That is almost exactly the problem i have as well and i own an hdpj52. I noticed messing with the preset gammas and color settings can lessen the effect but never really takes it away.

For me it only happens with certain broadcast. Some of my HD material is extremely sharp and the reds don't bleed. For example, I watched Starsky and Hutch and the red Torino looked gorgeous, but turn it to sportscenter and the picture goes crazy and the reds looks as if they are jumping all over. Another example was on the Jay Leno show and pamela Anderson showed up wearing a little santa costume. The red was a very vibrant red and looked absolutely terrible. You are right when you say it makes it look as if it is out of focus.

I am really interested in a solution to this problem as it is really starting to bother me.

cpc, what is your firmware version?

I've now finished calibrating my 2nd HDPJ52. Outside of being better calibrated out of the box on the HDMI input, it is virtually a carbon copy of my personal one. And, that's a good thing. Neither exhibits the red bleeding issue. In fact, I'm not yet convinced it's a projector problem as opposed to other equipment in the viewing chain.

Here's another q for everyone here...

My 5900 I'm assuming would have a better scaler than the Hitachi. So running either 1080I or 720P through HDMI, to the J52. In the menu of the J52, there's a "progressive" setting, to film, tv, or off. Would the proper setting for that be "Off"? So then running 720P out of the 5900 effectively be giving me 1:1 pizel mapping as the native res of the J52 is 1280 x 720? I guess what I'm asking is what the best settings would be as to not over-process the image.

cheers,


Mike

P.S. I picked up the anniversary edition of Apollo 13 on DVD last night... watched the "IMAX" cut of it. I have never seen such a crisp and clear image before. The transfer is so good, that I cranked the sharpness up all the way, and I still couldn't see any noise. The Blacks were awesome, and the space shots were breathtaking. Highly recommend picking it up and watching it if you can.

Here's another q for everyone here...

My 5900 I'm assuming would have a better scaler than the Hitachi. So running either 1080I or 720P through HDMI, to the J52. In the menu of the J52, there's a "progressive" setting, to film, tv, or off. Would the proper setting for that be "Off"? So then running 720P out of the 5900 effectively be giving me 1:1 pizel mapping as the native res of the J52 is 1280 x 720? I guess what I'm asking is what the best settings would be as to not over-process the image.

When watching anything progressive (eg 720p) set to OFF. When watching an interlaced signal, chose between FILM and TV depending on whether the source is TV or FILM. In all honesty, avoid using the progressive FILM and TV settings in the projector unless you absolutely believe they look better (possibly situations with 1080i?). The de-interlacer in the Hitachi TX200 is not very good compared to the better offerings out there ala Silicon Image and Faroudja.


I think it would be great if it is not a problem that is specifically the fault of the projector. Rather, it may be an older firmware version issue or a problem that is resulting from some interaction between my dvd player and iScan Ultra with the Hitachi TX200. I will be testing tonight and I will try a few different things and also record the firmware version.

When watching anything progressive (eg 720p) set to OFF. When watching an interlaced signal, chose between FILM and TV depending on whether the source is TV or FILM. In all honesty, avoid using the progressive FILM and TV settings in the projector unless you absolutely believe they look better (possibly situations with 1080i?). The de-interlacer in the Hitachi TX200 is not very good compared to the better offerings out there ala Silicon Image and Faroudja.


I think it would be great if it is not a problem that is specifically the fault of the projector. Rather, it may be an older firmware version issue or a problem that is resulting from some interaction between my dvd player and iScan Ultra with the Hitachi TX200. I will be testing tonight and I will try a few different things and also record the firmware version.

I thought the Film,TV,off setting was only when using component and didnt operate whe using DVI/HDMI, am I wrong?

cpc, what is your firmware version?

I've now finished calibrating my 2nd HDPJ52. Outside of being better calibrated out of the box on the HDMI input, it is virtually a carbon copy of my personal one. And, that's a good thing. Neither exhibits the red bleeding issue. In fact, I'm not yet convinced it's a projector problem as opposed to other equipment in the viewing chain.

Citation I have a question for you please.
Since you seem very up to date with calabration of the PJ TX 200 thought I would ask you about a different setting for me.
I like a picture with a bit more punch than the settings of yours yet i have saved yours too.

If you have time would you like to check this set up and tell me your thoughts please.
This does give a picture with greater blacks and higher contrast.
Interested in your thoughts please?

HDMI 720 or 1080
Brightness 0
Contrast 0
Gamma High
Color temp 7500k
Colr +2
Tint +2
Sharpness +4
Iris +7
Black Auto 1

lets see what you think guys? :rolleyes:

It's very difficult to answer this question due to the variations of out-of-the-box calibration of projectors. On the two I've calibrated, one was spot on at 6500K temp setting and the other was close to 9000K at the same 6500K setting. Others have reported the 7500K setting was close to 6500K on their projectors. You might have one of these. These obviously will give very different looks to the images.

In the case of Gamma modes, I've found that the HIGH setting gives a smooth gamma curve with an average quite close to 2.2. The manual says this setting emphasizes the reality of the image. This is the setting I use. On both projectors the contrast setting calibrated out to +19. On one the color needed +7 and the other +8 using the blue filter and my generator. No adjustment of Tint was required. These settings give very bright colors and depending on what I'm watching I turn color down a little. Brightness I always adjust according to the source material, regardless of what the calibration might say.

I have no idea how these would look on your projector as each one can be, and is , different. Different strokes for different folks, I think. If it looks good to you, keep it. :)

Citation I have a question for you please.
Since you seem very up to date with calabration of the PJ TX 200 thought I would ask you about a different setting for me.
I like a picture with a bit more punch than the settings of yours yet i have saved yours too.

If you have time would you like to check this set up and tell me your thoughts please.
This does give a picture with greater blacks and higher contrast.
Interested in your thoughts please?

HDMI 720 or 1080
Brightness 0
Contrast 0
Gamma High
Color temp 7500k
Colr +2
Tint +2
Sharpness +4
Iris +7
Black Auto 1

lets see what you think guys? :rolleyes:

It's very difficult to answer this question due to the variations of out-of-the-box calibration of projectors. On the two I've calibrated, one was spot on at 6500K temp setting and the other was close to 9000K at the same 6500K setting. Others have reported the 7500K setting was close to 6500K on their projectors. You might have one of these. These obviously will give very different looks to the images.

In the case of Gamma modes, I've found that the HIGH setting gives a smooth gamma curve with an average quite close to 2.2. The manual says this setting emphasizes the reality of the image. This is the setting I use. On both projectors the contrast setting calibrated out to +19. On one the color needed +7 and the other +8 using the blue filter and my generator. No adjustment of Tint was required. These settings give very bright colors and depending on what I'm watching I turn color down a little. Brightness I always adjust according to the source material, regardless of what the calibration might say.

I have no idea how these would look on your projector as each one can be, and is , different. Different strokes for different folks, I think. If it looks good to you, keep it. :)
Thanks for that info Citation thats very helpful indeed!
Tell me tho when using Avia for brightness and contrast settings, should one always be able to just see the second darkest moving bars?
Im not sure if you use it or not, but there are two moving bars for both contrast and brightness, one dark the other a bit lighter.

Right, I just checked the manual and it says:

The Progressive function can only be used for interlaced video, S-video, or component video 525i (480i) or 625i (576i) 1125i (1080i) Signals.
So I guess it does not work for HDMI input signals.

Well, I tried a few things tonight. I disconnected the VGA cable from the iScan and from the TX200. I ran the DVI cable along the floor instead of in the ceiling (where it crosses a speaker wire and the VGA cable). No difference what-so-ever. I also tried connecting the dvd player to the iScan via composite and S-video in addition to component. Aside from looking crappier, there was no difference at all and the streaking was still there. Regardless of the input to the iScan Ultra, composite, S-video or component, the DVI output to the HDMI input of the TX200 still causes the vertical streaking. I also tried composite, S-video and component straight from the dvd player into the TX200. No vertical streaking there. Note: I forgot to totally match the direct inputs for brightness, contrast and gamma, so I will try that one last time, however, I don't believe that will uncover anything. I believe that there is something wrong with the DVI>HDMI in my setup. Whatever it is, its not working properly and I cannot tell what component or cable is the cause.

So far DVI>HDMI causes streaking. All other inputs, composite video, S-video, component and VGA do NOT cause the streaking. Oh, and now I have a dust blob at 9 hours. Yay! I love dust blobs...mmmm, tasty :(

Next I will try a dvd player with HDMI and/or DVI. I could try a video card with DVI too. I may also try a different cable, perhaps a higher quality short DVI>HDMI cable. Incidentally, my VGA cable has ferrite coils on either end, but the DVI cable, although it looks thicker than the VGA cable, and is dual-link, has no ferrite coils.

My TX200 Firmware version:

<C11 H2 Soft Ver.>
PW: 2005/10/18
16:29:31

If PW is a date, then mine looks newer than Citation4444's. No idea what the other numbers mean.

citation what isis setting do you like?

problem with new x-box 360.

I put in Call of Duty 2 and Project Gotham Racing. Both games will play their pre-game movie, but when the game switches to the in game menus, the hdpj52 loses the video and says it cannot find the hdmi input. Any ideas? I messed around with options but nothing i tried worked.

Will try component cables.

it works fine when i set the x-box 360 to 480p or 1080i.

It seems as if the projector is getting an intermittent signal in 720p. It plays game videos fine but when you start messing with menus, it says it lost its signal.

citation what isis setting do you like?I like 10, but I force myself to use 7 or 8 sometimes for longer lamp life.

How is a lower iris setting going to increase lamp life? Unfortunately, I actually think it is possible that lower iris settings may be worse, as we are preventing the light from escaping, and that may be causing the projector to heat up more than if the iris is open allowing the light to escape. Just a thought.

I hope I am not scaring folks away from the TX200. The problem I am having does not yet appear to be a universal issue, especially since I am using an uncommon dvd-player/iScan de-interlacer solution among TX200 owners. Another person has indicated that they noticed the vertical streaking problem with the HDMI input of the TX200, but there is no reason to believe there is a major problem that is a deal breaker. Even in my case, I can use the VGA connection and the picture looks fairly good. I simply want to have the ability to use a digital connection, which may potentially be the best method of connection.

. . .

Does anybody have an email address for support at Hitachi Japan?

Also, does anyone in my area have a Panasonic S77 or S97 who is willing to bring it over to give it a try over HDMI? I am trying to find one for a reasonable price, but .... if somebody has one, that would be really helpful.

thanx for any info,

:)

How is a lower iris setting going to increase lamp life? Unfortunately, I actually think it is possible that lower iris settings may be worse, as we are preventing the light from escaping, and that may be causing the projector to heat up more than if the iris is open allowing the light to escape. Just a thought.You're probably right. I was confusing this with the whisper mode I guess. Well, back to 10 permanently then.

I hope I am not scaring folks away from the TX200. I'm sure it's not your intention, but you're doing a masterful job. The problem I am having does not yet appear to be a universal issue...Quite the contrary, we have established it is not a universal issue as I and others don't have it.

On another note, I'm beginning to think that we're not seeing the firmware version, but rather the software version that drives the menu screens. I think we need a method to retrieve the firmware version data.

True. Don't worry about the iris setting. I would doubt that it makes that much difference really. I mean, why set it to 10? What is the point? You want to use the iris to get the best results, don't you? I find iris of 3 or 4 is best for black blacks. I find anything higher results in grey blacks.

I am this close (picture my thumb and index finger almost touching :cool: ) to buying a used S97 and DVI > HDMI cable to do some trouble shooting.

I agree it is not a universal problem. What I am saying is that it happens for me, happened for me with my previous TX200 and has happened with others, so it is not a fluke with my one individual machine. Maybe the problem is not universal to all who connect to the HDMI port, but some conditions are causing the problem on the HDMI port so we must find out what those conditions are.

If people are using an HTPC via DVI > HDMI to the TX200, what video cards are you using? I am looking at picking up a really inexpensive ATI AGP card with DVI to add to my trouble-shooting. Would a Radeon 7000 AGP with DVI be adequate to output dvd video to test?

CPC, now you've stepped into my world :)
radeon 7000 will be more than adequate to shoulder the brunt of outputting measly DVD video. I can output DVD video on my 4 meg shared memory vid card on my dell laptop.
The only thing you need is a DVI out, so look for that. DVD video really does not strain your video card. Only thing that can do that would be OpenGL and Direct3D, aka Games!
For DVD video, what you're stressing is the processor, and maybe your memory, but even a P3 500Mhz with 128 megs of ram will do.


Hope that helps.


Mike

Well, I have an MSI NEO2 Platinum with an "old" AMD64 3000+ winchester, 1 GB of DDR400 OCZ memory and a 200 GB SATA seagate HDD. My current video card is a Geforce2 GTS because I do not play games. In order to troubleshoot, I wanted a DVI output card with de-interlacing that matches the Silicon Image 504 in the iScan Ultra, and the ATI video cards have faroudja like iCDT, so that at least eliminates a variable. Not worried about straining in regards to 3D or any other processing, just the iCDT de-interlacing.

Anyways...I was thinking of trying a 9200 SE or a 9250 but I think I will just grab the Radeon 7000 for $20 :)

Buy a 6600GT or better, AGP or PCIe depending on your motherboard, get the latest version of TheaterTek, and enjoy your DVD's. Your system can probably run FFDSHOW within TheaterTek and further improve your experience. Go for it.

I've got 2 HTPC's, one with a 6600GT and the other with a 7800GT. Both work great with the driver 82.12.

Beats buying another DVD player if you've already got the PC.

Thanx but I am not likely going to go the HTPC route just yet. If I solve this HDMI input issue, I may stick with my regular setup. Regular AV components are handy in the sense that they are set it and forget it, easy to control via remote, non-enthusiast friendly, crash proof and more compact. I don't doubt the usefullness of an HTPC. Although I am surprised you are not using an ATI card which uses the Faroudja type of de-interlacing. Thats usually an easy bonus. Unless of course there is software which performs equally good de-interlacing now.

Thanx but I am not likely going to go the HTPC route just yet. If I solve this HDMI input issue, I may stick with my regular setup. Regular AV components are handy in the sense that they are set it and forget it, easy to control via remote, non-enthusiast friendly, crash proof and more compact. I don't doubt the usefullness of an HTPC. Although I am surprised you are not using an ATI card which uses the Faroudja type of de-interlacing. Thats usually an easy bonus. Unless of course there is software which performs equally good de-interlacing now.Let's not start an ATI vs nVidia thread within this one. I suggest you spend some time in the HTPC forum and read up a little bit. I've got several video cards: nVidia 7800GT, 6600GT, ATI X850XT Platinum, ATI 9800XT, 9700Pro, 9600XT. I use the X850XT in my gaming rig. I use the nVidia's in my HTPC rigs. IMO picture quality is better by a fair margin with the nVidia's. I use TheaterTek with FDDSHOW upscaling and some moderate sharpening thrown in. Yes, it takes a fair amount of savvy to set up right, and it's not cheap, but it's worth it IMO.

CPC, can you tell me the Contrast/Brightness etc etc settings you are using please?

Citation4444,

And the de-interlacing is done by FDDSHOW? I don't have $125 to spend on a video card right now, as I just bought some potential dvd player stuff, and my slot is AGP, so the x1300 ATI is out, and I would have to use a 6600 based AGP card. Anyhow, the Radeon is $20 and its just to test the DVI out. If its inconclusive then maybe I will try something else. Incidentally, if anybody has a good HTPC box they want to test here, contact me :) or a DVI or HDMI dvd player :)

Murray1080,

Last time I checked....Brightness +10 and contrast +3. Just from using the THX optimizer for one of my DVD's for now. Need to pop in the DVE disc.

Citation4444,

And the de-interlacing is done by FDDSHOW? No. The de-interlacing is done by TheaterTek, which is a high-quality software DVD player.
This thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=598983&highlight=TheaterTek) pretty much covers it.

Alright, back to J52 topics, even though the dealer refused to resolve the convergence issue, Hitachi Canada has stepped up to the plate and I'm very happy to say will be shipping me a new unit. It was a definate joy to deal with the Hitachi rep I dealt with, and I can now see why their customer base is so loyal. A+ for customer service, and their willingness to address each and every one of my concerns without me feeling as though I had to fight for it. They will be shipping my new PJ to the retailer I purchased the unit from, and I should have it in my hands by Friday! Hopefully the retailer's foot isn't too stuck in their mouth by the time this is all said and done, because I really enjoy dealing with them under normal circumstances.

cheers,


Mike

Hey guys do you not think we should be doing our calibration on Avia etc with the AUTO 1 function turned????
I was doing mine first with it still on Auto 1 and it produces a completly differnd reading.
So I think it should be first done with AUTO 1 set to OFF, calibrate then turn on after.
Please like to know your thoughts??? :rolleyes:

Hey Murray,

I borrowed DVE from a friend of mine, and I asked him the same thing. He said to turn it off, as it only works in darker scenes, so if you tune with it on, your contrast/brightness settings will be off during bright scenes. I actually find that after tuning with DVE, I've left the auto-iris set to off, and it still looks absolutely amazing. on 2.35:1 movies, I enable the digital shutter and set it to mask the bars at the top and the bottom, but that's the only "enhancement" that I use. I find that using them gives the impression of more depth to the picture. my settings are Colour +2, Tint +1, Sharpness +5, Contrast +10, brightness -2, gamma - high, temp -6500, and iris -6. My room has no ambient light, completely light controlled, and the colours are very dark, so I don't get very much reflections of ambient light during bright scenes, which made a really big difference in my settings I find. I've painted the room since I got the projector, and since now I don't have to compensate for any washout, it really makes a difference.


cheers,


Mike

I calibrate with auto iris OFF. I usually watch material with it set in AUTO1, but sometimes I set it to OFF depending on source material.

Can somebody please recap how to enter the Hidden Service menu on the TX200. I've tried using the reset button while on the reset page but it doesn't seem to work.

Is there any adjustment in there for how sensitive the Auto Black feature is. I find that even Auto1 is too abrupt and Auto2 is simply embarrasing.

Go to easy menu.

Go to the reset menu. (Do not chose "reset" with the cursor)

Press the reset button on the remote for about 1/2 second.

Press and hold reset again.

Go to east menu.

Go to the reset menu. (Do not chose "reset" with the cursor)

Press the reset button on the remote for about 1/2 second.

Press and hold reset again.
cpc,,,is there an adjustment in there for auto iris to slow it down?

Not that I am aware of. You are using AUTO1 ?

What can one set in there? any tweaks yet? :P

Not that I know of for the iris. The secret factory service menu is for making adjustments to reduce vertical banding (flicker NRSH) and for adjusting colour uniformity via C.UNIF.

Don't adjust anything until you have written everything down. Unless you need to reduce vertical banding or adjust colour uniformity, I would not touch anything.

I have no vertical banding, and the colour seems perfect across... I was just hoping there was other settings... for example convergence. Not that it matters, as I'll have my new PJ tomorrow. Just praying that it doesn't suffer the same fate as this one. CPC you had yours swapped out... was the new one also off? or is the convergence perfect? My friend has a Sanyo Z2, and i checked his, it's perfect all across the board. I guess I'm just worrying that this is a sign of a poorer quality product.

I don't think convergence is ever perfect on lcd projectors. My second unit has what I would describe as "very good" convergence. It is sharp in the centre, and only begins to look a little soft near the edges, but still does not display the same "whole pixel or two" out that the original unit had.

Let us hope that Hitachi opens a unit up and tests it to ensure it is working well, ie has good convergence, before sending it to you. For me, I just picked up another box and rolled the dice... :D

cpc,,,is there an adjustment in there for auto iris to slow it down?
There are iris adjustments available under the Option section of the service menu. One is labeled "iris-A" and the other "iris-M". I assume these are adjustments. I have not dared to adjust these as my auto iris function is working ok.

TaCtIkZ,

I have an HDPJ52 and my convergence was excellent right out of the box. I owned a Dell 4100mp and to me, that is my standard of a poor quality product. The menus on that Dell unit misbehaved, it was prone to glitches that had no rhyme or reason, and was very bad at producing the same looking image every time it was turned on.

In comparison, this unit has been rock solid for me. It responds well to my tuning, has never given me any crazy errors, and has performed extremely well for a little over 100 hrs.

Maybe I am the lucky one, but from what I have heard and read from the people who have bought them on this forum and a couple others, it is a great unit and from my perspective, I don't think you should worry about the quality. Hitachi has always put a lot of pride in their work and I think this projector will prove it to you.

I feel bad that you had those problem with your old unit and hope for the best for you with the next.

One thing to remember also is that more people post negative issues dealing with products in order to solve their problems than the amount of people who post positive comments, since they don't have any problems or issues. With that said, I still feel the majority of posters who own THIS projector are trouble free.

I am planning to get a TX200 as a replacement for my AE900. I would be using it connected to my Shuttle PCs with VGA cables. I have a Radeon 9600 Pro in one pc (SN85G4) and a Radeon 9800 Pro + Radeon IGP (Two monitors+projector) in the other PC (ST61G4). Both PCs are capable of doing 1280x720@60hz.

Can anyone please confirm that TX200 is capable of 1:1 pixel mapping at 1280x720? I have read some posts, which mentioned that powerstrip was required for this purpose.

Is there an auto setup option in TX200 that adjusts dot phase and clock? My faulty AE900 didn't have any problem with 1:1 pixel mapping. Thanks a lot.

For those who might still remember, my initial comparison between the two was greatly in favor of TX200.
It turned out my H76 was faulty. Optoma honored the warranty and in a quick turn-around, i had my H76 back with a new board! Now with new board and new bulb, it sounds almost like a new machine.
The image quality has dramatically improved with the returned H76. Now, to my unexperienced eyes, i can't easily pick one as the better. I see certain noticeable differences though!
I have to decide which one to keep and which one to sell out. It ain't to be an easy decision.

Picture quality-wise:

- TX200 has brighter image which is a big plus for it. H76 in the bright mode is comparable to TX200 in the Eco mode! Unfortunately the H76's bright mode is too noisy for my taste. A big plus for TX200.

- TX200 is slightly noisier (digital grain?) than H76. The difference is very subtle and only noticeable with some DVDs not all.

- Color-wise both look great. I can't say which one is better.

- H76 has a much more contrasty image than TX200; however, i say it is indeed too contrasty! I set H76's contrast level to -10 and i still feel it's too contrasty. On TX200 contrast sounds OK: realistic, though One may want to
increase it (i have it currently set to 15).
The over-contrast image of H76 may be due to it being uncalibrated.

- On H76, blacks are truely black; while on TX200 blacks are only dark grays. This is a big plus for H76 now that i can appreciate the true black after seeing it. Moreover, the black areas with TX200 have some noise into them; not with H76 (of course not, since i see an absolute black.! ;-p)

Physical and optical properties and external appearance.

-TX200 has both horizontal and vertical lens shift; while H76 has only vertical shift. This is a big plus for TX200 since i have found lens shift to be extremely helpful and, in particular, in my room's set-up i rather have it.

- H76's built quality sounds superior to TX200. It feels very solid; while TX200 seems fragile in comparison.

- TX200 has a Kensington lock socket. H76 does not!

- case color: TX200 merges better in the shelf containing my HH devices with its dark gray color. H76 is white. I equally like both projectors from an aesthetic point of view, however most of my friends prefer TX200.

- It is easier to focus with H76 since when focusing is activated, a circle with a + sign appears on the screen.

I understand that some of the comments above may change after calibrating the projectors. I still don't know how to calibrate a projector and don't have any of those calibrating devices yet; though i think the two may come closer after properly calibrated, i also feel some of the differences can be inherent to each, at least partially: Contrast (even though TX200 has a much higher contrast ratio on the paper) ; H76 has 1000lumens brightness level as opposed to 1200lumens of TX200; difference in noise levels; (despite that the numbers are not that different on the specifications, i see a significant difference with my eyes); and finally true display of the black.

At the end, my disclaimer on the above notes; as said, i am an unexperienced observant! I however have to decide which one to keep and which one to sell out. Overall, i tend to favor TX200 (brightness, horizontal lens shift). I only wished i could quickly have both projectors calibrated since i can then make a wiser decision on this.

Regards, Ramin

I can confirm 1:1 mapping at 1280x720. Just go into the user menu and eliminate overscan. Don't know the answer to your 2nd question. I am planning to get a TX200 as a replacement for my AE900. I would be using it connected to my Shuttle PCs with VGA cables. I have a Radeon 9600 Pro in one pc (SN85G4) and a Radeon 9800 Pro + Radeon IGP (Two monitors+projector) in the other PC (ST61G4). Both PCs are capable of doing 1280x720@60hz.

Can anyone please confirm that TX200 is capable of 1:1 pixel mapping at 1280x720? I have read some posts, which mentioned that powerstrip was required for this purpose.

Is there an auto setup option in TX200 that adjusts dot phase and clock? My faulty AE900 didn't have any problem with 1:1 pixel mapping. Thanks a lot.

raminolta,

Very nice analysis. You sound like an experienced observer to me; don't sell yourself short. :)

On the contrast issue with the TX200, what gamma mode are you using? I have calibrated a couple of these and find that getting a satisfactory gamma avg and curve is the most difficult area of calibrating. On my personal projector (HDPJ52) I get a good gamma result on the HIGH setting for HDMI. The result is a nice contrasty image. It still lacks the extreme blacks that dlp's get, but it's plenty contrasty. On my component inputs the gamma is too low regardless of mode, and I had to create a custom gamma and tweak the heck out of it and still can't achieve as good a result as with HDMI. I use HDMI so this result doesn't bother me in actual use.

With a customer's HDPJ52 that I calibrated a few days ago, however, it had virtually ideal gamma out of the box for both component and HDMI inputs.

You might try the gamma HIGH mode as well as calibrating both projectors, but I doubt your conclusions will change much. You can get a good contrasty image out of the TX200, but it will still not achieve the very deep blacks of a good dlp pj.

You probably have a DVD movie around that has the THX optimizer on it, and it will do a reasonable job of setting brightness and contrast, even color levels if you get a blue filter.

Citation4444, what do you use to calibrate the gamma? I have a TX100 & think I have a good custom gamma setting, but I'm always looking for the best picture I can get.

I use a Sencore ColorPro 5000 with the ColorPro III sensor, driven by Sencore Video Pro VP403. I also use the beta GetGray DVD as a double check.Citation4444, what do you use to calibrate the gamma? I have a TX100 & think I have a good custom gamma setting, but I'm always looking for the best picture I can get.

How much is that setup (approx) and how do you figure it compares to SMART or Colorfacts?

As far as the 1:1 pixel mapping, does it matter which uotput you are using? HDMI or VGA? Do they both work with 1:1?

How much is that setup (approx) and how do you figure it compares to SMART or Colorfacts?I think it lists for $5K US. I don't own it. It belongs to my local home theater store, but I'm the only one who knows how to use it. (I'm a retired executive with a MSEE and many years experience in the cable TV industry, so using equipment like this is second nature)

I have no idea how it compares with the other calibration equipment. It seems very well made, and the results are consistent and repeatable. I do this on a voluntary basis (after all, I'm retired) so I don't do too many, but I do keep the demo projectors in the store looking good. I've only used it with a few Mitsubishi HC3000's, a couple of Hitachi HDPJ52's and a couple of Sim2's (HT300E and C3X). Don't ask me to compare the Sim2's to the others. :D

As far as the 1:1 pixel mapping, does it matter which uotput you are using? HDMI or VGA? Do they both work with 1:1?I don't think it matters, but I've only done it with HDMI and component.

Citation4444,

Well that is very handy. Good for you. Make use of it. You should charge to calibrate other peoples stuff. Albeit, if I were you, I would charge very little, but its something to do and gives people an improved display.

:)

Citation4444,

Well that is very handy. Good for you. Make use of it. You should charge to calibrate other peoples stuff. Albeit, if I were you, I would charge very little, but its something to do and gives people an improved display.

:)I said it was voluntary, not free. :) Even though I'm retired, I don't work for free.

Ive been spending a bit of time in the Calibration Section and Im really getting very MIXED views on Auto Iris ON or OFF when using Avia or DVE!
My results have proven to be far superior when I set Auto Iris OFF when I Calibrate. The contrast settings are up MUCH higher like +19 as some of you others guys have. When I try it with Auto Iris ON I end up with about -1 Contrast and the picture really lacks any LIFE!!!
Whats your coments guys since we are all on the same GREAT projector?
I have Auto Iris set to 1 and ON after Calibrating and the image I have really does look HOT! :eek:

My results have proven to be far superior when I set Auto Iris OFF when I Calibrate. The contrast settings are up MUCH higher like +19 as some of you others guys have. When I try it with Auto Iris ON I end up with about -1 Contrast and the picture really lacks any LIFE!!!
Whats your coments guys since we are all on the same GREAT projector?
I have Auto Iris set to 1 and ON after Calibrating and the image I have really does look HOT! :eek:If you review my past posts, you are finding what I've been saying all along. Calibrate with auto iris off. If you do, the contrast setting will be high; the two I've done have both been +19-20, just like yours. I then put auto iris in auto1 and the image is great. I let my eyes decide, and they say it's great this way. Also, everybody who's looked at it says the same thing.

What's puzzling to me is why Hitachi is shipping these things with such a low default contrast setting. My dealer almost decided to not carry Hitachi based on the default settings. After he has seen mine, he is convinced and is now actively selling them. Still puzzling though.

If you review my past posts, you are finding what I've been saying all along. Calibrate with auto iris off. If you do, the contrast setting will be high; the two I've done have both been +19-20, just like yours. I then put auto iris in auto1 and the image is great. I let my eyes decide, and they say it's great this way. Also, everybody who's looked at it says the same thing.

What's puzzling to me is why Hitachi is shipping these things with such a low default contrast setting. My dealer almost decided to not carry Hitachi based on the default settings. After he has seen mine, he is convinced and is now actively selling them. Still puzzling though.
Citation I TOTALLY TOTALLY TOTALLY agree with you Too :) This way gives a wonderful PIX :)
Funny Ive seen a number of hese new projectors where the Contrast defult is also low, my Z4 needed lifting to get a great pix.
What do you think they are doing???
Or are they too setting them up with Auto Iris off??? Wouldnt surprize me one little bit!!! :rolleyes:

Next I will try a dvd player with HDMI and/or DVI. I could try a video card with DVI too. I may also try a different cable, perhaps a higher quality short DVI>HDMI cable. Incidentally, my VGA cable has ferrite coils on either end, but the DVI cable, although it looks thicker than the VGA cable, and is dual-link, has no ferrite coils.

My TX200 Firmware version:

<C11 H2 Soft Ver.>
PW: 2005/10/18
16:29:31

If PW is a date, then mine looks newer than Citation4444's. No idea what the other numbers mean.[/QUOTE]

Could be your dual-link cable try a single link cable instead.

I will do a bit of troubleshooting, but I am pretty sure the vertical streaking is not caused by the cable.

Is there a calibrating hardware device within $100 price range?

Thanks, Ramin

Hi,

Got my TX200 yesterday here in Sweden.
I can confirm the red streaking issues as well.
I have it connected via HDMI tp a Marantz 6600 player. Some say its identical to a Denon 1920.

Just a note, got to sit realy close to the screen with the TX200 since it produces a large image at close distance to screen.

Tomorrow I am hoping that Cine4home.de will have further review of TX200 to post. Hope to see something there. I think I will contact Hitachi Canada, Hitachi US and Hitachi Japan and demand a response regarding the issue. I just want it solved.

CPC,

Make sure you are using 0 keystone. Go and check before anything else. Using keystone will causing some very weird artifacts. Bring up a page of text and go through the keystone adjustments, watching the text will tell you what is happening. Also odd keystone numbers like 3,5,7 will have a greater impact. For any of youout there with this projector try it and report back.

Mike

Tomorrow I am hoping that Cine4home.de will have further review of TX200 to post. Hope to see something there. I think I will contact Hitachi Canada, Hitachi US and Hitachi Japan and demand a response regarding the issue. I just want it solved.
Thanks CPC for the link. I checked and there is now a review up there:

http://cine4home.de/

It's in German. Perhaps i should ask my German roomate to translate it for me!

Regards, Ramin

Well, I have an MSI NEO2 Platinum with an "old" AMD64 3000+ winchester, 1 GB of DDR400 OCZ memory and a 200 GB SATA seagate HDD. My current video card is a Geforce2 GTS because I do not play games. In order to troubleshoot, I wanted a DVI output card with de-interlacing that matches the Silicon Image 504 in the iScan Ultra, and the ATI video cards have faroudja like iCDT, so that at least eliminates a variable. Not worried about straining in regards to 3D or any other processing, just the iCDT de-interlacing.

Anyways...I was thinking of trying a 9200 SE or a 9250 but I think I will just grab the Radeon 7000 for $20 :)

Sorry if this comment sounds coming too late: I have tried Radeon 7000, 9000pro, AIW 9600pro and FIREGL X1. In my opinion there is big gap in quality performance. X1 is noticeably better. I have the impression that the more recent is the ATI graphic card, the better is the performance!
One option is buying a used but, relatively recent card off Ebay. That's what i normally do! I have also tried PNY Quaro 500 and out of the box, it is so off; needs heavy calibration.

Ramin

Hi,

I am thinking about getting the TX200 as a replacement for my faulty AE900 which suffers from heavy VB, pencil lines, dead pixels and lack of color uniformity. I will be initially connecting it with a VGA cable. Do you think that it's worth getting the TX200 notwithstanding the red streaking problem over HDMI? Is this issue really as distracting as VB? Are there any other issues that I need to be aware of? Any opinions will be appreciated. Thanks a lot.

Hi,

I am thinking about getting the TX200 as a replacement for my faulty AE900 which suffers from heavy VB, pencil lines, dead pixels and lack of color uniformity. I will be initially connecting it with a VGA cable. Do you think that it's worth getting the TX200 notwithstanding the red streaking problem over HDMI? Is this issue really as distracting as VB? Are there any other issues that I need to be aware of? Any opinions will be appreciated. Thanks a lot.
I dont have a problem with RED AT ALL my picture is AMAZING!
Now that Ive calibrated its just a magic projector!!!! :eek:

I will second that , using the HDMI connection I have not scene ( get it?) this problem on my setup. I really wonder if it is originating with the player? Perhaps we could have a poll and find out what everyone is using over HDMI - it may be inconclusive but there could be an issue in this area. The Bravo D1 seems fine - sent over a DVI cable ( 15 ft. ). That and possibly the info in the service menu for reference. Unless, as cpc mentioned, an answer is forthcoming from Hitachi, asssuming they are aware and will admit to something.

One aspect of the Hitachi I like is the well designed ventilation for the bulb - seems to move a good volume of air even on Whisper mode - compared to my old AE500 the more generous size of the case can't hurt either - making them too compact with the heat generated by the bulb does not sound like a good combination in the long term.

I have no issues at all using DVI out of my Nividia 6800 based machine. I am using a 1280 X 720 from the PC. Very sharp, no ringing or artifacting. Text and focus cleaned up nicely when I use no keystone correction. Once again this made a huge difference. For the money this unit is one of the better options out there. I'm a custom installer and we have In Focus among others as direct comparisons.

Mike

Is it (4) on the overscan that gives you 1.1 pixel mapping?

That is a good q... what is the setting for overscan to get 1:1?
I find the higher number I set it to, the more of the screen I see...
aka 10 on overscan, gives me the biggest picture, 0 on overscan, seems to shrink the picture down. Is this how it works? I still don't think I understand it fully :S

damn newb :P

cheers,


Mike

It looks to me that 10 on overscan setting shows all pixels on Avia test patterns. Anything less and I am missing desktop.

M

I just got a tx200 in sweden and it also has the red streak. :(

It actually also has a blue streak (but it's not as visible).

I use a htpc with a dvi-hdmi cable. This htpc does not display this problem when connected via dvi to a sanyo z2 so it's definitially the tx200 or the dvi-hdmi cable. An easy way to spot this if you use a htpc is to use the Nokia Monitor test program and pull up the convergence pattern. It's a grid with the lines in alternating red, green and blue. I'll try to take a picture of it and upload tomorrow.

The effect is actually quite dramatic when watching it with the Nokia Monitor test. The red and blue vertical lines are 4 (!) pixels wide while the green vertical and all horizontal lines are 1 pixel thick.

Ok, I will get down to some serious trouble-shooting very soon. I will first try another DVI to HDMI cable. I am waiting on an MSI NX6600GT nVidia AGP card with DVI output. I may try a DVI or HDMI dvd player if I can find one. I suppose the cine4home.de review will be out eventually.

Hi,

I am thinking about getting the TX200 as a replacement for my faulty AE900 which suffers from heavy VB, pencil lines, dead pixels and lack of color uniformity. I will be initially connecting it with a VGA cable. Do you think that it's worth getting the TX200 notwithstanding the red streaking problem over HDMI? Is this issue really as distracting as VB? Are there any other issues that I need to be aware of? Any opinions will be appreciated. Thanks a lot.
I went thru three different Ae 900's which all had both vertical banding problems and color uniformity problems. I settled with the PJ52 (same as the TX200 in Canada) and am very pleased. The color is uniform and vertical banding is very minimal. The only disadvantage the PJ52 has is the presence of screen door, but my front row of theater seats is 1.3X screen width making screen door effect negligible.

John

I must say that so far with this unit, I see the least amount of vertical banding of any projector I have used since the first TX100. It may be there, but I don't see it, and, I am very picky :)

I almost don't want to say anything in fear of jynxing it...lol..Although I am interested in fixing the weird HDMI input vertical streaking problem, I think this unit is quite good. At first I thought it was very clean, but now I suspect noisey dvd's can possibly look slightly noisier on the TX200, but I would have to do a direct comparison with my TX100 in order to truly know for sure. My only other issue right now is a dust blob, and I plan to fix it. I am actually thinking about testing the air flow rate of this filter alone, and then researching a better filter, and making my own external filter mechanism, using of course enough filter material to match or improve on air flow.

After originally using the Chicago DVD for the vertial streaking chroma test, I finally got down to watch the whole dvd. Decent movie. Looks nice with the iris working. Using the VGA input and the AUTO1 iris setting (manual iris=3) I didn't notice the iris moving, and yet the dark scenes look better than without the auto iris. I was never expecting DLP blacks, so this is more than adequate black level and contrast compared to the TX100.

I'm looking forward to watch "Its All Gone Pete Tong" on the TX200. I saw it on the TX100 earlier last year and it looked great. I just bought the Special Edition so I hope the sharp close-ups look as good on the TX200 as they did on the TX100.

. . .

Has anybody had a dust blob yet and did you have good success removing it?

:)

Here you go folks. Here is further test results and review from Cine4home.de:

http://www.online-translator.com/url/tran_url.asp?lang=en&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cine4home.de%2Ftests%2Fprojektoren%2FHi tachiTX200%2FHitachi-PJTX200Test.htm&direction=ge&template=General&cp1=NO&cp2=NO&autotranslate=on&transliterate=on&psubmit2.x=54&psubmit2.y=16

It appears that folks feeding their TX200 or HDP-J52 with 720p may be reducing the vertical chroma bug vs those of us feeding it 480p over DVI (very few people with iScan Ultra's...are there any out there?). Its still there though. Hopefully it can be fixed with a firmware update.

The only disadvantage the PJ52 has is the presence of screen door, but my front row of theater seats is 1.3X screen width making screen door effect negligible.

Thanks a lot. How does screen door on TX200 compare to screen door on a typical 1024x768 data dlp projector such as Benq PB6240? I have a PB6240 at work and I find its pixel structure acceptable from normal viewing distances. Cheers.

Have they upgraded the firmware on this machine already and if so, where do you go to find out and download?

Also, do these type of issues generally get fixed with a firmware upgrade. I am definitely not an expert on this subject, but i assumed a chroma issue like this was more of a hardware failure than a software failure. I guess it would just be a processing error that when correctly fixed lets the projector know how to accurately display the signal.

I know that I cannot wait for them to fix this as I love watching sportscenter and the reds bleed all over the place and degrade the picture very badly.

I have no idea if these issues generally get fixed with a firmware update. There have been no "generally" type situations thus far. I do know that the first Epson TW100 had this issue and the subsequent TW100H did not. Totally different machine with Faroudja, so not a benchmark for what to expect of this issue, but important info non-the-less.

It is possible that there is some code in the firmware which is responsible for some of the processing done to HDMI signals. If it is not firmware adjustable, then Hitachi has a bigger problem because the projector would have a glitch which is not fixable without physical hardware removal and repair and/or replacement. At this point, it is anybody's guess. If you are experiencing this problem and you bought your projector in Canada or the US, please contact Hitachi Canada or Hitachi US and refer them to the issue, either here or via cine4home.de. Even if you don't see the issue, you could always inquire about it. Its a real glitch and we need it fixed :)

Here is a picture i took of the streaking. I used the convergense pattern of Nokia Monitor Test using my htpc with 1:1 mapping.

Each gridline in this picture should be 1 pixel thick. The vertical red and blue lines are 4 pixels thick.

click for image (http://www.algonet.se/~qwerty/tx200/konvergens.jpg)

I have spoken to Hitachi Sweden about this and if I hear something back from their technicians I'll report it here.

Does anyone know what the overscan setting should be set at for 1:1 mapping? I use 10 feeding the projo 1280 X 720P from the HTPC. Anything else is not acceptable.

Thanks

magnust,

Have you seen the streaking in movies?

Here is a picture i took of the streaking. I used the convergense pattern of Nokia Monitor Test using my htpc with 1:1 mapping.

Each gridline in this picture should be 1 pixel thick. The vertical red and blue lines are 4 pixels thick.

click for image (http://www.algonet.se/~qwerty/tx200/konvergens.jpg)

I have spoken to Hitachi Sweden about this and if I hear something back from their technicians I'll report it here.

Hello,

To me it looks like you are having convergence errors instead of streaking in your picture. I got the streaking as well, but it does not make a single line 4 pixels wide if its vertical.

Anders

I'm not sure that it is streaking. The picture didn't come out very good (hard to capture it with my handheld camera). What I see is that under certain circumstances the red and the blue bleads in the horisontal plane when using hdmi. With VGA it's spot on.

The convergence pattern is what shows this the most clearly. If I instead put up a red grid i can see that the vertical lines that should be 1 pixel thick are 2 pixels thick (that's not good either but it's different then the 4 pixels in the RGB-grid). The horizontal lines are fine. A blue grid shows the same as a red one, while a green grid shows up fine.

If i put up a white grid, everything looks spot on.

The projector does have a slight misconvergence (about 1 pixel) but this is definitely not due to that. Something is going on with red and blue when using hdmi, even though I'm not sure if it's the streaking.

I haven't seen it in any movies and Windows from the computer looks razor sharp. I watched parts of Nemo to try to spot it in a movie but the only potentially odd thing that i saw was that Nemo's color looked a bit bright (oversaturated perhaps) but that might be a color setting.

I have only owned the projector for two days now so there hasn't been that much opertunity to watch movies on it yet.

I took another picture of the convergence grid where I set the colorspace of the projector incorrectly to smpte. The colors are of course wacky but it clearly shows that the "blue" and "red" vertical lines are much thicker then the green. When looking at the screen using the correct RGB colorspace the improper widths of the vertical lines are the same as is this new picture. Although when using the proper RGB, the lines fade out when it bleads which it does not in this picture.

Click for image 2 (http://www.algonet.se/~qwerty/tx200/konvergens2.jpg)

I'm pondering wheter or not I should return the projector for a refund. Other then this I'm very happy with it. I'm just thinking that if I don't return it while I can I might regret it later if Hitachi does not fix it and I do start to see it in movies.

Magnus, is it only visible when using that cross pattern? Or can it be seen also when bringing up the pj's menu?
I am gonna test a red pattern tonight with the Avia cal. DVD.
Best of luck,
Anders

The telltale look is a bleeding of red (or possibly blue) from areas where they should be contained, into bordering areas. Red will stick out in an alternating streaking pattern into space where it should not. Look at the Roxie shots I link in this thread. Drop in a copy of Chicago and that should do it (chapter 9 57:00).

Convergence can be checked quite well by looking at the OSD.

Could somebody with an HDP-J52 post a picture of the vertical chroma bug?

You will see this bug most easily if you send the projector 480p through the HDMI port. You could also use 720p but it won't be as visible. I am curious how many folks in north american have this issue with HDP-J52's.

Anders, It's not visible on the OSD. I can only see it on signals on the hdmi input.

cpc, I don't see any alternating pattern so perhaps it isn't streaking after all. I suppose it looks a bit like analog ghosting. If i have a solid black background with one vertical red line 1 pixel thick I would see a line 4 pixels thick that looks like this from left to right:

1:st pixelcolumn is faint redish, 2:nd pixelcolumn is whitish red (i think this is the one that should be lit), 3:rd and 4:rth pixelcolumns are again faint redish. There arent much of a pattern along the vertical line it looks about the same along the whole line.

The same thing goes for blue and to a lesser extent even green (just one faint extra pixelcolumn there).

I'm starting to suspect that it could be my cheap hdmi cable. If this had been analog video it could very well have been the cable since it looks a bit like analog ghosting or ringing.

Can a bad hdmi cable produce this effect? I have heard about sparkles but never ringing/smearing or ghosting.

Digital cables usually either work, or not, or cause digital problems like sparklies or loss of sync. I don't think your problems stem from the cable. Only one way to find out though :)

If it is just the HDMI input and not visible in the OSD, then it is possible that it is the HDMI chroma bug. Try the scene's I mentioned. Have you tried different resolutions over HDMI? What does VGA look like?

I will be calibrating a couple more HDPJ52's tonight. I have yet to see this "bug", either with a test generator or when viewing DVD's. I'll pay particular attention tonight (and I have been paying attention in the past) and feed the projectors some signals other than 720p through the HDMI port to see if I can see this thing.

Try 480p through the HDMI port :)

Perhaps it is a problem mostly involving scaling through the HDMI port.

cpc, VGA looks perfect. The problem only exists using hdmi. I have only used 1280x720 with it. I'll try to hunt down the Chicago DVD you mentioned to test. I'll try to find a store with a good return policy and buy the most expensive hdmi-cable they have just to make sure.

Citation, have you tried hooking up a computer to the hdmi input of a HDPJ52 and displayed a convergence pattern like the one in Nokia Monitor test?

Don't forget to check the library for Chicago, as long as it is widescreen, unless of course you want to buy it. I got my copy used.

I calibrated two more HDPJ52's tonight, bringing my total to four, and I have yet to see any hint of the red chroma bug. The calibrations were quite different tonight, not quite the cookie cutters that the last one was. One was very good out of the box on component, but wasn't very close on HDMI. In fact it was the only one that calibrated contrast at zero; all the others calibrate at around +19, including this one on HDMI.

I calibrated them on 720p, but I checked them on 480p also. Never saw a hint of the red chroma bug. Either I'm incredibly lucky on my samples, or they have fixed it on the HDPJ52's.

Yes, Magnus, I have tried the Nokia monitor test. In fact, my generator has the same pattern. One of these projectors tonight was virtually perfect on convergence, the other one only slightly less so and much less than one pixel off anywhere.

I don't know what to think about this red chroma smear some of you are seeing. I'll keep looking, and I expect to have a few more opportunities as this projector is getting pretty popular, but so far I just haven't seen it.

cpc, good idea about the library! Don't know if the movies is any good, right now i only want the red parts of it :)

Citation, Did you display the convergence pattern at 1280x720? Where the red and/or blue vertical lines thicker then the green vertical lines like I saw?

Here's a picture that i took of my tx200 showing the red and blue vertical lines to be thicker:

link (http://www.algonet.se/~qwerty/tx200/konvergens.jpg)

Have you seen anything like this on the ones you looked at?

Citation4444,

You have to have the right scenes in order to see the bug. Its almost a surrealistically saturated red of some kind. R2 D2's red light in Empire, red t-shirts in the dvd Mad Hot Ballroom, the red light Roxie sign in Chicago, some red fish in Nemo. If you don't use one of those scenes, its hard to say if you will see it.

My obvious question would be, can you find a TX200 in your neck of the woods and try one of those?

Perhaps I will take a photo with my SLR on a tri-pod set to auto and scan it. Should have much better results that way....btw Citation, where abouts are you located?

I have not seen the Nokia test pattern through HDMI because I do not have an AGP video card with DVI in my PC right now. I was waiting on a nice MSI NX6600GT VTD128 AGP card but will likely have to wait for that one, as the seller had to RMA his other card, thereby needing to use the MSI NX6600GT for longer.

Anyhow, cine4home.de definitely see it in the TX200's they have tested (7 different projectors, all with different dvd players, DVI and HDMI, and different resolutions). I would really like to know if this problem is limited to TX200's and not HDP-J52's!

I'll just chime in here and say that I cannot see the CUE on Chicago or Nemo. I'm in Canada and have a HDPJ-52.

Citation, Did you display the convergence pattern at 1280x720? Where the red and/or blue vertical lines thicker then the green vertical lines like I saw?

No, I don't see thicker blue lines. I have looked at the convergence pattern at both 1280X720 and at 480p (around 848x480 i think). Here is what I saw on the worse of the two projectors last night.Convergence (http://gallery.avsforum.com/showphoto.php/photo/19134/size/big/cat/508)

Looking at your screen shot, I don't think you are seeing a convergence problem. In fact, the convergence looks ok to me. You are getting some smearing/ghosting on the blue (and red). What this is due to, I don't know. Could be the source, cables, etc., or could be the projector. I don't see this, and haven't seen it, on any of the projectors I've seen.

Citation4444,

You have to have the right scenes in order to see the bug. Its almost a surrealistically saturated red of some kind. R2 D2's red light in Empire, red t-shirts in the dvd Mad Hot Ballroom, the red light Roxie sign in Chicago, some red fish in Nemo. If you don't use one of those scenes, its hard to say if you will see it.
I have watched over 30 DVD's and at least that many HD programs on my HDPJ52, including many with strong solid red components. I have both Spiderman's, The Incredibles, Madagascar, Ladder 49, The Music Man, all with mucho reds. I have also watched ESPN and CSI Miami and CSI, all of which have bright reds. Also many other shows, but I have never seen this red chroma problem. And, believe me, I am astute enough to know what to look for. It just is not there.

I have Chicago in my queue at BlockbusterOnline, and I'll look at your specific scene when I get it, but I'm confident I won't see it.

I'm not questioning whether you see it or not, but I am questioning what it is that's causing you to get this affect.

I'm located in the Atlanta area.

I am not questionging whether or not you see it, just making sure we are comparing apples to apples. Standard verification for troubleshooting. Thanx for the info. I am starting to feel more and more that this may be a problem more specific to TX200's, or at least, more often visible on TX200's and not so much with HDP-J52's. Just a hunch.

Hi Citation4444,

Thanks for the picture. My TX200 will be here today. If you don't mind me asking, what are the white dots in the picture? Are they dead pixels? Have you seen any HDPJ52s with dead pixels? Thanks a lot.

Hi Citation4444,

Thanks for the picture. My TX200 will be here today. If you don't mind me asking, what are the white dots in the picture? Are they dead pixels? Have you seen any HDPJ52s with dead pixels? Thanks a lot.I never saw any white dots. I have been examining each projector for bad pixels and have never seen one.

Good luck with your new projector.

No, I don't see thicker blue lines. I have looked at the convergence pattern at both 1280X720 and at 480p (around 848x480 i think). Here is what I saw on the worse of the two projectors last night.Convergence (http://gallery.avsforum.com/showphoto.php/photo/19134/size/big/cat/508)

Looking at your screen shot, I don't think you are seeing a convergence problem. In fact, the convergence looks ok to me. You are getting some smearing/ghosting on the blue (and red). What this is due to, I don't know. Could be the source, cables, etc., or could be the projector. I don't see this, and haven't seen it, on any of the projectors I've seen.


Thanks Citation!

I went into the store today with my htpc and tested their demo TX200. It had the same phenomena as mine. I also tried a different cable, but it was the same thing. Could be my puter i guess (altough it works fine when connected through DVI to my Z2).

I have read up about the chroma problem and realized that what I have is not the chroma bug. If i paint red elipses or rectangles in paint on the computer they all look solid. No weird lines or anything.

All in all the picture looks stunning so I have decided to keep it despite the ghosting/smearing. It can't be seen in movies (not even HD) from my sitting distance so I'll just be happy and start to watch some movies instead of looking at testpatterns :)

Liquid et al,

This problem is NOT the Chroma Upsampling Error (CUE). CUE causes horizontal streaking. This problem causes vertical streaking only.

Its not a serious enough problem for me right now. VGA is working ok. I hope they figure it out and fix it though.

Everyone and anyone who is in Europe and has a TX200 and experiences this problem, please take the issue to the retailer and to any Hitachi service centres and force them to acknowledge the problem and ask what is being done about it.

:)

It can't be seen in movies (not even HD) from my sitting distance so I'll just be happy and start to watch some movies instead of looking at testpatterns :)That sounds like a great idea! In fact, that's just what I intend to do this weekend. :D

I have to agree with CPC here. I own an HDPJ52 and I have noticed the streaking problem, but NOT on every signal I display.

I own a X-Box 360 and a dish network 921 HD receiver. Both devices have sent a signal that have had the bleeding reds problem. It must be something to do with what type of signal is being transmitted and then broken down by the projector.

In the cases that I notice it the most are the very vibrant reds. Dark and flat reds do not show the problem near as much as reds that are bright and have a lot of punch.

Project Gotham Racing is one situation that i will experiment with. Before you get to race your vehicle in the game, it pans around your car, and at night time goes behind the car showing the glowing red taillights. I run the x-box at 720p, component out of the x-box, then coverted to HDMI through my receiver. When the camera passes the taillight, there is a large red glare that only comes upward out of the circular light, not to the sides or bottom. I will connect through component only into the projo, and maybe even buy the VGA cable and test this to see if it occurs in all these modes. It could just be an effect, just as looking at street lights creates a star pattern at night.

My main point being that projector gotham causes this problem only in this one scene where as I have not experienced this problem with any other game on the x-box as of yet.

On my satellite receiver, I would say I have only been able to see it on maybe 10 to 15 percent of the programs. Trust me too, I have really been looking for it ever since i noticed a problem. I used to remember, when i first got the projector and had it hooked up through component, that sportscenter on espn HD looked great, but as I have stated in previous posts, sports center now has the reds problem. I will do some testing and take some pictures. I am current running DVI to HDMI.

Thanx for the feedback. Contact your retailer and Hitachi and inquire as to what the problem is and when it will be fixed.

:)

Hello HDPJ52 users!

I had the projector demoed and the dealer kept changing the iris setting everytime he changed the input (HDTV, DVD,etc.). Does anyone do that on a regular basis or do you calibrate the projector and leave it alone?

Thanks for your replies.

Hello HDPJ52 users!

I had the projector demoed and the dealer kept changing the iris setting everytime he changed the input (HDTV, DVD,etc.). Does anyone do that on a regular basis or do you calibrate the projector and leave it alone?

Thanks for your replies.When I first got mine, I set it at 10 and left it alone. I mistakenly thought I was controlling the lamp output but I was set straight on this forum. It controls the light output by closing down the iris, but the lamp is still being driven full, so I changed my ways.

The iris setting has a great effect on the blacks you will be able to achieve. I now adjust my iris (please note we're not talking about the auto iris which I generally leave at Auto1) according the source I'm watching. For movies on my brighter screen I set it between 3 and 5. When I'm browsing the net I turn it up.

I drive my wife nuts as I'm always trying things out and she thinks it looked just fine before I changed it. :D

I have not done it yet, but as soon as my HT setup becomes more permanent I will be using the custom memory modes to possibly control my iris settings among the others. My X-box seems to have completely different color and brightness vaules then my satellite receiver and X-box 360 which seem to be very close to each other. I have some other components as well that will probably require different tweaks.

I basically just plan to use the 4 memory modes to give the best picture for each source and then custom name them so that the girlfriend can work the system and still get the best picture.

I am assuming for my x-box, the iris setting will have to be changed as the picture is just terribly dark compared to my satellite receiver. Usually upping the brightness doesn't get me all the way there.

I have to say that this projector has the best remote i have ever seen. The only thing that would be better was if there were buttons to control the horizontal and vertical shift through some sort of motor assisted system. I am sure that would have added another $1000 to the price though, so hopefully my roommate can stop slamming the door and causing the projector to shake on the wall.

Liquid et al,

This problem is NOT the Chroma Upsampling Error (CUE). CUE causes horizontal streaking. This problem causes vertical streaking only.

Its not a serious enough problem for me right now. VGA is working ok. I hope they figure it out and fix it though.

Everyone and anyone who is in Europe and has a TX200 and experiences this problem, please take the issue to the retailer and to any Hitachi service centres and force them to acknowledge the problem and ask what is being done about it.

:)

Hi.

I am not an owner of the TX200 yet, but about to buying it in germany.
I am not sure if you are aware of it but the review of cine4home is finshed and while praising (!) the beamer in most areas, there are two things they don´t like about it.

First is what they call the "horzontal chroma bug" and which seens to be what you guys are discussing. Which - after them - is a mistake in the upsampling as it was with the early DVD hdmi players. And it is only accurring when using hdmi. The effect is getting lesser when using hdmi with higher resolutions, being near not existent when using 1080i.

They say that the firmware mixes up some vertical columns as can be seen best in their picture (using 576i ): cine4home.de/tests/projektoren/HitachiTX200/Siemens576a.jpg

And they say that the reason has to be an error in the scaling filter of the HDMI reciever, whatever this means!?! If this was true, a simple firmware update would solve the problem tough. As they have informed Hitachi already last year and not recieved an upgrade, it seems to be a problem to be solved for them yet. Maybe you guys can put some pressure on them, having noticed the problem as well?!

Secondly they de-interlacing seems to be a real problem for it. Can you confirm that? So if I am going to buy it a progessive scan dvd player is next. are there any real good players in the 300-400$ range? is there even one recorder which can be recommended? Is this a question that I have to answer for digital cable revievers to?

Greetings from Germany

Toreon

The problem is unfortunately translated as the "horizontal chroma bug" which is a severe misnomer. The problem is a vertical streaking and no real horizontal component to the problem. There are a few dvd players that can be recommended. I suspect the Panasonic S97 or S77 would be ok. As far as 1080i goes, I suppose that is ok if it looks good, but then you are stuck with the projector de-interlacing. The TX200 does not do very good de-interlacing. I too hope that a firmware solution to this problem is found.

You can always use any decent interlaced dvd player (like a Panasonic) and use an iScan Pro. You'd be amazed what the picture would look like via VGA cable.

You can always use any decent interlaced dvd player (like a Panasonic) and use an iScan Pro. You'd be amazed what the picture would look like via VGA cable.

Or my Samsung HD-950 with 720P upconvert fed via HDMI cable to Hitachi ...

Hi,

You should check your gamma settings and adjust the curve for each device or source. The iris adjustments shouldn't have to change radically between your X Box and other sources. Try the custom 10 point gamma curve in the advanced menu.


Regards,

Mike

Since this projector arrived it has been sitting on a table until I buy a ceiling mount. You will have to forgive my asking this even though I read through the posts and gather that without using the vertical lens shift if my screen center is 26" from the ceiling that basically the projector's total drop will be the same to center of lens? And if I decide to use lens shift will it still be acceptable as far as the image goes? (Say physically moving the image 3 or 4 inches) Is my thinking correct on this? I was going to order a perfectmount - I have not heard much that says they are not good designs and they seem to be solidly built. If anything I guess I will need to extend it past the 13" maximum with another optional extention piece.

Hello all,

I have read every post on this projector. I finally pulled the trigger and purchased the HDPJ52. Should be receiving it by the weekend. I have a few questions that I hope you guys can help me with. I am planing on a 100 inch diagonal screen. The projector will be ceiling mounted at roughly 10.5 feet with 8 foot ceilings. I have been going through the manual and can't seem to figure out how low I will have to mount the projector. Can I mount it as close to the ceiling as possible? I am worried about it hanging down so low that it will distract viewers since my seating distance is at 18 feet. Also question on hook up. Should I have everything run through my receiver?(outlaw990) Or hook the projector directly to my DTV Satellite Receiver? (and feed just the audio through the receiver.) Thanks for any information you can provide.

The axis of the lens should be no higher than the top of the viewable screen. Ideally, it should be at the center of the screen, but the lens shift will cover about half the height of the screen. The projector should also be level, with no more than 7 degrees of tilt.

The problem is unfortunately translated as the "horizontal chroma bug" which is a severe misnomer. The problem is a vertical streaking and no real horizontal component to the problem. There are a few dvd players that can be recommended. I suspect the Panasonic S97 or S77 would be ok. As far as 1080i goes, I suppose that is ok if it looks good, but then you are stuck with the projector de-interlacing. The TX200 does not do very good de-interlacing. I too hope that a firmware solution to this problem is found.

You can always use any decent interlaced dvd player (like a Panasonic) and use an iScan Pro. You'd be amazed what the picture would look like via VGA cable.

How noticeable is the vertical streaking? If you knew about it before hand would you still have purchased the TX200?

The axis of the lens should be no higher than the top of the viewable screen. Ideally, it should be at the center of the screen, but the lens shift will cover about half the height of the screen. The projector should also be level, with no more than 7 degrees of tilt.I think what I said above is wrong. The manual is a little ambiguous, but I interpret it to mean it has vertical lens shift of 3/4 of the screen height, and horizontal lens shift of 1/4 of the screen width. It's on p22 of the user manual. Sorry if I confused anybody with the misinformation.

I am not sure what I would have done if I knew about the streaking. I don't know how bad it looks at other resolutions. I am only used to how it looks when I scale 480p. I hate any and all defects or artifacts, so this is pissing me off. I think my picture is looking pretty good via VGA, so I am ok for the most part. I am just disappointed I cannot use the best input to obtain the best possible picture.

I inquired to Hitachi Canada about the issue. Hopefully they will get back to me about it. I didn't speak explicitly about the TX200 and the fact that I own a Japanese model, but simply inquired about the problem, and whether Hitachi was aware of it, and what they were doing about it, if anything. I sent them the links to the pics too. Here is what I received in reply:

Dear [ME],

Thanks for visiting our website. I have forwarded a copy of your email to my LCD projector department.
I will let you know once a get a response or you might get contacted directly.

Thanks for your email.

Fred,
Hitachi Canada Customer Service

I guess I will wait and see what happens.

Hi,

I replaced my AE900 with a TX200 even though I was aware of the red streaking issue. So far, I am really happy with my choice. It is connected to my HTPC with a VGA cable. The TX200 is much sharper than the AE900 I returned. Now, I can really see why people prefer sharper picture over lack of SDE. I also feel that the entire image is a lot more stable with much lower video noise compared to AE900. There is hardly any noticeable VB or pencil lines. I think the Hitachi has the best optics in its class. I really don't need to change the focus much when I change screen size. I found myself doing it all the time with AE900. The TX200 has a much better lens shift. The image produced by my AE900 was not uniformly sharp at the corners whenever I used >50% lens shift. I don't have this problem with the TX200.

I think its SDE is minimal and almost a non issue with adequate viewing distance (1.3x unless you are looking for it). I am also quite happy with its UK freeview digital TV (SD source) performance. Cheers.

Hi all,

its done. I´ve bought my TX200 this morning, and as I am still at work I am a getting more and more exited. :cool: Especcially because of the chroma issue... :(

My dealer was cool by allowing me to set it up in his showroom and trying it out with Nemo and Matrix. As he used component rather than hdmi due to his older DVD Player I can´t say anything about the chroma issue yet, but the picture with Nemo was w-o-w. I had as comparison a Z4 which could not keep up at all, though I have to say that both were used out-of-the-box.

As I´ve got an cheap (120$) dvi to hdmi cable [oehlmann - as good as it gets ;)] I will test PC-2-tx200 tonight, even though my living room wall must have to suffice for another couple of days!!!

Maybe you can give me some advice on settings and or tests I should perform, so I can tell you about how it performs.

Oh, and two other questions: First, on this DVD Player I need. Is there any HDTV (WMA / HTPC) Player with moderate pricing on the market? Second I can get a european version of the OPPO OPDV971H. I remember reading something someone with both Tx200 and OPPO on the first pages. Is there someone who can give me advice on the two together??

Greetings.

Toreon

PS. Wish me luck...

Either of the Panny S97 and S77 are still probably good choices to use together with the TX200.

I wouldn't panic about the chroma issue. It may be fixed later, and at 720p, I suspect it is much less of a concern. Also, some people are simply using 1080i output from their player (like the OPPO or Panny S77 or S97) and apparantly 1080i does not exhibit the problem.

One question I have for 1080i users, do you see combing when watching 1080i? Any other artifacts?

Also, people with HTPC's and iScan HD(+) or iScan VP30 could try all sorts of other resolutions to see what effect they have on the vertical streaking chroma deal. Once I get a decent video card and/or possibly go back to an iScan HD, I will try resolutions like 540p, 720p, 960p and 1080p along with 1080i. If anybody else can try and compare, please do :)

P.S. Good luck Toreon

Hey everyone,

I currently have a Sanyo Z2 and was getting ready to pull the trigger on a Z4 when I came accross the Hitachi. I've read the thread and have seen some people like the Hitachi better. I also read the Z4 threads and there are people that rave about the Z4. So now I'm confused. I can get the Hitachi for less than a Z4 from an importer (the same place I bought my Z2).

My main questions are....

1. How much better than th Z2 is it? Worth upgrading?
2. Which has better overall image for HDTV, Hitachi or Z4?
3. Which requires the least amount of tweaking?

Thanks guys!

Steve

BTW, this isn't my first post, just changed names. :p

I had a Z4 which I really liked until I got the 200.
I would say it has HUGE advantages over the Z4 But I dont have time to list them all for you at present.
One though after a few minor tweeks is very realistic colour, thats hard to get on the Z4 without massive tweeking. Skin on the 200 looks like REAL SKIN.
Yes upgrade!
I think this answers all your 3 questions in a nut shell.
Hey everyone,

I currently have a Sanyo Z2 and was getting ready to pull the trigger on a Z4 when I came accross the Hitachi. I've read the thread and have seen some people like the Hitachi better. I also read the Z4 threads and there are people that rave about the Z4. So now I'm confused. I can get the Hitachi for less than a Z4 from an importer (the same place I bought my Z2).

My main questions are....

1. How much better than th Z2 is it? Worth upgrading?
2. Which has better overall image for HDTV, Hitachi or Z4?
3. Which requires the least amount of tweaking?

Thanks guys!

Steve

BTW, this isn't my first post, just changed names. :p

Hey everyone,

BTW, this isn't my first post, just changed names. :p

why did you need to change your name?

Murray, Thanks!

I changed my name because my last screen name was lilsteveo. I got a bit tired of the "lil" jokes if you know what I mean. ;)

So to be clear. The 200 is a significant upgrade from the Z4? So I should be happy as a pig in.....well you know, upgrading from a Z2 to a TX200? If you ever get the time I would love to hear your opinion of the Z4 vs TX200.

Steve

If you went from the Z2 to the TX200 (or similarly, to the Z4), you would notice a significant improvement in blacks and contrast. The TX200 auto1 iris setting really reduces the "grey" blacks of the previous generations of lcd pj's. Its not hugely drastic, but its noticeable and looks good. I think you would be quite happy with a TX200 / HDP-J52.

ok guys, I am sold on the projector deal after seeing one over christmas. I have looked at the standard review sites and so far the z4 and 900u are shooting it out but I have only seen one shoot out that had a J52 in it. can you link me to more j52 reviews ??

I'm looking for a trouble free first time experience with a projector AND a great picture. The J52 looks awesome and the glass lens sounds "better" than plastic. I have only one store in town that sale pj's and Epson is the only brand they carry. The 550 is in the same class as the J52. The picture looks very good to me and the projector itself is nice looking also. How do these two compare?

DVD and HDTV are what I need it for. Light control is not a problem. The epson is very bright in some modes but actually darker in theater mode than most I think.

Thanks

John

There are 550 and HDpJ52 reviews on projectorcentral.com. I believe the reviews each copare one ot the other. Check those out. I love my J52 and have not been disappointed by it yet.

My TX200 is much better than the AE900 I owned previously. You may find the following link interesting.....


http://www.denguru.com/2006/01/27/new_video_projectors/

thanks for the review. It is a good one to read since it has all the pj in this category.

John

Hi,

I have a tx200 too, and i use it with Htpc w/ VGA in 1280*720p 60hz. Is there any way to use 50hz? for Pal movies... Maybe Powerstrip, but can someone give me the timings please? i dont wanna ruin my pj with testing different timings... :confused:
Thanks

Lookey Lookey what I found!!!!!




http://reviews.cnet.com/Hitachi_HDPJ52/4505-3180_7-31661448.html?tag=sd


WOOOHOOO!!!!!



Damn I better get props for this!!! :)

tauka,

Check with the AV folks in the UK. They should know the PAL 50 hz details, if anybody does...

http://www.avforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=261775&page=5

Ask somebody there about PAL/50hz HTPC timings :)

Hi everyone!

I just purchased a new TX200, and I am absolutely stoked. I won't get it until sometime next week, and I'm pretty sure it will seem MUCH longer than that. This is will be my first PJ ever, so I'm hoping to be blown away. :) Could someone please post some good screenshots so I can at least drool until then?

-Chuck

I know this should be in the screen thread but I tried it there and I didn't get any responses, so I thought I would try it here.

What screen are you using with the Hitachi HDPJ52? Also, does anyone have the Vutec Silverscreen/HDPJ52 combo? How does that look?

Thanks!

I am using a 92" diagonal home-made blackout material screen.

I have a homemade 94" Goo Systems Digital Grey Lite Screen :)

I use a 110" Stewart Firehawk. Works great with the Hitachi.

Help please guys!!!!!
When I turned my projector on tonight I thought something was not quite right.
I put on my calibration disc GETGRAY to check the on the greyscale charts and on the 100% white screen the colour is different on the left hand side to the right!
On the left its a warm white yet on the right hand side its vivid white!!!!
What could have changed and how do I correct it and get an even WHITE over the entire 16.9 image?
its nothing that ANYONE would notice when screening a movie but I DO!

Help me please what do I alter? :cool:

Has anything changed? Any chance you overheated the projector or did anything un-usual last few times you used your projector?

First take a look at your lens and perhaps open up the PJ to clean any dust. After that, you are going to have to take a look at the C.UNIF adjustments in the factory service menu. I believe they are identical to the ones for the TX100. I will PM you the "map" for colour uniformity adjustments :)

- - -

...rather than create another post, I will include the info on how to get into the service menu here, although it has been described numerous times in this thread, and a search will locate it...


Instructions below: 'key' means button on the remote; 'option' means choice from on-screen menu

Go to 'easy menu'.
Select the 'reset' option (near the bottom)
Press key '->' (right arrow)
Press and release key labled 'reset', holding it for about a half second or so. [NB this will not reset any of your settings]
Press and hold 'reset' key for about 5 seconds.
Copy down what appears on screen
When you've finished, press 'menu' to get rid of it, and then next time you press 'menu' you're back to 'easy menu')

HEY YOU DOWN THERE! LOOK UP! :)

thanks cpc, i gonna try that one...
by the way can U give me the way to enter the service menu? i tried the reset thing, but i couldnt.. :confused:
thanks again!

The service menu codes would be good. Any chance someone can PM them to me?

Thanks in advance,

codes? ...

This should tell you most of what you need to know:

http://www.online-translator.com/url/tran_url.asp?lang=en&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.salvechris.de%2Fhtml%2Fhitachi_100.html&direction=ge&template=General&cp1=NO&cp2=NO&autotranslate=on&transliterate=on

There is a secret hidden menu too, but its not very useful.

Don't mess around with your settings without writing them down first.


- - -


Is anybody using 1080i into the Hitachi 200? Don't you experience combing?

Is anbody using the Hitachi HDP J52 with the Rogers HD8300 linked using the HDMI cable ?

Has anybody tried the Get Gray disc with their Hitachi 200 or J52?

Has anybody tried the Get Gray disc with their Hitachi 200 or J52?
Me CPC :D

Has anybody tried the Get Gray disc with their Hitachi 200 or J52?Me too.

Has anybody tried the Get Gray disc with their Hitachi 200 or J52?
You gotta get with it CPC your gonna be left in the DARK! :cool:

On one of the posts I read that hooking up the Hitachi HDP-J52 using its HDMI input voids the use of vertical lens shift. Is this true. Is he saying that if you hook it up using HDMI input that the Projector lens has to be centered to the screen???

i use hdmi and lens shift with my hdpj52 no prob. lens shift is mechanical.

I was going to get the Pana 900, then the Z4, then the Epson550, now that I have decided on the HDP-J52 I am hearing a lot of bad things about the slow iris. Which one is the best. I live 40 miles north of Chicago, and the closest place to view ANY of these is 6 hours south.

You gotta get with it CPC your gonna be left in the DARK! :cool:

No pun intended, right? ... so I just pay some dough now, download and burn a DVD to use and when the "final" product comes out, I get a discount?

Seriously though, are you guys finding the Get Gray works really well? Do you use a light meter and some other software or spreadsheet to do your calibration? Brightness, Contrast, Gamma and Grey Scale? :)

now that I have decided on the HDP-J52 I am hearing a lot of bad things about the slow iris. Which one is the best.

I don't think its very slow, but yeah, you can notice it occasionaly. I suspect that it may work a little faster with the HDMI vs other inputs, but I must compare again. Some movies do look different compared to others. I do see a little bit of flicker sometimes when scenes change, but its pretty minimal and very brief. Still, I wish it didn't do it and it is a little distracting. I will compare the VGA vs HDMI input again for iris action and see what happens. I actually find that I don't like the look of my projector lately, so I will finally try some calibration. I suppose I must calibrate with the auto iris off?

Does anybody know whether your lamp setting makes any difference in how the iris performs?

Are most users running lamp on low or high?

No pun intended, right? ... so I just pay some dough now, download and burn a DVD to use and when the "final" product comes out, I get a discount?
I dont think you pay at all for the final product. I have a number of discs as I have burnt as new versions have been updated.

Seriously though, are you guys finding the Get Gray works really well? Do you use a light meter and some other software or spreadsheet to do your calibration? Brightness, Contrast, Gamma and Grey Scale? :)
I dont have any other equipment but my blue filter from my Avia. Its 150% quicker and easier to use than DVE or Avia and doesnt have all the rubbish you have to wade through. Straight to the test patterns from the start with printed instructions, but its SO EASY!.......GET IT NOW! :eek:



I don't think its very slow, but yeah, you can notice it occasionaly. I suspect that it may work a little faster with the HDMI vs other inputs, but I must compare again. some movies compared to others. I do see a little bit of flicker sometimes when scenes change, but its pretty minimal and very brief. Still, I wish it didn't do it and it is a little distracting. I will compare the VGA vs HDMI input again for iris action and see what happens. I actually find that I don't like the look of my projector lately, so I will finally try some calibration. I suppose I must calibrate with the auto iris off?

Does anybody know whether your lamp setting makes any difference in how the iris performs?

Are most users running lamp on low or high?
I run the lamp on LOW on a 102" wide Matt White Screen. Iris only ever Auto 1.
And when you calibrate you must have the Iris turned OFF. Turn back to Auto 1 when Calibrated. Getgray is designed strictly for DLP & LCD. Everything you need for these projectors is on this disc :) I love it! I have made 4 differnt saved settings with Iris set on 5, 4, 3, & 2. Five is when the light in the room is not completely black and 2 is when I want WOW blacks and the room is very dark. You use the Getgray for each of the FOUR settings but its quick and easy! You must make sure you turn off the Auto Iris and REMEMBER to turn back on before making the Saved new memory setting! Easy as 1 2 3. Come on cpc buy it and then I know that you will be telling everyone the same :D

..are you on commission? ...lol ;)

I may give it a try, since my DVE is rather frustrating. I suppose I could do like many have mentioned and rip the test patterns to the same disc I burn of Get Gray. Have many people done that?

Do you need a light meter and a spreadsheet to track your gamma and grey scale properly?

...opps...getting off topic...I'll go check out the thread about the disc :)

Hi guys,

new member in town!!!

I own a Hitachi TX200 but my screen just came yesterday(Grandview 106'' Matt White) so whole setup will be done by a specialist latest till Tuesday..

I am going to connect via HDMI with DENON 3910 and via Component with DENON 3805..

Projection distance : 4,5 m approx.
Distance between screen and viewing place : approx 3,5 m.

Taking into consideration projector's ability of horizontal and vertical lens shift, i want the projector to be put not on the ceiling but on the wall, have alredy bought a Vogels Universal Wall Mount(projector upside down positioned)

What worries me is that projector will not be put over against screen but acentric(back-left) approx. 0,70 m out of the vertical at a height of approx. 1,90 m

Will i face any special problem with picture quality or the projector is able to shift its lens simultaneously horizontally and vertically and produce excellent picture quality as would produce when put over against?

Second question: I will use a 15-m Supra HDMI/HDMI cable, does anyone use same order certify proper "lock" with TX200 and/or DENON 3910??

Thank you in advance for your help..

HITACHI RULES! :)

Anybody else with a 200 or J52 who is experiencing the streaking chroma problem?

Help please guys!!!!!
When I turned my projector on tonight I thought something was not quite right.
I put on my calibration disc GETGRAY to check the on the greyscale charts and on the 100% white screen the colour is different on the left hand side to the right!
On the left its a warm white yet on the right hand side its vivid white!!!!
What could have changed and how do I correct it and get an even WHITE over the entire 16.9 image?
its nothing that ANYONE would notice when screening a movie but I DO!

Help me please what do I alter? :cool:

I confirm the presence of the same bug!

There seems to be a problem with white's temperature, which is uneven in the right and left part of the screen (cold in the left, warm in the right).

The problem was not there initially and appeared after 70-80 hours of operation. Any ideas of how to fix this guys?

I have this issue, too.

It can be worked around in the service menu with the C.UNIF entry, but not entirely.

To adjust I use a Denon DVD 1920 via component 480p and the grey fields 10 to 100 IRE of the AVIA disc. The TX-200 is shelf-mounted in the rear of my room in front of a window, heaters in the back below.

There are 8 values to adjust on the TX-200, MIN, MID-1 through MID-6 and MAX.
On the AVIA grey fields (AGF) the IRE numbers correspond apr. as follows:
MIN 10 IRE
MID-1 20 IRE
MID-2 30 IRE
MID-3 40 IRE
MID-4 40 - 50 IRE
MID-5 50 IRE
MID-6 60 - 70 IRE
MAX rest

So for 70 - 100 AGF only one value is used. If I adjust MAX in a way that the red haze disappears at 100 AGF red is correspondingly lacking in the 70 to 90 AGF. Under 70 AGF it can be controlled with the other settings.

But that red haze at 100 IRE is not very obvious to see, in fact only with a 100 IRE test pattern, and in real video that nearly never happens, only for a fraction of a second, for example a flash or explosion, so I'm not bothered by it.


More annoying is that my TX-200 developed a blue haze from one side to the other. It is well controllable through the C.UNIF service menu, but it is not staying. Unperiodacally after switching it off and on the sides change, that means if it was on the right side it suddenly is on the left and stays there for the time it is running. It then can again be tweaked through C.UNIF, but after switching it off and on it might change sides again. Very weired.


Another more bothering behaviour of the shading is in conjunction with the Auto-Iris (AI). If C.UNIF is adjusted with AI off and AI is later switched on the AGF patterns under 40 IRE show an additional haze, brownish on one side, blueish on the other. This can be tweaked, but not entirely.
Most obviously I can see it on the THX-Optimizer pattern contained on some DVDs where the backdrop THX logo can be used to adjust brightness. On the sides there are grey steps, overall brightness is relatively low so the AI steps in. On the one side the steps are brown, on the other blue.

This might be an optical diffraction on the iris surface.


All this could have 3 reasons:
- LCD itself
- heat
- lamp
Likely it's all dependant.


All in all the amount of shading when it is tweaked is imo not objectionable and does not distract from the viewing experience. But that it is constantly changing is.

But well, with time I get quite good at adjusting, 10 minutes tops. So investing 10 minutes every week or so is not that annoying.

All in all I like the TX-200 and still think it's a big step up from my old Sanyo PLV-60.

Oh. I have not looked at the C.UNIF on the TX200 thoroughly. I figured it was setup the same as on the TX100. There are 4 x 17 adjustments x each colour (Red Green Blue) = 204 adjustments on the TX100. So far, I find my TX200 colour uniformity is the best I have ever seen on any of the lcd projectors I have owned.

Apart from not being able to make use of the HDMI input, for the sake of seeing if its the best quality input, I don't have many other beefs at this time. My projector already has a dust blob, but I will put some panty-hose over the filter grille. Other than that, I find that sometimes I can detect a small amount of flickering or light level fluctuation as the iris is moving, but its nothing major. I have been finding the image a little dark lately, so I suspect since I have the iris around 3 or 4 like I did with the TX100, I should really calibrate this TX200 properly. Since the AUTO1 iris cuts the light, I should calibrate fully in order to get the most out of this projector. :)

I have this issue, too.

It can be worked around in the service menu with the C.UNIF entry, but not entirely.

To adjust I use a Denon DVD 1920 via component 480p and the grey fields 10 to 100 IRE of the AVIA disc. The TX-200 is shelf-mounted in the rear of my room in front of a window, heaters in the back below.

There are 8 values to adjust on the TX-200, MIN, MID-1 through MID-6 and MAX.
On the AVIA grey fields (AGF) the IRE numbers correspond apr. as follows:
MIN 10 IRE
MID-1 20 IRE
MID-2 30 IRE
MID-3 40 IRE
MID-4 40 - 50 IRE
MID-5 50 IRE
MID-6 60 - 70 IRE
MAX rest

So for 70 - 100 AGF only one value is used. If I adjust MAX in a way that the red haze disappears at 100 AGF red is correspondingly lacking in the 70 to 90 AGF. Under 70 AGF it can be controlled with the other settings.

But that red haze at 100 IRE is not very obvious to see, in fact only with a 100 IRE test pattern, and in real video that nearly never happens, only for a fraction of a second, for example a flash or explosion, so I'm not bothered by it.


More annoying is that my TX-200 developed a blue haze from one side to the other. It is well controllable through the C.UNIF service menu, but it is not staying. Unperiodacally after switching it off and on the sides change, that means if it was on the right side it suddenly is on the left and stays there for the time it is running. It then can again be tweaked through C.UNIF, but after switching it off and on it might change sides again. Very weired.


Another more bothering behaviour of the shading is in conjunction with the Auto-Iris (AI). If C.UNIF is adjusted with AI off and AI is later switched on the AGF patterns under 40 IRE show an additional haze, brownish on one side, blueish on the other. This can be tweaked, but not entirely.
Most obviously I can see it on the THX-Optimizer pattern contained on some DVDs where the backdrop THX logo can be used to adjust brightness. On the sides there are grey steps, overall brightness is relatively low so the AI steps in. On the one side the steps are brown, on the other blue.

This might be an optical diffraction on the iris surface.


All this could have 3 reasons:
- LCD itself
- heat
- lamp
Likely it's all dependant.


All in all the amount of shading when it is tweaked is imo not objectionable and does not distract from the viewing experience. But that it is constantly changing is.

But well, with time I get quite good at adjusting, 10 minutes tops. So investing 10 minutes every week or so is not that annoying.

All in all I like the TX-200 and still think it's a big step up from my old Sanyo PLV-60.


Sorry Ralf but I still don't get it!

The problem appears to be related with white's temperature, which is cold in the left and warm in the right part of the screen.

With regards to the service menu, it seems that the left part is the area No.2 and the right part the area No. 3.

The C.UNIF option allows individual colour tweaks. Is it possible by tweaking e.g the blue to correct the white's temperature in the affected area (area No.2 in my case?)

Thanks

Yes, that's exactly how to do it.

When adjusting the numbers (number 2 MAX in your case) an all-white pattern will appear. Through adjusting the numbers you will see what happens and which areas are affected. But be sure to check the result with a real all white picture because what you see with the built-in patterns is not what you get with real video sources.

My values were all zero, so I had not to write them down. Be sure you can always get back to the original values.

I am planning on building a home theater and am now looking to purchase a projector within the next few weeks. The HDP-J52 is on my short list, but I am still undecided and ask that you current owners weigh in on the matter.

I am the current owner of a Hitachi LCD projection TV and am very happy with it and with Hitachi as a company, as their customer service has been very good to me in resolving some issues that I had with my TV.

This projector has also generally been very well reviewed, as have similar offerings from Panasonic and Sanyo (also on my short list). I guess what I am asking is: what made each of you decide on this projector and have you been happy with the decision?

Thanks for your input.

I am planning on building a home theater and am now looking to purchase a projector within the next few weeks. The HDP-J52 is on my short list, but I am still undecided and ask that you current owners weigh in on the matter.

I am the current owner of a Hitachi LCD projection TV and am very happy with it and with Hitachi as a company, as their customer service has been very good to me in resolving some issues that I had with my TV.

This projector has also generally been very well reviewed, as have similar offerings from Panasonic and Sanyo (also on my short list). I guess what I am asking is: what made each of you decide on this projector and have you been happy with the decision?

Thanks for your input.
The 200 has HEAPS more features over the other new projectors! I have previewed them all and the Hitachi has many more +'s for me than the Z4, 900, Epson TW600 etc etc :)

I am happy with my projector, although there are weird issues with the HDMI input, for me at least.

The main reasons I like the Hitachi over the others is:

1) Sharp optics (also no Panasonic smooth screen means sharper for me)
2) Numerous adjustments for vertical banding
3) Very thorough adjustments for colour uniformity

The Hitachi looks great and you have alot of control over it in terms of fine tuning and calibrating.

Hi from the UK,

The Hitachi TX200 is my first projector and it's been a revelation to go from watching movies/playing games on a teeny weeny 26" CRT to a 7*4ft foamex screen which I literally superglued to my dining room wall :) !

First movie we put on was Revenge of the Sith and it was like "Ok...that's..that's WOW!" (pity about the movie though :rolleyes: ) First reactions from the relations, friends and neighbours upon seeing it are "WE WANT ONE!" Heh...

Only problem I've had with the projector is a severe case of fiddle-itis. So many knobs to twiddle and fiddle with means i'm never totally happy. Drives the family nuts when I go "er hang on...maybe that could be a bit brighter/darker/contrasty etc.." just as we're sitting down to watch Finding Nemo - again.

Reason for my first post is to ask fellow Hitachi groupies what settings you've settled on - especially those that have used a proper calibration disk and if any of you are using a filter on it to increase black levels or whatever as I'm interested in trying one of these things out.

Thanks for any advice in advance.

Ian.
Proud Hitachi TX200 owner fed through HDMI courtesy of a Panasonic S97.

Sorry I can't answer your question. As I am considering the Hitachi HDP-J52. Have you seen any of the flickering that people are talking about? Or the chroma bugs? What is chroma bugs? Every time I think I have decided on a certain projector, then I read about all kinds of horror stories. Any answers are greatly appreciated. Signed; the person who can't view anything in person where I live 40 miles north of Chicago, IL.

Sorry I can't answer your question. As I am considering the Hitachi HDP-J52. Have you seen any of the flickering that people are talking about? Or the chroma bugs? What is chroma bugs? Every time I think I have decided on a certain projector, then I read about all kinds of horror stories. Any answers are greatly appreciated. Signed; the person who can't view anything in person where I live 40 miles north of Chicago, IL.
Please please please dont be put off about what you may read and and even ask what a chroma bug is, you will end up looking for things you would have never noticed. Every projector model you start to look at on these pages will have things people find wrong. If you follow what they say about the machine you wil NEVER buy a projector! If there are forums on washing machines :rolleyes: you would never buy any model if you started to read those forums. I bought the 200 after never seeing it but looking at its spec's. I have since done a home demo of every one of the new D5 LCD projectors here at home and still I want to remain with the 200 over the rest of them. :)

Thankx for the reply. You stated you have viewed Pana 900, Sanyo Z4, Epson 550, etc. And the Hitachi HDP-J52 was the best? Is this then the one I should purchase. I don't mind spending another $500 over the Z4 if its worth the $$$.

Thankx for the reply. You stated you have viewed Pana 900, Sanyo Z4, Epson 550, etc. And the Hitachi HDP-J52 was the best? Is this then the one I should purchase. I don't mind spending another $500 over the Z4 if its worth the $$$.
Yes Ive had all those here at home and I choose the 200 over all of the others as I said before!
But I cant tell you to buy it, you have to decide yourself. :p

Thankyou for answering, Good Day!

As much as I have complained about the "chroma bug", I say don't worry about it. Not enough people see it to make it a major concern. Don't worry about the flickering either. So far I rarely see it and its so minor its almost non-existent. I think its the same way for most other people too.

If you buy the J52, you will be happy. Pair it up with a Panasonic S77 dvd player and output 720p over HDMI and I think you will be happy.

Can anybody comment on the picture quaility on the HDPJ52 of SD over satellite? Am also considering the HD72 or the Mits3000. Anybody know which of these have the best SD satellite picture? I know they all have great HD and DVD pictures.

Yes, that's exactly how to do it.

When adjusting the numbers (number 2 MAX in your case) an all-white pattern will appear. Through adjusting the numbers you will see what happens and which areas are affected. But be sure to check the result with a real all white picture because what you see with the built-in patterns is not what you get with real video sources.

My values were all zero, so I had not to write them down. Be sure you can always get back to the original values.

Cheers Ralf,

I found the solution thanks to your tip!

I had to correct the values of blue through the whole IRE scale (from min to max). The affected area was No. 2. My initial values were all set to 0 as well.

A blue value of approx. -12 to -14 did the trick for me...

Don't know if it's been posted before, but Cine4Home has the English review online:

www.cine4home.com

Cheers Ralf,

I found the solution thanks to your tip!

I had to correct the values of blue through the whole IRE scale (from min to max). The affected area was No. 2. My initial values were all set to 0 as well.

A blue value of approx. -12 to -14 did the trick for me...

I'm glad that I could help. :-)

Those values are exactly the same as I had the first time, only that I had to adjust it for No. 3. Mine is table mounted, is yours upside down from the ceiling?

I'm glad that I could help. :-)

Those values are exactly the same as I had the first time, only that I had to adjust it for No. 3. Mine is table mounted, is yours upside down from the ceiling?


Mine is placed in a shelf..

Again, kudos to Hitachi for the detailed service menu that allows such corrections!!

This is not always the case when the (inevitable) colour uniformity problem appears during a projector's life..

Are there any users who have compared the Oppo 971H vs the Panny S77 and/or S97?

I am wondering which dvd player the Hitachi owners prefer. Is the HDMI to HDMI connection any better than the DVI to HDMI? Apparantly the HDMI does allow the full 10 bit signal to pass from the Panny dvd players to the projector.

Why is it that when i go to the hitachi website this projector is not listed?

It goes under a different model number in North America. Use this link to find it:

http://www.hitachi.us/tv/browse/lcd_projector/lcd_projector/HDPJ52.shtml

thanks for the link, Projector central's review favors the epson over this pj, i wonder how acurate that is.

I have been using my HDPJ52 for the last week while waiting for my new C3X to come back from Sim2 getting the lens changed to the short throw one. It is amazing how good this Hitachi is. My wife wonders why I bothered to get the C3X. Wives, ya gotta love em. :) I'm not saying the Hitachi delivers an image as good as the C3X, as it certainly doesn't, especially in night scenes which are very dramatic on the C3X. But, the difference in PQ between these two projectors is proportionally far less than the difference in their MSRP's. (The MSRP on the C3X is around $20K and the Hitachi $4K, and both can be found with substantial discounts.) I guess what I'm saying is the HDPJ52 is an amazing projector at its price point.

the information on the projector central might be accurate ... but you still have to keep your mind that the epson is more costy .... for myself i would have prefer they conpare it to the panny 900 and the z4 instead ....

im about to make a move ... i have to clear my mind before ... but after all it seams that the hitachi will win .... if its as tweakable as everybody seems to say ... well its great cause if theres any problem it can be fixed right away ... and as some people here were saying ... dont mind about a chroma bug problem that you will not even see ! ... anyhow for the first month im not planing using the HDMI in anyway

by the way i have a question .... do you minimise the SDE effect by simply shorter the distance between the screen and the pj and pump up the zoom to max ? im just planing ahead my home theater and im checking if a high rear shelf or a near table top is the best option

Citation444,,, I think i read that you have a 110" firehawk, is that right,
Im getting the same screen this week. I read that the firehaw likes longer throw projectors and i was wondering it the hitachi was bright enought.
Thanks

the information on the projector central might be accurate ... but you still have to keep your mind that the epson is more costy .... for myself i would have prefer they conpare it to the panny 900 and the z4 instead ....

im about to make a move ... i have to clear my mind before ... but after all it seams that the hitachi will win .... if its as tweakable as everybody seems to say ... well its great cause if theres any problem it can be fixed right away ... and as some people here were saying ... dont mind about a chroma bug problem that you will not even see ! ... anyhow for the first month im not planing using the HDMI in anyway

by the way i have a question .... do you minimise the SDE effect by simply shorter the distance between the screen and the pj and pump up the zoom to max ? im just planing ahead my home theater and im checking if a high rear shelf or a near table top is the best option

Seating distance is critical in minimizing SDE. Most people recommend sitting back at least 1.5 times the width of the screen to make SDE unnoticeable.

your saying to be seating at 1.5 of the screen .. but adjusting the throw distance have any effect on the SDE ?

Exemple ... on a table top at the minimum 126'' to acheive a 100'' or
on a rear shelf at the maximum 207'' to acheive also a 100''

As for my choice goes ... im planing to have a 106'' screen for 16:9 ... might be ajustable to go to 120'' for anamorphic movies ... so ... its all about the seating !!! That will be crucial for my choice between the panny and the hitachi

Citation444,,, I think i read that you have a 110" firehawk, is that right,
Im getting the same screen this week. I read that the firehaw likes longer throw projectors and i was wondering it the hitachi was bright enought.
ThanksYes, it is bright enough. I am using the firehawk with the projector on a coffee table, and hence am not getting the full gain out of the screen. The firehawk works best with a ceiling mounted projector, but it's bright enough for me on the coffee table.

Hi Guys,

I'm hoping to get a TX200 from Japan. How many of you have a Japanese unit that uses 100v? (I don't know if ALL TX200's are universal voltage.. especially since the ones in Japan seem to have model # TX200J )
I'm just curious how (and if) that's gonna work out with the 120v outlets we have here in North America..

your saying to be seating at 1.5 of the screen .. but adjusting the throw distance have any effect on the SDE ?

Exemple ... on a table top at the minimum 126'' to acheive a 100'' or
on a rear shelf at the maximum 207'' to acheive also a 100''

As for my choice goes ... im planing to have a 106'' screen for 16:9 ... might be ajustable to go to 120'' for anamorphic movies ... so ... its all about the seating !!! That will be crucial for my choice between the panny and the hitachi

Throw distance has no effect on SDE. It is how far you sit from the screen, and to a lesser extent how big your screen is. The bigger the screen the more noticeable the SDE. If you want to sit close, buy the Panny. If not buy the Hitachi.

I have been having a lot of trouble finding a place to demo this projector in the Long Island, New York area. Does anyone know of a place that might have one? For such a well-reviewed projector, it is very rare and even difficult to find on-line merchants selling it.

After reading quite a bit of this thread, I'm adding this projector to my short list. Other than Citation 4444, is anyone else using a 110" or larger screen and care to comment about brightness? We're putting in a 110" screen, probably a Da-Lite Cinema Vision (1.3 gain) or HCCV (1.1 gain). Do you think the Hitachi will be bright enough?

Thanks,

I've had my Hitachi for four weeks and love it. I only watch it only at night and in my opinion almost total darkness is essential for this pj. Light controlled room is essential.

While DVD is terrific, good hi def video is just stunning. The Discovery HDTheater series "Equator" (Sunday night at 8) has the best nature footage I've ever seen (I shoot nature video in SD DV); the clarity and color is simply amazing. I'm not a sports fan and I can see myself gearing up for March Madness! Amazing picture.

This is my first projector and I couldn't be more pleased. Filter cleaning is a cinch, very low fan noise. One curious thing is how quickly I have become accustoimed to a 103" picture! At first it was, "Wow, look how huge it is!" and now it's just "normal" (but knockout).

I love this PJ very much, its my first too... :)
1 month old today, but i have already a dust blob :( i dont know what to do, i can see it when the pic is completely dark... i tried to remove it, but no succes... any idea? :confused:

Japan TX200's are 100-240 volts.

Picking up my hdp j52 this month. Really looking forwards to it. My question is what size screen, and maybe some suggestion on makes. (cheap I hope)


Rabid

How far away from the screen will you be sitting?

I'm using a 103" Vutec matte white. Very reasonable and looks great to me. PM me for price.
Bought in the Atlanta area.

My room is 20L X 11W.

I'll be approx. 14 ft from the screen - bigger is better. And btw, can I mount the pj close to the ceiling - or use extensions to lower it. I can do either one, but the close to ceiling will keep it out of the way of grubby fingers....

Rabid

BLACKS .... where are they ?

can someone please tell me how i can achieve better blacks [sorry, dark grays ;) ] on this unit.

i'm projecting onto a cream coloured wall at the moment and blacks have gone AWOL. i've tried both iris settings [what is iris2 about ? it clearly doesn't work properly ... but that's another story] and i've gone through the settings, tweaking as much as possible to no avail.

this is my first projector, so i'm a complete dunce when it comes to these things, but i am aware that LCDs weak point is their black levels, but going by the reviews and postings i read before making a purchase, i was expecting something better.

i've also noticed something when turning the shutter on ... the masks are dark gray as well ... i thought they were supposed to be black (i.e. light just cut off in the masking area ) ? i guess not.

would a screen make an appreciable difference ? if so, what would you recommend (type, not necessarily brand). or is there anything else i can do ?


many thanks for any help.


and as a sidenote, this croma bug seems to be alive and kicking. the strange thing is (and i'll have to double check) ... i don't remember it being there when connected to my laptop, but connecting it to my desktop reveals it in all it's splendor. (laptop - nvidia geo force GO6800 ; dekstop - ATI 9800PRO).


oh, and something else ... high def dvd can't get here soon enough ... dvd is ok, but it's limitations certainly slap you in the face on a big screen.

Rabid,

I would say you should get a screen of about 102" in diagonal. You will be sitting about 1.85 x screen width away and that should be good. Don't go any smaller than 92" diagonal. Don't go any larger than 110". I would say go for something between 92" and 106" ideally. Its all personal preference. You should check out other peoples setups before choosing a screen size. I have a 92" diagonal screen. I wouldn't mind a larger screen, but my room is too small to accomodate a larger screen. Larger screens mean you lose a bit of brightness and contrast overall. Its a trade-off. As far as brands are concerned, I am not too familiar with screen makes. I made my own. If you are interested, you are welcome to come by and see my "room theatre".

AndyM,

About your search for better Blacks. Are you saying the blacks have recently changed from being good to not so good? You are the guy on the AV forum who just posted about the chroma bug again? The chroma bug is only visible when you connect your source to the TX200 via a progressive signal ala DVI or HDMI (480p, 540p, 576p, 720p etc..so far). No solution from Hitachi yet. I am fed up of waiting and plan to send pictures to Hitachi.

cpc

only just received projector. i've never seen good blacks on it - or at least my idea of good blacks - mind you, i've just come from CRT. but regardless, i'm sure i should be getting something better than what i'm seeing.

and no, i'm not the guy on av forum. it sounds to me like hitachi are ignoring this problem. they know it's there because they've been told about it. i suppose their rationale is because only a small percentage (i'm assuming) of people have complained about it, they'll just sweep it under the carpet and hope it goes away. which is nice. but how did this product get into the market place with this flaw ? were their engineers asleep at the time ?

AndyM,

I see. Yeah, well, make sure you calibrate your projector with a dvd like DVE or Avia, or the dvd that is being worked on by the AVS crew. Also be sure to use auto 1.

- - -

Are most people using their TX200 with the bulb in LOW and blac setting = auto1?

i've also noticed something when turning the shutter on ... the masks are dark gray as well ... i thought they were supposed to be black (i.e. light just cut off in the masking area ) ? i guess not. The blacks will only be as good as your room and screen allow it to be. The fact stated above shows that your room is not light controlled, since the shutters in the Hitachi are mechanical, i.e. they block the light in the lens. The Hitachi is capable of showing very good blacks, comparable to other LCD projectors in its price range. To get better blacks, first make sure your projector is calibrated for brightness (esp) and contrast. Then kill all lights. If the blacks are not black enough then, you can buy an ambient light rejecting screen, work with minimizing reflected light around your room, or get a much brighter projector.

I don't believe the shutter is mechanical, but it does make a bit of a difference. You can really only notice the difference with scenes that are darker. In bright scenes, the bars look grey, but in dark scenes, the shutter makes the bars darker for sure.

Well, I took the plunge and ordered this projector sight unseen. I hope that I am happy with it. Now to pick out a screen. . .

useful link with more detail than i could find before purchasing this projector ...

http://www.cine4home.com/reviews/projectors/HitachiTX200/Hitachi-PJTX200Review.htm

i'm still disappointed with the black level on this projector. i'm hoping a filter or gray screen will help out ... i hate watching these dark scenes that look ... well, gray.

I received my projector today by mail. I can't wait to try it out at home tonight.

[QUOTEi'm still disappointed with the black level on this projector. i'm hoping a filter or gray screen will help out ... i hate watching these dark scenes that look ... well, gray.[/QUOTE]

HDTV is mind-blowing. Incredible clarity, deep colors and great blacks--and shows what this projector can really do. The problem, IMO, doesn't seem to be with the projector but with SD DVDS!

This bodes well for Hi Def DVDs (whichever feudal feuding format finally wins). Watching a SD DVD right after watching HD really takes some getting used to--it looks washed-out (even titles that I thought looked great...before I got HDTV). I guess the secret is watch the DVD first--then tune in HD!

Arthur

Hitachi HDPJ-52
Vutec 103" matte white
Denon AVR 4306
Denon DVD 2910
Mixed Speakers: Energy, B&W, Athena, Klipsch

I have now played around with this projector for about a day and I am very impressed.

I have to preface all of my comments by saying that this is my first projector and I can't claim to be an expert in any way.

Still, this board has made me very paranoid about this whole process, both about choosing a projector and choosing a screen. I am relieved that I am as as satisfied as I am with my choices.

First the projector. It looks cool and much more expensice that its actual price. The lens is HUGE. I had it up and running out of the box in under 10 minutes on my HTPC.

I chose a cheap Da-Lite Model B Matte white 106" screen. I was tempted to go with a Grayhawk, but I plan to ceiling mount this projector and I understand that that is not the way to go with that screen. My room is fairly light controlled so I felt safe going with this choice.

There is nothing quite like seeing a 106" image for the first time. It popped off the screen. Colors were vibrant and lifelike. I was worried about screen door effect. It is barely noticable even when I look for it. It is there though if you look for it. People bash LCD projector's black levels as looking gray. I don't know what to say except that they seem fine to me and full of detail. Perhaps they are not as black as black can be, but they are very black. This will not bother me at all.

I am going to go now and play some more. Thanks for all of the help here.

Hi ... ive just reveive my pj-tx200 today ... im very anxious ... but also very tired at the same time ... happy to be in the Hitachi Clan now ... looking foward to fill you out with my tought ...

"Reveive" your tx200? Do you mean you revived your TX200? Was it unconcious? Did it have medical problems? I hope its ok now ;)

oups ... Receive !!!!!! DOH !!!!!

Now its time to have fun with the PJ ....

Im looking foward to search the topic here for some tweaking info like wich configuration user use ... what should i enable or disable .... Or if someone can fill me out with usefull info ... Go on :P Share your setting :P

Actually, the TX100 thread had some folks configuration settings if I recall. Its best to calibrate your own projector like I should probably do once and for all.

Can I make two calibration settings in my TX200 for two different dvd players for instance?

Watched North Country tonight. Good movie. Looked decent. I keep watching 2.35:1 movies on this TX200. I'm itching for a Constant Image Height setup now.

Well ive just finished watching my first dvd ... it wasnt a movie at all .. U2 live from Chicago and it was AWSOME ... I had the pleasure to test some configuration with the serenity dvd before ... and i can say that its a piece of cake ... i tought auto 1 black level with iris at 3 was great ... and the Black were great also ( there are so many black in the show .. and it didnt look gray at all at this iris setting .... i guess this PJ is great out of the box ... Tommorow i will have the Xbox and Gamecube Ready and might Check for another setup configuration (Table Top) ... Im very happy of the PJ so far ...

As for the 2.35:1 movies ... its so easy to setup ... dam ... little zoom and little adjustment and voila !!!

Another helpfull feature of the Hitachi for 2.35:1 movies is the digital shutter. It helps darken the black bars. During dark scenes, the digital shutter makes the bars look blacker.

Well ive just finished watching my first dvd ... it wasnt a movie at all .. U2 live from Chicago and it was AWSOME ... I had the pleasure to test some configuration with the serenity dvd before ... and i can say that its a piece of cake ... i tought auto 1 black level with iris at 3 was great ... and the Black were great also ( there are so many black in the show .. and it didnt look gray at all at this iris setting .... i guess this PJ is great out of the box ... Tommorow i will have the Xbox and Gamecube Ready and might Check for another setup configuration (Table Top) ... Im very happy of the PJ so far ...

As for the 2.35:1 movies ... its so easy to setup ... dam ... little zoom and little adjustment and voila !!!

Why do you have to zoom to watch 2.35:1 movies?

Yeah, not sure about that one. I myself actually zoom my picture a little bit for 2.35:1 films, but thats because my 16:9 picture has to be smaller in this room setup because the speakers and ceiling allow only so much space. When I watch 2.35:1, sometimes I zoom so the picture is as wide as my screen is. I just find there are so many frickin movies in 2.35:1 lately that I am getting frustrated with the horizontal bars. Must try CIH.

my Setup was made to allow me to fully enjoy 2,35:1 movie as well as 16:9 movies :P ... like a 106" for 16:9 and around 120'' for anamortphic widescreen ( thats why i zoom a little to use the screen at full !!!

Ok, so you zoom out and overscan the black bars off the screen? I am going to try that myself while I save up to make the leap to a Horizontal Expansion (HE) lens.

you got it right CPC ... my setup is temporary (Im not even talking what i have for a screen but im still very impress of what i can get!!!) but i think its so a piece of cake this way ... i know its not the HE World but ... The thing is it does the job very well ... North Country by the way was a good movie to watch tonight Thanx :P

I have now used this projector a full weekend and have tried out a lot of different kinds of media, from HDTV to DVDs to SDTV to my PC.

I am very happy with this purchase.

I have to say that the strangest reaction that I had was playing Half Life 2 on my 106" screen. It felt very kind of life-like, as enemies were almost life sized. I think that I audibly gasped.

HDTV is completely amazing. I watched the season premiere of the Sopranos, and it just leaped off the screen.

DVDs also look great, but at 106", they are showing their limitations. They don't look bad, in fact they look very good, even great. I just know that my next purchase will have to be one of the upcoming HD dvd players. Fortunately, I have not invested heavily in DVDs, so I can start fresh.

I have also noticed that the projector handles some ambient light pretty well. My screen is in a basement that has, for the moment, two unshuttered windows which bring in some light. Black levels suffer in this environment, but the picture is otherwise very watchable. No doubt that darker is better, but some light is tolerable.

My wife, who was initially very against this purchase, seems to be coming around, so I hopefully can avoid selling it, which she at first asked me to do. She even suggested that we buy some new furniture to complement the viewing area.

ah lawguy .... the wife ... they are always against at first ... for myself she was the first to tell me that we should buy one the moment she saw the 106'' on the pj we had one week-end :P ...

Wife Acceptancy Factor (WAF) is always a concern. Its a big purchase and you are not the only one who will use it. Glad to hear she may appreciate it more after using it.

I would advise trying your best to blockout the light from those two windows, depending on the time of day. I watch movies in practically total darkness. Its the best way to go.

saxomatic,

Glad you liked the North Country movie. I tried zooming it out to fill my 16:9 and the resolution, pixels, screendoor etc at that size didn't look too bad. I will have to make my new CIH screen and give the zoom-out a try for now.

:P ... ive just read the whole thread for more input i was wondering wich is best setting ... I have the fan on normal mode but im not using the whisper mode ... should i go with the whisper and higher the to lets say 5 or should i stick to my setting ? in fact the question is how this will effect the lamp life (the whisper factor)

Another thing ... ive found out that i also have the same firmware ! and for sure im looking foward to buy myself a oppo player and hook it up to the VGA Port to avoid the red chroma issue ... and consider a component switchbox for my Gamecube and Xbox using the component input ..will see ...


So my setting is currently
Cinema Low - iris at 3 ( will obviously keep it at 5 with the whisper mode)
Auto 1

saxomatic - whisper mode will lengthen your lamp life.

===

i'm on the verge of selling this unit (after 1.5 weeks).

why ?

where for art thou blacks ? i miss thee most. i think i've been spoiled by my CRT (which doesn't even have great blacks).

after doing some tweaking, i'm still not seeing the blacks (or darker grays) that i want. i know this is LCD, but it concerns me that some of you are saying that it produces good blacks and i'm not getting even close. perhaps i've been spoiled by CRT.

turning the IRIS off [or low] improves things, but it dims the picture too much. i like a punchier, high contrast image - can i have my cake and eat it ? perhaps not with this projector.

does anyone have any screen shots of this projector in a dark environment showing a dark scene ? sorry, but i need some physical proof that somebody out there can get darks with this thing.

thanks

i guess andym you should look for a dlp pj instead if you are so obssesed about true blacks :P

but i was wondering maybe the screen can be a factor ... a cream Coloured Wall ?

I guess you need to see pictures of this pj on a good screen to really have to truth ... to be honest im not your guy cause i dosnt have a screen for now ( and im to ashamed to say what i have for a screen ... even that its quite good )

saxomatic - whisper mode will lengthen your lamp life.

===

i'm on the verge of selling this unit (after 1.5 weeks).

why ?

where for art thou blacks ? i miss thee most. i think i've been spoiled by my CRT (which doesn't even have great blacks).

after doing some tweaking, i'm still not seeing the blacks (or darker grays) that i want. i know this is LCD, but it concerns me that some of you are saying that it produces good blacks and i'm not getting even close. perhaps i've been spoiled by CRT.

turning the IRIS off [or low] improves things, but it dims the picture too much. i like a punchier, high contrast image - can i have my cake and eat it ? perhaps not with this projector.

does anyone have any screen shots of this projector in a dark environment showing a dark scene ? sorry, but i need some physical proof that somebody out there can get darks with this thing.

thanks

What type of screen do you have? What color are walls and ceiling? Is the room dark (light controlled)?

Andy M,

I would suggest projecting on to something other than a cream colored wall. I will try to take a decent photograph tonight of a dark scene, but I assure you that this projector can project (or is is fail to project?) very capable blacks.

I have noticed, however, that when there is ambient light in the room, those blacks become grays.

Salute all members and especially to those who own a PJ TX200 ! :)

I own a TX200 for a period of two weeks and no matter that i am a "newbie" owner, i am stunned with this projector! I believe it worths every penny of it..

I have connected it with DENON 3910 via HDMI (HDMI-HDMI 15m SUPRA cable) - 1080i and
with DENON 3805 via component for watching TV and Playstation 2..

As regards DVD movies, picture is EXCELLENT!

There seems to be a little problem while playing PS2, whereat composite-to-component upscale through DENON 3805 results to a little bit -how to say- not so "clear" perfomance..

On the other hand, while watching sports, seems OK to me..

I use a GRANDVIEW 106'' White Matt screen..

It was quite difficult to place projector as i didnt want to put it on ceiling but on a wall mount, rear-left from the imaginable vertical viewing axis(declension of approx.70cm)

Horizontal and vertical lens shift helped quite a lot but unfortunately a "trapezium" shaped at the upper-down right side of the screen which unfortunately could not be corrected by using projector's keystone which enables correction of trapezium at both sides top-bottom of screen only, not separately to right-left side..

Wondering whether same can be effected through secret menu .. (?)

Problem is partly solved by using lens zoom and step a little bit over screen's black border, at first this was kind of strange, now it is OK..

Any comments/advice your side is higly appreciated..

thanx

saxomatic,

The Oppo does not have VGA. I am using VGA via an iScan Ultra. An iScan Pro would also work, or if you want upscaling, the iScan HD would also work. The Ultra and HD have DVI. It has been said that the chroma bug isn't as bad at 720p as it is at 576/480p. I think that is why Hitachi is dragging their arse on this one.

AndyM,

Unless you have a white screen and total light control, you won't have pleasing black level. Compare your projector with somebody else in your area who has a Hitachi like you, or somebody with a Sanyo Z4 or Panny AE700/900. Only LCD that may have slightly better blacks for near the same price range is the Sony.

NiKoS,

Not sure how to fix your screen geometry. Make sure your projector is aimed straight at the screen (perpendicular, 90 degrees to the screen). Try to reduce the amount of lens shift somewhat.

i was hopping just hockup the player and use a dvi-VGA converter ... or something ... i might stick to the oppo and go with the hdmi ... anyhow i have to made some bucks first thing first ....

DVI is digital and VGA is analog...so you cannot convert the signal that way. I say try the Oppo anyways. Worse case scenario is you would have to sell the Oppo. Its not like they are hard to sell. I am going to try one myself once I sell one of my other dvd players.

just received the oppo dvd player & was wondering if any issue hooking up using dvi to hdmi. is the tx 200 a HDCP compliant projector?

thanks for all the suggestions guys. much appreciated.

What type of screen do you have? What color are walls and ceiling? Is the room dark (light controlled)?

all surrounding walls cream coloured. i know, hardly ideal. the room is only dark during the evenings with ambient light during the day. yes, it gets worse. although i thought i'd get better blacks during the evening.

has anybody set themselves up with a gray screen ? i've heard these a good at improving black levels ?

thanks

thanks for all the suggestions guys. much appreciated.



all surrounding walls cream coloured. i know, hardly ideal. the room is only dark during the evenings with ambient light during the day. yes, it gets worse. although i thought i'd get better blacks during the evening.

has anybody set themselves up with a gray screen ? i've heard these a good at improving black levels ?

thanks
In your case a gray screen with ambient light-shedding ability would help a lot. I use a Stewart Firehawk 110" and the blacks are really good.

jjwstar,

The TX200 is HDCP compliant. Let us know how you like the Oppo with the TX200.

:)

I just want to make sure that I am doing the right thing here.

I have my HDPJ52 hooked up to my HTPC and am using PowerDVD to play movies. Am I right that this program is upconverting to 720p or would I be better served with an upconvertiung DVD player?

I just want to make sure that I am doing the right thing here.

I have my HDPJ52 hooked up to my HTPC and am using PowerDVD to play movies. Am I right that this program is upconverting to 720p or would I be better served with an upconvertiung DVD player?If you have your video card resolution set to 720P (1280x720) your projector will display it since that is its native resolution. Whether this is better than an upconverting DVD player depends on which does the better job of deinterlacing and upscaling. This point has been debated many times on this forum. My own opinion is that a VERY high quality DVD player will do a better job. If you get a cheap DVD player, your HTPC will be better IMO.

I just want to make sure that I am doing the right thing here.

I have my HDPJ52 hooked up to my HTPC and am using PowerDVD to play movies. Am I right that this program is upconverting to 720p or would I be better served with an upconvertiung DVD player?
I used to play my dvd's with my htpc; now I use an oppo 971h upconverting dvdplayer; de difference is quite large in favor of the oppo. It all depends on how critical you are though; for me the upgrade was a nescessary one.

I am grabbing an Oppo asap to give it a try.

with the iris set to auto 2 you can see the flicker but on auto 1 not noticable

Watched Good Night and Good Luck. Looked pretty good, especially considering it is a black and white movie. Nice sharp close-ups. No flicker. VGA is working well for now :)

I had the pleasure to watch King Kong wednesday Using my Xbox on Component at 720p and using Xbox media centre to stream the .Vob directly .... IT WAS AWSOME ... i change my settings a little ... now running , Black auto 1 , gamma high ( now ), iris = 3 ... and its was quite impressible .... the auto iris is very responsive in high gamma ... i didnt notice the iris work at all (almost) ...Great Movie :P

Hello all,

I have the user's manual with me that I downloaded and I want to know if the chart for the throw distance is fairly accurate ? It is written that the distance are given +- 10% and I really need to know exactly the place where my projector will be in the room. I don't want to buy the projector yet because my room is not finished. I want to mount it 20' from the screen. Anybody in that same set-up? will the screen length really be 10'?

Thanks.

well there is so many site that can help you out with this ... heres a direct link

HERE (http://www.projectorcentral.com/Hitachi-UltraVision_HDPJ52-projection-calculator-pro.htm)

For a 10'' screen you have to be at min 11,2' with the zoom at max
or at max 18,1 with the zoom at 1.00

A general question about DVDs.

The more that I watch, the more that I see that DVDs appear kind of "soft" and not as sharp as I would like. The DVDs of The Island and War of the Worlds are examples.

Is this softness a limitation of the resolution of DVDs, the fault of the Power DVD software, the projector, or something else entirely?

What sharpness setting are you using? Have you focussed the projector well?

What sharpness setting are you using? Have you focussed the projector well?

I am using default settings. I played around with others but they did not seem to correct this. The projector is focused. For instance, text from my PC is fine and clear. I assume that you have no issue with this and your DVDs are reasonably sharp?

Well, no, some dvd's do look less than sharp, but I have not seen it particularly often with this TX200 vs the TX100 or anything else. I would say 1 dvd out of 10 looks slightly grainy or noisey, perhaps less than sharp in "some" scenes. It hasn't happened enough to bother me. It all depends on the dvd. I haven't viewed The Island or War of The Worlds on my pj yet, so I cannot give feedback on those. Do you have any other dvd's or have you seen any other dvd's that give you a picture that looks less than sharp?

I just watched Chicken Little with my three year old and it seemed reasonably sharp. I wasn't sure if the fact that it is a cartoon has something to do with it.

I am leaning toward it being two things. First, the limitations of DVDs and second perhaps my Power DVD software. I am going to experiment with a few more DVDs and maybe borrow an upconverting DVD player to see if that make any difference. It is also possible that the softness is really a reflection of the film-like way in which these were shot.