I think it was discontinued a couple of months back.

AFAIK 1000 hrs is just about what people usually get on this PJ. Someone's I know conked out at 750.

Does anyone know why the h78dc3 was discontinued? Also my lamp for the H78DC3 went out. I purchased in Nov 2005. Used about 4 hours a week. Any reason?

Does anyone know why the h78dc3 was discontinued? Also my lamp for the H78DC3 went out. I purchased in Nov 2005. Used about 4 hours a week. Any reason?


It's probably more useful to know total hours on the bulb. In the menu go to system, then bulb and it should show hours. However it keeps track of normal and bright mode separately so you need to switch on each mode, look at both counters and add.

A while back there was a survey of the 77,78,79 owners and bulb life. About 50% were going too dim at about 500 hours or so. I couldn't find the link.

I have the 79 and I've replaced the bulb for every superbowl since I got the projector in may of 2005.

I'm sure I need a new bulb since it's got about 1400 hours on my H78, but does anyone know the specific cause of the red led to come on and then shut down the projector? What specifically triggers that error condition, voltage? I assume not temp since there is a orange led for that.

Thanks in advance...

Consider yourself lucky. Mine started this at between 600 and 700 hours and it was toast. I can't explain the cause of the red light and shutdowns other than lamp failure but you've had a good run with that bulb.

Wayne

so, my red led went out. powered it off.. waited until fan stopped and then turned it back on. worked fine.

Is this an indication that bulb is going? Am I doing damage by turning it back on?

Nelson4u (or anyone else who has experienced the problem below): After 2 years of flawless performance, my H79 has developed these exact symptoms - did you ever determine what the cause was? I'm still on my original bulb, with nearly 900 hours - no significant dimming or other problems. Sat night, after running the projector for about 3 hours, I started to notice the "blotchy bluish backgrounds" problem. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Thwockage,

I sent you a PM. You need to get into the service menu and change the color wheel index while pausing an image on the screen that shows the banding problem. I lowered mine and it fixed the problem.

Just be sure not to change anything else while you are in the service menu.

Nelson4u (or anyone else who has experienced the problem below): After 2 years of flawless performance, my H79 has developed these exact symptoms - did you ever determine what the cause was? I'm still on my original bulb, with nearly 900 hours - no significant dimming or other problems. Sat night, after running the projector for about 3 hours, I started to notice the "blotchy bluish backgrounds" problem. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

I had a similar problem some months back that eventually became unwatchable (written about somewhere in this thread). It got worse as the projector heated up - running in 'normal' lamp and not 'bright' helped for a bit but not for long. It started as blotchy, bluish backgrounds like you mentioned. Adjusting the color wheel settings didn't help. Had to take the projector in to Optoma and they replaced a board or two. Because I bought the machine used the warranty was no longer valid and it set me back $500 or so. (Not too bad, really.)

Wow, it's been over a year and I was the last to post in this thread. I feel old.

I've just had a lamp failure without warning. It was coming up with a bright, blue Optoma screen but then shut off when, normally, it starts to show an image. I've had this lamp for over a year and I thought there was no sign of it getting dim. I use the projector a couple times a week a few hours at a time so I'm guessing it has about 1000 hours on it.

I pulled the lamp out and it looks great - no darkening or anything. There was dust build-up in the dust screen and it looked like it had gotten hot in the lamp housing area as there was some discoloration to the plastic. I was just thinking last week I needed to check the filter again but dang, I forgot.

After changing out the lamp I realized it HAD been getting dim - just not as bad as I've seen other dim bulbs. I just replaced the lamp with a Phillips bulb from a group buy last year. Here's hoping I get another 1000+ hrs!! :)

I don't want you to feel lonely so I'll reply. :) I used to own the HD78DC3 and I was unlucky enough to have the lamp fail prematurely. I then went on to the HD7100 which had problems consistently striking the lamp. You just never knew when it would come on and when it wouldn't.

Now I have the BenQ w5000 and couldn't be happier. When you're ready to make the move to 1080p, you'll notice the difference. Take it from someone who owned your projector. It was phenomenal in it's time but technology has advanced and improvements have been made.

Nevertheless, I'd still rather have my old Infocus X1 than no projector at all. ;)

Enjoy the new lamp!

Wayne

Wow, it's been over a year and I was the last to post in this thread. I feel old.

I've just had a lamp failure without warning. It was coming up with a bright, blue Optoma screen but then shut off when, normally, it starts to show an image. I've had this lamp for over a year and I thought there was no sign of it getting dim. I use the projector a couple times a week a few hours at a time so I'm guessing it has about 1000 hours on it.

I pulled the lamp out and it looks great - no darkening or anything. There was dust build-up in the dust screen and it looked like it had gotten hot in the lamp housing area as there was some discoloration to the plastic. I was just thinking last week I needed to check the filter again but dang, I forgot.

After changing out the lamp I realized it HAD been getting dim - just not as bad as I've seen other dim bulbs. I just replaced the lamp with a Phillips bulb from a group buy last year. Here's hoping I get another 1000+ hrs!! :)

Keep that screen clean, check every 3 months. I ran mine under water and let it dry. Another thing I added was a fan, laid on one corner of the screen intake blowing cool air in. You could defintely feel the projector running cooler. You can hook it up to the trigger input. The H79 has high quality parts and it shows in the pictures, plus it's loaded. Keep it going

Major problem possibly.

I've got two faint vertical lines of stray light about a foot to the right and left of my screen coming from the lens. In dark scenes, they're quite noticeable.

Is this a setting item, or do I have a defective projector? And has anyone else experienced this? It's only about 10 hours old.
This post was on page 13 of this thread. I've got the same issue and always thought this was normal until I read this thread.

Unfortunatly Erod never tells if or how this was resolved. Warranty on my H79 has expired..

Lens shift or focus do not have any influency on these vertical lines. Zooming however does, so it must be light coming throught the lens..

I need to know if this is an issue when buying a prismasonic lens.

Check your brightness.

For a while there people were seeing the chips screen border by not having the black level at the lowest point. Zoom down the image and raise the brightness high and you'll see what I mean. Correct blacks puts it out of sight. Not new with DLP's my NEC HT1000 and Sim2 had the same thing.

Check your brightness.

For a while there people were seeing the chips screen border by not having the black level at the lowest point. Zoom down the image and raise the brightness high and you'll see what I mean. Correct blacks puts it out of sight. Not new with DLP's my NEC HT1000 and Sim2 had the same thing.

Thanks a lot Guiterman! I'll have to wait untill its dark this evening in order to try, I already noticed the bars are having the same light intensity as whn displaying an IRE 0 window, therefore its only visible in dark scenes and in a completely darkened room. I'll let you know if this was indeed the case or not!

Thanks again for replying.

That was not it :P Brightness was actually a bit too low. The good news is however that after mounting my prismasonic anamorphic lens yesterday the two vertical lines are gone :-) , apparently the opening of the prismasonic lens is also functioning as a 16:9 lens mask :-)

Guys, a question to the wise: I've been replacing the bulb only the last two times and have been getting strange symptoms lately.

First 'bulb only' started flickering in non-brightmode after roughly 600 hours. I knew I'd read about flickering before, and sure enough brightmode made that go away instantly. Got another 100 hours out of it before it started doing it in both modes 30 minutes after turning it on. The flickering is strange though, accompanied by some kind of dithering or inverted colors.

Still convinced it's the lamp I put in a new 'bulb only' replacement, everything's fine. Knock it back down to low power mode, and 30 minutes later I get the same flickering and funny dithering. At this point I started thinking it's not the lamp, but get this: I put it back in brightmode and it ran for 8h straight without issues.

My questions: what's going on here? What trouble am I in for?

My questions: what's going on here? What trouble am I in for?


Don't have a clue what's wrong but I see a new projector in your future.

Guys, a question to the wise: I've been replacing the bulb only the last two times and have been getting strange symptoms lately.

First 'bulb only' started flickering in non-brightmode after roughly 600 hours. I knew I'd read about flickering before, and sure enough brightmode made that go away instantly. Got another 100 hours out of it before it started doing it in both modes 30 minutes after turning it on. The flickering is strange though, accompanied by some kind of dithering or inverted colors.

Still convinced it's the lamp I put in a new 'bulb only' replacement, everything's fine. Knock it back down to low power mode, and 30 minutes later I get the same flickering and funny dithering. At this point I started thinking it's not the lamp, but get this: I put it back in brightmode and it ran for 8h straight without issues.

My questions: what's going on here? What trouble am I in for?

What I would do is put some cleaner on the contact points of the bulb and re-seat it several times to clean up the contacts. Every 3 months take out the filter clean it by running it under water, let it dry and replace. I would make note of my tuning setups and do a full factory reset in the service menu. If you still see the inverted colors have the service menu going while it's happening and try different numbers on the color wheel index area. Not much though, maybe a couple down or a couple up. Make note of the original number.

Thank you Tom, I'll try those suggestions tomorrow. Good stuff. Hope the old girl will last me until I have the funds for an overdue replacement.

I totally regret buying this PJ. True, it throws a good pic when it works. Mine won't run in high lamp mode anymore. The resale value is awful. I see used ones going on ebay cheaper then a new bulb :-/ I'm going to keep it for a back yard PJ or put it in my bedroom when I have the capital for a new unit. I'm having a movie night this Saturday, I wonder how many times it will shut off.

I was not aware that the H79 had a filter that needs cleaning :-X

I suppose its time (after 1500 hours in 2,5 years of use) to have it cleaned then!

Where is the filter located and how does one take it out?

Regards,

Ronald

Another question..

I recently bought a prismasonic H-FE700 lens. Now I need to order a screen, I am so doubting between 240cm wide or 250cm wide (screen gain 1.3). I would love to go for 250cm (bigger is not possible in our situation for practical reasons) but am afraid the image will become too dim, espcecially when the bulb ages (240 hours right now).

What do you guys think?

Stupid me :-X The filter is on the outside on top (when ceiling mounted), thats why I never saw it :P (I though it was on the inside) So of course I cleaned it right away which was quite necessary :P

Just went 1500 lamp Hours with a Guitarman modified H77. Use it three times a week and leave it operating at least six and some times as long as twelve hours. Part of the short bulb life problem may be short cycle times

Modified? do you mean the upgrade? Or just the added fan. The one I had was at 1,000 hours at about 700hrs I switched off of econ to bright it was still working well.

Good point about the short cycles, If I'm going out for a half hour road bike workout I'll leave the PJ on.

Modified? do you mean the upgrade? Or just the added fan. The one I had was at 1,000 hours at about 700hrs I switched off of econ to bright it was still working well.

Good point about the short cycles, If I'm going out for a half hour road bike workout I'll leave the PJ on.


Upgrade

o

I'm having trouble syncing with an Optoma H79.
HD-DVD does eventually sync, but PS3 wont, if I switch source then HD-DVD wont relock without switching off player.
PS3 just goes in a loop trying to sync.
Cable is HDMi to DVI.
Any ideas ?

Thanks

John

My PS3 works fine with the H79.
I'd check the following settings:
1. Make sure the output is set to 720p/1080i on the PS3. 1080p does not work with the H79.
2. Make sure the 24fps mode is turned off, (forget what this is called on the PS3). The H79 does not work with a 24fps signal.

Yo

Yep checked that made no difference(they were already that way).

Thanks

John

Yo

More tests.
HD DVD or PS3 plugged in direct show nothing, Onkyo upscaling DVD player does show a picture, so figure theres something not right.
Emailed Optoma and have now told them full story.
Wondering if they did any mods or firmware updates.

John

I had sync issues with my XA1 HD-DVD player. My solution was to switch to component video. I think a subsequent XA1 patch was released that's supposed to help.
Not aware of any H79 FW releases that are publicly available/installable.
The PS3 works just fine via HDMI to DVI for me.
I don't have any other good suggestions on the PS3 other than to try hitting resync a few times and/or try setting the video output format to RGB.

Also, I noticed your tag says you are in England. I am assuming you purchased EU models of all the equipment in question. If not, this could be part of the problem too.

Don't know if this helps at all but with my upgraded H77 I always have to make sure to turn the pj on first, let it warm up and as soon as the Optoma welcome screen goes away and the screen comes up for the input search then and only then do I turn on my source. Works every time. If I turn the source on first I often have issues.

Moe

Yo

Yep in Uk so a UK model.
I plugged a pc monitor in the other day to check pS3 and amp were working fine and picture locks on striaght away, so its the H79 causing the problem.
Phoned Optoma, told them about this thread, he said ah US models they're different !
He;s going to check on firmware versions, talk on monday, if no change on firmware then its going back to be checked as under 3 years old, although he wasnt keen about fixing it !

John

Yesterday evening my H79 completely froze when trying to turn it off. It kept showing the background picture of my blu-ray player (though I turned it off already) and did not respond anymore to the remote control. Finally I had to turn if off by switching the main switch to off.

Not sure what caused it, maybe switching off the blu-ray player (which I used for the first time yesterday as my old blu-ray player is broken :P ) before switching off the H79 has something to do with it?

Its the first time this happened (and hopefully the last).

Has anyone else experienced this behaviour?

Anybody NOT having problems with their H79/78? Am I the only lucky one? I've had mine for 3 years. I didn't add any external fans and I'm wondering if the fact that mine has been shelf mounted is the difference.

So has anyone upgraded to the Panasonic 3000 from the 78/79, any opinions? I'm holding out for the Epson 6500ub anyone else? I'm just curious if the new LCD's are that much of an upgrade in terms of picture performance. I can't wait to get rid of my H78. I just wish it was worth more than the replacement bulb.

I upgraded to the AE3000 a couple of weeks ago from the H78DC3. The increase in resolution is VERY noticeable, and the lens memory function is incredible if you use a 2.4:1 screen. Black levels are similar, but the AE3000 is significantly brighter. (I'm lighting up a 12' wide screen.) I enjoyed my H78 for longer than any other PJ I've owned, and my previous two were DLP, but the AE3000 was a worthy upgrade.

I upgraded to the AE3000 a couple of weeks ago from the H78DC3. The increase in resolution is VERY noticeable, and the lens memory function is incredible if you use a 2.4:1 screen. Black levels are similar, but the AE3000 is significantly brighter. (I'm lighting up a 12' wide screen.) I enjoyed my H78 for longer than any other PJ I've owned, and my previous two were DLP, but the AE3000 was a worthy upgrade.

I was curious about the black level. I assume there is more pop with the extra contrast and lumen's as well? My H78 is really dim at 400 hours and won't function in bright mode anymore. Kills me to buy a bulb at the resale cost of the PJ.

I'm caught in the whole AE3000 vs epson 6500 issue. I also run a 2.35:1 consistent height setup, but was blessed that the h78 would scale for a consistent height setup without an external scaler. With the AE3000 I can ditch the anamorphic lens, but with the 6500ub I would have to invest in a external scaler for the consistent height scaling. So the 6500 would in the end cost me a lot more $$$.

Guys, a question to the wise: I've been replacing the bulb only the last two times and have been getting strange symptoms lately.

First 'bulb only' started flickering in non-brightmode after roughly 600 hours. I knew I'd read about flickering before, and sure enough brightmode made that go away instantly. Got another 100 hours out of it before it started doing it in both modes 30 minutes after turning it on. The flickering is strange though, accompanied by some kind of dithering or inverted colors.

Still convinced it's the lamp I put in a new 'bulb only' replacement, everything's fine. Knock it back down to low power mode, and 30 minutes later I get the same flickering and funny dithering. At this point I started thinking it's not the lamp, but get this: I put it back in brightmode and it ran for 8h straight without issues.

My questions: what's going on here? What trouble am I in for?

Well, this reply is two months after the fact but I had the same problem when I first purchased mine used a couple years ago. I had to send it for repair and they had to replace the control board I think. Cost about $500.

So why am I back? Well my pj was doing the same thing and I THINK it just bit the dust. It started a few days ago when powering up (flickering on the blue screen) but it ran allright for about 9 movies total. While watching something tonight, however, the picture was freaking out during bright scenes. I shut it off for a bit and it came back on after a few tries and worked for about 1/2 hour but started flickering again. I did the whole shut down one more time and tried to restart and the fan just whirrrs real hard then shuts down. No light, no blinking error codes. Nuttin'.

I think it knew I've been considering making the jump to a 1080p projector (even though I've been real happy with this one for over two years now) and it committed suicide.

This just sucks because, of course, money's real tight right now.

Because of a move and building a new home, my H78DC3 has been in storage for more than a year. Fired it up last night and immediately noticed a problem.

There is a translucent horizontal area with a greenish tinge covering about half the screen that rolls from bottom to top of the image in about 6-8 seconds. The greenish area is followed by a section of normal picture, then another translucent band with a purple/reddish cast, and finally another area of normal picture. After that the green starts to roll up again.

The "rolling" is continuous and smooth, the entire cycle (green/normal/purple/normal) takes about 15 seconds. These off-color bands are most noticeable in dark scenes, not so visible in bright/white scenes. They appear with any source material but do not appear without an input (solid blue screen).

Any suggestions on the cause/solution? Other than this issue, the H78 has been a great projector.

Because of a move and building a new home, my H78DC3 has been in storage for more than a year. Fired it up last night and immediately noticed a problem.

There is a translucent horizontal area with a greenish tinge covering about half the screen that rolls from bottom to top of the image in about 6-8 seconds. The greenish area is followed by a section of normal picture, then another translucent band with a purple/reddish cast, and finally another area of normal picture. After that the green starts to roll up again.

The "rolling" is continuous and smooth, the entire cycle (green/normal/purple/normal) takes about 15 seconds. These off-color bands are most noticeable in dark scenes, not so visible in bright/white scenes. They appear with any source material but do not appear without an input (solid blue screen).

Any suggestions on the cause/solution? Other than this issue, the H78 has been a great projector.

Sounds like a ground loop. Plug the PJ AC power cord into the same AC outlet as your other components (dvd, blu ray, HT receiver, etc.). The fact that you don't get this when no input cables are connected supports the ground loop theory. You can also raise the ground peg of the AC cable on the PJ as an alternative fix if you can't plug it into the same AC outlets of your source components.

Thanks! It was a ground loop, but caused by the Direct TV cable line from the other side of the house. Picture is back to normal. :D

Good picture it is, the H78/H79 isn't 1080p but is a great projector for the money. For the money I bought a members H78 plus extra lamp for $650 no questions asked just a month or so ago. :)
Now I got his projector with 400 hours on the original bulb and checked the light level with my light meter. 18ft candles in econo that's as bright as they are when new, looks like I got a good one. That's 740lumens on my screen. Checked the uniformity and 1.1 pixel match. Uniformity is excellent just like the H79 I had, 1.1 pixel match showed full amplitude on all the pixel lines every bit as good as the H79.

So you can get lucky and get all high end parts on the H78. Just run the pixel match test and uniformity test to see how good your projectors performing.

I liked my H79, but once you upgrade to a 1080P unit, it will be just a good memory.... SJ

As I have a H79 today and have been watching the 8200-thread: Will there be a firmware upgrade soon from Optoma, guitarman? Seems there are some minor stuff to be fixed...

Understand that you have some backdoor info channel from the factory? :)

Very happy with the H79 today, but it's not 1080p...

No I've heard nothing about the HD8200 needing a firmware. People are buying them and using them with happy results.

I would agree that the H78DC3 is probably the safest bet right now. It's priced right in lieu of what's around the corner (1080P). It is plain foolish to drop big bucks right now on a 720 unit. To be able to have this kind of performance for under $4K is great. I bought my H78 blindly, and have zero regrets

I've been enjoying my H79 for a little over three years. We are light users - maybe 3 nights per week. Anyhow, tonight I got the flashing light shutdown, so I guess I need to buy a new bulb. What do you recommend, whom should I trust, and what should I expect to pay? Thanks for your help! Rob

Maybe just reseating the bulb making beter contact would help, get a bulb anyway it's always good to have a back up, good for testing also.

It's not a bad idea to own a light meter they're cheap and useful if you're planning on staying into projectors. Like my H79 at 450hrs still puts out 17.5ft candles in econo mode that's almost like new readings and 565 lumens on a 106" 1.0gain. Actually I use a High Power screen and do pick up some gain with the H79 mounted just 3' above my viewing level.

Really 565lumens is a high level of lamberts (19.4) off the screen I should be using a ND filter but don't mind the bright picture. At least with the light meter I'll know when the light level has dropped below the reference 12ft lamberts off the screen and move on to bright mode.

Pick up a light meter.

Thanks! It was a ground loop, but caused by the Direct TV cable line from the other side of the house. Picture is back to normal. http://www.*****************/trafficreport/img/3721/k09f0423lglc/b.gif

nice.. :D

MarkerTek is a large co. that's been around for years so buy with confidence or as I said, we can get the Gefen products also at below MSRP.

Dave,

a little late but thanks fo acknowledging us.

I am a sales engineer for MArkertek. If ever anyone here has an issue, hit me up.

We are a hands on sales company. We stand by our vendors and their products. As said buy with confidence, and call or email me with any issues.

I bought two new bulbs on eBay, and replaced the bulb the other evening. Relatively easy job, but the connectors on the new bulb were slightly different from the original and wouldn't fit, so I had to swap the connectors. For an expert, a fifteen-minute job. For me? About an hour. Anyhow,looks great. I love my H79 allover again! Rob

I bought two new bulbs on eBay, and replaced the bulb the other evening. Relatively easy job, but the connectors on the new bulb were slightly different from the original and wouldn't fit, so I had to swap the connectors. For an expert, a fifteen-minute job. For me? About an hour. Anyhow,looks great. I love my H79 allover again! Rob

To which seller did you buy the lamps? Would you recommend him?
I want to buy a replacement lamp for my H78DC3 but as I don't live in the USA, returning the lamp if it fails would be quite difficult after paying all custom taxes.

I'm searching for a trusted seller with good quality lamps...

I am happy with my ebay purchase from purelandsupply. Just search optoma h79 bulb

I am happy with my ebay purchase from purelandsupply. Just search optoma h79 bulb

Thanks!!
The lamp they offer is an Osram while my projector came with a Philips one.

Was your original lamp a Philips?
Are both lamps identical, connecions, shape, etc.?
Is the performance good as a new original lamp?

Regards
Gustavo

It will have to be at least 250watts. I asked my engineer buddy about trying a 275watt or a 200watt he said they experimented with that. The electronics or ballast is set to see the 250watts. Too many watts it won't fire up, too little watts the PJ will think the bulb has expired.

Thanks!!
The lamp they offer is an Osram while my projector came with a Philips one.

Was your original lamp a Philips?
Are both lamps identical, connecions, shape, etc.?
Is the performance good as a new original lamp?

Regards
Gustavo

Yeah, I'm curious as well regarding Phillips vs. OSRAM.

After owning a modified H77 for a while and subsequently selling it I'm back in the hunt for a H79. If anyone is looking to upgrade soon and wants to sell their H79 please contact me with condition and price. Thanks.

Moe

I would be happy to trade my H79 for a used Planar 8150.

I missed the question a few weeks back on Orsam bulbs.

After 100+ hours on a Orsam bulb as far as I can tell the image looks the same. Also except for the label the two bulbs are visually identical leading me to believe that the component parts roll off the same assembly line(s) and at some point go two different directions.

After owning a modified H77 for a while and subsequently selling it I'm back in the hunt for a H79. If anyone is looking to upgrade soon and wants to sell their H79 please contact me with condition and price. Thanks.

Moe

You have a response to your listing. :)

You have a response to your listing. :)

You're welcome ;)

Curious, what's a used H79 going for these days? Considering it's age, I don't think AVS will mind the street price talk. There are apparently still a lot of the out there. I am still surprised by how many people contact me to get me to make a AV-RS232 controller for them still :rolleyes:

Curious, what's a used H79 going for these days? Considering it's age, I don't think AVS will mind the street price talk. There are apparently still a lot of the out there. I am still surprised by how many people contact me to get me to make a AV-RS232 controller for them still :rolleyes:

Last I saw on Ebay, with 900 lamp hours went for $690.

Hmmm. Wasn't too long ago some of us stood in virtual line to buy the H77 at a "huge discount" of $7800 when new :eek: You really do bleed to be on the leading edge in this hobby :)

I can't believe these clunkers are still going. I had two H78DC3's completely die on me and waste all my money, before I got wise.

Hmmm. Wasn't too long ago some of us stood in virtual line to buy the H77 at a "huge discount" of $7800 when new You really do bleed to be on the leading edge in this hobby

Yup ! I was in virtual line behind you to buy an H79 for not much less, which worked well for me and had a great picture at the time!

I was lucky I guess, I had a "good" one that never had any trouble. Well, after sending one DOA back, so I guess that coun't as going through one. When I upgraded to the Infocus 777 it was a HUEG difference in every way though. Never looked back. Anyone with a H7x looking for a cheap upgrad should watch for those when they come up. Flagship 3 chip DLP with spot on colors out of the box, only downside today is 720. Still a huge upgrade for H7x owners.

If anyone upgrades or has one with no bulb and is selling, PM me as I'm trying to find something for a backyard theatre.....Found a H77 on ebay for cheap a few months ago, turned out to have a bad powersupply, but wasn't a total loss as sold it to a another member who needed a colorwheel....

I was lucky I guess, I had a "good" one that never had any trouble. Well, after sending one DOA back, so I guess that coun't as going through one. When I upgraded to the Infocus 777 it was a HUEG difference in every way though. Never looked back. Anyone with a H7x looking for a cheap upgrad should watch for those when they come up. Flagship 3 chip DLP with spot on colors out of the box, only downside today is 720. Still a huge upgrade for H7x owners.

Yeah well a used 777 is gonna be $4k-$5k....that opens you up to JVC RS10/RS20 territory...

Well my h78 bulb finally pooped out at 600+ hours after 4 years (I only watch a 1-2 movies on the weekends). Projector starts up and when the input scan starts, the lamp light comes on and shuts down. I tried cleaning the bulb cage contacts as suggested by others and no go. So I popped for a new OSRAM bulb, I hope this works. I'm going to have a new house built, so no budget for a new PJ. However a kick ass theater room is in the plans :)

I will say that that this line of optoma PJ's has it's bulb issues, but still throws a great image.

Well my h78 bulb finally pooped out at 600+ hours after 4 years (I only watch a 1-2 movies on the weekends). Projector starts up and when the input scan starts, the lamp light comes on and shuts down. I tried cleaning the bulb cage contacts as suggested by others and no go. So I popped for a new OSRAM bulb, I hope this works. I'm going to have a new house built, so no budget for a new PJ. However a kick ass theater room is in the plans :)

I will say that that this line of optoma PJ's has it's bulb issues, but still throws a great image.

let us know how the OSRAM is woirking for you and if it is good, please share where you got it and price.

Why don't you tell us where you got the Osram and the price anyway?

If you go to that auction site that we are forbidden to mention and search for Optoma H79 bulb you will find one for $164.

http://galleryplus.ebayimg.com/ws/web/200356176650_1_0_1.jpg

Just a FYI I have had a couple failure to launch start ups at a much earlier stage with the Orsam bulb then I can recall with the Phillips. Both times I unplugged the Projector, and restarted it and it fired up fine.

If you go to that auction site that we are forbidden to mention and search for Optoma H79 bulb you will find one for $164.

http://galleryplus.ebayimg.com/ws/web/200356176650_1_0_1.jpg

Just a FYI I have had a couple failure to launch start ups at a much earlier stage with the Orsam bulb then I can recall with the Phillips. Both times I unplugged the Projector, and restarted it and it fired up fine.



Thats the one I bought from that obscure auction site :)

The H78 is my main projector. I took the black metal piece off the bulb, it's there for cutting light spill out the air vent. But having a piece of metal cover half the bulb looks to me like it's better off. Easy tweak and so far my bulb is super bright.

The H78 is my main projector. I took the black metal piece off the bulb, it's there for cutting light spill out the air vent. But having a piece of metal cover half the bulb looks to me like it's better off. Easy tweak and so far my bulb is super bright.

Are y ou thinking that the black metal makes the bulb hotter or maybe creates hot spots on the bulb?

Did you ever add an extra fan to increase the air flow for your H78?

The H78 is my main projector. I took the black metal piece off the bulb, it's there for cutting light spill out the air vent. But having a piece of metal cover half the bulb looks to me like it's better off. Easy tweak and so far my bulb is super bright.


I'm surprised with all the PJ's you demo for Optoma you would have a latested and greatest. Sounds good on the mod, I'll also do it. I should be getting my new bulb today. THX

Wow, what a change the new bulb made, seems 50% brighter. I don't remember the old bulb being this bright. I wish new bulb would always be this bright. I removed the shield as guiterman suggested and only minor light spill out of the vent. This sure calmed my need for a new PJ.

Yes the metal cover is for cutting the light spill which really is no big deal. That metal covers half of the bulb, let it breath is my opinion. I did add a fan on the top (ceiling mouted) intake vent. I used the trigger input to run it. It does make a big difference in keeping the PJ cool, you can feel the difference when testing the average heat level with the back of your hand. Well that's the best we can do to keep the bulb cool as we can.

For now my projector is keeping steady, brightnes remains high, picture looks like a million bucks. :)

Tons of features also and this is a DC3, hell I'll take it.

Tons of features also and this is a DC3, hell I'll take it.

I have compared my H79 with a new Sanyo Z3000 (1080p) and while the Sanyo has some fun features and finer resolution, the H79 is brighter and throws a great picture. In fact, I was shocked that the H79 looked so good against the Z3000. Those HC3 chips are very nice indeed.

I also added a fan, but mine is on the exhaust vent. It keeps the heat down nicely, even on its lowest setting (3 speed fan). If they had provided a means to speed up the fan on these machines, I'm sure it would have added to bulb lifetimes.

The fan is so guiet on the H79, I was thinking of finding a high powered replacement inside the projector. I've had over 100 of these apart and think I could do it, I could also ask input from the engineering mgr. Wing has always had good input for me on the tech stuff on what's good and not good.

Speaking about temp issue (I have a H78):

I bought a temp sensor that I put in the bulb room. (just behind the bulb)
Without any extra fan, I have 98°C, I added a low rpm silent 120mm fan (directly plugged in the trigger), the temperature is now 80°C .

I hope it will help to longer the bulb life.

Feyris,

Can you describe how you mounted and powered the external fan and whether you have it blowing cool air into the unit or blowing hot air out/away for the unit?

Feyris,

Can you describe how you mounted and powered the external fan and whether you have it blowing cool air into the unit or blowing hot air out/away for the unit?

I fixed the fan with ductape, with a few mm of felt between fan an projector (less noise, no stripes, and the fan work better if there is a little space in front of 'wings')

I will post a picture in the next message (I can't do it now because an antispam feature :confused:)

http://v2.hostipics.net/image.php?id=8400_4AC45C1F&jpg (http://v2.hostipics.net/share.php?id=8400_4AC45C1F)

I agree it don't look very clean. :D
You can see the air flow in blue.
I didn't know the power that the trigger plug can handle, so I choose a fan with very low consumption.
It didn't make much moise then the original version. (aka very low)
Note the is a grid below the projector (in red in the picture).
It's better to block it (with ductape), otherwise, the fan take the air from this hole, not from the inside of projector. (tested: -8°C)

I used a clear 90mm Antec TriCool double ball bearing fan (DBB for better life time). You don't notice the clear fan against the projector when its mounted on the ceiling. It has a speed selector that allows Lo/Med/Hi fan speeds. I used white twist ties pulled through the vent slats to secure the fan. I left a small space between the fan and the projector body to reduce vibration noise and to allow air to flow behind the fan. The more air is obstructed the more noise a fan will make.

I normally keep the fan on Lo (21cfm, 14db) but if its warm in the house I put it on Med (28cfm, 25db). The temperatures drop significantly on the bottom of the projector and inside the wind tunnel.

I didn't block the small vent on the bottom of the projector. I tried with and without a block but it didn't make a lot of difference temperature wise and I didn't want to starve the fan for air.

I decided not to blow air in from the intake vent because that vent is so small that most of the air blown by the fan is directed against the case and not in the vent. Also anything obstructing the vent, like the filter will tend to raise the fan noise as the air interacts with it. I wanted a fan to be as unobstructed as possible. The 90mm fan just fits over the exhaust vent nicely.

Guys,

Thanks for posting pics of your installs. So the general consensus is to "suck" or pull the hot air out of the projector?? Can you guys describe how you connected the fan power, using the trigger connector? It doesn't look like a standard 5 volt signal trigger using a 1/8" mini phono connector?? I've gotta dig up my optoma users manual and look into it.

Any input from Guitarman on using that trigger for powering a fan ?? Any long term issues? I have most of my equipment auto powering using the other 5 volt triggers but not the projector. I might be able to run a signal line back to my rack to the common transformer. Might also be the time to start triggering the power on signal on the projector. I've been somewhat lazy and making that happen.

Orion, can you post the specific part number of the model antec fan you used? I think I'm going to try this approach since my Optoma is ceiling mounted and that side of the projector faces the closed side of my room. I very much doubt you'll be able to see it.

I used a clear 90mm Antec TriCool double ball bearing fan (DBB for better life time). You don't notice the clear fan against the projector when its mounted on the ceiling. It has a speed selector that allows Lo/Med/Hi fan speeds. I used white twist ties pulled through the vent slats to secure the fan. I left a small space between the fan and the projector body to reduce vibration noise and to allow air to flow behind the fan. The more air is obstructed the more noise a fan will make.

I normally keep the fan on Lo (21cfm, 14db) but if its warm in the house I put it on Med (28cfm, 25db). The temperatures drop significantly on the bottom of the projector and inside the wind tunnel.

I didn't block the small vent on the bottom of the projector. I tried with and without a block but it didn't make a lot of difference temperature wise and I didn't want to starve the fan for air.

I decided not to blow air in from the intake vent because that vent is so small that most of the air blown by the fan is directed against the case and not in the vent. Also anything obstructing the vent, like the filter will tend to raise the fan noise as the air interacts with it. I wanted a fan to be as unobstructed as possible. The 90mm fan just fits over the exhaust vent nicely.

is this the fan you are using? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835209004

is this the fan you are using? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835209004

Yes, that's the one. I cut off the power connector and added the small trigger connector. It's very small, and it took a while to find that size connector; 3.5mm OD.

Alternatively you can just power it from a 12V adapter plugged into the wall; which I did for a while. So far I have not had a problem using the trigger control to power the fan.

Those that have added the fan modifications what kind of bulb life are you getting?

Those that have added the fan modifications what kind of bulb life are you getting?

The fan is just an attempt to lower the temperatures in a machine that is reported as a lamp eater and that runs fairly hot given a 250 watt bulb in a confined space and a slow internal fan. It's not known if all H79s have poor lamp life or if its just a bad batch of machines or lamps.

What is known is that the temperatures definitely go down significantly (with some increase in noise), and to me, that's always good with electronics.

For now, the jury is out.

On the bottom of the projector the large filter screen is the main intake area which is where I have the fan laying towards the back of the PJ. This makes a B line striaght over to the side vent. I could very well add another fan and cover the whole filter area.

Someday when I ready I'll try to change the internal fan to a mega power fan if it looks simple enough. I took a look at the system through the empty bulb area. The fan looks like it's 4" and just has 4 screws holding it. It blows the air on the bulb, goes past the bulb, then it hits a wall at the front of the PJ to a chamber/left ending up at at back side exhaust vent.

I think the best thing we can do is install a high power loud as hell fan in place of the original fan.

I was talking with my friend about the bulbs going out, he said at times there can be bad batches of bulbs. They could have bad composition, forumla is off. Now the H79 bulbs were all phillips. Next up try the Orsram 250watt bulb it's a different company.

I usually get 2300-2500 hrs out of my bulbs, no added fans other than the original one inside the box. Have used orignal bulbs with the cages from Optoma before, but tried Osram replacement bulb only from purelandsupply.com now and it looks very good.

IMO, here in Europe, Osram is a better brand than Phillips. I expect at least the same hrs on this bulb as Optomas own in the cages.

H79.

My buddy says Orsram it a good outfit also, can't hurt to try one.

My buddy says Orsram it a good outfit also, can't hurt to try one.

Isn't Orsram made in China? Is that good?

Don't think so. Believe Osram is made in Europe, anyho it was for the last 30 years, unsure nowadays.

Osram lightbulbs in lamps etc. has always had a longer life than cheap noname brands here.

I have physically held the Orsam bulb next to the Phillips bulb and tried to determine the difference. The only discernible difference I could find was the label. One thing uncanny is the font used for the serial number (or whatever that number is on the outside of the reflector) is identical between the two.

You can draw your own conclusions about what supplier sources or manufacturing resources are shared by the two differently labeled bulbs.

Don't think so. Believe Osram is made in Europe, anyho it was for the last 30 years, unsure nowadays.

Osram lightbulbs in lamps etc. has always had a longer life than cheap noname brands here.

Just looking on Ebay. It appears the lamp says: "Made in China".

Most likely in the same plant as Phillips!!

My friend told me the Orsram is made by a different company then the Phillips lamps.

I was really thinking about adding a fan to my Optoma after seeing what you guys have been trying. It seems like my H78 runs pretty hot so I figured it would at least help a little and maybe I could squeeze some more hours out of each bulb. While researching some of the parts discussed (mainly where to find a suitable 12v power connector) I noticed some odd behavior with the projector this past week that may be heat related.

Here's what's happening:

Normally when you power down the projector by pressing the POWER LED button twice it turns off the lamp then runs the cooling fan for a few minutes until the unit cools then powers off completely. Last night I powered down the projector and I was milling around the room in the dark when I noticed a orange LED blinking at the end of the power off (cooling down) cycle. I wasn't exactly sure what happened or which LED was lit so today I tried it again and closely watched it after powering down the projector. What I see happening is at the end of the cooling off cycle The TEMP LED blinks orange for about 60 seconds after the unit has shut down. The fan was still running and there was some airflow while it was blinking orange.

On page 12 of the manual states that the unit is overheating or the fan is failing if this happens but it's unclear to which it is based on my symptoms.

Does anyone know what this means?

Thanks!

Try cleaning the filter and add a fan. Plus why not use the remote? I get the feeling the PJ's on a table. If so raise the PJ up on the legs as high as you can to get a better draw going into the bottom vent.

Try cleaning the filter and add a fan. Plus why not use the remote? I get the feeling the PJ's on a table. If so raise the PJ up on the legs as high as you can to get a better draw going into the bottom vent.

Tom,

Thanks for the input! I'm not sure where the filter is but I'll take a look and give it a cleaning. The projector is mounted on the ceiling of my home theater with a chief low profile mount. I have a relatively low ceiling in the theater so I went with a low profile mount and when standing on the rear seating riser I can easily turn it off. There is approximately 3 inches of space between the ceiling and the bottom of the projector.

Too many remotes in the theater already so I typically don't use the projector remote unless I'm doing something that requires navigating through the onscreen menus.

I guess I'll go ahead and try and find that ANTEC fan shown in the thread above.

1.) Any thoughts on how the 12v relays on the H78 work? Do they provide continuous current to drive the fan or are they an initial signal only. The manual shows them triggering a drop down screen which lead me to believe they were only providing a pulse.

2.) Do you know what type of plug/connector would be required to utilize that 12V relay connection?

Ok, I'm experimenting with adding a fan to the side of my Optoma H78 projector. I had a box full of computer fans and A/C adapters I've been saving for years. I found a 120V A/C -> 12V DC wall wart converter to test driving the fan with and I'm searching thru the box of A/C adapters for a suitable power connector to attach to the 12V relay connector on the projector.

The question is that there are three wire coming out of the fan (red, yellow and black) so how do I connect those to the two conductor DC cord? I know this is a stupid question but in the computer hardware internal wiring world what do the red, yellow and black wires represent? Positive, negative and ????.

Here's a pic of the wires going into the fan.

http://images17.fotki.com/v319/photos/1/1068290/5039830/photo-vi.jpg

[QUOTE=bmackrell;17373065]The question is that there are three wire coming out of the fan (red, yellow and black) so how do I connect those to the two conductor DC cord? I know this is a stupid question but in the computer hardware internal wiring world what do the red, yellow and black wires represent? Positive, negative and ????.

Here's a pic of the wires going into the fan.

QUOTE]


red is your 12v pos(+), black is your ground (-) and yellow is pos(+) but is normally used for fan monitoring. In your case all you need is red and black. If that doesnt work, spend the 20 bucks and go

http://www.frozencpu.com/cat/l1/g46/AC_Cooling.html

Thanks Sherardp, that clears it up. I started experimenting and got it to work. Dug out the old multi-meter to check the voltages.

I cut off the power connector and added the small trigger connector. It's very small, and it took a while to find that size connector; 3.5mm OD.

Orion,

Where did you pick up that connector that fit the 12V relay male plug on the back of the projector? Did you buy it somewhere? Do you have a part number? I'm having a heck of a time finding a power connector to work. I had a whole box of A/C adapters in the garage with over 20 adapters. I couldn't find one that fit. I also tried using some female 1/8" mono cables i had lying around but those were way too big. My other equipment uses 1/8" mono male cables to trigger power on.

Starting my online search now.

Thanks in advance....

Bill did you find the Air Filter? It is on the bottom of the projector. It has a plastic cover with two tabs that need to be pushed to release the cover. I wasn't gently enough and the brittle tabs snapped right off.

Bill did you find the Air Filter? It is on the bottom of the projector. It has a plastic cover with two tabs that need to be pushed to release the cover. I wasn't gently enough and the brittle tabs snapped right off.

Jeff,

I didn't find it yet so thanks for the info. I figured it was on the bottom so I was planning on demounting the projector from the ceiling today and looking there. I'll be careful on the tabs.

The pin is 3mm, the inside opening is 1 1/2mm, my guess anything that's 3mm wide would work

Orion,

Where did you pick up that connector that fit the 12V relay male plug on the back of the projector?

I bought it from Radio Shack off the shelf. The package is long gone, so I don't have a number for it. They might be available from a local electronics store. That kind of plugin has a specific name, which naturally I forget. Without that name its very hard to find online.

I measured it with calipers and its definitely 3.5mm OD. will fit. Don't try 4mm, because they don't fit.

Ah, they are called coaxial power connector, or barrel connector:

http://www.surplustraders.net/specs/mg332.php

I found my connector in a multi voltage power adapter, it usually come with a 'cross' connector with lots of connector size.
About powering the fan, I use this internal relay output directly connected to my fan: power connector inside = +12v = red wire on fan.
power connector outside = 0v = black wire on fan.
You can cut the yellow wire if your fan has one.

I wanted to thank all you guys for your input and direction on adding a fan to the Optoma projector.

I ordered one of the switchable ANTEC fans from newegg.com today and I found the barrel power connector that Orion mentioned at radio shack. I had a bunch of old case fans in a box so I grabbed one that fit and wired it up tonight to see if it would work. I was able to quickly mount it in front of the exhaust vent using some small gauge coated wire tied to the vent openings ( i was out of duct tape ;) ) and 4 large rubber grommets to give it a little room to breath.

I fired up the system and watched some NHL hockey in HD. The projector was a little bit louder but I did notice the fan was helping to pull more air volume. After a while I performed a shutdown and the projector executed a normal shutdown sequence. It was no longer displaying a temperature (overheating) warning light. I only wish the 12V trigger would stay hot until the cooling cycle completed. I was a little concerned that after the power turned off the fan would actually impede the airflow out of the projector during the cooling down sequence.

This weekend I'll disconnect the projector from the ceiling mount and attempt to clean out the intake filter as suggested.

Here's a quick pic:

http://images50.fotki.com/v393/photos/1/1068290/5039830/DSC_0091800x600-vi.jpg

I forgot to mention that the only fan I had in my parts bin that was large enough to fit over the exhaust vent was a wacky fan with LED lights inside. Must have been a leftover from my hardcore overclocking days. ;) Not the type of thing you want in your light controlled theater although the kids will love it while playing on the Xbox360.

I'll replace it when the switchable fan arrives.

here's a pic:

http://images51.fotki.com/v730/photos/1/1068290/5039830/DSC_0095800600-vi.jpg

I can't help to think that pushing cool air directly to the internal fan to the bulb is more effecient than pulling air from an area that's double channeled away from the bulb. What do you think?

I can't help to think that pushing cool air directly to the internal fan to the bulb is more effecient than pulling air from an area that's double channeled away from the bulb. What do you think?

---------- bmackrell -----------------

Nice job bmackrell! :) I really like that LED fan, it looks very cool. :cool: Too bad you couldn't turn the LEDs on and off so you could have them on for a football game when its not dark anyways, and off for a movie. Hmmm, perhaps you can use the 2nd trigger port to power a few LEDs that you could then unplug when needed. With the clear fan, the LEDs would show up nicely. I believe a typical LED draws about 0.020 amps (3 volts). Again, Radio Shack would have those and some resistors needed to reduce the voltage from 12v to 3v; 135 ohms should about do it.

It's not clear that you want the fan to stay on after the shutdown; some think you don't want the lamp cooling too fast. I don't think the new fan impedes air flow, because the flow is slight anyway. The internal fan is not blowing fast, which also indicates you shouldn't cool the lamp too fast perhaps.

Be careful that your fan isn't too high a current, that could burn out the trigger relay. We have never heard how much power that relay can supply but often such relays are very low current. I wonder if there is a way to test how much current a circuit can actually supply before it tops out? Any electronics experts around?

Your fan says 1.6 watts which is 0.133 amps. I think the Antec is around 80mA on the low setting. I will try measuring the relay with an amp meter and just see how much current is flowing.

ANS: Ok the internal resistance of the relay is 85 ohms which translates into 12/85 = 0.141 amps - which I believe is near the maxium possible current. With the Antec tricool fan on low, it draws a measured 0.05 amps, on high, it draws 0.115 amps. I also measured the voltage when the fan was on high and it was a perfect 12v, so there was no obvious voltage loss in the circuit due to overloading. It looks like those currents are safe on this trigger.

Must have been a leftover from my hardcore overclocking days. ;)

:D YAY for Ocforums!! :D

--------- guitarman --------------

I can't help to think that pushing cool air directly to the internal fan to the bulb is more effecient than pulling air from an area that's double channeled away from the bulb. What do you think?

I tried both ways, fan on the intake and fan on the exhaust. They seemed to work about the same, with the exhaust having slightly better temps in the tunnel. I think the intake filter blocks a lot of the air flow,uses only part of the air flow and its a bit louder because blocked air makes noise.

The exhaust works well because the air path isn't straight so there is significant resistance inside the path and creating a vacuum would help a lot with improving air flow. And you get to use a larger part of the fan to move air. Since 80% of the air moves in the outer 1/3 of the fan, the more of the outside edge you get in the air path, the more efficient it will be. Either way the temperatures went down nicely - I hope that translates into longer, or brighter bulb life.

I use a meter to measure various parameters regarding the Optoma h79 internal 12v relay.

Internal resistance = 85 ohms with no load.

Maximum current is around, 12v/85 ohms = 0.141 amps


Antec tricool 90mm fan current with the relay:

0.050 amps on low setting 21cfm - noise = 15 dB - 1200 rpm

0.085 amps on medium setting 27cfm - noise = 21 dB - 1600 rpm

0.115 amps on high setting 38 cfm - noise = 27 dB - 2200 rpm (I would avoid high for long time periods)

Great input Orion!

I'll be sure to keep current draw in mind. I was just testing the whole concept with a fan I had lying around while I wait for my Antec fan to show up.

What setting do you typically use with the Antec fan while watching movies?

The relays shut off the fan the second your power down so no problem there.

What setting do you typically use with the Antec fan while watching movies?

Low if its cool in the house and the movie has a lot of quiet parts.

Medium if the house is warmer and the movie is nice and loud. :D

I haven't used High very much, its a bit too noisy for my liking. But that depends on where your projector is relative to the audience.

Low or Medium you can feel that hot air being pushed out! I did some temperature tests a while ago and I think the difference between Low and Medium was 3c and high was about 2c more (with a thermalcouple about 6 inches inside the tunnel). With no fan on, the difference was around 15c - that is a big drop.

I've decided that this pic looks very much like a borg unit!! :D

I've decided that this pic looks very much like a borg unit!! :D

Ha! My projector has been assimilated.

Resistance is Futile!

Ha! My projector has been assimilated.

Resistance is Futile!

Perhaps its watching you now, instead of just you watching it..........:eek:

Guys,

I received my multi-speed ANTEC fan (recommended by Orion456) from Newegg today. I spliced on another 3mm power connector and mounted it just in time to watch the Washington Capitals take on the Atlanta Thrashers. It's a good fit being just a little bigger than my experimental unit. I really like the switchable fan speed. I tried all three setting and decided to leave it on medium for now. This weekend I'll take down the projector and clean the intake filter.

Thanks again for all the input.

Had a weird problem today. Some hours into the use of my H79 it went into something like a 50% light output mode while I was watching. Bulb is only around 300hrs new, Osram replacement from purelandsupply. In addition, the lamp counter has also been reset to 0 by the proj itself. This happened instantly over a second, not over time.

I.e. the lamp counter reset thing, hardware error on some board inside? Anyone got any idea of which board I should look at? No warranty, so I will be soldering it myself if needed.

Similar experience anyone?

Not really money for a new proj atm.

It works now too, but only in what seems like a 50% light output mode. Settings are unchanged.

I do know that the counter for economy and bright settings is separate on the H79 and true hours is the sum of the two. Did it mysteriously switch modes or did it stay in the same mode?

I would disconnect the power then restart and switch back and forth a couple of times between economy and bright to see what happens.

Last night my H78 made a loud pop followed by a somewhat high pitched whining noise. The colors in the picture started to flicker so I'm guessing it's the color wheel. Does that sound like a color wheel failure? I bought my H78 in 2005 so it's out of warranty and Optoma's out of warranty servicing company says it'll be $475 to repair. Are there cheaper alternatives such as fixing it yourself? I've got to decide whether to fix it or just get a new PJ.

I do know that the counter for economy and bright settings is separate on the H79 and true hours is the sum of the two. Did it mysteriously switch modes or did it stay in the same mode?

I would disconnect the power then restart and switch back and forth a couple of times between economy and bright to see what happens.

Turned it off for around 5 hrs and switched it back on - all ok. Seems the bulb is ok. Will watch it as I think this has happened once before some time ago.

It stayed in the same mode yeah.

Last night my H78 made a loud pop followed by a somewhat high pitched whining noise. The colors in the picture started to flicker so I'm guessing it's the color wheel. Does that sound like a color wheel failure? I bought my H78 in 2005 so it's out of warranty and Optoma's out of warranty servicing company says it'll be $475 to repair. Are there cheaper alternatives such as fixing it yourself? I've got to decide whether to fix it or just get a new PJ.

What's the price for the part itself ex. work? Should be an easy fix to mount this yourself, a lot of screws but hey...

What's the price for the part itself ex. work? Should be an easy fix to mount this yourself, a lot of screws but hey...

They said the color wheel on the H78 is attached to the light engine so it's $300 for the part, $150 for labor, and $25 for shipping back to me. Does color wheel replacement require additional calibration work? I *think* I could handle the physical replacement portion but not so sure about any sort of calibration if needed.

They said the color wheel on the H78 is attached to the light engine so it's $300 for the part, $150 for labor, and $25 for shipping back to me. Does color wheel replacement require additional calibration work? I *think* I could handle the physical replacement portion but not so sure about any sort of calibration if needed.

How old is your bulb? As much as I like my Optoma, I would not pour $300-500 into it - especially if the bulb needs replacement any time soon (like mine)

They said the color wheel on the H78 is attached to the light engine so it's $300 for the part, $150 for labor, and $25 for shipping back to me. Does color wheel replacement require additional calibration work? I *think* I could handle the physical replacement portion but not so sure about any sort of calibration if needed.

My H79 is great, but a ~$500 repair bill is the only excuse I'd need to upgrade to one of those fancy Ten-Eighty-Pee jobbers.

Hi -

I realize this thread has been dormant for a while, but hopefully some of you H79 owners are still out there.

I have an H79 which I would finally like to have professionally calibrated. I have an OPPO 980H (latest firmware) and a DirecTv HD DVR connected into an OPPO HDMI switch from which I have a cable going into the DVI input. That's the only input I'm using.

I see a number of old posts about the H79 losing calibration settings by defaulting from one setting to another. I realize it has something to do with PC-level RGB v. Video-level RGB, and some posters solved the problem with a Lumagen. I called OPPO to ask about this, and the rep said the OPPO's defaul is video-level (changeable via the Color Space Menu). He also said that he knew that with the H78 at least, some of the inputs were mislabeled, and perhaps that was part of the issue.

I don't fully understand the issue, but basically, I want to know whether I will be able to have the projector calibrated in a way that will "stick" without losing the settings and without having to purchase an expensive new piece of equipment. With all the accumulated experience on this issue, is there now a "best practice" I can tell the calibrator to follow to make sure this works out?

Many thanks in advance.

Aside from the Video/PC level (bug IMO), the H7x's suck at resyncing. The Lumagen (HDP or above) in the chain makes it so the signal to the PJ is always constant. Same resolution (natiev 720p) same sync rate, etc. So the Lumagen "absorbs" all the electronic drama from varying soruces. And, unlike the Optoma, it does it instantly. Saw one for sale here recently, cheap. Can't recommend it enough for this PJ.

Hi -

I realize this thread has been dormant for a while, but hopefully some of you H79 owners are still out there.

I have an H79 which I would finally like to have professionally calibrated. I have an OPPO 980H (latest firmware) and a DirecTv HD DVR connected into an OPPO HDMI switch from which I have a cable going into the DVI input. That's the only input I'm using.

I see a number of old posts about the H79 losing calibration settings by defaulting from one setting to another. I realize it has something to do with PC-level RGB v. Video-level RGB, and some posters solved the problem with a Lumagen. I called OPPO to ask about this, and the rep said the OPPO's defaul is video-level (changeable via the Color Space Menu). He also said that he knew that with the H78 at least, some of the inputs were mislabeled, and perhaps that was part of the issue.

I don't fully understand the issue, but basically, I want to know whether I will be able to have the projector calibrated in a way that will "stick" without losing the settings and without having to purchase an expensive new piece of equipment. With all the accumulated experience on this issue, is there now a "best practice" I can tell the calibrator to follow to make sure this works out?

Many thanks in advance.

It never blanked out the RGB settings. You just have to settle on whether you use video brightness level or PC brightness level. Video is just hitting the DVI button on the remote, PC is after hitting DVI you hit resync on the remote. I would just tune up my basic blaces/whites, colors with Avia or DVE in video level brightness the straight DVI button on the remote.

If you are the original owner of this projector and bought a bulb in the first 36 months you may be eligible for reimbursement:

http://www.projectorsettlement.com/

Now if I could just get reimbursement for the other four I bought.

Did anyone take advantage of the lamp lawsuit and actually get a new lamp?

Does this result mean that the lamps were at fault or the projector?

No. I got a new projector instead............

The due date has expired for submission of claims. You needed to submit a copy of proof of purchase of both the projector and the replacement lamp. The replacement had to have been during the first 3 years of ownership.

I received a compensation check for $399 last week. It brings a smile to my face until I realize that today you can buy a sub $999 projector that performs as well as the Optoma H79 which sold street (AVS) +$6000 in the initial release.

The submission due date has expired for submission of claims. You needed to submit a copy of proof of purchase of both the projector and the replacement lamp. The replacement had to have been during the first 3 years of ownership.

I received a compensation check for $399 last week. It brings a smile to my face until I realize that today you can buy a sub $999 projector that performs as well as the Optoma H79 which sold street (AVS) +$6000 in the initial release.

It's good you got something back, and almost 1/2 the price of a new projector, not bad - :D

Was the basis of the lawsuit that the H79 was defective or the lamps supplied were defective?

From memory the estimated bulb life in the marketing blurb was 3000 hours. There was an AVSforum survey of the actual experiences and only a few owners got the bulb to go past 1000 hours. Personally 750 was about my limit based on the 5 bulbs I went through while I had the projector in use.

My "feeling" was that the projector pushed the bulb to it's limits. They pumped up the most brightness they could get and kept the fans quiet which meant that it ran hot. There was a thread with an add-on fan modification which a number of guys tried.

The actual Phillips bulb was used in other projectors not just the Optoma H77, 78 and 79 series.