It seems unusual that I am unable to get a visible 1080P display when I:
plug a PC running 1920x1080x60Hz via a DVI-HDMI cable directly into the media processor. Trying all 4x3 modes, they display fine. I can get 1280x720P to display ok. Yet, no 1920x1080x60 when going through the media processor.

Now, here is the _only_ configuration that works for me:

Set the same PC to 1920x1080P at 60Hz and
plug the same DVI-HDMI cable directly from the PC to the projector, directly. Bypassing the Media Processor altogether.

For some odd reason, this works. HDCP?

What I would like to find out from other owners, is if:

a) this scenario matches yours... and you have to plug a PC in directly
and/or
b) You have a working solution with no issues through the media processor.

Provided you have "B", would you be able to help I and other forum onlookers obtain the Windows scanning (or modeline) information using a Windows tool called PowerStrip. I can help with Powerstrip, if you can help with the projector issue.


-Karl
ps sorry about the crosspost to the hd81lv forum.

What OS and video card are you using? I was never able to get either of two NV cards to work right under vista at 1080p, yet they worked fine under XP. I'm now running windows7 with an AMD HD 5750 and it seems to work well. Right now I've got the HDMI out going to the receiver and then to the processor. I've also run it directly to the processor in the past and it's worked fine. What are you looking for with powerstrip? I think I have the monitor.inf data at home if that's what you're looking for.

Hi Ted,
I am using an Intel i945 mobile chipset and XP sp2.
The connection is from DVI to HDMI via a conversion cable.

Here is where the powerstrip app comes in.
With your working setup, you could run the powerstrip app and then reveal the timing that is being generated by your gfx card to the media processor

I will send some screenshots of the menus to walk through.
For you it might take 15 min to get this data. It should be easy.

What I am interested in most is creating a Linux modeline for the HD81 in 1080P mode.

Provided you have a working config, the powerstrip app will expose both the Windows mode setup timing and the Linux setup timing, or modeline.
Once the shareware app is installed it will be easy to do this.

I'll try and post the photo steps in a couple hours. And see if you can help.
-Karl
-Karl

Here are the details on Powerstrip.
PowerStrip can be downloaded from this site:

http://entechtaiwan.com/files/pstrip.exe

After installation on your Windows machine, the GUI is located in the toolbar.

(A quick note: the screen captures are from another pc, running at a different resolution. When you see a resolution displayed, yours should say 1920x1080 instead of what you see in the photos below. If you have a dual screen setup, you'll want to be sure you have the correct output selected.)

Here are the images sequences from PowerStrip:

1) Click on the PowerStrip icon. Hover Over Display Profiles, and select Configure.

http://www.magicboxinc.com/_karl/ps/PowerStrip1.png

2) Select only the button for Advanced Timing Options. Provided that you see the 1920x1080 resolution displayed. (Pardon the image below, as it does not say 1920x1080. Its only a guide.)

http://www.magicboxinc.com/_karl/ps/PowerStrip2.png

3) You won't have to change any settings on this panel. The only button you're interested in is the Copy Button that is labeled in the photo.
Once you press the copy button, the PC mode information is copied to your Windows Clipboard.


http://www.magicboxinc.com/_karl/ps/PowerStrip3.png

4) Open any text editor. Select Paste. Your output will look similar to the image below. Your output should include "Linux modeline parameters:". This is the information that can be used to recreate the display mode.

Please post your results (the text in the clipboard) to the forum so everyone can evaluate.

http://www.magicboxinc.com/_karl/ps/PowerStrip4.png

Thanks
-Karl

I tried installing powerstrip to get you the info but the advanced timing options button is grey for me since the HD5xxx cards are not supported yet. You'll need to get someone with a supported card to grab it for you I'm afraid.

Here is the optoma.inf I produced with moninfo read of the EIDE info when it was plugged into the processor. You might be able to use this as the monitor driver (look for the 'Have Disk...' option) to get windows to see a good mode for it.
; INF file generated by Monitor Asset Manager, 3/13/2010
; Copyright (c) EnTech Taiwan, 1995-2009.
; Internet: http://www.entechtaiwan.com

[Version]
Signature="$WINDOWS NT$"
Class=Monitor
ClassGUID={4d36e96e-e325-11ce-bfc1-08002be10318}
Provider=%MFG%
DriverVer=3/13/2010, 1.0.0.0
;CatalogFile=YourSignedCatalogFile.cat

[DestinationDirs]
DefaultDestDir=23

[SourceDisksNames]
1=%DISC%

[SourceDisksFiles]
;YourColorProfileFile.icm

[Manufacturer]
%VENDOR%=EDID_OVERRIDE,NTx86,NTamd64

[EDID_OVERRIDE.NTx86]
%PRODUCTID%=OVERRIDDEN-EDID.Install, MONITOR\OTM4844

[EDID_OVERRIDE.NTamd64]
%PRODUCTID%=OVERRIDDEN-EDID.Install.NTamd64, MONITOR\OTM4844

[OVERRIDDEN-EDID.Install.NTx86]
DelReg=DEL_CURRENT_REG
AddReg=OVERRIDDEN-EDID.AddReg, MODE1, DPMS
CopyFiles=OVERRIDDEN-EDID.CopyFiles

[OVERRIDDEN-EDID.Install.NTamd64]
DelReg=DEL_CURRENT_REG
AddReg=OVERRIDDEN-EDID.AddReg, MODE1, DPMS
CopyFiles=OVERRIDDEN-EDID.CopyFiles

[OVERRIDDEN-EDID.Install.NTx86.HW]
AddReg=OVERRIDDEN-EDID_AddReg

[OVERRIDDEN-EDID.Install.NTamd64.HW]
AddReg=OVERRIDDEN-EDID_AddReg

[OVERRIDDEN-EDID_AddReg]
;Base EDID
HKR,EDID_OVERRIDE,"0",0x01,0x00,0xFF,0xFF,0xFF,0xFF,0xFF,0xFF,0x00,0x3E,0x8D,0x44 ,0x48,0x19,0x04,0x00,0x00,0x2B,0x10,0x01,0x03,0x80,0x00,0x00 ,0x78,0x0A,0x0D,0xC9,0xA0,0x57,0x47,0x98,0x27,0x12,0x48,0x4C ,0xAD,0xCE,0x00,0x81,0xC0,0xD1,0xC0,0x01,0x01,0x01,0x01,0x01 ,0x01,0x01,0x01,0x01,0x01,0x01,0x01,0x01,0x1D,0x80,0x18,0x71 ,0x1C,0x16,0x20,0x58,0x2C,0x25,0x00,0xC4,0x8E,0x21,0x00,0x00 ,0x9E,0x8C,0x0A,0xD0,0x8A,0x20,0xE0,0x2D,0x10,0x10,0x3E,0x96 ,0x00,0x13,0x8E,0x21,0x00,0x00,0x18,0x00,0x00,0x00,0xFC,0x00 ,0x4F,0x70,0x74,0x6F,0x6D,0x61,0x20,0x48,0x44,0x38,0x31,0x0A ,0x20,0x00,0x00,0x00,0xFD,0x00,0x18,0x3C,0x0D,0x44,0x0F,0x00 ,0x0A,0x20,0x20,0x20,0x20,0x20,0x20,0x01,0x3A

[DEL_CURRENT_REG]
HKR,MODES
HKR,EDID_OVERRIDE
HKR,,MaxResolution
HKR,,DPMS
HKR,,ICMProfile

[DPMS]
HKR,,DPMS,,0

[MODE1]
HKR,,MaxResolution,,"1920,1080"

[OVERRIDDEN-EDID.AddReg]
HKR,"MODES\1920,1080",Mode1,,"13.0-68.0,24.0-60.0,+,+"

[OVERRIDDEN-EDID.CopyFiles]
;YourColorProfileFile.icm

[Strings]
MFG="EnTech Taiwan"
DISC="Monitor EDID Override Installation Disk"
PRODUCTID="OTM Optoma HD81 (EDID Override)"
VENDOR="OTM"



Here is a dump of the info I see from moninfo when the computer is connected through the receiver to the processor. It's more verbose and may have the timing info also. I've got it set to only output 1080p right now (it has a scaler too) so that might alter the settings a bit, but since you want 1080p anyhow it should help.
Monitor
Model name............... DTR-9.9
Manufacturer............. Onkyo
Plug and Play ID......... ONK0899
Serial number............ n/a
Manufacture date......... 2007, ISO week 0
-------------------------
EDID revision............ 1.3
Input signal type........ Digital
Color bit depth.......... Undefined
Display type............. RGB color
Screen size.............. Undefined or variable
Power management......... Not supported
Extension blocs.......... 1 (CEA-EXT)
-------------------------
DDC/CI................... Not supported

Color characteristics
Default color space...... Non-sRGB
Display gamma............ 2.20
Red chromaticity......... Rx 0.625 - Ry 0.340
Green chromaticity....... Gx 0.280 - Gy 0.595
Blue chromaticity........ Bx 0.155 - By 0.070
White point (default).... Wx 0.283 - Wy 0.298
Additional descriptors... None

Timing characteristics
Horizontal scan range.... 13-68kHz
Vertical scan range...... 24-60Hz
Video bandwidth.......... 150MHz
CVT standard............. Not supported
GTF standard............. Not supported
Additional descriptors... None
Preferred timing......... Yes
Native/preferred timing.. 1920x1080i at 60Hz (16:9)
Modeline............... "1920x1080" 74.250 1920 2008 2052 2200 1080 1084 1094 1124 interlace +hsync +vsync
Detailed timing #1....... 720x480p at 60Hz (4:3)
Modeline............... "720x480" 27.000 720 736 798 858 480 489 495 525 -hsync -vsync

Standard timings supported
720 x 400p at 70Hz - IBM VGA
640 x 480p at 60Hz - IBM VGA
640 x 480p at 72Hz - VESA
640 x 480p at 75Hz - VESA
800 x 600p at 60Hz - VESA
800 x 600p at 72Hz - VESA
800 x 600p at 75Hz - VESA
1024 x 768p at 60Hz - VESA
1024 x 768p at 70Hz - VESA
1024 x 768p at 75Hz - VESA
1280 x 720p at 60Hz - VESA STD
1920 x 1080p at 60Hz - VESA STD

EIA/CEA-861 Information
Revision number.......... 3
DTV underscan............ Not supported
Basic audio.............. Supported
YCbCr 4:4:4.............. Supported
YCbCr 4:2:2.............. Supported
Native formats........... 1
Detailed timing #1....... 1280x720p at 60Hz (16:9)
Modeline............... "1280x720" 74.250 1280 1390 1430 1650 720 725 730 750 +hsync +vsync
Detailed timing #2....... 1920x1080p at 60Hz (16:9)
Modeline............... "1920x1080" 148.350 1920 2008 2052 2200 1080 1084 1089 1125 +hsync +vsync
Detailed timing #3....... 1280x720p at 50Hz (16:9)
Modeline............... "1280x720" 74.250 1280 1720 1760 1980 720 725 730 750 +hsync +vsync

CE video data (timings supported)
1280 x 720p at 50Hz - HDTV (16:9, 1:1)
1920 x 1080p at 60Hz - HDTV (16:9, 1:1)
720 x 576p at 50Hz - EDTV (4:3, 16:15)
1920 x 1080i at 60Hz - HDTV (16:9, 1:1) [Native]
1280 x 720p at 60Hz - HDTV (16:9, 1:1)
720 x 480p at 60Hz - EDTV (4:3, 8:9)
1920 x 1080i at 50Hz - HDTV (16:9, 1:1)
720 x 480i at 60Hz - Doublescan (4:3, 8:9)
720 x 576i at 50Hz - Doublescan (4:3, 16:15)
1920 x 1080p at 50Hz - HDTV (16:9, 1:1)
1440 x 576p at 50Hz - DVD (4:3, 8:15)
1440 x 480p at 60Hz - DVD (4:3, 4:9)
2880 x 480i at 60Hz - Console (4:3, 2:9-20:9)
2880 x 576i at 50Hz - Console (4:3, 2:15-20:15)
2880 x 576p at 50Hz - Console (4:3, 4:15)
2880 x 480p at 60Hz - Console (4:3, 2:9)
NB: NTSC refresh rate = (Hz*1000)/1001

CE audio data (formats supported)
LPCM 2-channel, 16/20/24 bit depths at 32/44/48/88/96/176/192 kHz
LPCM 8-channel, 16/20/24 bit depths at 32/44/48/88/96/176/192 kHz
AC-3 8-channel, 640k max. bit rate at 32/44/48 kHz
DTS 8-channel, 1536k max. bit rate at 44/48 kHz
SACD 6-channel at 44 kHz
DD+ 8-channel at 44/48 kHz
DTS-HD 8-channel, 16-bit at 44/48/88/96/176/192 kHz
DVD-A 8-channel at 44/48/88/96/192 kHz

CE speaker allocation data
Channel configuration.... 7.1
Front left/right......... Yes
Front LFE................ Yes
Front center............. Yes
Rear left/right.......... Yes
Rear center.............. No
Front left/right center.. No
Rear left/right center... Yes
Rear LFE................. No

CE vendor specific data (VSDB)
IEEE registration number. 0x000C03
CEC physical address..... 3.1.0.0
Supports AI (ACP, ISRC).. Yes
Supports 48bpp........... No
Supports 36bpp........... No
Supports 30bpp........... No
Supports YCbCr 4:4:4..... No
Supports dual-link DVI... No
Maximum TMDS clock....... 165MHz

Report information
Date generated........... 3/16/2010
Software revision........ 2.44.0.825
Operating system......... 6.1.7600.2

Raw data
00,FF,FF,FF,FF,FF,FF,00,3D,CB,99,08,00,00,00,00,00,11,01,03, 80,00,00,78,0A,0D,C9,A0,57,47,98,27,
12,48,4C,AD,CE,00,81,C0,D1,C0,01,01,01,01,01,01,01,01,01,01, 01,01,01,1D,80,18,71,1C,16,20,58,2C,
25,00,C4,8E,21,00,00,9E,8C,0A,D0,8A,20,E0,2D,10,10,3E,96,00, 13,8E,21,00,00,18,00,00,00,FC,00,44,
54,52,2D,39,2E,39,0A,20,20,20,20,20,00,00,00,FD,00,18,3C,0D, 44,0F,00,0A,20,20,20,20,20,20,01,7D,
02,03,39,71,50,13,10,11,85,04,02,14,06,15,1F,1D,0E,0A,19,25, 23,38,09,7F,07,0F,7F,07,17,07,50,3F,
06,C0,4D,02,00,57,06,00,5F,7E,01,67,5E,00,83,4F,00,00,66,03, 0C,00,13,00,80,01,1D,00,72,51,D0,1E,
20,6E,28,55,00,C4,8E,21,00,00,1E,F3,39,80,18,71,38,2D,40,58, 2C,45,00,C4,8E,21,00,00,1E,01,1D,00,
BC,52,D0,1E,20,B8,28,55,40,C4,8E,21,00,00,1E,00,00,00,00,00, 00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,87


One other somewhat helpful thing I remember from when I was trying to get Vista + NV to work was I could set it to the res right below 1080p and then manually tweak it up to 1080p by the advanced settings in the NV driver. It would never stay there (reset on boot) but that was another issue.

MAGIC BOX

I had this issue when I first got my HD81. It seemed that I had issues trying to run the windows desktop and games at 1080p 60hz, I would get no display. I had to use my monitor and set the games to 30hz before I got a display. I think I had the issue at 1280x720p also but this was awhile back so cant remember.

I sent the projector in to Optoma who changed some hardware board on the machine. This fixed both the blue screen issue that users were experiencing on this forum as well as the resolution and refresh rates from a PC using the DVI-HDMI adaptor connection.

This "could" be your problem?

Thanks all for your updates. I sincerely appreciate everyone's attention to detail.

Over the last week or so, I have worked through a number of configurations.

HDMI cables have been swapped in/out, different configurations tried. And today I brought in a DVD player that upconverts to 1080P.
I had thought there could be an HDCP issue.... but that doesn't make sense either.

Meanwhile I did verify that the video processor will pass through 1080P with the unconverted DVD player. So 1080P _is_ possible through the video processor.

Still the PC does not display. It is using onboard Intel GMA 950 graphics, not a more sophisticated NVidia or ATI graphics card. So, this could be a red flag.

I have verified the output from my PC devices are delivering a valid 1080P mode. The only catch might be that I'm going from DVI to HDMI.

The video processor says it is in 1080P mode (via text overlay) , yet the rest of the image remains black. No device video shows through.

When I drop down to 720P video... everything works great. PC displays fine, etc. No trouble at all.

I had considered that the video processor might be bad... which is why I brought in the DVD unconverted player. And verified that it is indeed in 1080P mode. And it worked with no hassle.

Summary:

The score looks like this:

PC Windows XP Sp2 Intel GMA 950 via DVI-D --> HDMI through the video processor maximum resolution 720P 60 hz

Same PC Windows XP, via DVI-D --> Projector Directly, same cables maximum resolution 1080P 60 hz


Upconverted DVD player via HDMI --> video processor maximum resolution 1080P Hz -- unknown.

Thought / suggestions welcome. Especially if you think the video processor needs fixing.

-Karl

MagicBox:
Have you tried any over-riding of the detected display properties when the PC is connected to the processor? It sounds like your problem is the video card/driver is not detecting the display correctly. The processor is almost certainly sending different information when it's in the chain than the projector alone. Have you tried using powerstrip when it's connected directly to the projector and then again when you have the processor in the chain? You might try forcing the settings you detect when connected directly to the projector when it's connected to the processor. Depending on how motivated you are to solve this you could throw a cheap video card in the computer, assuming there is room for one.

Hi there, was hoping someone can help me, I wanted to go into the service menu for the Optoma HD81 but cant seem to get in. I referred to the key pushes (as below) that Kevin Anderson suggested,

"Try this key sequence on the remote:

Down Down Left Left Down Left"

I DO get a response as the screen turns blue and then back to normal and a menu comes up but the menu is just the standard one when you use the remote and not the service menu.

Kevin if you get this message or anyone, can you please advise. I am technical and configure AV equipment so know about the care to take in the service menu area.

Thanks in advance all....

Try "power off, left, left, up"
Works on HD82. :D
regards
KRID

I posted this in the sub-$3000 category, but no responses. Maybe a better place to ask past/current HD-81 owners what they think of the new cheaper pj's.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
About seven years ago I got an Optoma HD-81 for about $6k. My dealer just quoted me $450 for a new bulb and I'm wondering if someone can compare the HD-81 with one/any of the new sub $3k PJ's on the market. Due to my low gain screen, size and placement, only a few projectors are bright enough for my needs. Two I'm very interested in are the BenQ W7000 and the Epson 5010.

3D is not that important to me. But I just saw an HD-81 sell on eBay for $500, so if I sold my pj and pocketed the $450 for the bulb, that brings my real cost down almost a grand. I figure the best time to get a new pj is before replacing the bulb (it's not blown yet, but it's getting dim).

I just had a lamp delivered yesterday from myprojectorlamps.ca (or .com in the States). The price was much less than you quoted. They claim it is oem and a direct replacement. This is my second lamp from them. You have to replace the lamp in the housing, but I found it pretty easy to do the last time (haven't opened the package yet for this go round). Diamondlamps are cheaper still. I don't think they are oem but the price is half of what you mentioned. If you are thinking of selling the projector for $500 anyway, you might consider this. You have little to lose. I know the on/off contrast on these sucks, but the optics are very good.

More than a few on this forum have had problems with the hd81, I know I have, so I'll be looking to replace when this lamp dims, but that is what I said when I bought the last one. You might want to try one more lamp and then see what the led or laser camps have to offer in a couple of years.

I just had a lamp delivered yesterday from myprojectorlamps.ca (or .com in the States). The price was much less than you quoted. They claim it is oem and a direct replacement. This is my second lamp from them.
How many hours do you get out of these lamp replacements? The same 2000 hours? Thanks.

I sort of made a reference to this in my last post, but my hd81 is a lemon. It has been back for repairs twice and is giving me more problems. I was wondering if anyone else has had the problem of the projector shutting down for no apparent reason? If so, any "fixes" you know of? I'll have this happen a couple of times a week now. Could be 5 min. after I turn it on, or I could have it on for 5 hours straight with no problems. When I look at the lights flashing, they are blue and both lights (or at least the 2 end lights) are flashing blue. Nothing in the manual indicates that this will happen. The flashing blue on one side by itself indicates the projector is shutting down, the other flashing by itself would indicate an rs232 problem. Both together aren't mentioned in the manual. I get no warning, which I should get if it is the rs232 cable. It is just playing one second then shuts off the next.

I was trying to run a media player from my pc. That causes the PJ to shutdown almost every time I try it, probably in the first hour, but could be later. I checked my video card and the timing is off. It actually outputs at 59hz rather than 60, so probably a poorly designed circuit around the crystal. I tried to adjust timings to get it back to 60, but the PJ wouldn't accept them, so I'm not really sure if that is the problem or not. I also tried plugging the PC output directly to the projector, bypassing the controller box, but that didn't fix this problem. Getting output from the PC is minor to me, though. If there is anything I can do to fix the problem with output from my bluray player or my ASUS media player (problem happens on both, with about the same frequency), I'd like to know what it is.

Any ideas? People with the same problem? Sympathizers?

My current lamp is at about 1700 hrs. I replaced my original after about 2000 hrs, but my recollection is it was dimmer than my current one. That was more than 2 years ago, though, so I might be mistaken. I know back then I had adjusted the iris to be wider open than it is now because it was too dim.

p.s. Also, I start off in low lamp mode, then change to bright when it starts to seem to dim. My recollection is I did that later with the first lamp than this one, but probably because I was willing to live with it being dimmer back then. But I'm getting old and life is too short, so what the hell, I figured I'd cough up for a new lamp sooner this time.

I sort of made a reference to this in my last post, but my hd81 is a lemon. It has been back for repairs twice and is giving me more problems. I was wondering if anyone else has had the problem of the projector shutting down for no apparent reason? If so, any "fixes" you know of? I'll have this happen a couple of times a week now. Could be 5 min. after I turn it on, or I could have it on for 5 hours straight with no problems. When I look at the lights flashing, they are blue and both lights (or at least the 2 end lights) are flashing blue. Nothing in the manual indicates that this will happen. The flashing blue on one side by itself indicates the projector is shutting down, the other flashing by itself would indicate an rs232 problem. Both together aren't mentioned in the manual. I get no warning, which I should get if it is the rs232 cable. It is just playing one second then shuts off the next.

I was trying to run a media player from my pc. That causes the PJ to shutdown almost every time I try it, probably in the first hour, but could be later. I checked my video card and the timing is off. It actually outputs at 59hz rather than 60, so probably a poorly designed circuit around the crystal. I tried to adjust timings to get it back to 60, but the PJ wouldn't accept them, so I'm not really sure if that is the problem or not. I also tried plugging the PC output directly to the projector, bypassing the controller box, but that didn't fix this problem. Getting output from the PC is minor to me, though. If there is anything I can do to fix the problem with output from my bluray player or my ASUS media player (problem happens on both, with about the same frequency), I'd like to know what it is.

Any ideas? People with the same problem? Sympathizers?

Having lived with '81's for at least 6 years, I can tell you that you need a new bulb. I've had it happen at 700 hours. I never had a bulb last 2000 hours. When I went to look for a replacement projector, nothing at any price produced as good an overall picture as my HD81-LV. So, I bought another one for replacement parts.

Art:

Nobody I've ever known has put up with the problems a product has had like you have with your hd81 lv's :)

It makes little sense to me that an old lamp could cause the problems I described, but this design hardly seems bulletproof. Fortunately, I have one in hand and will replace shortly. Maybe I'll even try to get my computer to talk to my hd81 again.

I've had no experience with other projectors in my house and I've seen very few at other peoples places, or in stores. Nonetheless, I can state that I find the picture VERY satisfying with this PJ, other than the on/off contrast. I don't use the dynamic iris feature on this. I tried it years ago, could hear it, could see it, didn't like it, turned it off. I'd rather put up with decreased contrast than with the pumping I see when the iris on this changes. It's obvious that Optoma never designed this thing with dynamic iris in mind.

The first time I sent it back to Optoma, the power supply was flakey, which was a known problem with the very early models. I preordered mine from AVS. I found out the thing was flakey when the lamp failed after a couple hundred hours, and about a week after the 90 warranty on the lamp expired. Optoma at least replaced the lamp for free when they repaired the power supply. Then the colour wheel went about 2 months after the warranty expired. They charged me to fix that. I've stopped using the 24 fps mode on the off chance that that caused my colour wheel problems, or at least added to them.

I've also had problems recently where the thing wouldn't turn on via remote, and I'd have to press the power button several times to get it on. Also, one of the hdmi inputs is buggered. It's as if it only sees about 30 different luma levels, but spread over the entire range. So brutal banding. I opened the controller box and blew some air through it, but it didn't look dirty. That seems to have fixed the turn on/off problem but not the hdmi input problem. Could just have been unplugging it that fixed it, or I jostled something. I don't think it was blowing the air, but again, who knows.

I sure hope replacing the lamp fixes the sudden shutdown problem. I don't want to have to send it back to optoma again. This thing has been a mixed bag. I'm not likely to give optoma any of my money in the future.

Hi sstephen,

Recently, I bought a refurbished LV. I needed a new VXD unit. I payed $2,550.00 for both the VXD and the projector. The new VXD is connected to the old projector and everything is great. Let me know if you would like to buy just the refurbished projector from me. It is still in the box. $1,900 sounds about right. Regarding computer issues. Early along I learned from Optoma that the VXD will only process up to 720P through the VGA inputs.

That turn on issue is exactly why I bought the refurbished VXD. I know the turn on problem is definitely a VXD issue so you may not want to buy just t he projector. Sounds like you are in the same boat I was in several months ago. Sorry.

Honestly, I did some looking for a replacement that looked as good. Forget the 3 panel units. The convergence issues took me back to my CRT projector days. The DLP's in this units class are very expensive. For $2,500.00 i figure I can keep it running another couple of years. Repairs at Optoma's repair contractor are outrageous so forget that.

Art and I conversed recently about out HD-81LV Woes. I gave up on my VXD quite a few years ago. I am using a Denon receiver in my theater and I run the hdmi out form the Denon directly to the projector. On the Denon I configured the hdmi output to a constant 1080p so that the projector would recognize the signal. I still use the VXD for the serial portion of the control. But I do remember someone a while back using a computer and using it to issue the serial control commands to the projector.

Joe

I haven't put the new lamp in yet, but I did solve my problem with computer output. I kept adjusting the timing from 60 hz up until it stopped being accepted by the projector, then down until it stopped being accepted, then chose a refresh value in the middle (about 59.97). That seems to work ok. I also reset the hours to zero after what Art said. I don't know if that is what did the trick or the change in timing, but it has been a week now without it shutting down when viewing via computer.

The replacement lamp from myprojectorlamps is philips, as was the one Optoma put in the first time I sent it back (which I refer to as "the original"), and the specs are correct, but the original was made in Belgium, the new one made in China. The reflector in the new one has a yellowish tint to it compared to the original. It looks intentional, since I see some gold colouring near seams. I also think the glass on the outside of the lamp is kind of cloudy looking whereas the original looks clear. Has anyone replaced a lamp lately that they purchased directly from Optoma? Have you noticed the same things I have? I told this to myprojectorlamps, and they told me to install and they'd replace if it didn't work properly (which I'll take to mean if it messes up the colours).


I also decided to try to automate a sled for my anamorphic lens, and of course the trigger doesn't seem to work properly. I've tried setting on only 16:9, or LBX. In both cases it will change from 0 to 12V across the terminals when I first change, but doesn't switch off when I change back. Sounds like Jeff Regan had problems as well. Has anyone got this to work properly? Is there something else I need to change? Those are the only 2 modes I use, since auto235 is useless. Sometimes that switches on or off during a movie.
Optoma sure screwed up on this. What a simple function, yet they can't get it to work. It is very frustrating and makes me think of terms like "mickey mouse" and "class action".


p.s. Thanks for the offer, Art, but I've put as much money into this PJ as I'm going to.

The replacement lamp from myprojectorlamps is philips, as was the one Optoma put in the first time I sent it back (which I refer to as "the original"), and the specs are correct, but the original was made in Belgium, the new one made in China. The reflector in the new one has a yellowish tint to it compared to the original. It looks intentional, since I see some gold colouring near seams. I also think the glass on the outside of the lamp is kind of cloudy looking whereas the original looks clear. Has anyone replaced a lamp lately that they purchased directly from Optoma? Have you noticed the same things I have? I told this to myprojectorlamps, and they told me to install and they'd replace if it didn't work properly (which I'll take to mean if it messes up the colours).
I got a Diamond replacement lamp last week for my HD81. I couldn't look at the bulb as directly as you because it came in the housing, but comparing the two the only difference I noticed is the ORIGINAL did not have a screen built into the housing but the replacement did.
It installed perfectly, but I haven't calibrated it yet, so I don't know if it screwed up the colors. "UP" looked good for the first 5 minutes, but that's all I've done so far.

Hi Scott,

These projectors are good for only one thing. They do a better job of rendering a picture on my 1.3 gain 96" wide screen than anything else I've tried. Lots of people bring their stuff over to try on my system so I've had a chance to look at a number of the newer projectors. This LV unit, quirky as it may be, does put up a gorgeous picture. If you have one, consider yourself lucky. I could have switched long ago but have not because I love the picture.

BTW, turning the lamp life setting to zero should have no effect on anything.

They do a better job of rendering a picture on my 1.3 gain 96" wide screen than anything else I've tried.

I honestly don't know if that's nice to hear or not :) While I'd like to think I got decent value for my original investment, I'd also like to think that when the time comes to replace it, I can make significant improvements.

Hi All, I have had this projector (Optoma HD81) for more then 4 years now (and have had flawless operation after certain repairs initially, I will share with you) and i have had a lot of experience in terms of general functioning and upgrading the lamps.

Came back to this thread after a long time and a little late in the day as I am leaving office now but in the morning (UK time) I will post my experiences.

And I agree with the above comments, although some of you have found this unit quirky I myself am so afraid to change it because i know i won't find something with such amazing picture quality (especially considering if i wanted to upgrade because of 3D, I really do not want to loose this good 2D). I am using the 85" Stuart Firehawk screen with it,

In the meanwhile PLEASE PLEASE can someone advise what the access to service menu key's are and where from I enter them.

I tried:

down, down, left, left,down,left from remote, nothing happens

and

power off, left, left, up, nothing happens.

I have one nagging issue also will add to the thread in the morning...

MANY MANY THANKS

I myself am so afraid to change it because i know i won't find something with such amazing picture quality

I wouldn't worry about "losing" picture quality. The PQ of the HD81 has been left in the dust... modern projectors are on a different planet. CR alone gives modern projector images depth and pop the HD81 could only dream of. I would say anything over $2500 will blow the HD81 away. It was an amazing projector for its time and price-point, especially for brightness. But it has been far, far surpassed. Even my 3 year old JVC RS20 would blow it away, except maybe for brightness. But your 85" screen will be pretty easy to light up.

I have to chime in about PQ. I have looked for better projectors and found none. The 3 chip projectors are awful because of misconvergence.

I have to chime in about PQ. I have looked for better projectors and found none. The 3 chip projectors are awful because of misconvergence.
Sound pretty hyperbolic. "Awful"?? With the new zone-based convergence adjustment you can get the whole screen perfect. Even if you're 1/4 pixel out somewhere, you can SEE that at normal viewing distances? I can't with my 20/20 vision at THX viewing angles, that's for sure!

Most 3 chip projectors have a softer look than a single-chip DLP. That's been acknowledged, debated to death, and accepted as preference. But "Awful"?? No, they're not awful by any means. But it is a different look that many actually prefer.

What collection of modern 3 chip projectors have you seen that all have shown "awful" convergence? Must be a pretty carefully selected set.

That's great feedback guys am feeling more confident.

Hello Art, thanks for your reply also, i remember your name on threads from way back on the HD81. Any chance you can help me with the service menu access on the HD81. Which screen should i be on and what buttons to press.

A Problem is really baffling me because i think my projector is confused about the state of the lamp, i have to push the power button many times before the controller starts and kicks on the projector. I made a mistake a while back where i pushed a lamp too far (after disabling the reminder) before eventually the controller would not kick on the projector. After changing the lamp it managed to start again but this issue started occurring.

That lamp is now finished and another new lamp is installed but the power issue is there and or worse. I have to now push the power on button many more times before it starts (remote or on the controller). I think the software is confused on the controller so wanted the service menu to check some values. I believe because i have used as many as 5 lamps now over the 4 years or so (each getting 2000+ hours on average) I think the controllers confused with lamp state. Any advise from anyone would be appreciated. Once the projector starts it works flawlessly, no blue screen or any issues whatsoever and that stunning picture.

Many Thanks,
Y.

BTW For those who had blue screen issues, i had them in the first year, sent off to Europe Optoma repair, waited a little longer then usual as they were waiting for a part, it was the I/O board they changed which solved the blue screen issue as well as 1080p and other resolution problems from a PC connection. I have used the hell out of this projector and the picture is sill as good as day one, apart from this damn turning on issue....

I recently purchased a refurbished unit because I could not turn the projector on consistently with the power button on my my VXD controller. I had the same issue previously and had to send it in for repair. They did not tell me how they fixed it.

I do not think the service menu is the answer. I do not have the button sequence any more. Sorry.

NP, thanks for the quick reply Art

Sound pretty hyperbolic. "Awful"?? With the new zone-based convergence adjustment you can get the whole screen perfect. Even if you're 1/4 pixel out somewhere, you can SEE that at normal viewing distances? I can't with my 20/20 vision at THX viewing angles, that's for sure!

Most 3 chip projectors have a softer look than a single-chip DLP. That's been acknowledged, debated to death, and accepted as preference. But "Awful"?? No, they're not awful by any means. But it is a different look that many actually prefer.

What collection of modern 3 chip projectors have you seen that all have shown "awful" convergence? Must be a pretty carefully selected set.

I started playing with TV PQ and tuneup in the 60's. As far back as i can remember achieving a crisp, sharp picture has been an absolute necessity if a TV was going to be highly rated. Sharpness controls artificially tried to enhance the detail. When flat panel sets came into the market, manufacturers tried to achieve as crisp a picture as possible. When TI introduced DLP, the PQ was enhanced significantly especially in the area of sharpness. The DLP system, however, is expensive to manufacture and prone to failure. Only well engineered, robust designs provide acceptable operating lifetimes. 3 chip systems used in many budget projectors offer a cheaper alternative to the complex DLP solution. Unfortunately, the picture is visibly softer and the convergence issue introduces again a problem that required very expensive and complex workarounds in CRT TV's. Manufacturers are again trying to provide these workarounds in the better 3 chip units because absent these, the convergence issues are so significant that they make discriminating viewers look to other technologies such as DLP.

After all the problems I have endured with mt Optoma HD81-LV I was ready to buy a new projector with 3 panel technology. After months of looking, I realized the PQ I was getting from my HD81 was far superior to any of the 3 chip designs I brought home to try.

After all the problems I have endured with mt Optoma HD81-LV I was ready to buy a new projector with 3 panel technology. After months of looking, I realized the PQ I was getting from my HD81 was far superior to any of the 3 chip designs I brought home to try.

I wish there was some way they could get DLP CR up to current 3-chip levels. Then we'd have the best of all worlds! What 3 chippers did you try? Just curious.

I tried and AE7000, an EPson 5010 and a Sony 95 ES. They all looked out of focus and convergence issues drove me crazy.

I had that power button issue, and I'm only at the end of my second lamp. The current one has about 1800 hrs. on it. I opened the VXD to see if there was a loose connection on the power button. There didn't seem to be. While it was open, I blew some air through it to remove any dust, even though it looked clean. When I plugged it back in, the power button problem was gone. I can think of nothing else that I did which might have corrected the problem. Unplug it for a few hours from the wall and from the projector itself, if you haven't already, and see if that corrects the problem. If that isn't sufficient, you might want to open it and see if there is any debris in there. I know it doesn't sound likely that it will fix your problem, but hey, what have you got to lose?

Thanks for the suggestion. I will try.

I don't think I ever had the service code for the projector or scaler box. I did have the firmware for the scaler box at one time. I remember trying it and something went wrong and I had to send the scaler box back. So I wouldn't recomend it even if I could find it.

Thanks guys for all the input this is very encouraging, greetings guitarman, thanks for the quick R.

I will open the scaler and give it some pressure air-can business. BTW, this power on issue happens with the remote also which is why i was thinking down the software being confused (because of the lamp) route. But the above suggestions give me some confidence.

Shame I cannot get into the service menu, I also wanted to tighten the color wheel speed but never mind.

Oh, and on a side note, i have opened a HD80 recently (probably similar inside to the HD81), family member had issues where the color wheel would go haywire and start flickering etc. We aired out the color wheel area, removed the screws and re-tightened the wheel assembly, we also used the a cleaning cloth one uses for spectacles to clean the wheel as we manually rotated, the thing was shining like crystals when we finished, that machine is now working flawlessly with a good result to the picture also.

Hi SStephen thanks for your advise, I tried opening the controller, i opened the 8 torque screws at the top but that top metal plate does not budge, is there a technique to open this. There were 4 screws underneath but they seem to be just to hold the 4 feet in place. Under the front lid there are a few screws, the ones i opened loosened the menu button so in fear of them dropping into the chasis i screwed them back up again. There are about 3 very low down on the front towards the bottom edge of the front cover but they are hard to get into with a screw driveras when you open the cover they are 3/4 viewable, am i missing anything to get this open, any advise apprecaited,

Thanks,
Y.

If yours is the same as mine, then, no there was no trick to it. After removing the screws, open that front door. That should expose a fair amount of the front edge of that lid, and you should be able to pry up the lid by hand, but if it is sticky, you might try gently prying up in several spots along that front with a small screw driver. Beyond that, I can't think of anything else other than brute force, which I wouldn't recommend.

Thanks Sstephen, will try while holding my breath.

FYI, found/borrowed someones HD81 controller and tried it on my projector, starts up straight away, so yes it is the scaler that is causing the issue.