Michael, in the name of family unity, it's time for you to become a member of the Tifosi! Seriously, we are fortunate to be able to see a driver such as Lewis, who
is surely destined to be amongst the very greatest and also a great guy.

I hope you are enjoying your theater, I find that I am using my HD DVR's as a source
more than HD DVD or DVD these days--just a matter of finding good HD movies for
them to record and with an outboard 750Gb hard drive for my DirecTV HD DVR, it gives me plenty of record time.

Jeff ... I just want to see good races, no matter who wins. But even so, GO LEWIS ... and 'Super Best Friends'.

I LOVE my theater!! Despite the shortcomings of our beloved HD81 their can be no denying the fantastic PQ. I am so glad I went with the Cinecurve 2.40 screen. A friend, who is in the process of building a theater, came over a few days ago and once he saw that screen he immediately called his installer and told him to forget the 16.9 screen!

What's going on at Optoma Jeff? Have you paid them a visit lately to see what is in the pipeline, i.e, an HD81B that succesfully answers each and every problem people have encountered with the 81A, plus a real firmware update feature?And, of course, this new model will be offered free of charge as a symbolic jesture to all those owning the current incarnation!!!

Cheers!

Michael.

I LOVE my theater!! Despite the shortcomings of our beloved HD81 their can be no denying the fantastic PQ. I am so glad I went with the Cinecurve 2.40 screen. A friend, who is in the process of building a theater, came over a few days ago and once he saw that screen he immediately called his installer and told him to forget the 16.9 screen!

What's going on at Optoma Jeff? Have you paid them a visit lately to see what is in the pipeline, i.e, an HD81B that succesfully answers each and every problem people have encountered with the 81A, plus a real firmware update feature?And, of course, this new model will be offered free of charge as a symbolic jesture to all those owning the current incarnation!!!

Michael.

Michael,

You and I feel the same about CIH anamorphic 2:35 projection. It was necessary
for me due to a shallow room, but it's the best decision I made for my HT upgrade,
even if the HD81 decision might be dubious.

Funny that you spelled gesture, "jesture", because surely you JEST about Optoma
ever stepping up and correcting the HD81 issues. I would guess that the auto
iris in the HD80 and HD81LV is just as lame as the HD81 version. I doubt the
full field blacks are any better due to the business projector chassis, I doubt we
will ever see subsequent firmware versions and even if there were, we won't see
internet download ability, despite Guitarman's posts to the contrary.

I think that Optoma is like most low end, off shore consumer electronics manufacturers, that is to say, poor customer support, quality control, reliability
and a business model that is more about obsoleting current models than debugging them--even the top of the line model. We put up with it, so nothing
will change.

If you all have a decent audio system and want to test its phase coherence, localization capability, the movie "Messengers" in BluRay should knock your socks off. The outside long shots are amazingl detailed but the dark inside shots caused me to play with the Optoma trying to get better blacks. Oh Well, can't have everything. What you see in the darker seens is a haze where blacks should be. If you switch to PC-Video level, it is gorgeous but the detail is destroyed. I wound up switching back and forth manually with the IRIS on 12. Screen Gain is 1.3. Everything else factory HDMI 1080p48HZ settings.

Hey HD81 Gang,

Well after 6 months of breathtaking projection images, I had to send my unit back today for warranty repair/replacement. I had two big issues. First the remote completely locked up which I know others have had as well. Fortunately I had most of the codes programmed into my universal remote so I was able to get around this issue for a while for most remote functions. But the real kicker was when the image went to black and white stripes on the right half of the screen and nothing on the left half of the screen. No amount of resetting, replugging, or repowering would make it go away. The light panels indicated that it was a HDMI malfunction, but swapping out all of the cables made no difference. I only saw one other instance of this on the forum and it looked like they had to replace the projector as well.

Thus far the Optoma service guys have been very nice to deal with, but we will see how it goes for the balance of the experience. It is a real bummer to be without the projector so hopefully this will be a quick process.

I had a perfect 6 months with absolutely no issues other than initially having to provide more ventilation to the projector in order to avoid overheating issues. The day before the image went kaput, I had this weird overscan where the image still projected perfectly in my screen borders, but there was a solid blue overscan projecting above the top of my screen border. I had never seen this before. I powered the system down, let it take a breather, and then repowered the unit and the top blue overscan was gone - everything appeared to be back to normal. The next day, right in the middle of a movie, with no announcement, the projector goes to strips and nothing as described above and that was it. I think I had maybe 700 hours on the lamp when this occured.

I have owned 4 projectors and viewed many others and this was the best image by far when it was working. The 1080p image is superb and I received many complements from all who visited my theater, so it is a real shame to see it go down. Of the 4 projectors I have owned, this is the only one that has had to go back for warranty service. So the Optoma quality issues appear to continue.

Art,

I know you had a slight interest in drives like these.

http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/19/lgs-2nd-gen-super-multi-blue-blu-ray-hd-dvd-hybrid-drives-and/

Joe

Thanks Joe,

If they bring the price of the blanks down, I would definitely buy one. Maybe by Christmas. As it is, my wife and I are having to watch the BluRays the day they arrive from Netflix. There is no backup option like with DVD's. I really will keep this on my wish list and pray for $2.00 blanks. Even with DVD's, one makes so many coasters that it becomes painful. With BluRay bblanks Ii would be angry with myself.

A guy got to compare the cheaper HD80 next to the JVC RS1 and preferred the Optoma. There you go.

A guy got to compare the cheaper HD80 next to the JVC RS1 and preferred the Optoma. There you go.

Interesting. I'm trying to decide between these two models - one being over £1000 cheaper than the other is quite tempting.

Has anyone else seen the HD80 and the jvc?

[QUOTE=Jeff Regan]Michael,



Funny that you spelled gesture, "jesture", because surely you JEST about Optoma
ever stepping up and correcting the HD81 issues. I would guess that the auto
iris in the HD80 and HD81LV is just as lame as the HD81 version. I doubt the
full field blacks are any better due to the business projector chassis, I doubt we
will ever see subsequent firmware versions and even if there were, we won't see
internet download ability, despite Guitarman's posts to the contrary.

Pardon my English! I can't even offer 'jesture' as being the UK way of spelling it!!

On the HD81 ... I have to say that come Cedia I will be on the look out for something to replace it, before I get the issues a lot of people seem to be having. At the moment I see the JVC as a possibility but I'm hoping for a revelation in Denver. We will see.

Cheers!

I think that Optoma is like most low end, off shore consumer electronics manufacturers, that is to say, poor customer support, quality control, reliability and a business model that is more about obsoleting current models than debugging them--even the top of the line model. We put up with it, so nothing
will change.
While my HD81 has been very reliable, the way customer support has treated people who spent $6k and up on a projector is pathetic. Making people box up and send in their pj without first sending them a backup unit for the downtime is bad customer service (yes they could take credit card information up front if you don't send in your machine). Then they send back the fixed unit without a new bulb a little thank you would be nice - let alone a small rebate since they put untold hours on your bulb while testing it.

Then promising and not giving us downloadable firmware! This is from post #224:Yes, user upgradable via www download

Not using a high quality fan to cool the unit is also sad. There are lots of high-end small fans that are whisper quiet - but Optoma chose to put a cheap one in the HD81's, hoping that during demo's their dealers would be showing off the latest action flick scene where fan noise is unnoticeable.

Sending my Panasonic BD10 player back was a breeze (I think I screwed up the firmware update). You call an 800#, you download a PDF and fill it out, stick in the original box, bring it to UPS (who has Panasonic's account # on file) and the unit is returned in about a week, all cleaned and in perfect condition.

My requirements for a new pj are as follows:

Picture as good or better than my HD81
Quiet
Customer Service as good as Panasonic

Art,

I won't flood this topic with a bunch of links but this announcement I think you and others will like. It looks like Samsung is not only coming out with new BD players but a dual format player that has 7.1 outputs!!!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/25/samsung-announces-more-details-on-3rd-gen-and-dual-format-player/

Joe

Joe,

I think this Samsung is interesting. I like the idea of not having two separate
chassis, not having to switch HDMI and 5.1 analog audio channels and less
rack space. However, it does not support 1080/24p for HD DVD and the price
is a bit more than I was hoping for. If I were to buy an HDMI/5.1 audio switcher,
it would cost around $400, so if it streets in the $700-800 range, it
might replace my A1 and give me a Blu Ray capability by the end of the year vs.
a stand alone $400 Blu Ray player and switcher for a total of $800.

My recent purchase of the Sony BDPS300 will force me to stay away from the Samsung. It looks very interesting. I am buying a NAD175 when they are released soon so, I will not be throwing any more money around for a while. BTW, the Bruce Springsteen in Dublin concert is aurally stunning on Bluray. I used DD 5.1 but it did have 5.1 LPCM.

OK, I do not want to get a bunch of nastiness but I must report that the IRIS failed on my HD81. In combination with the Blue screen issue, I asked Warren for help. I may be stepping up to an LV. I will keep you, my friends, informed.

I'd like to step up to the LV also but they dont want to offer an upgrade path unfortunately and with the current price a new HD81 (1/2 of what i paid for it) it makes selling a used one not so good.

OK, I do not want to get a bunch of nastiness but I must report that the IRIS failed on my HD81. In combination with the Blue screen issue, I asked Warren for help. I may be stepping up to an LV. I will keep you, my friends, informed.

You were actually using the Iris? I keep mine at 8 and never change it. Had yours stopped making the loud noises every time it changes settings?

Joe

Joe,

I do not use the iris in its dynamic mode. In fact, I normally leave it on OFF. I was adjusting the Iris because the picture seemed duller than normal. When I switch from OFF to Auto, nothing happened to the brightness although I heard the noise from the motor. I raised and lowered the settings manually to no avail. It seems that the IRIS is stuck in a lower level. Several days ago I had ajusted it to 14 and I guess i did not notice that the picture did not brighten when I turned the setting to OFF. Anyway, it does not work.

Art,

At a suggested street price of $8K, I am wondering what, other than more lumens,
could justify the HD81LV being twice the price of the HD81? I am also wondering
how the extra lumens are achieved, given that the HD81 and HD81LV use the same
bulb, the technology must be interesting.

I am hoping the new AI II auto iris is more effective than the version found in
the HD81, which is useless and therefore we are stuck with a native contrast ratio
of less than 2000:1 and lumens that are way short of the 1400 spec when set close to D65. I for one couldn't see spending anywhere near $8K for any Optoma product,
even if the above issues were addressed, not to mention poor reliability. The HD80 also features the AI II for $3K.

Please let us know how this works out for you. I'd like to run over to Optoma to see
a demo of the HD81LV, but don't feel like I could see being a repeat Optoma customer.

Picture dropout and lock ups (blue screen), Wing told me there was a batch of HD81's with this problem which they have identified and have a fix. Anybody with a machine with this problem will get a new machine, a swap. Better call in to set up an RMA, oh it is a heat related problem.

Baaad weekend. my 11/7/06 with c04 did not start up at turn on.diagnoiss is
the bulb. $475 PLUS SHIPPING. IM NOT A HAPPY CAMPER. They were able to reduce the
price some but its still a chunk. only had about 500 hrs use out of it in 8 months.
JUST VENTING A BIT.
1gasman.
haven received the bulb yet.

im checking also if anyone on the forum has had to replace there bulbs and if so, at
how many hours were you at?
also im checking to see how many hours are the rest of you getting on your bulbs so far?
1gasman.

Uh oh, there are Optoma HD78 and HD79 owners who have had to replace bulbs at
very low hours, see the threads on this forum. I hope this isn't another HD81 issue.
Having to spend a dollar per hour for bulb time is ridiculous. Digital projection is making me long for 13 years of trouble free CRT projection--well, except for the dim,
soft, out of convergence images.

Baaad weekend. my 11/7/06 with c04 did not start up at turn on.diagnoiss is
the bulb. $475 PLUS SHIPPING. IM NOT A HAPPY CAMPER. They were able to reduce the
price some but its still a chunk. only had about 500 hrs use out of it in 8 months.
JUST VENTING A BIT.
1gasman.
haven received the bulb yet.
Why didn't you contact Jason at AVS for better pricing?

It is an expensive bulb. I paid just a little bit less.

Art,

Could you elaborate on your decision to upgrade to the HD81LV? I do not feel like
my HD81 is lacking in lumens for my 100" wide screen, it is full field blacks that I'd
like to see improved and reliability, of course. Is Optoma offering a trade value on
your HD81 to make the upgrade worthwhile? I look forward to hearing your report
on the HD81LV and hope that it has an improved autol iris, because that could fix
the limited native contrast ratio.

Jeff,

UPS just delivered it and took the old broken one. I feel it is inappropriate for me to comment on the terms of my replacement but let it suffice to say that Warren is a gentleman who knows how to keep customers happy while protecting the company. I will hang it tonight when my wife gets home and provide feedback tomorrow. I went this route for 3 reasons. I did not want to get #2 back, I had purchased a replacement bulb and the LV has new technology that is alleged to provide a significant benefit.

Art,

We will all be very anxious for your feedback.

Joe

Thank you, Art. I had tried to PM you with the pertinent questions, but your mailbox
was full. I am glad that Optoma is working with you and look forward to your review
of the HD81LV.

I am surprised that you had been running with iris off. Is this what you did from the
beginning with the HD81, or later due to bulb aging? I've always run at 9 or 11 to
try to get better full field blacks. I think if you run with iris off with the HD81LV, you will need sunglasses!

Please keep us informed about your opinions of the HD81LV compared to the HD81.

Why didn't you contact Jason at AVS for better pricing?


Unless jasons price is free, there isnt much of a better pricing.

I have not ordered a bulb yet, still trying to un-steam myself and im checking out a few other
options that might get me a better deal on the bulb plus a longer warrenty.

1gasman.

Well, I'm having a bad evening. First my Net Flix rental of "The Good Shepard" HD DVD locks up in the middle of the movie, then I switch to PS2 to play Gran Turismo and the HD81 shuts down in the middle of a race. I'm getting a flashing lamp light and the projector won't refire. If I've lost the lamp already, I'm going to be very unhappy, considering I'm not much beyond 300 hours. At this point I'm sorry I ever heard of Optoma when, for the same amount of money I could have bought a Sharp 20K or BenQ 10K.

HD DVD and the HD81, two products that aren't ready for prime time.

I've pulled the bulb and do not have continuity. I have only used the bulb in low
power mode and not much beyond 300 hours. This is pathetic. $500 for 300 hours
of use? I'm done with this company and it's poorly designed and executed products.
$6300 wasted. Three projectors in eight months and now a bulb? It's a joke.

[QUOTE=Jeff Regan]I've pulled the bulb and do not have continuity. I have only used the bulb in low
power mode and not much beyond 300 hours. This is pathetic. $500 for 300 hours
of use? I'm done with this company and it's poorly designed and executed products.
$6300 wasted. Three projectors in eight months and now a bulb? It's a joke.[/QUOTE

------------------
I hope i didnt jinx you Jeff.
1gasman

This may be the wrong point to discuss this and Jeff, I do feel sorry for you. Nevertheless, I promised to report my initial impressions about the HD81-LV and so, here goes.

WOW!!!!!! Brighter, sharper, more precisely defined color boundaries do not begin to tell the story. Also, the ability to run the projector in low bulb and 16 IRIS is a big deal. All I have watched so far is a live morning newscast in HD with the LG3410A's tuner as the source via DVI/HDMI. To say this is a vast improvement is not enough. I was very skeptical after 3 attempts with the 81 but they have redone the software for the VXD to include things like auto gamma and brilliant color. I use a 1.3 gain screen so I have a picture that is watchable with morning sunlight pouring in through a window opposite the screen. Of course I did turn the IRIS Off for this. This thing is really detailed. It will need to be adjusted for proper color and hue but otherwise I am blown away.

Although my wife and I only put it in place and focused and zoomed and really did not tweak the size and leveling, there is no mistaking that the LV is a refined version of the 81. With 15 minutes of time playing, I can report only good feelings. I will report more as I play with the many new settings provided with the VXD.

I've pulled the bulb and do not have continuity.
Jeff, projector bulbs do not have continuity because the light is created by an arc between the two posts - not a filiment. Therefore, the problem may not necessarily be the bulb.

This site may help you determine if your bulb is really blown Bad Bulbs (http://usedprojectorlamps.com/?pageId=19)

Amplify on the colors, it has the new RGBCM color wheel. Plus can you see light alterations, it has the millisecond light dark source detection which should increase contrast greatly. I'll hv to find out what LV stands for, maybe Light Variance.

Tom,

It is quite amazing. Have you seen one? I am blown away by the picture. I did not think it would be this significant but it is. I just measured 28 dB SPL at 6 ft. The other one was 34 db SPL. The detail is what is incredible. One can resolve hair characteristics. BTW, Did you receive the Transcanner?

I've made progress with the problems I was having.

The story so far:

When I would begin playing back video using my TViX media server, I would get a bad serial connection indicator (flashing blue TEMP LED) followed by the lamp powering off. I spoke with Warren at Optoma and he suggested that I try a unit with the C08 firmware. That unit still had the problem with the TViX media server and it had a new one I hadn't had before. I would get a blue screen and flashing blue LAMP LED unless I ran the unit in high altitude mode. I spoke with Warren again. He was aware that there were units with that problem. He had just gotten a new shipment from China and suggested that I try one of those. That unit got rid of the thermal problem. I no longer need to run in high altitude mode to avoid the blue screen. However I am still having the same problem with the TViX media server causing the bad serial connection indicator and the lamp powering off.

The update:

I did some experimenting. I discovered that even when I was watching a different input, starting playback on the TViX would cause the problem. I disconnected the DVI and audio cables from the TViX and was watching a different input with the projector. I would still get the error when I began playback on the TViX even though it wasn't even connected to the scaler. The TViX unit had been about 15 inches from the scaler. I reconnected the TViX and moved it about four feet from the scaler. I can now watch video from the TViX on the HD81 without any problems. I suspect the TViX must be putting out some RF interference that causes problems with the serial connection. What a relief!

Warren and a technician named Jeff have been very helpful to me in trying to solve my problems. I think Warren really wants to make sure customers are satisfied.

For people who are having to run in high altitude mode to avoid blue screen problems, there are newer units that don't have that problem.

Joe

Tom,

It is quite amazing. Have you seen one? I am blown away by the picture. I did not think it would be this significant but it is. I just measured 28 dB SPL at 6 ft. The other one was 34 db SPL. The detail is what is incredible. One can resolve hair characteristics. BTW, Did you receive the Transcanner?

UPS says Friday, I'll have to call Wing and ask for an LV, sounds unique this new technology. Alan said the same thing the difference is significant.

Joe,

Glad to hear that you finally resolved the TViX issue. That is very similar to my lighting issue of when I dim the lights the serial connection on the pj breaks.

Joe

LV = "Large Venue" - at least most websites list it under this.

How about opening a new thread for the LV, now that the first units seem to be available?

Regards!

Yep Wing told me today, Large Venue I think I like Light Variance better. Nobody new this thing has the new light sensing technology from Ti. There's no set name for it, companies are applying there own titles for it. But it's all the same thing.

Okay, I'm in a much better mood now. I stopped by Optoma aftere speaking to Warren on the phone. Without demanding anything, I was offered a new bulb or
projector. I picked up a bulb and the projector is back on line.

Optoma really stepped up, considering the bulb was out of warranty, so they do indeed take care of their customers.

1gasman,

You need to call Warren about a bulb.

Art,

I am very happy to hear that you are liking the LV. It sounds fantastic! More detailed? It must be truly amazing!! You deserve a good projector after the issues
you've endured. Optoma certainly did the right thing for you. I look forward to reading more about your LV.

This is unbelievable. I spoke too soon. I had left the room for about 20 minutes with
the projector looking great and when I came back in, the image had bizarre colors and picture breakup. I switched to various sources, HDMI and component and there
was no difference. I have powered up and down a couple of times, same problems,
with a high pitched whine from the projector.

So, obviously it wasn't a blown bulb after all, but a major projector or processor
issue. The Optoma logo comes up normally, and images are ok briefly, then it gets
into psychedelics and breakup. Back to Optoma I go for HD81 number four, I guess. It feels like deja vu. Ugh.

Well, I'm picking up an HD81LV to replace my HD81 tomorrow. I will post my opinion on it
compared to the HD81, and after Art's brief report, I'm certainly looking forward to this new
product.

I am not quite sure how to open a new thread but would be pleased to go there if everyone would feel more comfortable.

Darn, now i want one even more...can someone please talk Optoma into allowing the early HD81 adopters a trade-up program to an LV model for a decent price :) Otherwise looks like im out $3k+ to upgrade :( I need more light!

The thing has gone noticably dimmer after only 100 hours on my brand new bulb.

Jeff,

I spent the afternoon trying to use the old AVIA disk to set up the LV. Once again I could not get adequate saturation. The HD81 had the same problem. This thing delivers an amazing picture. Chief positive is that when the auto gamma is turned on, the shadow detail is very visible. The new color circuitry must do its job quietly becuse I went from 0 to 10 and saw little difference except that the picture is amazing. I do have a negative. When I turn the unit on, it goes to USER 2. The worse thing though is that out of the box the color,hue , brightness and contrast settings are way off. To get nearly correct flesh tones I am having to set tint at 15 and 18. This unit was never set up like the originals. No matter what I do I am having trouble with reds. It may be me but they look maroon and no matter what I try, I am not satisfied. I watched the BluRay "GHOST RIDER". It looked amazing but I did spend half the movie playing with settings. Everything I watch is at 1080P 24FPS. For SD discs, Optoma recommends setting the player at 480i and using the VXD to upscale. That does not give the best picture with my Sony BDPS300. Setting the player at 1080p and usingg its internal upgrader provides a visibly sharper picture. When watching BD, I set the player on direct. This causes the player to transmit a 1080p 24fps signal. I set the LV on Native and 248 fps.

One final thought... Too many adjustments with little description of what we are supposed to see when we adjust these controls. I'm not sure I need a Gamma Level adjustment, an Auto Gamma Adjustment, a Brightness adjustment, a Black and dWhite Extender and a 0/7.5 IRE setter and a lens aperture adjustment. It becomes very difficult to set brightness and contrast. The same is true of color. Don't get me wrong...they must be doing something corrct but I feel like a pilot who is qualified for VFR and is asked to fly a 747. I am glad I can push autopilot. In this case though, Autopilot does not provide correct color or hue.

I have a question. Jeff....Please ask Warren about this. Can we get a service manual so we can set the factory default Color and Hue settings?

Jeff...Please private me the details iff you have time.

I am not quite sure how to open a new thread but would be pleased to go there if everyone would feel more comfortable.

Art, I for one would like you to stay here. Isn't the LV just another version of the 81 anyway?

Joe

This is unbelievable. I spoke too soon. I had left the room for about 20 minutes with
the projector looking great and when I came back in, the image had bizarre colors and picture breakup. I switched to various sources, HDMI and component and there
was no difference. I have powered up and down a couple of times, same problems,
with a high pitched whine from the projector.

So, obviously it wasn't a blown bulb after all, but a major projector or processor
issue. The Optoma logo comes up normally, and images are ok briefly, then it gets
into psychedelics and breakup. Back to Optoma I go for HD81 number four, I guess. It feels like deja vu. Ugh.
-------------------------------
Thats just what happened to mine , same thing. I did speak to warren when this all started but he didnt work with me the way he did wth you or how I thought he should of. He is willing to give me a break on the bulb (play with words), but not much. I thought I should get a free bulb to at least to try. Im still without my unit. It did work, for a second , but went back to only showing the logo, then cutting off. I ordered a bulb through a well known electronic company and I bought the protection plan that warrenties the bulb for 4 years.
Its suppose to come tommarrow but now after hearing from you, I am wondering if I also have more problems. I tried to push him to work a deal for the LV but no luck, he told me to try to sale mine on ebay.

He did offer to do a firmware upgrade to use the auto 235 but seeing past threads im not sure if this will cause a chain reaction of problems.
ANY One with the latest on upgrade firmware problems?

Jeff, you and Hifi must know how to work the system better then I,send me your books.
I m not a hater but just a congratulator, to you both.

Hifi, what type of bulb does the LV use?, is it the same as whats in the H81?

1gasman

Hi, I'm just starting to look into the HD81. Sorry if my question has already been answered here, but I really don't have the time to read through 144 forum pages. I also looked at the OptomaUSA site, but it's not clear:

Do they use a special cable to run combined power, video signal, and control signal from the external processor to the projector? Kind of what Apple did a while ago with their Apple Display Connector (http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=58667)? If not, given that I'd connect only one source (my computer), would this separation of projector and connector box have any other advantage for me?

As a sidenote, the biggest headache for me is the small range of the zoom lens. I still have to look into my installation and screen options, but it may rule out the Optoma altogether at the end.

Do they use a special cable to run combined power, video signal, and control signal from the external processor to the projector?
No. The HD81 has a power cord.

The HD81 requires two cords be connected to the scalar box - HDMI & DB9. Optoma supplies each in 6' increments.

I have an extra 35' 22 gauge HDMI cord I'd be willing to sell someone if they need it. It's new, after buying it I realized I was 5' short and had to get a 50 footer.

If not, given that I'd connect only one source (my computer), would this separation of projector and connector box have any other advantage for me?
Absolutely. Not only does the scalar box have multiple HDMI, component, S-VHS and composite inputs, it also has a Gennum chip for upscaling all content to 1080p.

No matter how much I complain about Optoma, adding a scalar/switcher box was a fantastic idea.

As a sidenote, the biggest headache for me is the small range of the zoom lens. I still have to look into my installation and screen options, but it may rule out the Optoma altogether at the end.
The more expensive JVC RS1 can be placed virtually anywhere.

No. The HD81 has a power cord.

The HD81 requires two cords be connected to the scalar box - HDMI & DB9. Optoma supplies each in 6' increments.

I have an extra 35' 22 gauge HDMI cord I'd be willing to sell someone if they need it. It's new, after buying it I realized I was 5' short and had to get a 50 footer.


Absolutely. Not only does the scalar box have multiple HDMI, component, S-VHS and composite inputs, it also has a Gennum chip for upscaling all content to 1080p.

No matter how much I complain about Optoma, adding a scalar/switcher box was a fantastic idea.


The more expensive JVC RS1 can be placed virtually anywhere.



pm sent

"the image had bizarre colors and picture breakup. I switched to various sources, HDMI and component and there was no difference. I have powered up and down a couple of times, same problems,
with a high pitched whine from the projector. "

Bizarre colors and high pitched whine = color wheel problems.

The HD81 requires two cords be connected to the scalar box - HDMI & DB9. Optoma supplies each in 6' increments.Are any included in the price of the projector? Otherwise it seems their solution requires double cabling = more $$.

given that I'd connect only one source (my computer)... the scalar box ... also has a Gennum chip for upscaling all content to 1080p.But if the computer already outputs 1080p and is able to scale everything to full screen, would there still be any advantage?

The more expensive JVC RS1 can be placed virtually anywhere.I looked into that one too. Good review on Projector Central. But 700 lumen?? I saw ProjCentral says it's very bright, but still... my screen is 3m wide. Not working out. I'm actually excited too hear about the HD81-LV; 2500 lumen is more like it.

Was wondering why 1080p projectors seemed to be relatively dark (according to specs) compared to many 4:3 projectors, which often have 2000 lumen or more.

Update on my HD81 repair.

I had both the remote freeze issue as well as the projector completely losing the image and only displaying white and black bars on half of the screen.

After Optoma having my unit for about a week and not hearing from them, I contacted Optoma. Would have been nice if they would have contacted me, but such is life I guess. Optoma indicates that the projector needs a new I/O board and that they are out of stock on this component so they are waiting on a new shipment of I/O boards before they can move forward.

Not exactly the customer service level that I would expect for a high value item like this, but we will see how this all turns out.

More good news about the LV. Spent 7 hours with it yesterday, 4 of which were watching films, Ghost Rider and 4 Brothers. Shadow detail can be amazing if you keep tweaking. Disk variation requires familiarity with the controls. This HD viewing business is not a set it and forget it proposition. I find myself spending the first 15 min to 30 min of every movie, tweaking. The quieter fan sure helps. Last night tweaked up the geometry. Word of Advice...Buy something other than a Chief mount. They are not user friendly. I really love this projector and so far have found nothing I can not adjust for with one of the supplied dadjustments. If Optoma had come out with this unit first, this would be everyone's favorite projector.

Update on my HD81 repair.

I had both the remote freeze issue as well as the projector completely losing the image and only displaying white and black bars on half of the screen.

After Optoma having my unit for about a week and not hearing from them, I contacted Optoma. Would have been nice if they would have contacted me, but such is life I guess. Optoma indicates that the projector needs a new I/O board and that they are out of stock on this component so they are waiting on a new shipment of I/O boards before they can move forward.

Not exactly the customer service level that I would expect for a high value item like this, but we will see how this all turns out.

Any idea on how long they have to wait, I'd press for a swap on a new projector if it's too long a wait.

Art, is the LV Idential throw as the normal 81? Just wondering if i'm going to have to move everything if/when i upgrade to the LV or if i can just drop it in place of the HD81.

What other mount do you suggest for this thing, i have the chief and have found it to be a pain as well but finally worked through it.

I've installed the HD81-LV that I upgraded from an HD81. My preliminary impressions are as follows:

PROS

VERY bright, I didn't really need more lumens for my 100" wide 1.3 gain screen, but should be just right when the bulb ages.

What I did want was better full field blacks. The LV delivers. I am running in auto
iris and auto gamma. I looked for dark movie scenes that I had been unhappy with my HD81 and they were like watching a different movie. I am no longer pulled out of dark scenes due to the "gray haze" that the HD81 projected in full field dark scenes.

Auto235 and anamorphic lens trigger are working perfectly with very fast response, the three HD81's I had did not work properly in either Auto235 or triggered incorrectly, or both.

I am finding that settings used on my last HD81 are working pretty well so far.

It does seem to be quieter fan noise wise.

It's black metallic!


CONS:

Auto iris, while better, still can be seen and heard changing mid-scene occasionally, which is unacceptable.

Film Mode 48Hz still does not work when in vertical stretch mode for anamorphic
lenses(LBX).

Still have to set HDMI sources at DVI-PC vs. DVI-Video.

Geometry seems to have changed a bit for some reason. It seems like I am having to tilt the projector up a little bit, which is causing some keystoning and
weird interaction with the anamorphic lens, yet this should not have changed
from the HD81 to the LV.

There is still some light leak around the outside of the frame.


SUMMARY

Overall, what I'm seeing is a sense of less saturation which I believe is due to
the image being so bright. I do not believe the image is too much more detailed,
but I am seeing more noise from my DirecTV and Dish HD DVR playback, as well
as edges that don't look as clean. More pristine sources such as HD DVD are
showing an even larger difference in quality from mini dish satellite HD. In other
words, the LV is able to really show how good a good HD source can be. I've
had to bring in noise reduction for sat. signals, which I didn't do previously.

The look of the LV reminds me of a Sim C3X three chip DLP projector in brightness,
resolution and colorimetry. At other times, it reminds me of the best, brightest
commercial movie theaters I've ever been in.

Anyway, there are a lot of things I need to learn. I want to get a handle on the
auto gamma control, live with the auto iris longer, learn about the brilliant color
circuit. I am still using warm and TV mode for image, but have reduced gamma from 3 to 1. Most other settings are working at zero for me, same as my last HD81.

I would say that if somebody wants a very bright, detailed image with a screen
size of over 120", the HD81LV would seem to be a good call. It has a contrast
range that is more competitive, while still putting out big lumens. It has the great
connectivity and processing that made me gravitate towards the HD81 in the first place, it offers plenty of control for ISF calibration, with the Auto235 and anamorphic lens trigger, it is great for CIH anamorphic setups. The big question mark remains reliability. On the warranty front, Optoma now offers a 3 year
Optoma Express Replacement warranty, which is like what the extra cost Gold
Service Contract was, additionally there is a one year warranty on the bulb vs. 90 days with the HD81.

Also, given that an HD80, HD81 or BenQ 9000 or 10000 are thousands less than the HD81LV, it really is made for people who have a very large screen to light up. What I like best about the LV is the improved contrast range, but this can be had in projectors costing less, albeit without the combination of very high light output at the same time.

Jeff, projector bulbs do not have continuity because the light is created by an arc between the two posts - not a filiment. Therefore, the problem may not necessarily be the bulb.

This site may help you determine if your bulb is really blown Bad Bulbs (http://usedprojectorlamps.com/?pageId=19)

------------------------------------
For those of us that are still in the dark ages and have H81,
"not a hatter just a congatulator"

I recieved the new bulb today for it, installed it and so far its working.
I will give it a better test tommarrow. I did ohm out the new and old bulb, both showed no continuity (as stated by kevin).
I know that there isnt a filter but im going to check the unit out to see if any dust might be blocking the air ciculation.
I know Jeff had trouble with his unit, even with a new bulb, so I will have to run it for a bit to make sure nothing is wrong with the unit.

After 9 months I had been satisfied with my unit up to when the bulb blew. I only run my unit maybe once every weekend if that.
Trade up deal sounds good to me but in this industry, its all about the $$$$.

1gasman

Jeff et al,

I have been praising the LV so far but I do have one complaint, which i alluded to before, that has become a serious annoyance. The colors are off. Reds look like maroon. In order to get acceptable flesh tones, I am having to set HUE at +15 to +20. The whole thing is very blue also. I tried roughing it in with the user settings unsuccessfully. Sure wish I had a service manual. What Jeff says about high contrast and brightness is definitely true. I have the same 1.3 gain screen as Jeff and need to set the IRIS at 16. I still do not understand this IRIS business other than as an adjustment for bulb aging. I see no benefit to PQ in terms of detail with smaller IRIS openings. They could do away with all this IRIS adjustability AFAIC. I own 2 JVC SVHS recorders. One has a TBC and the other does not. Watching SD material with this projector is not pleasant. It highlights every error possible. I normaly use the PVR's for time shifting. Their DVI outputs work well with the LV.

Jeff, Please comment on your colors out of the box. Does yours go to USER 2 when you turn it on?

dselinger,

The throw is identical to the 81 but like Jeff, I had to do some tilting and moving to get the Geometry correct. I spent 2 hours with my wife getting it acceptable. Not pleasant with the Chief mount. I would buy something with a ball and socket.

Art, is the LV Idential throw as the normal 81? Just wondering if i'm going to have to move everything if/when i upgrade to the LV or if i can just drop it in place of the HD81.

What other mount do you suggest for this thing, i have the chief and have found it to be a pain as well but finally worked through it.

The throw is identical. I would suggest something with a ball and socket so you could adjust it more easily.

Jeff,

My reds are maroon. My out of the box settings are terrible. Please comment.

Bummer,

I received an email from Warren and I guess that Jeff and Art are the only ones that are getting a "one-time-only" deal of an upgrade.

Oh well, I still love my HD81. Warren is going to walk me through some tests to see if it is one of the ones that is inherent with blue screen problems.

Joe

Jeff et al,

I have been praising the LV so far but I do have one complaint, which i alluded to before, that has become a serious annoyance. The colors are off. Reds look like maroon. In order to get acceptable flesh tones, I am having to set HUE at +15 to +20. The whole thing is very blue also. I have the same 1.3 gain screen as Jeff and need to set the IRIS at 16. I see no benefit to PQ in terms of detail with smaller IRIS openings.
Watching SD material with this projector is not pleasant. It highlights every error possible.
Jeff, Please comment on your colors out of the box. Does yours go to USER 2 when you turn it on?

.

Hi Art,

I was out last night, so didn't get to spend more time with the LV. When I installed it, I did run through the DVE HD test disc and was very impressed with
the way the HD test patterns looked. Color bars looked pretty good to me.
My LV defaults to user 2 as well. How do you adjust HUE with an HDMI input?

I briefly showed my wife a scene from her favorite HD DVD movie, Phantom of
the Opera. It was one of the underground cave scenes, one that I wanted to
compare full field blacks with the HD81. I was very happy because the contrast
ratio looked so much better, shadow detail was much better, blacks were blacker.
I had the LV in auto iris. My wife saw the image and didn't like it because it was
too bright! She was right, the cave looked over lit. So I took it out of auto and
ran the iris at 14 and she liked it much better.

I don't think the auto iris is ready for prime time, and expect to run with iris on at
an almost closed position until the bulb ages. I like having iris control--the HD81
needed it to get the best contrast range, the LV needs it to tame the extreme lumens output.

The Brilliant color is a way to get more saturation and luminance out of non-primary colors from the new color wheel that has cyan, yellow and magenta segments. As the circuit is adjusted, the image actually freezes momentarily.
I have not had enough time to work with it, but seems subtle so far--I'll have to
adjust using color bars.

I do find this projector to be more ruthless with less than pristine sources, I'm
seeing more noise, chroma-luma delay on edges is more apparent, compression
artifacts are more obvious. Definitely unforgiving.

I will spend more time looking at color today, as yesterday was about seeing if
contrast ratio was better--my biggest priority and a weakness of the HD81. I
expected the image to be more saturated with the new color wheel, but that was
not the case. Maybe it's because the color temp. is too high out of the box.
The last thing I watched yesterday, briefly, was "Little Miss Sunshine" in HD, it
was incredibly bright--I never thought I'd have a projector that was too bright!

The Optoma HD8000 is out.

No scalar, but it has 2 HDMI inputs, comes with a 3 year warranty and everything else is essentially the same as the HD81. I can't mention pricing here, but its under $2,500 so call Jason or contact your local store to check one out.

Are you sure you don't mean the HD80? If so, it uses a 1080p DC2 chip (less contrast), and the MSRP is $2699. I can't imagine Optoma releasing an "HD8000" as a no-scalar clone of the HD81, with the HD80 on the market.

Are you sure you don't mean the HD80?I believe he means the Pro version of the HD80 that AVS sells... which has a better warranty.

I believe he means the Pro version of the HD80 that AVS sells... which has a better warranty.
Correct. And yes, it is the DC2 chip, though Optoma claims 12,000:1 contrast ratio for the HD8000, but they only claim 10,000:1 for the HD81. Of course manufacturer claims are about as constant as change itself. :)

I spent more time watching my HD81-LV last night, although we watched an HD concert video, not a movie. The Brilliant Color function, which is a new TI feature
has me preplexed. I adjusted it from 1 to 5 and it did strange things to the blacks and colors overall. I need to spend more time with this to try to understand it.

I also raised Vivid Color from 1 to 3 to gain more saturation. The user version of
Vivid Color is very complicated, 3 is as high as it goes without going into user.

I turned on the track lights and ceiling cans in my HT at half illumination and the LV
was still watcheable, I went to full illumination and I could still watch the image. This with lamp in low and iris at 14, almost closed! It really looks like a giant plasma display. This projector would be perfect for a game room to watch sports while
entertaining with room lights on.

FWIW, on Saturday, the LV developed vertical thin white stripes on the right half of the field. I can not get rid of them. AGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! Warren offered to replace after burning in the replacement projector to verify operation. Hope colors are more saturated and accurate on the replacement unit. I think Optoma needs to find new supplier for their components.

Wow Art, That is unbelievable. It really makes me reconsider if my next projector will be an Optoma or not. I can see a single release of a new style unit having engineering issues but now I am getting the feeling it may symptomatic at Optoma.

Joe

Art,

I'm sorry to hear that. If one reads other Optoma projector model threads, it becomes clear a similar pattern of unreliability exists. A common refrain is, "it
looks great when it's working".

My HD81-LV is working well so far, it is quieter, the lumens output continues to
astound and best of all is the improved CR and full field blacks. I am not happy
with the reds, which look maroon and crushed. I have shifted hue on my DirecTV
HDMI input to +7. On my Dish Network HDMI input, I have test signals recorded
on the HD DVR and the hue on color bars is correct at 0, ditto bars from the HD DVD
DVE disc via HDMI. I think I will have to have my ISF calibrator come out and hope
that the settings will transfer if I have to swap projectors at some point.

Banding seems to be improved over the HD81, I'm running at iris level 14 as auto
iris is still not acceptable, low lamp mode, and it still looks like a giant plasma display,
even with room lights on.

If I were not into this in excess of $7,000.00, I would be looking elsewhere. Optoma has not offered me that option. For those who think that it must be something about my setup or me, all I can offer is that I have been playing with this stuff since I was 10 and I am now 61. I used to sell for one of the biggest HiFi mail order houses in history, I am a physicist with some knowledge of electronics and certainly some of heat and the operation of solid state devices under adverse conditions. I have published several papers concerning radiative recombination as it relates to lasers of the type now used widely in many types of optical readers and writing devices.

Why do i bore you with all this? Because I question myself as to why these machines keep failing. I have a nice AV system that is more a techie's dream than a home theater. Things do not break normally although lately more and more pieces come from the warehouse with flaws or unable to do what the manual claims. Every HD DVD and BluRay player I have tried falls short of meeting the abilities listed in the accompanying literature.

I have 12 cm of space between the bottom of the projector and my ceiling. Even so, the space/air around the projector is uncomfortably hot. I am several inches out from the curtain behind the projector. When it began showing symptoms last Thursday like gray slats on the right side of the picture followed by the vertical white lines, I turned the blower to high altitude. After 8-10 minutes the white lines and window shading went away. This occurred 3 times on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. When I turned it on Monday, the white lines were present but would not go away. Warren says that the LV has been trouble free.

I must recant my original glowing testimony about the LV. This failure combined with inaccurate color rendition and a plethora of controls whose effects on the picture are not readily apparent, make the LV a poor performer. What a shame. I thought Optoma had turnedd the corner and my troubles were over. I wish I had never read Tom's original review. Nothing personal Tom.

Jeff,

Your point about the reference signals confused me. Are the Saturation and Hue corrct when you adjust the hue to +7? Or, is it correct at 0? I find that there is little correlation between the results I get from standard reference signals and the flesh tones I observe. Typically, using the Blue Field, the Standard Pluge, or the blinking fields off the AVIA disk, I must set the hue at -7 to get a satisfactory test result. This causes prple faces. I am at a loss. BTW, I can not achieve good saturation test results.

Art,

I don't have color bars on my DirecTV HD DVR, so I don't know if they are accurate with hue at
+7. Using the blue gel, 0 was the correct phase for Dish and HD DVD bars, now I have to watch more skin tones on those sources. I definitely didn't like skin tones and especially reds
with hue at 0 with DirecTV as the source. I have yet to watch anything with my SD DVD player
via component or my Laser disc player. I've been so caught up in the incredible brightness
and better CR, that I'm only now looking seriously at colorimetry. I did play with the user
color temp. individual channel contrasts(gain) and brightness(bias), and didn't find any
improvements in the reds, without having too much affect on the overall color ballance.

My ISF tech should be out at the end of this week or sometime next week. This will give
me a chance to see what the lumens are now and after D65 settings.

Jeff,

I hate to say this but your results and mine agree. My faces are way too red/purple. I put 35 hous on mine in 3 days trying to get decent colors. I would hate to think that all this brightness and contrast comes at the price of color accuracy. #3 that just failed a few weeks ago, had gorgeous skin tones right out of the box. It seems like no one set anything on these. Anyway, warren said I would see the replacement by Friday.

It is not my place to say this but I will anyway since we have come to know each other over the past year. Is it wise to have the ISF guy out before you understand the effect of all the controls on PQ. The reason i say that is because I too can achieve 6500 K for grays and Whites which is the main thing the ISF guy does. By using my reference CMOS device it is fairly straightforward albeil time consuming. But when you are done, the PQ may be terrible. That is what I was seeing. I set my CMOS reference in front of the light and found I could get 6500 or anything I wanted but the PQ and skin tones remained awful. All I am suggesting is that you may need more time playing with it. I did what the ISF guy does and I was disappointed with the PQ. Nevertheless, I wish you well, whatever you decide. Please let me know if fyo can tame this beast.

Art,

My ISF tech should be out at the end of this week or sometime next week. This will give
me a chance to see what the lumens are now and after D65 settings.

Jeff, I remember you were very disappointed with the ISF calibration on your HD81 and reverted back to your own settings. ???

I really want to know all about the LV and if the color problem reported is solvable. My installer is trying to get my HD81 (with the inherent blue screen issues) upgraded to the LV, but I don't want to do that if the color of people's faces are going to be maroon in color!

Jeff, PM me on your thoughts re McLaren's weekend!!! I hope Lewis is not going to turn in to a prima donna.

I have received some very revealing information from Warren regarding temperature. Iwill publish it as soon as I get clearance from him.

If I were not into this in excess of $7,000.00, I would be looking elsewhere. Optoma has not offered me that option. For those who think that it must be something about my setup or me, all I can offer is that I have been playing with this stuff since I was 10 and I am now 61. I used to sell for one of the biggest HiFi mail order houses in history, I am a physicist with some knowledge of electronics and certainly some of heat and the operation of solid state devices under adverse conditions. I have published several papers concerning radiative recombination as it relates to lasers of the type now used widely in many types of optical readers and writing devices.

Why do i bore you with all this? Because I question myself as to why these machines keep failing. I have a nice AV system that is more a techie's dream than a home theater. Things do not break normally although lately more and more pieces come from the warehouse with flaws or unable to do what the manual claims. Every HD DVD and BluRay player I have tried falls short of meeting the abilities listed in the accompanying literature.

I have 12 cm of space between the bottom of the projector and my ceiling. Even so, the space/air around the projector is uncomfortably hot. I am several inches out from the curtain behind the projector. When it began showing symptoms last Thursday like gray slats on the right side of the picture followed by the vertical white lines, I turned the blower to high altitude. After 8-10 minutes the white lines and window shading went away. This occurred 3 times on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. When I turned it on Monday, the white lines were present but would not go away. Warren says that the LV has been trouble free.

I must recant my original glowing testimony about the LV. This failure combined with inaccurate color rendition and a plethora of controls whose effects on the picture are not readily apparent, make the LV a poor performer. What a shame. I thought Optoma had turnedd the corner and my troubles were over. I wish I had never read Tom's original review. Nothing personal Tom.

Art's the sky is falling :) You got the warranty to use, get another one. Tuning what I would do is rent Colorfacts for a month at $300 if they still offer it, look up Datacolor. It would be a ton of fun and you could tune up any other displays you have in the interim. Optoma gave you display that isn't available to retail internet sellers, it's a installer based unit. Get another, I would.

Did I ever tell you I got 3 NEC HT1000's in a row with dead pixels, the 3rd unit devoloped a gray shadow on the right side, replaced by warranty. NEC was considered one of the top rock solid contenders. Art the sky isn't falling better luck on the new machine. I've had DLPs with zero problems there's tons out there so don't fret. :)
enjoy

PS my Dwin died just after I got your Transcanner, am I freaking? NO

Beat the ISF tune up tip.

Don't tune up a video picture, tune from a graysteps pattern.

By eye what I do is bring up a test dvd's graysteps pattern.

First look over the color temp choices, toggle the choices to find the one that shows the steps of gray looking steely gray with the least amount of color bias in the gray tones. From there you use the RGB-contrast and RGB-brightness adjustments.

Lets say you see some pink in the high mid to light graysteps, bring back the Red-contrast until you take out the pink, lets say it took 10 steps - stop and push the red back up half the amount to 5 steps and in turn increase the Blue-contrast and Green-contrast by 5 each for balance.

Lets say you see green tint in the below mid grays to dark gray. Pull back the Green-brightness until the green is gone and gray looks gray, say it took 6 steps just make it 3 steps and in turn increase blue and red brightness by 3 steps.

Re-do the brightness and contrast user if available and look over the graysteps pattern again. make more RGB adjustments if necessary.

Don't tune the video picture tune the gray steps to make them look steely gray, then you'll have a natural looking picture.

A tip on PJ's with Brilliant color, even with colorfacts when done the high end grayscale sometimes whites can take on a pink bias, just pull back the user contrast slider while viewing a graysteps pattern. You might see the pink just dissapear.
Happy tuning.

Tom,

While I welcome your input, I hope you understand that I do not believe the sky is falling. I do believe Optoma has issues. I am getting sick and tired of installing and taking down projectors. I would prefer to watch something rather than play with projectors.

UPS just delivered the replacement LV projector. Warren says it ran for 48 hours without mishap. I use the same device you use to set gray scale. However, if we are unable to get proper color saturation, it makes the gray scale effort almost pointless. I am hopeful things will improve with this unit.

Ah didn't know you use Colofacts. So you're having color saturation trouble not color tone? The only thing I can think of is check the brightness and any level choice if they're on the device or projector 7.5/ 0.

I am sorry Tom, i use a Progressive Labs CA-1. I believe you said you used a CA-6. Mine may be old but it works still.

Let me state the issue again. The flesh tones appeared reddish purple out of the box. Gray scale looked good. It took a hue setting of +15 to +20 to get it close. Because the brightness is so high (You can not believe how bright and contrasty this thing is), colors tend to shimmer cold. The pastel look we are used to seeing is gone. As you raise the Brillliant Color circuitry from 2 t0 10, the picture (flesh tones) go red. I tried playing with the USER Color Temp settings but it did not have the effect I needed.

update:
I recieved the replacement bulb for the h81 last thursday.
tested it over the weekend up to today . so far no problems, still looks great.
optoma offered to upgrade it for use on the amomorphic option but I might just wait and send it in if I have a projector issue.
Has anyone sent there unit in to get a upgrade to the amomorphic option?
1gsman

Hi everyone,

The following information came from Optoma's Head of Service in CA. The upper range is very low, I believe. The temperature between the projetor and the ceiling exceeds these upper boundaries. I believe there is a fundamental flaw in these projectors that will require some type of active hot air removal method. I am certainly going to look into this on mine. Also, I plan to use the High Altitude setting from now on.

Hi Art,

Here is the information in regards to the ambient temperature range for the HD81. It is directly related to your altitude:

0-2500 feet: 41 to 96 degrees Fahrenheit
2500-5000 feet: 41 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit
5000-10000 feet: 41 to 77 degrees Fahrenheit

Regards,

Warren Pierce

The flesh tones appeared reddish purple out of the box. Gray scale looked good. It took a hue setting of +15 to +20 to get it close. Because the brightness is so high (You can not believe how bright and contrasty this thing is), colors tend to shimmer cold. The pastel look we are used to seeing is gone. As you raise the Brillliant Color circuitry from 2 t0 10, the picture (flesh tones) go red. I tried playing with the USER Color Temp settings but it did not have the effect I needed.

I agree completely, Art. I now suspect the Brilliant Color circuit to be at leas partially
the culprit, colorimetry wise. I don't like raising it above 1, it imparts the opposite of a
natural, film look. I don't know how much my ISF guy can help with the LV's colorimetry, but I'm hoping he can. He complained of the HD81's controls being too
coarse previously, don't know if the LV would be any different in that regard. They
do tout 10 bit processing end to end with the LV.

Today I finally saw a JVC HD1(same as RS1). My wife and I went to a retailer that
just installed the JVC recently with a Vutec 110" diag. screen that had a reflection
that I'm not used to with my Stewart Studiotek. Salesperson had no idea if it was
a high gain screen or not. Contrast looked very good, also.........uh, that 's about it.

I was left with the same impressions I've had every time I've seen Sony Rubys and Pearls--very CRT like, good contrast range, but the misconvergence, low ANSI contrast, softness vs. DLP, over saturated colors and lack of 3D effect left me unimpressed. I guess I'm just a DLP guy. Without saying anything, I asked my wife what she thought compared to our HD81/HD81-LV and she was of the same opinion.

Then we went to see the Bourne Ultimatum at a new theater with a very large
screen. The image was very bright, contrasty, sharp, lots of flicker, obvious film
grain in low light scenes, in short it looked like 35mm projection. After the movie
I asked my wife which digital projector looked more like the theatrical experience
and she immediately responded with our projector. Indeed, the HD81-LV was even closer to the theatrical experience due to the high lumens output.

I have to admit to not knowing what the fuss about the Sony and JVC LCOS projectors is all about. I'd rather have a 720p DLP projector anytime, assuming
a decent CR and optics. When I read the words "film like" about LCOS, I just don't
get it. As long as edge enhancement is left off on DLP, I know which technology
I consider to be truly film like.

There's a gentleman in the under 3k forum that had the RS1 and Sony and got to try the HD8x series. It blew him away also, he wanted the clarity he saw of 1chip DLP plus the ANSI contrast knocked him out. He put it, the image is so 3D and just pops off the screen. He sold the RS1, kept the DLP.

I have to admit to not knowing what the fuss about the Sony and JVC LCOS projectors is all about. I'd rather have a 720p DLP projector anytime, assuming
a decent CR and optics. When I read the words "film like" about LCOS, I just don't
get it. As long as edge enhancement is left off on DLP, I know which technology
I consider to be truly film like.


Jeff,

I have to agree. When shopping for a front projector last year I too looked at the Sony. Several times in fact. The HD81 had many drawbacks: placement, no remote zoom/focus, no keystone correction, fan noise and questionable QC etc, I had to give Sony a hard look. Especially after they came out with the model (VW100/50?) that was the same price sans the VP.

The image was just not crisp. I was not going to loose the WOW factor that the HD81 gave me and I am glad I chose the Optoma. Nothing is perfect. Well I guess a Runco 1080p, three chip with a video processor for the same price a I paid for the HD81 would have changed my mind. It does not exist even today!

Watched Little Miss Sunshine in SD last night. Played on my Pioneer 46AV and the image was really good. Not HD but really good! The HD81/VP is still my choice over the Sony product. I love their TVs just not a fan of SXRD soft images.

Best,
John

Any more updates on the LV? I'm still trying to decide if i should bite the bullet and upgrade.... $3k+ loss, is it worth it??

Any more updates on the LV? I'm still trying to decide if i should bite the bullet and upgrade.... $3k+ loss, is it worth it??

I guess it depends upon what you are interested in achieving over the HD81. If
lumens, then yes, LV is a flame thrower, if better blacks, CR, this is also an improvement, but I don't know what the native spec is. My guess is 3000:1 vs.
2000:1 for the 81.

The HD80 is reported to be brighter and have better CR than the HD81 for only
$2699! Of course, you would lose the outboard processor and Gennum scaling
quality(HD80 uses Pixel Works chip, I believe).

I have to admit that I have been watching a bit of sports with the track lights
on in my HT--something I would never have done with the HD81. The LV is just
amazing in the lumens department, but it's the improvement in the blacks that
is the most satisfying, even if it's just a 1000:1 or 1500:1 improvement.

I want to see how much the lumens are affected by D65 calibration, as well
as accurateness of colorimetry. I will post my findings as soon as I get my
ISF guy over here.

Interesting...I do have a Anthem D2 which supposedly does a better job at processing anyways.

How much brighter is the HD80?? I have a 10' wide screen, the brightness is just OK right now and as the bulb wears i know it will become a problem at some point and i dont want to be dishing out $400 a few times a year :)



I guess it depends upon what you are interested in achieving over the HD81. If
lumens, then yes, LV is a flame thrower, if better blacks, CR, this is also an improvement, but I don't know what the native spec is. My guess is 3000:1 vs.
2000:1 for the 81.

The HD80 is reported to be brighter and have better CR than the HD81 for only
$2699! Of course, you would lose the outboard processor and Gennum scaling
quality(HD80 uses Pixel Works chip, I believe).

I have to admit that I have been watching a bit of sports with the track lights
on in my HT--something I would never have done with the HD81. The LV is just
amazing in the lumens department, but it's the improvement in the blacks that
is the most satisfying, even if it's just a 1000:1 or 1500:1 improvement.

I want to see how much the lumens are affected by D65 calibration, as well
as accurateness of colorimetry. I will post my findings as soon as I get my
ISF guy over here.

Interesting...I do have a Anthem D2 which supposedly does a better job at processing anyways.

How much brighter is the HD80?? I have a 10' wide screen, the brightness is just OK right now and as the bulb wears i know it will become a problem at some point and i dont want to be dishing out $400 a few times a year :)

Well, the first reports I read about the HD80 being brighter than the HD81 were from Tom/Guitarman, subsequently, Projector Central has published max. lumens of 687
for the HD80 vs. 655 for the HD81. In optimal cinema contrast mode(lower iris setting), lumens were only 420 for the HD80 vs. 491 for the HD81, so it looks like
the HD81-LV would be the right projector to keep a 10' screen lit up after bulb age.

Projector Reviews should have an HD81-LV review posted in a couple of weeks,
I'll hopefully have numbers from my ISF guy this week.

I'm extremely satisfied with the LV. I find myself having to tweak color and hue a lot specially if I use the Brilliant Color circuitry. I am running the blower full on to prevent any catastrophic failures however, I accidentally switched to normal brightness and low speed for 2 hours without any mishap. turns out there is an overlap of digital codes with another piece of equipment.

As Jeff and I have said, the black shadow detail, with auto gamma on or off, is outstanding. It is the best I have encountered since my beloved 25" Sony Profeel CRT died 6 years ago.

This unit is so much better in so many ways when compared to the 81 that I can not imagine anyone choosing an 81. I did find out that these are tweaked at the factory but they are all tweaked dto the same values.

I would love to turn the blower down but I really am tired of changing projectors. My experience with Optoma has been both difficult and rewarding. Difficult because of the number of failures, rewarding, because they have homored their warranty and kept me a happy customer. On 8/13/07, I fully endorse this product.

Jeff, please let me know how your guy controls the maroon. I must be getting used to them or I am doing a better job of ftweaking because reds look red.

I just picked up my HD81 LV and Im wanting to know if anyone has any installation /setup pointers they would care to pass on?

I have read in this forum to get a ball & socket mount.

What other hints do you guys have?

I have not ordered my new screen yet, Im still figuring out size.
Do you LV owners thing this projector can go 135" diagonal on a Stewart?
The room can go 98% dark

Do these units run really hot? I can probably have an A/C duct installed near the projector.

I just want to say thanks this thread and forum has been a great source of information.

Don't get a high power screen! You will feel like you're on the surface of the sun!!
The LV will have no trouble lighting up a 135" screen with a 1.0 or 1.3 gain screen,
and that is with running the iris lowish.

Yes, they run hot. They use 300W bulbs, more wattage than most projectors, same
as HD81 and HD80.

Give consideration to a CIH anamorphic setup and 2:35:1 fixed screen. Optoma's
pricing on the Panamorph UH380/M380 is much better than directly from Panamorph.
Even if you decide not to go anamorphic now, you could still buy a 2:35 screen,
space allowing.

I continue to be intrigued by the "Brilliant Color" mode in the LV and I think the HD80 has it as
well. It has a range of 0 to 10. At 0 it is off, when switched to each higher number, the image
freezes and there is more chroma saturation and also a big rise in luminance. It is like a color
matrix in a pro video camera, it pushes the color pallet in a certain direction, and adds saturation. It's also similar to the red push seen on home CRT TV's, such as Sony's, where
flesh tones and reds are pushed, vs. a more accurate color encoding like that found on a
color critical broadcast monitor.

I use the Brilliant Color at its number one setting because it does add saturation and brightness to the image, causing more of a pop. But, even though color bars are accurate
hue wise at 0, I run all sources at +7 to get a more accurate(less red/magenta) flesh tone
and more realisitic reds.

I look forward to reading other owners of DLP projectors with the Brilliant Color feature.
I'm still trying to decide how brilliant it is. It really makes the image jump even more on
top of the high lumens of the LV. Brilliant Color is a TI feature, not exclusive to Optoma.

I hope Greg Rogers reviews an HD81-LV. I watched "The Matador" tonight, which has a lot
of saturated, primary colors and bright scenes--amazing images, plus it's a 2:35:1 movie,
probably Super 35, not Panavision anamorphic.

Can someone please PM me with the LV pricing?

Thanks

Joe

I have pretty much decided to leave "brilliant color" at 0. In combination with my 1.3 gain DaLite Cinemavision screen, in a dark room, the whites will fry your brain. Like Jeff, I use 0 to +7 for hue and set color at 0. I always use "auto gamma".

It is almost over now but there is some spectacular video available on Fox's "So You Think You can Dance". I watch the OTA local WTTG 720p feed. I use an LG4200 DVI out to component in on the VDX. I also have 2 LG3410A PVR's in HDMI 2&3 that can access the same program. To my eyes on a 96" wide screen, the resulting images are indistinguishable.

Jeff

Thanks

And I have a Q?

I was informed that the anamorphic setup from Optoma was to allow anamorphic playback on a standard 16:9 screen.
Is that correct?

Jeff - so I just went to the Panamorph site and read all about the lens.
Now I understand - that at that point with the lens you are better off to use a anamorphic screen.

OK so now I need to figure out whether I want to mount this projector / lens or have someone else do it.

Any body have a good projector installer and or callibrater in the Los Angeles area?

Please help

pdljmpr,

That is not correct, if you are talking about what Optoma offers. Their lens(a Panamorph UH380) is a horizontal expansion anamorphic lens. This is intended
for constant image height, dedicated 2:35:1 screens. The idea is for 2:35:1
aspect ratio movies to be larger than 1:78:1(16:9) vs. the reduced height found
when 2:35:1 is letterboxed within a 16:9 frame.

When I watch any aspect ratio, 4:3, 16:9 or 2:35:1, the height stays the same
and the width changes. Another application for the anamorphic lens is to watch
16:9 aspect ratio material that is within a 4:3 frame, thereby giving you a 16:9
image instead of a 4:3 with letterbox bars.

The alternative is a constant width anamorphic lens which vertically compresses
anamorphic encoded SD DVD's, making full use of the availalbe resolution and
compressing to the proper 1:78:1 aspect ratio(note, with 2:35 anamorphically encoded SD DVD's, you will still have some letterbox bars).

Its funny I mounted my old projector (which is probably 12 years old a 3 gun monster) by myself.
This one with lens and all is making me feel inadequate to the task.

does the HD81 LV have a mode for that mode l scaling for the lens?

Jeff Were you the person that recommended a ball & socket mount?

Sorry that I haven't read this thread, so I apologize if the answer is somewhere in the 146 pages :-)
I have a ceiling about 6' 10" tall and the screen is approx. 6" from the ceiling.
I currently have a 4.5 foot x 8 foot screen, and am thinking of moving to a 5' x 10' screen (making the HD81's brightness a plus)
I read on projectorreviews.com
http://www.projectorreviews.com/Best1080pProjectors042007/OptomaHD81vsBenQW9000vsW10000.php

that I won't be able to ceiling mount (or any mount for that matter) the HD81.

Is that true or is there some (easy?) workaround.
My room is 22 x10


Also, other than the additional connectors, does the HD81's processor improve image quality significantly over the HD80?

thanks,
Jon

If the ceiling dimension of your room is 22 ft., you will be fine with a ceiling mount. Just make sure the bottom of the projector is at least 10 cm below the ceiling. Many of us have mounted it on the ceiing without any problem.

Quick question for those of us not in the know. If obstructed in raising the projector above top of screen, but do have a ball and socket mount. My question is: Can I angle the projector upwards (to the 30 or 35% above top of screen) in order for it to correctly aim the image post vertical shift???

I have a fan/light in the middle of the room that would obstruct the image if projected above the screen in a none bat cave basement living room and I am interested in this projector due to the huge amount of lumens given that there is very limited light control in the room. Essentially, I am looking for a projector that I can enjoy at night with light colored walls, etc. but also be able to watch sports during the day on weekends in a limited light control environment.

It seems that this projector would do such a trick, but I am not sure how to go around the vertical shift part??? I hope this makes sense, it is my first fp purchase....

The light/fan has to go guy. If you angle the image up 35% you will have to tilt the screen downwards so that the focus in the vertical plane is accurate. There is a Keystone correction but using it eats up PQ. I have an 8 ft ceiling and use a chief mount. The projector bottom is 12 cm below the ceiling. My room is 17 ft deep. To cast a 96" wide image, the rear of the projector is about a 8" from the back of the room. With no tilt, the bottom of a 16x9 image is about 18" above the floor. The screen is located accordingly.

Bottom line. You can do it if you get rid of the light.

The light/fan has to go guy. If you angle the image up 35% you will have to tilt the screen downwards so that the focus in the vertical plane is accurate. There is a Keystone correction but using it eats up PQ. I have an 8 ft ceiling and use a chief mount. The projector bottom is 12 cm below the ceiling. My room is 17 ft deep. To cast a 96" wide image, the rear of the projector is about a 8" from the back of the room. With no tilt, the bottom of a 16x9 image is about 18" above the floor. The screen is located accordingly.

Bottom line. You can do it if you get rid of the light.


Thanks, I do appreciate it. I don't care much about the silly light/fan and will remove if I have to.

Given my intended use (movies at night, some viewing during the weekend, mainly sports, etc.) and the fact that this is a living room in our basement, with light colored walls and some control over ambient light (dark curtains on windows), is this the right projector for this environment?

Or do you recommend a different projector with similar lumens or enough to do the job. I have a 119" Dia. 16:9 Dalite Pearlescent? which is I believe rated at 1.5. My throw will be about 15-16 feet and our sitting distance is around 13 feet. Ceiling is 9 feet and currently have a projector mount on a 2.5 foot pole (idea was to clear the above mentioned light/fan on the ceiling).

I seem to have bought everything based on research here at this forum (for none light controlled room). But yet, when it comes to FP's, I keep reading that it must be a bat cave setting, otherwise, don't buy a FP.... Surely there is a happy medium here for those of us without a bat cave, but yet would like to have a FP. I am certain there are thousands of us out there???

Again, any feedback is much appreciated.

The LV has more lumens than any 1080p home theater projector for under $10K, as far as I
know. You can watch anything with the lights on, except maybe Dark City. You will be sacrificing contrast ratio, but the LV will certainly light up the screen effortlessly. I thought
the HD81 was pretty bright, but the LV is on a different level.

Sorry that I haven't read this thread, so I apologize if the answer is somewhere in the 146 pages :-)
I have a ceiling about 6' 10" tall and the screen is approx. 6" from the ceiling.
I currently have a 4.5 foot x 8 foot screen, and am thinking of moving to a 5' x 10' screen (making the HD81's brightness a plus)
I read on projectorreviews.com
http://www.projectorreviews.com/Best1080pProjectors042007/OptomaHD81vsBenQW9000vsW10000.php

that I won't be able to ceiling mount (or any mount for that matter) the HD81.

Is that true or is there some (easy?) workaround.
My room is 22 x10


Also, other than the additional connectors, does the HD81's processor improve image quality significantly over the HD80?

thanks,
Jon

claification: my ceiling is 6'10" high
the top of my screen is 6'6" high

Will the HD 81 work in my HT?

Thanks, I do appreciate it. I don't care much about the silly light/fan and will remove if I have to.

Given my intended use (movies at night, some viewing during the weekend, mainly sports, etc.) and the fact that this is a living room in our basement, with light colored walls and some control over ambient light (dark curtains on windows), is this the right projector for this environment?

Or do you recommend a different projector with similar lumens or enough to do the job. I have a 119" Dia. 16:9 Dalite Pearlescent? which is I believe rated at 1.5. My throw will be about 15-16 feet and our sitting distance is around 13 feet. Ceiling is 9 feet and currently have a projector mount on a 2.5 foot pole (idea was to clear the above mentioned light/fan on the ceiling).

I seem to have bought everything based on research here at this forum (for none light controlled room). But yet, when it comes to FP's, I keep reading that it must be a bat cave setting, otherwise, don't buy a FP.... Surely there is a happy medium here for those of us without a bat cave, but yet would like to have a FP. I am certain there are thousands of us out there???

Again, any feedback is much appreciated.

I use an LV now but had an 81 for many months. My room is reflective and in the day light is illuminated enough that I do not need a light to read labels on CD's. I have no problem with brightness. Last night I watched a movie and the bright images (whites) are still imprinted on the rear of my eyeballs.

Jeff, With IRIS at 16 and low lamp brightness, the LV still hurts my eyes but WOW, what a picture!!!!!!!!!!1111

PLEASE LOOK AT AN HD81-LV before you make your purchase. It is definitely a "cut above".

claification: my ceiling is 6'10" high
the top of my screen is 6'6" high

Will the HD 81 work in my HT?

You will have to lower your screen.

claification: my ceiling is 6'10" high
the top of my screen is 6'6" high

Will the HD 81 work in my HT?

Yes, these are very close to my dimensions. You will have to tilt both the projector AND the screen. I believe my 10" wide screen bottom is 4 inches behind the top of the screen.

Joe

Would it be possible to move all the "LV" chat to its own thread?

I've been trying to follow the LV, but the info on this PJ is buried within this thread...

I would be happy to, if I knew how.

You will have to lower your screen.

thanks, though I can't lower the screen any more as then the line of sight would be too far off (kinda feeling like your looking down to get the whole image.)

What's the absolute min the HD81 has to be above the top of the screen (without tilting the screen, which I couldn't do)?

thanks

36% Vertical Offset, a 5' tall screen would require the pj to be almost 22" above the
screen. With a 6'6" lens height, the bottom of your screen would be slightly below the floor. You need to consider a smaller screen, a 2:35:1 would work better if you
still want a pretty wide screen.

I would be happy to, if I knew how.

If you do please let all of us know. I would want to have that thread send me emails too.

Thanks

Joe

... (without tilting the screen, which I couldn't do)?

thanks

That is too bad. I stopped in the theater on my way to the office this morning and did a quick measurement. The center of my lens is 51/4 inch form the ceiling and tilted up. The top of my screen is 4 3/4 from the ceiling and the screen is tilted down. I believe the projected image is another inch lower than the top of the screen.

So basically, with the tilt, the lens and the top of the image are the approximately same hight. The tilt of the screen is enough to eliminate any necessary image corrections (keystoning). My screen is 10 feet wide and I set 12 feet from it. Even though I know that the screen is tilted I cannot notice it and I have never had a single sole mention it when viewing content or even seeing it without the projector on.

Joe

Would it be possible to move all the "LV" chat to its own thread?

I've been trying to follow the LV, but the info on this PJ is buried within this thread...

HD81-LV master thread started, don't know how to link thread location here.

HD81-LV master thread started, don't know how to link thread location here.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=891002

Hi guys... I have written before on here.

I am contemplating the HD81 real hard as the outboard processor for CIH is included in the price.

How would you rank this projector against say an RS-1.

I know the RS-1 neds a processor to do the stretching and all that so thought I'd ask :D

Hi guys... I have written before on here.

I am contemplating the HD81 real hard as the outboard processor for CIH is included in the price.

How would you rank this projector against say an RS-1.

I know the RS-1 neds a processor to do the stretching and all that so thought I'd ask :D

I just saw the HD-1 last week and posted on this thread. Contrast is better than
the HD81, especially full field blacks. Other than that, I'll take DLP anytime with it's
sharper image, better ANSI contrast, the HD81 lumens are very similar, 3D and
punchiness is superior vs. LCOS. I hate convergence error which all the LCOS
three panel projectors have. By the way, the HD80 does the vertical expansion
as well, processing is in the projector, scaling is a Pixel Works chip.

I'd rather have any 720p DLP than LCOS 1080p. 1080p DLP is no contest for me.

Just to put my 2 cents worth in, I completely agree with Jeff. Shortcomings not withstanding, the HD81 puts out one of the finest if not the finest picture I have ever seen. FWIW, the component inputs of the XLD create a gorgeous picture but to be frank, I find the S-Video input processing unsatisfactory. It may be that I am spoiled by the quality of HDMI and component but I do not remember S video being quite that poor. I have 2 SVHS and 1 Pioneer DVD/Laser disc player and the analog feeds from my C Band satellite system in the S input.

5 hours of TV today and I lovedd dthe PQ. My eyes are fried and I find the picture a little too contrasty but overall this projector is very satisfying. AH Finally!

I haven't read this thread in a while, but one of the posts I saw asked about lamp life. Mine burned out at about 200 hrs, about 10 days out of warranty. This was about 6 mo. ago. Optoma Canada replaced the lamp under warranty anyway, but had the projector for more than 4 weeks. When I sent it back, I asked them to check the power supply, because 200 hrs sounded pretty low, and sure enough there was a problem with it and they had to replace that as well. At the time I asked to get the firmware upgraded because it wouldn't sync to my ps3, which they did. To ship it to Optoma and insure it cost me more than $100 dollars, but no way was I going to ship without it. I hoped Optoma Canada would pick up the ship charges, but they didn't. Since I bought it through AVS, they probably could have refused to honour the warranty altogether, so I count myself fortunate there. All in all a mixed bag. The new lamp seems to be holding up, but I haven't put more than 300 hrs on it since I got it back.

Is C08 still the latest firmware? Are there multiple versions of C08?

Thanks

By the way, I'd asked previously about 24 fps. Seems to work with newest ps3 firmware, if anyone cares.

Is C08 still the latest firmware? Are there multiple versions of C08?

Thanks



There are two versions of C08, 11-30-06 and 1-2-07, I believe. I don't know
if there is another version after that. Film Mode 48Hz works better in the
newer C08, but not in vertical expansion(LBX, Auto 235) modes.

I was hoping Optoma would have fulfilled its promise of downloadable firmware
by now, since the HD81 has been out for close to a year now.

[QUOTE=sstephen;11335161]I haven't read this thread in a while, but one of the posts I saw asked about lamp life. Mine burned out at about 200 hrs, I haven't put more than 300 hrs on it since I got it back.

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

Thats interesting. My lamp blew at 495 hrs. Ive replaced it, now I have about 50 hrs on the new bulb. I will remimber your info if I have any more problems. They offered to update the firmware but I havened done it yet, for fear of getting back a bad unit (from seeing other posts).
I would like to get it updated , if the 235 update actually works.

The company I bought thenew lens from offers a 4 year warrenty, which is somthing better then nothing.
1gasman

Had a couple of blue screens in the LV. I had to reboot. Blower had moved to low speed accidentally. Otherwise, it is still is perfect. What firmware is in yours Jeff? Mine is from 4/07.

[QUOTE=sstephen;11335161] To ship it to Optoma and insure it cost me more than $100 dollars.

Who shipped your unit with for ?100 ?
Have you noticed any problms with the unit after the firmware update?
Are you using the 2:35 portion of the unit?, if so , does it work?
1gasman

I was about to say

fedex ground can not be that expensive as I just got two huge speakers out the door for $100 for the two (144 lbs and absolutely huge boxes!).

Art,

No blue screens, just one unscheduled shut down--I think it was an HDMI issue.

Same firmware, D02, 4-7-07.

Brilliant Color continues to intrigue me. It's effect at even number 1 is very
substantial effect on brightness and saturation. It is definitely warming
up the image and contributing to CR. We should talk about this on the LV
thread.

OT - A little blurb about 2 studios abandoning the BR camp.

http://www.viacom.com/NEWS/NewsText.aspx?RID=1042073

Joe

OT - A little blurb about 2 studios abandoning the BR camp.

http://www.viacom.com/NEWS/NewsText.aspx?RID=1042073

Joe

Thanks for the heads up Joe. This announcement and subsequent announcements from the other camp are heating up the HD optical
disc war. Unfortunately, I can't help but believe we are seeing
another SACD/DVD Audio failure scenario developing, unless cheap
combo players come out next year. The average consumer, even
those with HD displays, won't put up with having to buy two formats.

I think we are starting to see things get interesting.... in anticipation of the holiday season this year we hopefully will see some new dual devices come out. This is the real key... of someone can figure out how to make a dual format player joe consumer will not have to care. Right now unless one of these formats die it is not going to get pretty.

IMHO HD DVD will win as it is a lot cheaper and the average consumer could not tell the difference between the two in the store. :D

So back to the projector... it seems I am going to be waiting for ever for the C08 upgrade. Jeff do you think it is worth sending in now or keep waiting. :cool:

Chris,

It depends upon whether you want Auto235 and/or Film Mode 48Hz, note both cannot be used together. If you are planning on an anamorphic setup, it's a no brainer, ditto if you
have a 1080/24p source. If these features are of little interest, don't mess with your HD81 if it's working well for you.

Hi ,with my HD81 when the camera (watching a film) goe's from right to left ,the picture start to bendig ,it makes some ondulation ,strange ,in the menu nothing resolve this probleme...Can you please help me
PS: sorry for my english...
by

Are you watching a 60i film based sources? HD or NTSC or PAL? Or 24p sources? Are you using Film Mode 48Hz? Any film shot a 24 fps will have a temporal flicker on a fast pan, no matter what mode you are in. A 24p source
will not have the 3:2 cadence, but the lower frame rate of 24 fps still will flicker.

[QUOTE=chrisnoland;11363119]. This is the real key... of someone can figure out how to make a dual format player joe consumer will not have to care. Right now unless one of these formats die it is not going to get pretty.

LG already has one, the BH100, at around the $1K mark. I would expect see a few more dual players being announced at Cedia.

Cheers,

Michael

That LG one is an audio disaster. I bought an XA2 but it had so many issues I returned it and bought a Sony BDPS300 that works well.

I think the problem with the the LG and soon to come Samsung combos is the
price point. J6P is not going to spend $800-1000 on a combo player or two
stand alone players. I really believe the sweet spot would be $200 and ONE
format. The greed and lack of concern for the consumer and shortsightedness
exhibited by the parties involved with these formats--hardware and software--
is shameful.

Having said that, I hope to buy the Samsung combo player when it comes out
in a couple of months,
even though BD specs are not being fulfilled by any of the forthcoming players.
The Samsung should do good upconversion and has 7.1 analog outputs with
on-board decoding of most advanced audio codecs and ethernet connector.

I think those of us who were surprised about the HD DVD studio announcements
yesterday forgot how Microsoft captures market share--they BUY it. Of course,
Sony has been taking a few pages out of that book as well!

yea... I guess I should have noted (as Jeff did) Joe 6P is not going to pay one grand for a player when he just paid 1.5k for a HD display :D

Like I tell my friends... I am not cheep... I just look for high value :p

and 1k for a player that is not networked and just plays media seems steep. The cost of being an early adopter I guess...but hey I did not have a problem with the projector 9 months ago :eek:

Thanks for the heads up Joe. This announcement and subsequent announcements from the other camp are heating up the HD optical
disc war. Unfortunately, I can't help but believe we are seeing
another SACD/DVD Audio failure scenario developing, unless cheap
combo players come out next year.
They are here. The LG BH100 goes to $599 on September 15 at my local shop - and this Paramount switch got me to put down the money for a combo player.

I've just installed my HD81 and I have a serious problem.

On the first time, there was a sound (something like a beep) when powering on the projector. I think it is normal though.

The next issue is blue screen after a minute and then the image goes back. After that there is a blue screen again and so on.

Now here is the serious part.
After a while the screen went green and pink, then black with two small red squares and the lamp indicator becomes blue.

Now when the projector powers on there is no image and there are a lot of sounds/glitches. After that, the lamp indicator becomes red.

What do you think the problem is ?
Is my lamp gone ?

Update:

Now the projector goes back to the first situation when there is that small red screen with a black line and the lamp indicator is blue.

What can I do ?

Thanks.

Send it back to Optoma or get a replacement unit from the place where you purchased it. The projector is defective. Your lamp is probably fine. You should check your HDMI and serial connections but from my extensive experience with 5 units, yours is dead.

I would like to address the HD player issue briefly. Having owned two now, an XA2 HD DVD and a Bluray BDPS300, I have spent a lot of time looking at compatibility, video quality issues, audio performance and other features.

Since we all own a VXD scaler, we look for HDMI connectivity. Both of my units have worked with HDMI at at a 1080p source resolution. The BDPS300 can also do 24P. The XA2 had trouble with 1080p but after 5 minutes would connect. Newer firmware is supposed to make it lock faster. Before buying any player, check to make sure the HDMI connection is compatible with the VXD scaler.

PQ with both players is phenomenal. The out of the box settings needed refinement. The BluRay machine tends to produce peak whites that are way too strong on my 1.3 gain screen so you will have to use a reduced contrast setting.

Audio performance varies widely. Some players process the audio stream into DD or DTS. Others send a raw stream for the HDMI input on your receiver. This means your receiver has to process several of the codecs. Unforunately many machines like my Sony 300 only sends out the LPCM via HDMI. Some discs have DTS HD and if they do, you are SOL with the 300. If you buy an XA2, it will send most things out via HDMI or the 5.1 analog outputs. I can't possibly explore what each player processes but I have come to a conclusion about what one needs today to be "state of the art" as far as the audio. First and foremost you need an HDMI equipped Pre/Pro like one of the new Integras. My choice is the DTC9.8. The player I like is the about to be released Samsung combo. Wait to buy it if you have not made a choice yet. It will do everything. The LG player is a bad choice. Do not even look at it. With our VXD and the Integra9.8 or any of the new Integra rceivers, you can use the HDMI loop through and use the inputs on the VXD and the 9.8 at 1080p 24fps when appropriate. There are some Onkyo's that supposedly do the same thing but I have not looked at them. Ther is something bothersome abou something called "ONKYO".

BTW, do not buy the BDPS300 either. It will not process a bunch of the codecs. I made a mistake in buying it.

Thanks Art,

That is really helpful. I was strongly considering the 300 but will wait on the Samsung. I may be an early adopter though and get one of the first ones.

I have been watching HD-DVDs through my Xbox 360 DVD drive. True 1080p source is absolutely amazing. I ahve yet to hook up the direct analog 7.1 though. Been busy.

JOe

shipping itself was not expensive ($30 or so). Insuring it was the rest. There is no way I wanted some butt head to drop a PJ I payed that much money for, and get only a few dollars back. If I had bought it here, rather than importing, I'd have insisted Optoma handle the shipping, and then it would have been their problem.

Yes, I have a CH setup and use 2.35:1

I have not had problems with the unit after the firmware update.

The LG player is a bad choice. Do not even look at it.
I currently own the Panasonic DMP-BD10 and love it, but with Paramounts decision I pre-ordered the LG BH100. According to the specs I give up 7.1 analog for 5.1 analog, but gain 1080/24p output.

I know the early one's had problems, but the LG BH100 thread shows no one reporting any problems since the last firmware upgrade. What do you know so I don't blow $600.

I currently own the Panasonic DMP-BD10 and love it, but with Paramounts decision I pre-ordered the LG BH100.

I have the BD10A, and a HDA2. Both have worked great!!!

shipping itself was not expensive ($30 or so). Insuring it was the rest. Yes, I have a CH setup and use 2.35:1
I have not had problems with the unit after the firmware update.

--------------------
Thanks for the info, How long did it take before you got the unit back sstephen?

QUESTION, Anyone used the contol4 system with the H81?

Jeff : I thought you had said that the Auto235 didnt work when you upgraded your H81 ?

Im planning on geting the samsung player when it comes out, I wanted to upgrade the projector b4 then, if the auto 235 upgrade works as it should, whats your take on it jeff ??


1gasman

Auto235 worked on the first C08 firmware, when it was called AutoScope, the second
version of C08 did not work at all when in Auto235. My HD81-LV works great, very fast
to react to 2:35 material.

OK guys, here is an update:

As MrHifi suggested, I tried to power up the projector with other cables (this time short ones, the cables that come with the projector).

Now the projector shows an image and everything is fine, except two issues:

1. it seems that the letters on the menu have a purple shadow behind them.
It can't be seen from a normal distance, but still I'd like to know if this is something normal or it is really a problem with the projector.

2. It seems that the image suffers from tearing every few seconds (right now I'm working with no devices connected to the scaler, so I see it on the menu).

What do you think ?

Thanks.

Finally received the projector back this week on 8-22, so in total it took a little over 1 month for the warranty repair work to be done. I had complained about how long the repair was taking, so they overnighted the projector back when it was ready, but it is not clear to me that this would have happened had I not complained.

The projector is fine. They replaced the I/O board apparently and also addressed some kind of HDMI issue - the repair notes were rather crytic. The bummer is that the remote which was frozen with the backlights continuously on (until they drain the battery) was not addressed at all despite the RMA clearly calling out the issue and in addition to my interim note to Optoma to make sure that they did not forget about repairing or replacing the remote. I just sent a new note to Optoma asking them to simply replace the remote. We will see how this goes.

I have owned 4 high end projectors and this is my first ever projector issue that required shipping the projector back for repair. I would rate the Optoma service level as very sub-par - took too long, displayed no real interest in my issues, and ultimately did not address one of the top two issues needing repair. I love the picture, but this projector appears to have too many quality issues and the level of service is subpar at best. These are non-starters for me and will cause me to select another vendor when it is time to replace this projector. Optoma receives a big thumbs down from me based on my experience and I would not recommend this projector to others despite the great picture.

I believe you should withhold judgement about the tearing until something is connected with a sync pulse. The purplish haze may be due to the same issue. Let's wait and see.

hello
questions
1. does the scaler accept 1080p 24fs ? it's useless if not (for BRAY HDDVD sces)
2. what real ansi lumens - contrast on off and ansi CR were measured ?

thanks guys

Finally received the projector back this week on 8-22, so in total it took a little over 1 month for the warranty repair work to be done.

I have owned 4 high end projectors and this is my first ever projector issue that required shipping the projector back for repair. I would rate the Optoma service level as very sub-par - took too long, displayed no real interest in my issues, and ultimately did not address one of the top two issues needing repair. I love the picture, but this projector appears to have too many quality issues and the level of service is subpar at best. .

Mark,

I would recommend that you consider purchasing the Optoma Gold Service
Contract, which will give you hot swap service. Due to the poor reliability exhibited by the HD81 and many other Optoma products, I would think this service contract would be useful. I bought it for my HD81, but then upgraded to the HD81-LV which included hot swap as part of the normal warranty.

hello
questions
1. does the scaler accept 1080p 24fs ? it's useless if not (for BRAY HDDVD sces)
2. what real ansi lumens - contrast on off and ansi CR were measured ?

thanks guys

1. yes
2. around 500-600ish, 2000:1 with iris on low setting

thanks !
the iris in auto mode is still unuseable right ? (too slow)

Update:

The video tearing is gone when feeding the scaler a signal (tried composite and also tried component 480p later on).

Now there is an other problem - I can't set my Pioneer DV-490 DVD player video output to HDMI. the best I can get is component (the HDMI option is disabled on the menu).

What can I do ?

Quick review and I'm off to bed. I'm afraid my review might be a little unhelpful because I haven't seen that many projectors to compare it to.

The down: Rainbows. I didn't know I was sensitive but anytime my eyes or head move quickly I see them on high contrasting pixels / lines.

Also the offset is unpleasant but I've managed even with my 8' ceiling. I wanted to try a cheap solution first so I'm currently auditioning CMRA's silver solution. My throw is ~19' projecting at minimum zoom (biggest picture possible) and tilted the projector to get the picture about 8 inches from the ceiling. What to do about the trapezoid? Just paint a trapezoid for a screen. If this works out, I'll build a trapezoid frame. The angles aren't bad at all. I'm not sure it's noticeable without a ruler or a level. If this doesn't work out, I'll just tilt a retail screen.

Slight screen door effect. I admit, I'm sitting pretty close up. Doesn't bother me unless I look for it.

The up:

The picture looks great. The blacks on the side look no different than the unlit areas of the screen (the screen is slightly larger for now until I get the picture framed). The colors are not oversaturated. They look natural. The whites are very bright IMHO. The picture is quite sharp. What else is there to want.

The projector worked flawlessly with the 1920x1080 DVI signal from my computer.

Again, for reference, these are untrained eyes and my first projector.

PS: I'm running the latest firmware and I believe the previous owner had the projector was ISFed.

The rainbows are there on my set. If you own a DLP, you have rainbows (small vertical lines of different colors that blink on infrequently).

I am not sure why you are having a "problem" with the offset in a room with an 8' ceiling. I have an 8' ceiling and have no keystone problem projecting a 96" wide image. My picture's bottom is well over 1.5 ft from the floor with no keystone. Try lowering your screen. There is also a Keysone adjustment in the projector. Try it. The best thing you can do is to lower the screen but failing that, the projector's keystone correction provides an easy to implement solution to your poblem. You can tilt the screen but that seems like a lot of work.

I trust that your comments about painting a trapezoidal frame were intended as humor. Under no conditions are trapezoidal frames desireable.

Maybe it’s been mentioned, but I happened to see the HD81 on the cover of the September issue of the respected UK magazine hi-fi news (http://www.hifinews.com/).

Apparently the HD81 came out as the editor’s favourite among the four tested (JVC HD1, Pana AE1000, Sony VW50); “..delivers the sharpest and most punchy images of all four projectors on test.”. :D

Just a small f y i from across the pond. :)

/Fredrik

The rainbows are there on my set. If you own a DLP, you have rainbows (small vertical lines of different colors that blink on infrequently).

I am not sure why you are having a "problem" with the offset in a room with an 8' ceiling. I have an 8' ceiling and have no keystone problem projecting a 96" wide image. My picture's bottom is well over 1.5 ft from the floor with no keystone. Try lowering your screen. There is also a Keysone adjustment in the projector. Try it. The best thing you can do is to lower the screen but failing that, the projector's keystone correction provides an easy to implement solution to your poblem. You can tilt the screen but that seems like a lot of work.

I trust that your comments about painting a trapezoidal frame were intended as humor. Under no conditions are trapezoidal frames desireable.

I haven't finalized the design but right now. I'm toying around with all the options. You're right. I could just have it ~1' off the bottom. I'll try that out some more, but a tiny little tilt got the picture in a better viewing place. The trapezoid is really minor. I'll try keystone correction and see which way I like it more. Last resort is a tilted retail screen. I actually like that method best because it's both high (in a good viewing angle) and because the screen will be more parallel to a natural viewing head tilt / angle.

Another update - after some complaining with the Optoma folks, they are sending me a new "freebie" remote. All in all, it looks like the service experience is going to end well, but the process to get there is much longer and more trouble than I expected for a projector at this price point.

Thanks to Jeff Regan for the suggestion around the Optoma Gold service plan. If I were purchasing this projector new and had a sense of the reliability issues with the projector, I would definitely consider the gold service plan at the time of initial purchase. At this point though, I figure I run it for another 6 to 12 months or until it breaks down again, sell it at a heavily discounted price, and upgrade to a different brand. My own business is based around high levels of customer service, so my tolerance for subpar service is pretty low and I would much rather deal with vendors who share my reliability and service expectations than deal with vendors who just do not get it for whatever reason.

The picture is great, but the reliability and service have room for improvement. There must be vendors out there that deliver similar picture quality with better reliability and service.

I know Jeff he's a great guy, drives a saab like I did. He'll take care of you for sure.

I know Jeff he's a great guy, drives a saab like I did. He'll take care of you for sure.

Tom/Guitarman,

I assume you're talking about Jeff in Optoma service, who used to work for
Faroudja Labs and not me? I did own a Saab 900 Turbo in the mid '80's, it
was not a good example of the marque.

The projector worked flawlessly with the 1920x1080 DVI signal from my computer.


Hi Infinitenothing,can you please tell us howe do you get the 1080i from you're computer to the HD81 ,for now i use the VGA connection(in the front of the box) and i can't get more than 1280x720!! I tried once the 3rd hdmi of the processing box connection with my graphics card (ATI 1600pro) with a cable DVI-hdmi and I had a black screen, can you please help me, thank you very much:)

Back near the beginning of the HD81 thread, I complained about the fact that I could not use either the VGA (RGBHV) or BNC (in RGBHV mode) inputs on the VXD to feed 1080i material from other devices in my system. In my previous CRT front projector based system, I used RGBHV connections to move HD stuff around. I had intended to just replace the DWIN HD700 and original Transcanner with the HD81 and VXD by plugging in the 5 RGBHV lines from the Transcanner into the VXD's BNC or VGA inputs. The folks at Optoma told me that this would not be possible because I was exceeding the 1040i limitation designed into the VXD's VGA and BNC inputs. The table in the instruction manual verified this. I was disappointed because in order to input 1080i material I would now have to change my HD/digital connections to YPrPb (Component).

Now you tell us that it is possible to input 1080i through the VGA or BNC inputs. Please verify this whoever was successfull.

Hi Infinitenothing,can you please tell us howe do you get the 1080i from you're computer to the HD81 ,for now i use the VGA connection(in the front of the box) and i can't get more than 1280x720!! I tried once the 3rd hdmi of the processing box connection with my graphics card (ATI 1600pro) with a cable DVI-hdmi and I had a black screen, can you please help me, thank you very much:)

I'm getting 1080p with a DVI to HDMI cable. I am not using the VGA input. My card is a 7600gs by chaintec I believe. The TVs EDID info provided all the timing info requred and there was 0 configuration on my part.

Make sure you're using the small jumper hdmi cable if you don't have an hdmi sound system.

Infinite,

That explains everything. Thnks.

Tom/Guitarman,

I assume you're talking about Jeff in Optoma service, who used to work for
Faroudja Labs and not me? I did own a Saab 900 Turbo in the mid '80's, it
was not a good example of the marque.


Yeah the friendly Optoma guy, he drives a late 2000 model, mine was a 88convt and I had a 2001, great and smart cars.

In a heads up most will prefer the HD81. I got good contrast numbers with the projector unlike a couple of other reviews. Similar number to the HD80 I'm looking over now, about 3000.1 static. Too bad the auto iris isn't like by all because it showed me things could be moved up to 9000.1.
http://www.cigarbest.com/sales/hd81tunedcr1.jpg
I don't pull this stuff out of a hat, it's what comes up after running a colorfacts CR rating test, 3000.1 static cr number is very good CR also.

Well, here's a piece of home theater equipment that I didn't think would fail, my
Panamorph M380 motorized lens transport won't power up. The power supply is
feeding the right voltage continuously, so it is the electronics in the sled.

Shawn at Panamorph responded immediately to my email with instructions for
shipping for repair, but this failure is surprising. The power supply needs to be
shipped as well, which is in my attic--yuck.

Today my HD81-LV is being ISF calibrated, of course now my ISF tech won't be
able to see the projector with the anamorphic lens in place.

Jeff,

I feel your pain. Unless that lens induces some color aberration (which I dobt) you should be OK. My concern is that when the ISF guy is finished, you will find the picture unsatisfactory. That has been the case with me. Motivated by your repeated comments concerning ISF, I spent most of Saturday and Sunday setting up various sources. I used the original AVIA disk and my Progressive Labs CA-1 to find a baseline for DVD. I also have a reference tape for SVHS. It took a ridiculous amount of time and when I sat down Sunday night to watch TV, I hated the washed out picture. I wound up cranking up the Color Vividness to 3 and adding edge detail and sharpness. The tint had to be adjusted with program changes. Frankly, I think all this ISF'ing is a pile of .... The machine comes with an infinite number of adjustments. I prefer to use them to get a picture I can live with. Even though it was me who did it and I spent no money, I had trouble straying very far from the settings I arrived dat with over 12 hours of work. If I had spent the money, I would be kicking myself.. Watch closely my friend Jeff. See if your ISF guy sticks with the setting values he gets from using his instruments or see if he tweaks it in the end to make it look good. In my experience, they are mutually exclusive.

I need help.

We have had an Optoma HD81 for several months. We have version 6 software and I am not a technical expert when it comes to projectors.

Until recently, we have had no problems with our projector and have been very happy with the image and operation. My oldest son and his friends were watching a moving when the image went bad. I suggested turning the machine and letting it cool off. When tried again, the image was fine at first but turned bad within 5 to 10 minutes of watching. By bad, it appears to lose some focus and become like a cartoon image of the actual image with a blurring of colors and lack of accuracy. I am sorry for the non-technical description. The bulb probably has about 100 hours of use in total.

Any thoughts, suggestions or questions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for any and all help.

Jim

Jim,

Please check your HDMI connection at both ends.

Place the fan on High Altitude

Make sure the problem is not at the source by trying another source/ input.

If doing the aforementioned does not resolve your problem, you will have to return the projector to Optoma for repair.

Art

Thanks for your suggestions. I will try them tonight when I get home.

Thanks
Jim

The HD81 repair saga continues. I received the freebie remote from Optoma today after they failed to correct the frozen remote control issue while they had the projector for over a month. Unfortunately they sent me an HD-80 remote, not the HD-81 remote. So now I have two Optoma remotes - neither of which control the HD81 projector. Registered another complaint with Optoma. Will see if they can fix this. Another minor annoyance, but it further confirms my decision to not buy Optoma products in the future.

Jim,

Please check your HDMI connection at both ends.

Place the fan on High Altitude

Make sure the problem is not at the source by trying another source/ input.

If doing the aforementioned does not resolve your problem, you will have to return the projector to Optoma for repair.

I tried two other sources and also checked all cables. Again, the picture starts out ok but the problems begin within 5 minutes. Has anyone else had this or a similar problem. Is my only recourse to send the Optoma to them for repair?

What is the process? Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks
Jim

I tried two other sources and also checked all cables. Again, the picture starts out ok but the problems begin within 5 minutes. Has anyone else had this or a similar problem. Is my only recourse to send the Optoma to them for repair?

What is the process? Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks
Jim

Do you hear a whining sound from the projector? If so, it could be a color
wheel issue. If not, a processor issue. Either way, call Warren or Jeff at
Optoma service. However, if you've had the projector for more than three
months, you will have to send in and wait for repairs potentially. This can
be a while. You might want to sign up for the Optoma Gold service contract
so you can get a hot swap. Then call service about the projector problem.

You did not comment on your fan settings. Are they on high?

How much does Gold Service cost?

I forgot to change the fan settings. I believe that they are not on high but would need to check. It does not seem to be a matter of being too hot since last night the picture looked off right away and within 5 minutes the problem becomes full blown. It is hard to describe but the greens and some red seem to be bled and the overall picture looks cartoonish.

How much does Gold Service cost?

$259 plus tax. I think this is annually, as long as your projector is within the
3 year warranty period.

I tried two other sources and also checked all cables. Again, the picture starts out ok but the problems begin within 5 minutes. Has anyone else had this or a similar problem. Is my only recourse to send the Optoma to them for repair?

What is the process? Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks
Jim

Jim, I had a very similar problem with my Mitsubishi rear projection DLP and it was that the light engine had gone bad and had to be replaced.

One of my 5 HD81's had this happen. Cooling resolved it but only temporarily. Eventually it failed completely..

I'm getting 1080p with a DVI to HDMI cable. I am not using the VGA input. My card is a 7600gs by chaintec I believe. The TVs EDID info provided all the timing info requred and there was 0 configuration on my part.

Make sure you're using the small jumper hdmi cable if you don't have an hdmi sound system.

Thank you Mister Infinitenothing:) ,today i'm going to call optoma to ask them for my bending scenes ,when the camera is travelling from rigth to left side,it makes some waves ,and that happen with all sources connected to the DH81 controller ,VGA(pc) or HDMI (HDDVD player-Blu ray player)...:(

PS:can you give us the exact reference of your DVI-HDMI cable you use for you're PC,thank you ;-)

Last night I mistakenly left the projector on and went to sleep. There should be an auto power off mode to shut the thing off if there is no signal. I realize there is an auto power off switch but that must be set every time one uses the projector. I would like to see one that operates the way the switch on my Velodyne subwoofer wworks, no signal---no power.

I tried two other sources and also checked all cables. Again, the picture starts out ok but the problems begin within 5 minutes. Has anyone else had this or a similar problem. Is my only recourse to send the Optoma to them for repair?

What is the process? Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks
Jim

I think that Joe Lynn had similar issues initially. Do you have space above the processor to let the heat disipate?

Joe

PS:can you give us the exact reference of your DVI-HDMI cable you use for you're PC,thank you ;-)

I use a simple DVI-HDMI adapter and am getting 1080p from my PC.

Joe

Hi
Finally with a simple cable DVI-HDMI i could have the 1080p from my HTPC ,the images (SD DVD) looks fantastic on the HD81,much better than the VGA connection because of the limitation of the resolution,i'm very happy.

Thank you Mister Infinitenothing:) ,today i'm going to call optoma to ask them for my bending scenes ,when the camera is travelling from rigth to left side,it makes some waves ,and that happen with all sources connected to the DH81 controller ,VGA(pc) or HDMI (HDDVD player-Blu ray player)...:(

PS:can you give us the exact reference of your DVI-HDMI cable you use for you're PC,thank you ;-)


I think any of these will do. I'm using the cheapest 10' near the bottom
http://www.monoprice.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10231&style=

Hi
Finally with a simple cable DVI-HDMI i could have the 1080p from my HTPC ,the images (SD DVD) looks fantastic on the HD81,much better than the VGA connection because of the limitation of the resolution,i'm very happy.

HD signals (especially 1080i) will blow your socks off.

Thank you Infinitenothing for the link ,i've found a DVI-HDMI cable ,it works well,today i've looked at some HD ts files (1080i)and indeed i was very impressed,the HD 81 it's a splendid VP;-)

I am thinking of going the LV route. If anyone is interested in my HD81 please PM me.

Thanks

Joe

I currently own the Panasonic DMP-BD10 and love it, but with Paramounts decision I pre-ordered the LG BH100. According to the specs I give up 7.1 analog for 5.1 analog, but gain 1080/24p output.

I know the early one's had problems, but the LG BH100 thread shows no one reporting any problems since the last firmware upgrade. What do you know so I don't blow $600.
OK, I got my LG BH100 player yesterday and definitely did not blow $600. It's a great piece of equipment. However, I can't seem to find out if the Optoma HD81 supports 24p with Firmware C05. Anyone know if this is only a C08 option?

The picture looks phenomenal on both HD-DVD and Blu-Ray, so if this requires sending my HD81 to Optoma I'm definitely NOT going to do that.

Glad to hear that the LG perfoems well. I think a year from now there won't be a format war at all. There will be enough dual -format players to choose from.

Here is a review of the upcoming Samsung.

http://hdguru.com/?p=184

Joe

Glad to hear that the LG perfoems well. I think a year from now there won't be a format war at all. There will be enough dual -format players to choose from.

Here is a review of the upcoming Samsung.

http://hdguru.com/?p=184

Joe
I agree. Unfortunately the new LG BH200 doesn't appear to have analog out and both the Samsung and BH200 are listing for $999. At $579, I think the BH100 is the greatest high def bargain out today.

I looked at the LG but decided not to buy it ecause of the limited audio choices. Would you care to comment?

OK, I got my LG BH100 player yesterday and definitely did not blow $600. It's a great piece of equipment. However, I can't seem to find out if the Optoma HD81 supports 24p with Firmware C05. Anyone know if this is only a C08 option?

The picture looks phenomenal on both HD-DVD and Blu-Ray, so if this requires sending my HD81 to Optoma I'm definitely NOT going to do that.

You must have C08 to get the Film Mode 48Hz, which takes a 24p signal and
doubles the frame rate.

I have the Samsung 5000 on order, but hope the price drops by the time it
ships. I feel like its features are worth paying more for, but $1K is steep.

I looked at the LG but decided not to buy it ecause of the limited audio choices. Would you care to comment?
It's only real limitation is the lack of Dolby TrueHD for HD-DVD (it will only output that 2 channel via HDMI or analog), but it does output it for Blu-Ray.

It supposedly is the only Blu-Ray player that handles DTS-Master Audio, but I don't have a disc to test it with.

The Perfect Vision has a review and comparison of the Optoma HD3000 processor compared to the DVDO VP-50 and Algolith DragonFly processors.

The HD3000(same processor as bundled with the HD81, HD81-LV and HD7100)
compared very favorably to the DVDO piece and better than the Algolith.

I sent my Panamorph M380 motorized lens sled in for repair due to intermittent power issues.

I watched the first 2:35:1 movie in a non-anamorphic letterboxed 16:9 frame in almost a year. It was depressing after being used to the impact and cinematic experience of my Panamorph UH380 anamorphic lens.

I sent the sled to the supplier that builds it for Panamorph, Optoma and others. They replaced the unit and shipped it back the same day they received it. My sled was one of the first built and only the second unit out there that had a failure, the first due to a lightning strike. The sled is really a mini-robot and the precision machine work is fantastic.

I truly recommend that anyone who hasn't seen a constant height 2:35 anamorphic demo do so. It is not for everybody, but I know I will be very
happy to have the sled back with lens in front of the projector tonight when
I watch "300" on HD DVD for the first time.

Jeff,

If I had the room, I might consider it but as you know, I am backed up against a wall now and the lens system probably requires another couple of feet.

I am waiting for delivery on an Integra 9.8 Processor. I intend to use the 3 HDMI inputs of the 3000 plus an additional 3 of the four HDMI inputs of the 9.8 to give me a total of 6 HDMI inputs. The 4th HDMI input of the 9.8 will be used for loop through. I know we touche on this before but would appreciate another look before I accept the 9.8. I am nervous about HDMI and the loop through.

Jeff,

If I had the room, I might consider it but as you know, I am backed up against a wall now and the lens system probably requires another couple of feet.


Art,

For a constant height, horizontal expansion anamorphic lens setup, you would
NOT need to move the projector back. You would have to either go to a wider
screen if leaving the projector in place while maintaining the same 16:9 screen
size you have now, or you would have to zoom the lens or move the projector
closer to the screen if you can't go to a wider screen size. Clearly the latter
option isn't a very viable one unless your primary viewing is 2:35:1 material,
but under no circumstance would the projector need to move away from the
screen.

The Perfect Vision has a review and comparison of the Optoma HD3000 processor compared to the DVDO VP-50 and Algolith DragonFly processors.

The HD3000(same processor as bundled with the HD81, HD81-LV and HD7100)
compared very favorably to the DVDO piece and better than the Algolith.

Jeff,

That Perfect Vision article begins by saying the HD3000 can be used by other displays. Do you know if the one that came with the HD81 can be used with another projector?

I'm not sure if the VXP that comes with the HD81 and HD81-LV could be used
with other projectors. My guess would be that there would have to be HD3000
firmware loaded into the VXP at the very least.

I asked Optoma about that and they said the VXP could not be used for other projectors. I believe it probably has something to do with the serial connection and the ned for the VXP to receive/interact with, commands and signals from the projector.

jeff,

So, if I leave the projector where it is, put one of these constant height lenses in front of it, the picture would focus? That is hard to envision. I would have thought that the new lens has a focal length that is critical. I believe you but I am having a hard time wrapping my head around it.

Any thoughts on the 9.8?

Any thoughts on the 9.8?

Art,

If I may jump in with my thoughts....

If I undedrstand your proposal correct you will use the loop on the VXD and run it through one of the inputs on the 9.8 and use one of the outputs on the 9.8 as the return to the VXD.

My thoughts based on this connection assumption:

1. You will have 3 inputs (VXD inputs) that utilize the video processing of the VXD and 3 inputs that use the video processing of the 9.8 AND the VXP. I don't know what difference in video results you might get.

2. I also would question the delay imposed to the audio signal. It would be delayed by 1 and/or maybe 2 video processes.

3. Do you believe the video procesing of the 9.8 to be better than that of the VXP? If not, why not just purchase a hdmi switcher?

4. Will the VXP loop take 1080p?

Just some thoughts.

Joe

jeff,

So, if I leave the projector where it is, put one of these constant height lenses in front of it, the picture would focus? That is hard to envision. I would have thought that the new lens has a focal length that is critical. I believe you but I am having a hard time wrapping my head around it.



Art,

That's correct, no change in focal plane between lens in and out. That's why
a motorized lens transport works so well. I was concerned that with so many
of todays movies being shot on digital video, 2:35:1 aspect ratio would be less prevalent than in the days of 35mm using Panavision anamorphic or Super 35 formats. Happily, this has not been the case, there are plenty of big budget movies whose principal photography was captured on video and are projected in theaters and released on DVD and next gen. DVD in 2:35:1 or 2:40:1 aspect ratio.

New here and finding lots of great info.

I have an HD81 and wanted some info on upconverting DVD's. I use a PS3 for playing my BR disks. The new software load on the PS3 also does upconverting for ST DVD. The Optoma manual states to not upconvert at the source and let processor do all upconverting.

Is there anything speacial that you need to do for the processor to upconvert. When I set the PS3 to upconvert it looks a lot better than when the processor alone is upcoverting. Thanks

New here and finding lots of great info.

I have an HD81 and wanted some info on upconverting DVD's. I use a PS3 for playing my BR disks. The new software load on the PS3 also does upconverting for ST DVD. The Optoma manual states to not upconvert at the source and let processor do all upconverting.

Is there anything speacial that you need to do for the processor to upconvert. When I set the PS3 to upconvert it looks a lot better than when the processor alone is upcoverting. Thanks

The processor will automatically convert whatever source resolution it "sees" to 1080P.

I am amazed to hear that the PS3 is converting better than the processor.

Something is not right.

Can you tell the PS3 to not upconvert? And when you do that does the resolution that the processor "sees" get downgraded to the non-upconverted signal? If you tell the PS3 to not upconvert and it does not change the resolution parameters sent to the processor than the processor wll not do any conversion.

I thinkthere are a couple of folks on this thread that are using the BD capabilities of the PS3. They might be able to shed more light on the topic.

Joe

Thanks for the reply Joe,

Yes I can turn the DVD Upscaler off and on. I don't know what the resolution of a standard DVD is, but when I turn the DVD upscaler on (PS3) the projector shows at 1080P. When I turn the upscaler off, the projector shows as 720P or 1080i (i will need to double check to make sure). There is a pretty big difference in PQ as well.

Is there a way to force in input to upscale to 1080P no matter what?

I might not have the processor setup right based on your quote below. As an example I have an HD cable box setup as well. When I change from 1 HD channel to another the projector always changes based on the channel. On HD channel might come as 720P and another 1080.

It is almost like the processor is not set to auto up convert anything and displays as whatever the source is.

The processor will automatically convert whatever source resolution it "sees" to 1080P.

houstonht,

I think I see one issue here. If you tell the PS3 to not upconvert an SD DVD,
then the Optoma VXP should show 480i or 480p as input resolution. If you
are seeing 720p or 1080i, then the PS3 is still upconverting.

Regardless, the HD81 can only be feed 1080p from the VXP processor, like
any 1080p fixed pixel digital display.

My experience, while not with a PS3, has been that an SD DVD looks better
when it is fed at 480i, via an old Sony 7000 DVD player, to the VXP processor than letting my Toshiba A1 HD DVD do the upconversion to 1080i, where the
VXP only has to deinterlace.

I am pretty sure that if you could get the PS3 to send a 480i or 480p signal
to the VXP, you would like the results--it should compare favorably to letting
the PS3 output at 720p or 1080i or 1080p.

houstonht,

Jeff is correct... 480i or 480p is the native resolution of a Standard DVD...

The electronics in the VXP are a bit higher quality then what is in a PS3 as that is what they were built to do... as an example a studio (i.e. TV station) may upconvert their content from SD to HD... their up converters close 25k to over 100k...

Hope this helps :D

Thanks

Chris

I might not have the processor setup right based on your quote below. As an example I have an HD cable box setup as well. When I change from 1 HD channel to another the projector always changes based on the channel. On HD channel might come as 720P and another 1080.

It is almost like the processor is not set to auto up convert anything and displays as whatever the source is.

That is not correct. The processor will ALWAYS convert wahtever it sees on the incoming video to 1080P. The HD81 projector can only handle 1080P as input.

What you are seeing the processor/projector display on thhhe screen is the incoming signal resolution. Not what it is upconverting it to. You are always watching 1080P no matter what the incoming signal resolution is.

So when the processor changes when you change cable channels you are actually changing the resolution of the input video by changing cable channels. If you go from one channel to another channel where they both have the same resolution the processor will not show you the "processing" sign.

Make sense?

Joe

Thanks all. You are correct that the input is 480P whithout the PS3 upscaler and not 720.

I tried to take some pictures but I am not the best photographer. One shows with scale and one without. To my untrained eyes the pre scaled looks sharper that the one where the processor scaled the DVD. These are paused images so they are not the best.

Hi again everybody,

I connected my HTPC to the HD81 and I'm having trouble getting the image right.

The problem is that the image is displayed on the center of the screen instead of being displayed all over the screen.

It seems that if I turn on the overscan it helps, but even with overscan turned on (on both the projector and the graphics card driver [Radeon HD 2600XT]) I can't get it to be displayed all over the screen, and in certain level of overscan on the projector the image starts to be cropped.

Is this a problem with the projector or the HTPC ?

How can I fix this issue ?

Thanks.

Thanks all. You are correct that the input is 480P whithout the PS3 upscaler and not 720.

I tried to take some pictures but I am not the best photographer. One shows with scale and one without. To my untrained eyes the pre scaled looks sharper that the one where the processor scaled the DVD. These are paused images so they are not the best.


"input is 480P whithout the PS3 upscaler and not 720."

But does the PS3 default or allow 480i for SD/DVD's? It may be sending 480p, still doing it's own scaling/deinterlacing. 480p would shut off the Gennum from getting a shot at deinterlacing which would be much more superior to the PS.

Any thoughts on the 9.8?

Art,

I don't understand the need for new HDMI receivers with advanced audio codec decoding. Currently all HD DVD players decode codecs like DD+ and Dolby True HD internally because the are then mixed in the player with things like alternative languages, commentaries, button sounds, then are sent out via PCM through analog outputs or HDMI or DTS through coax and optical. This type of encoding by the studios is called advanced.

BD titles have been decoded in basic up to this point due to their lack of
interactive features. This will not be the case going forward, level 1.1 and
2.0 players will do decoding and mixing in the players, same as HD DVD has
done since day one.

Therefore a new HDMI receiver that decodes all the new audio codecs does
not seem necessary for next gen. DVD players.

I certainly won't buy into a HDMI receiver already owning two flagship receivers in the Harmon Kardon 7200 and Marantz SR18, no way. The sound I get now is amazing no need to change. I'll use HDMI for video.

Well,

It is a sad day at the Morris household. My HD81 has finally decided to give me some fits. Actual, it won't finish its power cycle at all.

When I turn the projector on everything loooks normal except I get a new faint high pitched whine that I did not have before. I can see the bulb light up inside the lens but after about 5 seconds the buld goes dark. Then after about 30 seconds the red light blinks indicating a bulb failure.

I wanted to get some thoughts before I try and change the bulb out. The new whining sound and the fact the buld temporarily goes on makes me doubt it is the bulb itself.

I have unplugged both units and let them sit and then pluggend them back in. Same results.

Anyong have any ideas?

Thanks

Joe

Joe,

Sorry to hear that. The whine sound suggests color wheel failure to me.

Joe,

Sorry to hear that. The whine sound suggests color wheel failure to me.

Thanks jeff,

Would that cause what I am observing with the light bulb?

Thanks

joe

Your point is well taken Jeff but my issues are far more basic. I have not preamp/processor that will accept 6 analog inputs. Therefore, I can not even listen to anything but DD and DTS. My BluRay player has no individual channel level adjustment , distance/delay and speaker size capability like the XA2. I also need the ability to strip off the audio from the BDBS 300's and my motorola cable box's HDMI connections. I have 4 HDMI inputs but only 3 connections on the VXD.

BTW, I use a Sony EP9ES DD decoder and a Millenium Silver DTS decoder in the external processor loop of an Adcom 565 preamp. My real love has always been the music and this way I can eliminate all digital processing when listening to R to R tapes or vinyl.

Well,

It is a sad day at the Morris household. My HD81 has finally decided to give me some fits. Actual, it won't finish its power cycle at all.

When I turn the projector on everything loooks normal except I get a new faint high pitched whine that I did not have before. I can see the bulb light up inside the lens but after about 5 seconds the buld goes dark. Then after about 30 seconds the red light blinks indicating a bulb failure.

I wanted to get some thoughts before I try and change the bulb out. The new whining sound and the fact the buld temporarily goes on makes me doubt it is the bulb itself.

I have unplugged both units and let them sit and then pluggend them back in. Same results.

Anyong have any ideas?

Thanks

Joe

Try re-seating the bulb and vacuam it real good while you have it down.

Try re-seating the bulb and vacuam it real good while you have it down.

Hi Tom,

I tried that this morning. The problem remained. I then put a new bulb in and that didn't do the trick either.

Any other ideas before I pack it up and ship it back?

Thanks

Joe

We're all but out of tests since you even tried a new bulb. Did you even get it to stay on long enough the maybe try some things in the menu's, lamp reset maybe?

Whoops sri buddy that service menu I gave you is for the HD80. Anyway you need to first see the video/menu to go to the reset area. RMA time, sri

Whoops sri buddy that service menu I gave you is for the HD80. Anyway you need to first see the video/menu to go to the reset area. RMA time, sri

Gotcha, thanks.

Joe

Joe,

Look at it this way, you were thinking of upgrading to an HD81-LV anyway!

Joe,

Look at it this way, you were thinking of upgrading to an HD81-LV anyway!

Yeah, but my wife decided she wanted to go back to school and she ahs quit her job now. that puts a little damper on anything new for a while :o

Joe

Joe,

In that case you might want to consider purchasing the Gold Service Contract
so that you can get a hot swap. If you sent the projector in for repair, it could
be away for awhile.

My remote backlight stays on at all times. Is this a feature? Can I make it go back to normal mode. I have an extra I can use in case it's busted.

Pull the batteries to reset it. Make sure none of the buttons are stuck down.

Joe,

In that case you might want to consider purchasing the Gold Service Contract
so that you can get a hot swap. If you sent the projector in for repair, it could
be away for awhile.

Thanks Jeff,

I put the gold request into Warren.

Joe

Jeff,

I got the paperwork from Warren but the Gold package is only for one year. I ahd thought if we prucashed the GOld package within the first year of having the projector that it was extended for the life of the current warranty.

Am I remembering incorrectly?

THanks

Joe

Joe, it is a yearly renewable service contract that is in force for one year at a time during
the factory warranty period, so it adds up over a three year period. I paid for one year,
but now don't need it since I upgraded to the HD81-LV. I had to pay sales tax as well,
being in the same state as Optoma USA.

Well, it seems that Optoma has a firmware upgrade for the HD80 that is downloadable from
their site. This means that the entry level 1080p DLP projector can be enhanced conveniently, but the higher end HD81, now a year on the market, still must be shipped to Optoma for firmware upgrades, despite promises of net download ability. I'll be curious to see if the HD81-LV will offer any downloadable firmware upgrades down the road. I am happy that HD80 owners will get feature and image quality improvements.

Joe, it is a yearly renewable service contract that is in force for one year at a time during
the factory warranty period, so it adds up over a three year period. I paid for one year,
but now don't need it since I upgraded to the HD81-LV. I had to pay sales tax as well,
being in the same state as Optoma USA.

Thanks Jeff,
I went ahead and did the gold for a year. I ave the new projector. It seems to run fine but it is louder than the previous one. I ahve also had it shut off twice on me so far. I will see how it goes. It has C08 from Jan 07.

Joe

Well, it seems that Optoma has a firmware upgrade for the HD80 that is downloadable from
their site. This means that the entry level 1080p DLP projector can be enhanced conveniently, but the higher end HD81, now a year on the market, still must be shipped to Optoma for firmware upgrades, despite promises of net download ability. I'll be curious to see if the HD81-LV will offer any downloadable firmware upgrades down the road. I am happy that HD80 owners will get feature and image quality improvements.

Pretty sure I mentioned it before but if I didn't. The scaler had to be opened up is why they needed it sent in, at least for the item they needed to apply. Plus they use a special circut board device to connect to the boards.

Pretty sure I mentioned it before but if I didn't. The scaler had to be opened up is why they needed it sent in, at least for the item they needed to apply. Plus they use a special circut board device to connect to the boards.

Tom,

I realize that a VXP hardware change was necessary, but this was supposed to be a running change made long ago. HD81's delivered after December were supposed to have the change. If this was the case, it's a moot point since
Optoma stopped developing the HD81 after the second version of C08 from
January 2. The point is that this projector, using the RS232 ports, was supposed to be upgradeable via the net by owners--clearly this will never be
the case.

Tom,

In light of Optoma's unwillingness to let owners update their own firmware, would you care to explain what it was that made you believe that earlier versions were upgradeable?

Technical problem, so they have to open er up, use external circuitry to talk to the boards.

With the stand alone unit we used RS-232. Thinking back I upgraded an HD3000 but used HDMI if I remember right. Maybe HDMI and RS-232 confused each other with the two part system. DK

Hey guys!

I've had my HD81 for a couple of months now and I think its phenominal. I'm running it on a 104" 16x9 display in a partially light-controlled room and its lightyears ahead of my InFocus 4805.

Having said that, I decided this weekend to spend some time actually setting this thing up. Like many others, I found the out-of-box setup to be astounding, but things wear off. So I wanted to get on here and take a look at the owner's thread for this projector. Unfortunately, there isn't one. I have been reading this 150 page thread for two days, braving through speculative posts almost 9 months prior to the actual release date, debates on hdmi 1.3 and HDDVD/Bluray. Shouldn't there be an owner's thread for this unit?

After all of that, I still don't have an answer to the first item i set out to find and the second item that has become an issue since i started playing.

#1 Is there no color management or settings for HDMI inputs? All of my devices are HDMI, including my cable box and HD DVD player and when i hook up my old DVD player with component I can actually see these setings under setup. But when i try to do this for HDMI, they are not there. I can only adjust the color temprature.

#2 Since i started messing with this, i've been getting a wierd blue screen that doesn't seem to be like the one that others have been describing. For instance, when watching football this morning via my Cox Scientific Atlanta8300HD i got an intermittant blue screen for about a seconds just about 8 seconds after going to commercial break and then again about 8 or so seconds after coming back from break. When playing an HDDVD, i get the same effect when fast forwarding through a scene and then stopping and watching the scene for a few seconds.

The screen flickers blue and seems to be divided in half. This has only started today and I watched plenty of ball today to pretty much test every possible verible. I tried with variable iris off and on and with high altitude and bright mode all off and on. No change.

I have no idea what could be causing this. Any hepl would be greatly appreciated. I plan to call Optima tomorrow.

Thanks!

--
Chevell

Chevell,

The name of the company is OPTOMA not Optima. As far as this thread not meeting your perception of what an "owner's" thread should contain, I believe you do the thread contributors a disservice by maligning our offerings. If you read through the thread, you will understand that the HD81 has had a lot of shortcomings, some of which have been addressed through several updates of the firmware. Owners have bared dtheir souls tring to understand why their individual units fail or otherwise do not perform to their expectations. For many, this projector provides such an amazing picture that all the shortcomings are tolerable in order to have a picture that is second to none. To address your questions more precisely, I copied them here and inserted answers or comments.

<#1 Is there no color management or settings for HDMI inputs? All of my devices are HDMI, including my cable box and HD DVD player and when i hook up my old DVD player with component I can actually see these setings under setup. But when i try to do this for HDMI, they are not there. I can only adjust the color temprature.>

There is no reason to adjust the digital HDMI input in the same manner one would adjust the analog, YPrPb, S, Video, or BNC inputs. Unless you use very long HDMI cables, >50ft, you should be seing exactly what the author of your source intended. If your cables are longer than that or of poor quality, bu a repeater. If you want to alter the colors, hues, blacks and whites or other common and less common picture adjustments, there exist a plethora of adjustments downstream of the inputs.

<#2 Since i started messing with this, i've been getting a wierd blue screen that doesn't seem to be like the one that others have been describing. For instance, when watching football this morning via my Cox Scientific Atlanta8300HD i got an intermittant blue screen for about a seconds just about 8 seconds after going to commercial break and then again about 8 or so seconds after coming back from break. When playing an HDDVD, i get the same effect when fast forwarding through a scene and then stopping and watching the scene for a few seconds.>

The intermittent blue screen occurs when the VXD attemts to synchronize with the incoming signal. If you are watching the BNC inputs, there is an additional delay while the VXD determines whether the signal is RGBHV or YPrPb or RGBs. The blue screen is an inevitable consequence of the digital age we live in. I have found that using a fixed resolution like "1080i" or "720P" vis a vis "NATIVE" dramatically decreases the amount of time it takes the projector to provide a picture.

Please excuse my typo, I was typing that at 2am, after messing around with the unit all day.

Also, I was not maligning anyone. I was stating that there are almost 60 pages of content on this forum before anyone even recieves a unit from the company. And if anyone asks a question that has been stated earlier, they are usually told to go back and read the thread. I'm saying I did, and it was nightmarish. Should there not be a new thread that ATLEAST starts when units are actually shipping?

Thank you for your answer to #1 but if you had read it, you would know that I am ONLY using HDMI and therefore not getting a slow synch issue while swicthing inputs. There is only source type, HDMI.

This is happening in the MIDDLE of watching the source. For example, while fast forwarding an HDDVD movie or when switching back from commercial on digital cable.

It started happening even more last night, thinking this may be a new thermal issue. I live in Arizona and my house can get pretty hot. The projector is mounted on the west wall below the low end of a vaulted ceiling. It could probably get well about 100 degrees during the day when I am not here. Coming home and cranking up my rig right when I get here may be a bad idea. Anyhow, I've managed to make it through three months of 110 degree heat and there've been no issues. Its not perfect weather outside and it starts acting up now?

Is this possibly the scaler over heating instead? Perhaps placement in the rig? Its on a shelf above the HDDVD player at the bottom of the rack. But the DVD player was off most of the day yesterday until football was over.

Again, I appreciate your response and I'm not trying to be rude. I'm merely suggesting that it would be in a HD81 owner's best interest to read a 70 page thread before posting rather than 150 pages.

Thanks again!

Heat issues are mainly centered about the projector we believe but the VXD must be free to ventilate itself with air moving about the metal chassis. My previous versions of the 81 exhibited blue screens a-bondanza. This second LV works perfectly. For many of us the blue screen issues are painful. I sympathize but have nothing to offer you.

Well, our HD81 didn't last 30 days:confused:. Half the screen is dark, and the unit blue screens every couple of minutes. Supports says the unit needs to be replaced and shipped back to them.

Looks like we will just return it to the supplier and find another solution. We were looking at using these in our multimedia rooms within our company because of the 2 piece design, but we need reliability as well as performance. They won't trade up to the LV anymore, so I cannot test the reliability of that unit.

ok, so you're saying that this IS the same blue screen issue that others are experiencing? Great! Let's see what happens today. Thanks.