so I should have it back early the week after next.

Others are better (e.g. BenQ), but not bad. Wishing you a quick turn arround.

Good eve all,

since I have a question about the new HC3100, and in the dedicated topic I have been told I may find good answers here (3000 and 3100 are very close indeed), well here I am.

Anybody uses a HC3000 with a 120" screen? (I mean a 1.2 gain in my case). I am about to purchase all my stuff and it is important to me... I must understand if the PJ can handle that size without losing its great contrast, depp blacks, brightness and colour capabilities.

Any help and suggestion will be VERY appreciated, nice meeting you all

M.

Well, have the 3000 and love the PQ on my Carada 100" you shouldn't have any problems with your 120" since it's a 1.2 gain, mine is just a 1, perhaps someone else will chime in that has your dimensions.

Good luck, you will enjoy the PQ & the the MITS. :D

By the way are you in Naples, I presume ?

Well, have the 3000 and love the PQ on my Carada 100" you shouldn't have any problems with your 120" since it's a 1.2 gain, mine is just a 1, perhaps someone else will chime in that has your dimensions.

Good luck, you will enjoy the PQ & the the MITS. :D

By the way are you in Naples, I presume ?


:D uh, why Naples?? No, I am near Milan in the north of the country, and thank you very much for your reply!!!!
Have a nice day zapper.

I have mine projected on a 120 inch diy behr white painted sheetrock wall over fireplace and have no problem- great contrast and plenty of brightness(it is set on low) and a screen would better,

I have mine projected on a 120 inch diy behr white painted sheetrock wall over fireplace and have no problem- great contrast and plenty of brightness(it is set on low) and a screen would better,

Great!!!!

thank you so much for reassuring me. If you say it's nice on a wall, I guess a 1.2 gain screen should enhance it and look superb, hopefully

That's really what I wanted to hear :D :D :D

Good eve all,

since I have a question about the new HC3100, and in the dedicated topic I have been told I may find good answers here (3000 and 3100 are very close indeed), well here I am.

Anybody uses a HC3000 with a 120" screen? (I mean a 1.2 gain in my case). I am about to purchase all my stuff and it is important to me... I must understand if the PJ can handle that size without losing its great contrast, depp blacks, brightness and colour capabilities.

Any help and suggestion will be VERY appreciated, nice meeting you all

M.


I have an HC3000 with a DIY white 1.2 gain 92" screen and it is an excellent combination. The images really "pop" and the contrast is wonderful. :D

On a 92" I bet it's wonderful, I was worried about sucha big thing like the 120".

On a 92" I bet it's wonderful, I was worried about sucha big thing like the 120".

Yes, it is but I'm thinking of upgrading the size of my screen to 100". You have to be careful you don't oversize your screen because when your lamp ages it will get dim and all the intensity ("pop") in the image will disappear unless you get a DaLite High Power screen with 2.8 gain.

:D uh, why Naples?? No, I am near Milan in the north of the country, and thank you very much for your reply!!!!
Have a nice day zapper.

The name Naabb, thught that it was Naples, correct me if I am wrong, isn't Milan the so called resort area of Italy.

The name Naabb, thught that it was Naples, correct me if I am wrong, isn't Milan the so called resort area of Italy.


I'm sure Meggy will correct me if I'm wrong but Milan is mostly an industrial city although it's famous for it's opera house. Further north, however, are the alpine lakes such as Como and Maggiore which are wonderful. The rich Italians and Swiss have their summer homes there.

http://www.lagocomo.com/

http://www.maggiore.ch/

Zapper :laugh: no, naab or noob is a snobbish way the pro's use to define a newbie. Since I am pretty new to the HT world, I decided to tag myself as "naab".

Freemont yes, Milan is industrial, fashion and services. Oh and advertising . Como is quite near and yes many rich people have mansions there including George Clooney (I was right in front of his house 3 weeks ago but he was out)

I think this already passed on this thread but what about compatiblity and performance of the Playstation 3 with the Mits. HC-3000 720p pj? How do I set up the PS3 ánd how do I setup the PJ for playing br movies?

98% of what my HC3000 does is display BD movies via the PS3. I didn't have to do anything special to the PJ or the PS3. Movies are output at 1080i over HDMI to the projector, and it looks really, really good.

98% of what my HC3000 does is display BD movies via the PS3. I didn't have to do anything special to the PJ or the PS3. Movies are output at 1080i over HDMI to the projector, and it looks really, really good.

Agree. The HC3000 scales very well. 1080i looks excellent. I wouldn't worry about trying to scale down a source device to 720P to feed the PJ.

There has been some speculation that the more recent HC3000 builds track much closer to 6500K than as reported in earlier reviews. I just took some initial calibration readings of my Mits. It is a December 2006 build with a version 4 firmware and has about 100 hrs on the lamp. In the "Warm" color temp setting, the PJ certainly tracks fairly close (about 6200K - 6700K) out of the box. See the attached. This also confirms what I've been seeing since I installed it.

6500K tracking is irrelevant - you need to report on D65 dE tracking.

If you want to be a calibrator you need to learn the difference - it is the only must pass question on the ISF test.

6500K tracking is irrelevant - you need to report on D65 dE tracking.

If you want to be a calibrator you need to learn the difference - it is the only must pass question on the ISF test.

Yeah, my bad. I just learned that about 20 mins ago. D65 is an absolute. But 6500K... many reciipes wil get you a pale ale but they will all taste different. :o

Well, they've had my projector for 48 hours now, and I haven't heard anything from them. Has anyone else dealt with an RMA to Mitsubishi? I guess no news is good news.

I own a playstation 3. When I play movies (Blu-Ray) or play a ps3 game, my HC3000 makes a lot of noise.
When I play regular dvd's standard def. dvd's from my HTPC I play them on a refreshrate, outputted by my HTPC, of 50Hz for PAL (R2) movies and 47,952Hz for NTSC (R1) movies. When a regular standard def. movie starts playing my pj goes in some kind of more silent mode (NOT the LOW/ECO lamp mode!!).
When playing a game or BR disc my pj makes a lot of noise. Is it possible to let my pj play in the 'other mode', the silent one? (I think maybe it has something to do with the internal scaler of the pj)

There has been some speculation that the more recent HC3000 builds track much closer to 6500K than as reported in earlier reviews. I just took some initial calibration readings of my Mits. It is a December 2006 build with a version 4 firmware and has about 100 hrs on the lamp. In the "Warm" color temp setting, the PJ certainly tracks fairly close (about 6200K - 6700K) out of the box. See the attached. This also confirms what I've been seeing since I installed it.

As was pointed out to me, 6500K is indeed not that relevant. D65 is the target. Doing my first attempt at calibration on the HC3000 proved to be a great example of the differences between the two measurements (and learning experience for me). If interested, follow along by viewing the jpegs (included in the attached zip file)....

1- "Temp Histogram - Factory": This is the temp tracking in the "warm" setting as shipped. Looks good doesn't it? Unfortunately, it doesn't show how it was arrived at.

2- "CIE - Factory": CIE as shipped. Ok, but not great... clearly pushing towards green.

3- "RGB Levels - Factory": Here's the obvious problem. Way too much green.

Point is, that 6500K from the factory was arrived at by pushing green. Although, the target temperature was pretty much achieved, it was done so without getting the true greyscale and color as accurate as it should be (errors as shown in the CIE).

So after a 1 hour calibration (including 1st time learning curve) using an i1 sensor ($130), Getgray test disc ($25) and HCFR calibration software (free)...

4- "RGB Levels - First Calibration": Now the primaries are lining up nicely. This was accomplished via setting the following HC3000 parms in "User" temperature

Contrast Red: 0
Contrast Green: -14
Contrast Blue: -11
Brightness Red: -3
Brightness Green: 0
Brightness Blue: 0

5- "CIE - First Calibration" : D65 is pretty much dead on (no more green push). Secondaries (Yellow, Cyan. Magenta) now in much better alignment.

6- "Temp Histogram - First Calibration": Looks good but not much different than "Factory".

In actual viewing, A/B-ing between "Warm" (factory) and "User" (calibrated) cleary showed a "fairly" dramatic improvement. Overall image much more natural. Colors certainly more true to life.

So, "temperature" pretty much the same but color acuracy (D65) much improved.


$150 well spent.

Suprisingly a few in the HD1000 thread had noticed a green 6500K instead of D65 - but nobody here noticed it because they bought into the hype that it was D65 calibrated already. Amazing the power of suggestion. I had suspected the firmware calibration was the same just due to factory efficiency.

This is a marketing trick being used - only WideScreenReview reports D65 measures - all the other magazine reviewers report 6500K because they are afraid to change. Keeps the brightness/contrast numbers higher while appearing to be calibrated. They claim they don't want to change even though they know better because they get letters from customers wondering what happened to the 6500K chart - maybe the real reason is they would get letters from manufacturers - what is up with the harsh measures?

As the CIE chart shows - it is easily noticed when Yellow and Cyan are both too Green. Faces will also look a bit jaundiced.

OK, another RMA update. I just spoke to the RMA Service Center, and they said they had to replace the main board and input boards on the projector. Wow. I'm not sure what happened to it, but it sounds like it was pretty severe. Anyway, true to their word, it's shipping out 72 hours later and should be here on Wednesday.

The only downside was the fact that there was a miscommunication of my RMA #. I read it back to them 3 times just to verify, but when I called back they said my name was not associate with that RMA #. They looked me up, and apparently they transposed the last two digits of mine when they gave it to me. However, I confirmed that it's being shipped back to me.

OK, another RMA update. I just spoke to the RMA Service Center, and they said they had to replace the main board and input boards on the projector. Wow. I'm not sure what happened to it, but it sounds like it was pretty severe. Anyway, true to their word, it's shipping out 72 hours later and should be here on Wednesday.

The only downside was the fact that there was a miscommunication of my RMA #. I read it back to them 3 times just to verify, but when I called back they said my name was not associate with that RMA #. They looked me up, and apparently they transposed the last two digits of mine when they gave it to me. However, I confirmed that it's being shipped back to me.

Good for you. Decent warranty performance from Mitsubishi.

I own a playstation 3. When I play movies (Blu-Ray) or play a ps3 game, my HC3000 makes a lot of noise.
When I play regular dvd's standard def. dvd's from my HTPC I play them on a refreshrate, outputted by my HTPC, of 50Hz for PAL (R2) movies and 47,952Hz for NTSC (R1) movies. When a regular standard def. movie starts playing my pj goes in some kind of more silent mode (NOT the LOW/ECO lamp mode!!).
When playing a game or BR disc my pj makes a lot of noise. Is it possible to let my pj play in the 'other mode', the silent one? (I think maybe it has something to do with the internal scaler of the pj)

no ideas anyone?

:(:(:(:(:(

I just hooked up component cables from my Onkyo 804 to my HC3000. I also have hdmi connected from the receiver to the projector as well. I have noticed that the Onkyo's processing when converting from component to hdmi leaves much to be desired. I am feeding the Onkyo component from my 360 and hd-dvd add on drive. I notice that contrast cannot be adjusted with this setup. So I bought a component cable. I'm going through my calibration with the Getgray dvd in the add on drive. In the 3000's menu I'm unable to adjust tint. Is there some type of service code that I have to enter in order to get access to the tint adjustment?

Suprisingly a few in the HD1000 thread had noticed a green 6500K instead of D65 - but nobody here noticed it because they bought into the hype that it was D65 calibrated already. Amazing the power of suggestion. I had suspected the firmware calibration was the same just due to factory efficiency.

This is a marketing trick being used - only WideScreenReview reports D65 measures - all the other magazine reviewers report 6500K because they are afraid to change. Keeps the brightness/contrast numbers higher while appearing to be calibrated. They claim they don't want to change even though they know better because they get letters from customers wondering what happened to the 6500K chart - maybe the real reason is they would get letters from manufacturers - what is up with the harsh measures?

As the CIE chart shows - it is easily noticed when Yellow and Cyan are both too Green. Faces will also look a bit jaundiced. I was one who had said that the late production run HC3000s were going to be having the greyscale adjusted more to that the earlier HC3100s were set at. They were supposed to be less blue. That was based on information provided by a Mits contact who is involved with the HC3000 marketing. He's one of the guys involved in Not bringing the HC3100 to the US. I think he was trying to tell me something he thought I wanted to hear. :(

I no longer trust that source, as I feel he has now deliberately mislead me several times recently. :mad:

That seems to be very close to my own settings, even though I am using a 110 inch wide DIY screen a Wilson Art laminate screen. I thought it was my adjustments for the DIY screen, but I now found its similar to what I know find a couple people I know locally also discovered with Studioteck, Draper and other standard screens.

Great stuff.

Q: How do you know a marketing rep is lying?

A: His lips are moving :p


It is usually the case that PJ are worse out of calibration than a screen - but if you make the effort might as well get the screen offset for that last %. Screens are usually green deficient because we are conditioned that blue grey is grey. But that is not why PJ green is boosted - they do that for "calibrated" contrast/brightness.

I own a playstation 3. When I play movies (Blu-Ray) or play a ps3 game, my HC3000 makes a lot of noise.
When I play regular dvd's standard def. dvd's from my HTPC I play them on a refreshrate, outputted by my HTPC, of 50Hz for PAL (R2) movies and 47,952Hz for NTSC (R1) movies. When a regular standard def. movie starts playing my pj goes in some kind of more silent mode (NOT the LOW/ECO lamp mode!!).
When playing a game or BR disc my pj makes a lot of noise. Is it possible to let my pj play in the 'other mode', the silent one? (I think maybe it has something to do with the internal scaler of the pj)

GUYS! HELLO?

I own a playstation 3. When I play movies (Blu-Ray) or play a ps3 game, my HC3000 makes a lot of noise.

Mine doesn't, and I operate in low lamp mode. What mode are you operating in?


When I play regular dvd's standard def. dvd's from my HTPC I play them on a refreshrate, outputted by my HTPC, of 50Hz for PAL (R2) movies and 47,952Hz for NTSC (R1) movies. When a regular standard def. movie starts playing my pj goes in some kind of more silent mode (NOT the LOW/ECO lamp mode!!). When playing a game or BR disc my pj makes a lot of noise. Is it possible to let my pj play in the 'other mode', the silent one? (I think maybe it has something to do with the internal scaler of the pj)

Why would the scaler cause the projector to be louder? I'm sorry, but I haven't experienced this, as I don't have a working HTPC or any PAL movies, so I cannot help you more than to say I don't have this problem.

Why would the scaler cause the projector to be louder?
My guess is that he is hearing the color wheel spinning at different speeds based on the varying refresh rates... 48Hz vs 50Hz vs 60Hz. On the Mits, the audible noise is dominated by the color wheel, not the fans (at least in low lamp mode).

"A lot of noise" is relative. If its really "loud" say 50db @1M, then I'd call service.

OK, final RMA update. The projector arrived one day ahead of schedule, and was waiting for me when I got home yesterday. I got it back up and watched a little bit of Lost Season 1 on DVD, and was amazed at how much better SD content looks. OTA HDTV over HDMI now doesn't lose sync like it was, and the component inputs also work, so no more turning off when something was even plugged into the component inputs. I'm very pleased. They even repackaged the projector in a better box with form fit padding (I had to use copious amounts of bubble wrap), which I'll be keeping just in case I need it again for warranty work.

Now for the downside. All of my calibration settings are now gone, and colors are not correct. I tried to set everything back to what I had previously (yep, I wrote everything down), but this must be a newer version of firmware, and some of the options in the menus are different now. I've also got some slight keystoning that I need to correct, but that appears to be because I do not have the projector aligned properly in the mount. I tried to do some correction via the setup, but I couldn't find where it was done in this version of software. Better to do it the right way anyway, I suppose. Also, there were fingerprints on the lens, which definitely weren't there when I packed it up, but I cleaned those off.

My guess is that he is hearing the color wheel spinning at different speeds based on the varying refresh rates... 48Hz vs 50Hz vs 60Hz. On the Mits, the audible noise is dominated by the color wheel, not the fans (at least in low lamp mode).

"A lot of noise" is relative. If its really "loud" say 50db @1M, then I'd call service.

Those are my thoughts as well. In low lamp mode, my unit is whisper quiet and lives about 5-6 feet directly above my head while I watch movies. I never hear it, and I have very sensitive ears. I certainly can't hear it over what I'm watching or playing, as I play games on the PS3 with the projector as my display device.

All of my calibration settings are now gone, and colors are not correct. I tried to set everything back to what I had previously (yep, I wrote everything down), but this must be a newer version of firmware, and some of the options in the menus are different now.

Sounds like you have V4 of the FW. Which is probably pushing green vs. pushing blue with the older FW (at least based on my experience with a late build HC3000) . If you don't mind investing about $150 and a few hours learning curve, you can do a custom calibration via a cheap but effective colorimeter and some free software. See my post #2954.

I just did mine last week and the PQ improvement over my prior "eyeball" method was significant indeed. The more I watch it now the more I really appreciate the accurate grayscale and color.

Sounds like you have V4 of the FW. Which is probably pushing green vs. pushing blue with the older FW (at least based on my experience with a late build HC3000) . If you don't mind investing about $150 and a few hours learning curve, you can do a custom calibration via a cheap but effective colorimeter and some free software. See my post #2954.

I just did mine last week and the PQ improvement over my prior "eyeball" method was significant indeed. The more I watch it now the more I really appreciate the accurate grayscale and color.

Yep, it does appear to be V4. BTW, thanks for your previous D65 explanation post. I definitely think a $150 expenditure is in order. :D

Yep, it does appear to be V4. BTW, thanks for your previous D65 explanation post. I definitely think a $150 expenditure is in order. :D

Joe, If you feel so inclined.. maybe start with my RGB settings and then change them when you have your calibration gear. I'm curious on how close they'll be for you (I'm guessing pretty close).

having a question:
there is a submenu in the HC3000 called overscan (SIGNAL menu => user). Sometimes this value adjustst itsself too 97%. When putting it back to 100% it solves the problem but again: sometimes he switches back to 97% again! Is it possible to LOCK this on 100% and what causes this problem?

having a question:
there is a submenu in the HC3000 called overscan (SIGNAL menu => user). Sometimes this value adjustst itsself too 97%. When putting it back to 100% it solves the problem but again: sometimes he switches back to 97% again! Is it possible to LOCK this on 100% and what causes this problem?

Its a mystery. Sometimes changing the refresh rate will cause it to reset to the default of 97% but I've found no consistency. There is a thread on this subject but no conclusions:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=841445

Has anyone experienced this problem with your hc3000u? I power on my projector - the power light is on but I get no status light. I have about 400 hours on the projector and lamp and past the 90 days lamp warranty period. Is the bulb gone?

My house is nearing completion and I am now starting to worry about a mount for Mits 3000. Can anyone recommend a good, reasonably priced mount for this unit. I know reasonably priced is relative. I am looking to spend as little as possible to have a solid, easy to work with mount.

Thanks,

Carl

Carl
I bought this mount for my 3000 and have been very happy with it.
Paul.

http://cgi.*********/PROJECTOR-CEILING-MOUNT-for-MITSUBISHI-HC3000-HD1000U_W0QQitemZ220111419105QQihZ012QQcategoryZ71584QQrdZ1Q QssPageNameZWD4VQQcmdZViewItem

for some reason that link wont work-try this



http://stores.*********/Projector-Gear_Mitsubishi_W0QQcolZ4QQdirZ1QQfsubZ8200089QQftidZ2QQtZkm

Neither link will work for me.

Sorry.I dont know why those links failed.Go to ebay and type in HC3000U.Choose the projector mount from Projector gear that sells for $28.95.The ebay seller is called KRAMERICA.It is an excellent mount in my opinion.

Hi guys, I just picked up a HC3000 yesterday, and I have a few questions. First, where/how do I find the firmware version. Second, does the unit track bulb hours, and if so on what menu. Third, is there any difference in the HC3000 and the HC3000U? Thanks.

I have had my HC3000 up for a couple weeks now and am still blown away at the PQ....and that is projecting onto a piece of white blackout cloth. I a planning to buy a 106 inch Carada screen and have all aloong assumed I would use the BW screen. However, the brightness of the PQ (low lamp, iris closed, brilliant color off) now has me thinking about the High-Contrast screen to maximize the contrast and blacks....I have a light controlled room and it just seesm like brightness is not an issue. I am seeking input from current HC3000 owners who have Carada screens - thanks!

One other quick note.....I am sure that my HC3000 will benefit from a calibration and I plan to do so with the DVE High-Def DVD but to my untrained eye the PQ out-of-the box is very very good.

Hi guys, I just picked up a HC3000 yesterday, and I have a few questions. First, where/how do I find the firmware version. Second, does the unit track bulb hours, and if so on what menu. Third, is there any difference in the HC3000 and the HC3000U? Thanks.

OK, so I did a few searches on this thread to answer my own question as to checking the bulb hours.

"Press the UP, DOWN, and ENTER buttons on the projector body simultaneously. I'm not sure why Mitsubishi thought it was a good idea to hide this menu page for important projector usage stats, but that's where it is."

So now my question is, what do you do to get out of the 'bulb life' menu page? I have not tried this yet, but would like to know how to close the menu before I try it. Also, any answer to my previous question as to differences between a HC3000 or HC3000U other than the name?

Well, I finally pulled the trigger and bought an HC3000 at Best Buy. It was on sale and I had a $100 gift card so that brought the price in quite nicely. I mulled over the HD1000 a lot, but couldn't get over the white segment in the color wheel. I heavily considered the Sharp 12K, and in lieu of a NEC PG6 or 9, it's really the PJ that I wanted. I couldn't justify the price difference at this point. Heck, before you know it, 1080p PJ's will become ubiquitous and I'll swing a big upgrade for that or pursue my real dream of a big honkin' CRT beast.

Anyway, right now I have the HC3000 table mounted and I must say, the resolution difference over the 4805 is very nice. 720p/1080p content via VGA input looks awesome on my 360- especially the Forza Motorsport demo. :) I still have my 4805 wall hung using MonkeyMan's mount, but I think I'm going to leave the Mitsu table mounted. I want the increased lumens it should offer in that configuration.

I plan on building a semi-hushbox for it and have the 360 with HD-DVD player and PS3 in an old armoire I'm converting behind the seating area. I haven't decided if I'll use Edmunds Scientific glass for the cut out yet or not. If I do fully enclose it, I'll put 2-3 120mm low rpm PC case fans at the bottom of the enclosure and near the front. IIRC, the HC3000 draws air in from the rear and rear-side vents, so a makeshift channel extending vertically down to the fans should pull the air through nicely with fresh air pulling from back vents in the cabinet.

I'm not knocking the 4805, but it feels good to finally be in the HD club. :)

I have had my HC3000 up for a couple weeks now and am still blown away at the PQ....and that is projecting onto a piece of white blackout cloth. I a planning to buy a 106 inch Carada screen and have all aloong assumed I would use the BW screen. However, the brightness of the PQ (low lamp, iris closed, brilliant color off) now has me thinking about the High-Contrast screen to maximize the contrast and blacks....I have a light controlled room and it just seesm like brightness is not an issue. I am seeking input from current HC3000 owners who have Carada screens - thanks!


I've had the HC3000 since last fall, and I have a 96" Carada BW screen. I know what you mean about seeing plenty of brightness, but remember the projector will dim significantly during the first 100 hours or so. Perhaps you should wait until then before deciding on the screen. I personally like the ability to open the iris and turn up the lamp, and watch sports in the daytime, so I'm glad I have the brighter screen. One of the best things about the HC3000 is the ability to open the iris for viewing with some room light, then closing it down for movie watching with the room fully darkened.

Dave

Mobius: Can you please describe the difference in going from the 4805 to the HC3000 in details as far as black levels, etc...? I (along with many others I'm sure) am thinking about the 4805 to HC3000 upgrade path...

Mobius: Can you please describe the difference in going from the 4805 to the HC3000 in details as far as black levels, etc...? I (along with many others I'm sure) am thinking about the 4805 to HC3000 upgrade path...


As for black level, shadow detail, etc, everything looks nice, but it's a bit hard to say for sure because I haven't calibrated with AVIA or DVE yet. I really need to pick up the new HD DVE. OOTB though, at first glance everything looks impressive to my eyes. My screen is a good old DIY ~97" diagonal BOC and my front wall and ceiling are flat F'ing black. :D I'm using the intermediate reference setting from the 360.

Out of the box I think you'll be more than impressed with the resolution difference. As for black level, I think it will be very close if not a little better than the 4805 after calibration, but I'll defer to the experts here. For the price, (it can actually be had cheaper than what I paid) I don't think you can go wrong.

If you want a more expert opinion search this thread and you'll find lots of experience to be had. I'd also suggest reading the Cine4home review, and IIRC, Krasmuzik has a review on this PJ as well.

I'm well pleased with my purchase. :)

I've had the HC3000 since last fall, and I have a 96" Carada BW screen. I know what you mean about seeing plenty of brightness, but remember the projector will dim significantly during the first 100 hours or so. Perhaps you should wait until then before deciding on the screen. I personally like the ability to open the iris and turn up the lamp, and watch sports in the daytime, so I'm glad I have the brighter screen. One of the best things about the HC3000 is the ability to open the iris for viewing with some room light, then closing it down for movie watching with the room fully darkened.

Dave


My research thus far makes me think that the Da-Lite High Power (HP) or High Contrast Cinemavision (HCCV) are good choices. For my room, brightness, contrast, etc shouldn't be a problem because everything is so dark. I don't think the HCCV would benefit me much with my room, but I'm thinking about the HP down the road once the bulb dims. That should prolong the life of my lamp a bit.

For your situation, the High Contrast Cinemavision (HCCV) might be a good choice; or the HP. Again though, I'll defer to the experts.

remember, with the HP, your PJ will need to be mounted in line with your viewing position since the HP is retro-reflective and the light will come back to the source it came from. YMMV depending on your room size.

remember, with the HP, your PJ will need to be mounted in line with your viewing position since the HP is retro-reflective and the light will come back to the source it came from. YMMV depending on your room size.
True statement relative to realizing the high gain characteristics of the HP material. However, the the other benefits of HP can be obtained from either a ceiling or table mount configuration. Most notable, due to the material weight and retro-reflective properties, a non-tensioned HP screen does not show "waves" as does other material (something I find extremely distracting and unaccepatble). In addition, HP presents a very contrasty image (weather or not its measurable or not is another argument.. but of which I really don't care... I know what I see). This is why HP is so popular, even though many owners (I would suspect the majority) are ceiling mounting their PJs.

Also, considering that on smaller screens (92" in my case) in light controlled rooms, the HC3000 is plenty bright. Its actually a little too bright for me with the PJ ceiling mounted displaying on HP (at least with a new bulb). I'm currently using an ND2 filter to reduce the lumes. If I had the PJ table mounted I would need to further reduce light via an ND4 or 6.

So, in my situation at least, a ceiling mounted Mits with a relatively cheap HP pulldown, calibrated via a relatively cheap colorimeter and free calibration software, is an excellent and cost effective solution.

ISF'd HC3000 on a 120" HP here and it is plenty bright in my light controlled room ( not a bat cave either , I have white side walls and ceiling ) . I even use the lamp in low power and the iris is closed . The HC3000 is ceiling mounted and has about 680 hours on the lamp , most recent ISF was still within suggested ftL spec. ;) .


--- Jason

I found a used HC3000 for about a grand here locally. THe seller says the PJ has about 150 total hours on it but says I the PJ doesn't show the hours anymore? What could be wrong? Can one set the lamp hours used on and off? If so how can you turn it on? Any way I can find out the actual hours used? Could this be an indication of the PJ might have some other problem? Should I stay clear form this deal? Help please!

Alex, I think you can get new HC3000s for just a couple hundred more these days. Personally, I'd be inclined to stay away from this one. Plus, you can buy an HD1000 new for under $1000 which is very much like the HC3000 except for the lack of an iris.

Alex, I think you can get new HC3000s for just a couple hundred more these days. Personally, I'd be inclined to stay away from this one. Plus, you can buy an HD1000 new for under $1000 which is very much like the HC3000 except for the lack of an iris.
My research led me to believe the black level and shadow detail of the HD1000U are a big step down form the HC3000. That is way I just couldn't get my self to pull the trigger on the HD1000U. Frankly I was waiting for the HC3100 but I just got tired of waiting. I am going to pass on this deal even though the seller is willing to shave of about a hundred more or so which brings the price more to $850.00. Not a bad price but I think I want the warranty I get with a new PJ.

Pricegrabber just emailed me that the IN76 is now at the 1500 target I had set. Has anyone looked at this as an option? I have followed that thread and I guess I am seeing a lot of complaints about the IN76. I would jump on this but I still want a DC3, so still contemplating the Sharp MKII (too many issues for me so far, but still trying to counter them) and the Mits HC3100.

How do you tell the lamp hours used on this PJ?

I juts got a VGA cable for the 360and the difference from component is night and day. I could never use component again....it's that much better.

I am not sure what is the best res setting. 1280x768 seems to look the best and the sharpness control is greyed out so it appears to be ideal. I'm not sure because the extra 48 pixels dont seem to be turned on though.

1280x720 looks good too, but the other setting seems more vivid.

Thanks

Joe, If you feel so inclined.. maybe start with my RGB settings and then change them when you have your calibration gear. I'm curious on how close they'll be for you (I'm guessing pretty close).

Will do.

Has anyone experienced this problem with your hc3000u? I power on my projector - the power light is on but I get no status light. I have about 400 hours on the projector and lamp and past the 90 days lamp warranty period. Is the bulb gone?

Check page 34 of your manual. It should describe the different light code combinations. If yours isn't listed, contact Mitsubishi support.

How do you tell the lamp hours used on this PJ?

Press the Up and Down buttons on the projector at the same time.

How do you tell the lamp hours used on this PJ?

Up + Down + Enter on the projector itself (not the remote) .

--- Jason

Up + Down + Enter on the projector itself (not the remote) .

--- Jason

Doh! I forgot about Enter.