Chongvu,

I suggest you visit <http://forums.satforums.com/SatForumMaster/start/login.php?webtag=4DTV>.

Ask about FTA MPEG and the type of dish you will need to receive Ku band. This is where most of the network digital feeds are.


Thanks Art.

Chuong

Someone running a setup with 1080i60 Input to the HD3000 Videoscaler and displays it at 1080p with 48Hz refresh rate? Everything fine there?

I want to buy this stand alone HD3000 scaler for deinterlacing and inverse telecine to 48Hz refresh rate. Any comments, any problems with it?

Someone running a setup with 1080i60 Input to the HD3000 Videoscaler and displays it at 1080p with 48Hz refresh rate? Everything fine there?

I want to buy this stand alone HD3000 scaler for deinterlacing and inverse telecine to 48Hz refresh rate. Any comments, any problems with it?

I can't recommend the HD3000 based upon 60i to 48p conversion. Wing at Optoma isn't happy with the performance and reliability of the Film Mode 48Hz feature. I haven't seen it work with smooth motion yet--although I gave up shortly after getting the firmware upgrade on my VXP. Wing says it WILL work very well with 24p source material such as Sony and Pioneer Blu Ray players and hopefully there will be a 24p output via firmware upgrade on the Toshiba XA2 HD DVD player in a couple of months.

The HD3000/VXP does a very good job of scaling 480/60i signals to 1080/60p, it
is a good deinterlacer, but has trouble dealing with the conversion of2:3:2 cadence from 1080/60i to 1080/48p at this time.

Jeff Regan

LG announced they will ship the combo HD/Blu player in Feb. Looks like the format war is over. It costs $1,200 though.

LG announced they will ship the combo HD/Blu player in Feb. Looks like the format war is over. It costs $1,200 though.

So... what happens if you put a hybrid disk in a hybrid player? How does it know what to play? It's called non-deterministic in computer science parlance.

I'm sure they have a "preferred" setting, but it is interesting they're coming at solving the format wars from both ends at the same time.

at $1200 I think the incremental cost of a HTPC may still be worth the cost... $1200 still seems high for a dedicated non-networked device.

Incompatibility of formats and the "clunkiness" of current HD DVD products has kept me from buying an HD DVD player. As a more than satisfied owner of 4 LG electronics devices, 3 LST-3410A's (HD recorders) and one 4200 (Analog/Digital Tuner), I will buy their HD DVD player after the first wave of units are offered for sale. I expect that after the dust settles, the street price will settle around $800.00 to $900.00. That price sounds good to me if it is compatible with the VXD.

Anyone else continuing to experience having blue screen issues on low blower? Has anyone had their unit repaired or modified to fix this issue? If so, what was the fix? I have 4" of clearance between the bottom of the inverted cabinet and the ceiling. That is not the problem. Also, when it started doing this, it would come back to a normal picture within 30 sec. Not any more. Now, it tries briefly but stays blue. It requires a complete shutdown and restart to get a picture. If I run it on "Brite" or "High Altitude", it operates perfectly although one can smell a slight burning small in the air every so often.

Incompatibility of formats and the "clunkiness" of current HD DVD products has kept me from buying an HD DVD player. As a more than satisfied owner of 4 LG electronics devices, 3 LST-3410A's (HD recorders) and one 4200 (Analog/Digital Tuner), I will buy their HD DVD player after the first wave of units are offered for sale. I expect that after the dust settles, the street price will settle around $800.00 to $900.00. That price sounds good to me if it is compatible with the VXD.

Anyone else continuing to experience having blue screen issues on low blower? Has anyone had their unit repaired or modified to fix this issue? If so, what was the fix? I have 4" of clearance between the bottom of the inverted cabinet and the ceiling. That is not the problem. Also, when it started doing this, it would come back to a normal picture within 30 sec. Not any more. Now, it tries briefly but stays blue. It requires a complete shutdown and restart to get a picture. If I run it on "Brite" or "High Altitude", it operates perfectly although one can smell a slight burning small in the air every so often.

Art,

I consider myself one of the lucky ones that received a fully working model at first try. No issues to date with it and I now have it upside down with a similar distance from the ceiling as yours.

The main difference between my setup and many others that are experiencing problems is that I am using solely component cables. I have never used hdmi into the processor.

I am confident that this has absolutely nothing to do with your blue screen issue but I thought that I would at least share the info.

Joe

Well, the good news is that I finally had my HD81 ISF'd. The bad news is that I'm
sending the projector in for repair. In addition to what I call a chroma and luma
clipping issue on high saturated or bright images, I am also seeing purple and green
blotchiness in shadow areas, lots of posterization/banding. Even HD DVD's look that I know well and looked pristine previously, look like they were authored with lousy compression. I'm wondering if it's a component failure in the VXP?

Jeff Regan

Well, the good news is that I finally had my HD81 ISF'd. The bad news is that I'm sending the projector in for repair.
Did your problems only show up after it was calibrated?

Did your problems only show up after it was calibrated?

Hi Greg,

No, I had been seeing these artifacts for several days. I'm sure you know the ISF
tech, Seth Schnaible. He did say there was a slight plus blue bump at the low end
and that the processing was a bit coarse, citing adjustment gain steps that jumped
4% vs. 1% in many other projectors, but was happy with how the rest of the levels
came in very close to 6.5K. There definitely was a drop in lumens, more than I expected due to having to reduce blue and green gains because of a red gain deficiency.

Jeff Regan

Jeff,

Although I have set mine up using the original Progressive Labs colorimeter, my results agree completely. Sad part is that the drift is towards blue green as the lamp ages. I can not repeat the results I got from the setup I performed over Christmas. I am seeing a definite blue-green hue in everything. I believe that it is the result of running the bulb so hot. I've performed many setups on CRT's and never saw a unit drift like this in less than 100 hours of use. My current unit is at 280 hours or so. I set it up about a wekk and change agoe when it was at about 80+ hours

Im curious to know how far from the user 1 values did your guy have to go to get you to 6500? My delivered values gave me around 7200 at 50 IRE. The saturation and hue were right on using AVIA but to get there I had to lower contrast to -3. I do not have much faith in those AVIA discs and prefer to use my eyes. My eyes tell me that the factory User 1 out of the box values look superb. Frankly they look better than the oversaturated results I get with AVIA.

Hi Greg,

No, I had been seeing these artifacts for several days. I'm sure you know the ISF
tech, Seth Schnaible. He did say there was a slight plus blue bump at the low end
and that the processing was a bit coarse, citing adjustment gain steps that jumped
4% vs. 1% in many other projectors, but was happy with how the rest of the levels
came in very close to 6.5K. There definitely was a drop in lumens, more than I expected due to having to reduce blue and green gains because of a red gain deficiency.

Jeff Regan

Next time tell him to increase Red Contrast until it will go no higher, then move it down a couple of numbers. From there start tuning the blue and green to that higher value. Is the dithering in blacks pretty well off or are you seeing crawling ants? Contouring can be helped by lowering the color wheel index, we need the service menu for that adjustment. Maybe when they're back from CES.

I saw this player yesterday at CES in Las Vegas, and it looked cool, but it doesn't do DVD-Audio or SACD. Since my current Pioneer Elite DVD player does the high-resolution audio formats, and I have quite a few of those discs, I guess I'll have to wait for someone (Pioneer?) to make a truly "universal" player.

Ratz.

-doug-

LG announced they will ship the combo HD/Blu player in Feb. Looks like the format war is over. It costs $1,200 though.

Zelmo,

I have been creating 24/96 files from Reel to Reel 7.5 ips tapes to play on my DV-09 for some time. If you are interested in trading, email me privately.

Art and Tom,

Here are the settings, most of which were similar in direction to Kevin Anderson's settings:

contrast 0
brightness 3
gamma 0
image TV
iris 5
R contrast 0
G contrast -18
B contrast -23
R bright -1
G bright -2
B bright -5

Overall, my first impressions were of more shadow detail, less color saturation, but accurate. Unfortunately, I am not sure I can trust anything I see because the VXP
has problems.

Art, my HD81 is just a few inches from the ceiling and an inch from the back wall and I've never had any heat issues/blue screen. I am at sea level.

Tom, yes, the tech first ran R contrast(gain) up all the way, but found that it did not add
any gain at the higher numbers and ended up leaving it at zero. He showed me dithering
noise in the blacks and adjusted just to the point where the artifacts went away.

Jeff Regan

What colorimeter did he use? If I entered those settings into mine, the red would be way too strong. The real tragedy here is that we are putting our trust in these colorimeters that cost a grand or two. They are not traceable unfortunately. You have to get up into the Pro units bfore you get traceability to NBS. Short of that, it's a crapshoot. When I called the Progressive labs owner/engineer and chief cook and bottle washer, he advised that my unit should have been recalibrated once a year and that I should buy a newer unit that had been set up with a similar bulb. This really disappointed me and frankly at his point, I've lost the trust I had in what I thought was a tertiary device with traceability. Tom and my numbers were very close when I did #1. We both own the same company's device although they are 6 generations apart. Wonder if whatever he uses to arrive at the reference files is the same and more importantly traceable.

John,

Did you have yours adjusted by the ISF guy? If not, you are welcome to borrow my device or I'll be happy to do it for you if I can get in.

What colorimeter did he use? If I entered those settings into mine, the red would be way too strong.

Art,

The software was ColorFacts, I don't know what sensor.

Jeff Regan

Jeff,

I'm not trying to pour water on your ISF "calibration". But you do understand, I'm sure that all of the nice graphs and results etc. that Colorfacts puts out is dependent on the sensor's original calibration. If that was done with a system with reference to recognized standards your probably in hog heaven but as it appears in the case of my device, the maker believes it is out of calibratin or worse yet may not be suitable for this projector for reasons that I can not fathom (Apparently, the rep rate of the picture..Coor Wheel speed etc, does have a major effect on the readings one gets from the sensor.) I find this unbelievable but if the designer and chief guru says so, yo have to listen. I do know that I am underwhelmed with the results after I adjust the projector's settings based on the sensor/ program results. The outof the box, warm/TV/Video Level settings from OPTOMA look better. I keep asking what the end of the line adjustments are based on? Surely, the labor force's eye in the far east is not the basis for the end of the line setup. I believe I did mention that each of the three units had different values out of the box for User 1. User 2 was all 0's. User 3 has other values on all three.

Re. Blue Screen isues... The distance between the bottom of the projector and the ceiling must be to insure that adequate input air is available through the few small inputs on the bottom. There is no air output on the bottom. In fact, the area between the bottom of the projector and the ceiling is quite cool. Only the air at the output is outrageously hot. Sure would like to hear from others who are living with this. I use high blower but the noise is disturbing. BTW, I find that the noise is worse when one chooses High Altitude setting instead of the Brite Lamp setting. Using only Brght Mode is better.

Re. Blue Screen isues... The distance between the bottom of the projector and the ceiling must be to insure that adequate input air is available through the few small inputs on the bottom. There is no air output on the bottom. In fact, the area between the bottom of the projector and the ceiling is quite cool. Only the air at the output is outrageously hot. Sure would like to hear from others who are living with this. I use high blower but the noise is disturbing. BTW, I find that the noise is worse when one chooses High Altitude setting instead of the Brite Lamp setting. Using only Brght Mode is better.

Art,

I run mine on Brite mode all the time. Never had the bule screen issue with/without Brite mode. The fan noise with Brite mode was bothering me too, that's why I built the hush box. The box also contains stray lights, and hides the PJ and cables. So, it serves 3 purposes. Worth the time to build and install.

Chuong

So... what happens if you put a hybrid disk in a hybrid player? How does it know what to play? It's called non-deterministic in computer science parlance.

I'm sure they have a "preferred" setting, but it is interesting they're coming at solving the format wars from both ends at the same time.

If they ever come out with a HD/Blu DVD movie, then the user can choose which format to play. One side of the DVD will be HD, and the other side Blu. Similar to today's SD/HD DVD movies.

I havent' seen a HD/Blu DVD movie yet.

Chuong

My PJ was pretty loud on Brite mode too. I run Brite mode all the time because I have a 10' diag. screen and want a bright picture. I built an insulated hush box and all is quiet. With zero ambient sound, all I hear is a small breezy sound.

Funny, my friends thought the PJ was naturally that quiet without the hush box. They thought I built the hush box just to hide the PJ and cables. Of course, they didn't know it was called a 'hush' box.

Chuong

Your hush box looks great! I'm curious about a few things. Could you tell me the thickness and kind of insulation you used and the inside and outside dimensions? What material did you construct the box of? Where are you venting the heat? I couldn't identify any vent holes in the photos? Did you use an addiitional fan or just the one already in the PJ?

Thanks

Your hush box looks great! I'm curious about a few things. Could you tell me the thickness and kind of insulation you used and the inside and outside dimensions? What material did you construct the box of? Where are you venting the heat? I couldn't identify any vent holes in the photos? Did you use an addiitional fan or just the one already in the PJ?

Thanks

Ok, one question at a time.

1. I bought normal wall installation, but it's too thick. So I only use 3" thick and cut out the rest of it.
2. The dimension is 13" high, 24" wide, 20" deep. I chose these dimensions because I wanted clearance of 5" on top and bottom of the PJ, and 8" on the back and the fan-exhaust side.
3. I used 3/8" ply-wood. 1/4" was too thin, and 1/2" was too thick.
4. I vented the heat into the attic. I cut a hole in the ceiling and put in a vent.
5. No additional fan.
6. I did not insulate the ceiling side of the box since I want heat to move freely.
7. I used 90-degrees brackets on the inside of the box to hold all the wood panels together.

The hardest part was to cut the curved wood panel to adapt to my soffit. If you don't have a soffit next to the box, this will not be a problem. The second hardest part was to match the texture to the existing texture on my walls. I did not know how to texture (I do now! :) ) at the beginning, and I had to learn. I thought it was simple, Not! If you want to build your own box, I can show you all the tricks.

I had planned 5 days to build the box. It took me 10 because of the curve panel, and the texture. Also, I did not have all the right tools (I do now!).

Conclusion: it was fun at the beginning, but at the end it was stressing me out, but after I hung it up, it looks great, blocks out the fan noise, the stray lights from the PJ, hides all the cables, and I go a lot of kudos from my wife and friends :) .

So, I say it was all worth it. I spent more time than I planned, but it was a one time thing, and I learned a few new skills that are very handy if you own a house.

Chuong

Chuongvu,

A formidable effort for which you should be proud. Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!

John,

Did you have yours adjusted by the ISF guy? If not, you are welcome to borrow my device or I'll be happy to do it for you if I can get in.


I have not done so yet. I am planning to wait until I get C08. I really appreciate the offer though. I have my dealer visiting Friday to set up the Universal Remote system. This thing is a bear to run with so many remotes.

I have not had much time to play. To many games to watch and then this called work keeps intrupting my concentration. Any body else seeing this problem or is just me?

I will call you about using your calibration tool. Thanks much.

John

What universal remote are you getting?

Tony

What universal remote are you getting?

Tony
I bought the URC MSC400 System Controller and the MX-900 Remote Control. Bought the starter kit (6 more IR sensors and several others to cover older equipment that are sans remote control) also. The guy should be here all day. I have: Denon AVR3300, Velodyne DD15, Optoma HD81, Pioneer Elite 46AV, Toshiba HD DVD XA1, Makita curtian, Lutron Grafik Eye, a Marantz M510, Comcast Motorola DVR, and a Panasonic VCR. Typical bastard setup I presume. Some IR. Some RS232. Some ???

It better work as my wife is unable to even turn on the lights at this point! :eek:

John

Is everyone else's HD81 completely focused in every corner of the image and the center when viewing a 1080p test pattern with single pixel lines? I am asking this so that I know whether it is normal what I see with my unit. I have encountered only one time blue screen of death and two times green screen of death and I haven't seen them recently.

I understood that the TV gamma setting has exponent 2.2 and I have used it lately and it probably is the best for most material (I have understood that it is used in monitors in movie production and therefore is what the makers intended). There still are some movies like my PAL DVD version of Moulin Rouge that just looks breathtaking with higher gamma + brightness. With my new matte-white screen I had to adjust brightness up to 5 because of the scattered light compared to the high power material I had before. Are all DVDs/Blu-ray disks encoded with gamma of the form x^(1/g) or are other formulas used also that would need to be set manually using the user gamma setting?

Kari

KariV,

While I complement your desire to achieve precise brightness levels with this projector that should match what DVD reproduction companies are told to strive for, you need to understand and accept the fact that transfer levels are chosen by individuals with keen eyes, not by machines with sensors. This is not an automated blind process. The best method for determining proper brightness levels is to let your eyes and brain determine whther shadow material is #1, present and #2, visible. In setting brightness or gamma or DVI-Video vs DVI-PC, I pick the darkest frome I can find in a movie and by raising brightness find out if there are objects in the dark shadowy areas of the picture. Having found objects i n darker areas, I lower the brightness, gamma, and choose the Video level which lets me barely see the objects I found. The lapel on a man's jacket offers a perfect object and I often use it to set my brightness levels. It goes without saying that one should precede brightness level setting with contrast level setting.

I sent in for an RMA NUMBER for update, will see what happens.
1gasman

Optoma Introduces its Anamorphic Lens for a True Cinematic 2.35:1 Image from Home Theater Projectors
The Optoma Anamorphic Lens Kit Offers a Complete Widescreen Solution; Ideal for Optoma’s HD81 1080p Projection System

Las Vegas (January 8, 2007) – Optoma, one of the leading manufacturers of digital projection and display devices, today introduced its Anamorphic Lens option for home theater projectors. The BX-AL133 anamorphic lens by Optoma is a complete kit that allows users to easily create a super-widescreen, 2.35:1 image in their own home theater setting.

The Optoma BX-AL133 anamorphic lens converts a native 16:9 image to 2.35:1 cinema widescreen image. The lens eliminates the black bars commonly visible on a 16:9 screen when playing a DVD formatted to the 2.35:1 aspect ratio.

Optoma's anamorphic lens is fully layered with optical coatings that minimize chromatic aberrations and astigmatism, and is made up of 100% glass. The BX-AL133 lens also generates a brighter image – up to 30 percent – than without the lens, due to the fact that all the light energy and pixels are used for the entire 2.35:1 image.

Ideally suited to work with the Optoma HD81 home theater projection system, the BX-AL133 anamorphic lens is fully motorized and works with the HD81's 12V trigger control. The HD81's Auto235 mode can automatically detect between 16:9 or 2.35:1 content and format the image, while moving the lens to the correct position in a few seconds.

When using the BX-AL133 with other home theater projectors, the lens positions and image aspect ratios can be changed by using the IR remote control.

The complete kit includes the anamorphic lens, a bracket for the lens, ceiling mount adapter plate, a motorized, remote-control sled for the lens, as well as upgradeable firmware.

The Optoma BX-AL133 will be available in February 2007 for an estimated street price of $3,999 through authorized Optoma dealers. Optoma is also offering an HD81/BX-AL133 bundle for an estimated street price of $9,999.

------------------
Interesting ?

1gasman

Here is a pdf of the before and after of my HD81 calibration results. My concern now
is that if Optoma elects to replace my projector and VXP, will the calibration numbers
be close for the new units? The RMA I received from Optoma today that says that
they will "swap unit and scaler".

Jeff Regan

Sorry to say but each projector should be tuned separately, individually to be sure. This is one of the reasons I bought Colorfacts and the Accupel.

So has anything at CES made you HD81 owners wish you had waited or is the Optoma big rig still the PJ of choice? ;)

So has anything at CES made you HD81 owners wish you had waited or is the Optoma big rig still the PJ of choice? ;)

Due to the deficiency in red gain, lumen levels suffer post D65 calibration more
than usual because Green and Blue gains have to be reduced substantially--at least
on my HD81, so instead of running iris at 11, I now run it at 5. Therefore, I would
recommend those with big screens to look at the new HD81LV instead. The HD81
is rated at 1400 lumens pre-calibration, so that really means less than 700 lumens
post calibration. With that in mind, the new HD81LV is rated at 2500 lumens, so
hopefully that would mean a bit over 1000 lumens at D65. Brite mode is still quite
bright with my HD81, but it is too loud.

Jeff Regan

So has anything at CES made you HD81 owners wish you had waited or is the Optoma big rig still the PJ of choice? ;)

I bought in early November, after visiting CEDIA in Denver. I'm sure that by next year's CEDIA, I'll be wishing for something newer; that's the nature of technology.

But after 3 days at this year's CES, I am quite pleased with my Optoma purchase and would buy it again if I had to make the choice today.

The HD81
With that in mind, the new HD81LV is rated at 2500 lumens, so
hopefully that would mean a bit over 1000 lumens at D65. Brite mode is still quite
bright with my HD81, but it is too loud.

Jeff Regan
--------------------

Jeff, is the HD81LV a 2007 model or new model?
I thought we all owned the latest Hd81 units, except for the firmware updates.

When you say bigger screens, whats the min. diaginal are you suggesting?

1gasman

--------------------

Jeff, is the HD81LV a 2007 model or new model?
I thought we all owned the latest Hd81 units, except for the firmware updates.

When you say bigger screens, whats the min. diaginal are you suggesting?

1gasman

The HD81LV was introduced at CES this week, sporting specs of 2500 lumens and
12,000 to 1 contrast ratio via auto iris and a new color wheel with Cyan and Yellow
segments, I believe. Delivery is supposed to be around April, not sure about pricing.

I think a D65 calibrated HD81LV would be useful in 120"+ wide setups. I've seen
HD81's with 150" wide screens, but this was in bright mode before D65 calibration
and 1.5 gain screen.

On Edit: The HD81LV(Large Venue) uses a higher power lamp, different iris,
new color wheel with Cyan, Yellow and Magenta segments, delivery
in late spring, price of $10,000. When bought with an HD81 or
HD81LV, the Panamorph lens and transport only cost $3,000.
I'll be at Optoma early next week to exchange my HD81 and VXP
and will try to find out more info.

Jeff Regan

I think a D65 calibrated HD81LV would be useful in 120"+ wide setups. I've seen
HD81's with 150" wide screens, but this was in bright mode before D65 calibration
and 1.5 gain screen.

Jeff Regan

-----------------

Thanks Jeff, ...
Whats a D65 ??
1gasman

D65 represents the 6500 Kelvin color temperature that video displays adhering to NTSC standards are calibrated to. Out of the box, most displays are significantly colder, having
color temperatures of 7000 Kelvin on up, making for whites that are more blue. The reason
so many TV's, flat screens, rear and front projectors are so cold out of the box is to be as
bright as possible and attract the consumer's attention on the showroom floor. It is brighter, but it has little to do with the standard that is used to create video or transfer film to video.

When a display has its gray scale calibrated to 6500 Kelvin, the lumens drop down as well.

Here is a Wikipedia explanation of D65:D65 Definition (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D65)

Jeff Regan

Hi everyone!

Can anyone tell me if the HD81 has a 4x3 mode so I can watch 1.78:1 AR material while leaving my UH380 in place?

I'd rather not buy the motorized sled if I don't have to.

Thanks

Michael

Hi everyone!

Can anyone tell me if the HD81 has a 4x3 mode so I can watch 1.78:1 AR material while leaving my UH380 in place?

I'd rather not buy the motorized sled if I don't have to.

Thanks

Michael

Yes, and the UH380 left in place is a very viable option, IMO.

Jeff Regan

Thanks Jeff!

Is there just a 4x3 button on the remote or is there more to it?

Thanks Jeff!

Is there just a 4x3 button on the remote or is there more to it?

It's on the remote. The remote gives direct access to aspect ratios, inputs,
iris control and more. It is one of the better remotes I've used and the blue
backlight is pretty cool!

Jeff Regan

D65 represents the 6500 Kelvin color temperature that video displays adhering to NTSC standards are calibrated to. Out of the box, most displays are significantly colder, having
color temperatures of 7000 Kelvin on up, making for whites that are more blue. The reason
so many TV's, flat screens, rear and front projectors are so cold out of the box is to be as
bright as possible and attract the consumer's attention on the showroom floor. It is brighter, but it has little to do with the standard that is used to create video or transfer film to video.

When a display has its gray scale calibrated to 6500 Kelvin, the lumens drop down as well.

Here is a Wikipedia explanation of D65:D65 Definition (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D65)

Jeff Regan

----------------------

Thanks jeff for the info.

1gasman

I'll be at Optoma early next week to exchange my HD81 and VXP
and will try to find out more info.

Jeff Regan

Jeff - make sure to ask about C08 and when the rest of us can get our hands on it!

Thanks

Piers

Jeff - make sure to ask about C08 and when the rest of us can get our hands on it!

Thanks

Piers

Will do. I intend to find out if CO6 will allow a full firmware upgrade via the net,
which was not certain six weeks ago--it was dependent upon what the final C07/8 features would be. I will also check to see when the firmware upload site will be online.

I was told by Optoma that the red gain deficiency on the HD81(relative to green and blue channel gains) is due to the inherent color spectrum of the UHP bulb.

I am feeling like I may not have the new HD81 I'm supposed to get ISF calibrated.
My wife and I prefer the more saturated, rich look that I had previously using Kevin Anderson's settings(not to mention higher lumens). I do find the out of the box look of the HD81 to be a bit too cold. I will wait for at least 100 hours to be put on the new bulb before I decide whether I want to spend more money on another ISF calibration.

Jeff Regan

Will do. I intend to find out if CO6 will allow a full firmware upgrade via the net, which was not certain six weeks ago--it was dependent upon what the final C07/8 features would be.
No, it won't.

No, it won't.

Greg,

I take it that your review unit had CO6 and you were unable to have it upgraded
via the test site? Are you going forward with your review of the HD81?

Jeff Regan

Greg,

I take it that your review unit had CO6 and you were unable to have it upgraded
via the test site? Are you going forward with your review of the HD81?

Jeff Regan
I have a review unit with C06. It was not possible to upgrade it through the RS-232 port(s). I now have a second review unit with C08.

Edit: I should add that the 2nd unit originally arrived with a version of C08 that included debug code. I updated that C08 version to a version of C08 without debug code through the RS-232 port with no problems.

I have a review unit with C06. It was not possible to upgrade it through the RS-232 port(s). I now have a second review unit with C08.

Edit: I should add that the 2nd unit originally arrived with a version of C08 that included debug code. I updated that C08 version to a version of C08 without debug code through the RS-232 port with no problems.

Greg,

Please excuse me for being unclear on what debug code is? So, you are saying that
you were able to download a new/different version of C08 from the net because your
second unit had C08 in it?

Given that you've undoubtedly put in a fair amount of time into the HD81/s, does that mean we can expect to see your review in WSR?

Jeff Regan

Will do. I intend to find out if CO6 will allow a full firmware upgrade via the net

Jeff Regan

David H of Optoma told me at CES last week that a hardware modification to the motherboard is necessary. Optoma is trying to make sure they can address as many problems as possible before asking people to return their units for upgrade. That makes sense as I wouldn't want to have to send my unit in twice. He was extraordinarily friendly and seemed very knowledgeable. It was clear to me that Optonma is simply trying to make sure they've got a truly 100% solution before they start accepting units for upgrade.

Greg,

Please excuse me for being unclear on what debug code is? So, you are saying that
you were able to download a new/different version of C08 from the net because your
second unit had C08 in it?

Given that you've undoubtedly put in a fair amount of time into the HD81/s, does that mean we can expect to see your review in WSR?

Jeff Regan
Debug code is code that a firmware designer inserts into the firmware so that the flow of the code can be monitored as it executes, or intermediate variable values can be read as it executes, etc. i.e. it used for debugging and testing the code but isn't necessary to the actual operation of the product. Some debug code may slow down very computationally intensive areas of operation, in which case it is removed in production versions. The C08 unit that I received had a version of C08 that had the debug code enabled (unintentionally), so I was able to load the production version of the C08 code using the RS-232 interface from a PC. I only mentioned this because I thought it would be reassuring to know that it can be done in version C08.

You can expect a review in WSR next month.

Yipeee!

A review next month? I will have to subscribe to WSR then just for that!

Thanks Greg for the time and effort you put in to review the HD81.

Any teasers to drop on us before the official review hits? ;) :D

For instance, did you do any testing with an anamorphic lens using the vertical stretch function? :)

Thanks

Michael

Debug code is code that a firmware designer inserts into the firmware so that the flow of the code can be monitored as it executes, or intermediate variable values can be read as it executes, etc. i.e. it used for debugging and testing the code but isn't necessary to the actual operation of the product. Some debug code may slow down very computationally intensive areas of operation, in which case it is removed in production versions. The C08 unit that I received had a version of C08 that had the debug code enabled (unintentionally), so I was able to load the production version of the C08 code using the RS-232 interface from a PC. I only mentioned this because I thought it would be reassuring to know that it can be done in version C08.

You can expect a review in WSR next month.

Thank you for the explanation, Greg, about the debug code and it's good to know
that you were successful with a net download of firmware. Like many, I am very
much looking forward to your usual thorough review. I am also hoping you will
have a good 1080p DLP projector on hand when your JVC RS1 review unit arrives,
so we can have the benefit of a side by side comparison, be it with a Marantz 11S1, Sharp 20K or Optoma HD81.

Jeff Regan

Jeff,

Please consider my previous comments concerning ISF calibration. I will gladly put up $500.00 to show that two pieces of calibration equipment will provide different results.
My out of the box results agree very closely with numbers I generated with my old Professional Labs unit. I find that every show and certainly shows from different networks and or sources require compleately different gray scale and dcolor temp setup values making "calibration" next to useless. On a CRT there is ample reason for doing a 2 level setup at 30 and 80 IRE in order to get a good Black and White field. On these, the Black and White field does not vary with the color temp settings. So, I feel that the out of the box settings are probably just as good as any other.
I still would like to know how OPTOMA arrives at those settings.

David H of Optoma told me at CES last week that a hardware modification to the motherboard is necessary. Optoma is trying to make sure they can address as many problems as possible before asking people to return their units for upgrade. That makes sense as I wouldn't want to have to send my unit in twice. He was extraordinarily friendly and seemed very knowledgeable. It was clear to me that Optonma is simply trying to make sure they've got a truly 100% solution before they start accepting units for upgrade.

Jeff/LearningHT, Thanks for your feed back regarding the HD81 and the upcomming HD81LV. At this point with the now even more attactive pricing on the HD81 that would likely be my choice as I don't need to go for the really big screen (120' diag will be all I can squeeze into my room). ;)

LearningHT, your comment about the mobo mod makes me wonder how a consumer could be assured that the unit they are buying is at this level before purchase. The reason I say this is because I am in Canada and shipping a PJ internationally for upgrades can raise concerns with customs and the possibility of extra duties for the 'newly revamped' projector. Not to mention travelling 1000's of miles increases the danger of damage while in transit... :(

LearningHT, your comment about the mobo mod makes me wonder how a consumer could be assured that the unit they are buying is at this level before purchase. The reason I say this is because I am in Canada and shipping a PJ internationally for upgrades can raise concerns :(

Al, I think your answer is time. Each month more of the HD81 problems are identified and resolved. Each month we're also closer to newer, better and cheaper products from Optoma and other manufacturers. Some, like Optoma, choose to hit the market early with low cost, inconsistent quality and limited mounting options. Sony chose to do a low cost, high quality unit that simply isn't bright enough for large screens.

Optoma isn't the only company with problems. I bought a Toshiba HD-A1 and experienced plenty of problems. I just upgraded to an XA2, in great part because I wanted RS-232 control. But no RS-232 codes are outlined in the manual. I wrote Toshiba and got a reply saying the RS-232 documentation is not yet available and that feature cannot be used. an hour later I got an email from my Toshiba reseller providing a list of the RS-232 command protocol. The only way I'll know if this is the right protocol document is to program it up and see.

For me, I try to decide up-front how much experimentation I am willing to tolerate. For my HT, I decided I would live close to the bleeding edge.

I am returning my HD-81 next week for upgrade in support of the new motorized anamorphic lens I just purchased. Were it not for that need, I would've waited until march or April to return as I've had great performance with the current configuration.

You have every right to be peeved about having to return it even once. But that's where the product is right now and we just have to deal with it. In fairness to the people at Optoma, they seem diligent in their efforts to fix and improve the product. I would certainly buy Optoma again. I might feel differently if I lived in Canada and had to face the issues you mention. I hope things work out for you.

You can expect a review in WSR next month.

Now we can all get the real straight scoop about this projector!...

-THTS

Al, I think your answer is time. Each month more of the HD81 problems are identified and resolved. Each month we're also closer to newer, better and cheaper products from Optoma and other manufacturers. Some, like Optoma, choose to hit the market early with low cost, inconsistent quality and limited mounting options. Sony chose to do a low cost, high quality unit that simply isn't bright enough for large screens.

Optoma isn't the only company with problems. I bought a Toshiba HD-A1 and experienced plenty of problems. I just upgraded to an XA2, in great part because I wanted RS-232 control. But no RS-232 codes are outlined in the manual. I wrote Toshiba and got a reply saying the RS-232 documentation is not yet available and that feature cannot be used. an hour later I got an email from my Toshiba reseller providing a list of the RS-232 command protocol. The only way I'll know if this is the right protocol document is to program it up and see.

For me, I try to decide up-front how much experimentation I am willing to tolerate. For my HT, I decided I would live close to the bleeding edge.

I am returning my HD-81 next week for upgrade in support of the new motorized anamorphic lens I just purchased. Were it not for that need, I would've waited until march or April to return as I've had great performance with the current configuration.

You have every right to be peeved about having to return it even once. But that's where the product is right now and we just have to deal with it. In fairness to the people at Optoma, they seem diligent in their efforts to fix and improve the product. I would certainly buy Optoma again. I might feel differently if I lived in Canada and had to face the issues you mention. I hope things work out for you.

Well time is something that I may have an abundance of, I still haven't seen the HD81 advertised openly in Canada. I guess that we are too small a market to warrant coverage on the higher end PJ's.

My biggest hope was that Costco would add it to their offerings. ;)

Frank,

Excuse me but you have been getting "the real straight scoop". If you do not like what you hear or choose to ignore it, that is indeed too bad. This projector has been analyzed quite thoroughly and the reports provided have helped many including myself make purchase and repair/return decisions. This information, along with info. about who to contact, how to install, accessory numbers and sources, make this thread one of the more helpful that I have visited.

Well, I'm getting a bit frustrated with Optoma's service department. It has been a week since I sent in my RMA request, in writing with a copy of my purchase receipt, waited the 24 hours before they issued it and have since spoken to a myriad of very nice CSR's. They all have one thing in common, they never, ever call me back like they promise. Last Friday was "call you in an hour", which was morning time, no call, Monday, no call back, today, two promises of a call back from two different people, after having to get Wing involved, which is not his job, and still no call back. They're not fixing my HD81, they're just exchanging it. Apparently they "don't have the manpower" to fix warranty problems.

If your Optoma product is out of warranty, you have to call a different service number.
Now I'm concerned about who fixes those products and what kind of turn around time
there is, considering I can't even get a unit exchanged and I live in the area. Good thing there is a three year warranty. I guess I'll have to just show up tomorrow on their door step and make a pest of myself.

On Edit: Ok, I feel better now after this posting and taking the Optoma
customer survey at their site!(Plus I can win a free polo for taking
the survey!)

Jeff Regan

Jeff,

After my letters to Optoma's people that you gave me, the service I received from Warren Pierce was as good as I have ever received from any electronics manyfacturer. I did give them the money up front though and they sent me new units each time. I am waiting for the last credit to go through for my return of number 2. At one point, I had $13,000.00+ that I paid to Optoma. For that, I rceived 2nd day and overnight shipping. Warren was responsive to my questions and acted promptly to resolve my concerns. The current unit, #3 with CO8, is gorgeous. My wife and I are enjoying it although I do adjust the clor, tint and brightness for every show. I continue to use it with the high brghtness setting not the high altitude setting. Low brightness causes a blue screen within 30 seconds. To get a picture back I have to shut off the VXD/projector and wait until it cools and the blue light stops blinking. Only then can I turn it back on and reset to high brightness. BTW, the high altitude setting makes evn more noise than the high brightnes setting. I believe the blower runs even faster. It certainly is louder. I have created a plausible reason for my using the high brightness setting. I have convinced myself that part of the reason I am so blon away by the incredible picture quality is due to the fact that by having the bulb put out full light output, I can achieve better contrast. Mine is absolutely 3 dimensional when watching the network soap operas every night. Rome on HBO was a rel treat sunday night. It came in from my C Band motorola system and DCII HD mpeg2 decoder. I connect via YPrPb to the VXD. Like everything I watch, the signal level is at DVI-Video.

Jeff, Im in the process of mounting my H81 projector with the new motorized anamorphic lens.

Question, in your set up, is the projector "lens" directly centered to your screen?

I havent mounted mine yet, but in my temporary set up, my projector "lens" is a lot more to the left of the center of the screen (as you would face the screen)
I would say about 2-3 feet more.

Just checking before my final mounting.

1gasman

Jeff, Im in the process of mounting my H81 projector with the new motorized anamorphic lens.

Question, in your set up, is the projector "lens" directly centered to your screen?

I havent mounted mine yet, but in my temporary set up, my projector "lens" is a lot more to the left of the center of the screen (as you would face the screen)
I would say about 2-3 feet more.

Just checking before my final mounting.

1gasman

You must center the lens to the screen horizontally. My installer spent a lot of time measuring to avoid horizontal offset, keystoning issues. We hung the projector first, then the screen, which is the opposite of normal. Getting the geometry correct is even more essential when using an anamorphic setup.

Jeff Regan

Joe:

Did you actually get the gender mender to work?

I ran the two cables through conduit this weekend, then realized that I put the Male end at the projector side. I went to MicroCenter and got a "slim" F/F adaptor, but it doesn't work at all. Interesting that the supplied F/F cable does work, so it's not my wiring.

I don't want to buy a RatShack adapter if I'm not sure that it'll work. The MicroCenter one is labled "straight-thru", but maybe I need a null-modem adaptor or something. If the RatShack one works, could you please reply to this with the exact part number?

Thanks,

-doug-

You can also get a small gender mender from Radio Schack. They are only about an inch thick and provide a good solid connection.

Joe

You must center the lens to the screen horizontally. My installer spent a lot of time measuring to avoid horizontal offset, keystoning issues. We hung the projector first, then the screen, which is the opposite of normal. Getting the geometry correct is even more essential when using an anamorphic setup.

Jeff Regan


---------------
Thanks Jeff, I didnt think I had it right. I will reposition it tonite and measure
from side wall to the projector lens and side wall to screen center.
hopully the walls are square.

1gasman

Joe:

Did you actually get the gender mender to work?

I ran the two cables through conduit this weekend, then realized that I put the Male end at the projector side. I went to MicroCenter and got a "slim" F/F adaptor, but it doesn't work at all. Interesting that the supplied F/F cable does work, so it's not my wiring.

I don't want to buy a RatShack adapter if I'm not sure that it'll work. The MicroCenter one is labled "straight-thru", but maybe I need a null-modem adaptor or something. If the RatShack one works, could you please reply to this with the exact part number?

Thanks,

-doug-

I replied to your PM too. I ended up just adding the supplied 6' cable to my longer cable that I had ran through the ceiling. So I never ended up purchasing the Radio Schack item. The 2 cables combined are working perfectly at a total length of 56'.

Joe

HD81LV(Large Venue) Sources tell me that the new HD81LV most likely won't deliver before
September. Pricing is $13K with anamorphic lens and motorized transport, $10K without
anamorphic setup. The new price for the HD81 is $6K.

Jeff Regan

Talking with Wing yesterday he said since the platform is already set with the HD81 it won't take as long as the initial HD81 did. He says most likely by April.

Can anyone confirm that the 6' F/F DB9 cable supplied is really a "null modem" cable as Joe suggests?

I found a DB9 F/F Slim Null Modem adapter online for $5, but don't want to order it until I'm sure that I need a Null Modem job.

BTW, if anyone else wants the link to the vendor for this, PM me.

-doug-

Joe:

Did you actually get the gender mender to work?

I ran the two cables through conduit this weekend, then realized that I put the Male end at the projector side. I went to MicroCenter and got a "slim" F/F adaptor, but it doesn't work at all. Interesting that the supplied F/F cable does work, so it's not my wiring.

I don't want to buy a RatShack adapter if I'm not sure that it'll work. The MicroCenter one is labled "straight-thru", but maybe I need a null-modem adaptor or something. If the RatShack one works, could you please reply to this with the exact part number?

Thanks,

-doug-

HD81LV(Large Venue) Sources tell me that the new HD81LV most likely won't deliver before
September. Pricing is $13K with anamorphic lens and motorized transport, $10K without
anamorphic setup. The new price for the HD81 is $6K.

Jeff Regan

Talking with Wing yesterday he said since the platform is already set with the HD81 it won't take as long as the initial HD81 did. He says most likely by April.


So which source is correct? I really am ready to pull the trigger on a new projector and prefer the HD81-LV, but not if I have to wait until September for it! :mad:

I doesn't seem like it should be difficult to slap a brighter bulb and different color wheel in the same chassis and then call it the Large Venue version.

Guitarman, how certain was Wing about April. Any more info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Michael

So which source is correct? I really am ready to pull the trigger on a new projector and prefer the HD81-LV, but not if I have to wait until September for it! :mad:

I doesn't seem like it should be difficult to slap a brighter bulb and different color wheel in the same chassis and then call it the Large Venue version.


Michael

I really like the Optoma guys here in the US and they've treated me well. But I would not make a time-critical purchase decision based upon their estimates. As I recall, the HD-81 was introduced in Jan of 2006 with an estimated ship date of June. It actually shipped in October and many think it wasn't yet ready for prime time.

From what I heard at CES, the -LV involves a number of internal changes that are more involved than might first appear. It is too easy for us on the outside to underestimate what it takes to build a reliable product. For example, heat dissipation has to be a real concern. Art, for example, cannot run his standard HD-81 in normal mode without it shutting don due to overheating. Put in a higher wattage bulb into the same case and you'll certainly have even bigger problems.

The standard HD-81 is still a work in progress. I would not consider the -LV unless I had the time and patience to wait several months longer than Optoma currently thinks and to endure operational problems for some time thereafter.

I picked up my replacement HD81 and VXP today at Optoma, all is well with the world! This
version of C08 is dated 1-2-07 vs. my previous version of C08 dated 11-30-2006. The projector looks great, my wife and I like the close to out of the box settings more than the
ISF calibrated D65 settings. Cross hatch pattern looked very much like the previous HD81,
so optics are similar--very little CA. There is one menu item name change, but everything
else looks like the previous C08.

Jeff Regan

I picked up my replacement HD81 and VXP today at Optoma, all is well with the world! This
version of C08 is dated 1-2-07 vs. my previous version of C08 dated 11-30-2006. The projector looks great, my wife and I like the close to out of the box settings more than the
ISF calibrated D65 settings. Cross hatch pattern looked very much like the previous HD81,
so optics are similar--very little CA. There is one menu item name change, but everything
else looks like the previous C08.

Jeff Regan
Will any of us using C05 ever be able to update to C08 via the serial uplink?

Is the brightness of HD81LV achieved partly by using BrilliantColor technology or white segment in the color wheel? I have understood that BrilliantColor is based on 6 color wheel which has in addition to the red, green, and blue segments also secondary colors cyan, magenta, and yellow, which pass more light through them. However, doesn't this compromise the intensity of pure primary colors compared to the secondary colors? An additional white segment can also boost whites but cannot keep the pure colors at the same levels. So is this just a trade of good high intensity primary colors to brightness or am I missing something here? If there is somebody who knows more about these technologies, please correct my mistakes and explain how they work.

Kari

Will any of us using C05 ever be able to update to C08 via the serial uplink?

No, you will not be able to do a full firmware download from the net. When C08 is
finalized, you should send your HD81 and VXP to Optoma for an upgrade which includes a hardware modification. Once you're at CO8, you should have no trouble
doing net downloads of new firmware.

Jeff Regan

If one were to buy and HD81 today, what firmware would come with it? Maybe that's a question for AVS sales guys. I wouldn't consider one less than C08.

If one were to buy and HD81 today, what firmware would come with it? Maybe that's a question for AVS sales guys. I wouldn't consider one less than C08.

Optoma pulled an HD81 for me day before yesterday from the warehouse. It had
CO6 and I had a hard time getting service to do the upgrade to CO8, which is what
I previously had with my defective unit. Please keep in mind that CO8 is still in
development, the latest version is dated 1-2-07 vs. my previous 11-30-07 version.

"AutoScope" was renamed "Auto235" and in testing my new unit last night, it did
NOT work. Neither is the 12V trigger working reliably on aspect ratio changes, neither is Film Mode 48Hz.

In my mind the only real advantage of CO8 is the ability to do full net firmware
downloads, when the test site is opened to customers vs. CO6 which won't allow
full downloads.

CO6 actually worked well for me, I had no HDMI issues with it. I hope Optoma
finalizes CO8 soon, but only if it is truly debugged.

Jeff Regan

If I may comment on the physical setup issue...The only way I have found that accurately causes the projector lens's centerline to be perpendicular to and centered on the screen is to display an image through the HDMI or component inputs with all the offsets and overscan adjustments off. I use either a crosshatch or dot matrix pattern. I move the projector until I get the center of the pattern placed at the geometric center of the screen. I then focus the center perfectly. I then examine the outermost dots or crosses and have my wife rotate the projector (yaw) about the ceiling mount until both the left and right extremes of the croos hatch are in focus equally. After tightening down the yaw adjustment bolts, I check the pitch adjustment by checking the uppermost and lowermost objects in the pattern. Having verified correct pitch and yaw, I return to the center and repeat the focus adjustment. My projector is so sharp that I am able to anticipate when a zit will pop. This takes some effort but is certainly worth it when watching a race oranything that crosses the width of the screen. As screns get wider, this adjustment methodology becomes mandatory.

Jeff,

I have the 11/30/2006 version of CO8. It does everything I want it to do but I wonder whether the modifications were made to the chassis to enable future down loads. I've resigned myself to having made a mistake in terms of having to live with the noise. I can not create a hush box in my installation nor would I want to destroy my home for such an installation. I do revel in the picture. It is by far, the finest picture I've seen in my 60 years. Remember, I started watching Howdie Doodie on a 5" Dumont with a round screen. I can honestly say that the HD81 provides a far more pleasing picture. #3 is far superior to the 2 previous models. Lastly, let me add that Optoma finally credited my account and now I am back to the original cost of the projector. Time is a wonderful creation.

I
Remember, I started watching Howdie Doodie on a 5" Dumont with a round screen. I can honestly say that the HD81 provides a far more pleasing picture.

Art,

A few responses come to mind:

New slogan for Optoma, "HD81 Looks Better than 1950's era 5" Dumont B&W TV!"

Someday, we'll all go back to round screens.

I remember Dumont having some issues when the TV first came out, but the fourth
firmware upgrade seemed to nail them.

Seriously, I can imagine watching Howdie Doodie back then on TV, even in B&W and
5" in size, it must have had a big impact with people.

Jeff Regan

I was 3 years old in 1949 and can remember sitting on my parent's Simmons HidaBed to watch Howdie Doodie at 5:00 PM. It came on after Kate Smith sang, "God Bless Ameica" just before the show began. That 5" set lasted until my father replaced it with a 21" Muntz in 1953. Those glowing tubes provided a lot of heat in our small aprtment near Mother Cabrini's Shrine in New York City.

I was partial to Andy's Gang, "Plunk your magic twanger froggy"
:)

If one were to buy and HD81 today, what firmware would come with it? Maybe that's a question for AVS sales guys. I wouldn't consider one less than C08.

Exactly what I am thinking, now that we know what is possible why would you settle for less?

As you say Mark, now we have to find out how to ensure that the HD81 we buy is harware modified and loaded with C08... If you get an answer please let me know.

Exactly what I am thinking, now that we know what is possible why would you settle for less?

As you say Mark, now we have to find out how to ensure that the HD81 we buy is harware modified and loaded with C08... If you get an answer please let me know.

Mark and Al,

My best recommendation would be to contact Jason at AVS or David Hwang at Optoma. The official position currently is that C08 is under development and not ready for release, as I've stated previously. The fact that my new HD81 has C08
dated 1-2-07 bears this out. So does the fact that "Auto235" is inop. and that
"Film Mode 48Hz" is now grayed out for some reason on some HDMI sources,
not that it ever worked properly for me in the previous C08. Curiously, I am now
able to use DVI-Video level vs. DVI-PC on all sources except Toshiba HD-A1 HD DVD.

Art,

I was watching a SD DVD via component yesterday and the dreaded blue screen came up twice briefly with a flashing blue light. This never happened with my previous HD81 except when switching into Film Mode 48Hz, which I was not using when this happened yesterday.
(Film Mode 48Hz only works with HDMI)

I think if I had the blue screen/heat issue you have suffered, I would request and RMA for
an HD81/VXP exchange. I know this is the last thing you want to do at this point and the
good news is that you have a three year warranty, but I don't think I could stand the brite
mode fan noise without building a hush box. Besides, replacement bulbs look to be pretty
pricey, so I want to avoid brite mode for that reason as well.

Jeff,

Glad to hear you are able to use the DVI_Video level setting. My version of C08 also allowed me to use this. It might be my overactive imagination but I seem to get a better picture using DVI-Video. I find that using the 48Hz setting has no effect on anything. Mine does gray out on certain settings.

I opened mine up to check for blocked passages. There is a strong smell of burned phenolic on the gray plastic air veins of the bulb housing. As long as I use Brite mode, I avoid the blue screen. High Altitude accomplishes the same thing but I can hear the fan in the bedroom which is 70 ft. away. I did not find any blockage. I wonder if my bulb is running hotter than the average. Warren called me and said that he asked the "Techs" at their CA facility about blue screen issues. He said and this is a quote... "They said they have never heard of any blue screen issues." They suggested I run it on high blower.

Art,

Interesting feedback. This new HD81 is really putting out a burning smell in regular
lamp mode. The fact that your previous two HD81's didn't have the overheat issue
in your same installation suggests there is something different temp. wise.

I am beginning to think that your C08, even though dated 11-30-06 like my previous projector, had some ongoing changes, because my new 1-2-07 version is acting more like your version.

My guess is that they upped the average brightness level in the software. I believe that is so because we now can use DVI Video level. Also, this unit is gorgeous compared to the other two. For most folks that means "BRIGHTER" I think they raised the heat load without considering the cooling system. Like the Techs said... Run it on high blower.

Jeff,

Give me a call 301-261-7576. I'm at the computer and phone.

I was partial to Andy's Gang, "Plunk your magic twanger froggy"
:)


Hi Ya Kid's, Hi Ya Hi Ya Baaaaarp!

Let's not leave out Sheriff John!

1gasman - how did you get on with putting the projector up? I had a bit of a nightmare with it because my ceiling is at a very slight angle, my room isn't exactly square etc. I am not convinced my screen is exactly 90 degrees to the wall either! Jeff's comment on putting up the projector and then the screen makes a lot of sense. One other thing I found tricky was getting the Panamorph UH380 up as well because the mount needs to be precisely 90 degrees to the lens. I was a fraction of an inch off and so need to re-mount it. Wiith the lens in play the image appears 6" to the right. I'm probably being a bit anal but I would rather it was right. What else is there to do on a Saturday afternoon...... The combined mount for PJ and lens makes a lot of sense I think.

---------------
Thanks Jeff, I didnt think I had it right. I will reposition it tonite and measure
from side wall to the projector lens and side wall to screen center.
hopully the walls are square.

1gasman

I had the blue screen problem consistently until I started running the fan in "high altitude" mode (I live in Denver). Since then, I've had it exactly once, while switching among aspet ratio modes.

So, now they've heard about it twice, not counting my previous posts.

-doug-



... Warren called me and said that he asked the "Techs" at their CA facility about blue screen issues. He said and this is a quote... "They said they have never heard of any blue screen issues." They suggested I run it on high blower.

1gasman - how did you get on with putting the projector up? I had a bit of a nightmare with it because my ceiling is at a very slight angle, my room isn't exactly square etc. I am not convinced my screen is exactly 90 degrees to the wall either! Jeff's comment on putting up the projector and then the screen makes a lot of sense. One other thing I found tricky was getting the Panamorph UH380 up as well because the mount needs to be precisely 90 degrees to the lens. I was a fraction of an inch off and so need to re-mount it. Wiith the lens in play the image appears 6" to the right. I'm probably being a bit anal but I would rather it was right. What else is there to do on a Saturday afternoon...... The combined mount for PJ and lens makes a lot of sense I think.

That sounds familiar! I had two installers work for 9 1/2 hours plus their supervisor
for a few hours to do my installation. We must have mounted and re-mounted the
Panamorph sled to the ceiling four times. Whatever tiny amount you are off with
the projector or lens sled is magnified much more with the anamorphic lens in place
than without. I like the mounting plate for both projector and sled, but it wasn't available in
time from Panamorph/Optoma.

My guess is that they upped the average brightness level in the software. I believe that is so because we now can use DVI Video level. Also, this unit is gorgeous compared to the other two. For most folks that means "BRIGHTER" I think they raised the heat load without considering the cooling system. Like the Techs said... Run it on high blower.

The DVI-video levels have nothing to do with the lamp or heating, it's simply a change in the video signal levels. If your projector can't be run with the Brite mode disabled (low lamp power) at normal altitudes, then the projector is defective. It's that simple.

The design of the projector doesn't make it easy to put up the Panamorph either. the fact that the lens is effectively set in to the body and the body is curved means you just can't put a ruler across the face of the lens and draw a straight line on the ceiling. I did intend to get it permanently done today but I made the fatal error of temporarily adjusting it so I could use my new XA2 to have a "quick" look at some HD movies. 8 hours later....... :)

Always another day!

all,

I have what might turn out to be a silly question. I finally got my HD81 out of the box. Outputting HDMI from my SD DVD into the VXP (HDMI input) then out of the HDMI AV Receiver output to my receiver (Rx-V2700) then back to the VXP AV Receiver input....then finally to the projector. I am currently getting a Blue screen (manual said this is a HDMI error).

If I connect the DVD to the receiver then to the VXP (eliminating the matrix) it then works fine.

As I type then I realized I should try to eliminate the "hop" through the receiver using the short HDMI cable provided.

Any thoughts or suggestions? I figure I am just missing something simple :D

Thanks

Hi Guys,

I just bought a Sony Blu Ray player, and the output supposed to be 1080p. However, the VXP is reporting 1080i. I have C06. Is this an error because Blu discs only put out 1080p. I connected the Sony directly to the VXP via HDMI.

I watched Flight Plan and the picture was very good. It's hard to compare to the Tosh. A2 since I don't have Flight Plan on HD.

BTW, the Sony player is horrible. There's a 4 second reponse delay from the remote when changing menus. It's worse than the Tosh. A1.

The only good thing about the Sony is that you can choose 1080/24p output to match with the Optoma.

Chuong

Hi Guys,

I just bought a Sony Blu Ray player, and the output supposed to be 1080p. However, the VXP is reporting 1080i. I have C06. Is this an error because Blu discs only put out 1080p.

The only good thing about the Sony is that you can choose 1080/24p output to match with the Optoma.

Chuong

Chuong,

Are you sure you are outputting from the BD player in 1080/24p? Isn't there a
menu that lets you select between different resolutions like 1080/60i, 720/30p?
Are you seeing any difference in the look, like less judder?

I would really like to see what 1080/24p looks like with the HD81 in Film Mode 48Hz,
but that requires firmware C08. The Film Mode 48Hz mode doesn't work reliably
with 1080/60i sources. Not sure if it would do any better with 1080/60p, but it
is supposed to work well with 1080/24p.

1gasman - how did you get on with putting the projector up? I had a bit of a nightmare with it because my ceiling is at a very slight angle, my room isn't exactly square etc. I am not convinced my screen is exactly 90 degrees to the wall either! Jeff's comment on putting up the projector and then the screen makes a lot of sense. One other thing I found tricky was getting the Panamorph UH380 up as well because the mount needs to be precisely 90 degrees to the lens. I was a fraction of an inch off and so need to re-mount it. Wiith the lens in play the image appears 6" to the right. I'm probably being a bit anal but I would rather it was right. What else is there to do on a Saturday afternoon...... The combined mount for PJ and lens makes a lot of sense I think.

----------------------
It took me 3 late nights to complete, along with my new screen install.

I centered it the best I could, FOR NOW, after putting unit in and removing it 4-5 times. Im also picky!. I still might move it over 2 inches, but or now , im happy.

My screen sits between two coloums, that made it more difficult to center the lens to the center of the viewing screen.

I put a large level on the screen wall (VERTICAL)and a small level on the projector lens (vertical) and checks ok.

I measured fom the screen wall to projector lens (left side of lens) and screen wall to projector lens (right side of lens).

I measureed from side wall to center of screen and side wall to center ofthe projector lens, then

I Then I lined the screen up horizontal with a level, while had a movie in the pause mode.

I had ordered the mount plate that the projector and sled mounts to , that really helped on the Panamorph UH380 lens positioning and mounted everthing to the chief mount.
It looks great! ,,but a lot of work. Glad I installed it myself, it would have cost me a ton to pay someone.

I was going to ask Jeff about the picture. mine seems to have a solfter image and less brite in the 2:35 mode (lens in ) verses with the lens out (standard viewing).
jeff , is this how yours looks?

1gasman

I was going to ask Jeff about the picture. mine seems to have a solfter image and less brite in the 2:35 mode (lens in ) verses with the lens out (standard viewing).
I'm not Jeff, but have used anamorphic lenses for years. This is absolutely to be expected. You are basically taking the same amount of light and "spreading" it over a larger screen area when the lens is moved in front of the lens. In essence, you are losing about a third of your brightness by doing this (not to mention there is always some small loss in the lens itself, no matter how high quality it is).

One of the great benefits of the HD81 is the adjustable iris. You can compensate for at least some of the brightness loss by opening up the iris a few stops. It would be great if this could also be tied into the "anamorphic" mode of the HD81, so that when the lens is slid into place it automatically opens the iris an adjustable number of stops. Right now I believe you have to manually go in there and change the iris setting.

The softness is due to a number of issues; one is that you are taking the same number of pixels and spreading them out over a larger area. Depending on the quality of the lens, it can also soften the image slightly.

I don't use a Panamorph, but an ISCO II, and I definitely see both of these symptoms.

-Dave

By the way, I have a brand new HD81 enroute to me from Optoma. A couple of weeks ago my projector started freaking out (black screen, color wheel was speeding up and slowing down randomly) so Wing said to send it in. I guess their standard warranty "repair" is to send you a brand new projector. Mine will have the latest C08 firmware on it.

I'll report back on any differences I notice between the first one and this one. I will be very upset if I start seeing these "blue screen" issues that others have reported. I don't view running it in "high blower" mode as a suitable solution, especially since that never once happened with my first projector.

-Dave

1gasman, Dave,

I agree about the anamorphic lens. There is a slight softening of the image due to optics and a 25% lower pixel density and 30% less light per unit area compared to a 16:9 image, according to the Panamorph web site. In real life, this is not a huge difference. The UH380 lens itself is about 97% light transmission efficient according to Optoma. The effect to me is a smoothing out of the image, yielding a film like effect for a very theatrical experience.

I measured the difference in brightness with my light meter between anamorphic lens in and out with a white field test signal. According to my meter, there was a one half F-stop light loss when the anamorphic lens is slid into place. Correlating a half F-stop to the HD81's iris steps would require the projector iris to be opened about five positions, so if
you were at iris step 10 with normal 16:9 viewing, you would need to open up to iris step
5 for anamorphic viewing to maintain light level unity. This sounds like a lot, but the iris steps on the HD81 lens are pretty fine. In photography, a half F-stop is not much.

Chuong,

Are you sure you are outputting from the BD player in 1080/24p? Isn't there a
menu that lets you select between different resolutions like 1080/60i, 720/30p?
Are you seeing any difference in the look, like less judder?

I would really like to see what 1080/24p looks like with the HD81 in Film Mode 48Hz,
but that requires firmware C08. The Film Mode 48Hz mode doesn't work reliably
with 1080/60i sources. Not sure if it would do any better with 1080/60p, but it
is supposed to work well with 1080/24p.

Jeff,

Well, I picked the 1080/24p output from the Sony's menu. Otherwise, I don't have any way to measure the output. I would hope the Sony puts out 1080/24p since it says so in the menu. The picture is very good. But then it was very good too with the Tosh. A1 and A2. Unless there is a side by side A-B comparison, I'm not sure I can tell the difference.

The Optoma always says it is displaying 1080i no matter what I put in. Last night I changed the input to regular TV, and the Optoma still says it is seeing 1080i.

We watched Aeon Flux on Blu ray last night and again the picture was 3-D. I love the surround sound of that movie.

Does any one know if the new LG hybrid DVD player does HD 1080p, or is it only HD 1080i.

Chuong

Jeff,

Well, I picked the 1080/24p output from the Sony's menu. Otherwise, I don't have any way to measure the output. I would hope the Sony puts out 1080/24p since it says so in the menu. The picture is very good. But then it was very good too with the Tosh. A1 and A2. Unless there is a side by side A-B comparison, I'm not sure I can tell the difference.

The Optoma always says it is displaying 1080i no matter what I put in. Last night I changed the input to regular TV, and the Optoma still says it is seeing 1080i.

We watched Aeon Flux on Blu ray last night and again the picture was 3-D. I love the surround sound of that movie.

Does any one know if the new LG hybrid DVD player does HD 1080p, or is it only HD 1080i.

Chuong

Let me be exact. The Sony menu asks if you have a 1080/24p display. I guess this is not the same as the Sony was putting out a 1080/24p signal.

Chuong

I read that the LG player has been cancelled because it will not permit users to access the HD DVD interactive menu. Appaently the HD DVD Forum made a stink and forced LG to shut down the spring rollout indefinitely.

Chuong,

I believe that the HDMI connection will not allow the Sony to go into 1080/24p output mode
when connected to the Optoma controller. At the very least, to display correctly, you would
have to have firmware C08 for the Film Mode 48Hz capability.

I read that the LG player has been cancelled because it will not permit users to access the HD DVD interactive menu. Appaently the HD DVD Forum made a stink and forced LG to shut down the spring rollout indefinitely.

Art,

The LG Blu Ray player with HD DVD partial feature set combo player is for sale NOW.
It's at Comp USA and probably Best Buy soon, if not already. It is not allowed to
display the official HD DVD logo as it does not support any HD DVD HDI features.

Well Jeff, you got me on that one. I read what I mentioned and did not bother to check it. I desrve to be hung by the earlobes. My sincerest apologies. I am going to buy one immeditely if it will do 1080/24p. It was a pleasure speaking with you Sunday.

Well Jeff, you got me on that one. I read what I mentioned and did not bother to check it. I desrve to be hung by the earlobes. My sincerest apologies. I am going to buy one immeditely if it will do 1080/24p. It was a pleasure speaking with you Sunday.

Art,

I think everybody was surprised that LG re-announced the combo player after saying
they were not going forward after last year's CES. Then to actually have units built
and ready to ship days after this year's CES caught everybody out. The
problem I have with the player is that it was designed to be a BD player and HD DVD
seems like a last minute after thought. Certainly HD DVD will be handicapped by its
lack of HD interactive support and the price point is pretty high for an obviously
compromised product.

Jeff,

Just shook the bushes to see what the market will bear. Too rich for my blood. Looks like I will stick with my C Band delivered HD movies for now. Jeff I was watching the network shows from last night and it just blows me away. The detail is amazing. I believe the sharpness and detail that the HD81 delivers is its best attribute. While I say that now, I know that was not the case with #2. #1 suffered from programming errors. I wonder what the unit to unit variability looks like. I watched the movie, Betty Paige tonight. Most of it is in B&W. It became obvious that out of the box, this unit is warmer at higher IRE's and pretty close to 6500 at lower IRE's. I should check it again with my Progressive Labs unit but frankly, it looks so awfully good when watching HDMI HD source material, that it is hard getting motivated.

Jeff,

What are the interactive menus.... what I want is the ability to play the movies... BD or HDDVD but to your point it is expensive for something that may not provide a complete suite of features

I'm not Jeff, II, and I definitely see both of these symptoms.

-Dave

---------------
Thanks Dave and Jeff, for explaining things, makes sense.
I will play with the iris a bit.
I love the picture.
1gasman

Jeff,

Just shook the bushes to see what the market will bear. Too rich for my blood. Looks like I will stick with my C Band delivered HD movies for now. Jeff I was watching the network shows from last night and it just blows me away. The detail is amazing. I believe the sharpness and detail that the HD81 delivers is its best attribute.

Art,

The $500 bucks I spent on an HD DVD player is the best $500 I can remember
spending in a while. I'm sure C Band looks great, without all of the heavy compression artifacts of cable and satellite HD. I'm old fashioned, I like to be
able to hold the media in my hands, so having an HD media I can touch and
see on my shelf is great. The downside of HD DVD is that it caused me to
upgrade my projector and screen! So, come to think of it, that $500 is the
most expensive $500 I ever spent--other than when I bought a Laser Disc player,
which caused me to get into FP in the first place! :D

Art,

The $500 bucks I spent on an HD DVD player is the best $500 I can remember
spending in a while.
I don't want to get off topic, but could you tell me how much better the HD81 looks with HD-DVD versus SD-DVD. Also, could you compare HD-DVD versus HD-TV.

IMO - the HD81 does such a good job upconverting SD-DVD's that compared to HD-TV, it isn't that far from matching it. I'd say SD-DVD's are 90% of HD-TV quality (and my HDTV comes OTA). I'm on the edge of getting an HD-DVD player, but don't know if the improvement will be worth the money.

Thanks.

I don't want to get off topic, but could you tell me how much better the HD81 looks with HD-DVD versus SD-DVD. Also, could you compare HD-DVD versus HD-TV.

IMO - the HD81 does such a good job upconverting SD-DVD's that compared to HD-TV, it isn't that far from matching it. I'd say SD-DVD's are 90% of HD-TV quality (and my HDTV comes OTA). I'm on the edge of getting an HD-DVD player, but don't know if the improvement will be worth the money.

Thanks.

SimpleTheater,

If we assume a stellar SD DVD transfer vs. the best of HD DVD content, there is still a big difference displayed on an HD81, IMO. I agree that the Gennum VXP does a very good job of upconversion and deinterlacing from 480i, but it can't produce detail and color space that wasn't on the source to begin with.

I have DirecTV and Dish Network, as well as over the air HD broadcasts. They
look closer to HD DVD, especially the over the air material, but there is still a
difference, particularly with any fast motion. Most, if not all of the satellite delivered HD does not have full horizontal resolution, unlike HD DVD. HD DVD
delivers full 1080X1920 resolution and higher bit rates with a more efficient
codec than MPEG2 based satellite and over the air broadcasts. The MPEG 4
satellite broadcasts can be an improvement theoretically, but the bit rate will
still be below HD DVD and it won't be compressed with scene by scene care
with the best tools available and engineers like Stacy Spears over seeing it.
He's an AVS forum member and was the compressionist for King Kong among other titles.

If your benchmark for HDTV is that which you recieve from OTA, you owe it to yourself to spend time with HD DVD material. The HD81 is definitely capable
of resolving the differences, IMO.

Hey Guys -- I've been out of the loop for a while.

I agree with Jeff. I'm surprised how much I still enjoy my SD DVDs -- especially those that are well mastered. For example, all of the Star Wars DVDs are great at showing how good SD DVD can look on the HD81, but even the best can't compare with a good HD DVD transfer.

My favorite HD DVD demo is King Kong on the Empire State Building -- so many of the scenes are absolutely 3D and shots looking down from the top of the tower can sometimes make you a little queasy.

I also just finished painting my theater room. Before the walls were white but now the screen wall is black and the rest of the room is a very dark gold/brown (used Ralph Lauren designer colors to improve the WAF), and then laid down a black and maroon oriental rug in front of the screen. This resulted in a big boost to ANSI contrast or "inter-scene contrast" as Greg Rogers more accurately calls

I am stilling loving this projector, and especially with a great HD-DVD.

Kevin,

Good to hear from you. I'm glad that you were able to tone down your walls and floor in the name of better CR, uh, I mean interior fashion and style.

My feelings about HD DVD and other HD sources vs. SD are that, in addition to being able to
resolve so much more detail, things like more three dimensionality due to increased gray scale and color depth really add to the image quality.

I was watching Pulp Fiction on StarsHD the other night, a movie I've seen many times,
first in the theater, then Laser Disc and DVD, but it was like watching the movie in a whole
new way in HD. I couldn't stop watching it, the imagery was amazing.

I agree about the Star Wars DVD's, they still look great. The original Star Wars(IV) uses a net behind the lens, but the picture is still very good for a 30 year old movie. The HD81
really seems to extract all of the available detail from whatever source. Of course, if it's
garbage in, it's garbage out.

Bumping my own thread: I received the Slim F/F Null Modem adapter yesterday and used it in place of the supplied 6' F/F cable.

It works!

If anyone wants the link to the vendor who has these in stock, PM me.

-doug-

Can anyone confirm that the 6' F/F DB9 cable supplied is really a "null modem" cable as Joe suggests?

I found a DB9 F/F Slim Null Modem adapter online for $5, but don't want to order it until I'm sure that I need a Null Modem job.

BTW, if anyone else wants the link to the vendor for this, PM me.

-doug-

I feel the same way about "The Searchers." I have seen it many times at movie houses and then on Laser Disc, but it was like watching it for the first time on HD-DVD. I didn't expect much when I rented it, but I think it has some great demo potential. I've been down many times to Utah's red-rock country where it was filmed, and I was surprised how absolutely natural the colors appeared.

Hi Guys,

When I input a 1080p Blu ray signal or regular TV via HDMI directly to the VXP, the PJ always says the signal is 1080i. I have C06 firmware.

Does anyone know why this is the case?

Thanks,

Chuong

I don't want to get off topic, but could you tell me how much better the HD81 looks with HD-DVD versus SD-DVD. Also, could you compare HD-DVD versus HD-TV.

IMO - the HD81 does such a good job upconverting SD-DVD's that compared to HD-TV, it isn't that far from matching it. I'd say SD-DVD's are 90% of HD-TV quality (and my HDTV comes OTA). I'm on the edge of getting an HD-DVD player, but don't know if the improvement will be worth the money.

Thanks.

IMO, HDTV looks almost as good as HD DVD except for motion artifacts during fast motion scenes. With HD-DVD you also get a 2.35 format and DTS sound. So, overall it's much better than HDTV. Plus, you can get a Tosh A1 for $325 on ebay now. It's a bargain.

SD-DVD is much worse than HDTV, so there is no comparison to HD-DVD.

Chuong

Hi Guys,

When I input a 1080p Blu ray signal or regular TV via HDMI directly to the VXP, the PJ always says the signal is 1080i. I have C06 firmware.

Does anyone know why this is the case?

Thanks,

Chuong

Chuong,

I believe this is an HDMI hand shake issue. If a display(processor) does not support
a certain resolution/frame rate, the source will not send that resolution/frame rate.
You would need C08 to have a chance of outputting 1080/24p from BD or any other
source via HDMI to an HD81. I'm sure there is a forum member who knows much more about
HDMI than I do, who could correct me if I'm wrong.

With HD-DVD you also get a 2.35 format and DTS sound. So, overall it's much better than HDTV. Plus, you can get a Tosh A1 for $325 on ebay now. It's a bargain.

SD-DVD is much worse than HDTV, so there is no comparison to HD-DVD.

Chuong

Speaking of audio codecs, HD DVD decodes DD+ and Dolby TrueHD and outputs
them via 5.1 analog outputs. These advanced codecs aren't available via broadcast/
cable/satellite.

I was watching a movie called "Enemy of the State" on satellite last night and it
looked good until there was a big, close range gun fight--it turned into a macro
block/banding fest. Totally unwatchable. These kinds of artifacts will not be seen
on HD DVD.

Has any one addressed the processing delay the VXP takes each time the source is changed? The issue really surfaces when watching cable and surfing the channels. I know I can select only HD content - I wish everything was HD now that I have the HD81. Now that my theater is about 90% I have been demoing the HD81 and the time to switch seems much too long. Could we request that this be optimized in some future firmware update?

I find that each time I want to use my theater I have to spend time setting things up. Load the Tosh HD DVD, start the projector etc. And then once I have everyone in I get the bright idea to show off and I start tripping over myself and waiting for the machine to catch up.

Has any one addressed the processing delay the VXP takes each time the source is changed? The issue really surfaces when watching cable and surfing the channels. I know I can select only HD content - I wish everything was HD now that I have the HD81. Now that my theater is about 90% I have been demoing the HD81 and the time to switch seems much too long. Could we request that this be optimized in some future firmware update?


John, I agree. One thing that can help is to have sources like sat receivers be set
for 1080i instead of native output. That way each channel doesn't have to be scaled
between 480i, 720p, 1080i, which slows down the processor as it re-scales constantly. The downside is that you are letting the sat receiver do the scaling to
1080i on 480i and 720p channels.

I would like to see this improved with new firmware as well.

Chuong,

I believe this is an HDMI hand shake issue. If a display(processor) does not support
a certain resolution/frame rate, the source will not send that resolution/frame rate.
You would need C08 to have a chance of outputting 1080/24p from BD or any other
source via HDMI to an HD81. I'm sure there is a forum member who knows much more about
HDMI than I do, who could correct me if I'm wrong.

Jeff,

Does that mean the PJ is only displaying 1080i? So, the 1080p capability of the HD81 is useless, unless you have C08?

Is this correct?

Thanks,

Chuong

Chuong,

I believe this is an HDMI hand shake issue. If a display(processor) does not support
a certain resolution/frame rate, the source will not send that resolution/frame rate.
You would need C08 to have a chance of outputting 1080/24p from BD or any other
source via HDMI to an HD81. I'm sure there is a forum member who knows much more about
HDMI than I do, who could correct me if I'm wrong.


Jeff,

Why is the HD81 says it's seeing 1080i signal when I'm just inputting regular TV?

Thanks,

Chuong

Jeff,

Does that mean the PJ is only displaying 1080i? So, the 1080p capability of the HD81 is useless, unless you have C08?

Is this correct?

Thanks,

Chuong

The HD81 can only display 1080p. It can accept various inputs to be scaled, but has
one native resolution display capability like all digital displays.

If you want the HD81 to give you 1080/48p from a 1080/60i source or 1080/24p
source, you would need C08--but 1080/60i conversion to 1080/48p is not working
reliably, supposedly 1080/24p to 1080/48p should work well. There is no film cadence to detect or deinterlacing in the latter example.

Jeff,

Why is the HD81 says it's seeing 1080i signal when I'm just inputting regular TV?

Thanks,

Chuong

Are you talking about the Setup menu? Mine shows what input number and resolution, ie; standard def. DVD player shows 480i. Both my DirecTV and Dish
sat receivers always show 1080i because that is the mode they are in, regardless
of whether the channel is a 480i SD channel, the receivers are upconverting to
1080i. So when you say "regular TV", could you be more specific?

Bumping my own thread: I received the Slim F/F Null Modem adapter yesterday and used it in place of the supplied 6' F/F cable.

It works!

If anyone wants the link to the vendor who has these in stock, PM me.

-doug-
----------------------------
I would like to see your link?
Also , whats the differance between a Null cable and a non-null cable?

1 gasman.

Does anyone know how to wire the H81 12v trigger to cantrol the anomophic lens.

I have c04 version and manual states that you can set the trigger to any of the ratios.
Im wondering what type(spec) of wire is needed to do this?

I know Jeff has one of the lastest units but im not sure he uses the feature, if so, what type of wire and hook up are you using?
Also, is it working ?
1gasman

----------------------------
I would like to see your link?
Also , whats the differance between a Null cable and a non-null cable?

1 gasman.

For the most part, just pins 2 and 3 are crossed in a null modem connection. The cable supplied from Optoma is a null modem cable. Hence crossed.

Joe

----------------------------
I would like to see your link?
Also , whats the differance between a Null cable and a non-null cable?

1 gasman.
A null cable has pin 2 wire to pin 3 and visa versa. A non-null is wired straight through.

It's from back in the day of Data Terminal Equipment and Data Communication Equipment. Modems were DCE. Computers and terminals were DTE. If you wired DTE -> DCE -> Phone Line -> DCE -> DTE you used straight thru cables. However a lot of situations called for DTE -> DTE wiring, without the DCE modem equipment, called a "null-modem" situation. That gave rise to the "null-modem cable" with 2 and 3 crossed. Now it has been shortened to "null cable".

Did you read that? There's another 30 seconds of your life you'll never get back ... :rolleyes:

[QUOTE=erkq]A null cable has pin 2 wire to pin 3 and visa versa. A non-null is wired straight through.

------------------
Thanks eric and joe for the info.
1gasman

Does anyone know how to wire the H81 12v trigger to cantrol the anomophic lens.

I have c04 version and manual states that you can set the trigger to any of the ratios.
Im wondering what type(spec) of wire is needed to do this?

I know Jeff has one of the lastest units but im not sure he uses the feature, if so, what type of wire and hook up are you using?
Also, is it working ?
1gasman

The trigger outputs at the processor are 12VDC connectiors, the Panamorph sled is a mini-jack. Just two wires, positive and negative.

There are two 12V trigger processor outputs. One triggers on power up and down, the other is programmable for aspect ratio modes. My first HD81 trigger was working for the most part in conjunction with the sled(sometimes it did the opposite of what I wanted). Now, the lens only slides in on power up, even in the programmable output. I fear that both 12V triggers are the same, not programmable on this unit for some reason. My Auto235 mode is not working for trigger or vertical expansion from the scaler, which did work on the previous HD81. One step forward, two steps back!

I've never been successful with the remote IR inputs on the processor or sled,
which are stereo-mini connectors, since my Xantech IR block is mono-mini, I guess.
But aiming my remote at the screen bounces off to the IR eye in the Panamorph
sled, so I have control of the lens.

The trigger outputs at the processor are 12VDC connectiors, the Panamorph sled is a mini-jack. Just two wires, positive and negative.
My Auto235 mode is not working for trigger or vertical expansion from the scaler, which did work on the previous HD81. One step forward, two steps back!

.

Hi Jeff, Based on your earlier posts I purchased and installed the Panamorph and sled. We ended up making a custom 1/4" aluminum plate to mount both the PJ and sled/lens on and it works great.

I spoke to Optoma at CES and they're willing to do an update to provide compatibility tot he Panamorph sled. If they've since taken two steps back in functionality, I'd rather wait for another forward step before sending it in for update.

Has Optoma given you any insight into when these Auto235 issues will be resolved?

Thanks,

John

I am using Mac mini as my HTPC.
My digital TV 71 inch DLP projection (Samsung) is working well with Mac mini.
But my Hd81 is not working with resolution (1920*1080).

When I set resolution to 1280*720, I can see the imange. (normal)

situation.
DIV-HDMI cable, firmware C08.
Windows XP.

Anyone who sucessfully use HTPC with HD81??

I am using Mac mini as my HTPC.
My digital TV 71 inch DLP projection (Samsung) is working well with Mac mini.
But my Hd81 is not working with resolution (1920*1080).

When I set resolution to 1280*720, I can see the imange. (normal)

situation.
DIV-HDMI cable, firmware C08.
Windows XP.

Anyone who sucessfully use HTPC with HD81??

Yes, I am able to send 1080i just fine from my htpc. I am using component cables though.

Joe

Same here.

I have a G4 hooked to my HD81 thru a DVI/HDMI cable. I am using DisplayConfigX.

The best I can do is 720. Any help with settings would be appreciated. When I select 1080 the display fails to sync.

Thanks for bringing this to the attention of the forum.

Best,
John

Yes, I am able to send 1080i just fine from my htpc. I am using component cables though.

Joe

All,


I have done some research on the Apple site and there seems to be an issue with analog and digital outputs.

From Apple support site:

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=58756

If I read this right, the digital side will not support 1920x1080 by the analog side will. This explains why component works and DVI/HDMI fails. I hoped DisplayX would resolve this but I seem to be wrong.

Anyone have any ideas on ow we can get this to work? Will I have to wire the Mac to the VGA on the front panel of the VPX and go analog?

John

I have not read the manual cover to cover... but I think to get the 1080i format output to work typically you need HDCP enabled. Does your card/computer support this output?? this could be the problem

I have not read the manual cover to cover... but I think to get the 1080i format output to work typically you need HDCP enabled. Does your card/computer support this output?? this could be the problem

when HTPC does not play HD-DVD or Blueray, I think HDCP will not be a problem.
At any situation, Project must show the windows screen~.

[QUOTE=Jeff Regan]The trigger outputs at the processor are 12VDC connectiors, the Panamorph sled is a mini-jack. Just two wires, positive and negative.

--------------------
Thanks Jeff for the info,
1gasman

<Will I have to wire the Mac to the VGA on the front panel of the VPX and go analog?>


John,

A while back i tried to run VGA 1080i through that VGA connector unsuccessfully. The max resolution is considerably lower. I was forced to rewire all my C Band Satellite HD equipment using YPrPb. Component inputs accept 1080i. BNC and the VGA connector do not. I verified all this with Optoma. There are a slew of messages on this subject way way back.

Art

Greg Rodgers review is coming up. If Greg reads this tell us when and if we could see this online?
thx

Tom

I posted this on a different thread, but I think you might be the one to ask. After 180 hrs my 81 started to intermittently turn off (blue LED turns red)after running just a few mins. If I wait till it turns off completely (cools Off?), I start it back up, and it works fine.

Do you have any idea why?

Tony

Greetings:

Last night, while watching a James Bond movie, the screen suddenly went to black. The projector lamp was on, the blue light wasn't flashing, everything seemed normal, but no video.

The first thing I tried was to change the aspect ratio, and the little pop-up menu for 16x9 or 4x3 came up immediately, assuring me that the projector WAS working, but still no video.

So, I pushed the appropriate input selector button for the DVD player, and the video immediately returned. I had no problems after that for the remainder of the movie.

Has anyone seen this? I'm on the original version of firmware, 4 I think.

-doug-

Tony:

This has been covered in quite a few threads, but the consensus is that it's a thermal problem.

I live in Denver, and I have to run the fan in High Altitude mode. For me, this has completely solved the problem, except of course for the louder fan noise in that mode.

-doug-

Tom

I posted this on a different thread, but I think you might be the one to ask. After 180 hrs my 81 started to intermittently turn off (blue LED turns red)after running just a few mins. If I wait till it turns off completely (cools Off?), I start it back up, and it works fine.

Do you have any idea why?

Tony

Tony,

If you look back a few dozen or maybe hundred posts, you will see that many of us have a thermal issue. i am at sea level and must run mine on Bright mode or high altitude mode. When asked about this, Warren Pierce, the head service guy for Optoma in CA says that they had never heard of this issue before I raised it. I'm on my third projector and I can tell you with 100% certainty that the first two did not overheat, ever. The first one had so many bugs in the software though that they replaced it with a second unit that was slightly out of focus regardless of what I did to ameliorate its fuzzy look. This third unit is gorgeous but like I said before, if you run it on normal brightness, it will go to a blue screen within a minute. Also, this unit and Jeff's smell like burning paper and melting phenolic continuously. There is an overheating issue with these units but the picture is so good that one has to grit his teeth and ignore the noise from the blower.

Tony,

If you look back a few dozen or maybe hundred posts, you will see that many of us have a thermal issue. i am at sea level and must run mine on Bright mode or high altitude mode. When asked about this, Warren Pierce, the head service guy for Optoma in CA says that they had never heard of this issue before I raised it. I'm on my third projector and I can tell you with 100% certainty that the first two did not overheat, ever. The first one had so many bugs in the software though that they replaced it with a second unit that was slightly out of focus regardless of what I did to ameliorate its fuzzy look. This third unit is gorgeous but like I said before, if you run it on normal brightness, it will go to a blue screen within a minute. Also, this unit and Jeff's smell like burning paper and melting phenolic continuously. There is an overheating issue with these units but the picture is so good that one has to grit his teeth and ignore the noise from the blower.

Mr HIFI

I really don't smell anything, and it only happens shortly after a cold start, even then it doesn't always happen. Never went to blue screen.

After I reset it, it runs for hours and doesn't go off again.

Do you still think its overheating?
tony

John,

A while back i tried to run VGA 1080i through that VGA connector unsuccessfully. The max resolution is considerably lower. I was forced to rewire all my C Band Satellite HD equipment using YPrPb. Component inputs accept 1080i. BNC and the VGA connector do not. I verified all this with Optoma. There are a slew of messages on this subject way way back.

Art


Thanks Art. I was hoping to be able to use something other than HDMI as I am now in the position of having too many HDMI sources. The Toshiba HD DVD, the Pioneer DVD, Comcast - soon to be Verizon Fios, and the Mac. I have a DVI to HDMI cable and just ordered a 15 foot DVI to component and VGA to VGA yesterday. I did not look for a DVI to YPrPb - if that is possible without a converter and loss of PQ!

I even when so far as to run the Comcast through the component inputs and that is when I ran into a problem. The best resolution I can manage out of the Mac over DVI to HDMI is 720. While good the image is distorted horizontally and just plain looks goofy. I do not have the time right now to test timing settings so I was looking for an easy way out.

I will be away next week and give you a ring to catch up.

Best,

John

Tigar,

If you don't smell anything and it is not shutting off, then I would not worry. Remember 2 out of 3 of my machines did not smell or overheat. Jeff has had similar results except I believe he is 1 out of 2.

Be happy and do not worry about what you can not fix. Mine shuts off as you describe once a week or so. I don't worry about it. I chalk it up to all this digital crappola that is less than consistent. I get so pissed every night when I turn on my OTA antenna and find that my tuners are having trouble with the signal. I go to the cable and there I get to watch a compressed version of what I would get at full resolution if the wind were not blowing. We lived with NTSC for 50 years and never had this kind of problem. Pisses me off. Sorry.... Glass half empty issue again.................

Just be complete, mine does not smell, either.

-doug-

Mr HIFI

I really don't smell anything, and it only happens shortly after a cold start, even then it doesn't always happen. Never went to blue screen.

After I reset it, it runs for hours and doesn't go off again.

Do you still think its overheating?
tony

I could probably get an answer to this question in other places but I ahve come to trust the opinions of folks in this thread and would be able to rely more heavily on their opinions.

Given out situation with the VXP and needint to use very short cables between the VXP and other electronic sources my question is:

What real advantage is there between component input and hdmi input? Is it purely the elimination of the DtoA and then AtoD back again? Is the video more "pure"? I am very curious.

The question I am going to really try and eventually answer is "Is it really worth the money I would have to spend to replace my current component based receiver with a hdmi based one?

Thanks

Joe

jmorris644,

We all speak from experience here. Some are more technically aware and are able to explain anomalies based on their training and experience.

I am not sure why you believe that we need to use short cables between the VXP and the source devices. I believe that 6 ft. cables at the input will not hurt anything. In the case of HDMI cables, one can use 50 ft cables without compromise. Component cables can run 50 ft. without anyy degradation. S cables should be limited to 20 feet. Line level cables can run 50 ft. with no issues. I've run them this far so I speak from experience.

The HDMI path appears to provide a slightly "crispier" picture from my sources that have both. Whether that is due to the source device or the VXD, I do not know. The main reaon for HDMI AFAIC concerns the presence of a flag that will preclude your watching HD material at full resolution. It has not been implemented YET.

Are you referring to an audio receiver or an HDTV receiver? In the case of audio, use what you have. The pass through is for convenience AFAIC. If you are referring to an HDTV tuner for OTA and cable, like I said before...my (3) LG LST-3410A's look better through the HDMI as does the LST-4200. The best broadcast picture I get is Discovery HD via my C Band dish and motorola HD decoder. It only puts out VGA or YPrPb and the VXP will not let me watch 1080i via the BNC inputs so I am limited to the component connection. The YPrPb connection makes HBO, Showtime, Starz, PBS, Wealth and Discovery HD look wonderful. I have no desire to change my input devices.
h

I could probably get an answer to this question in other places but I ahve come to trust the opinions of folks in this thread and would be able to rely more heavily on their opinions.

Given out situation with the VXP and needint to use very short cables between the VXP and other electronic sources my question is:

What real advantage is there between component input and hdmi input? Is it purely the elimination of the DtoA and then AtoD back again? Is the video more "pure"? I am very curious.

The question I am going to really try and eventually answer is "Is it really worth the money I would have to spend to replace my current component based receiver with a hdmi based one?

Thanks

Joe

I have a Harmon Kardon Flagship and Marantz Flagship and I'll be dammed if I buy into the HDMI link for sound. Great sound is great sound as it is. Over analog you can still get the higher caliber sound from the Toshiba HDA1 if you want.

Me sell a $2,000 & $3,000 receiver at a $300 level for HDMI no way.

There were several users posting they use very long cables for the HDMI run and RS-232 between the scaler and projector. You only need the short RS232 for firmware upgrades if and when they happen. :)

Tom

I posted this on a different thread, but I think you might be the one to ask. After 180 hrs my 81 started to intermittently turn off (blue LED turns red)after running just a few mins. If I wait till it turns off completely (cools Off?), I start it back up, and it works fine.

Do you have any idea why?

Tony

You already got some good input but I think the RS-232 was suspect on the shutdowns also.

I have a Harmon Kardon Flagship and Marantz Flagship and I'll be dammed if I buy into the HDMI link for sound. Great sound is great sound as it is. Over analog you can still get the higher caliber sound from the Toshiba HDA1 if you want.



my friend you obviously havent listened to Anthem D2, I have and can tell you your wrong, true lossless uncompressed audio over hdmi is something you simply have to hear for yourself period.

Naah I ain't buying it. For home theater I'm set, for stereo music a simple tube amp is fine.
:)

I have to agree with Tom. Why go to digital when all of digital is trying to sound like analog. Unless you violate impedance rules at the imputs and outputs or use twisted pairs instead of shielded cable to carry the analog signal between components, there is no way one can say that analog does not sound as good as digital signals. The crux of the matter lies in the D/A converters that make beautiful analog that eventually drives your speakers. It is just a matter of when you do the conversion not whether to do it.

Greg Rodgers review is coming up. If Greg reads this tell us when and if we could see this online?
thx
The review will be in the next issue of WSR, which should mail out around Feb 15. I don't know the exact date the issue will be posted on the subscriber's website, but it is usually about the same time as the printed magazines mail out.

Two weeks is soon enough. Optoma still has the bang for the buck going thing going for them and always will probably. :)
I'm interested to see the image choice / gamma and stat numbers to see how close they come to my numbers. People weren't totally dissatisfied with some of the numbers, but I think they were hoping for 12000.1. Bottom line should be how does the picture look for 5 or 6k and what do you get with the processor.

Speaking of the processor, that must have taken some time to evaluate? I saw words in the menu for items I wasn't use to, Corning was one. :)

Two weeks is soon enough. Optoma still has the bang for the buck going thing going for them and always will probably. :)
I'm interested to see the image choice / gamma and stat numbers to see how close they come to my numbers. People weren't totally dissatisfied with some of the numbers, but I think they were hoping for 12000.1. Bottom line should be how does the picture look for 5 or 6k and what do you get with the processor.

Speaking of the processor, that must have taken some time to evaluate? I saw words in the menu for items I wasn't use to, Corning was one. :)

Yeah, this review should be interesting. I am curious to see the calibrated lumens numbers that Greg got. I am sure the calibrated lumens wont be as much as the RS1, but they should be decent I would think. Now if only Optoma could get the QC down, they would have some nice projectors :confused:

What real advantage is there between component input and hdmi input? Is it purely the elimination of the DtoA and then AtoD back again? Is the video more "pure"? I am very curious.

hdmi is digital, which means that if you are able to get it work at all, the signal received by the target is identical to the source. If you have a digital projector and a digital source, this way you can be sure that not a single bit of data is changed from the source to the panel of your projector. However, component connection is also good quality and the difference is small. Probably you shouldn't spend much money because of the absolute difference between these two connection types, but if you are the kind of personality that will always ponder whether the analog connection is adding some interference or D/A or A/D error, then you can buy the peace of mind with a digital connection.

The question I am going to really try and eventually answer is "Is it really worth the money I would have to spend to replace my current component based receiver with a hdmi based one?
I don't completely understand what you mean here. Are you comparing here connecting audio with hdmi or analog rca connections or are you talking about video? If you are talking about sending audio to the receiver, then the final quality will depend on many things. For example, you have to compare the D/A transformation of your receiver and your source. Also the quality of the components of your analog output stage of your source plays a role here and the implementation of your receiver. If you are talking about using the receiver as a selector for video, then why not bypass the receiver and connecting the source directly to HD81 using hdmi and then just use HD81 remote to select the source?

Kari

? has anyone else had this with there hd81, if pick my hdmi input 2 “dvd” and adj the user 2 contrast to a value of “6’, press enter and back out of the menu. Then go to hdmi 1 “sat” do nothing but watch tv and then switch back to hdmi2 the contrast has changed to what appears to be a value of “0” the menu still show a value of “6”, now if I go into the menu and pick any adjustment (ie saturation,color,brite,contrast) not changing just choosing the slider the contrast value on screen go to the “6” level. Firmware co6.. PS frist time in a forum so bare with me..Thanks

Tom (Guitarman)

If I buy a new HD81 today will I be assured of gettting the C08 firmware and the modified main board?

If not when?

Odds are you'll get the latest shipment but there are still some original ones floating around, it is a gamble. Maybe the dealer could take a look for you.

Odds are you'll get the latest shipment but there are still some original ones floating around, it is a gamble. Maybe the dealer could take a look for you.

That is just it, I asked the dealer I was talking to in Canada about this and his reply was I would get what Optoma sends him, he did go on to say that he did not stock the HD81 so it would likely be the 'current' firmware, but said returning it because it wasn't C08 would not be acceptable. There are only a few 'authorized' Optoma dealers in Canada, very few! :(

Tom, when you say 'latest shipment' do these have C08 and the modified mainboard? Or is this all they ship out now?

thanks

FYI - I got a message from Optoma (Warren) saying that CO8 was still not ready but they were getting close. A few more weeks he thought. Personally I am happy they fix as much as possible before putting out there so I don't mind waiting a few more weeks.

Piers

That is just it, I asked the dealer I was talking to in Canada about this and his reply was I would get what Optoma sends him, he did go on to say that he did not stock the HD81 so it would likely be the 'current' firmware, but said returning it because it wasn't C08 would not be acceptable. There are only a few 'authorized' Optoma dealers in Canada, very few! :(

Tom, when you say 'latest shipment' do these have C08 and the modified mainboard? Or is this all they ship out now?

thanks

Maybe I can get a lead on the serial numbers and how they can tell us whether they've had the mod.
I'll see about it next week.

Finally we are at install stage of my HD81. It's been a very long ten months of preparing the theater (an addition to the house with comprehensive sound control, i.e; double layered, staggered Quiet Rock, loaded vinyl, six inch thick solid core door, Quiet Putty .... you name it, we did it. Now the A/V guys are finally in and today we shot the HD81 (CO8) on to the wall for verification of exact screen location. Wow! We were shooting (through the Panamorph anamorphic lens) on to a brown fabric covered wall (SnapTex), but it still looked amazing! It will be totally mind blowing when we get the screen up (Stewart Cinecurve, 2.40, Studio Tek 130, 122.5 inches). It's early days and we did not run the PJ for all that long, perhaps 45 minutes, but we suffered zero glitches through the Toshiba XA2 (finger's crossed!) and even on that fabric covered wall you could see the fantastic PQ.

The fan noise is actually acceptable to me, at least at the low altitude setting (believe me, the Runco we had at our previous house was way, way louder ... louder than the HD81 at HA setting), but we are building a hush box, with fan assisted exhaust, anyway, so even if we wanted to use the HA setting we could. We also built in a fan assisted cooling duct, just in case!

This is really exciting ..... next week we should be up and running and I would be happy to share my experiences, plus a few photo's, if interested.

PS; Personal note to Sir Jeff (he knows) ... can you believe I'm finally getting there? But guess what? I'm going on a family vacation, just when all this is going to be completed!!!!

This is really exciting ..... next week we should be up and running and I would be happy to share my experiences, plus a few photo's, if interested.

PS; Personal note to Sir Jeff (he knows) ... can you believe I'm finally getting there? But guess what? I'm going on a family vacation, just when all this is going to be completed!!!!

MCBRacer,

Congratulations! I know it's been quite a journey. You'd better leave for vacation
BEFORE you see the HD81 on the new screen......or you won't be able to leave the home theater.

When you get a chance, please try your BD player with 1080/24p out with the HD81 in Film Mode 48Hz. I really want to know how it looks compared to 1080/60i.

Maybe I can get a lead on the serial numbers and how they can tell us whether they've had the mod.
I'll see about it next week.

Thanks Tom!

Hi
Does anyone know if the current HD81 is being shipped with C08 firmware?
If we order from AVS, will they be shipping C08 firmware?

Thanks
Mani

everyone must be enjoying there h81. Havent seen much action.

1gasman

Has anyone used the sony playstation 3 on the H81 or heard any info on its performance?
I am considering getting one since it also is HD.

1gasman

everyone must be enjoying there h81. Havent seen much action.

1gasman

As I have said before, I have been experiencing some shutdowns. It happened 3 times last night, In the past it would happen once, I woulld reset it and it would work for hours after that with no problem. but it happened 3 times last night in a 1 hour period!
Since it happened 3 times I had a chance to notice that just before it shut off the picture got dark (like the iris was closed) then was back to normal for second, then shut off. the event was about 2 to 3seconds in all.

I don't know what to do. Does anyone have someone to talk to at Optoma?

Thanks
Tony.

Tony,

I have mentioned Warren Pierce's name several times in this thread. He treated me very well. He can be reached at <warrenp@optoma.com>.

Tony,

I have mentioned Warren Pierce's name several times in this thread. He treated me very well. He can be reached at <warrenp@optoma.com>.


I dont suppose any would have a phone # for Warren or anyone who could help?

Tony

I dont suppose any would have a phone # for Warren or anyone who could help?

Tony
What's wrong with the dealer you bought it from? Explain the problem and let him/her do the legwork.

Hi
Does anyone know if the current HD81 is being shipped with C08 firmware?
If we order from AVS, will they be shipping C08 firmware?

Thanks
Mani


I don't know about that. I ordered and received mine in Jan from AVS and didn't even get C06. I have a C04 unit and am going to contact Warren about getting an updated projector.

As I have said before, I have been experiencing some shutdowns. It happened 3 times last night, In the past it would happen once, I woulld reset it and it would work for hours after that with no problem. but it happened 3 times last night in a 1 hour period!

Tony.

My replacement HD81 shut down a few times in the beginning, but it is stable now
in that regard. However, the image has gone to black a few times, momentarily.
Last night, while watching an SD DVD via component 480i, it happened twice. I
never had this issue with my previous HD81. My Auto235 and programmable 12V
trigger are still inop, both of which worked with my previous HD81 with the older
C08 version.

I will say that I am still very happy with 480i to 1080p conversion, many SD DVD's
really look exemplary, rivaling some lesser HD DVD titles. I see more artifacts on
my Sharp LCD 32" display routinely.

I watched "The World's Fastest Indian" on HDNet the other night, a movie I've
seen on DVD a few times, yet it was a revelation. The texture of the salt flats
in Bonneville were so apparent and the high contrast scenes looked very natural.
I shot a video in Bonneville last year in 24p SD, so I know what it looks like out there. The HD81 looked more like a 35mm projector displaying a pristine film source than a video display to my eyes.

I don't know about that. I ordered and received mine in Jan from AVS and didn't even get C06. I have a C04 unit and am going to contact Warren about getting an updated projector.

That is what I was afraid of, Still shipping units with C04!!!

There is no way (especially from Canada) that I can accept the chance of a 'down level' projector... Nor does this make sense?

I would have thought that Optoma would only be shipping PJ's that have the latest firmware and those that had the modifications installed to allow remote upgrades.

This is really a bummer and pushing me towards a Costco purchase of a HD6800!

Based on email exchanges with Optoma I don't think C08 is officially released yet so the only way to get it would be if you have a contact at Optoma or they do something special for you. It looks like 3 or 4 more weeks for C08 so if you can wait that long then that might be the best option.

Piers

I figured I'd be pushing my luck to get C08 but if I can get C06 it would be an update for me.

I figured I'd be pushing my luck to get C08 but if I can get C06 it would be an update for me.

Unless you are having issues such as HDMI source compatibility with C04, I recommend against sending in your HD81 and VXP for C06 firmware upgrade
because you will just have to send it in again to get beyond C06. Better to
wait until C08 is released or try to get C08 upgrade now, IMO.

Unless you are having issues such as HDMI source compatibility with C04, I recommend against sending in your HD81 and VXP for C06 firmware upgrade
because you will just have to send it in again to get beyond C06. Better to
wait until C08 is released or try to get C08 upgrade now, IMO.
Jeff,

I have C05 and have had no issues to date. But I'm worried about getting a BluRay player with HDMI 1.3 or HDMI 1.2 (my current DVD player is 1.1). Do you know if C05 plays nice with the newer HDMI formats?

Also - because I can send so many 1080 formats to the scaler, if I get a BluRay player that can do 1080p/24 (like the LG BH100), will it recognize that fact or will it output 1080i/60 instead? I know this last question is a toughy.

That makes a lot more sense. I guess at a minimum I can get my projector added to the request list for an update. I am having an HDMI issue though. I can get my HD-A1 to work through HDMI port 1 on the processor. However, my Samsung Blu-Ray does not register on the HDMI 2 port. It was working fine on my previous setup. So I'm guessing it must be my Optoma that is not completing the handshake.

Based on email exchanges with Optoma I don't think C08 is officially released yet so the only way to get it would be if you have a contact at Optoma or they do something special for you. It looks like 3 or 4 more weeks for C08 so if you can wait that long then that might be the best option.

Piers

If I want a HD81 I have no choice but to wait, sending a PJ back and forth across the boarder is a process that I don't even want to contemplate, customs, duties and shipping all conspire to make this idea a 'no-go'!

As Jeff mentioned, until C08 and any other reqirements for remote firmware upgrades become a standard most of us are sidelined! :(

Jeff,

I have C05 and have had no issues to date. But I'm worried about getting a BluRay player with HDMI 1.3 or HDMI 1.2 (my current DVD player is 1.1). Do you know if C05 plays nice with the newer HDMI formats?

Also - because I can send so many 1080 formats to the scaler, if I get a BluRay player that can do 1080p/24 (like the LG BH100), will it recognize that fact or will it output 1080i/60 instead? I know this last question is a toughy.

I don't know the answer as to what HDMI version works with which HD81 firmware
version. I do know that the most recent C08 version(1-2-07) is supposed to address
HDMI issues with PS3, but I would doubt that C05 or even C06 would do so.

We need to hear from HD81 owners who have PS3 and BD players. I am very interested in hearing if the HD81 can accept 1080/24p and if so, how it looks in
1080/48p(Film Mode 48Hz).

We need to hear from HD81 owners who have PS3 and BD players. I am very interested in hearing if the HD81 can accept 1080/24p and if so, how it looks in 1080/48p(Film Mode 48Hz).
Jeff, I had mixed results with 1080p24, i.e. it accepted 1080p24 from one source but not another. So with my version of C08 you would need to check if a specific product type (model) works or doesn't work with the HD-81 using 1080p24.

Jeff, I had mixed results with 1080p24, i.e. it accepted 1080p24 from one source but not another. So with my version of C08 you would need to check if a specific product type (model) works or doesn't work with the HD-81 using 1080p24.

Thanks Greg. I've always thought "HDMI compatibility" was an oxymoron :D

Have you spent any quality time with the Toshiba XA2 or Pioneer BD player yet?
(With any projector.)

Jeff, I had mixed results with 1080p24, i.e. it accepted 1080p24 from one source but not another. So with my version of C08 you would need to check if a specific product type (model) works or doesn't work with the HD-81 using 1080p24.
Greg- by any chance were either of those products the LG BH100?

Thanks Greg. I've always thought "HDMI compatibility" was an oxymoron :D

I'm not sure your comment even needed the smiley face. :)

Have you spent any quality time with the Toshiba XA2 or Pioneer BD player yet?(With any projector.)Nope, not yet.

Greg- by any chance were either of those products the LG BH100?No. I was able to get it to accept 1080p24 from a signal generator (i.e. a "perfect" video standard 1080p24 source), but I was unable to get it to accept 1080p24 from an upconverter (scaler, video processor). I don't know if the reason was related to something in the HDMI protocol exchange, or some minor deviation in the video signal standard itself. I didn't have a high-definition DVD player with 1080p24 output to try at the time of the review.

Tony,

If you look back a few dozen or maybe hundred posts, you will see that many of us have a thermal issue. i am at sea level and must run mine on Bright mode or high altitude mode. When asked about this, Warren Pierce, the head service guy for Optoma in CA says that they had never heard of this issue before I raised it. I'm on my third projector and I can tell you with 100% certainty that the first two did not overheat, ever. The first one had so many bugs in the software though that they replaced it with a second unit that was slightly out of focus regardless of what I did to ameliorate its fuzzy look. This third unit is gorgeous but like I said before, if you run it on normal brightness, it will go to a blue screen within a minute. Also, this unit and Jeff's smell like burning paper and melting phenolic continuously. There is an overheating issue with these units but the picture is so good that one has to grit his teeth and ignore the noise from the blower.


Art

What is the firmware version of you latest unit?
Mine is 06.
By the way, My screen doesnt go blue, it goes black. I am awaiting an rma form to return my unit. If I'm lucky I'll get an 08 version.

Tony

We need to hear from HD81 owners who have PS3 and BD players. I am very interested in hearing if the HD81 can accept 1080/24p and if so, how it looks in
1080/48p(Film Mode 48Hz).

I have a PS3 and it works fine with the HD81. I have the PS3 set to 1080p. I wasn't aware that the PS3 could output 24 fps. If you know how to set it to 1080/24p I could give that a try. Let me know if there is anything specific you want me to test.

The problem with shutdowns that I had when I first got the unit has come back again. There is no error message. The screen goes black and the heat and power lights flash blue. There is no blue screen or error message. It usually happens after the unit has been running for a while.

I looked through this thread and saw varying reports of Optoma's warranty service. Some people were having a difficult time getting in touch with anyone to help and were waiting for an RMA number. Others reported getting a new projector sent out with instructions for sending back the old projector once they got the new one. Looking at Optoma's web site, that is how I thought the warranty was supposed to work for the first year.

Does anyone have updated reports on their experience with warranty service for the HD81? Has anyone had a shutdown problem go away with a replacement? Would I be better off contact Warren directly rather than calling the service number? I know where I work, people get annoyed someone calls them directly rather than going through our help desk.

Thanks!

Joe

I have a PS3 and it works fine with the HD81. I have the PS3 set to 1080p. I wasn't aware that the PS3 could output 24 fps. If you know how to set it to 1080/24p I could give that a try. Let me know if there is anything specific you want me to test.
Joe

Thanks for the feedback, Joe. What firmware version do you have? If C08, what
date is your version? I don't know if PS3 has 1080/24p output, I know the Pioneer
BD player does.

Regarding your shutdown issue, my first HD81 never had any such issues, my
replacement has done it a few times when first installed, but not lately. When it
did shut down, it was shortly after power up, not after being on for an extended
period. I have had momentary instances of a black screen, but no shut down lately.

Send in your RMA request, you will be given a number within 24 hours. Call service and see what procedure they want, ie; send in your unit first or wait until the replacement arrives. If you don't like the procedure, or if service doesn't fulfill
what they promise, ask for Warren. If you want something out of the ordinary,
such as a firmware upgrade, you will need to speak to Warren.

I have a PS3 and it works fine with the HD81. I have the PS3 set to 1080p. I wasn't aware that the PS3 could output 24 fps. If you know how to set it to 1080/24p I could give that a try. Let me know if there is anything specific you want me to test.

The problem with shutdowns that I had when I first got the unit has come back again. There is no error message. The screen goes black and the heat and power lights flash blue. There is no blue screen or error message. It usually happens after the unit has been running for a while.

I looked through this thread and saw varying reports of Optoma's warranty service. Some people were having a difficult time getting in touch with anyone to help and were waiting for an RMA number. Others reported getting a new projector sent out with instructions for sending back the old projector once they got the new one. Looking at Optoma's web site, that is how I thought the warranty was supposed to work for the first year.

Does anyone have updated reports on their experience with warranty service for the HD81? Has anyone had a shutdown problem go away with a replacement? Would I be better off contact Warren directly rather than calling the service number? I know where I work, people get annoyed someone calls them directly rather than going through our help desk.

Thanks!

Joe

Joe

I have had the same shut down problem, but only shortly after start-ups(within 5 to 10 min). It seems to be happening a little more often now, so I got in touch with Optoma service. They sent me a RMA form, and I will be sending the pj in so they can determine the problem. They are not going to fix it and send it back, They will send me a new one. They were very easy to deal with so far, and if they do as promised, I will be satisfied.

Tony

I don't know if PS3 has 1080/24p output, I know the Pioneer
BD player does.
According to many people on the AVS message boards, Sony is releasing a firmware update for the PS3 that will upconvert SD-DVD and allow for 1080/24p output.

Has anyone replaced their lamp yet? If you have, how many hours were on it and how much? Thanks!

Thanks for the feedback, Joe. What firmware version do you have? If C08, what
date is your version? I don't know if PS3 has 1080/24p output, I know the Pioneer
BD player does.


Thanks Jeff,

When I switch to the PS3, the display says 1080p, but it doesn't indicate frame rate.

My projector has C05. I got it in the initial AVS power buy.

I've had front projectors ever since my first Advent in the late 70s. Even so, every time I turn on the HD81, I am just dazzled at how good it looks. I watch it every night, so I'm hoping I can do the kind of service where they send the replacement out then I send mine back so I don't have to be projector-less. I also want to wait until I can get a replacement with C08.

Joe

Thanks Jeff,

When I switch to the PS3, the display says 1080p, but it doesn't indicate frame rate.

My projector has C05. I got it in the initial AVS power buy.

Joe

Joe,

I just want to make sure, you are connecting your PS3 via HDMI to the HD 81 processor and not component analog?

ON EDIT: Oops, nevermind, can't do 1080p via component analog. I am happy
to hear that the PS3 works with C05.

I just want to make sure, you are connecting your PS3 via HDMI to the HD 81 processor and not component analog?

ON EDIT: Oops, nevermind, can't do 1080p via component analog. I am happy
to hear that the PS3 works with C05.

Hi Jeff,

Yup, HDMI. I am using HDMI for video and audio. There have been no issues at all with the PS3 and HD81 on BD or games.

On a side note, the PS3 makes a better general-purpose media player than I expected. The 60 Gb hard drive is handy because there is a lot of free HD content available for download directly to the PS3 (movie trailers, game trailers, and game demos).

Joe

I must agree HD81 looks great.

How sure are we that when we input 24Hz, 48Hz or 72Hz comes out? No indicator i could see, also no selection of framarate seems possible on the scaler?

If there was, maybe one could let the scaler IVTC 60Hz to 24/48Hz. But I see nothing happening in that regard.

Are you bothered with audio - video timing difference? With HD video lags to the point it's unbearable. Does anyone experience the same and how to solve? (Using Snazio SZ1350 or Momitsu V888N with 1080i 60Hz video as source..) I mean the HDMI bridge to the amplifier does not delay audio I think?

Are you bothered with audio - video timing difference? With HD video lags to the point it's unbearable. Does anyone experience the same and how to solve? (Using Snazio SZ1350 or Momitsu V888N with 1080i 60Hz video as source..) I mean the HDMI bridge to the amplifier does not delay audio I think?
I've got a 50' HDMI cable between the Gennum scaler and the HD81, and a 3' optical cable from the DVD to my A/V Receiver. I don't notice and audio - video timing issues. It's spot on.

I've got a 50' HDMI cable between the Gennum scaler and the HD81, and a 3' optical cable from the DVD to my A/V Receiver. I don't notice and audio - video timing issues. It's spot on.

I have the exact same setup. 50' HDMI and 3' glass. And no delay. But I believe that if there was a delay it would be in the processing time of the video vs the processing time of the audio. Not the cable structure.

Joe

vjren,

What firmware version does your HD81 have? When turning on Film Mode 48Hz in C08,
the difference in frame rate is obvious. I don't like the motion effect from 60i 3:2:3 sources most of the time, but the change is not subtle.

I have not noticed video latency issues with the HD81 except DirecTV MPEG 4 HD locals, which is not the fault of the HD81. Video processing delays were more common in earlier
generation equipment, but don't seem to be as much of an issue with the newer scalers.

vjren,

What firmware version does your HD81 have? When turning on Film Mode 48Hz in C08,
the difference in frame rate is obvious. I don't like the motion effect from 60i 3:2:3 sources most of the time, but the change is not subtle.

I have not noticed video latency issues with the HD81 except DirecTV MPEG 4 HD locals, which is not the fault of the HD81. Video processing delays were more common in earlier
generation equipment, but don't seem to be as much of an issue with the newer scalers.
I think it is C05.

You sure you can "force" 48Hz and IVTC in C08 ? Like a menu option?
You actually experienced that its much better with 48Hz? Wow.. That would be great.

The video delay was in using streaming to one of the sigma players, on dvd it doesn't bother me much, I have to test some more..

No delay here and I'm using a 50 ft HDMI. Sure wish i could slow the speed down. Fan noise is a pain.

FWIW,

Last weekend I had several guys in here whose opinion I respect. After pulling all the stops out to imprss, I received a Ho Hum response. They were polite but you can tell. Comments about the video noise and the lack of detail hit me where it hurt. I tried turning up gamma and brightness but the gray screen looked even worse. Most of these guys own G90's or CRT's of one kind or another. Seems to me that I am being overwhelmed by the high brightness levels of this projector. I do love the picture regardless of what they said but it does set my mind to thinking. BTW, no one commented on the fan noise. They did like the superb geometry and the detail. We atched a Basketball game and some recorded material of evening TV shows. CSI Miami and the unit.

I'm holding off on the purchase of an HD DVD player until I can buy one that will play both formats. I also want to be able to record HD DVD's for later playback as I do with DVD's. That may take another year until the software is as eay to use as the crop that came out 3-4 years ago for DVD's. Of course it is almost impossible to find them now. I am rambling. See you all later.

<<Comments about the video noise and the lack of detail hit me where it hurt.>>

This is strange, because at the end of your post you mention:
<<They did like the superb geometry and the detail.>>

So what gives?

And then again:
<<I tried turning up gamma and brightness but the gray screen looked even worse.>>

But then you state:
<<Seems to me that I am being overwhelmed by the high brightness levels of this projector.>>

Huh? Overwhelmed by high brightness yet turning it up??

<<Most of these guys own G90's or CRT's of one kind or another.>>
I wonder if they are the ones who are overwhelmed. If you invite a group of CRT enthusiasts to comment on your new **very bright** DLP, you are liable to hear your share of emotional comments, no matter how polite.

I say: enjoy your projector and let your friends go their merry way!

Yeah, I'm puzzled that they would find a lack of detail in a projector that is resolving every last pixel of a 1920 x 1080 image. I doubt that their CRTs can do that. If anything, I find a DLP image crisper than a CRT image.

Perhaps it just looked different from what they are used to so they didn't like it.

Over the years, AVS has had its share of disagreements between people who prefer CRT projectors and people who prefer digital projectors. That is why there are separate forums here for digital and CRT.

I agree, enjoy your projector and don't worry about them.

Joe

I think it is C05.

You sure you can "force" 48Hz and IVTC in C08 ? Like a menu option?
You actually experienced that its much better with 48Hz? Wow.. That would be great.

The video delay was in using streaming to one of the sigma players, on dvd it doesn't bother me much, I have to test some more..

Yes, the Film Mode 48Hz is supposed to lock onto the 3:2:3 and convert the pulldown
cadence to 48 frames--but it rarely works properly. I do not like it. I want to see
what a 24p signal looks like, this should work well. Wing at Optoma warned me
that he wasn't happy with 60i material, but said that 24p sources should be no
problem being doubled to 48p.

Comments about the video noise and the lack of detail hit me where it hurt. I tried turning up gamma and brightness but the gray screen looked even worse. Most of these guys own G90's or CRT's of one kind or another.

I could understand CRT owners not being impressed with black levels in low light
scenes. I can understand the video noise comment. CRT's do a great job of hiding
compression artifacts and noise as well as banding. But lack of detail? Even a
perfectly converged CRT is going to have a hard time resolving all of the detail
of a 1080X1920 source. Three lenses with three times the opportunities for CA,
much more white shading error, geometric distortion from the CRTs and lenses, hot spotting. Of course, they're used to such dim images that the errors are just harder to see! :D

Greg Rogers has just posted his review of the HD81 on the Widescreen Review web site. I'm reading it now, but it appears to be generally favorable.

Greg Rogers has just posted his review of the HD81 on the Widescreen Review web site. I'm reading it now, but it appears to be generally favorable.



I came away with a completely different impression.

Yes, the Film Mode 48Hz is supposed to lock onto the 3:2:3 and convert the pulldown
cadence to 48 frames--but it rarely works properly. I do not like it.

Greg Rogers confirms this in his review.

Let's see ...

Lest expensive 1080p DLP projector
Excellent image sharpness and fine detail
Excellent intra-image contrast
Disappointing full-field contrast ratio and black level performance
Quite good color accuracy and gray scale
Exceptional scaling and deinterlacing
Not as good as 1080p DLP projectors costing 2-3 times as much (I would hope not)

I would call that "generally favorable."

Let's see ...

Lest expensive 1080p DLP projector
Excellent image sharpness and fine detail
Excellent intra-image contrast
Disappointing full-field contrast ratio and black level performance
Quite good color accuracy and gray scale
Exceptional scaling and deinterlacing
Not as good as 1080p DLP projectors costing 2-3 times as much (I would hope not)

I would call that "generally favorable."

It all depends on where you are coming from (what your priorities are).

You can most certainly get the Sharp 20k for much much less than "2-3 times as much".

I certainly see no need to argue over whether or not this review would be considered "generally favorable", but you did leave out several negative aspects of the review, including

1) unusable dynamic iris
2) loud fan noise of 51 and 53 dB (even louder in the high altitude setting)
3) Brightness uniformity (off by 40%)
4) Color uniformity (off by 5 to 6 dE)
5) lower than expected lumens output at D65 of only 236 lumens if you want the max C/R (which is only 1840:1).

Everyone has to decide for themselves just how important the various aspects of Greg's review are to them, and make a potential purchase decision accordingly.

I'd like to thank Greg Rogers for another detailed, indepth review. I knew the HD81 CR would not be up to the Marantz 11S1 or Sharp 20K specs, and a long way shy of the JVC HD1/RS1, but intra-image contrast is impressive.

I think the simplicity of the HD81 lens pay dividends in optical quality, considering the price point. Greg went over the input connectivity that this two-piece projector provides, which is superior to most one-piece projectors. The HD81 provides the best anamorphic lens solution and interface available short of a Runco or Vidikron, at a fraction of the cost.

The lack of CR and questionable reliability are the biggest weak spots of the HD81, IMO.

1) unusable dynamic iris
2) loud fan noise of 51 and 53 dB (even louder in the high altitude setting)
3) Brightness uniformity (off by 40%)
4) Color uniformity (off by 5 to 6 dE)
5) lower than expected lumens output at D65 of only 236 lumens if you want the max C/R (which is only 1840:1).

Everyone has to decide for themselves just how important the various aspects of Greg's review are to them, and make a potential purchase decision accordingly.
Exactly right. I bought the HD81 knowing the fan noise was louder than I wanted - though I've measured 38 db (but that is 4ft from the projector, not right next to it), knowing C/R wasn't the best and knowing the iris was useless (still pisses me off they threw that Iris in and delayed this projector's release for months).

For under $6k I got myself a great projector (I didn't like the look of the Pearl's image, which was the only other pj in this price range). The $20k Marantz was too dim for my screen size.

For my needs and my price range, the HD81 was the best pj at the time of purchase. Time of purchase being the operative phrase.

Let's see ...

Lest expensive 1080p DLP projector
Excellent image sharpness and fine detail
Excellent intra-image contrast
Disappointing full-field contrast ratio and black level performance
Quite good color accuracy and gray scale
Exceptional scaling and deinterlacing
Not as good as 1080p DLP projectors costing 2-3 times as much (I would hope not)

I would call that "generally favorable."

Kevin,

the real world price difference between a Sharp Z20k and a HD81 can be as low as $1000.- depending on the dealer - I know because I payed 1k more for my 20k than I would have for the HD81. btw my dealer offered me the HD81 at a VERY competitive price - you do the math...

Now please compare the reviews for these two projectors. No comment.

The most striking (and for all you guys suprising) comclusion of the review is that the HD81 (calibrated @D65) is not any brighter than the Sharp. Combine that with the pathetic (sorry for that) On/Off contrast performance and you end up with a projetor whose biggest/only strength is not the projector itself but the included video processor (which is not all that great IMHO either). Sorry for the rant. But this was my conclusion about the HD81 all along - people hardly believed/trusted me - now there is "confirmation".

Maybe you rethink your definition of "generally favorable".

Has there been any news about the availability of C08? I have been holding off on contacting Optoma on the shutdown problem I have had in the hopes that I could get C08 at the same time.

Joe

the real world price difference between a Sharp Z20k and a HD81 is as low as $1000.- depending on the dealer - I know because I payed 1k more for my 20k than I would have for the HD81.
You paid $6,500 for a Z20K? What dealer gave you that price? I say that because my dealer is moving the HD81's at $5,500 so $1k more would be $6,500. The cheapest I've seen for the Z20K is $7,100.

So while the Sharp has a better contrast ratio, is it worth a 30% premium? For some yes. If I was buying a projector today I'd probably get the new JVC DLA-HD1 - 600 lumens @D65K and around $5,500 and C/R near 15,000:1 and reviewed by Ultimate A/V as the best looking picture on any sub $10k pj.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=804043

And for anyone buying that JVC today, in six months there will be something out better than it and at about the same price point.

All that said, I'd really hate running multiple HDMI cables 50ft to connect to these video projectors. One thing I'll say for the HD81 is I'm never going without a video switch again.

You paid $6,500 for a Z20K? What dealer gave you that price? I say that because my dealer is moving the HD81's at $5,500 so $1k more would be $6,500. The cheapest I've seen for the Z20K is $7,100.

I can tell you that your number for the Sharp is VERY close!


And for anyone buying that JVC today, in six months there will be something out better than it and at about the same price point.

Ya got that right!

All that said, I'd really hate running multiple HDMI cables 50ft to connect to these video projectors. One thing I'll say for the HD81 is I'm never going without a video switch again.

My current pj is a Dwin TV3, which has a separate video scaler box similar to the HD81. I can tell you that I am not at all happy about the fact that I will be giving up this feature when I get my new pj. This is definitely a very nice feature, and I think ALL projectors should be designed this way.

The most striking (and for all you guys suprising) comclusion of the review is that the HD81 (calibrated @D65) is not any brighter than the Sharp. Combine that with the pathetic (sorry for that) On/Off contrast performance and you end up with a projetor whose biggest/only strength is not the projector itself but the included video processor (which is not all that great IMHO either). Sorry for the rant. But this was my conclusion about the HD81 all along - people hardly believed/trusted me - now there is "confirmation".


TheLion,

I do think that you were correct in some of your early assertions about the HD81.
Some of the issues were corrected in subsequent firmware versions. I was not
happy with how many lumens were lost when the HD81 was calibrated to D65,
mitigating a perceived advantage of the projector. I always claimed that optics
and resolving detail were excellent at the price point, as well as intra image contrast.

I am running 8 sources to the processor, plus occasionally a couple of sources
into the front inputs. There is no way I could have gone without a separate
scaler, which by the way is a very good unit(read the review). If I had bought the Sharp(which I thought would sell closer to MSRP), it would have cost me at least $2500-$3000 more, once I added a scaler. Anamorphic display was also very important, and the HD81 was designed with this in mind--especially the latest
firmware versions.

Bottom line, you bought the projector that serves your priorities best and I did
the same. If I had bought the Sharp and an external processor, I would have
had to forego anamorphic display due to the extra cost.

Has there been any news about the availability of C08? I have been holding off on contacting Optoma on the shutdown problem I have had in the hopes that I could get C08 at the same time.

Joe


Joe,

I have never seen the shut down problem in three months of use. My HD81 is in my lobby and will be in a custom enclosure. I do no think the shut down issue is as common as you think.

BTW Optoma ads now feature the HD81 having 1080P. I have a Tosh HDDVD/HDMI which I believe will source 1080P. The screen of the HD81 always states 1080i as the source.

Will the HD81 do 1080P? Do I care? he picture is perfect!

John

There is no way I could have gone without a separate
scaler, which by the way is a very good unit(read the review).
Then buy a standalone video processor and you will ALWAYS have that needed advantage regardless of what projector you own.

Joe,

I have never seen the shut down problem in three months of use. My HD81 is in my lobby and will be in a custom enclosure. I do no think the shut down issue is as common as you think.

BTW Optoma ads now feature the HD81 having 1080P. I have a Tosh HDDVD/HDMI which I believe will source 1080P. The screen of the HD81 always states 1080i as the source.

Will the HD81 do 1080P? Do I care? he picture is perfect!

John

Yes, it will receive 1080p. I have fed 1080p content to it and it comes up and says 1080p.

Joe

Joe,

I have never seen the shut down problem in three months of use. My HD81 is in my lobby and will be in a custom enclosure. I do no think the shut down issue is as common as you think.

I didn't say I thought it was a common problem. I certainly didn't mean to leave that impression. My post referred to "the shutdown problem that I have had."

Joe

I didn't say I thought it was a common problem. I certainly didn't mean to leave that impression. My post referred to "the shutdown problem that I have had."

Joe

Joe If I were you I would not wait one minute longer. Call them and let them know how you feel and demand a replacement as Mr HiFi did. At least you will get yourself in the que.

Best,
John

Joe If I were you I would not wait one minute longer. Call them and let them know how you feel and demand a replacement as Mr HiFi did. At least you will get yourself in the que.
Just be sure you get C08 firmware or later. Else you will find yourself returning the projector again for a firmware upgrade.

Joe If I were you I would not wait one minute longer. Call them and let them know how you feel and demand a replacement as Mr HiFi did. At least you will get yourself in the que.


Thanks. It's not a huge concern for me right now. It is a mild annoyance that I can certainly tolerate until I know I will get C08. It hasn't happened very often so I'm not in any big rush. I'm confident that Optoma will make matters right. My only concern is getting it taken care of while the projector is still under warranty, which gives me until next fall.

Meanwhile, the projector delivers a dazzling picture that I enjoy every night.

Joe

I think the HD81 has a 3 year warranty (excluding the bulb).

I think the HD81 has a 3 year warranty (excluding the bulb).

Yes, but I believe the terms of the warranty change after the first year. I beleive the first year gives you a new replacement vs a repair on your current unit.

Joe

Then buy a standalone video processor and you will ALWAYS have that needed advantage regardless of what projector you own.

Agreed, Bob. Originally I was going to buy a Pearl and a Lumagen. Once I saw
1080p DLP, there was no going back. At the time of purchase, October, there
was no 1080p DLP available and delivering plus a standalone processor that was near the HD81's price point.

As I stated previously, if I had purchased a Sharp 20K and separate processor, I would not have been able to afford an anamorphic setup--even at the great Panamorph preorder pricing.

Agreed, Bob. Originally I was going to buy a Pearl and a Lumagen. Once I saw
1080p DLP, there was no going back. At the time of purchase, October, there
was no 1080p DLP available and delivering plus a standalone processor that was near the HD81's price point.

As I stated previously, if I had purchased a Sharp 20K and separate processor, I would not have been able to afford an anamorphic setup--even at the great Panamorph preorder pricing.

Stop defending your decision :)

It IS a great picture, at D6500 I have seen CR tumble on many projectors, it depens on what you settle for, maybe some fall off at red or blue at IRE 100 and contrast is wel above 2000, or maybe a filter which I will try.

No one can tell the image is bad, only those on the fence.

Stop defending your decision :)

It IS a great picture, at D6500 I have seen CR tumble on many projectors, it depens on what you settle for, maybe some fall off at red or blue at IRE 100 and contrast is wel above 2000, or maybe a filter which I will try.

No one can tell the image is bad, only those on the fence.

Well, to be clear, I am still thrilled everytime I watch an HD image on the HD81.
I do not use my D65 ISF calibrated settings. Fleshtones were very accurate,
but other colors lost saturation and richness in addition to the loss of lumens.

I am not seeing the white field uniformity issues to the extent that Greg Rogers saw. The sides of screen fall off in brightness about 25% vs. the 40% he measured. Color uniformity is barely an issue on the two HD81's I've had.

My wife and I are happily watching incredibly detailed, bright images, albeit with improper color temperatures, and great blacks--as long as there is something bright in the frame at the same time. All my sources are conveniently connected and I have dramatic 2:35 anamorphic 100" wide images for under $10K. What's not to love?

Well, to be clear, I am still thrilled everytime I watch an HD image on the HD81.

I couldn't agree more. In fact, we are noticing that we do not like to watch SD content any more. It just looks out of focus.

Joe

We have still not quite completed our new home theater but I have been able to spend a little time messing with the HD81. Everything looked fantastic straight out of the box, great imagery which blows away everything I saw at Cedia and CES.

Before going away on vacation, the kids and I sat in our make shift chairs (drop cloths and ladders all over the place) and settled down to watch Open Season. The kids (twins, eight years old) sat there with their jaws almost dropping to the ground, probably mine too! About thirty minutes in to the movie, just as I was thinking I am one of the lucky one's without HD81 issues, the screen went blue! This lasted about fifteen seconds and then the picture returned. About two minutes later the same thing happened again and then again a few minutes later. After the kids movie I watched Flyboys and it made it all the way through without going to blue screen.

We returned from vacation last night and the first thing I did was get back in the theater! I put Flyboys on again, just to watch a few scenes and remind myself of the beautiful images, but then the dreaded blue screen reared its ugly head again, about forty five minutes in. This time the blue periods were thirty to forty seconds per interval, five intervals in total, about a minute apart. At that point I shut it down, very depressed.

Is this a commonly known overheating problem? The pj is not (yet) tucked in a hush box and in no way obstructed to cause any cooling or venting issues. In fact we have an isolated extractor fan pulling away the exhaust heat! If it is an overheating issue, I am hoping that blowing cool air at the pj will be the cure as we do have the ability to do this if need be.

We have still not quite completed our new home theater but I have been able to spend a little time messing with the HD81. Everything looked fantastic straight out of the box, great imagery which blows away everything I saw at Cedia and CES.

Before going away on vacation, the kids and I sat in our make shift chairs (drop cloths and ladders all over the place) and settled down to watch Open Season. The kids (twins, eight years old) sat there with their jaws almost dropping to the ground, probably mine too! About thirty minutes in to the movie, just as I was thinking I am one of the lucky one's without HD81 issues, the screen went blue! This lasted about fifteen seconds and then the picture returned. About two minutes later the same thing happened again and then again a few minutes later. After the kids movie I watched Flyboys and it made it all the way through without going to blue screen.

We returned from vacation last night and the first thing I did was get back in the theater! I put Flyboys on again, just to watch a few scenes and remind myself of the beautiful images, but then the dreaded blue screen reared its ugly head again, about forty five minutes in. This time the blue periods were thirty to forty seconds per interval, five intervals in total, about a minute apart. At that point I shut it down, very depressed.

Is this a commonly known overheating problem? The pj is not (yet) tucked in a hush box and in no way obstructed to cause any cooling or venting issues. In fact we have an isolated extractor fan pulling away the exhaust heat! If it is an overheating issue, I am hoping that blowing cool air at the pj will be the cure as we do have the ability to do this if need be.

Of all of the issues mentioned about the HD81 this is the most distressing! A blue screen within 30 minutes of first usage! :(

You would think that with something so easy to check for (set each unit up for a 5 hour 'burn in') and correct this before shipping! Maybe they don't know how to fix it?

Can anyone explain why Optoma would let units that exhibit this behavior and/or have to be set to 'high altitude' out of their building!? This can't be considered good marketing or PR?

This is keeping my from submitting my order...

We have still not quite completed our new home theater but I have been able to spend a little time messing with the HD81. Everything looked fantastic straight out of the box, great imagery which blows away everything I saw at Cedia and CES.

Before going away on vacation, the kids and I sat in our make shift chairs (drop cloths and ladders all over the place) and settled down to watch Open Season. The kids (twins, eight years old) sat there with their jaws almost dropping to the ground, probably mine too! About thirty minutes in to the movie, just as I was thinking I am one of the lucky one's without HD81 issues, the screen went blue! This lasted about fifteen seconds and then the picture returned. About two minutes later the same thing happened again and then again a few minutes later. After the kids movie I watched Flyboys and it made it all the way through without going to blue screen.

We returned from vacation last night and the first thing I did was get back in the theater! I put Flyboys on again, just to watch a few scenes and remind myself of the beautiful images, but then the dreaded blue screen reared its ugly head again, about forty five minutes in. This time the blue periods were thirty to forty seconds per interval, five intervals in total, about a minute apart. At that point I shut it down, very depressed.

Is this a commonly known overheating problem? The pj is not (yet) tucked in a hush box and in no way obstructed to cause any cooling or venting issues. In fact we have an isolated extractor fan pulling away the exhaust heat! If it is an overheating issue, I am hoping that blowing cool air at the pj will be the cure as we do have the ability to do this if need be.

When I tested my HD81 I never got a signal cut off. I used the supplied RS-232 and HDMI cables. I think somebody earlier had the cut off but nailed it down to the RS-232 cable he installed.

Is this a commonly known overheating problem? The pj is not (yet) tucked in a hush box and in no way obstructed to cause any cooling or venting issues. In fact we have an isolated extractor fan pulling away the exhaust heat! If it is an overheating issue, I am hoping that blowing cool air at the pj will be the cure as we do have the ability to do this if need be.
My unit has exhibited this problem twice. The first after two months (probably 85 hours on the bulb). I watched it flash its blue led's and shut itself down after about 30 seonds. Then I shut it down by unplugging it AND uplugging the scalar box. I let it sit for 2 hours, then plugged it in again.

The issue didn't arise again until this past Wednesday (about four months of ownership and 137 hours on the bulb). We had just turned it on and the room was cool - about 50° F (we keep it cool and turn on the heat when we use the theater). The HD81 wasn't on for more than three minutes when the blue screen appeared. I didn't even hesitate, got up and shut off the scalar box (I didn't unplug it just hit the big silver button). Five minutes later I restarted everything and other than losing ALL my settings, it worked fine.

Sadly, with four months of use and 139 hours now on my bulb I'm probably one of the luckier HD81 users. I've got C05 if anyone is curious.

Sadly, with four months of use and 139 hours now on my bulb I'm probably one of the luckier HD81 users. I've got C05 if anyone is curious.

I have C05 also but I have never had a blue screen yet. I am keeping my fingers crossed.

One thing I did was run a more expensive, shielded RS232 cable between the two components. So if the blue screen problem is actually caused by a loss of signal in the cable then that may be why I have not seen it yet.

Joe

My unit has exhibited this problem twice. The first after two months (probably 85 hours on the bulb). I watched it flash its blue led's and shut itself down after about 30 seonds. Then I shut it down by unplugging it AND uplugging the scalar box. I let it sit for 2 hours, then plugged it in again.

The issue didn't arise again until this past Wednesday (about four months of ownership and 137 hours on the bulb). We had just turned it on and the room was cool - about 50° F (we keep it cool and turn on the heat when we use the theater). The HD81 wasn't on for more than three minutes when the blue screen appeared. I didn't even hesitate, got up and shut off the scalar box (I didn't unplug it just hit the big silver button). Five minutes later I restarted everything and other than losing ALL my settings, it worked fine.

Sadly, with four months of use and 139 hours now on my bulb I'm probably one of the luckier HD81 users. I've got C05 if anyone is curious.

Are you using a RS-232 other than the supplied one?

Are you using a RS-232 other than the supplied one?
Who isn't? I'm running a 50ft RS-232 cable attached to the 6 ft one supplied.

I know it's a hassle but one way to find out is to run the PJ for a long while with the supplied cable. If you never see the problem you could look into a higher caliber 50' cable, it might help.

I know it's a hassle but one way to find out is to run the PJ for a long while with the supplied cable. If you never see the problem you could look into a higher caliber 50' cable, it might help.
Thanks for the advice Tom. I'm pretty sure the first time was not due to the cable because the HD81 was on for four hours when it started exhibiting problems. This most recent time probably was the cable. If the problem occurs again I'll try a high caliber cable. Where can I get one that is female on both ends without breaking the bank?

jmorris644 is using a shielded RS-232 maybe he can help. I usually buy from monoprice, how high end their stuff is I don't know.

jmorris644 is using a shielded RS-232 maybe he can help. I usually buy from monoprice, how high end their stuff is I don't know.

I purchased a high-end shielded cable off of that big auction site. But it is a straight through M-F cable. I am also using the supplied 6 foot cable at the projector end and have the two attached to each other.

Joe