The 2nd Official Infocus 4805 Thread. [Text View] - Page 11

ej16943

02-19-06, 03:51 PM

Hey ej16943,

This might be a little late (and of little help), but I have the M1->component adapter (bought from Infocus) and it works fine for me. I checked, and the metal shield on mine also has the keystone shape, so that appears to be the norm.

Not sure why yours doesn't work, but thought I'd let you know that it should.

Thanks scooterboy,
But my Radio Shack switcher works fine. And it will be easier to wire for ceiling mount when I (inevitably) get around to it-- I will only need to run one comp. video line into the wall up into the attic across the ceiling and through a hole in the ceiling. So, I guess it was worth the extra 30 bucks over the adapter. I am still in setup mode here. I just put up two speaker shelves for my rear surrounds. I had had them up on av cabinets and then on top of other (not connected) speakers. This lightens up the room a lot (fewer black boxes)

Everyone said the adapter should work but I tried everything in the manual to mo avail. Perhaps I should have bought it directly from Infocus. Even if I eventually would have gotten it to work, I still think nothing should be that obscure. I am sending it back on Tuesday. Supposedly RAM has unconditional returns within 30 days. We shall see.

Now I am off to put a third coat of Behr Silver Screen on my wall. Then I am going to get serious about designing a ceiling mount that doesn't look so awful as the ones I have seen for sale. You know, the pj doesn't weight that much. Why do I need metal? A couple of pieces of hardwood should work, don't you think? And why do people use the standoffs for ventilation? Right now my pj is sitting on a table on its three little legs-- and it doesn't overheat. Is there something I need to know about mounting it upside down?

Just some musings.

One other thing: I am using an eight foot long component video cable, the one provided me by TW when I got the HD cable box. How much better off would I be if I bought a 4 foot with a higher pedigree? The picture I get on HD sources (using the TW comp. cable) is definitely better than from DVDs, using a standard grade Monster 4 foot. The long 8 footer to the pj is an 8 foot Monster of the same quality as the 4, so the only weak link is from the cable box to the switcher-- the 8 foot TW cable. Sorry for being so wordy.

Brian I Am

02-19-06, 06:57 PM

I just went to turn on my 4805. The fan came on HI, the bulb didn't try to strike, and the LED was a steady green.

I unplugged it and am waiting 1/2 hour to try it again... any ideas???

-W

Pray for my PJ please..... I have a LotRings-athon set for a week from today.

Clams what is the latest? I dedicated my ENTIRE weekend to non stop praying for your machine and I want to be sure it worked :rolleyes:

diodow

02-19-06, 07:22 PM

hi , ive been reading alot and i coulnt find an answer to what i need to know ,

i have a 4805 as my only source for tv , right now i have a satellite reciever hooked up to it and the image says 480p , i got an offer to get hd channels trough dish network at 1080i ,

what i want to know if that if the 4805 is native at 480 then
the content of the 1080 will be down converted to 480 so the picture will look like
regular sd channels at 480? so my condensed question is that is it worth it or is it a notable difference betwen a 1080 signal converted to 480 over a signal that is already 480 ? becouse i need to spend 400 dlls on a hdtv sat reciever ,i dunno if its worth it.

thanks

Brian I Am

02-19-06, 07:27 PM

spyder696969

02-19-06, 09:03 PM

OK, 4805 fans. Here's another question for ya:

Bought my 4805 on Nov. 29th, 2005 and already have 300+ hours. I'll certainly exceed the 3000 hour mark before the year is up. I can get the 1 year warantee for $99, or the 2 year for $149, or the 3 year for $199 from Infocus. The site says no worry about how many hours usage or how many replacements end up being given, so that's great. The problem is that they seem to be virtually always out of stock on the bulbs.

So, my question is this: Is it worth it to buy the warantee (I'm leaning towards the 3 year) if they are going to not have the replacement bulb for me when mine eventually blows? Who knows how long the wait could be? Anyone think it will get better as the units get older? Could it get worse? I've got to decide soon, since we're only 3 days out. Any advice on this would be appreciated greatly!

Martin Butler

02-19-06, 09:13 PM

forgive me if I've missed this but... the extended warranty covers the bulb?

spyder696969

02-19-06, 09:25 PM

forgive me if I've missed this but... the extended warranty covers the bulb?

No. There are seperate unit warantees and lamp warantees.

http://store.infocus.com/escalate/store/CategoryPage?pls=infocus&bc=infocus&cc=Extended+Warranties&clist=017080322b7d&ret=Extended+Warranties&startNum=0&rangeNum=10

cavu

02-19-06, 10:13 PM

what i want to know if that if the 4805 is native at 480 then the content of the 1080 will be down converted to 480 so the picture will look like regular sd channels at 480?Judge for yourself. Check the photo of HDTV on the 4805 (http://www.flying-colors.org/TonightShowHD.JPG)

Tonight Show (HD) - Carrie Underwood - WDIV Detroit HD - Shaw Cable
Motorola DCT-6412 - 1080i DVI - Infocus SP4805 - ND2 - 92" Firehawk Screen
Olympus D545 Camera (handheld)

cavu

02-19-06, 10:21 PM

Bought my 4805 on Nov. 29th, 2005If you are going to purchase the $89 [MSRP] 1-year lamp warranty (http://store.infocus.com/escalate/store/DetailPage?pls=infocus&bc=infocus&pc=ELW1&tab=desc&clist=017080322b7d&ret=Extended+Warranties&pls5catname=Extended+Warranties), you are going to have to do it in the next few days, before the 90-day warranty on your lamp expires !!

dmcdayton

02-19-06, 10:46 PM

Spyder,

HD looks great on 4805, we covet the movies we DVR onto our SA8300, its practically eliminated trips to the video store. However my new OPPO really cleaned up my DVDs so I am not as down on them as I was before. In order of preference image wise in my setup: HDTV/Component, OPPO/480PDVI,SDTV 480i/Component. The last is only when show is available on a digitial channel like HBO, etc. If its standard analog cable channel, its not going to look good at all.

So for Satellite, you should see a noticeable jump in quality but not as much as from people going from analog SDTV to HDTV.

/M3

02-19-06, 11:06 PM

Ja Phule

02-19-06, 11:42 PM

I am having a hard time trying to determine the correct aspect ratio to watch hdtv programs under. I have a 92" widescreen and if I watch in 16:9 the top and bottom do not completely fill the screen. If i watch letterbox I get the full screen. I tried numerous times switching between the 2 modes but can not determine which is the correct mode. Is letterbox just stretching the image? How do I get 16:9 to completely fill the screen?

If you are feeding a correct 720p/1080i signal to the 4805 for the HDTV programs you are watching, then the 4805 should be in 16:9 mode and the picture should be correct. Can you very that you are indeed have your connections right?

diodow

02-19-06, 11:44 PM

No, it will not look like SD, it will look REALLY REALLY good. It will NOT look as good as a 720 or a 1080 PJ but will look magnitudes better than SD cable and much much better than DVD's. Buy the HD package.

thanks

Judge for yourself. Click on the image below for a larger photo of HDTV on the 4805:

wow is it really a 4805 hdtv? that pic is crisp clear , my setup does not come close

on a rating of 10 yours is 10 and mine is like 2

i have pixelation around fonts and faces and is not really clear ,

my pj is on the ceiling 15' away from the screen my screen is 9' wide ,its blurry
and the clearest i can achieve with the focus ,i use component out put from my satellite and i runned around 35' of rg6 coax for component imputs ,i dont know whats wrong? any ideas and thanks for the quick response.

/M3

02-19-06, 11:58 PM

figured it out. cable box was not setup correctly. I set the cable box to 480p to fill the screen. Is that the correct setting? 720 and 1080 do not fill the screen.

If you are feeding a correct 720p/1080i signal to the 4805 for the HDTV programs you are watching, then the 4805 should be in 16:9 mode and the picture should be correct. Can you very that you are indeed have your connections right?

cavu

02-20-06, 01:29 AM

How do I get 16:9 to completely fill the screen?I see from your other postings that you are using a DVI-M1 cable for your HDTV.

What cable box are you using?

onion

02-20-06, 04:51 AM

So how do you mount an ND2 filter??
Do you just place it on like you do to the lens cap??

cavu

02-20-06, 04:59 AM

Do you just place it on like you do to the lens cap??Yes, except it friction fits on the inside of the focus ring instead of the outside - you can still use the lens cap with the ND2 in place.

onion

02-20-06, 05:37 AM

Thanks. Im going to order the hoya 62mm. Im going to be projecting on a 76" infocus screen (the regular white one with a gain of 1.0)

Calculating it all out the brightness will be 17.7ftl. Is this going to still be a bit too bright or OK?

/M3

02-20-06, 08:38 AM

using the motorola cable box sb series not sure of exact model #. it has the dvr built in.

I see from your other postings that you are using a DVI-M1 cable for your HDTV.

What cable box are you using?

Kashyyyk

02-20-06, 10:08 AM

hey guys,

I've been enjoying my 4805, (finally got HT up and running) for awhile now and encountered a new problem last night when watching Phantom Menace. Every 10 sec.'s or so I would see a SUBTLE light flash throughout the entire movie. I have not put in another movie to isolate variables, but I have not seen this with any other movies. Although I have not watched alot of movies yet. Do you think this is a bad DVD, or a function of my DVD player, or my 4805, or an issue with AC power quality/supply. I did upgrade my 4805 firmware to the latest version. I am using a panamax surge protector, and a Panasonic DVD player that was highly recommened a couple years back, RV80 I think. Please help, I don't know if my guests noticed the problem, but it was very irritating.

thank you,
Dave

Ja Phule

02-20-06, 10:18 AM

figured it out. cable box was not setup correctly. I set the cable box to 480p to fill the screen. Is that the correct setting? 720 and 1080 do not fill the screen.

You should let your cable box output 720p and 1080i for hdtv also. How is it not filling the screen? Do you get borders on the side? Make sure that you have the 4805 set to 16:9 mode for 720p and 1080i. The 4805 remembers the aspect ratio per resolution, if you have it on 16:9 for 480p and switch to 720p, it may go back to 4:3 unless you have it on 16:9 beforehand.

Ja Phule

02-20-06, 10:28 AM

Clams Canino

02-20-06, 10:31 AM

IT LIVES! After being unplugged, it booted fine.

-W

kirtis_mcleskey

02-20-06, 10:50 AM

hey , I currently have the 4805 and am getting all pysched on the new high definition bds and hd-dvd coming out.

would ther ebe any point though in me getting the new player and then buying movies since my projector is only a 480p projector.

would I notice any improvement over regular dvd

I would like to get a better projector for hd , but it wont be for at least 2 more years

scottwood2

02-20-06, 11:56 AM

I would start with a basic pci tuner card, i have a hauppauge card with the 878 chip, the quality with dscaler is great.

I also have two hauppauge pvr cards (the 250 and the 150). These do realtime hardware mpeg2 encoding. These are great for time shifting and general tv recording. I use GB-PVR with xmltv tv guide. This lets you record two programs at once, timeshifting, etc. Great with analog cable

The quality of the standard tuner card is better than the pvr cards because the picture is digitized and sent straight to dscaler/video card. The pvr cards digitize the picture, encode to mpeg2, then goes on to the videocard. The encoding reduces the picture quality, normally softens the picture, don't get the same crisp picture as the basic card. The output from the pvr cards is great but is different the a basic tuner card. The recording quality is great but not excellent(like a bought dvd would be).

There is no delay through the basic tuner card, important for playing video games through it, makes sound setup easier in some cases, not big issues though.

I had an all-in-wonder 9800 card a while ago, it has a good tuner and mpeg2 recording functions, picture was a bit on the soft side for my liking, you have to use the ati software with this card which was a major draw back.

I have a sigma designs xcard for dvd and general file playback, with component output to the projector, the quality from this is excellent, only drawback is the software for the card, no updates from sigma. But I would recommend this card for its picture quality/output.

So I would start with a basic tv tuner card with dscaler, lots of ouput options in dscaler, aspect adjustment, filters etc. I find the hauppauge cards good all round, the wintv software ain't too bad either.

If pvr functions are important the hauppauge pvr cards do excellent hardware encoding with next to no drain on cpu power, no jerky video, easy to transfer recordings to dvd too, The picture quality is very good especially from a good source

All-in-wonder cards do a good all round job too

Thanks to you and Ja Phule for responding to this. I purchased the Hauppauge card you talked about. Very inexpensive and exactly what I wanted. :)

I have almost everything now for my HTPC. Hope to build it next weekend and start learning the software.

Thx

spyder696969

02-20-06, 12:25 PM

So, will anyone else be purchasing or upgrading to the 3-year lamp warantee?

http://store.infocus.com/escalate/s...m=0&rangeNum=10

Bachelor

02-20-06, 01:50 PM

i may purchase the three year warranty as well. i'm about 45 days in my 90 day time frame. I will act soon.

crapkilla

02-20-06, 03:23 PM

Since by bulb just popped, I'm looking for a replacement.
Does anyone know of a place with them in-stock??

krasmuzik

02-20-06, 03:24 PM

You can only get the 1yr lamp warranty extension - read the fine print on the other warranties - they are for the longer lifed lamps.

Redbird

02-20-06, 03:33 PM

Since by bulb just popped, I'm looking for a replacement.
Does anyone know of a place with them in-stock??

I don't, but I am interested in knowing how many hours you had on your bulb. I'll be looking for a backup bulb myself fairly soon.

-Redbird

spyder696969

02-20-06, 03:38 PM

You can only get the 1yr lamp warranty extension - read the fine print on the other warranties - they are for the longer lifed lamps.

"Compatible with all InFocus lamps rated at 3000+ lamp hour rating."

3000+ means 3000 OR more (to me anyway), not more than 3000 only. Maybe you're right on this though, since that's a pretty specific cut-off point. I'll have to call and find out for certain. Perhaps if I tell them that, technically, you can get more than 3000 hours out of the 4805 bulb that they should honor it anyway? I can be pretty persuasive if I think I've got them by the short and curlies. :D

krasmuzik

02-20-06, 03:56 PM

I must say I have never heard that expression before - but I think I know what you mean :eek: ...but obviously the shorter life lamps are more likely to fail after a year than the longer life lamps. It is more intended to CYA that first year since the lamp manufacturers themselves will not guarantee them.

JeffKB

02-20-06, 03:57 PM

The 3 yr warranty states the lamp must be 3000+ hours in high brightness mode. The datasheet (http://www.infocus.com/upload/datasheets/english/SP4805_DS_E.pdf) for the 4805 states 2000 hours in high lamp mode (3000 in normal).

IF can't seem to make up their mind on lamp life with the 4805 - the figure has changed several times.

EDIT: Actually I'm confused now. First the warranty page states "ELW3 is available on all lamps rated at 3000+ lamp hours"

But then below it says:

"Compatible With: All InFocus lamps rated at 3000+ lamp hours in high bright mode"

EDIT AGAIN: I think I'm back to being unconfused - the 1 yr warranty doesn't have the "compatible with" claus, so I assume (as Kras said) that's the only one eligible for the 4805 lamp (2 yr has the same clause as the 3 yr).

smithfarmer

02-20-06, 04:28 PM

It states here when you click on the specs that the 4805 bulb is rated for 3000 hours on the high setting.

http://www.infocus.com/Products/Projectors/SP4805.aspx

JeffKB

02-20-06, 04:38 PM

You gotta love that - 2 different spec sheets and 2 different specs.

Looks like if you want the 2 or 3 yr warranty you'd better call and get a clarification. Of course, even then you may get 2 different answers depending on the cust rep!

cavu

02-20-06, 04:45 PM

The datasheet (http://www.infocus.com/upload/datasheets/english/SP4805_DS_E.pdf) for the 4805 states 2000 hours in high lamp mode (3000 in normal).The SP4805 Specifications (http://infocus.com/service/sp4805/specifications.asp?site_lang=1&site_region=1&) on the Infocus web-site read differently again: they say the lamp like is a flat 3,000 hours, regardless of power level.

I'd say if they sell you a warranty based on your SP4805 serial number, they have comitted to supplying the warranty. I've just called my dealer and he is confirming this for me and will swap the ELW3 for my ELW1.

To prevent a cross-post, I will simply point to my post on another thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7168966&&#post7168966) where I am asking Bob Williams for clarification of this issue.

BTW, there are FOUR separate lamp life specs for the SP4805 on the InFocus web-site - to quote: 160/200-watt SHP, 4000 hour average lifetime 160-watt SHP 3000 hours/200-watt SHP 2000 hours 160 / 200W SHP - 3,000 hours Lamp Wattage: Whisper: 160 Watts; High Bright: 200 Watts
Lamp Life: Whisper: Not Available; High Bright: 3000 Hours

JeffKB

02-20-06, 04:50 PM

Ya - I saw that. I guess that makes it 3 different spec sheets and 3 different specs!

cavu

02-20-06, 05:28 PM

using the motorola cable box sb series not sure of exact model #. it has the dvr built in.See my earlier posting in this thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6698172&&#post6698172) for the proper settings for using the Motorola DCT6412 DVR/cable box through DVI with the SP4805.

spyder696969

02-20-06, 06:03 PM

"Lamp Life: Whisper: Not Available; High Bright: 3000 Hours"

Not available??? What does that mean? Results may vary? It depends on if you're turning it off properly or not? Depends on if you ever clean your filters? We've not used it that long on low-power mode? We put this up so you could guess?

I realize that there are lots of factors that can affect bulb life, but to just say, "not available" seems rather odd.

Does anyone have real-world stories of how long they've pushed their bulbs beyond the 3000 hour mark?

I can easily see many going for the 4000 hours if they read those specs. The 3000 point is a reference, not an exact number, wherein the bulb just shuts off at exactly 3000 hours and never works again or beyond that.

Bachelor

02-20-06, 06:10 PM

Please post your findings on the ELW3 eligibility for the 4805.

0GIBS

02-20-06, 06:52 PM

I found out the problem and it was a usb mouse only for xp only as the drivers were installed as i have found when the operating system installs stuff i did not want installed boogers things up which is why as i have found to be the cause of many of my gaming problems, please let me deceide not what the operating system thinks best cause it would solve alot of peoples problems that have no idea of wher they came from and even my 866 fx 5200 512ram thru dvi has no problem with a game and now to try dvd thru the computer on dvi as i see it is another option over component which was just fine and dandy, nothing is perfect or ever will be when the operating system wants to hold your hand and do what they think is best even tho it messes it all up at least for me more than once until i can figure it out. :)

kirtis_mcleskey

02-20-06, 07:07 PM

anyone want to coment on my earlier post ?

are any of you going to be upgrading to the high definition format for your 4805s

ive never seen hd on the projector cause we dont have hdtv

/M3

02-20-06, 07:24 PM

See my earlier posting in this thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6698172&&#post6698172) for the proper settings for using the Motorola DCT6412 DVR/cable box through DVI with the SP4805.

thanks for the help. Works great. Cant believe it took me 2 months to figure out how to watch 16:9 in full screen.

cavu

02-20-06, 09:29 PM

are any of you going to be upgrading to the high definition format for your 4805sI doubt anyone is tripping on their shoe laces to buy a product which hasn't yet got an established standard specification.ive never seen hd on the projector cause we dont have hdtvYou can see 1080i on the projector in this image (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7164457&&#post7164457) posted earlier. The SP4805 does a very nice job !

spyder696969

02-20-06, 09:42 PM

I doubt anyone is tripping on their shoe laces to buy a product which hasn't yet got an established standard specification.You can see 1080i on the projector in this image (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7164457&&#post7164457) posted earlier. The SP4805 does a very nice job !

Thanks for posting that, cavu. I'm so glad you picked a smokin hot chick with tons of talent for your pic. Just don't ever post one of Fantasia Burrino. Every time I see or hear her, my ears start to bleed. :D

How did you get such a clean pic? What camera and settings did you use?

cavu

02-21-06, 01:32 AM

How did you get such a clean pic? What camera and settings did you use?It was nothing special. I paused the Moto DVR for a static image. I took the pix with a handheld Olympus D545 (http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/cpg_archived_product_details.asp?fl=2&id=1161) from 13ft using its "Night Scene" mode. This mode is fully automatic but uses a slower shutter speed. The camera pix quality was HQ (2288x1712). The lights in my theatre were off. My screen is a 92" Firehawk.

I took several pictures and picked the one without motion smear. I was too lazy to look for my tripod. ;)

Someone suggested a better way - use the timer mode to automatically take the picture 20 seconds after pressing the shutter - it eliminates the motion caused by pressing the shutter. A tripod would make it much easier.

Metalcraft

02-21-06, 02:18 AM

Setup:
From the Comcast cable box I run a HDMI cable up to the M1-DA input on projector(using adapter).
From the DVD player I run RBG up to the RBG input on projector.

I no longer get any image when using the M1-DA input, it just goes to a black screen. I had been viewing HD TV with no problems through it.

Troubleshoot:
I used the HDMI cable on the cable box AND the DVD player, no signal with either, jsut a black screen.
I can get a fine signal from both the Cable box and the DVD using RBG connections.
I reset the projector to factor settings.

I did see a very brief error message that said "Your HD signal has been compromised, please use RBG connection for HD reception", or something close to that. It only showed this error message briefly then disappeared.

I am not sure what to do next, it was working fine up until today. I wonder if my M1-DA input is fried?

Has anyone else delt with this issue?

TIA
David

onion

02-21-06, 05:43 AM

I looked everywhere and cannot find the answer.

Does the 4805 auto-regulate fan speed according to temps? or is it just one speed for econo and one speed for normal mode?

zebrada

02-21-06, 07:29 AM

eolhc

02-21-06, 10:17 AM

Does the 4805 auto-regulate fan speed according to temps? or is it just one speed for econo and one speed for normal mode?

Looking at the X1 service manual, (I would guess it's pretty similar to the 4805) it shows a block diagram indicating thermistors/temp sensors as part of the system, these are pictured next to the fans.

Also the delay in the fan speeding up when switching to high power mode is probably due to the temperture rising a few seconds after switching modes.

These would suggest the auto-regulation of fan speed according to temp.

On the subject of temperature theres also a thermal switch shown to cut off power, if things for some reason get too hot.

spyder696969

02-21-06, 12:50 PM

It was nothing special. I paused the Moto DVR for a static image. I took the pix with a handheld Olympus D545 (http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/cpg_archived_product_details.asp?fl=2&id=1161) from 13ft using its "Night Scene" mode. This mode is fully automatic but uses a slower shutter speed. The camera pix quality was HQ (2288x1712). The lights in my theatre were off. My screen is a 92" Firehawk.

I took several pictures and picked the one without motion smear. I was too lazy to look for my tripod. ;)

Someone suggested a better way - use the timer mode to automatically take the picture 20 seconds after pressing the shutter - it eliminates the motion caused by pressing the shutter. A tripod would make it much easier.

Nice. I only have the 3MP Olympus D550, so I'm at 1MP less than your 4MP. My night mode shots of my screen were the best I got, but still came out "greenish" and a little blurry. I'll try again. Thanks for the info, cavu.

scottwood2

02-21-06, 03:04 PM

anyone want to coment on my earlier post ?

are any of you going to be upgrading to the high definition format for your 4805s

ive never seen hd on the projector cause we dont have hdtv

What is this "high definition format" ? Is this new firmware?

Thx

Ja Phule

02-21-06, 03:24 PM

What is this "high definition format" ? Is this new firmware?

Thx

He's speaking of the new hidefinition video format such as HD-DVD and Blu-Ray that will show movies in HD resolutions in 720p/1080i/1080p. Though the 4805 is only 854x480 native resolution, content from HD-DVD and Blu-Ray will still look great on the 4805 (like regular HDTV looks great now on it).

spyder696969

02-21-06, 03:24 PM

I think he's referring to getting HDTV programming to display on the 4805.

zaphod7501

02-21-06, 09:30 PM

I paused the Moto DVR for a static image
The PJ does have an undocumented "Freeze" mode also that would give you a static image but you would probably need to be using a OneForAll remote. EFC 054 if you know how to do advanced codes on one of them.

scooterboy

02-21-06, 11:29 PM

spyder696969

02-22-06, 01:05 AM

The PJ does have an undocumented "Freeze" mode also that would give you a static image but you would probably need to be using a OneForAll remote. EFC 054 if you know how to do advanced codes on one of them.

What's the EFC 054 mean? This isn't a JP1 thing, is it? I have had lots of OFAs, but I just do "learning" since I'm too lazy for JP1.

tradewinds

02-22-06, 09:14 AM

Usually it is for JP1 but I guess some remotes may have a capability to enter it, not sure about that though.

Basilisk

02-22-06, 09:50 AM

Quick question...

I am going to order a HDMI and a DVI cable for the 4805 and was wondering would a HDMI to M1 cable or a DVI to M1 cable be fine or would I better be served to just get a HMDI and DVI cables and get M1 adapters over at Infocus.

Thx in advance

Z

Zebra,

I ordered this cable and it works fine, not adapter needed.
Cable (http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10238&cs_id=1023801&p_id=2502&seq=1&format=2&style=)

Bugless

02-22-06, 10:20 AM

Clams Canino

02-22-06, 01:21 PM

He's speaking of the new hidefinition video format such as HD-DVD and Blu-Ray that will show movies in HD resolutions in 720p/1080i/1080p. Though the 4805 is only 854x480 native resolution, content from HD-DVD and Blu-Ray will still look great on the 4805 (like regular HDTV looks great now on it).

While HD content looks great.... this is a little different from defining a "need" to upgrade to HD DVD's when they appear. While it will look great, the 4805 does not inspire a pressing "need" to upgrade to HD, but it does handle it very well.

-W

Ja Phule

02-22-06, 02:45 PM

I ordered my 4805 on 11/25 (I guess it arrived a few days later). What warranty extensions should I invest in to cover the PJ and the bulb? I have yet to put it in service for more than a couple movies, as our attic theater isn't finished off yet, but it so far has shown no anomalies that I can tell.

Am I trying to cheat death if I don't get an extended warranty?

If you bought your 4805 new (ie, non-refurbished) then it comes with a 90 day lamp warranty and 2 year projector warranty. If you are afraid of being SOL when your warranty expires (which is soon for your bulb in your case) then get an extended warranty. Bulbs have an average life of 3000 hours, some can die in 100 hours while others can die in 4000.

DeerHunter

02-22-06, 05:59 PM

curtis104

02-22-06, 06:19 PM

If you bought your 4805 new (ie, non-refurbished) then it comes with a 90 day lamp warranty and 2 year projector warranty. If you are afraid of being SOL when your warranty expires (which is soon for your bulb in your case) then get an extended warranty. Bulbs have an average life of 3000 hours, some can die in 100 hours while others can die in 4000.

Ja,

Did you buy the bulb warranty?

Ja Phule

02-22-06, 06:20 PM

Long time no post for me! Nice to see some of the old schoolers are still around, like Ja, & Geno to name a few. Anyone know the status on the firmware upgrade. I can't find the thread and I'm too lazy to search!!! :rolleyes:

WB :)

Bob said they have a fix for the flicker/pulsing, but it is still under testing. We hope it'll be out soon.

Ja Phule

02-22-06, 06:24 PM

Ja,

Did you buy the bulb warranty?

No, I didn't. I wasn't aware of a lamp warranty when I got my 4805, I would've probably got one had I known about it. Some people have their projectors for 1-2 years and only accumulate 300-600 hours on it. I've had mine for a 1.5 years with over 1500 hours. I've seen some with over 2000 hours in 6 months. If I used my projector more, I'd consider the warranty. I try to use my projector whenever I can, and I'm amazed that I've only accumulated as much as I have.

I have a new theory now. I've spent over $1k for the projector, I want to make it be worth every penny, and I'm going to use it more! :)

mboy

02-22-06, 06:32 PM

Ahnuld

02-22-06, 10:22 PM

What is it like for a bulb to go out?
Other than the obvious "No picture"!

Was watching TV last light, and the picture rapidly dims and goes out. In about 2 secs total... sort've like being tired and slowly closing eyelids.

No snap. No crackle. No pop.

Proj wont light up again. Get the " 5 strikes and your out" thank.... and then I have the red LED flash.... single flash, which according to manual couuld be a few other things. I did take out the current lamp and clean off filter

Does this all add up to blown bulb?? I have less than a 1000 hours on the damn thing... prob closer to 500, and the stinkin thing dies?!?!?!

Just dont want to spend 350 for new bulb to find out its some other prob

zaphod7501

02-22-06, 11:21 PM

What's the EFC 054 mean? This isn't a JP1 thing, is it? I have had lots of OFAs, but I just do "learning" since I'm too lazy for JP1.
Sorry, Wednsday is a little busy for me. You can do this with a JP1 but many OneForAll remotes support "advanced codes". To execute one, you would press the "set/setup" key followed by the three digits. The trick is you have to be using a setup code that operates the device and I don't know of any built-in codes that operate an SP4805. So, I guess it is a JP1 thing after all.

The simplest use of JP1 is to take an existing upgrade code and just add it to your own remote. Not much different than sending the remote in to OneForAll for an upgrade.

krasmuzik

02-22-06, 11:56 PM

No, I didn't. I wasn't aware of a lamp warranty when I got my 4805, I would've probably got one had I known about it. Some people have their projectors for 1-2 years and only accumulate 300-600 hours on it. I've had mine for a 1.5 years with over 1500 hours. I've seen some with over 2000 hours in 6 months. If I used my projector more, I'd consider the warranty. I try to use my projector whenever I can, and I'm amazed that I've only accumulated as much as I have.

I have a new theory now. I've spent over $1k for the projector, I want to make it be worth every penny, and I'm going to use it more! :)

Hey - you are about $1 per hour - good investment compared to the local Cineplex!!!

The lamp warranty is a new thing - Infocus does listen to their local dealer base....and this was their best CYA on lamps.

Amazingly I have a SP4805 referral tomorrow - so I dug the little guy out of it's case. It had a hard life on the sales kiosk mostly in High Power - struggling under flourescent lights to light up the SilverStar. Had to go back to Infocus for turning into a doorstop last summer (power supply surge). Just measured my lamp at 1600 hours and it is certainly toast - down to 366 lumens (low power) but only if I crank up white peaking, 271 with no white peaking, and 233 after calibration. 7500K is no longer brighter than 6500K - I guess no Green left in the lamp. My bright whites had drifted Cyan with along with the faded lamp- no more Red left (give it a B+) so I had to knock it down a bit to get back to my A+ ISF. Contrast still ticking - 2100:1 with white peaking, 1600:1 at 6500K preset (no white peaking), and 1400:1 after ISF.

Now you know why I suggested stick to 92" screens and ND2 filters initially - gets more out of your lamp life. The ANSI hours was never a guarantee - but an average without a deviation - YMMV.

I think I will keep this one in permanent "inventory" and not get a IN72 - hard to give the little guy up! I already cleaned the colorwheel to restore colors to their REC601 RGB goodness. Maybe some shiny black paint and a new lamp - and I can pretend it is an IN72! :D

Bullfrog

02-23-06, 02:58 AM

I just got a Bravo D2, hooked it up, set the custom settings as specified in this thread and the picture is incredible. However, there is a strange quirk that might just drive me crazy. When I hit the volume down button on my remote for my JVC receiver, the result is that in addition to turning down the volume on my receiver there is the unfortunate side affect of the DVD advancing to the next chapter. Anyone have any suggestions other than getting a different receiver or a different DVD player.

Bullfrog

dmcdayton

02-23-06, 07:59 AM

Hey Kras

I wanted to ask you: is it just my perception, or does detail become softer as the lamp ages? After taking off the ND2, things seem (for lack of a better word) silky. Not unpleasant, just different. Kind of like the gamma has changed from 1 setting to the next... Or do I just need to recalibrate? Planning to this weekend anyway. Also, at what point does a lamp fall off in brightness to a point that its not pleasant to watch, even though the bulb may not have failed?

I am not opposed to buying a new lamp earlier just to restore brightness.

I've followed your advice on the 4805 and its still going strong. I had problems with the color wheel buzz but a super thorough cleaning with shop vac has completely elminated it...suspect it was overheating and now the bearings have relubricated at normal operating temps.

Martin Butler

02-23-06, 09:03 AM

dmcdayton, what gamma setting are you using, and how many hours are you talking about? I switched from CRT to FILM gamma and never looked back (I'm guessing) around 1000 hours. Some of the difference may be the change from ND2 and it may take time for you to readjust. Also, I find I have to adjust the lens every month or two. It seems to lose focus a bit. That may be from my putting the lens cap on everytime after viewing or simply the small shifts that occur from heating/cooling. I'd check your sharpness with a calibration DVD. Good luck.

Can someone please tell me how to check the real lamp hours. My 4805 was serviced by InFocus and they reset the lamp clock.

dmcdayton

02-23-06, 11:52 AM

Clams Canino

02-23-06, 12:20 PM

Martin,

I am using film gamma and have adjusted the focus. You're probably right, it must be the ND2. Wonder how dim the bulb can get before the picture isn't watchable any more. At some point do you replace the bulb because its too dim..even though it might not burn out for another 1000 hours?

I'd think that if you're under a 95" screen, with no filter, and properly calibrated, that the bulb outta be watchable till it croaks.

-W

Mouw

02-23-06, 01:31 PM

I just got a Bravo D2-- When I hit the volume down button on the remote for my JVC receiver, the result is that in addition to turning down the volume on my receiver there is the unfortunate side affect of the DVD advancing to the next chapter. Bullfrog
I have my Momitsu under the SP4805...and the Sony receiver across the room on top of the LF speaker...
I notice with the Momi i need to AIM the little remote directly at it...
U might try relocating units so they aren't next to each other.

krasmuzik

02-23-06, 06:02 PM

uzziah

02-23-06, 07:13 PM

can it be done? is there one fan or two? are there any specs on the fan(s)? i have a hard time thinking that it would be terribly difficult. if the 4805 is easy to open as it seems it is, how difficult could it be to replace the fan? it's just too darn noisy. hooking up something like a nexus pc fan would be the right idea, but i'd have to have as much or more airflow than standard, and perhaps the fan is special or unique?

any help would be appreciated. i'd rather avoid going to all the trouble of building a hushbox, but this thing is just too darn noisy

Ja Phule

02-23-06, 07:17 PM

Basilisk

02-23-06, 07:31 PM

can it be done?

Yes it can be done. But I would at least wait until the unit is out of the warranty peroid before you make a move like that. A good fan that you can replace the unit fan with is a Panaflo fan. They are queit and move a lot of air. Some even have thermal control sensors.

You can turn up the volume on your sound system if you don't want to hear fan.

I sit right under mine, its 7.9' above my head but the fan does not bother me at all.

eolhc

02-23-06, 08:52 PM

can it be done?

I would think a lot of the noise is due to the air flow, i wonder if changing the fans would make a big difference, i don't know. maybe it would.

Earlier post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6875644&highlight=60mm#post6875644)

x1 service manual (http://members.shaw.ca/netguy/x1serviceguide.pdf)

dmcdayton

02-23-06, 09:24 PM

onion

02-23-06, 10:03 PM

Basilisk

02-24-06, 12:13 AM

Im actually in the process of changing the fan in my 4805.

There are actually two fans inside. One 80mm that cools the bulb and one 50 or 40mm that cools the color wheel and motor.

Most of the noise comes from the 80mm fan which uses a noisy ball bearing. I just got three different 80mm panaflo fans (hydo wave bearing) in today and will test which one works the best. I'll post some pics also.

That's great Onion, keep us posted how things go. We would all like to know which fan performs best. What are the CFM of those fans you got? If you can let us know the db rating as well.

Good luck and I hope it works for you.

Clams Canino

02-24-06, 12:41 AM

wes nance

02-24-06, 01:25 AM

I'm wondering how any peeps that complain of fan noise are using high-power on the bulb, or worse yet have a malfunction where the fan is running at high-power mode with the bulb at low power? At normal surround sound levels there's no WAY I can ever hear my fan.

-W

I think a lot of it depends on your install. My 4805 is quite low, right over my head, and as close to the ceiling as possible (I have a very low ceiling, only 6'4") so there's a lot of sound reflection off the ceiling back down, and I can hear it clearly. Also, the 4805 is a lot louder from it's right than it's left, so it depends where you sit. That said, I still have to strain to notice it during a movie or tv.

krasmuzik

02-24-06, 02:41 AM

Kras,

Silky was a poor choice of words on my part. I remember what it looked like when i first put the ND2 on and your description of "more filmlike" is apt. I think thats the slight difference I noticed...but actually the bulb had gotten a lot dimmer so the image I see now without the ND2 is probably more like the original image with new bulb and an ND2.

Sounds like I can milk this bulb at least another year, maybe longer which is what I hoped.

Still, after 2000 hrs, I have to say it plenty bright in my basement. I am sitting with laptop on full brightness, a 75 watt floor lamp behind me and screen is 12' away. Still looks like a 92" plasma to me:)

Thanks again.

I bet you bumped the focus when you took off the lens - and it is slightly different.

Yep SP4805 still looks good on the 6' wide HCDM as well even though the lamp is toast - only looks dim&small once you pull out the light cannon called SP7210 at 9' wide! Keep in mind what we call toast - is what those other manufacturers think is good enough for a new lamp - so it is not all bad!

onion

02-24-06, 05:36 AM

I tried the hoya ND2 filter today. Im using a 76" screen and OMG what a difference it made.

dmcdayton

02-24-06, 12:06 PM

Kras,
Since 4805 was so successful with my wife (she absolutely loves to watch HD Desparate Housewives) I broached the subject of an "upgrade" with 7210 in mind. Unfortunately the 4805 is too good, she can't see spending the $5000 or so when this $1500 investment still looks good.

I did sneak a new OPPO in last week though, so I can't complain.

Good idea, I'll check the focus again, I know I had problems with it after I remounted from the cleaning, seemed like focus changed once it heated up first use.

If this bulb is toast, its toast with Jam.

hansoloaf

02-24-06, 12:34 PM

Ja Phule

02-24-06, 01:00 PM

and am new to this forum as you can see my post count :)

i have a question - how does one set up closed captioning with this projector if one is using satellite dish for regular tv viewing? I know most dvds have subitiles so that's not an issue for me.

any suggestions or advice would be appreciated. i tried searching but there were not many threads on this topic and none of them were helpful and none were in relation with this specific projector.

thanks

CC is usually the function of the tv tuner. You should be using a satellite box and you should check with your satellite box to see if it has the option to enable CC output. Most stb should have this in them nowadays. My Scientific Atlanta cable box from Time Warner does the CC for my set up.

hansoloaf

02-24-06, 01:48 PM

Hi -

thanks for the quick reply.

However my DirecTv stb does not have cc capabilities it seems. I looked but couldn't find anything on the menu nor in the manual. It's a fairly new model but looks like a "cheap" model.

I just found out that ViewSonic NextVision can provide this capability so I might purchase one.

rg0019

02-24-06, 02:37 PM

Todzilla

02-24-06, 02:41 PM

Is there anyone else using the LG 511 upconverting DVD player with the 4805? Ive recently upgraded to the LG 511, and after applying the upconversion and macrovision hacks. I'm pleased with the picture @ 1080i over component. My previous player was the Toshiba 3960. Although with my pursuit for the perfect picture, I used AVIA to calibrate brightness and contrast. Is there anyway to make adjustments to saturation and tint in 1080i? Looking thru blue filter they're both slightly off. Any help is greatly appreciated. Todd

Ja Phule

02-24-06, 02:47 PM

fernando69

02-24-06, 03:06 PM

Í´ll say I love my projector but you need to control the light, the image looks faded and pretty bad with some light, I´m using a 2meter wide screen.

I´m saving to buy blackouts for the windows meanwhile the only time I use it is at night.

dsutton01

02-24-06, 03:08 PM

I have my 4805 installed on the ceiling, about a 35 foot run from my media closet. Wiring consists of fairly cheap quality s-video and component cables, all installed when the house was in framing stage. Unfortunately, the installer didn't use top quality cabling, and the cables are not long enough, so we're using connectors to extend the lengths where the cables come out of the walls.

I'm about to embark on a new cabling project which will involve some wallboard removal, but before i begin, i want to be certain i'm buying the right cable. I'm going to get them from monoprice.com, and want a higher quality and longer component cable, s-video cable, and i want to add an M1-D cable.

I don't know if i should be getting the M1-D with an HDMI or DV-I termination on it. I have a DVD player with an hdmi out, and a receiver with neither DV-I or HDMI. I have a Cox Cable HD DVR that has HDMI as well. I want to install the cable that will be best for future expansion, but i have no clue which will be better. I would love to hook up my HTPC when it's built, and I also would like to buy a DVD player that lets me choose the exact output. I also plan a receiver upgrade in a year or so, and it will have the correct outputs to use the new cabling.

Given all this, can anyone suggest what would be the better choice?
Thanks - your help is appreciated.

Dan

Martin Butler

02-24-06, 04:49 PM

dsutton, if your breaking through walls or sheetrock, I'd put in at least one of every type of cable. Instead of a cable with an M-1 termination, I'd get DVI and HDMI and then use the M-1 adapter. This way if you upgrade to a non M1 projector your not stuck with some useless wire. There's no discernable difference with the M-1 termination and the M-1 adapter. Good luck.

I have a friend who lives in a landmark building. In order to do any work at all it is subject to a Landmark Commission study, and therefore requires an approved architect to create the design and blueprints, then approved buidlers to do the work and then an inspection by the Commission AND the Co-Op board. So, it's an incredibly expensive thing to make the slightest change. He had a wall rebuilt and specified audio cables to be run through and come out into the exact spot where his speakers were, avoiding an unsightly pipeline of high end cabling. They built the wall... and forgot to run the wire!
You can imagine the rest of the story. And the moral is, get it done right the first time, even if you have to do it yourself.

foobart

02-24-06, 06:03 PM

For the ND2 filter, has anyone tried both the multi-coated and the plain versions, and seen any difference for this application?

mprover

02-24-06, 06:19 PM

spyder696969

02-24-06, 07:26 PM

First time poster, long time lunker...

I think I read this thread from page one. There is alot of great info on this projector. I don't even own one yet. OK, I said yet, so here comes to this question before I pull the trigger.

It's coming down to this projector and a 52 inch RP HDTV. The RP is around $1000-1100, so its nothing high end. My question is for the apartment dwellers. Can you use this projector comfortably in a 800-900 sq ft apartment? It would be used in the living room which would have windows in it. Does all the ambient light need to be blocked out? Can I watch TV during the day with some outside light without it affecting the picture too much?I think the projector will be mounted 10-12ft from the screen. I want to pull the trigger but the lighting issue has me scared.

If it is possible then I'll pull the trigger this weekend. Thank for all the great info. I think I'll go read the original thread now.

PULL THE TRIGGER! Shoot, fire away, turn the safety off. We live in an apt. with PJ mounted at just over 10 feet for a 76" screen that cost me $20-$25 to build in about an hour.

My gf likes to read with two 100 watt Daylight bulbs (each one puts out about as much light as if you were on the surface of the sun). No problem, as ling as the window isn't opposite the screen and it's throwing full sunlight right on the screen. If you have any blinds at all, you won't be disappointed, though putting up some dark curtains will make you cry with joy at the picture. You can get a tension rod at any Target or Kmart for around $8, so no holes for the curtain hang. The fabric for the curtains cost us $6 at JoAnne fabrics. If you work in the day and watch mostly at night, even better. Too many people worry waaaaayyyy too much about abient light. This aint your granddaddy's PJ, where the room needs to be pitch black at all times.

Other than 3 small holes in the ceiling for the mount and 3 small holes for hanging the screen, there are no other holes to drill/fill. You can fill them with toothpaste or spackling compound when you move at a total cost of about $3-$5. The great thing is that if you move, you just chuck the screen and build a new one. For $25, why hassle with it? Then, you take down your 6 pound PJ and mount and put it in the front seat of your car for the move. No lifting a 200-300 pound TV with 4-5 guys and a pickup truck.

PULL THAT TRIGGER! No two-week waiting period required! :D

Clams Canino

02-25-06, 01:28 AM

Sly_Dawg

02-25-06, 06:33 AM

aaranddeeman

02-25-06, 08:00 PM

aaranddeeman

02-25-06, 08:05 PM

1. Will getting a M1-D(P&D) Male to DVI-D Dual Link Female Adapter together with a 10m DVI-D Male to Male Single Link, work? Essentially is it okay that the output of the adapter is Dual Link and my cable will be Single link?

What is the reason you want to use the single link cable. Is Cost the issue. Then check here (http://www.monoprice.com)

therealgeno

02-25-06, 08:58 PM

Hi guys, first post but have to say a very informative and valuable thread.

I currently have a HTPC (with Radeon 9700) running to my Infocus 4805 via a Sony STR-DE495 receiver. Since I got this setup, I have been using s-video to get from my receiver to the projector. Despite using a high quality s-video cable, the output quality has not been very good.

After reading this thread I found that I should be using DVI and pixel-mapping. My HTPC has DVI out so I can bypass the receiver. My questions are:

1. Will getting a M1-D(P&D) Male to DVI-D Dual Link Female Adapter together with a 10m DVI-D Male to Male Single Link, work? Essentially is it okay that the output of the adapter is Dual Link and my cable will be Single link?

2. Do I have to get powerstrip as I can select 848x400 with the Radeon but cant get the 48hz refresh rate.

3. Should this all be run in 48hz refresh rate?

4. Finally, how can I tell if my htpc is outputting pci dvi levels or studio dvi levels, as I was reading about Bobs gains and was a bit confused.

Thanks in advance

2. Yes, I recommend powerstrip anyway. Search this thread for DaGamePimp's timing parameters and paste them to the clipboard in powerstrip for 848x480-47.952 Hz.

3. You can use either 47.952, 59.94, or 71.928 - we are lucky that the 4805 can accept all these. Both 47.952 and 71.928 eliminate 3:2 pulldown.

4. Depends on whether you are using vmr9 or overlay. If overlay, then no adjustments are needed. If vmr9, then you need to set RGB gains to 58, RGB offsets to 28.5.

therealgeno

02-25-06, 09:04 PM

Sly_Dawg

02-25-06, 09:10 PM

What is the reason you want to use the single link cable. Is Cost the issue. Then check here

Thanks for the reply. Im in the UK, and the cheapest I found was the combination of these 2. I just wanted to know if it would work okay:

M1-D(P&D) Male to DVI-D Dual Link Female Adapter together with a 10m DVI-D Male to Male Single Link

Sly_Dawg

02-25-06, 09:15 PM

2. Yes, I recommend powerstrip anyway. Search this thread for DaGamePimp's timing parameters and paste them to the clipboard in powerstrip for 848x480-47.952 Hz.

3. You can use either 47.952, 59.94, or 71.928 - we are lucky that the 4805 can accept all these. Both 47.952 and 71.928 eliminate 3:2 pulldown.

4. Depends on whether you are using vmr9 or overlay. If overlay, then no adjustments are needed. If vmr9, then you need to set RGB gains to 58, RGB offsets to 28.5.

Thanks for the help, much appreciated. Also I have read that to pixel map, the infocus should be put into native mode. But thats not the mode I will be viewing in, so will powerstrip just need that for setup?

Cheers

therealgeno

02-25-06, 09:27 PM

Yes, it has to be in Native mode to pixel-map. I guess you running a constant height setup?

onion

02-26-06, 05:31 AM

Dont waste your money on a dual link DVI cable. A PC + 4805 setup will never use the second link connection since its such a low resolution. Heck, 1600 x 1200 LCD monitors dont even use the second link.

Sly_Dawg

02-26-06, 07:16 AM

Yes, it has to be in Native mode to pixel-map. I guess you running a constant height setup?

Sorry, constant height setup? I do want it to be the same screen size/position throught, using any device (htpc or ps2).......

Via my receiver I have my ps2 and htpc connected to the 4805. But when switching from ps2 to htpc, the picture seems to move a little to the right and become smaller. I think this will be problematic when I create my screen as I wanted it to fit exactly.

Also, can anyone tell me why when ther 4805 loads up, the picture is huge on startup before any connections are found. Then when it loads the htpc, then image is much smaller? This is the same whatever the aspect ratio I choose.

Dont waste your money on a dual link DVI cable. A PC + 4805 setup will never use the second link connection since its such a low resolution. Heck, 1600 x 1200 LCD monitors dont even use the second link.

Hi, I dont want to get a dual link DVI cable. Its just that the adapter im getting is an M1 to DVI-D dual link adapter. So will a single link DVI-D cable work with that adapter?

cavu

02-26-06, 07:44 AM

can anyone tell me why when ther 4805 loads up, the picture is huge on startup before any connections are found. Then when it loads the htpc, then image is much smaller?The size and position of the white/blue screen obtained when pressing the "BLANK" button on the remote IS the full and proper size/position of the image produced by the SP4805.

If you count the pixels, you will find it is 854x480. Those are the very pixels used when 1:1 pixel mapping.

If your image is smaller, you are using incorrect DVI settings or you are using an analog input. The correct aspect setting is "Native".

novagolf

02-26-06, 07:56 AM

Hey Dan,

I'm in the process of building a theater myself. As I have complete control (and as I was disappointed with my cabling decisions at our last house) I decided to put in a 4" PVC "conduit" from ceiling to the closet where I am putting all the "stuff". Now I don't have to guess what the next cable is ... I'll be ready to swap it out. While it may not be a good option for everyone, it worked (is going to work) very well for me. I used some left over pipe from some drainage work outside and bought a few elbows.

I can't attach any pictures as I don't have enough posts yet ... but will hopefully be able to follow-up immediately with a couple of pics. In the pictures I am going to attach the ceiling opening of the pipe is the white "hole" you see. The other end opens inside the closet you see to the right! The other pic is of my electric 105" screen in the "down position".

Dave

novagolf

02-26-06, 07:57 AM

Hey Dan,

I now have 5 posts (yipppeeee).

Here are the pics I referred to in my post above.

Dave

Sly_Dawg

02-26-06, 09:54 AM

The size and position of the white/blue screen obtained when pressing the "BLANK" button on the remote IS the full and proper size/position of the image produced by the SP4805.

If you count the pixels, you will find it is 854x480. Those are the very pixels used when 1:1 pixel mapping.

If your image is smaller, you are using incorrect DVI settings or you are using an analog input. The correct aspect setting is "Native".

Thanks for that. Does that mean that when I hook the DVI up, I will see 16.9 on my screen when choosing native? Coz at the moment native gives me a square shape (using s-video).

Also anyone know about the cabling issue.....will an M1 to DVI-D Dual link adapter, work with a 10m DVI-D Single link cable?

Cheers

MaximAvs

02-26-06, 10:39 AM

Onion...

How goes that fan replacement?! What's the good word?! :)

Sean

aaranddeeman

02-26-06, 11:56 AM

You need at least 2.8 GHz for ffdshow. FFdshow settings are pretty much personal taste. But here are mine (6600 GT):

Blur & NR: Denoise3d .5, .5, .5 t=5
Resize: Bicubic default, resize to 1440x960
Output: YV12

With my x700 pro, I added luma .4 when Resizing and also added Msharpen strength = 5, threshold = 15.

Geno,

Thanks for this information. I was thinking the resize would be more like 848x480 to match the pixel map. I'm little confused...

Ah.. 2.8 GHz

cavu

02-26-06, 12:16 PM

Does that mean that when I hook the DVI up, I will see 16.9 on my screen when choosing native?Yes, if that is the format of the source. It will also give you 4:3 if that is the format of the source.at the moment native gives me a square shape (using s-video).I knew you were using an analog input !! ;)will an M1 to DVI-D Dual link adapter, work with a 10m DVI-D Single link cable?Yes.

Sly_Dawg

02-26-06, 02:16 PM

Yes, if that is the format of the source. It will also give you 4:3 if that is the format of the source.I knew you were using an analog input !! ;)Yes.

Thanks cav.

I just noticed that its an M1 to DVI-I Dual Link adapter that im getting. I know that it will work with a DVI-D Single Link cable but will I suffer any loss in quality coz of the dual to single and coz of the DVI-I to DVI-D?

Cheers

foobart

02-26-06, 05:21 PM

For the ND2 filter, has anyone tried both the multi-coated and the plain versions, and seen any difference for this application?

Trying again..

One of the local stores in the bay area (keeble and shuchat) has the ND2 (Promaster brand, supposedly made by Hoya..) in a non-multicoated version, and I'd like to try it out instead of just mail-ordering. If I was mail-ordering I'd have just gone for the multicoated one to be safe. I wanted to see if going with the non-multicoated one makes any discrenible difference in this case.

cavu

02-26-06, 05:25 PM

will I suffer any loss in quality coz of the dual to single and coz of the DVI-I to DVI-D?No.

cavu

02-26-06, 05:32 PM

I wanted to see if going with the non-multicoated one makes any discrenible difference in this case.I think virtually everyone has the vanilla, non-coated Hoya ND2; it works great. I don't have, and it appears noone else has, any comparisons of the two.

therealgeno

02-26-06, 07:07 PM

therealgeno

02-26-06, 07:15 PM

Geno,

Thanks for this information. I was thinking the resize would be more like 848x480 to match the pixel map. I'm little confused...

Ah.. 2.8 GHz

Yeah, you can try 848x480 resize - I always liked 2x DVD resolution of 1440x960. I guess the theory is to denoise the image slightly, then quality resize/slight sharpen, and the video card will scale the nicely touched up image.

I suggest you spend a night just messing around with different settings. BTW, most people seem to like Lanczos 2 resize, but I like Bicubic. And I have found that less is more with FFdshow.

Oh and that 2.8 GHz is to take full benefit (ie, running 3x resize, lots of sharpening, and maybe even an avisynth script).

smithfarmer

02-26-06, 08:01 PM

I think virtually everyone has the vanilla, non-coated Hoya ND2; it works great. I don't have, and it appears noone else has, any comparisons of the two.
Actually, quite a few of us have the multi coated version. I have not compared the difference either but there will supposedly be less chance of reflections between the filter and the lens. The multi coated version is what kras recommended so that is the one I got. I'm actually waiting on an HMC ND4 that I ordered last week.

therealgeno

02-26-06, 08:31 PM

Just thought I would share that I just read that DaGamePimp has just purchased and installed a Mits HC3000, which as the same chip as the future IN76.

FYI.

HTElectrical

02-26-06, 10:18 PM

therealgeno

02-26-06, 10:45 PM

HTElectrical

Yes, that is correct. You need a digital input to pixel-map and VGA is analog.

Clams Canino

02-27-06, 01:25 AM

Hi,

Could someone please post the ffdshow configuration settings when using 4805+HTPC mix?

Also what is the minimum CPU power needed when using ffdshow? I tried to play with my old PC and can confirm that it's beyond the capability of P-3 500 MHz.

Your response is appreciated.

I can tell you that a PII 400 is the minimum to play a DVD with no bumps at all, with NO post processing used. I can tell you that 1ghz is needed to even begin to use minimal post processing. And I've read that 2.5 - 3ghz is needed to get ffdshow to do all it's tricks.

That said... if you're pixelmapped via DVI with your P-3 500, the difference is light years ahead of the non-pixelmapped. No amount of money spent past that point will ever achieve the jump you see going from analog to digital signal. ffdshow will give you the last 5% polish... but you get to 95% of perfect with the min-config.

-W

HTElectrical

02-27-06, 04:43 AM

OK, Thanks.

HTElectrical

02-27-06, 04:49 AM

Another ? on cables and adapters. Could someone verify that these are compatible. I believe they are, and I went with the HDMI cable for future proof since I am going to run the cables thru the attic and fish them down the wall to the HTPC and to the PJ.

HDMI Cable male to male ID: 2742
DVI-D single link Male to HDMI Female adapter [DVI-M] ID: 2029
M1-D(P&D) Male to HDMI Female Adapter (Gold Plated) (MH) ID: 2689

All of the items are from monoprice. (can't post links due to post count)

lynzoid

02-27-06, 09:46 AM

Sorry, but...
what's it about - 50 pages of simplest HTPC crap ????
God....

homer1963

02-27-06, 11:02 AM

Sorry, but...
what's it about - 50 pages of simplest HTPC crap ????
God....

Sorry to offend you... but everyone is not as blessed as you when it comes to HTPC. Forums are for just what goes on here... to learn from others by asking questions. I for one don't mind it and I certainly learn something new on occassion because someone else may answer a question differently than the last guy. I think this is a great way for people to learn as well as share Ideas and When I see someone such as yourself knocking the process... all I can say is: You can go elsewhere.

Ja Phule

02-27-06, 11:14 AM

lynzoid,
This is the 4805 thread. People come here for feedback or help with problems they have. If someone needs help with htpc and 4805, we have users helping them with that issue. If someone asked for help with the 4805 and their dvd player or hd setup, we have users here to help for that also. I hate to be rude but if you're not here to provide feedback or seek help, then don't threadcrap.

fishbyte

02-27-06, 11:24 AM

Hello all, First time poster in this thread.... :p I just purchased a new 4805 because of this forum and am gonna pixel map through HTPC w/Zoomplayer and ffdshow and etc.... Question is this for the experts;

Screen choices... Has anyone tried the RS mmmaxx on drywall with the 4805 and how does it look? Also can anyone tell me if they are using Dazian 84" and how it looks... I want to get this pj doin its' stuff. Thanks a plenty for any replies....Fishbyte

Sly_Dawg

02-27-06, 11:33 AM

BretLuke82

02-27-06, 11:35 AM

Sly_Dawg

You WANT to use Native mode to pixel-map, especially since you are not running a constant height setup.

AND unless you are running the HTPC via DVI or HDMI, then you will not be able to properly pixel-map (usually a 640x480 4:3 image).

SO, get the DVI cable, plug in DaGamePimp's numbers, use Native mode, make sure your RGB gains are 58, offsets are 28.5, put your color temp to 6500K, gamma to film, and watch what a DVD image is supposed to look like.

@Geno

I was under the impression those gains/offsets didn't need to be plugged in when using an HTPC. Am I wrong about this ?

@Fishbyte

I painted my drywall with RS Maxxx a month or so ago. It definitely helped to ward off ambient light. However, as it is a greyish screen, it seems as though the whites have suffered. In the dark the plain old Behr UPW or similar will probably be the best bang for your buck.

fishbyte

02-27-06, 11:46 AM

Thanks Bretluke, Any others with experience with the mudd mix and/or Dazian screen material? Or is UPW my best bet for DIY?

Ja Phule

02-27-06, 11:52 AM

I was under the impression those gains/offsets didn't need to be plugged in when using an HTPC. Am I wrong about this ?

You need to use those gains and offsets whenever the video signal over dvi/hdmi is a studio level (aka video level) signal. If it's a pc level signal, then you don't use those gain/offset numbers. When you use VMR9 on pc, its video levels are set to video/studio levels, while the use of "overlay" will use pc levels.

Sly_Dawg

02-27-06, 12:11 PM

You need to use those gains and offsets whenever the video signal over dvi/hdmi is a studio level (aka video level) signal. If it's a pc level signal, then you don't use those gain/offset numbers. When you use VMR9 on pc, its video levels are set to video/studio levels, while the use of "overlay" will use pc levels.

Im confused. Above you say studio levels need changing but pc levels can be left alone. But from your FAQ is what ive read elsewhere as well:

'The 4805 by default is set to PC DVI levels and the aforementioned adjustment is needed to set the 4805 to studio levels.'

isnt pc levels = vmr9, and studio levels = overlay?

Also can anyone comment on my ffdshow query, cheers.

Ja Phule

02-27-06, 12:25 PM

Im confused. Above you say studio levels need changing but pc levels can be left alone. But from your FAQ is what ive read elsewhere as well:

'The 4805 by default is set to PC DVI levels and the aforementioned adjustment is needed to set the 4805 to studio levels.'

isnt pc levels = vmr9, and studio levels = overlay?

Also can anyone comment on my ffdshow query, cheers.

It's the other way around, pc levels is overlay and vmr9 is studio levels.

I don't see where my statement above and the FAQ are different.

BretLuke82

02-27-06, 12:31 PM

Ja Phule

02-27-06, 12:34 PM

Thanks for the clearup Ja Phule. So, it's safe to assume that MOST people will NOT be using those gains/offsets when using their HTPC over DVI. (As long as there are more people NOT using ffdshow than are using it, which I believe to be true)

Well...most people want to use VMR9 to get the best picture results AFAIK. VMR9 = Studio Levels, meaning you will want to use the gains/offsets.

Sly_Dawg

02-27-06, 12:55 PM

It's the other way around, pc levels is overlay and vmr9 is studio levels.

I don't see where my statement above and the FAQ are different.

My bad I was reading stuff the wrong way round. thanks for the help

Clams Canino

02-27-06, 05:36 PM

Hi,

Was just wondering whether ffdshow is just a tool for enhancing dvd quality, or is it recommended for playing avi's etc through my projector too?

Also are the default ffdshow settings good enough, or is all this tweaking, ala Louis' settings, neccessary to get a good image? I am going to be using it mainly for desktop use, tv, and playing avi's.

Cheers

Just a remider that everything above a cheap overlay player and using the DVI-M1 to pixel-map an HTPC is the difference between great, greater, and greatest.

IMHO you're at 95% of max-greatness with a PII-400 and PowerDVD so long as you're pixel mapped. All rest of the horsepower and tweaking are for that other 5%, which comes incrimentally at 1/2% at a time. :D

-W

scottwood2

02-27-06, 06:57 PM

Sly_Dawg

SO, get the DVI cable, plug in DaGamePimp's numbers, use Native mode, make sure your RGB gains are 58, offsets are 28.5, put your color temp to 6500K, gamma to film, and watch what a DVD image is supposed to look like.

Where do I find DaGamePimp's numbers?

Thx

scottwood2

02-27-06, 07:07 PM

Sorry, but...
what's it about - 50 pages of simplest HTPC crap ????
God....

Is that you Napoleon? Have you learned any new skills lately? :D :D

scottwood2

02-27-06, 07:14 PM

Well...most people want to use VMR9 to get the best picture results AFAIK. VMR9 = Studio Levels, meaning you will want to use the gains/offsets.

How do I choose one of these when I play back a DVD. I think I am going to use Theater Tek. Is it a option in the software?

Thx

aaranddeeman

02-27-06, 08:27 PM

Yeah, you can try 848x480 resize - I always liked 2x DVD resolution of 1440x960. I guess the theory is to denoise the image slightly, then quality resize/slight sharpen, and the video card will scale the nicely touched up image.

I suggest you spend a night just messing around with different settings. BTW, most people seem to like Lanczos 2 resize, but I like Bicubic. And I have found that less is more with FFdshow.

Oh and that 2.8 GHz is to take full benefit (ie, running 3x resize, lots of sharpening, and maybe even an avisynth script).

Thanks Geno,

Probably this is little far for now. Let me satisfy myself with that 95%.

SO, get the DVI cable, plug in DaGamePimp's numbers, use Native mode, make sure your RGB gains are 58, offsets are 28.5, put your color temp to 6500K, gamma to film, and watch what a DVD image is supposed to look like.

How about any calibration etc. (using DVE). Does it need or this is all?

aaranddeeman

02-27-06, 08:29 PM

I can tell you that a PII 400 is the minimum to play a DVD with no bumps at all, with NO post processing used. I can tell you that 1ghz is needed to even begin to use minimal post processing. And I've read that 2.5 - 3ghz is needed to get ffdshow to do all it's tricks.

That said... if you're pixelmapped via DVI with your P-3 500, the difference is light years ahead of the non-pixelmapped. No amount of money spent past that point will ever achieve the jump you see going from analog to digital signal. ffdshow will give you the last 5% polish... but you get to 95% of perfect with the min-config.

-W

Thanks Clams,

OK, so for now I will live with minimum investment with the "light years" advantage. :D

HTElectrical

02-27-06, 10:48 PM

Clams Canino

02-27-06, 11:40 PM

How do I choose one of these when I play back a DVD. I think I am going to use Theater Tek. Is it a option in the software?

Thx

Yes TT has an option to use overly or VMR-9 in the software. If you're using VMR-9 plug Bob's gain / offset numbers iinto the PJ. If you're using overlay, leave the PJ at defaults and calibrate the player software using DVE, Avia, or at least THX.

With my 1gig machine I can use TT and the Nvida post processor that's bundled with it. That said.... the difference between that and using the el-cleapo PowerDVD is minimal - so long as PowerDVD is properly calibrated.

-W

Clams Canino

02-27-06, 11:50 PM

Thanks Clams,

OK, so for now I will live with minimum investment with the "light years" advantage. :D

Everyone that sees my setup is blown away. And I'm using an overlay player and THX calibration. The digital pixel mapped connection is the biggest key. The worst HTPC is better than 99% of the standalone DVD players (all but 3 actually - and then it's a tie). So the lowest end HTPC can only be beaten by a better HTPC, nothing else. :D

I've seen a 4805 on a maxxed out HTPC and you can only see that last 5% if you practically A-B the two. I'm in it for the content of the films, so as long as it looks "real f-ing good" I'm quite happy. But thank God for the tweakophiles here, they provide the hard info that makes us all know what's going on behind the curtain.

-W

Clams Canino

02-28-06, 12:04 AM

A word on the freebie THX calibrators. Some are different, particularly the ones shipped with cartoons. SWIII RotSith was filmed digitally and was state of the art when done. I find the THXer with that one to be real, real, good. It may be the same as the one on the other SW disks... but I use that one. That said.... no matter what you calibrate with, there's still too much quality variation in DVD tranfers to be dead nuts on for all movies. The cheaper transfers do show up - a lot. But most of the newer movies from the larger studios are real good. Last one I checked out was the digitally restored and remastered Wizzard of Oz. Great job they did on it. Next thing I saw was SawII, and you sure as hell aren't watching the calibration issues on THAT film!! :D

-W

NoMore

02-28-06, 04:46 PM

Hi,
I just want to post something here because I've been out of the 4805 forum for awhile. Today I (for the first time) removed the lamp and vaccummed the filter. It was pretty easy to remove, and after 300hrs the filter collected some dust. Mine is a ceiling mount in the basement. I also examined the lamp and the color wheel, both looked flawless, no burn-mark at all. I bought this refurb about 6 months ago, so hopefully the 4805 will last me a long time. :) Right now it's not being used much because football season is over and baseball season won't be here until April....

aaranddeeman

02-28-06, 08:13 PM

Thanks Geno,

Probably this is little far for now. Let me satisfy myself with that 95%.

How about any calibration etc. (using DVE). Does it need or this is all?

Any word of advice folks?

mharnage

02-28-06, 09:06 PM

I'm thinking of getting the Mac Mini for my HT instead of building my own. Has anyone tried it with the 4805? - Mike

HTElectrical

02-28-06, 10:20 PM

Quote:
Originally Posted by HTElectrical
Another ? on cables and adapters. Could someone verify that these are compatible. I believe they are, and I went with the HDMI cable for future proof since I am going to run the cables thru the attic and fish them down the wall to the HTPC and to the PJ.

HDMI Cable male to male ID: 2742
DVI-D single link Male to HDMI Female adapter [DVI-M] ID: 2029
M1-D(P&D) Male to HDMI Female Adapter (Gold Plated) (MH) ID: 2689

All of the items are from monoprice. (can't post links due to post count)

I wanted to pull the trigger on my order, but just wanted to verify that the cables and adapters I chose were the best way to go and also that I had matched them up correctly. Did I?

3rd time for same question. Thanks for all of the help!!! :rolleyes: I guess I will just figure it out for myself.

Ja Phule

02-28-06, 10:41 PM

Any word of advice folks?

If you are using VMR9 and the 58/28.5 gain/offsets, DVE contrast/brightness should be dead on. If you had your gains/offsets at 50/50 you should end up with 58/28.5 after calibration.

EIther way, it wouldn't hurt to calibrate anyway.

homeboytim

02-28-06, 11:27 PM

I live in a college dorm and I've been saving up to buy a 4805 for a bit now. If I get one, I could realistically table mount it 6-15 feet from the wall (I'll build a DIY screen or figure something else out), and when I'm home I can put it in a family room up to 24 feet from the wall.

My question is this - will there be noticable screendoor effect at this distance? The calculator on projectorcentral makes it seem that a distance of roughly 7-8 feet will give me a 60" screen. That's really all I need, like I said I'm in a dorm. This projector could be a dream come true to a college kid, I'm really exited about the idea. Let me know what you think.

zippo2

02-28-06, 11:40 PM

homeboytim,

Good choice and don't second guess it. I have mine 13-15 ft away and it projects a great 90-100" image. As long as you sit 1.5X the screen size away from it you won't have any issues with screen door effect. At least no more than you would at any commercual theater. For your 60" screen, if you sit 8 feet away you'll be fine. As for your DIY screen....try a 4X8 sheet of Formica. Its the stuff on the surface of most kitchen counter tops and you'll find it at any home depot or similar stores. Go with the Matte white version and you'll have a beautiful, smooth surface without any ripples. It cost me $45.00 cdn. Its 1/8th" thick and you can attach it to your wall directly or glue it to some plywood. The image is honestly breathtaking, especially with a good computer feed or an upconverting DVD player with 1080i.

Good luck

homeboytim

03-01-06, 12:03 AM

Haha wow thanks for the most helpful and straight-forward reply Ive ever received on a forum. Will do, now Im only more excited to buy it. Trust that I'll be back on here in a few months to report my progress. Movie night with friends is gonna be amazing considering we watch movies on my 23" Sanyo TV now. 90-100" sounds pretty sweet.

Martin Butler

03-01-06, 12:58 AM

quoting Zippo: "or an upconverting DVD player with 1080i."

Zippo, general consensus is that since the 4805 is 480 native there's generally no reason to upconvert, although no harm's done by checking it out. The best picture is through DVI-M1 unless you want to mess with an HTCP.

Homeboytim, if you're looking for the best quality at the lowest price, look no further than the OPPO DV971H DVD player for under $200.

Welcome to the forum guys.

homeboytim

03-01-06, 01:00 AM

Thanks. Another question I had is this: I know that the 4805 comes with a VGA cable to connect to your pc..how will the image clarity of a computer connected through this cable be in comparison to 720i or 1080i HD through component cables? Could I just output at a high pc resolution with the VGA cable and enjoy HD images?

onion

03-01-06, 01:03 AM

So I changed the fan in my 4805.

The replacement fan I used was the panaflo FBA08A12U since it matches the original fans specs.

Panaflo pic (http://www.fatonion.net/projpanaflo.JPG)

4805 with cover off (http://www.fatonion.net/projector.JPG)

Two fans inside (http://www.fatonion.net/projectorfans.JPG)

To get the to fan connector you need to take some of the circuit boards off.

First circuit board removed (http://www.fatonion.net/projector2.JPG)

Power supply board removed (http://www.fatonion.net/projector3.JPG)

Metal cover removed and fan connectors exposed (http://www.fatonion.net/projector4.JPG)

I unsoldered the wires from the original fan. Fan wires (http://www.fatonion.net/projfansolder.JPG)

The fan is mounted with only 2 screws on the top and one fo the bottom holes on the fan has a plastic stub that goes into it.

homeboytim

03-01-06, 02:47 AM

Ok well I posted one question a bit ago, but heres another one thats been nagging me. My family has a 60" Mitsibishi Read-projection HDTV-ready 4:3 TV that we bought a few years ago. The model # slips my mind. We are accustomed to watching straight cable through it, no HD or anything. I've heard a lot of people criticize 480i on the sp4805, I was wondering how it would look in comparison to the rear-projection mitsubishi. Any better, worse? Personally, I can see the grainy images on some channels on the mitsubishi way more than on a smaller set, but it really doesn't bother me. Is it really that much more pronounced on the 4805?

sothoms

03-01-06, 02:56 AM

@ onion
Tell us, is there any big defference with the new fan?
Is it worth to make the change?
We are waiting for the results

Martin Butler

03-01-06, 09:10 AM

homeboytim, no one can answer that for you because there are too many variables. Some of those older HD TV sets have CRT tubes which still offer the best picture yet. Watching "straight" cable? Is that through component or S-Video? The 4805 SHINES on 480i through component out since that enables the Faroudja processing. I've been following this since the first "Official" 4805 post ( more than a miillion views) and can't recall ANYONE criticizing the 4805's processing when fed 480i. Where have you "heard a lot of people criticize"?
The 4805 looks as good or bad as it's source. Don't sweat it, cable looks fantastic when the program is well done. I've seen the mighty high end DLP's and D-ILA pj's that cost up to $20,000 and the little 4805 holds it's own proudly. Colors are great, black level equals or betters most DLP pj's and if you sit back a bit, the resolution difference isn't blatantly obvious. Just get it and you'll see what all the fuss is about.

Devedander

03-01-06, 12:49 PM

I would have thought the fans would have 3 wires so they could check speed... interested that there are two. So does the large fan always go and the small one kick sin for high power mode?

And interested in noise level results also!

MaximAvs

03-01-06, 02:09 PM

onion....

Thanks for posting those break down shots of the 4805. It's nice to the inerds.

I'll be interested in hearing your results!!!

Sean

homeboytim

03-01-06, 03:32 PM

Martin, thanks for the response, that's good news. What I meant is that the cable isn't even connected through a composite cable or component cables from a cable box, but rather directly from the wall via a wire with a single pronged, screw on connector. It's the old fashion type that most older TV's have, people buy RF modulators to fit TV's that only have this type of connector (sound and video are combined in the same cable). RCA maybe? That is good news though because in my dorm room I will be able to play DVD's through the 4505, but the only TV I can watch is standard 480i dorm cable (fuzzy on some channels), no HD, satellite, or digital cable. The people I heard criticizing 480i were in the user reviews of the 4805 at projectorcentral. Some liked it, others had complaints (which now sound unwarranted).

Ja Phule

03-01-06, 03:42 PM

tcreech

03-01-06, 04:02 PM

Thanks Bretluke, Any others with experience with the mudd mix and/or Dazian screen material? Or is UPW my best bet for DIY?

I'm using the original MMUD formula on drywall and it looks GREAT!

TC

homeboytim

03-01-06, 04:11 PM

Will do, thanks Ja Phule. If I get the Oppo HD upconverting DVD player, should I just use component cables to connect it to the 4805, or should I buy an adapter of some sort, maybe the DVI-m1 one or another?

Ja Phule

03-01-06, 04:35 PM

Martin Butler

03-01-06, 04:36 PM

homeboytim, Ja Phule said it, get a box and you'll be cool.

cavu

03-01-06, 05:05 PM

The Oppo is nothing without the use of DVI.You really ought to check out this thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=650231) in the DVD forum!! ;)

nhpm510

03-01-06, 06:15 PM

Ja Phule

03-01-06, 06:30 PM

Help me, I am GREEN!!!

Howdy, I've been pj'ing away with my Staples refurb 4805 and noticed I get "GREEN SCREEN" after switching from HDTV channels to standard cable (480i) via Moto 6412 HD box. It happens intermmitently, no pattern I can figure out. I usually hit the auto-image a few times and then the colors return to normal. The other night it tooks 6 or 7 "hits," so I got a bit concerned.

Called IF tech support and they said check around to see if anyone has had similar issues. They checked unit's return history and no problems were noted. I am hooked through component and all the cables are secure and hooked propoerly. Firmware is version 1.13. Any ideas? Thanks for the assist!

Auto-image would be my solution as you mentioned. See if adjusting the sync threshhold would help any under the advanced picture settings menu. If it becomes annoying, I'd maybe set your box to upconvert to 480p/720p/1080i instead, you won't be using the 4805's faroudja though, but maybe that will fix the problem.

zippo2

03-01-06, 08:27 PM

Homeboytim,

Yes, I'm also a big fan of quick, to-the-point responses. The Oppo is a great player however, I went with the LG Lda 531. Its almost identical in features but a bit cheaper and does a great job with component as well as HDMI/DVI. You can check out my brief review in the upconverting DVD player thread. Regarding 480i vs 1080i and the fact that the 4805 is a native 480 projector: I've tried both settings with a variety of players and there is a noticable difference as you go up in resolution. I know that its not true 1080i but it is multiplied regardless. Since my DVD player also has Faroudja DCDi, I see no benefit in allowing the 4805 to do the deinterlacing in 480i. Going with a computer that has a good video card (ATI or Nvidia) would probably give you the best picture overall. Using "powerstrip" you can pixel map the videocard resolution to that of the 4805 (854x480 I think). Using a good windows based player you can have unlimited control over so many variables and the picture is beautiful. You'll just have to do quite a bit more tinkering to get it all working together. Check out the HTPC thread for more info.

Cheers

George Sardos

03-01-06, 11:57 PM

Been awhile since posting here. I am running a zenith 318 into an Infocus 4805 for the last year with no problems and a great picture. It is connected with the DVI and the player set To 1080. The projector always reported the signal at 1080, but after using the projector at another location with a different player, and hooking it back to the Zenith, the projector now reports the same signal as 1920x540.
1) What does this mean?
2) Is the picture of less quality? I do not see a difference.
3) How do I correct it if necessary?
Thanks in advance for any help in this matter.
George

mobius

03-02-06, 12:48 AM

OK guys, I just got my M1-DVI cable in from Mono*****. :D

It's 25' and single link. IIRC, that shouldn't present a problem I presume?

Anyway, I have SO much yet to do before I feel like I can really get down to the business of enjoying this PJ.

I still need to ( in no particular order):

square the image to the screen
build a spare PC up as a makeshift HTPC
paint the ceiling a coordinating, but *dark* color
recalibrate one of my inputs to DVI
get some curtains up
get a rug down
mount my surround speakers
route the wire (man, I dread this)
build some acoustic treatments
finalize speaker positions and calibrate using my trusty Ratshack meter

Honestly, getting this thing mounted and squared has been a greater challenge than I anticipated. I have these damned old wavy plaster walls to thank for that. Hehe, during the whole mounting process for PJ and screen, I found three studs- THREE! LOL Two I just about had to find because of the headers over the door and window frames. The last one was just sh**-house luck. :)

Thank God for 3/16" toggle bolts and Gorilla glue (don't ask).

Anyway, the hard part is over now. I just need to keep beating on this thing until I get it finished. I probably sound pretty anal, but that's what AVS does to a man. :D

Clams Canino

03-02-06, 12:59 AM

get a rug down
mount my surround speakers
route the wire (man, I dread this)
:D

Route the sound wires under the rug..... easy.

-W

mobius

03-02-06, 01:46 AM

homeboytim

03-02-06, 02:37 AM

tradewinds

03-02-06, 02:48 AM

monoprice.com has the M1-DVI cable for the 4805 for very cheap. 25 ft.

Click here (http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10238&cs_id=1023801&p_id=2502&seq=1&format=2)

homeboytim

03-02-06, 02:50 AM

Thanks. I was just looking in despair at buying the 6inch one for double that price. You the man.

How are their component cables, and their DVI-hdmi cables, quality-wise?

Clams Canino

03-02-06, 07:45 AM

Well, it's a 16 by ~19' foot room, so even with a 8 X 10 rug, running those three 12awg wires under the ruge to the front channels would be quite noticeably. Heck, with my jake-legged setup right now (cables running across the floor) has almost caused me to trip several times. :eek:

I bought a 250 spool of new wire, so I'll probably just run it around the periphery of the room. I'm just trying to find the stealthiest routing method- I tired of looking at a snake pit of wires. :)

Of course, this is all in light of the fact that I haven't even finalized an equipment mounting location. :rolleyes:

Thanks for the suggestion though. :)

If you run the wires stapled down flat next to the tack strip for the rug they will be nearly imperceptable once you pull the wool. Do not put the pad over the wires, cut it so that it butts up against them. Run the left and right up each side and the center channel up the closer side on top of it's friend. Just keep them flat tucked between the padding and tack-strip and they will dissapear. Trust me on this, I've been around the block a few times.

Finalize the room design 1st. Make a decision and live with it.

-W

homer1963

03-02-06, 08:22 AM

Thanks. I was just looking in despair at buying the 6inch one for double that price. You the man.

How are their component cables, and their DVI-hdmi cables, quality-wise?

I have bought several items from Monoprice and have been very happy with the quality and there service. Buy with confidence.

tradewinds

03-02-06, 09:04 AM

yes, surprisingly their quality is amazing and on par with the higher brand name stuff. I tell ya, marketing and hype can really tax the un-informed consumers.

Ja Phule

03-02-06, 09:43 AM

This may be an old and well-trodden issue, but I am outraged that Infocus's m1-dvi cable is 6 inches long and $50. Unless I am going to duct tape my DVD player to the projector, I dont see how this is going to work. Since you all have 4805's and it seems most of you have taken the step up to HD, what is the cheapest route to connecting a 4805 to HD?

Infocus had 3 cables. There's the 6" M1 to DVI adapter (that is meant to be connected to a dvi extension cable), a 6' M1 to DVI cable, and a 33ft M1 to DVI cable.

onion

03-02-06, 12:44 PM

monoprice rules.

tradewinds

03-02-06, 12:51 PM

onion, what's the result of the new fan install? Is it worth it?

Brantel

03-02-06, 01:15 PM

Monoprice rules is the absolute truth!

They just processed one of my orders in seconds.

I placed the order and within 2 minutes I had a tracking number!

cdomaloan

03-02-06, 03:37 PM

One thing about Monoprice.

I ordered the 35ft M1 to DVI cable, and when I plugged it in everything was RED. I emailed Monoprice about getting a new one shipped to me so I could troubleshoot. They took a couple days to reply, but it was to tell me that their whole batch of 35ft cables were bad. They said, "Do you want a 25ft one or a 50ft one?" I told them the 50ft one, and all I had to do was send the 35ft one back and they sent me the 50ft which I got in a few days.

So even though they had a bad batch of cables, they resolved it quickly and professionally, actually I think they were pretty embarassed by it.

Mntneer

03-02-06, 03:44 PM

Ja Phule

03-02-06, 03:55 PM

Long live the king!

Well, at slightly under 2000 hours, my 4805 bulb finally blew this afternoon.

Places I've looked so far for replacement bulbs are all out of stock. Anyone know of any good source for bulbs? How much have some paid for replacement bulbs?

Would my wife understand if I bought one of the new Infocus projectors instead? ;)

Also, should a blown bulb worry me when it comes to glass shards getting near the color wheel?

Being able to get 2000 hrs out of my lamp would satisfy me (almost there though). I believe the lamp housing is built so that a blown bulb should still remain within the housing. Bulb prices seem pretty much in and around $333, but not too sure which place is good to get but froogle should have quite a few retailers.

Mntneer

03-02-06, 05:40 PM

Being able to get 2000 hrs out of my lamp would satisfy me (almost there though). I believe the lamp housing is built so that a blown bulb should still remain within the housing. Bulb prices seem pretty much in and around $333, but not too sure which place is good to get but froogle should have quite a few retailers.

Thanks. I've looked a couple different sources, all that I've checked so far, Infocus themselves, Apex, Crutchfield, are all out of stock, and it could be weeks before I get a replacement. :(

Does AVS sell bulbs? I'm going to remove the casing tonight and see if there was any damage.

I put heavy use on her. At least 110 hours a month, and have had it since November of 2004. I'm also guilty though of not cleaning the filter ever 250 hours like I should have. I cleaned mine once, at around 1000 hours. I'm not too disappointed with the getting close to 2000 hours, I just hate having to wait until I get a replacement. I knew I should have kept a spare handy. :)

penticton102

03-02-06, 05:41 PM

Long live the king!

Well, at slightly under 2000 hours, my 4805 bulb finally blew this afternoon.

Places I've looked so far for replacement bulbs are all out of stock. Anyone know of any good source for bulbs? How much have some paid for replacement bulbs?

Would my wife understand if I bought one of the new Infocus projectors instead? ;)

Also, should a blown bulb worry me when it comes to glass shards getting near the color wheel?

try http://store.raindroptechnology.com/-strse-1181/InFocus-SP-dsh-4805-Replacement-Lamp/Detail.bok.....or http://www.partstore.com/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductSKU=8218982&ProductType=ACCS&ModelID=515314

penticton102

03-02-06, 05:54 PM

or http://www.onsale.com/onsale/shop/detail.asp?dpno=513405&store=onsale&source=bwbfroogle&adcampaign=email,bwbfroogle&wt.mc_id=bwbfroogle

Bullfrog

03-02-06, 05:57 PM

I believe the lamp housing is built so that a blown bulb should still remain within the housing.

One thing that is interesting is that the manual specifies:
"Do not place objects or people in the 2 foot area along the front of the projector. For a ceiling mounted projectors, this area should be 5 feet"

Of course with the throw of the projector and my screen size we are sitting right under the front of the projector and I've been concerned whether we are going to get a glass shower if the bulb blows.

jkim5453

03-02-06, 06:59 PM

One thing that is interesting is that the manual specifies:
"Do not place objects or people in the 2 foot area along the front of the projector. For a ceiling mounted projectors, this area should be 5 feet"

Of course with the throw of the projector and my screen size we are sitting right under the front of the projector and I've been concerned whether we are going to get a glass shower if the bulb blows.

I think the concern is more for:

1) Blocking the heat exhaust on the front preventing proper ventilation, and
2) Having the thing dropped on your head if the ceiling mount fails (or other "collateral damage").

joe

Mntneer

03-02-06, 09:30 PM

Thanks for the links. I'll try giving them a call tomorrow. I really don't want to wait more than a week if I have to.

There was some burning, or charring right below where the small glass square is on the outside of the lamp housing, and I noticed just a slight amount of brown/blackish color on the plastic surrounding the color wheel itself. I'm slightly worried that the color wheel itself was damaged in the blow, but I guess I won't know the answer to that until I get a new bulb and fire it up.

On closer examination, I didn't have a great deal of dust build up on the filters of the lamp either, but I still have to admit that I fired up the projector at least once a day, so I can't be too unhappy about the length of the bulb life. I was hoping to get closer to 2500, but I guess I can live with close to 2000. I never noticed a great deal of dimming with the bulb over the past month, though my bulb was having the striking problems that Infocus has mentioned, that would cause a small flicker in the image, and require me to run the bulb in High Power mode for a couple hours at a time.

aaranddeeman

03-02-06, 09:57 PM

I'll soon have my basement done with one room dedicated for the extreme pleasure.. The Theater.

This room has absolutly no window. 100% light control. Size 18'x12'

I was looking for suggestions for the choice of appropriate color for walls and ceiling. Here's what I have in mind, but I am open to better suggestions. Just so you know, there is no WAF in this area only HAF rules...

My choices.

1. Side and back walls - Darker red/burgundy/brown/darkest blue
2. Ceiling and around the screen area in front - Dark grey

Waiting for your suggestions.... :p

smithfarmer

03-02-06, 10:27 PM

I've got the dark burgandy walls and if I was to do it again I would go with a dark midnight blue instead.

aaranddeeman

03-02-06, 10:43 PM

I've got the dark burgandy walls and if I was to do it again I would go with a dark midnight blue instead.

Smithfarmer,

Thanks. Any reason you could give for the dream transition you want from burgandy to midninght blue?

Is my feeling right that the burgandy might me a little on the brighter side than the blue?

smithfarmer

03-02-06, 11:27 PM

Smithfarmer,

Thanks. Any reason you could give for the dream transition you want from burgandy to midninght blue?

Is my feeling right that the burgandy might me a little on the brighter side than the blue?
Exactly that reason and I just like the color blue more than I like red. I really wish that I had went with my instincts and painted the room blue but at the time it did not meet the GAF(girlfriend approval factor). She is history and now I have a room color that wasn't my first choice. It's really not that bad of a color and I have to admit that every woman who has had the pleasure of visiting the Smithfarmer Bijou has loved the color. :D

jkim5453

03-02-06, 11:38 PM

onion, what's the result of the new fan install? Is it worth it?

The anticipation is too much :D

I'm at about 1200 hrs. and the lamp is almost always flickering constantly in low power mode. It bothers me enough that I switch to high power mode to avoid it. When I switch back to low power mode after a couple of hours, more often than not the constant flickering returns within a few minutes. I have all the symptoms of a dying lamp Mntneer described in the 4805 lamp life poll thread.

2 hours in high power mode means sitting through a movie with that bothersome fan noise. A lower noise fan mod would be greatly welcome between now and until my lamp goes "crack"!

Hope Onion didn't fry his 4805 :eek:

joe

bigfootedman

03-03-06, 12:11 AM

I've been lurking around this forum for the past few days since I ordered my refurbished 4805 a few days ($799.56 for a great projector AND free 76 inch screen AND two day shipping!). I've been trying to gather as much info as possible so I would be ready. I have a few simple questions and some comments that I think may be helpful to other first-time owners.

The first thing I think needs said is this: HTPC's ROCK! I'm just using my regular PC (Athlon 64 3200+, 1 Gig RAM, Nvidia 6800 vid card) and it works like a charm. When I first got the projector, I was using the regular VGA to M1 cable to see how it looked and decide if I really needed to get a DVI cable instead. Honestly, when I first turned it on, I was slightly disappointed. There was quite a bit of aliasing (jagged lines) in the picture, text was not clear, it just looked sub-par. Note that I was using the projector as the primary display and had the resolution set to 848x480 (the native res of the projector). I quickly ordered a 50 ft DVI to M1 cable from monoprice for around $60. It arrived only two days later and I quickly got things hooked up (after marveling at the beefiness of the cable, the thing is freaking huge!). I fired up the projector and ... WHAMMY! Everything looked so much better. All of my previous disappoints were quickly thrown out the door. Needless to say, I HIGHLY recommend using a DVI (or other digital connection) with this projector.

Next, I started watching LOTR: FOTR but felt it was too dark. At this time I was using PowerDVD and no post-processing. I switched to TheaterTek and used ffdshow and things look much better now. Very clean and happiness-inducing. Star Wars Episode III is truly breathtaking. I then downloaded some Windows Media High-Def clips (do a google search to find them) and then things went to a whole new level! The Amazon clip in particular just kicked my ass.

Now I have a couple of questions. I'm using PowerStrip and have tried changing the refresh-rate to the different values that have been mentioned here (I don't remember them off the top of my head) but the OSD for the projector always says that the refresh-rate is 60hz, regardless of what PowerStrip says it currently is. Is this normal? My next question is about ffdshow and TheaterTek. I have the OSD option enabled and when I watch something in Windows Media Player Classic, the OSD is visible in the upper-left corner, but when I watch a DVD using TheaterTek, the OSD is not visible. I have ffdshow set as the secondary post processor (NVIDIA Video Post Processor is the primary), so I'm assuming it is enabled, but is there anyway I can verify that it is being used? The picture definitely looks good, which is all that really matters, but I love to tweak. I also have VMR9 set as the video output for DVD because I've heard about so many other people doing it, but I'm kind of confused about what exactly its purpose is.

To sum up, I'm extremely happy with my purchase and strong recommend using a digital connection of some kind to the projector. Also, one other thing I would suggest is using the ZSNES Super Nintendo emulator with this thing. Everything looks completely mind-blowing. Thanks for reading.

Clams Canino

03-03-06, 12:53 AM

Next, I started watching LOTR: FOTR but felt it was too dark. At this time I was using PowerDVD and no post-processing. I switched to TheaterTek and used ffdshow and things look much better now. Very clean and happiness-inducing.

Can anyone explain why this would be the case? Assuming both players are calibrated properly? Too dark?

-W

Ja Phule

03-03-06, 01:35 AM

Can anyone explain why this would be the case? Assuming both players are calibrated properly? Too dark?

-W

Sounds as if one was using overlay and the other vmr9 maybe? Either way, they both need to be calibrated (no mention of calibration).

Clams Canino

03-03-06, 01:51 AM

Ya, but why would a *properly calibrated* overlay - appear dark compared to a vmr9 ??

-W

Ja Phule

03-03-06, 09:42 AM

Properly calibrated, they should be the same in brightness/contrast, otherwise, they're not properly calibrated. :)

Ja Phule

03-03-06, 02:35 PM

Mntneer

03-03-06, 02:55 PM

Man, I picked a HORRIBLE week to have my bulb blow. Infocus? What's up? No one, and I mean NO ONE, has any 4805 bulbs in stock. I tried the links suggested here, and about a half dozen other sites, but not a single vendor has a bulb in stock ready to ship. All were backordered. I even tried Best Buy/Magnolia (they no longer "sell" lamps), even Infocus dealers from Infocus' site, hell, even Infocus' own store is out of stock on them.

Is Infocus planning on cutting back on 4805 supplies with the upcoming release of the new line of projectors? Or did I just get caught at a bad time?

I know it's just me being impatient, but I don't want to have to wait weeks for a new bulb. :(

tradewinds

03-03-06, 03:47 PM

Great, just download the firmware and will be updating in a few seconds. Just in time for Friday Night at the movies.

jkim5453

03-03-06, 04:04 PM

Man, I picked a HORRIBLE week to have my bulb blow. Infocus? What's up? No one, and I mean NO ONE, has any 4805 bulbs in stock.

Try http://www.provantage.com. Back-ordered, but they expect them in stock today according to their online store.

My only dealing with them was when I purchased a 92" GreyWolf from them. Order-to-delivery was hassle-free and quick. YMMV, but maybe other readers can chime in about their reputation, etc.

joe

krasmuzik

03-03-06, 04:05 PM

adventuregeek

03-03-06, 04:55 PM

Ok, so I just had a go round with OutofFocus's warranty non-service.

The focus ring on my 4805 is a bit loose. While focusing the unit it will shift about 1-2mm back and forth and up and down. The image moves at the same time. This make it hard to get the unit to focus properly because when you take your finger of the focus ring the image shifts and goes out of focus. Additionally it will go out of focus by itself over about a hour.

So I sent the unit back for warranty repair. After about 2 weeks they claimed there wasn't anything wrong with the unit except for a "banding problem". I told them they should recheck the unit, I didn't know about any "banding problem". Another week past and I contacted them to see what was going on. They said they would check on the unit. The next day I get a shipping notice and it shows up a week later unrepaired! No explaination.

Has anyone else had the loose focus ring problem or this type of bad warranty service? Any way to get your unit fixed without going without it for a month? How's Optomo's service quality? InFocus won't be high on my list when upgrade time rolls around.

Ja Phule

03-03-06, 05:03 PM

Ok, so I just had a go round with OutofFocus's warranty non-service.

The focus ring on my 4805 is a bit loose. While focusing the unit it will shift about 1-2mm back and forth and up and down. The image moves at the same time. This make it hard to get the unit to focus properly because when you take your finger of the focus ring the image shifts and goes out of focus. Additionally it will go out of focus by itself over about a hour.

This might sound dumb, but I notice the image does shift when focusing if I press down too hard on the focus ring. However, if I touch it lightly it is ok and won't shift. Some people start up their projectors a good 20 min early because there's there seems to be a slight change in focus, though, i don't notice and it doesn't seem significant in my case.

tradewinds

03-03-06, 05:07 PM

Did the offset setting change in the new firmware? It looks like you need to press it twice to get to 28.5. Not sure.

bluethunder

03-03-06, 05:18 PM

So I finally swapped out my ATI 9600 for an Nvidia 6600 and wow what a difference on the ffdshow settings and CPU use! BUT, I WANT THOSE EXTRA PIXELS! so, can someone who has acheived this please post the settings? I know DGP's timings for 848 are out there, but I've searched through both threads and the FAQ, and I STILL can't find any actual settings for 854x480 at 47hz OR 60hz...... help, anyone?

-Alex
~)-----------------

If you take DGP's timing parameters (ie the first set of numbers), simply copy them from notepad and then simply click on the clipboard icon. This enters a user preset.

Then, click on Custom Resolutions, select "User Defined" and you will see your 848x480. Click on that and "poof" you will be at 848x480-47.952Hz. I cannot get my NVidia to sync with 71.928 - it always defaults to 71.930.

BTW, if you are not noticing any stuttering, then the 48Hz probably won't do anything PQ wise - it really only helps with smooth playback.

If you want, you could try one of the application defined resolutions - I believe there is one that is 848x480-59.94Hz.

Hope this helps.

Unfortunately, I cannot post a pic for you right now. I will try later.

scooterboy

03-03-06, 05:34 PM

tradewinds

03-03-06, 05:57 PM

According to Bob (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7239023&&#post7239023) The firmware is out.

Download it here:
http://www.infocus.com/service/sp4805/software.asp?site_lang=1&site_region=1&
# Fix for random image flash seen when playing DVD movies
# YUV input improvement
# Improved operation when Macrovision is available (analog inputs)
# 480i/576i about menu reporting corrected
# 480i/576i overscan corrected
# Save mode now restores phase setting

Any documentation of what the symptoms of the above problems were? Except for the first one we all know about, what were the others and what is YUV?

Honestly I didn't know there was an overscan issue in 480i and the about menu reporting.

Thanks.

adventuregeek

03-03-06, 06:11 PM

This might sound dumb, but I notice the image does shift when focusing if I press down too hard on the focus ring. However, if I touch it lightly it is ok and won't shift. Some people start up their projectors a good 20 min early because there's there seems to be a slight change in focus, though, i don't notice and it doesn't seem significant in my case.

So what your saying is that the focus problem on my projector was just "normal"? Sheeze, a projector lens should focus like a camera lens, smooth and tight with no slop. It's not like they're using a inexpensive lens either and then to cheap out on the focus ring. That's crappy. This is my last OutofFocus projector. :mad:

03-03-06, 06:31 PM

Now I have a couple of questions. I'm using PowerStrip and have tried changing the refresh-rate to the different values that have been mentioned here (I don't remember them off the top of my head) but the OSD for the projector always says that the refresh-rate is 60hz, regardless of what PowerStrip says it currently is. Is this normal?My refresh rates show up as what they really are (rounded down) so 60Hz shows 59, 72Hz shows 71, 48Hz shows 47.

I'm using 60Hz because it shows much less RBE. I'm not having any apparent jerky motion at that refresh rate either.

penticton102

03-03-06, 07:28 PM

Mntneer

03-03-06, 09:15 PM

try these guys looks like they have stock
http://www.partstore.com/Landing/ProjectorLamps/ModelDetail.aspx?PageState=1&MfgID=1722&PartCatCode=815.010&ModelCatCode=056.040&ModelID=515314

I called them to confirm that they actually had lamps in stock ready to ship, and they couldn't. Told me something about their inventory system was locked up because of some password failure? Didn't like the vibe after that. :rolleyes:

Mntneer

03-03-06, 09:20 PM

Mntneer

Interesting - as I just did a lamp last week..maybe you just missed the boat? Generally manufacturers keep lamps around - I recently did a NECLT100 lamp which is about 7 years old.

Customer wanted to buy before he popped - good insurance strategy in hindsight.....

That's the thought I got too, that most vendors just haven't had the need to constantly replenish stock, and I just got caught at a bad time.

Some places have early March down as getting some in stock, but others, like Crutchfield, don't expect any until April, which sounds really odd. Some have no idea.

The conspiracy nut in me thinks it's Infocus' way of getting people to move from the 4805 to the new line of products. Why buy a new lamp when you can buy a new projector. :)

smithfarmer

03-03-06, 10:25 PM

This might sound dumb, but I notice the image does shift when focusing if I press down too hard on the focus ring. However, if I touch it lightly it is ok and won't shift. Some people start up their projectors a good 20 min early because there's there seems to be a slight change in focus, though, i don't notice and it doesn't seem significant in my case.
I believe even Bob W has stated that you should let the 4805 warm up for 20 minutes before attemting to focus the image. If I remember correctly their were a few posts in the original 4805 thread about it. There were also a couple of posts about loose focus rings but I can't remember what the outcome was.

smithfarmer

03-03-06, 10:55 PM

So what your saying is that the focus problem on my projector was just "normal"? Sheeze, a projector lens should focus like a camera lens, smooth and tight with no slop. It's not like they're using a inexpensive lens either and then to cheap out on the focus ring. That's crappy. This is my last OutofFocus projector. :mad:
Instead of getting all bent out of shape over it, you should redirect that energy into contacting Infocus service and ask to speak to a supervisor and calmly and rationally explain the situation that has occurred and ask what can be done to rectify the situation.

Do this without getting too emotional about it, be polite and just simply state what has happened and that you're dissappointed and you would like to have your pj fixed. If you go about this the right way, Infocus will even pick up the shipping costs.

I've read every post in both of the 4805 main threads and very rarely has Infocus service let anyone down and quite a few have described how Infocus service has went way above and beyond what is expected to make the customer happy.

When it comes to customer service, Infocus is definitely one of the better companies out there.

jkim5453

03-03-06, 11:18 PM

Upgraded the firmware today.

One thing I noticed: HD programs (720p/1080i) from cable STB via component video input seems definitely brighter than before the update.

For example, if I bring up the STB OSD, the OSD background is much brighter than it was before the update. I switched to a SD channel and looked at the STB OSD for comparison - it was as I remembered it before the update, which was also how OSD background looked for HD channels.

To be sure, I switched to my DVD player in 480p mode and popped in a DVD I use for THX Optimizer to check the brightness/contrast - I use the preset settings from this for 480p/720p/1080i on component video input. The settings were fine (but I did decide that I can go up 1 notch in contrast and go down 1 notch in brightness.)

On the upside, the HD channels, with the normal amount of ambient light I have in the evenings, seem punchier, but now I'm wondering if the brightest parts of scenes are looking a bit crushed than before? Perhaps it's about time for me to finally pickup a copy of AVIA or such and dig deeper into tweaking ;)

I haven't seen enough of SD channels to notice any changes for 480i.

Well - maybe I'm just imagining the increased brightness. :D

joe

smithfarmer

03-03-06, 11:54 PM

This is interesting. I currently have to lower the contrast and brightness about 10 clicks for HD material from my STB. I'll upgrade the firmware in the next day or so and see what happens.

jkim5453

03-04-06, 01:13 AM

This is interesting. I currently have to lower the contrast and brightness about 10 clicks for HD material from my STB. I'll upgrade the firmware in the next day or so and see what happens.

With my current cable, the setting is 59/49. Before upgrading the firmware, I had it at 58/50. When I was using Monster cables, I too had to lower them both about 10 clicks each.

I hope you didn't misunderstand me - I didn't change the settings due to my perception of increased brightness; previous settings were still as I had intended them to be even after updating. It's just that while I was checking the setting, I decided I could up the contrast a notch and still perceive all shades of white well enough, and down the brightness 1 notch and still see all I'm supposed to see while helping to darken the blacks a bit more. I may have to go back and decrease the contrast, though.

After more viewing, I think what I'm seeing is something akin to an increase in white peaking. I think a scene generally has to be more bright than dark for me to see them as even brighter than before - if that makes sense to anyone. The OSD background intensity while tuned to an HD channel almost matches what I get on the CRT TV now. It's more white now where it used to look more yellow and dimmer (and it still does on SD channels.)

With the SA STB, when you press "Info", it shows the bottom OSD with the channel number and program information. The same OSD also shows up when you change the channel. Let's say I'm on a 1080i channel. I hit "Info" and see the brighter, whiter OSD. I change to a 480i channel. Screen goes blank. The OSD pops up with the new channel number, but it's still the brighter/whiter OSD. Then the 4805 syncs with the 480i signal and the picture shows up without the OSD. Press "Info", and the OSD is now dimmer and yellower. Go back to 1080i. Screen blanks. The OSD is still dimmer/yellower but with the new channel number. Sync to signal. Press "Info". OSD is brigher/whiter. I was seeing this after update, but before I made the minor contrast boost.

Before today, it wasn't like that - the OSD color and brightness was essentially the same across all channels. Perhaps the HD OSD was brighter/whiter through HDMI, but it's been 2 months since my M1-DVI input worked, so I don't remember.

Well - that's certainly a lot of rambling for one day :) Am I noticing the result of "improved YUV input?" Possibly? Maybe? Anyone? Bob? Kras? :D

joe

JeffKB

03-04-06, 03:06 AM

Hi Adventuregeek,

Sorry to hear about your troubles but here's my advice:

Turn on your 4805 and wait 20 minutes. Focus it. Watch some movies. Enjoy it. The next time you turn it on, wait another 20 minutes before serious viewing. Casually check the focus if you're in the mood. Repeat until you get rid of the projector.

Yes the loose focus ring is a common problem. And yes the focus changes within the first 20 minutes or so. But the good news is that if you focus after the warm up period, that focus point is consistent. You just need to let it warm up - you don't need to focus it every time you use it. Check it once in a while, but don't obsess over it.

Hope you find happiness.

Clams Canino

03-04-06, 03:14 AM

My ring is loose too........... no biggie. If you LOOK for trouble... you WILL find it.

-W

jkim5453

03-04-06, 07:14 AM

...
After more viewing, I think what I'm seeing is something akin to an increase in white peaking. I think a scene generally has to be more bright than dark for me to see them as even brighter than before - if that makes sense to anyone. The OSD background intensity while tuned to an HD channel almost matches what I get on the CRT TV now. It's more white now where it used to look more yellow and dimmer (and it still does on SD channels.)
...

Following up on what I started after upgrading to new firmware...

At least for my projector, I can definitely confirm that, for 480p/720p/1080i through component video input, and while keeping the picture settings exactly the same as before the firmware update, bright parts of the picture become too bright after the update.

Is this what you call "white crush?" Even at the contrast setting satisfactory for the simple THX Optimizer, a good range of brightest shades become indistinquishable in real pictures (like, for example, grains in sand no longer noticeable in beach scenes.) Best I can do now is to just eyeball it while decreasing the contrast level until I feel like I'm seeing enough details in bright parts of scenes. I'll give AVIA a try.

I've not yet noticed the flashing bug since the update (I used to see it, often enough, with DVDs and TV.)

YMMV. You may not experience this, but it's probably a good idea to do a quick check of your calibration after updating to this new version.

joe

DenM3

03-04-06, 09:06 AM

Hey Gang--Anyone had sucess with a specific Universal Remote for their Bravo D2? According to V Inc, there is no codes available (see faq from them below). All I need is something simple to replace the Bravo remote. Any advise would be appreciated. Thanks!

[V Inc. BRAVO FAQ]Are there discrete codes or codes to program the player for another remote?
[Answer] No.

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dagware

03-04-06, 09:41 AM

At least for my projector, I can definitely confirm that, for 480p/720p/1080i through component video input, and while keeping the picture settings exactly the same as before the firmware update, bright parts of the picture become too bright after the update.
The one thing I noticed right away is that 480i sources through component input seem to be much brighter, which is something I really needed. Of course, that's my conclusion after watching just a few hours last night, and I may come to a different conclusion later.

But so far, so good!

-Dan

spyder696969

03-04-06, 10:29 AM

My take on the bulbs being out of stock everywhere is that it s a combination of IF holding off to encourage upgrades and tax refund season promoting spare bulb purchases. Just a guess.

therealgeno

03-04-06, 11:14 AM

Thanks Geno,

How about any calibration etc. (using DVE). Does it need or this is all?

Hell yes, particularly the blue filter sat/hue adjustments. If you are using an ATI card, and you are running renderless vmr9 (in TT), then hue = 0 and sat = (-42). These are reference numbers provided by Kras (and they are perfect). I do not remember if Overlay was OK at default or not.

If an NVidia card, then theoretically defaults should be perfect. But different drivers seem to muck this up - I found just a couple of clicks fixes this.

Then, once you get around to messing with any sharpen filters in ffdshow, there are a few sharpness patterns you can use.

Sly_Dawg

03-04-06, 12:06 PM

When I tried to powerstrip to 848x480 48hz with DGPs settings, it went to signal out of range. but i can use 848x480 60 hz fine as it is an option with my ati radeon 9100 card.

I want 50hz coz my htpc tv output is PAL. Im gettin intermittent flickerin so maybe its coz i need it to be 50hz?

drew_wallner

03-04-06, 02:42 PM

I totally didn't realize until stumbling across this thread that the firmware on the 4805 was user-updatable, this rocks! I have two quick questions I haven't seen explicit answers for (apologies if I missed the answers someplace feel free to point me elsewhere).

First, is this cable which includes a USB connector something that came with the 4805 or must it be ordered separately? I bought my 4805 some time ago when they very first came out and I know there were some cables with it I don't use (we just have component in the wall) and I'm wondering if I shuld go digging around for this or if it's something everyone just buys later?

My other question is if I update the firmware, will it reset all settings including the hours count on the bulb? I know my other settings but I'm concerned about the "odometer" on the bulb unit - if that gets reset is there a way to "roll it forward" to where it was before flashing the firmware?

TIA guys! Long live the 4805!

eolhc

03-04-06, 02:55 PM

First, is this cable which includes a USB connector something that came with the 4805 or must it be ordered separately? I bought my 4805 some time ago when they very first came out and I know there were some cables with it I don't use (we just have component in the wall) and I'm wondering if I shuld go digging around for this or if it's something everyone just buys later?

My other question is if I update the firmware, will it reset all settings including the hours count on the bulb? I know my other settings but I'm concerned about the "odometer" on the bulb unit - if that gets reset is there a way to "roll it forward" to where it was before flashing the firmware?

TIA guys! Long live the 4805!
Yes the cable should have come with the projector, it has a usb and vga connection on the cable

No, it will not change (reset) the lamp hours when you upgrade the firmware, you might loose your contrast/brightness and other picture settings