Jeremy, can you describe your DVD tweaking algorithm? also, where did you get the software?
Thanks,
Eric

I learned about the software in the calibration forum. I felt that I mastered the Avia and DVE test discs and still was not happy with the shadow detail and skin tones. The contrast/brightness settings alone are way different from the above let alone the advanced menu color settings. The cinema setting is the best base line for firmware 1.15 ( not sure if the settings are the same for other firmware versions) and the color is still considerably off of D65. I not saying the 8720s settings are bad in any way, I know they have to compete in a retail envroment out of the box which is why I think they give so much room with adjustments. I have the iris shut all the way with the lamp at 250w and the picture is more uniform in color and shadow detail then any of the settings I have tried in the past and I haven't even got to the secondary colors yet.

Jeremy

Hi all, sorry to sway off topic...

I'm considering an 8720 + Prismasonic HE lens, + 120 inch wide scope screen that's acoustically transparent and about 1.1 gain white (SandmanX screen). I'd run on high lamp, but I'm still concerned the image may be dim. I'd use max throw (about 18.5 feet), my room is 25x19 but has glass doors on one side with a white rug in the middle - I'd watch only with the lights out usually or small ambient side lights.

Any thoughts or recommendations appreciated. I don't see a viable alternative projector for similar $, long throw (for scope lens), and solid contrast/color/quiet fan. Please help me decide!
-- thanks in advance.

Hi all, sorry to sway off topic...

I'm considering an 8720 + Prismasonic HE lens, + 120 inch wide scope screen that's acoustically transparent and about 1.1 gain white (SandmanX screen). I'd run on high lamp, but I'm still concerned the image may be dim. I'd use max throw (about 18.5 feet), my room is 25x19 but has glass doors on one side with a white rug in the middle - I'd watch only with the lights out usually or small ambient side lights.

Any thoughts or recommendations appreciated. I don't see a viable alternative projector for similar $, long throw (for scope lens), and solid contrast/color/quiet fan. Please help me decide!
-- thanks in advance.

I'll take a stab at this. I own the PE8720, and have been much pleased with it.

I assume the lens you talk about is an anamorphic. I don't know that screen but I assume it is 2.35:1 for cinemascope. But is it a masking screen for when you watch movies that aren't Cinemascope. And there are many, and the percentage is increasing (thanks to the HDTV standard) although by far Cinemascope rules.

Two reasons for going anamorphic - one. You get to use all the pixels of your projector instead of losing about 10% top /10% bottom. And, second, because you just don't want those letter box areas at top/bottom.

So, I'll address the first issue. more resolution. This reason won't fly anymore - probably for less than you can equip the BenQ with the anamorphic lens (unless it's complete manual and you have to take it off everytime you have non 2.35:1 content. I say this because, for under $5K there will be at least two projectors you can buy next month that are 1080p. The Sony Pearl (W50) and the Optoma H81. At least 3 more will be available by year end under $6K. A 1080p projector has 2.25 times as many pixels in use as a 720. So even with your extra 20%, the 1080p's will have twice the pixels in use, smaller and less noticeable.

Now to seeing the letter box at top and bottom. A full masking screen is probably expensive, but you may be able to rig up something affordably.

Also, the Optoma HD81, I believe has their digital image shift found on their other HT projectors. If you don't mind looking up (the movie being 10% higher on the screen) , and if your screen is not fixed wall, but motorized (or possibly a manual) where you can control the drop, you can - when working with cinemascope movies, shift the image up so the top of the actual movie will be even with the top surface of your screen. By limiting the drop of the screen to where the bottom of the cinemascope image would now be, you now have the overall image higher, but no visible unused screen surface. With this same idea in mind, you could have a pull up "mask" to cover the bottom of your screen with a fixed screen system.

There - that should get you thinking.... -art

Hi all, sorry to sway off topic...

I'm considering an 8720 + Prismasonic HE lens, + 120 inch wide scope screen that's acoustically transparent and about 1.1 gain white (SandmanX screen). I'd run on high lamp, but I'm still concerned the image may be dim. I'd use max throw (about 18.5 feet), my room is 25x19 but has glass doors on one side with a white rug in the middle - I'd watch only with the lights out usually or small ambient side lights.

Any thoughts or recommendations appreciated. I don't see a viable alternative projector for similar $, long throw (for scope lens), and solid contrast/color/quiet fan. Please help me decide!
-- thanks in advance.
This post is better suited to the constant height forum....although you're right. There aren't a lot of alternatives. I'm waiting for the HD81 personally. The Mits HC3100 might be worth looking at assuming you have an external scaler...

Thanks for the reply Art,
You make some good points and I like you review on your site. I'm quite familiar with the pros/cons of going cscope, I've been projecting for 5 years and I've been through several projectors... I have a 106" 16x9 screen now and a IF 5700 light canon - I love the brightness and looong throw. What I don't love is the grayish blacks and obvious pixel structure on bright scenes/can't go wider cuz of res.

Here's the skinny: The reason I want a 2.35 screen is becuase I would be happy with constant height. I want to watch 2.35 movies on a 10' wide screen with no borders or masking to deal with. I'm okay with watching 16x9 with pillar box since it's the same size as the current screen I use in that aspect - I may mask the sides later. I'd use/try a prismasonic that has a pass through mode so I only need to flip it into scope mode when watching scope movies - sounds easy. Your image shift idea sounds intriguing however the image will be over a foot more narrow, and I prefer a screen that's shorter / wider design wise... so constant height yields a much larger scope image than shifting the scope up/down on a 16x9 screen.

And finally, the fiscal end of things: I *think* I can get an 8720+prismasonic scope lens for ~$3500 if I buy the lens 2nd hand & find a good deal.
The HD81 appears to go for $2K more at least... though it's a killer machine!
pearl: too dim, too short of a throw for decet lumens.
LCD 1080p - I need more convincing in the brightness/contrast area.

The 8720 sounds good from posts here, but I don't have a sense of the brightness on a setup like I want - there seems to be mixed perspectives on the brightness for doing scope on a 10' wide screen with a lens.
-bert

I recently purchased the 8720 and love the projector so far. Before this, I owned a Samsung 710 and ran into the typical problems the unit has.

I do have a question though. I'm making arrangements to have it professionally calibrated - Something I've never done before. I took Digital Video Essentials as far as I could and still feel like the Samsung had more accurate color and better shadow detail so I'm hoping ISF calibration will improve those aspects.

My only concern is how happy I'll be once the projector is calibrated. I like a bright punchy sharp image and am currently getting one from the BenQ. It's like having a 92" plasma screen on the wall. Will calibration kill that for me? I use the projector for my Xbox 360 as much as I do for movies and don't want one of those uses to suffer so the other can improve. I'm sure you can tell how uninformed I am by even asking this question. I'm just looking for some reassurance that having it calibrated by an ISF certified technician is going to be a "Win Win" thing to do.

I recently purchased the 8720 and love the projector so far. Before this, I owned a Samsung 710 and ran into the typical problems the unit has.

I do have a question though. I'm making arrangements to have it professionally calibrated - Something I've never done before. I took Digital Video Essentials as far as I could and still feel like the Samsung had more accurate color and better shadow detail so I'm hoping ISF calibration will improve those aspects.

My only concern is how happy I'll be once the projector is calibrated. I like a bright punchy sharp image and am currently getting one from the BenQ. It's like having a 92" plasma screen on the wall. Will calibration kill that for me? I use the projector for my Xbox 360 as much as I do for movies and don't want one of those uses to suffer so the other can improve. I'm sure you can tell how uninformed I am by even asking this question. I'm just looking for some reassurance that having it calibrated by an ISF certified technician is going to be a "Win Win" thing to do.

EXCELLENT question and I am in the same boat! Had my 8720 since March and haven't had it calibrated yet for fear of losing the bright, sharp, punchy image. Also do an enourmous amount of gaming from my 360 and soon to be PS3. Let me know what you decide to do. I already have over 1000hrs on mine.

You can ask the ISF calibrator to leave it a little brighter if you like.

After calibration it may seem a little dimmer, but it only takes a couple of hours to get used to it. The greater colour accuracy will more than make up for a possible turning down of brightness.

I had the same fear when I had my Fujitsu plasma calibrated, I was initially disapointed that it didn't seem as bright, but the picture looks ridiculously awesome now. :) I'll also be having my 8720 calibrated shortly... I can't wait.

I recently purchased the 8720 and love the projector so far....
My only concern is how happy I'll be once the projector is calibrated. I like a bright punchy sharp image and am currently getting one from the BenQ....

I'm using a DaLite HP with my BenQ and it is plenty bright. I've got the Iris almost completely closed and am in low bulb mode, and I sometimes think it is too bright for my 7' wide (96" diag) screen. I'd recommend the HP to anyone who isn't bothered by rainbows (huge gain screens tend to emphasize rainbows). AVS sells the HP at a very reasonable price.

Here's a thread talking about the HP, several people mention that it is a very good match with the 8720:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=677936&goto=newpost

As an aside - I've been told that the DLP chip in the 8720 has higher contrast than the one in the Samsung 710, but this is at the cost of shadow detail. You may never be able to get the BenQ to look exactly like the Samsung. I'm sure an ISF calibration will be worth the effort anyway.

I watch a lot of PAL material (I' m in the US) and currently use an OPPO player to output a native PAL signal to my current projector, which has a native res of 840x576 (Infocus 5700).

PAL sources have 576 lines of info (vs 480 for the US) so PAL material looks very good.

Has anyone output native PAL to the 8720 with good results?

I watch a lot of PAL material (I' m in the US) and currently use an OPPO player to output a native PAL signal to my current projector, which has a native res of 840x576 (Infocus 5700).

PAL sources have 576 lines of info (vs 480 for the US) so PAL material looks very good.

Has anyone output native PAL to the 8720 with good results?


watched Exit the Dragon, Enter the Tiger yesterday which is a pal dvd and it look ok to me for a 25yr old kung fu flick

EXCELLENT question and I am in the same boat! Had my 8720 since March and haven't had it calibrated yet for fear of losing the bright, sharp, punchy image. Also do an enourmous amount of gaming from my 360 and soon to be PS3. Let me know what you decide to do. I already have over 1000hrs on mine.

Thanks guys. I'm going ahead with the calibration. I could always tweak the standard settings myself for the Xbox 360 and save it to a different preset if calibration dulls the image too much. I'll let you know how it works out isamu.

I've seen a few specific tweaks that seem to be used for this projector on this thread, such as a couple changes in the service menu. Should these be set before calling a calibrator or just let him worry about it all?

I've just ordered the BenQ 8720, and I have some questions...

1. Which DVD player with HMDI should I buy to replace my H/K DVD25 with?
I'm planning to buy an HD-DVD player when they arrive in Europe, but I need a good, cheap DVD player with HDMI that will be a nice upgrade form my DVD25.

2. How long is the AC cord?
I know this is trivial, but I haven't found this information.

I'm really looking forward to start using the 8720.

I've seen a few specific tweaks that seem to be used for this projector on this thread, such as a couple changes in the service menu. Should these be set before calling a calibrator or just let him worry about it all?

The only service menu tweak I remember seeing is the CW speed.
I'll check back for others I may have missed.

Hi! I have just gotten the SpyderTV PRo and I am having issues with the system requesting me to adjust the Red Gain. Specifically the Red Gain is always lower then the B &G (around 89% as opposed to 102% and 104% respectively). So the program asks me to adjust the red gain up. However the red gain is already Max'd by default! Is there something going on that would let me get more red gain or raise that level. I tried opening the iris (which was halfway closed) and that helped some, but not enough.

Anyone have any ideas?
-Alex-

Hi! I have just gotten the SpyderTV PRo and I am having issues with the system requesting me to adjust the Red Gain. Specifically the Red Gain is always lower then the B &G (around 89% as opposed to 102% and 104% respectively). So the program asks me to adjust the red gain up. However the red gain is already Max'd by default! Is there something going on that would let me get more red gain or raise that level. I tried opening the iris (which was halfway closed) and that helped some, but not enough.

Anyone have any ideas?
-Alex-

Perhaps you could lower the blue and green gains instead?

Big price drop in Sveden.
20900svk = 2850$. The price includes Swedish sales tax 25%.

Bosse

Big price drop in Sveden.
20900svk = 2850$. The price includes Swedish sales tax 25%.

Bosse


Even better in Norway at Mamoz.no or AVShop.no

Price is 16144,- NOK equals 2 414,23$

The price drop on this is extraordinary.. Makes me regret buying that HD72i 3 months ago...

Cyberdog

Same here, in Greece!
It is about 2.800 Euros!
It is unbelievable that you can get such a projector at this price!

Would maxing out the zoom have a negative effect on the image?

I tried searching for the answer, but I couldn't find it.

HDMI newbie question. I've just bought a BenQ PE8720 projector. I plan to run all my devices - dvd player, vhs video recorder, cable tv, free tv, computer - into an av receiver with HDMI switching. Question 1 - is the signal degraded in any way by running a single HDMI cable into the BenQ compared to running all the devices direct into the projector. Question 2 - is the answer the same if there is any upscaling of say the VHS signal before it is switched to the BenQ on a single cable?

thanks in advance for any help


Gilz

Would maxing out the zoom have a negative effect on the image?

I tried searching for the answer, but I couldn't find it.
I'm not a pro, so someone will probably correct me...but I've been told that you generally want as little zoom as possible. My understanding is that with minimal zoom you're using the center of the lense and that is generally the best part of the lense. When you zoom all the way you're using more of the lense and may increase the chances of getting chromatic abborations and other distortions from the lense.

Now that is a general rule and I believe lots of people zoom out all the way. The 8720 seems to have a good lense. It is possible that you will see slight problems in test patterns, but the problems will probably be so slight that you'll not notice them while watching video/movies/games.

Gilz-
The answer to question 1 is the signal will be probably be degraded, albeit slightly. I suggest you take the question to the either the Audio area or the Video Processor area and tell them which receiver you're using. It is much more likely that you'll find someone with specific experience in one of those forums.

Thanks for the reply, Hyrax.

I could avoid using the zoom, but that would mean buying a new component cable. Well, I'll make a decision when I get the projector if I can see any difference between no zoom and max zoom.

Right now the 8720 can be had for about $4.000 in the US... are you guys saying that in other countries it's being sold for under 3 grand??

Are we looking at another price drop in the US? It would make sense, since the unexpected new crop of sub-$5,000 1080 units would be putting pressure on 720 projectors to come down. Who would spend 4 grand on a 720 when in a month or so 1080s will be out for 5 grand??

Anyone know for sure if the 8720 is coming down even further Stateside?

Mojo_LA - The 8720 can be had from an Authorized retailer for less that $4k sice Cedia. I believe $4k is the 'new 'MSRP if you can call it that. I believe you can also get lightly used, low hour units for really cheap 2-2.5 K since people are upgrading to the W10000.

PM me if you want to know more info.

Well after purchasing the pj months ago, my ht room is just not getting finished and I really just getting to use it. I have it connected with the HD-A1 HD DVD player in a room thats completly light controlled.

What setting recommendations are there for it? I've seen a few posts about setting the overscan to 100% and the IRE to 7.5, is this right?

Also what mode is suggested to be used for best results?

Any other tips?

Hi.

Just a quick question, does the BenQ clip BTB and WTW, or does it show the full video signal including BTB and WTW ??

Regards
Denner

Hello all. I am a soon to be owner of a 8720. I have read through the entire thread and have some questions.

My equipment: Denon 3910, Denon 4306, Supra HDMI cable, Component, HTPC

1. Do I need calibration SW/DVD to properly set up the pj or is it enough with included calibration SW? Can you recommend SW?
2. What should i use to scale dvds to 720, the dvd, the reciever or the projector?
3. In using my previous pj I liked the pic with component more than hdmi... what would you recommend for the 8720?
4. I watch TV (no hd i am afraid), DVDs and HTPC mostly. For TV and HTPC I guess i should use the reciever scaler?!
5. Can I just send out a proper signal from my HTPC (not scaling with reciever) to the pj? What SW do you recommend for getting my htpc to send out 720p/1280x720? (its a normal pc with a s-video out on card)

6. Is there any list/table of settings that you should take care of on the pj and e.g. the dvd to make them work well together. I nave read some stuff here which i actually dont get, e.g. the optimal iris, some 7.5 setting on dvd etc.

Would really appreciate some help.

BR
Tony

anybody know anything about further firmware upgrades for the 8720? since 1.15 looks pretty good concerning pq (don't know if they can get out significantly more), i would love to get a 48hz upgrade (should be possible). has anybody talked to someone from benq about that issue?
K

I really wish if they could make 48Hz refresh rate possible....

Hello all. I am a soon to be owner of a 8720. I have read through the entire thread and have some questions.

My equipment: Denon 3910, Denon 4306, Supra HDMI cable, Component, HTPC

1. Do I need calibration SW/DVD to properly set up the pj or is it enough with included calibration SW? Can you recommend SW?
2. What should i use to scale dvds to 720, the dvd, the reciever or the projector?
3. In using my previous pj I liked the pic with component more than hdmi... what would you recommend for the 8720?
4. I watch TV (no hd i am afraid), DVDs and HTPC mostly. For TV and HTPC I guess i should use the reciever scaler?!
5. Can I just send out a proper signal from my HTPC (not scaling with reciever) to the pj? What SW do you recommend for getting my htpc to send out 720p/1280x720? (its a normal pc with a s-video out on card)

6. Is there any list/table of settings that you should take care of on the pj and e.g. the dvd to make them work well together. I nave read some stuff here which i actually dont get, e.g. the optimal iris, some 7.5 setting on dvd etc.

Would really appreciate some help.

BR
Tony

I have a similar setup as you do. I have the 8720 connected to my Denon AVR4306 through HDMI and have a Denon 2910 connected to the receiver through a HDMI cable as well. This means that only the projector or the DVD player can handle the scaling as the 4306 does not scale the HDMI input. I personally have the DVD splayer do the scaling, but to be honest, I could not see a difference between the DVD scaling and the projector scaling. This will probably change when I upgrade my 2910 to a 3930.

The projector is good out of the box, and I did not do any calibrtation. This is up to personal taste however...

The AVR4306 does a pretty good job in scaling the TV image, don't expect any miracles though, a regular TV image is pretty crappy when it's blown up to size!

I would have have the HT PC send a 720P signal, as it is the native resolution of the projector.

Have fun with your new toy :-) Trust me you won't regret the purchase, I've enjoyed this projector for quite a while now, and it still amazes me evry time I watch a good movie :)

how about a 48hz petition ;)

Thanks.

BTW, do you use Powerstrip for your htpc or?

/T

Anyone looking to sell their 8720 to make some room for a new 1080 unit? PM me!

I'm a little confused about the 'Real' mode on the 8720. I'm using an Oppo 971 for SD-DVD playback and a SA 8300 STB for my cable HD channels. When playing a DVD the oppo is set to 720p and the scaling is done in the player. Picture looks pretty good but certain DVD's especially the ones with hand-held cameras and rapid pans tend to bother me with motion bluring. I would like to see if the 8720's scaler would do a better job but I can't feed 480i through the hdmi port (oppo does'nt support it). I could send 480p to the pj but this would still use the deinterlacer in the oppo. Is there anyway to test the scaler/deinterlacer in the 8720 beside using component?
Also, the feed from my STB is 1080i and the pj verifies that is correct. The picture looks
really good. My question is if I'm in 'Real' mode is the 8720's scaler downconverting this
to 720 anyway?
Thanks for your help

I've recently upgraded from the 8700+ to the 8720. Anyone looking for the 8700+ in great shape, please pm me...

Does the 8720 support interlaced (480i, 576i) over HDMI?

Does the 8720 support interlaced (480i, 576i) over HDMI?


sure. however it will (as i think any digital device will) use its internal deinterlacer to output 480p/576p. no idea about the 8720 internal deinterlacing capabilities. i never used them.
K

Question: does the brightness of the 8720 lessen if one has the lens shift at its extreme limit (~5" above or below the screen), compared to what it is if the pj is in the vertical center of the screen? This apparantly does happen for some pj's, just not sure if the 8720 is one of these. TIA

I've just bought the 8720 in Norway and the firmware version was
TWN RM 103 1.01
apr 29, 2006
MCU version 0.6
Is this and old firmware version and if it is, do i need to upgrade to a newer version.

haven't heard about 1.01. sounds old, but april 29, 2006 doesn't sound old at all... mine had 1.04 dated august 2005 when it arrived.

Could it be that the European models has different firmware than the US models?

Could it be that the European models has different firmware than the US models?

i don't think so. but i don't know for sure. everybody (europe+rest) has been talking about 1.15 to be the latest version.

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

guys, what is the maximum Hz the BenQ goes up to? I am interested in getting those 3D Stereo glasses from *eDimensional* (https://edimensional.com/product_info.php?cPath=21&products_id=100&osCsid=9552df1edcf4747612d111f57f18b7b9) and according to them, if you're going to use a DLP projector, they recommend one that can display up to 120Hz.

guys, what is the maximum Hz the BenQ goes up to? I am interested in getting those 3D Stereo glasses from *eDimensional* (https://edimensional.com/product_info.php?cPath=21&products_id=100&osCsid=9552df1edcf4747612d111f57f18b7b9) and according to them, if you're going to use a DLP projector, they recommend one that can display up to 120Hz.

I m almost sure it won t do 120hz. i m not sure if 1 chip dlps are capable of 120 hz at all...
K

I m almost sure it won t do 120hz. i m not sure if 1 chip dlps are capable of 120 hz at all...
K


I don't think you're telling me the truth.

According to BenQ literature:

Vertical scan rate: 50 - 85 HZ

According to BenQ literature:

Vertical scan rate: 50 - 85 HZ


that's a misprint

Sometimes wheel speed is specified at 120hz for a RGBRGB wheel, which equates to '4x' wheel speed. Maybe this is what they meant. The Benq is better than that.

I doubt many pjs can sync to a 720p or 1080i (or custom) resolution @120hz.

I know this doesn't fall into a "hints & tips" topic but.....
I finally got my HT room operational a couple weeks ago and had the
use of an Anthem D2 into my calibrated 8720 from a Tosh HD DVD player.
Astonishing pq, sharp, solid, deep colors, excellent shadow detail and when the movie had it, a 3D image like I've never seen.
It somewhat softened the blow of not waiting for a 1080 capable player when I bought this in April. I never thought that 1080 prices would drop so immediately.
Oh well, timing the purchase of pjs is a toss of the dice, at least I got a good one and the 8720 is most definitely a good one, imo.

@isamu:

have you tested anything? how come you're so sure about 120hz on the 8720?

How does it handle 1080i film material? Does it do IVTC?

Gunnar

How does the BenQ 8720 compare to the Sanyo Z5, and Pana AX100?

Which differences is there? And is it worth the 10-20% extra money?

How does the BenQ 8720 compare to the Sanyo Z5, and Pana AX100?

Which differences is there? And is it worth the 10-20% extra money?

10-20% more? whoa, with the Panny/Sanyo both below $2000, have priced dropped dramatically on the 8720 - last I heard it was still $3500+?

As to the differences - the BenQ has more lumens than the Z5, and significantly less than the AX100u. While all the dynamic iris stuff works well on some scenes, the 8720 has a big advantage overall on black levels, and if properly set up. Re: shadow detail - the 8720 also beats out the AX100u...

My 2 cents - unless you need the horsepower of the AX100, neither of these LCD projectors is really close to the 8720. Of course, I tend to be biased, since I own an 8720, but then, I'm planning on replacing it in the next 3 - 4 months with a 1080p, as soon as I figure out which one will work best for me, so my "loyalty" is somewhat limited. -art

How does the BenQ 8720 compare to the Sanyo Z5, and Pana AX100?

Which differences is there? And is it worth the 10-20% extra money?

Hi, you can find some good reviews comparing the 8720 to other projectors on the web. My suggestion is to find someplace local to you to demo the projectors. Seeing this projector for myself was all that was needed to sell it to me :)

10-20% more? whoa, with the Panny/Sanyo both below $2000, have priced dropped dramatically on the 8720 - last I heard it was still $3500+?

As to the differences - the BenQ has more lumens than the Z5, and significantly less than the AX100u. While all the dynamic iris stuff works well on some scenes, the 8720 has a big advantage overall on black levels, and if properly set up. Re: shadow detail - the 8720 also beats out the AX100u...

My 2 cents - unless you need the horsepower of the AX100, neither of these LCD projectors is really close to the 8720. Of course, I tend to be biased, since I own an 8720, but then, I'm planning on replacing it in the next 3 - 4 months with a 1080p, as soon as I figure out which one will work best for me, so my "loyalty" is somewhat limited. -art

Is Norway, they have a great offer on the 8720. So it will not be so much more then the Z5.

How does the BenQ 8720 compare to the Sanyo Z5, and Pana AX100?

Which differences is there? And is it worth the 10-20% extra money?

The 8720 is in a different league than those two projectors. It rivals high end 720p pjs like the Marantz S4.

Having played with both the AX100 and Z5, i would definately go with the 8720 if you can., a much finer machine for 720p.

My whimsical upgrade path:
Had a Sharp PGM20X
upgraded to a BenQ 8720 (was blown away by the unit, but had dealer issues so it was returned)
demoed a HD72 in home (good image, but offset killed me)
Costco AE900 (that was returned, too soft an image)
demoed the Pearl at several local dealers (great image, though still lacking punch)
reordered an 8720 from a better dealer (Jason @ AVS)

It may be silly to buy a 720p for as much as I paid, but I lack the funds for 1080p DLP. This BenQ is built like a tank, and with its flexibility in the installation dept. this will become my bedroom machine when 1080p DLP gets affordable by me.

Guys I need your help.
I've been watching my 8720 and enjoying it for several months now. The one thing that is driving me crazy though is the bluriness(combing?) I'm seeing from my oppo 971 when there are camera pans. I'm feeding 720p from oppo dvi out to pj hdmi with
pj set to 'Real' mode. Is the benq doing any processing (deinterlacing) when feed a progressive signal in real mode? If not then it must be coming from the oppo.
I've searched the 971 threads but do not see other people complaining about this.
I would really appreciate any advice on this matter as this is the only thing that is
keeping me from really enjoying my ht.
Thanks

Guys I need your help.
I've been watching my 8720 and enjoying it for several months now. The one thing that is driving me crazy though is the bluriness(combing?) I'm seeing from my oppo 971 when there are camera pans. I'm feeding 720p from oppo dvi out to pj hdmi with
pj set to 'Real' mode. Is the benq doing any processing (deinterlacing) when feed a progressive signal in real mode? If not then it must be coming from the oppo.
I've searched the 971 threads but do not see other people complaining about this.
I would really appreciate any advice on this matter as this is the only thing that is
keeping me from really enjoying my ht.
Thanks

Don't know whether there is a technical issue, like you meniton (combing), however I use the Oppo with my 8720, and output 720p. The only "distortions" I see, relate to, of course jutter from 3:2 pulldown, and also there is a normal issue with DLP's due to the color wheel, that creates a type of blur with objects moving very fast across the screen. Also, the 8720, uses 4x or 5x depending on some settings.

I believe you can find something (a video) on the Epson 3LCD site showing the blurring effects, as they show vertical lines moving across the screen at faster and faster speeds, until you can't make out the lines, whereas you can with LCD, which have no "slow" color wheel strobe type of effect.

My choice of terminology above is iffy, but the point remains. The 3LCD folks make a big point of this as a limitation of DLP. -a

anyone know if the 8720 uses the Faroudja de-interlacing via hmdi when fed 480i or 1080i ? is it better to use the Oppo HD970 set to 480i over hdmi to use the 8720 for deinterlacing or does it look better setting the Oppo to 720p to feed the 8720 with a progressive signal over Hdmi??

art,

Thanks for the reply. I really don't see any color separation(rainbows). just an overall
'smear' on panning. I don't think what I am seeing is judder. Maybe I'm expecting too
much from the technology. Being in motion picture post production, I get spoiled at work looking at 3 chip dlp's with sdi source.
I appreciate your thoughts.

The 3 chip DLP is only half the issue you're seeing. You're probably not looking at low bandwidth MPEG DVD's or HDTV streams at work via SDI (I know we don't at my work). We use a 3 chip DLP connected dual link HD-SDI as well, but when we feed it completely uncompressed 220 MB/sec 24 frames of 2048x1120 pixels (that's MegaByte/sec, not megabits/sec) it's a whole other level. As it should be. My guess is that the MPEG encoding and probably all video compression suffers unproportionately when dealing with full frame pans when all pixels on the frame are changing continuously for a whole second or two. This maxes out MPEG's interframe compression bandwidth so you get 'smearing'. When only a small subset of the pixels on screen change there's more bandwidth available to encode that smaller change. DCinema compression does a much better job (and it's 10bit, not 8 to boot), but not quite as good as uncompressed of course.

Seeing monster 3 chip DLP's at work made me yearn for front projection at home... Consumer DLP and source MPEG video is still pretty fantastic but it's not post quality of course - you'll get used to it. BlueRay & HDdvd compressed source do make some nice improvement in this respect.
cheers. Bert

Thanks Bert.

I agree. Uncompressed video is amazing.
I'm trying to get used to the 'smear' effect at home, but it sure is stressful on the old eyes. I'm hoping blu-ray/hd-dvd clears some of this up. But I still have the heavily compressed cable box output to put up with. Not easy to watch a hockey game with the center ice camera sweeping back and forth! Maybe someday there will be enough bandwidth to eliminate some of this.

for what it's worth I see less pan smearing with good OTA high-def. You may want to take a look at other signal types and even try looking at a 3 LCD/LCOS projector if you get the chance - it may only make a small difference (I still prefer DLP). You may be hyper-sensative to motion blur so it may be worthwhile checking it out.

I am interested in both the "BenQ PE8720" & the Optoma "H78DC3".

The Optoma is about 500-800 dollars cheaper and I know it has the three-chip but other than that, If you had the money (or was stretching your dollar, would you go for the BenQ or the Optima.

Thanks!

The Optoma H78DC3 is a single-chip projector that was marred with bulb issues at launch and is no longer in production.

http://projectorcentral.com/Optoma-H78DC3.htm

Go for the BenQ.

Your asking in a forum where most owned the BenQ, what answer to you really expect? :)

As you can see by going through the thread most are happy with there 8720. My suggestion would be to check locally for both projectors and go see if you can demo both and judge for yourself. Actually seeing the 8720 running sold me...

All rational thoughts have me wanting the Ben Q, but money wise I'm more in the Optoma's price range... Would the Ben Q do the job with a ceiling height of 7 1/2 feet ?

All rational thoughts have me wanting the Ben Q, but money wise I'm more in the Optoma's price range... Would the Ben Q do the job with a ceiling height of 7 1/2 feet ?

I have an 8' ceiling and have it extended down a bit so it should work fine at your height. Also the BenQ has an excellent lens shift option

Well, if you are willing to roll the dice on the Optoma, you should at least inform yourself of what you might be getting in to:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=657181
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=657386
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=656296
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=641904

I am interested in both the "BenQ PE8720" & the Optoma "H78DC3".
The Optoma is about 500-800 dollars cheaper and I know it has the three-chip but other than that, If you had the money (or was stretching your dollar, would you go for the BenQ or the Optima.
Tough choice.

I believe that BenQ is the better of the two projectors, but I never did see the H78DC3 in action. I decided not to get it mainly because there were so many people having problems with their bulbs.

I went for the BenQ thinking that it would hold me over for a few years. However, the price of the Pearl and other 1080P machines are lower than I expected. Which means I may not wait more than a year before replacing the BenQ. If I were buying right now, I'd seriously consider all of the low cost 1080P machines that are out now or coming soon - including BenQ's

So, now that the 10000 is out, how many of you are planning to upgrade? Is the lure of reasonably-priced 1080 to great to resist?

I've been wanting to pick up a used 8720, but with the 10000 oh so close in price, it's a really tough call.

So, now that the 10000 is out, how many of you are planning to upgrade? Is the lure of reasonably-priced 1080 to great to resist?

I've been wanting to pick up a used 8720, but with the 10000 oh so close in price, it's a really tough call.

Thats hard to say and would depend on if you already own a current projector and what your budget is. If I didnt already own my current 8720 I would consider a 1080p pj since the prices are now lower.

Since I already purchased my projector a few months ago and it now has around 200hrs of use on it, it wouldnt be finacialy wise to scrape it for an upgrade unless I was able to sell it for a fair price to put towards the upgraded pj.

I do think the 8720 puts out an excellent picture but since I'm now so addicted to this whole HT thing I would defintely upgrade it if I had someone willing to purchase my current one.

Not sure if that helps in your buying decisions or not but think of it this way there will always be newer tech coming out with the older lowering in prices...

Hmm, I haven't heard of this new BenQ 10000. What is the MRSP? Link to thread?

I've just bought the 8720 in Norway and the firmware version was
TWN RM 103 1.01
apr 29, 2006
MCU version 0.6
Is this and old firmware version and if it is, do i need to upgrade to a newer version.

that's the last release

there are no differences with the 1.15

see ya

Hello. I have 8720, denon 4306, denon 3910, htpc

I have just got the pj and have some questions and appreciate some help.

I want the best possible pic to view all sources (tv no hd, htpc, dvd). I guess that having hdmi cable is the only alternative and scale everything to 720p in the reciever, and then have 1:1 pixel mapping. My questions are:

1. is this the best alternative?
2. how do i confiure 1:1 pixel mapping on the projector, cant find it either in normal or service menu
3. can anyone give me some recommendations regarding the settings. I just traded in a toshiba mt200 for the 8720 and am a little confused as i sometimes think the pic has more noise now.
Would appreciate any tips.

//T

2. how do i confiure 1:1 pixel mapping on the projector, cant find it either in normal or service menu

I think it's the "REAL" mode

Hello. I have 8720, denon 4306, denon 3910, htpc

I have just got the pj and have some questions and appreciate some help.

I want the best possible pic to view all sources (tv no hd, htpc, dvd). I guess that having hdmi cable is the only alternative and scale everything to 720p in the reciever, and then have 1:1 pixel mapping. My questions are:

1. is this the best alternative?
2. how do i confiure 1:1 pixel mapping on the projector, cant find it either in normal or service menu
3. can anyone give me some recommendations regarding the settings. I just traded in a toshiba mt200 for the 8720 and am a little confused as i sometimes think the pic has more noise now.
Would appreciate any tips.

//T

1. It depends on the scaler of your source. If it is better than the 8720's scaler then yes.
2. You have to enter the service menu and set the overscan at 100% (instead of the default 93%) . It is hidden in a submenu somewhere.
3. If you have the latest firmware (1.15) set it to Home Theater mode, adjust the brightness/contrast, set sharpness to 0 and you should have the a nice gamma tracking (it still needs fine-tuning).

Is anyone using the RS-232 connection to control the 8720? Do you know where I could buy (or the pinouts to build) a cable that goes from the usual DB9 to the BenQ's circular connector?

Thanks for any and all help!

The UK has finally got its benq 8720 price drop, was £4799 and noe is £1499.

So for those who know(and im not bothered by price comparison only image)

Benq8720 or Sony pearl vw50.

I have heard rumors for 1080p/24fps firmwareupdate. Someone? Comment on this?

I have heard rumors for 1080p/24fps firmwareupdate. Someone? Comment on this?

On a 720p projector? :confused:

Why not? I hope they make one in order to have judder free BR and HD-DVD viewing...

a 24p upgrade would make my day..... (BR, PalDVD+htpc@24hz...=

Why not? I hope they make one in order to have judder free BR and HD-DVD viewing...

So Judder is supposed correct name for the unsmooth pan? :). I just learned it was called banding. But I found that hard to belive, due the lcd-banding issue. Here in sweden it's more knowned as "the fu**ing twitches"

Imo, judder is a whole lote more disturbing than rainbows, not D65 calibrated PJ, macroblocking, dithering and all the other artifacts.
So it would be a lovley upgrade I think.

Can anyone confirm here that the 8720 has no horizontal lens shift?

Also, suggest which DLP DC3 that does have both vertical and horiz lens shift?

The 8720 has not hrizontal lens shift. You could look into some of the mounts that allow a few inches of horizontal movement during the install.

impossible. i have an hvac at the exact centre vertically and horizontally for the proj. i'm sol without horiz lens shift

I have heard rumors for 1080p/24fps firmwareupdate. Someone? Comment on this?

I have asked BenQ of this. Here is their reply.

We cant confirm any official BenQ firmware that support 1080p release
for this model.

Regards,
BenQ Europe Support.

Just another standard answer.

Even without firmware I wonder if it can be sent in for the hardware to be upgraded

Even without firmware I wonder if it can be sent in for the hardware to be upgraded

I suppose this has been taken up before in this tread. Do a little search. I think it's not doable.

It's possible that well never se an firmwareupgrade to support 1080p/24. This mainly for BenQ forcing their users to buy a new PJ. That's my 5 cents. But hopefully there will be support for this!

I am a new owner of the 8720, but I have a problem which I hope somebody can help me with.
I have the BenQ connected to a Iscan HD (with a DVI to HDMI adapter), the problem is that I get no picture with 60hz(!), 50hz work fine with all resolutions and 60hz with none!
Any ideas would be appreciated.

Regards,
Fredrik

What resolution are you using 720p, 1080i ??

Has anyone compared the 9720 to the 10000, is the increase in resolution worth it? :confused:

Dave,

This will depend on your source material, screen / screen size and seating distance (not to mention your visual acuity.)

If you have good visual acuity and sit closer than 1.5x screen widths from your screen, and you are using a good high def source (such as a high def disc player,) yes, you should be able to see more detail. Whether it's worth it is really up to you and wallet.

I have tried both 720p & 1080i none will display a picture with 60hz (50hz works fine on all resolutions), I had no problem with this on my previous projector (a sharp Z201). Can it be some problems with the HDMI handshake with 60hz (although I don not know why it works with 50hz in this case)?

Regards,
Fredrik

I recently purchased a new 8720 and all was great until we had a power failure while the projector was in use. Now the color has a green tint and the picture is not blending colors correctly. Is it possible the color settings were reset or should I send in the unit for repairs? Can anyone please assist in confirming the color settings are correct?

Thanks,

Jim

If you send me your color settings I will compare them to mine and tell you the differences.

Dave, I have sent you a PM with the settings. Thanks.

ok, thanks, I will reply tonight :)

Jim, did you get my reply, did it help?

hi
for a few days i've been experiencing quite noticeable flickering when starting the projector (first 3 minutes or so). the flickering returns after about 2 hours (again 5 minutes....) and disappears. any ideas???? it basically looks like 25hz on a crt...

Does the flickering go away when switching to low-lamp mode?

I FIXED IT!!!!!!!!!

It was CW delay after all. It was factory set at 53. It is now at 50. All banding is gone and the solarization also. This change has not altered the picture in any other way. I don't think rainbows are any more visible. I really thought my PJ was a lemon and began to think less of BenQ. Thanks so much to all. I love this place.

Spete: That's weird. Ny numbers are the exact opposite of yours. I could use 49 but I thought the less deviation from factory the better. I wonder why this is...........who cares.......we're both loving our pictures now!

Bing,

I have the same problem with my 8720. Are you still satisfied of your settings, do they fix the colour banding problems whatever the source or movie ? or have you to adapt the CW setting each time or each movie type or source type ?
These questions because my local BENQ agent warned me that entering the "secret" menu would cancel the warranty.

Bing,

AWESOME!!!

It makes such a huge difference when that setting clarifies the entire picture. It's too bad that you have to enter the service menu to do it; there must be a ton of people out there with this projector who have no clue how to fix their picture because the setting is accessible to professionals only.

Last night I put in Titanic and saw banding on my setting of 53 so I put it down to 51 and it went away again. My guess on the deviations for the setting is manufacturing variances of when the wheel is installed. Just a hunch, but that seems to explain it to me.

Peter

Spete,

I have the same problem with my 8720. Are you still satisfied of your settings, do they fix the colour banding problems whatever the source or movie ? or have you to adapt the CW setting each time or each movie type or source type ?
These questions because my local BENQ agent warned me that entering the "secret" menu would cancel the warranty.

I think alot of what you are seeing is in the source. many dvds have colour banding/graduation issues due to the encode. The better the projectors optics are the worse this will look, and add the big screen thing and so on.

If you dont see it with HD, then its a dvd encode issue. (probaly due to the 8bit ramp.)

I see these issues on most high end projectors with high quality optics

Gandley,

I have the same opinion. However, when I posted the question to this forum, some answered that the colour banding problem also exists with HD sources. On the other hand, some (Bing, Spete) say having solved the problem by setting the CW delay. What do you think ?

Hi there, I have a BENQ PE 8720 and having problems with HDMI compatibility with most brands of DVD players like denon, panasonic, sony, yamaha, Toshiba HDA1. It is not even compatible with my halcro SSP 100 HDMI processor. So far the only HDMI unit it works flawlessly is dish PVR 620. All the above players work with my Vizio HDTV so some thing must be wrong with PE 8720 or hand shake issue. Most of the time it locks onto a black screen at selected resolution or it keeps looking for HDMI signal. Since it is working with my dish network unit, I can't say that it is defective. I tried sending the HDMI signal via RGB from most of these players rather than 4:4;4 but with no luck. I tried various HDMI switchers which work only with components working already by direct connection like my PVR 620 but fail to resolve the HDCP issues. Some members in other posts mentioned that their PE 8720 worked with Toshiba HD-A1 but I have no such luck! My PJ is not even working with new PS3 HDMI 1.3.
I was wondering if any one had success with DVD players/ HDMI switchers with PE 8720 and I really appreciate any response from members.
thanks
pramod

Hi there, I have a BENQ PE 8720 and having problems with HDMI compatibility with most brands of DVD players like denon, panasonic, sony, yamaha, Toshiba HDA1. It is not even compatible with my halcro SSP 100 HDMI processor. So far the only HDMI unit it works flawlessly is dish PVR 620. All the above players work with my Vizio HDTV so some thing must be wrong with PE 8720 or hand shake issue. Most of the time it locks onto a black screen at selected resolution or it keeps looking for HDMI signal. Since it is working with my dish network unit, I can't say that it is defective. I tried sending the HDMI signal via RGB from most of these players rather than 4:4;4 but with no luck. I tried various HDMI switchers which work only with components working already by direct connection like my PVR 620 but fail to resolve the HDCP issues. Some members in other posts mentioned that their PE 8720 worked with Toshiba HD-A1 but I have no such luck! My PJ is not even working with new PS3 HDMI 1.3.
I was wondering if any one had success with DVD players/ HDMI switchers with PE 8720 and I really appreciate any response from members.
thanks
pramod

I have had no problems running the Toshiba HD-A1 directly to this projector using HDMI. Likewise I now also have the Panasonic Blu-ray player also hooked up and both players run to my receiver with one HDMI out to the projector - no problems here

I have a Dish vip211 and Toshiba HD-A1 using the monoprice 5x1 switcher and have never had an issue with the HDMI handshake. Sounds like something is wrong with your BenQ. You've got a year free hot swap, take advantage of it...

works fine with my Oppo 970 dvd player sending either 444 or RGB at all resolutions. I run a 35 foot monoprice 26guage HDMI cable directly.

Help,

MY PE8720 (86hrs) is juddering, almost as if the picture is on top of a washing machine or something. It is bouncing up and odwn what looks like a few pixels or so ... has this ever happened to anyone!?!

Details are as follows

TWC 3250HD reciever. BlueJeans 50ft Comp Cable. Switched via VSW62 comp. video switch.

I removed the switch and it is still there. I check the comp. source on my Westy 32W6 and the boucing is gone.

When I disconnect all input from the BenQ, the test grid and color bars are stable and clean.

I am going to try S-Video next ... this is strange.

Problem gone ... who knows ... I did a hard, restart ... basically unplugged everything for ~20 minutes.

Good to hear, maybe just dirty connections.

I guess ... it was weird to say the least ... I, of course, fired out 5 million nastygrams to all parties ... only to shamefully recall them minutes later :o

I at least left it with them that I have noticed the problem very early on, so if it returns ... I have some background on it.

I have a Dish vip211 and Toshiba HD-A1 using the monoprice 5x1 switcher and have never had an issue with the HDMI handshake. Sounds like something is wrong with your BenQ. You've got a year free hot swap, take advantage of it...
I hot swapped with a refurbished PE 8720 and it has latest firmware and my HDMI problem is resolved. Thanks for the help
pramod

Hey.

I would like to ask you all a question.

I have just recently bought a PE8720 and read this thread, and found a very helpful trick.

Adjusting the CW delay, has really helped the banding problem a LOT! Really great that you can find this sort of help.

I have a question though, regarding the firmware of my projector.

It says the follwing if I look it up in the service menu:

Version : TWN RM103 1,01
Released date: Apr 29, 2006
MCU Name: BENQ
MCU Version 0,6


Does this really mean that I only have 1,01 firmware, and what effects does this have? Does if effect picture quality, features or anything?

What can I do, contact my dealer, or directly to BenQ?

I've only had it for like 5 days, so I can still return it if there is any problems, so I just wanted to know if this is bad, since then there is still the possibility to return the unit.

/Alex
Denmark

I had this in a seperate post, but no responses, hoping for better luck in this thread:

We just got a Toshiba A2 to pair with our PE8720.
The HD-DVD players have been available for awhile.
Has anyone experimented with the best set up for the PE8720 playing HD-DVDs?
Is it better to output 1080i from the player and let the PE8720 do the scaling to 720p? or is it better to have the A2 do the scaling and output 720p to the PE8720?
Which gives the best picture for HD-DVDs (not SD upscaling)?
Thanks

In my humble opinion :o it's better to send 720p to the 8720 as that's it native resolution. Be sure to set overscan to 100% and select real mode on the BenQ.

How do you get into the service menu to adjust the overscan and CW delays?

Thanks,
jim

Guys: do I have firmware version 1.04 ? just duble checking...

my info sceens reads:
Version TWN RM103 1.04
Release date Aug 12, 2005
BENQ / MCU Version: 0.4

Guys: do I have firmware version 1.04 ? just duble checking...

my info sceens reads:
Version TWN RM103 1.04
Release date Aug 12, 2005
BENQ / MCU Version: 0.4


Looks like you do.....

How do you get into the service menu to adjust the overscan and CW delays?

Thanks,
jim

Menu+Up+down+up+down+up+down+Menu

When calibrating color on the 8720 using DVE, which setting should I use, "Color Enhancement", "Tint"...?

I guess you could use all of the color adjustment possibilities, but I don't want to mess too much with color.

I have a question though, regarding the firmware of my projector.

It says the follwing if I look it up in the service menu:

Version : TWN RM103 1,01
Released date: Apr 29, 2006
MCU Name: BENQ
MCU Version 0,6



/Alex
Denmark

Hi Alex.

Europe now demand use of RoHS compliance products (since 1.july 2006). In order to meet the demands in this directive, BenQ have recently given Pj sold in Europe new firmware version numbers (GP models),

Non GP model: Latest firmware is 1.15 (i think)
GP model: Latest firmware is 1.02 (firmware 1.01 is sufficiant)
GP model is RoHS compliant . Non GP model is not!

My myself? Happy owner of a BenQ 8720 TWNRM 103 1.01 April 29/2006.

There is also a neat avforum on this PJ in Norway, and since you from Denmark, you will understand (sorry US/UK folks :( )

(search for offisiell-trad-benq-pe8720)


Moons of poor Pluto

In my humble opinion :o it's better to send 720p to the 8720 as that's it native resolution. Be sure to set overscan to 100% and select real mode on the BenQ.

Hi Dave,
I asked Art F. of Projector Reviews the resolution question.
He has a PE8720 and a Toshiba A1.
His answer was to send 1080i (player's native output) to the PE8720 because the scaler in the $5K PJ is likely to be better than the one in the $400 HD-DVD player...
After experimenting a bit, it seems that the 1080i picture is "smoother", but the 720p picture is "sharper". I prefer the sharper image, so I'm outputting 720p to the PJ at the moment.
YRMV

Hi Dave,
After experimenting a bit, it seems that the 1080i [output from HD A1] picture is "smoother", but the 720p [output from HD A1] picture is "sharper". I prefer the sharper image, so I'm outputting 720p to the PJ at the moment.
YRMV
Even though they vastly improved the scaling to 720p with their 2.0 firmware, I believe Toshiba is still recommending that you still output HD DVDs at their native resolution.
To my eyes it appears that the HD A1 does not do as good a job scaling 1080i source material to 720p as it could. It is not an just issue of sharpness or smoothness, it is that the HD A1 seems to make things look more digital (artifacts, edges, and such) when it scales a 1080i HD DVD to 720p. For me the 1080i output from good transfers (The Searchers or Batman Begins) is obviously better if I tell the HD DVD to output 1080i. I also have some home made HD DVDs created from 720p source material, and they definitely look better when the HD A1 outputs them as 720p.

Even though they vastly improved the scaling to 720p with their 2.0 firmware, I believe Toshiba is still recommending that you still output HD DVDs at their native resolution.
To my eyes it appears that the HD A1 does not do as good a job scaling 1080i source material to 720p as it could. It is not an just issue of sharpness or smoothness, it is that the HD A1 seems to make things look more digital (artifacts, edges, and such) when it scales a 1080i HD DVD to 720p. For me the 1080i output from good transfers (The Searchers or Batman Begins) is obviously better if I tell the HD DVD to output 1080i. I also have some home made HD DVDs created from 720p source material, and they definitely look better when the HD A1 outputs them as 720p.

I wonder if the model of the Toshiba player makes any difference?
We are running an A2 (2nd generation) to the PE8720 via hdmi.
I compared the outputs watching Batman Begins. To me, the 720p from the player yields a sharper picture. Perhaps the peception is distance related. We watch a 110" diagonal HP screen from 15'.
If I try and get real close (say 8'), then 720p does look more "digital" and 1080i looks "smoother". However from normal viewing distances, the 1080i looks "soft".
I prefer "sharp".
Any other thoughts/opinions out there?

Ive ordered the optima HD7100 but it has been back ordered for over a month and now Im going to loose the $400 mail in rebate. Ive read some disturbing threads on the quality of the optima. Im thinking of purchasing the Benq 8720 instead. Here is my attic home theater layout. 14.6ft wide x 20ft long, 5ft walls to an 8/12pitch to a 4ft wide ceiling 8.5ft high. My first row of seating will be approx. 9.5ft from a 100in diag. white screen with 1.2 gain. Im going to watch HDtv, upconvered dvd's and possibly hooking up a computer. Will the benq work in my situation and is it worth the extra few hundred $?
Any imput would be greatly appreciated.
thanks
Scott

Ive ordered the optima HD7100 but it has been back ordered for over a month and now Im going to loose the $400 mail in rebate. Ive read some disturbing threads on the quality of the optima. Im thinking of purchasing the Benq 8720 instead. Here is my attic home theater layout. 14.6ft wide x 20ft long, 5ft walls to an 8/12pitch to a 4ft wide ceiling 8.5ft high. My first row of seating will be approx. 9.5ft from a 100in diag. white screen with 1.2 gain. Im going to watch HDtv, upconvered dvd's and possibly hooking up a computer. Will the benq work in my situation and is it worth the extra few hundred $?
Any imput would be greatly appreciated.
thanks
Scott

Scott, unless your ready to make the jump completly to 1080p projectors, I think you will be very happy with the 8720. My room is about the same size as yours (20x14) and theres pics in my sig link if you want to see the room.

Thanks Tom! Ill get back to you

When calibrating color on the 8720 using DVE, which setting should I use, "Color Enhancement", "RGB Gain", RGB Offset", "Tint"...?

I guess you could use all of the color adjustment possibilities, but I don't want to mess too much with color.

Anyone?

Anyone?


Hello,

It's best to check the boards a bit on calibration, as it is not as simple as changing just one setting. It usually involves changing several parameters which have each a different effect. ;)

Hello,

It's best to check the boards a bit on calibration, as it is not as simple as changing just one setting. It usually involves changing several parameters which have each a different effect. ;)

Thanks, I will do that. :)

Hey Guys. Should be dropping the dough on an 8720 this week but have a few questions. I have a 100" screen in a completely black home theater. Can the 8720 be mounted anywhere within the screen or does it have to be mounted above or below the screen? Does anyone have any calibrated contrast numbers for me to stew over? Any info would be great. Thanks.

The 8720 can be mounted anywhere within the screen height, in addition, it can be mounted up to 10% of your screen height above or below the screen. For example, my 114" screen is 54" tall and the centerline of the lens is about 5" above the top of the visible surface of my screen.

This is called a 120% vertical offset (10% above or below the screen)

Does anyone know what size screw is used in the projector mounting holes? I would like to try and construct my own mount. Thanks.
Steve

J-Dubb, thanks for the info. That is exactly the answer I was looking for. P.S. your theater pics are SWEET! I'm jealous.

Steve: I believe the holes are M6, but I can't recall for certain - it's been a while since I picked up the screws at HomeDepot...

Steve: I believe the holes are M6, but I can't recall for certain - it's been a while since I picked up the screws at HomeDepot...

Thanks. I'll stop by Home Depot after work and pick some up.

Is the three year BenQ warranty transferable? I'm selling my 8720 soon and want to know if the future buyer gets the balance of the warranty.

I'd like to know too... I'm looking for a used 8720 myself and it would be nice to know I still have some waranty left!

After contacting BenQ customer service the warranty is valid to anyone with the original receipt.

So Adam, what are you buying to replace the 8720?

You get one guess!!!

um, the BENQ 10K?
You dog :D
If so, please remember to post your impressions here when you get one.
Thanks.
I'm going to have to wait for awhile to upgrade to 1080p :(
Hopefully, LED or some other non-bulb technology will be viable in a couple years.

Shoot! I thought this was an easy one. I'm gonna give the RS1 a whirl! I'm a black level junky and 15000 to 1 is just too much for me to pass up.

I'm thinking of buying a factory refurb 8720 with full 3 year warranty for 2.4k. In your expert opinions, is there any projector under that price that can compete with the 8720?

I have a CIH setup with Prismasonic lens and I was told this projector will do the necessary vertical stretch. Can anyone confirm?

Thanks again!

I don't think the 8720 does 'the necessary vertical stretch'. At least I don't see an aspect ratio option on the remote for it.

I don't think the 8720 does 'the necessary vertical stretch'. At least I don't see an aspect ratio option on the remote for it.

Button LB does the vertical stretch needed for this.

I can confirm this, as I am currently running my 8720/ISCO setup for CIH :)

Jim

Cool! I didn't know. I use LB (letterbox) with non-anamorphic movies to make them fill the screen. You must be using it with anamorphic movies.

I am currently running my 8720/ISCO setup for CIH :)

Jim

I apologize for the slight digression, but could someone explain constant height for the uninitiated? I've read about it in other threads, but I am still lost.

Here's why I am confused:

I had a 6-ft x 4.5 ft screen and a CRT projector -- fine for 1.33:1 pictures, but 1.78:1 pix were 6 ft. wide but only a bit over 2 ft high., and 2.35:1 was something over 1 ft high.

Then I bought a PE8720 and a screen that is 8ft wide and still 4.5 ft high. Now both 1.78 and 1.33 pix fill the height of the screen, and 1.78 fills the width as well. But 2.35 still (of course) does not fill the height.

So the big question is, how can you make the 2.35 full height in this setup, unless you cut off the ends of the picture? :confused:

You need a wider screen.

4.5' = 54" high

so
4x3 = 54x1.33 = 72" wide
16x9 = 96" wide
21x9 = 127" wide

So your screen isn't wide enogh to correctly display the picture at the full 54" vertical length w/o some form of cropping or geometric distortion.

See my screen for example.

When I watch a picture in 16x9 aspect or HighDef TV, I get dead area on the side of my picture ... the screen is not even lit up ... just blank and for 4x3 or Standard Def TV .. it is even more "empty"

Hope that helps a bit.

jim

jjw350z explained it well.
Another way to look at is that what you've got is a constant width setup for watching widescreen material. When the aspect ratio of your widedscreen material changes, the height changes.
In a constant height setup, they want to fill the screen from top to bottom, therefore in a constant height setup, the width of the projected image changes with the aspect ratio.

Thank you both. :)

This is my first post in this forum and want to thank all of you for all of the good advice posted here. It really helped me with installing my first pj setup.

I wanted some advice from you guys on scaling and deinterlacing. I'm running an HD-a1 through a Denon 4306 receiver to my 8720 all via hdmi. My question is which one of these units should be doing the bulk of the processing? If I set my 8720 to 1:1 pixel mapping aren't I then not using any of the processing on the pj?

I've messed around with switching them a little and can't seem to get rid of all of the jaggies and motion artifacts. I may be cray but it seems to have the best picture with the hd-a1 outputting standard def dvd's at just 480p and the projector in anamorphic mode. Any tips or tricks would be greatly appreciated. I'm trying to learn this stuff as I go.

Try these two setups. Both of them require the 8720 to be in REAL mode with the sharpness control set to 1 and sharpness level set to around -2. Set the A1 to 1080i and see how things look. If your still not happy and assuming the A1 is at firmware rev 2.0 try outputting at 720p. I actually prefer my A1 outputting at 720p. Also, go into the service menu and make sure overscan is set to 100, if it's not, change it to 100.

And BTW, Welcome to the forums!!

This is my first post in this forum and want to thank all of you for all of the good advice posted here. It really helped me with installing my first pj setup.

I wanted some advice from you guys on scaling and deinterlacing. I'm running an HD-a1 through a Denon 4306 receiver to my 8720 all via hdmi. My question is which one of these units should be doing the bulk of the processing? If I set my 8720 to 1:1 pixel mapping aren't I then not using any of the processing on the pj?

I've messed around with switching them a little and can't seem to get rid of all of the jaggies and motion artifacts. I may be cray but it seems to have the best picture with the hd-a1 outputting standard def dvd's at just 480p and the projector in anamorphic mode. Any tips or tricks would be greatly appreciated. I'm trying to learn this stuff as I go.

Are you going HDMI from the HD-A1 to the Denon 4306? If you are, I don't think the 4306 will do any scaling, it will just switch the HDMI (correct me if I'm wrong).

For the rest I would suggest to do some testing, send a 720p signal from the HD-A1 and see how it looks (just be sure that the 8720 has overscan set to 100%, and use "real mode" on the 8720). Then compare the result to what you get if you send 1080i to the PE8720.

I would love to know what your findings will be :)

Try these two setups. Both of them require the 8720 to be in REAL mode with the sharpness control set to 1 and sharpness level set to around -2. Set the A1 to 1080i and see how things look. If your still not happy and assuming the A1 is at firmware rev 2.0 try outputting at 720p. I actually prefer my A1 outputting at 720p. Also, go into the service menu and make sure overscan is set to 100, if it's not, change it to 100.

And BTW, Welcome to the forums!!

I'll add my 2 cents. I agree with Adam. when I remember (my Toshiba moves back and forth almost daily, between my theater room, and the room where I test other projectors, ), in my theater, with my 8720, I set output to 720p, and use the Real aspect ratio - no overscan, etc... Very clean... Slightly better than the 1080i signal from the Tosh. -art

anything new on firmware upgrade(24/48hz) for the 8720? Haven't followed this thread for a while....

Sorry it's taken me so long to get back I picked up the flu there for a while. Anyway, I had the overscan already set to 100% and and the contrast at 1. I set the 8720 to real mode and tried outputting 720p and 1080i from the hd-a1. My wife and I both thought that the 1080i was a little better but it was very hard to notice much difference. I'm just wondering now if my expectations are too high overall. The images in the foreground are ver good, it's the background images that seem to have a slight pixelated halo around them. I've tweaked it with the DVE disc as best as I can (a very difficult disc to follow btw) and have worked out just about all of the other bugs except this. HD discs look fantastic, in fact, perfect.

Adam, what's the difference between sharpness control and sharpness level? Also, how do I know if my hd-a1 has the version 2.0? I bought it in July or August would it already have that revision?

Dave, yes your right about the 4306. After some additional reading I found that it just passes the same signal through hdmi.

Again, I really appreciate the help guys.

Sorry it's taken me so long to get back I picked up the flu there for a while. Anyway, I had the overscan already set to 100% and and the contrast at 1. I set the 8720 to real mode and tried outputting 720p and 1080i from the hd-a1. My wife and I both thought that the 1080i was a little better but it was very hard to notice much difference. I'm just wondering now if my expectations are too high overall. The images in the foreground are ver good, it's the background images that seem to have a slight pixelated halo around them. I've tweaked it with the DVE disc as best as I can (a very difficult disc to follow btw) and have worked out just about all of the other bugs except this. HD discs look fantastic, in fact, perfect.

Adam, what's the difference between sharpness control and sharpness level? Also, how do I know if my hd-a1 has the version 2.0? I bought it in July or August would it already have that revision?

Dave, yes your right about the 4306. After some additional reading I found that it just passes the same signal through hdmi.

Again, I really appreciate the help guys.

Hi bulldog, I havent read your previous posts but getting my 8720 ISF calibrated made large improvements on the pj's PQ

Hi guys,

a couple of weeks ago I also bought this projector. A nice price drop here in Denmark :cool:.

I have an Oppo 970 DVD-player and I wonder if it is possible to let the Oppo pass the DVD-info and let the BenQ do the upscaling as I think it might be better than the upscaling chip in the Oppo.

I asked Oppo and the answer was:
The DV-970HD can pass 480i/576i through the HDMI interface. For this
reason, it is likely that you can use the DVD player at 480i/576i to
have your projector do all the de-interlacing and scaling. However,
what you need to confirm with BenQ is that the Faroudja chipset is
connected to the digital interface. Most displays and projectors will
have the Faroudja chipset connected analog only.


But BenQ hasn't given me an answer for about 2 weeks. They have been very friendly so far but the one I wrote to (yes, it is a she :D) didn't seem to know what I was talking about.

So how do I get the best result? So far I am using Real-mode and the Oppo to send 720p via HDMI/DVI. Is this the best solution with my setup?

Thank you very much,

Martin

Tom, I'd love to get an ISF calibration but I think I'm about 300 miles from the neartest tech.

Blackwidow, I'm wondering about the same thing you are. I think the artifacts that I'm seeing are from the hd-a1. I'd like to try the processor on the 8720 and see if it does a better job but can't figure out how.

BlackWidow11:
I have the same DVD player and Projector. The BenQ as far as I can tell will not take 480i over HDMI. The other issue is 720P and 1080i via HDMI on the Oppo has incorrect aspect ratio. The image is vertically squeezed a little - Oppo confirmed this and you can see for yourself by pausing an image and then flipping the DVD HDMI output between 480P and 720/1080. 480 will look correct. You can also pull up a THX optimizer on any DVD that has it, and use the big circle page to see the effect.

I ended up using 480P via HDMI to the 8720. It looks good, but you can check other combinations and see what you like best.

cheers.

BlackWidow11:
I have the same DVD player and Projector. The BenQ as far as I can tell will not take 480i over HDMI. The other issue is 720P and 1080i via HDMI on the Oppo has incorrect aspect ratio. The image is vertically squeezed a little - Oppo confirmed this and you can see for yourself by pausing an image and then flipping the DVD HDMI output between 480P and 720/1080. 480 will look correct. You can also pull up a THX optimizer on any DVD that has it, and use the big circle page to see the effect.

I ended up using 480P via HDMI to the 8720. It looks good, but you can check other combinations and see what you like best.

cheers.
Thank you for the answer.

This is also what I had expected. So do anyone know if it is better to use e.g. component from the Oppo and then let the BenQ upscale? Is this possible?

All I want is to get the best picture I can get (why not even though you are pleased with the quality so far? ;) ).

Scott, unless your ready to make the jump completly to 1080p projectors, I think you will be very happy with the 8720. My room is about the same size as yours (20x14) and theres pics in my sig link if you want to see the room.
with the sony pearl so close in price to this 8720, has anyone compared the two? i know the pearl is 1080p, but due to low light output.

I have seen many a pearls and have yet to walk away impressed enough to jump off the DLP ship for my setup.

A pearl has better blacks in an all black scene, and (obviously) no rainbows, but as many have reported, it lacks the depth and pop that I/we are used to with our machines. The fact that it is "futrure-proof" is a huge selling point to me, as the BenQ is not.

I have seen the Pearl at its best and its worst .. so I can feel comfortable saying that it is a wonderful projector once dialed in .. it just needs work out of the box (as did the BenQ).

In a light controlled room under 100" ... I'd say the Pearl would be my choice due to its future-proofness and great colors once properly managed. In my non-light controlled room with 141" of 2.35:1 goodness ... the PE8720 was the only choice in this price range :D

I have seen many a pearls and have yet to walk away impressed enough to jump off the DLP ship for my setup.

A pearl has better blacks in an all black scene, and (obviously) no rainbows, but as many have reported, it lacks the depth and pop that I/we are used to with our machines. The fact that it is "futrure-proof" is a huge selling point to me, as the BenQ is not.

I have seen the Pearl at its best and its worst .. so I can feel comfortable saying that it is a wonderful projector once dialed in .. it just needs work out of the box (as did the BenQ).

In a light controlled room under 100" ... I'd say the Pearl would be my choice due to its future-proofness and great colors once properly managed. In my non-light controlled room with 141" of 2.35:1 goodness ... the PE8720 was the only choice in this price range :D
thank you very much for that summation. that helps me a lot. I will go with the pearl since I am in a light controlled room and currently at 92" diag (wanting to go to 106" diag, but maybe won't). I am interested in the 2.35:1 ratio stuff, but that may be further down the line for me.

No problem. Just be aware that the Pearl has no 2.35"1 video processing ability .. so a scaler will need to be added in the future for that.

At 92" I think the Pearl is the most logical step for someone looking for a future-proof and long lasting projector. As much as I dislike the Pearl's low light output ... it can throw an excellent picture once dialed in. Do yourself a favor and spend the $300-$500 to have an ISF calibrator give it a good run through :)

Do you know if it would be better to use component or so, so the projector could upscale the DVD-info instead of letting the Oppo do it over HDMI/DVI? Would it be better if i choose scart, component or so and just transfered the DVD-info from the DVD-player and then let the BenQ do all the upscaling?

These are being discontinued here in Sweden and I can get one for about 1600$

Dont know if I should buy it or pay to get a JVC HD1, or be satisfied with this for a while, because the price ain't that bad.

Its allot of picture quality for that price, i am only worried about the blacks and ONOFF contrast, i am sensitive on that aspect.

Thank you for the answer.

This is also what I had expected. So do anyone know if it is better to use e.g. component from the Oppo and then let the BenQ upscale? Is this possible?

All I want is to get the best picture I can get (why not even though you are pleased with the quality so far? ;) ).

I settled on HDMI and having the oppo upscale to 720p. Very pleased. I previously used component, and had tried both 480 and 720 out of the oppo, and there again, settled on 720 output.

Okay Presenter, thank you.

I just received an email from BenQ:

The BenQ PE8720 has in fact got a digital chipset interface connected to the main board so it should be possible to achieve what you want, hopefully using your current set up.

This particular projector from our range has a digital chipset; again we recommend that you use the projector to upscale to 720p signal as through our tests this is when we achieved our best results. Through our tests this had the best picture quality that we could achieve with up scaling.

I hope this has been of more help to you on this matter.


So if it has, then how can I let the BenQ upscale through HDMI?
I am still not sure it can but anyway it would be nice to hear from you :).

So if it has, then how can I let the BenQ upscale through HDMI?

Have your HDMI output set to 480i (if you can) or 480p.
This statement by Benq is very much a huge generalization. The BenQ cannot always do better than an outboard scaler/de-interlacer. It may do a better job than a particular model Oppo, but (for example) if you were to buy a Toshiba XA2 (which has a Silicon Optix Reon-VX scaler) you may want to let it output 720P for both SD and HD DVD material.

Have your HDMI output set to 480i (if you can) or 480p.
This statement by Benq is very much a huge generalization. The BenQ cannot always do better than an outboard scaler/de-interlacer. It may do a better job than a particular model Oppo, but (for example) if you were to buy a Toshiba XA2 (which has a Silicon Optix Reon-VX scaler) you may want to let it output 720P for both SD and HD DVD material.
I can only output 480p and that is a problem I think because then the Oppo will scale from 480i to 480p and then the BenQ will upscale from 480p to 720p. I have heard that it isn't good to let two different sources upscale.

But don't you think that a projector which recently had a price of 4-6k$ has a better upscaling chip than a DVD-player with a price of 150-200$? I would think that but I don't know for sure.

I also would like to get a HD-DVD-player but I will wait to see who will win (HD or Blu-ray) :mad:.

I'm no way near an expert, but I believe going from 480i to 480p is just de-interlacing ... there is no scaling involved. So I'm not sure it necessarily is a bad way to go. I used the HD DVD player as an example. I'm sure that we'll see many DVD players with next generation scalers in them over the next few years that should technically be better than the one in the BenQ.

I still prefer using the component inputs; it looks more natural to me. Perhaps it is the way I've got the BenQ calibrated, my DVD player, or all in my mind :)

from what I've seen, the 8720 will not eat 480i over hdmi so I feed it 480p from my Oppo 970HD. I don't have the Oppo upscale to 720 (or 1080i) simply because over hdmi the Oppo renders the image slightly squeezed vertically. This has been confirmed with Oppo. The squeeze is pretty small but noticeable on my 106" screen. I therefore let the 8720 scale to make sure movies are correct aspect, and avoid the inherent squeeze the Oppo yields when outputting 720 or 1080i. I don't believe there's a fix for this yet. I think it looks pretty darn good via 480p - too bad the BenQ wont take 480i over hdmi.

I have my Pioneer dv79Ai upscale to 720p and output HDMI to the 8720. I have tried different settings and liked this the most.

Does anyone know the specs for the connector that mates with the 12V trigger output on the PE8720? There are a variety of small coaxial connectors around and I'd like to be sure I purchase the right one.

from what I've seen, the 8720 will not eat 480i over hdmi so I feed it 480p from my Oppo 970HD. I don't have the Oppo upscale to 720 (or 1080i) simply because over hdmi the Oppo renders the image slightly squeezed vertically. This has been confirmed with Oppo. The squeeze is pretty small but noticeable on my 106" screen. I therefore let the 8720 scale to make sure movies are correct aspect, and avoid the inherent squeeze the Oppo yields when outputting 720 or 1080i. I don't believe there's a fix for this yet. I think it looks pretty darn good via 480p - too bad the BenQ wont take 480i over hdmi.

I have an Oppo 971HD. I experimented a little bit and thought that outputting 720p to the PE8720 in "real" gave the best picture. Art at projectorreviews.com (Presenter) has the same set up and also thought that feeding it 720p was slightly better for most movies...
For the 12v trigger, call Benq customer support or PM Eric Awtry. If it were me. I would go down to Radioshack and get a handful of plugs. Put your multimeter to work and in a few minutes you'll have the right one, then return the rest.

Note that the Oppo 970HD and 971HD are completely different deinterlacers and scalers. The Oppo 971 may not have the slight vertical squeeze problem with 720 and 1080 mode that the 970 does. In fact, the 970 uses almost the same Faroudja chipset as the 8720 built-in electronics, while the 970 is not Faroudja based at all. Also, while the 970 can output 480i over HDMI (not like it helps with the 8720), the 971 cannot output 480i over HDMI. The 970HD however does have less macro-blocking noise in dark areas since it's not Faroudja based. To sum up, there are enough differences between the players that it makes sense to do your own quick tests and see what looks best for you.

Does anyone know if there is any possibility that the 8720 could play 24p (no pulldown)with a firmware upgrade?

From what I understand, the 10000 does this and the two models have more similarities than differences...

Does anyone know if there is any possibility that the 8720 could play 24p (no pulldown)with a firmware upgrade?

From what I understand, the 10000 does this and the two models have more similarities than differences...

shouldn't be a problem. we just need benq to actually make that upgrade, i'm so waiting for it...

That would be most wonderful. :p Does anyone know if it will happen?

I am afraid it not gonna happen, at least that's what my BenQ sources tell...

Oh the sadness :( But I can still be quite happy with the hD-A1 & 8720 combo until a three chip 1080p 24 light cannon comes within reach.

Thanks Takisot (Fixed)

Does anyone know if there is any possibility that the 8720 could play 24p (no pulldown)with a firmware upgrade?

From what I understand, the 10000 does this and the two models have more similarities than differences...

I just purchased Adam Gutierrez's 8720, and would also really like this feature. I've read this thread and seen this mentioned a few times, and it seems like a lot of us would want it, but just how many have actually contacted BenQ to request it? If they have not seen many requests, they may not feel that it is important. Maybe we should all contact them in the next week or so to show how important it would be to us. I'll start by sending an e-mail right after this post.

I just purchased Adam Gutierrez's 8720, and would also really like this feature. I've read this thread and seen this mentioned a few times, and it seems like a lot of us would want it, but just how many have actually contacted BenQ to request it? If they have not seen many requests, they may not feel that it is important. Maybe we should all contact them in the next week or so to show how important it would be to us. I'll start by sending an e-mail right after this post.

You better be home ;) , I just tracked it and it looks like it's out for delivery again today. :D

Yeah, I waited as long as I could yesterday (12:30) and I missed them by an hour. Today, I am remaining firmly planted in the house untill it arrives. Atleast, yesterday, I ended up leaving to catch the 1:40 showing of 300 at the IMAX and it was worth it.

BTW, I just sent my e-mail request to BenQ, I will let everyone know the response when it arrives.

I have about 300 hours on my 8720 - and I'm wondering if any owners have experienced a problem with "focus" going in and out intermittently over a period of time...?

I start a movie and focus the picture, and by the end of the movie the picture is out of whack again and I have to refocus.

Anyone else having this issue?

Joe-
Not me. I've not had to refocus since I set it up.

I have not experianced this either. It seems very unlikely given the focus aparatus. Is your screen fixed?

Well guys after reading all the good on the 8720 i decided to sell my Optoma HD72 and get the 8720.She will be in tomorrow and i can t wait to see the difference between the HD72.Hopefully i ll get the latest firmware and i don t think i can go wrong.For now 1080p is still two exspensive and i l wait a couple of years.

Keep up the good info!

Well guys after reading all the good on the 8720 i decided to sell my Optoma HD72 and get the 8720.She will be in tomorrow and i can t wait to see the difference between the HD72.Hopefully i ll get the latest firmware and i don t think i can go wrong.For now 1080p is still two exspensive and i l wait a couple of years.

Keep up the good info!

Let us know what you think. I switched from a HD72 to a HD73, and just picked up the 8720 the other day. I only temporarily set up the 8720, so it is hard making a judgement call on pq until it is properly set-up. The features that are included with the 8720 are pretty amazing, though, and I'm nothing short of impressed.

900 Hours and still going strong.
I've only had the 8720 for about 8 months now and I'm still using the 200W mode and Keep the iris about in the middle. 106 inch screen size and I really don't see any loss in light yet.

I've never had the settings just up and change on their own. It just sits on the shelf doing what it's supposed to.

My house A/C is being worked on and dust is EVERYWHERE. I've thrown a blanket over the machine. Anyone know of a tupperware lid that might make a good lens cover?

All right guys this is a nice machine!I know alot of you guys did some tweaking,would anyone be kind enough to quickly tell me what mods to do like how to acces service menu and also gamma ect...and what pre set mode are ya running?I m on family room with the iris at 26/32 at 200watts is this good?Why can t i get into edge optimizing,clarity control ect..

Thanks
Danny

BTW, I just sent my e-mail request to BenQ, I will let everyone know the response when it arrives.

Well, it has been 8 days since I sent the e-mail to BenQ regarding a 24p upgrade, and I have yet to receive a responce. Hopefully their CS is a little more responsive to a problem than they are to a question.

All right guys this is a nice machine!I know alot of you guys did some tweaking,would anyone be kind enough to quickly tell me what mods to do like how to acces service menu and also gamma ect...and what pre set mode are ya running?I m on family room with the iris at 26/32 at 200watts is this good?Why can t i get into edge optimizing,clarity control ect..

to get into service menu: up-down-up-down-up-down-menu
to get out of SM: choose "Return to OSD"
I chose preset mode cinema and calibrated from there with AVIA. I have a light controlled room and my iris is also 2/3 closed. But I run 250w mode.

edge optimizing/clarity control: something tells me you can only adjust those if you feed it an interlaced signal. I remember those functions turning on when I switch interlaced output on my DVD player.

I also played with color wheel delay, found in the service menu. Some machines apparently doesn't have a color problem that I saw in Finding Nemo. PM me if you see sever banding in the opening scene of FN.

Well i gotta say contrast is the thing here compared to my old HD72 also colors are nice and sharp.So many settings i m not a pj expert just learing and i like all of these fonctions.I think i ll get the 8720 calibrated,so far very nice pj.

In the service menu the rate was set at 94% so i jumped it up to 100% also my firmware is March 1 2006 the version is 1.15 do i have the latest version?

This high end pj stuff is getting pretty cool

Well, it has been 8 days since I sent the e-mail to BenQ regarding a 24p upgrade, and I have yet to receive a responce. Hopefully their CS is a little more responsive to a problem than they are to a question.

PM 'BenQ Dude' here on AVS, he is the BenQ rep. I've received responses from him but never directly from the company when I sent a question...

I have about 300 hours on my 8720 - and I'm wondering if any owners have experienced a problem with "focus" going in and out intermittently over a period of time...?

I start a movie and focus the picture, and by the end of the movie the picture is out of whack again and I have to refocus.

Anyone else having this issue?

Yes, I experienced similar problem with the focus adjustment (prj is running for about 300 hrs now).
I need to adjust the focus from time to time (it drifts slightly the next time you switch it on). I am not sure whether experts here experienced the same?

I have raised similar questions like Fire01 before. Can any experts here share his settings to achieve optimum result in particular on the colour adjustment - gain, offset, tint, mode, etc.

Simon

the focus problem you guys are experiencing is unfortunate. My first 8720 had a problem in which it sometimes wouldn't focus. I would hear the motor turning but no change in focus. It wasn't a slow drifting out of focus. Thank God I bought it locally and the dealer quickly replaced it (thanks Jeff K) and no problems since, knock on wood. A PJ is the one item I wouldn't buy online to save money. Too many things can go wrong.

PM 'BenQ Dude' here on AVS, he is the BenQ rep. I've received responses from him but never directly from the company when I sent a question...

Thanks, Tom, but I searched through the members list and that name was not there. Could it be something different?

Thanks, Tom, but I searched through the members list and that name was not there. Could it be something different?

Below is the correct spelling and link:

BEN Q DUDE (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/member.php?u=7575550)

Below is the correct spelling and link:

BEN Q DUDE (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/member.php?u=7575550)

Thanks again, Tom. I just sent him a pm.

Thanks sent you a PM

Hi Eric or anyone else who can help,

In one of your posts you said you used the 3D color adjustments in the Advanced menu and was able to dial the primary and secondary targets to nearly perfect with only green being outside its range.
I recently had my 8720 ISF calibrated. The values for the DVD and Satellite inputs have different values. I am able to save the different values to 2 separate "Favorite Color" but when I switch back and forth between inputs, it stays at the most recent "Favorite Color" setting. I am finding I have to go into the Menu to switch this setting everytime I switch inputs.
I am wondering if these settings can automatically switch like the color temp does to user1 and user 2 when I change inputs.
What I have tried is this.
-Switch to DVD input, Change to Color Temp User 1, Switch to Coolor Favorites 1, Save to memory 1.
-Switch to Satellite input, Change to Color Temp User 2, Switch to Coolor Favorites 2, Save to memory 1.

Please help,
Chris

PM 'BenQ Dude' here on AVS, he is the BenQ rep. I've received responses from him but never directly from the company when I sent a question...

Ben Q Dude responded to my pm, and said that he would check with r&d to see if it would even be feasible. I'll keep you updated.

Has anybody changed there CW delay and what does this do?Does anyone have a good setup that they would like to share

CW delay is good if you are seeing the banding problems associated with these kind of machines so if you modify the cw delay the banding will disappear i know because i was reading the posts on the 8720 and having the 7700 with this problem which i can say i solved in the service menu without having to send the projector to benq for senvice

Can this projector accept BTB and WTW over its HDMI? It's probably not an issue over component but I'd like my upscaled DVDs to have BTB and WTW present as well.

I searched the thread and the only answer I saw stated that you needed to output RGB or 4-4-4 because 4-2-2 would not work. I really have no idea what that means but I saw no such options on my HDXa1. I'm considering the HDXa2 which I believe offers the 4-4-4 option but I wanted to confirm that this will indeed pass BTB and WTW to this projector.

Thanks for any help!

Did anyone try to send 24p or 48p to the 8720 ?
(I've got a 8720, but I need to have this answer before buying a new HD player)
Thanks in advance !

Did anyone try to send 24p or 48p to the 8720 ?
(I've got a 8720, but I need to have this answer before buying a new HD player)
Thanks in advance !


As far as the 24/48 issue...it's my understanding from many of the other members in this particular thread, that no it's not possible, nor does BenQ intend on making it possible for this unit.

First let me say thanks for all the contributions to this thread....from adjusting the CW to take care of the contouring to helpful tweaks and hints.

As others have pointed out, the manual leaves a huge information void in terms of explainging the different terms/aspects of the menu. One question I have is most have set their menu for "warm" vs cool, normal etc. Out of the box by eye, I found native lamp mode to look pretty good. But, there is no explaination to what native lamp mode means in relative terms to warm...cool etc. Anyone have an idea?

Thanks
Ron

All the lamps have their own color (from white to yellow...).

Warm, cold, normal are the choices for the color temperature.
The reference should be "normal mode" (D65 calibration) with 6500 K.
If you choose cold, you choose an other color temperature, and the image seems to be more blue. If you choose warm mode, the image seems to be more red.

Native lamp mode means that you see the image with the native color temperature made by the lamp itself, with no correction to obtain the reference.
So if the difference between "native lamp mode" and "normal mode" is slight, that means that the influence of the color of the lamp is almost neutral.

Hey guys! Sony released a v1.8 update with upscaling for the PS3. More importantly, those of us without an Anthem AVM50 or a D2, or other high-end VPs, and have had to watch BD @ 1080i, we can now watch them in 720p.

I knew months ago that the PS3 menu looks noticeably sharper in 720p than 1080i. I suspect that the downconversion in the BenQ is not that great. The only 720p source I have is Resistance: Fall of Man, and that looks awesome. I don't have the HDMI/Gennum upgrade for my AVM20 yet and I don't have any outboard video processing. I've had to watch BD in 1080i and maybe that the reason why I wasn't jumping up and down when I first got my PS3.
Well, thanks to Sony, I'm a happy boy now. I have two screenshots of POTC: COTBP to demo how much sharper 720p is over 1080i with my PJ. Please note: DSLR on tripod, same exposure and white balance, EXACT same frame. The is the scene (ch3) when Sparrow rescues Elizabeth from the water.

YESSSSS THERE IS A GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I CAN FINALLY WATCH GitS: INNOCENCE ON MY 8720!!!

:banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana:

Bing,

I've just bought the toshiba hda2. Do you think all video source outputs should be set to 720p this pj, or will hd dvd look better (or the same) in 1080i?

I was told by another member that the 8720 downrez a 1080i source to 540p and then uprez that to 720p for display. I guess the PS3 has a better way for taking 1080p to 720p cuz it is no doubt better. So, I'd probably get your a2 to do the downconversion, but as always, try for yourself.

All the lamps have their own color (from white to yellow...).

Warm, cold, normal are the choices for the color temperature.
The reference should be "normal mode" (D65 calibration) with 6500 K.
If you choose cold, you choose an other color temperature, and the image seems to be more blue. If you choose warm mode, the image seems to be more red.

Native lamp mode means that you see the image with the native color temperature made by the lamp itself, with no correction to obtain the reference.
So if the difference between "native lamp mode" and "normal mode" is slight, that means that the influence of the color of the lamp is almost neutral.

Thanks so much for taking the time to respond....plus, for a terrific explaination.

Bing,

Thanks for the reply.

I've had my BenQ 8720 for about six months and it has worked very well out of the box. Great picture! I've not changed any of the settings as I'm a newbie to this and don't want to stuff up any of the settings.
However, watching the movie "Narnia, the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe" , something went wrong. In the scenes in the White Witch's ice palace the faces of the actors seemed to get get pixelated and "blocky" . The colours of the ice and the characters in these scenes are very contrasty and I wonder if the 8720 just can't cope with such a high level of contrast. Otherwise the other scenes in the movie, and even the snow scenes, were fine.
Also if someone could advise on how to set up the user options. One of my only criticisms of this projector is how poor the manual is. To set up a user option do you start with a pre-set and then change things from there or what?
Thanks in advance for any help,

Gilz

I've had my BenQ 8720 for about six months and it has worked very well out of the box. Great picture! I've not changed any of the settings as I'm a newbie to this and don't want to stuff up any of the settings.
However, watching the movie "Narnia, the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe" , something went wrong. In the scenes in the White Witch's ice palace the faces of the actors seemed to get get pixelated and "blocky" . The colours of the ice and the characters in these scenes are very contrasty and I wonder if the 8720 just can't cope with such a high level of contrast. Otherwise the other scenes in the movie, and even the snow scenes, were fine.
Also if someone could advise on how to set up the user options. One of my only criticisms of this projector is how poor the manual is. To set up a user option do you start with a pre-set and then change things from there or what?
Thanks in advance for any help,

Gilz

I have my 8720 ISF calibrated and we have watched that movie a couple weeks ago. I think it looked good and didnt notice what you pointed out

Tom,

Would you care to post up your numbers for calibration?

Did your ISF'er give you a data sheet of the values he used or his results?

I know I, and likely many others, would love to test out some different setting that what I have with AVIA.

Thanks in advance,
Jim

Tom,

Would you care to post up your numbers for calibration?

Did your ISF'er give you a data sheet of the values he used or his results?

I know I, and likely many others, would love to test out some different setting that what I have with AVIA.

Thanks in advance,
Jim

He did give me a data sheet, and I dont understand a single value on it... My calibrator was part of AVS so I dont think it would be proper to post it.

One year of BenQ 8720 enjoyment and still going strong.
I shook out the filter a few days ago and noticed that I'm about to hit 1400 hours on the lamp.
I had to try several times to get the 'check filter' message to go away. Guess I got it in crooked a few times. I can't find the sensor that senses the filter.

Maybe another 500 hours and I'll set it to 250W. Even then I might get another year out of the lamp. I think I might want to order a new lamp now and use the current one as a backup. Anyone selling lamps for this machine?

Now that this thread has dropped off the map. I'm still glad a bought the machine. It should keep the 1080p upgrade'itus away, for a few more years at least.

My BenQ works beautifully except for one thing. All my HDTV pictures are missing part of the tops and bottoms, even on the special HD cable stations.
As a result, many of the close ups lop off the tops of actors heads, and when there's a golf tournament, a lot of the puts drop into holes below the bottom of the screen!
Any suggestions? :confused:

One year of BenQ 8720 enjoyment and ... I'm still glad a bought the machine. It should keep the 1080p upgrade'itus away, for a few more years at least.

Yeah, me too. I keep on wanting to upgrade for completely illogical reasons. There is little to find fault with the BenQ except it has rainbows and is louder that my VCR :) So I'm waiting for a 3 chip projector that looks as good, is quieter, has better PQ, and costs about the same. I guess I should buy a few spare bulbs myself while I wait...

My BenQ works beautifully except for one thing. All my HDTV pictures are missing part of the tops and bottoms, even on the special HD cable stations.
As a result, many of the close ups lop off the tops of actors heads, and when there's a golf tournament, a lot of the puts drop into holes below the bottom of the screen!
Any suggestions? :confused:

What mode (real, anamorphic, wide, letterbox, 4:3) are you running the projector in? If you are not using "real", try giving that a shot. Also, I believe I remember reading somewhere in this thread, that the default overscan is somewhere in the range of 10% :eek: . If you feel comfortable doing so, you can go into the service menu and correct this.

My BenQ works beautifully except for one thing. All my HDTV pictures are missing part of the tops and bottoms, even on the special HD cable stations.
Sounds like overscan or (more likely) you're setting the aspect ratio wrong somewhere.

It sounds the most to me like you're somehow using a Letterbox aspect ratio, so I'd first check the aspect ratio and make sure it isn't Letterbox (check both your STB and the BenQ). Is it possible that your HDTV stations are being sent from the STB to the BenQ as Letterbox SD signals?

Someone else needs to tell you how to fix overscan. The reason it doesn't sound like overscan is that what you're describing is more overscan than I've have ever heard about.

BLUESBOYJR & HYRAX
THANKS FOR THE REPLIES. THE PROBLEM PERSISTS NO MATTER WHAT MODE I'M IN. 'REAL' IS A LITTLE BETTER, BUT NOT MUCH.
IF YOU PICTURE A FULL SCREEN WITH THE NETWORK CHANNEL ICON IN THE LOWER RIGHT CORNER, THE CUT-OFF FROM THE BOTTOM UP AMOUNTS TO ENDING MY HDTV PICTURE ALONG A LINE THAT CUTS THE ICON IN HALF. THE SAME CUT-OFF APPLIES TO THE TOP.
THE PROBLEM DOES NOT APPLY TO DVDs. ONLY HDTV AND REGULAR TV. BUT IT DOES NOT HAPPEN WHEN A TV-MOVIE THAT COMES ACROSS MY REGULAR TV SET IS IN A CLEARLY LETTERBOXED FORM.
DOES THAT MEAN THAT MY CABLE COMPANY IS SENDING ME A WRONG SIGNAL? IF SO, WHAT TYPE OF SIGNAL SHOULD I TELL THEM TO SEND ME? AND WHAT DOES 'STB' MEAN?
OR IS IT AN OVERSCAN PROBLEM IN MY BENQ? IF SO, CAN YOU HELP ME LOOK FOR THE PROBLEM WITH 'OVERSCAN?' IS THERE SOMEPLACE I CAN READ UP ON IT? I REMEMBER READING SOMEWHERE IN THIS FORUM ABOUT HOW TO GET INTO THE SERVICE MENU, BUT I THINK IT WAS PROHIBITIVE, OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
THANKS... BOB

Bob,
Hyrax was referring to your "set-top box" or your cable box when he said "stb". It sounds like this is the problem. Go to your set-up menu in your stb and make sure it is set for a 16:9 tv type and that any letterboxing options are turned off. If you are not having the problem when watching DVD's then overscan is not the problem. Hope this helps.

Bob,
Hyrax was referring to your "set-top box" ...

Sorry about that Bob. Unfortunately, there are about 600 million of those abbreviations in this wonderful world of HDTV. I concur with BluesboyJr; if you do as he says with the cable box I bet you'll be fine. Play with these settings and see what they do.

I get my TV from an antenna and an OTA [Over-The-Air] box instead of a cable box and it allows me to send a 'native' signal to my BenQ. This works great most of the time and lets my Benq control the aspect ratio of non-HD broadcasts.

Hyrax & BluesboyJr
Again, thanks for the good advise. I looked up the settings on my 'STB' and there were 4 settings: zoom 1, zoom 2, stretch, and normal. It was on the zoom 1 setting, which I set back to normal, and now the whole screen has reappeared. In the process, I've discovered that not all supposedly HD channels are equal! Big shock, huh? While they all have the same hi def quality, many are not 16:9 screens.
Anyway, appreciate the help.
Bob Ray

Bob-
Glad it's working. I get ABC from both Boston and New Hampshire. I was surfing and I noticed that the Boston HD station was showing a supposedly HD show in a fuzzy 4:3 SD, while the New Hampshire station was showing it in nicely in a 16:9 HD. This happens all the time, like some tech guy for got to flip a switch or something.

The left side of my projector is out of focus. When I go into the service menu and use the cross pattern grid it becomes very obvious that everything is in focus (or the lines are lined up) except the left 1/3? of the screen How can I fine tune just the left side?

The left side of my projector is out of focus. When I go into the service menu and use the cross pattern grid it becomes very obvious that everything is in focus (or the lines are lined up) except the left 1/3? of the screen How can I fine tune just the left side?
Was it in focus before or did you just notice it? The screen/projector lens have to be centered to each other, so you may want to take some measurements.

It has always been ot of focus it just seems to be worse now. I have moved the projector to adjust screen to projector however that does not seem to help

It has always been ot of focus it just seems to be worse now. I have moved the projector to adjust screen to projector however that does not seem to help
This is what I did to mount my projector. Take two pieces of string, attach them to the upper corners of your screen, pull them so that they meet at the exact center of the projector lens, measure them, they should be equal.
And measure from the same side wall to the center of the screen and the center of the projector lens, should be the same also.

I called BENQ yesterday. I am going to drop it off this morning and find out exactly what's going on. Hopefully they won't have it too long Can't live without my projector, it's just not the same

Great news, picked up my 8720 projector today from BENQ they are local in Irvine Calif. I was without it for only 2 days. Everyone was extremely nice. No problems dropping the projector off and picking it up. Come to find out there was a problem with a hinge on the tunnel channel? Adjusted some mirrors everything looks good. They also made a couple of other adjustments. As times goes by I will make sure everything work as it should. I had also asked that they update the firmware as I had the 1.12 which unfortunately they did not do. Once I asked them to go back and update it they went ahead and installed it while I ran over and got a burger. What great customer service. Not sure if it was because I was local as I find out a few of the reps I spoke with lived near me, however I believe that this is an example of their great customer care. I was tremendously pleased with the way I was treated. I could not ask for anything more. Side bar one of the reps was surprised that I had 1250 hours on my projector which puzzled me. Again I am tremendously please with the customer service that BENQ provided me. Now back to watching the projector

Great news, picked up my 8720 projector today from BENQ they are local in Irvine Calif. I was without it for only 2 days. Everyone was extremely nice. No problems dropping the projector off and picking it up. Come to find out there was a problem with a hinge on the tunnel channel? Adjusted some mirrors everything looks good. They also made a couple of other adjustments. As times goes by I will make sure everything work as it should. I had also asked that they update the firmware as I had the 1.12 which unfortunately they did not do. Once I asked them to go back and update it they went ahead and installed it while I ran over and got a burger. What great customer service. Not sure if it was because I was local as I find out a few of the reps I spoke with lived near me, however I believe that this is an example of their great customer care. I was tremendously pleased with the way I was treated. I could not ask for anything more. Side bar one of the reps was surprised that I had 1250 hours on my projector which puzzled me. Again I am tremendously please with the customer service that BENQ provided me. Now back to watching the projector

Great to hear the customer service was positive. How did they handle honoring the warranty etc?

Was the surprise due to 1,250 hours in a very short amount of time of just in general? Pehaps it was due to not have it fixed earlier.

Warranty was a no brainer I gave them my serial number they checked it in there system and that was it. No need for a receipt nothing First time I had it repaired. I bought this projector from Jason at AVS last July It was very smooth. As far as the surprise at 1250 hours I got the impression he was pleasantly surprised that I would use it that much in a year

Well it looks like I'll be joining the ranks of the 8720 club.If the deal goes through.

I'm looking to do a CIH. The original vertical stretch will be 72"x42" . I'll then stretch it to 100" wide with an Aussiemorphic lens onto a SMX AT screen.

My next step after the PJ is finding a compatable SD or HD DVD player.....thoughts ?

KG