I asked this previously but I think it got glossed over.

For those of you "upconverting" with this projector, what DVD player are you using that will allow you to upconvert via Component cables? Are you instead using some kind of switcher for HDMI to Component? All of the upconverting DVD players I've seen only handle the upconversion via HDMI for "copyright" protection.

I watched Revenge of the Sith last night in HBO-HD and my DVD copy just no longer compares (run through a Sony HDMI-upconverting carousel DVD player)...would love to see how the DVD looks upconverted.

I'm upconverting (beautifully) through my HTPC, but I'm assuming you don't want to go that route.

I seem to remember when I was considering an upconverting STB, I found several that would do it...with a hack (and sometimes older firmware). I seem to remember there was a Zenith or two as well as a couple of Samsungs. I don't remember if the Toshibas could do this or not (I was looking at all entry level units).

After a quick search, I found a couple threads that may be of interest here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=545901) and here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=489248).

Hope this helps.

I have a Zenith DVB318 which can upconvert over component with the older firmware, IrmoGamecoq. I currently use it in conjunction with an InFocus X1 projector.

What I would like to know, is (I asked this a week or so ago, but it probably just got lost in the conversation)... for those that have the Zenith DVB318 (or any other player), can the Sharp XR10 (XR-11C) electronically stretch all of the pixels of a 16x9 image into it's 4:3 chip? I use an anamorphic lens and if I buy the Sharp, I would like to use all of the panel's 1024x768 pixels without wasting any on black bars.

Anyone? :confused:

I use an anamorphic lens and if I buy the Sharp, I would like to use all of the panel's 1024x768 pixels without wasting any on black bars.

Anyone? :confused:

Hi Max,
As long as you feed it a 4x3 signal the 'resize' option works, even from an HTPC. You should have no problems stretching the image (making people taller/skinnier) and using an anamorphic lens to restore. Whether you get some under/overscan and proper lens alignment may be another story. You may recall the 'chinese' guy uses a 4x3 sharp also with his 1.33:1 anamorphic lens.

Hi Max,
As long as you feed it a 4x3 signal the 'resize' option works, even from an HTPC. You should have no problems stretching the image (making people taller/skinnier) and using an anamorphic lens to restore. Whether you get some under/overscan and proper lens alignment may be another story. You may recall the 'chinese' guy uses a 4x3 sharp also with his 1.33:1 anamorphic lens.

Thanks for the quick reply CMRA! If I understand you correctly then, (and I was a bit puzzled by the XR10 operating manual) I must feed the Sharp a 4:3 signal (720x480; 1024x768), and not a 16:9 signal, in order for the 'resize' (stretch to fill all micromirrors) option to work...

...so therefore, I cannot feed the Sharp an upconverted 1080i 16:9 signal with my Zenith player and expect to be able to fill all the micromirrors on the projector's DMD chip? A 1080i signal will permanently letterbox the image on the projector to 1.77:1 with inactive micromirrors at the top and bottom?

I just want to make sure about this before I make the purchase.

Thanks for the quick reply CMRA! If I understand you correctly then, (and I was a bit puzzled by the XR10 operating manual) I must feed the Sharp a 4:3 signal (720x480; 1024x768), and not a 16:9 signal, in order for the 'resize' (stretch to fill all micromirrors) option to work...

...so therefore, I cannot feed the Sharp an upconverted 1080i 16:9 signal with my Zenith player and expect to be able to fill all the micromirrors on the projector's DMD chip? A 1080i signal will permanently letterbox the image on the projector to 1.77:1 with inactive micromirrors at the top and bottom?

I just want to make sure about this before I make the purchase.

From an HTPC, yes.
As far as DVD players go, I have tried two. Pipe in your signal, and elect a choice of three scaling options: "normal, stretched, and bordered". Select "normal" for your widescreen DVDs and add your anamorphic lens to compensate. (To expand your compressed image)
I can't speak for the Zenith. My Skyworth scales fine at 480, 720 and 1080 via component.

Great! So the Sharp's 'normal' mode will anamorphically fit a widescreen 1080i signal into its XGA panel. Sounds like this projector will work for me, then. Thanks for your time, CMRA!

Thanks for the posts guys, I'll check it out.

I asked this previously but I think it got glossed over.

For those of you "upconverting" with this projector, what DVD player are you using that will allow you to upconvert via Component cables? Are you instead using some kind of switcher for HDMI to Component? All of the upconverting DVD players I've seen only handle the upconversion via HDMI for "copyright" protection.

I watched Revenge of the Sith last night in HBO-HD and my DVD copy just no longer compares (run through a Sony HDMI-upconverting carousel DVD player)...would love to see how the DVD looks upconverted.

I use an LG DVB418 for upconverting.
With a simple firmware update and some remote control codes, you can get it to outout 720p and 1080i via component.
It looks pretty darn good! Not HBOHD good, but quite nice for the price, IMO.

I use an LG DVB418 for upconverting.
With a simple firmware update and some remote control codes, you can get it to outout 720p and 1080i via component.
It looks pretty darn good! Not HBOHD good, but quite nice for the price, IMO.

I am considering the LG player. Do you use 720p or 1080i? Is there a VERY noticeable improvement over 480p? How about a %.

I am considering the LG player. Do you use 720p or 1080i? Is there a VERY noticeable improvement over 480p? How about a %.


i prefer the 720p on my upconvering LG LDA-511...I play over component. about 15-20% noticbly better than 480p IMO

Thanks for the suggestions! But, where are you guys finding those LG players? Neither CC or BB are showing any matches for either of those model #'s.

Some things get better with time. Some by swapping out hardware. So it is with matching DVD players to projectors. (And, other display devices for that matter)

So, you like LOTR-ROTK? And, you love your Sharp. What about your DVD player?
I hooked up my Tosh 5970 I normally reserve for my h31. You know something? These two really do like each other. Or, in other words, ROTK has NEVER looked better over here.

All this on the eve of HDDVD. Yeah, I made up my mind. What's held me back are the limited selections and some chatter of a price drop. The Tosh HD-A1 is in my sights. Buying suggestions?

I just bought this from Costco for $ 600 !! and will be using it in my basement. I have Wood paneling and no ambient light issues. It was a sparingly used floor model that was on display for abt 2 weeks according to Costco. Same product as XR 10X or XR 11X.......

The room is about 12 feet wide and 22 feet long. I have connection for HD box and Progressive Scan DVD. Questions:

What is the best screen size that you can advice looking at the room size?. Obivously the bigger the better without compromising quality.

I am looking at hanging the screen from the ceiling and using a manual screen that will wind up manually. Any particular brand under $150?

I am a little confused about the screen type too. Should I get a screen that is widescreen 16:9 or letterbox 4:3?. Obviously I dont want to loose any section of the image for HD and Widscreen DVD. If I did this, how will the normal TV and non widescreen DVDs be displayed?

Do you reccommend that I use nD2 filter?

What mode should I keep it in ( standard, movie, etc)?

Do you reccommend that I do the THX tests?

My plan is to use Input 1 for the DVD and Input 2 for the HD. Should I get similar component wire similar to the one already in the box (3 pin RCA with 15 pin D sub) and whats the best place to get it?

Is it possible to have soft lighting in the room without affecting image?


This is a great thread and I based my decison to by my 1st projector on the reviews here ( was trying to convince thew wife for the last 6 mos!!).

Thanks for your suggestions...

I'll ignore any questions I can't help you with at all...

What is the best screen size that you can advice looking at the room size?. Obivously the bigger the better without compromising quality.

My opinion here is that it's going to depend largely on your tolerance for screen door effect. Probably start with the calculators at Projectorcentral...that will at least give you a ballpark figure on what you're looking at.


What mode should I keep it in ( standard, movie, etc)?

Use movie as a starting point, then tweak as needed.

Do you reccommend that I do the THX tests?

If you don't have any other calibration options, then yes. The problem with the THX discs is that they are dependent on the mastering process for that particular DVD. So one DVD's settings may not be best for another. Something like Avia or Digital Video Essentials will give you better results, but I realize they are not cheap. In any case, you will probably only need to change the contrast and brightness settings anyway.

Is it possible to have soft lighting in the room without affecting image?

My understanding is that ambient lighting will ALWAYS affect the image. However, this projector does have enough lumens to tolerate quite a bit. Although my room is dim during the day, it is by no means a cave, and I still get a very pleasant image.

Big Daddy
Welcome to the XR10X club.

Your room is about the same size as mine and I’m projecting to a 72x96 screen and seating is at about 12 to 14 feet and I haven’t had any problem with SDE nor have any of my viewers. It is perceivable at that distance if the picture goes to pure white but under 99% of movie viewing I never even think about it. I would highly recommend a 4:3 screen for several reasons. First being it’s a 4:3 projector and why not have the screen if you want to view some 4:3 material. Secondly when viewing other aspect ratios you will be able to shift the image up or down on the larger screen to suit your seating better.
Personally I have done a good deal of testing on this projector with screen colors and gains and if you want to read about that there are several links below in my signature line and also a photo page that shows a DIY screen built around this projector.

Ambient light rejection if there is such a thing is obtained thru the screen more so than the projector IMO. The projector has the lumens to work with the proper screen to allow you a great deal of selectively placed room lights and still have very good viewing. I tend to think of it more as “ambient light overpowering” with a proper screen you will not need a ND2 filter and IMO using the filter unless you plan on a totally darkened viewing room and you already have a too light and high gain screen you are trying to use, is counter productive to all the lumens you have available.

I recommend starting out in eco-mode and with a screen designed to have the light level slightly diminished in the settings. This will give you room for adjustment throughout the life of the lamp as dimming occurs.

I used the cable provided with the projector and extended it another 20 feet without any problem. There is great advice all thru this thread on hook ups.

Go to the sharp web page and download the throw distance calculator they offer it covers all the Sharp projectors and the information it provides is correct. Some of the information contained in the box has been found to be not correct as to drop height and throw distance.

My friend recently bought this projector and we will be building him a screen. We are going to do something different and this is what I would have done if I had thought of it then. We are going to build a screen to a size that takes full advantage of the XR10X’s zoom range. In other words it will be a screen that size is wider than a 4:3 aspect ratio and when viewing 4:3 material it will be adjusted to one end of the zoom setting and will fill the screen top to bottom with small bars to the side. When viewing 16:9 or widescreen it will be zoomed the other direction and fit the screen width wise with a small bar top and bottom. The only draw back to doing this is the dimensions have to be carefully calculated and the throw distance set right on the mark. I started a thread on this a while back and if you want to read more do a search on my name to find it.

Your wife is going to love it.

Same size as mine. I put projector at 15ft and use Movie mode, no ND filter. Doable Vinyl board from Home DEpot....looks as good as home theater can look.

How did you get it for $600??

Thanks for the suggestions.

I got it for $600 because it was a display model advertised at $ 699. The salews guy said that it was used sparingly if at all. When I went home, I found out that the power cord was missing. I called Costco and they said that I could return it or they would drop another $100 off it.

I called Sharp and they said that the unit used a regular computer or monitor power cord; so I decided to take Costco's offer!!

BTW: any one familiar with DIY Theater product? What are your thoughts on the patented paint product they sell?

Cheers

Costco must be the greatest store ever. :D

BTW: any one familiar with DIY Theater product? What are your thoughts on the patented paint product they sell?

Cheers


Dont use that paint crap. Use a Doable Board found at Home DEpot...its perfect

Thanks for the suggestions.

I got it for $600 because it was a display model advertised at $ 699. The salews guy said that it was used sparingly if at all. When I went home, I found out that the power cord was missing. I called Costco and they said that I could return it or they would drop another $100 off it.

I called Sharp and they said that the unit used a regular computer or monitor power cord; so I decided to take Costco's offer!!

BTW: any one familiar with DIY Theater product? What are your thoughts on the patented paint product they sell?

Cheers
The paint products sold as specialty screen paints from all I have read are good products. They do seem pricey though and I believe you can produce as good of a painted screen with anyone of a number of DIY paint mixes the members over in the DIY screen forum have come up with. As I mentioned above I detail a paint process in the links in my signature below based around the XR10X and the testing I have done. Several have used it with the Sharp and are happy also.

As for the Doable Board I personally haven’t tested it so I wont comment past on it past a point. It may be limiting due to its size availability. 4x8 or 5x10 depending on what your builder center may carry. And also all my testing showed with the XR10’s lumens CR was improved when going to a gray screen. Honestly I have projected onto dozens of surfaces and colors and I have seen very watch able pictures even on cement block walls. Just about any screen will get you 80% of the way there being slightly selective will get you to 90% many people are happy at that point. If you really want to get into the high 90’s of what this projector can do then you have to work on tuning the screen, projector, and room together.

BDO - Welcome to the club!

And if you think about going the paint route, listen to bud's advice above and check out the info in his signature. He's the Van Gogh of the DIY painted screen world, except without all the slicing-ear-off craziness. At least I hope not. :D

Dont bother with any painting or anything like that until you have at least spent the $14 on a Doable board and checked it out. Mre than likely you wont be going back.

Yeah, but scrap...as Bud pointed out, the poster may not want to limit him/herself to the 4x8 or 5x10 boards that doable comes in.

Yeah, but scrap...as Bud pointed out, the poster may not want to limit him/herself to the 4x8 or 5x10 boards that doable comes in.


Touche' I use a Doable screen at 4x7.2

I was told that Do Able board is not available on East Coast. I live in Pittsburgh ( Go Steelers!!) although I dont know what Ben was doing riding a bike without a helmet!!!


Also another question, how big an image can i project without sacrificing image quality?. Right now I am looking at about 110 inches diagonal.

Thanks

I was told that Do Able board is not available on East Coast.

And my understanding is that it extends even farther than that. Doable is allegedly only available west of the Rockies. So I'm out of luck too.

Also is it abosolutely necesary to have a black border around your screen or is it more asthetic? If it is necesary, what width should it be and what material should i use?.

As of now, my screen is going to be 7 feet by 8 feet.

It is going to be made by joining together 2 MDF 1/2 inch boards and a paint solution.

Thanks

Also is it abosolutely necesary to have a black border around your screen or is it more asthetic? If it is necesary, what width should it be and what material should i use?.

As of now, my screen is going to be 7 feet by 8 feet.

It is going to be made by joining together 2 MDF 1/2 inch boards and a paint solution.

Thanks

BDO

How big you can go is more a function of how far back you want to sit and how big of a room you have. Sharp says 300 inches is max. I’m shooting to 120 diagonal on a 72x96 4:3 screen your dimensions of 7ft x 8ft are not in the 4:3 aspect ratio so you might as well go 6ft x 8ft if you are going that route. As for joining two sheets of MDF I won’t say it cant be done but you will have to go to some trouble to totally hide the joint line. I would recommend the paint color I came up with and gain improvement that I detail in the link below in my signature. I also shoot a mixture of aspect ratios in any given night and I am one of the few that don’t use a masking around the frame. If you want to see what the XR10X looks like without masking on a screen larger than the image being projected look at the photo links below in my signature there are a bunch of pictures unmasked and one I took of a very bright image that shows the worst condition and IMO its not bad to watch at all without masking.

By the way I’m just up in Erie. or as the Pittsburghers say “mupear from Pittsburgh” :)

But I will be down in Irmo’s land in a couple weeks. Maybe I should Van Gogh a wall while I’m down there. :D

BDO - Have you considered just shooting straight to the wall? That's what I do. I started out just testing it, figuring I could always had a dedicated screen later, and I've stuck with it. May change my mind, but it's worth a try on your part. Would seem to better than shooting to a jointed MDF board.

Bud - Don't lose any ears while you're down south! :D

Doable?...Walls?...
C'mon now. Sure, you can get a passable image, but...

Know the XR 10/11 can throw out one heck of an image if mated with a good environment and screen solution. You can do better. You must do better.
Head on over to DIY screens and spend an afternoon reading about some great affordable options. Start with the FAQ sticky at the top of the forum.

Why have pretty good when you can have GREAT?

PS: I started out with Doable three years ago. I even started the first doable thread.

Bud:

Didnt know you were so close to da burg. I have a cartenter friend who is going to help me. He promises no visible gap betwen the 2 mdf boards, so lets see.

Irmo: Unfortunately I cant project on the wall as I have a finished basement and the only wall i can project on in a rectagular 12ft by 22ft den is the wall that has a fireplace. So, this weekend, we will be building the screen and putting some legs on it to make it free standing. BTW I went to school at Clemson so I am familiar with good old SC..lived there for 5 years..

Irmo: Unfortunately I cant project on the wall as I have a finished basement and the only wall i can project on in a rectagular 12ft by 22ft den is the wall that has a fireplace. So, this weekend, we will be building the screen and putting some legs on it to make it free standing. BTW I went to school at Clemson so I am familiar with good old SC..lived there for 5 years..

How 'bout that...small world...

Don't worry though, I won't hold it against you what school you chose. :D

finally got a screen!

120" diagonal from fotodiox.. it's fantastic! wow.. what a difference for day time viewing.. definitely can't go back to the blinds now :)

http://www.joshb.net/pics/events/2006-07-birthday/imagepages/image46.html

thanks again everyone for the xr10x suggestions.. it's a wonderful performing unit for me, and for the price i'm simply blown away.. can't believe i see setups which cost literally 10 times what i spent that don't even impress me as much in stores :D

So how do you all have the dvd players hooked up to this PJ? I can't find a view of the back of the PJ. From what I have read I may need a Component to VGA adapter. Is this right?

So how do you all have the dvd players hooked up to this PJ? I can't find a view of the back of the PJ. From what I have read I may need a Component to VGA adapter. Is this right?

It has two VGA inputs, 1 S-Video, and 1 composite. It comes with a component to VGA adapter, but it is only 10 feet long (if I remember correctly), which, if you're ceiling mounting, may not be long enough depending on your setup. It wasn't long enough for me. There would be ways around that problem though.

EM3 - It comes with a component adapter.

Tamale - Nice pic! Big improvement over those blinds...

finally got a screen!

120" diagonal from fotodiox.. it's fantastic! wow.. what a difference for day time viewing.. definitely can't go back to the blinds now :)

http://www.joshb.net/pics/events/2006-07-birthday/imagepages/image46.html

thanks again everyone for the xr10x suggestions.. it's a wonderful performing unit for me, and for the price i'm simply blown away.. can't believe i see setups which cost literally 10 times what i spent that don't even impress me as much in stores :D

Good move, Tamale.
Now, about those walls...and those reflective surfaces...
You think you're impressed now? Wait till you see what your PJ can do without that backflash of light on your screen.

Good move, Tamale.
Now, about those walls...and those reflective surfaces...
You think you're impressed now? Wait till you see what your PJ can do without that backflash of light on your screen.

I’m not a big proponent of the ND2 filter solution with a projector like the XR10X. But when viewing Tamale’s screen shots and knowing he’s living in a place that wont afford him the option of painting dark walls etc. I thought of two changes I would do in his specific case if it were I. First would be the light coming thru around the new screen. I would want some kind of BOC blinds on those windows because like the effect black has around the screen in improving contrast I think the bright light has the opposite effect. And the second thing I think I would consider is adding a ND2 filter. I think all the white in his case is backwashing more than the extra lumens are helping against a light screen.

But I do agree it’s a marked improvement over the vertical blinds even though they might have been a closer shade of gray to what he needed.

yah unfortunately i can't change much at all.. blinds or wall painting..

i hear about this nd2 filter ALL the time.. what does it do basically? just improve black levels / contrast?

i gotta admit, i'm not dissapointed with my black levels at ALL.. even in complete darkness 'black' levels are plenty deep enough for me and the few people who've watched anything on it with me

if it's of any value, i should point out that i am running in eco-mode.

yah unfortunately i can't change much at all.. blinds or wall painting..

i hear about this nd2 filter ALL the time.. what does it do basically? just improve black levels / contrast?

i gotta admit, i'm not dissapointed with my black levels at ALL.. even in complete darkness 'black' levels are plenty deep enough for me and the few people who've watched anything on it with me

if it's of any value, i should point out that i am running in eco-mode.

It's not just the black levels, it's the detail inside the black levels (called shadow detail). It's not good enough to get your black levels lower if it means obscuring the detail information.
Just like in a regular theater the answer is light control.

Here's a quick test/setup. Outside, in the dark of night, string up a white bed sheet away from reflective surfaces. (May require a friend's back yard as apartment complexes are often 'lit up' at night.) Set up your PJ as you normally would and adjust for best image. Redo the same with your current setup.
Report back which you prefer.

yah unfortunately i can't change much at all.. blinds or wall painting..

i hear about this nd2 filter ALL the time.. what does it do basically? just improve black levels / contrast?

i gotta admit, i'm not dissapointed with my black levels at ALL.. even in complete darkness 'black' levels are plenty deep enough for me and the few people who've watched anything on it with me

if it's of any value, i should point out that i am running in eco-mode.

Tamale
I remember you posting early on that altering the room was not going to be a option. That’s why I suggested a ND2 filter that stands for neutral density filter and the 2 is the amount of light it stops from passing thru it. In other words the 2 means only half the lumens will get thru. The XR10X is a fairly bright machine and is capable of going to a much larger screen size than most here will ever use it for. There are two trains of thought on what to do when a projector has excess lumens for the task at hand. And the lumens combined with the screen size gives a number you will hear talked about as “foot lamberts” you can do a search on that and find plenty to read about that. But the conventional wisdom says there is a magic number when reached yields the most pleasing image. Being a business machine and intended to be used in classrooms with some lights on it by its design is on the high end of the foot lamberts scale. And when you go into eco mode you help some and also running in movie mode etc helps. The issue CMRA and I were talking about is once the light strikes your screen its reflected back into the room and to your eyes along with the walls ceiling and everything reflective. Some of that light then goes back at the screen and washes out the good light in the image. I prefer a gray screen that kills some of the light output by absorbing it and at the same time by raising the sheen or gain of the screen slightly makes some of the stray light bounce off at a slight angle to the screen and not back to the viewer. That’s what they are talking about when you hear “ambient light rejection” the other advantage of gray is when trying to project black or dark colors you are really just not sending light. And what your eye sees as dark is a combination of the slight very dim colors being projected and what the screen itself has as a color as seen illuminated by the stray ambient light coming back at the screen. So a white screen trying to look black will look less black than a gray screen. the problem then is what about whites? For some reason the human eye can do two things in your case now it’s perceiving the dark grays you see as blacks and on the other end in the case of a gray screen its seeing a very bright gray as white. This has been tested by myself and others and I believe in the case of very bright projectors the eye can make the adjustment to seeing brightly lit gray as white better than dimly lit white as black. (Irmo) and some others are even shooting to a darker gray than I am with results the find very rich. What I was suggesting was the other approach because you have the screen and are stuck with the walls that perhaps reducing the light from the projector would in effect make your image brighter. I know that sounds wrong but what can happen is when you cut the light back you also cut back the stray light bouncing around the room off the white walls. And in doing so you wont make the image truly brighter but your eyes will open more and see more of the image and less of the washed out re-reflected light. The same with the curtains behind. That light coming in is getting bounced back at the screen. CMRA experiment is a good one to think about even if it may be hard to do and that is outside in the pitch black night there are no surfaces to bounce light back from and it has one path from the projector to the screen and then to your eyes. Anything that misses your eyes goes off into space some place. anytime you wash out a image with stray light its like turning the contrast down on your monitor, and contrast is one of the major things that makes the realistic image everyone is trying to get.

Bottom line is your image looks much better to you than before so that’s all that really counts. If you get the bug to improve it the next step at some point you have a few ideas now of what you could try. Even if you were to borrow a ND2 filter you could just hold it in front of your lens and see if you think it helps. Same way you may notice a great picture improvement during night viewing and say I want that in the daytime also and block the windows better. Its all personal preference.
Good luck and happy viewing Man. You look like your room is loaded for bear in the tech department. “I like it.” :D

First off, let me say that I am a proponent of the ND2 filter (I use one on my XR10). But, as well as reducing light output into the room (and to reflective surfaces), it also dims the picture (not a problem in a fully light controlled room). Because Tamale's room is not fully light controlled, this dimming MAY result in worse contrast. :confused:

The screen is a huge improvement over the blinds!

Why can't you add heavy drapes?

Because Tamale's room is not fully light controlled, this dimming MAY result in worse contrast. :confused:
this is exactly what i was thinking. it might be a great thing to use at night when my white walls are working against me, but i think during the day it would hurt more than anything..

any places you guys recommend getting one from if i just want to try it out? what size is the best for the xr10x ?

thanks for all the insight fellas, appreciate it. :D

I don't like ND added to my lens. I would rather get a screen with lower gain than using a ND filter.
Sharp has no thread to screw the ND so you have to sort of push it in the lens opening and secure it with tape. If the installed ND is not completely flat to the lens you will get focus issue and some other problems. Also some of the light will bounce back on the surface of the first element of the lens and will cause wash out. In general adding any glass to a lens should be avoided unless it is absolutely needed.

The whole purpose of employing an ND is to reduce illumination. An ND 2 filter reduces said by one stop or said another way cuts the 'light' in half. In theory, it should have the same effect as cutting the 'brightness' in half on your PJ.

In Tamale's case, the real concern is controlling all the light bouncing off the white walls/ceilings and reflective surfaces and back onto the screen.
The best medicine may be a visit to his local cinema to see how they meet the challenge. ( I bet they don't paint their walls black.) A little imagination and a artsy craftsy companion may be all that is needed.

Interesting post over at the Home Theatre Blog about viewing HD-DVD via component. It seems our component connections to our XR-10X are safe for 4 more years:

http://www.hometheaterblog.com/hometheater/2006/07/dvd_forum_semin.html#more

I'm quite certain I will have upgraded by that time...

The whole purpose of employing an ND is to reduce illumination. An ND 2 filter reduces said by one stop or said another way cuts the 'light' in half. In theory, it should have the same effect as cutting the 'brightness' in half on your PJ.

In Tamale's case, the real concern is controlling all the light bouncing off the white walls/ceilings and reflective surfaces and back onto the screen.
The best medicine may be a visit to his local cinema to see how they meet the challenge. ( I bet they don't paint their walls black.) A little imagination and a artsy craftsy companion may be all that is needed.

Having a room with low reflectivity walls is the most important factor to increase ansi contrast. Also a shadow box does the same thing which is to reduce wash out by reflected light. ND not only cuts down the light it also increases the on/off contrast which provides a better black level in low APL. If I use ND that would be the only reason I would use it for.

Having a room with low reflectivity walls is the most important factor to increase ansi contrast. Also a shadow box does the same thing which is to reduce wash out by reflected light. ND not only cuts down the light it also increases the on/off contrast which provides a better black level in low APL. If I use ND that would be the only reason I would use it for.

Caspian's shadow box approach is a worthy one. How to implement it with a pull down in front of blinds...that will be tricky.
My thinking was fashionable draping throughout the room. Something that could be opened and closed on demand. (light absorbing colors) Having those white blinds behind the screen certainly can't help either. Masking is a must when viewing in the 16x9 mode.
Oh, and don't forget the ceiling. It's criminal how much damage it can do.

Cannot agree more with your comments CMRA.
I had the 10x set up in an all white room. While it looked good it now looks times better in my dedicated space with black ceiling and mid color walls. No comparisons.

I don't like ND added to my lens. I would rather get a screen with lower gain than using a ND filter.
Sharp has no thread to screw the ND so you have to sort of push it in the lens opening and secure it with tape. If the installed ND is not completely flat to the lens you will get focus issue and some other problems. Also some of the light will bounce back on the surface of the first element of the lens and will cause wash out. In general adding any glass to a lens should be avoided unless it is absolutely needed.

I use a 62mm Hoya ND2 filter and it SCREWS in perfectly. Without it, in my dark room, the light in the room is VERY distracting.

FWIW, I'm still amazed at how much better this projector scales SD content compared to my CRT HD-RPTV.

You wouldn't think the experience of watching SD on a 120+" screen would be better than a 57" one, but it is.

This pj is behind my 53" Toshiba HD-RPTV in every way but size. Sorry can't agree. Perhaps cause my toshiba is well tweaked and not to mention it is about 5 years old.

Caspian - Notice I said it was better on SD material.

Btw, I have a Tosh RPTV too, and it's about 3.5 years old. A 57H82 tweaked out too. Unfortunately, it doesn't do a good job with standard definition cable.

I forgot to say that I run everything other than DVD in 1080i into the Toshiba. My Set is actually a 4x3 with squeeze feature for HD and 480p. I bit that is the difference since it is using full raster hight for SD.

FWIW, I'm still amazed at how much better this projector scales SD content compared to my CRT HD-RPTV.

You wouldn't think the experience of watching SD on a 120+" screen would be better than a 57" one, but it is.

Are you referring to NTSC broadcasts? Or SD DVDs?

Are you referring to NTSC broadcasts? Or SD DVDs?

Cable SD. While technically so I guess, I don't consider 480p SD. Sorry for the confusion.

Anyone using the XR-10X that has HD cable....Please let me know what cables/connections you are using from your HD cable box to the projector for viewing ESPN HD and other HD tv......All I want to do with this projector is watch sports and dvd's. Any input would be great, I'm still a newbie at this game.

There is only one connection doing it all for me and that is its own componenet cable that was in the box.
This cable is not the best but I am using it anyway.
FYI it is component (RCA) on one end and VGA on the other end.

I saw that an HDMI with Component and one end was specially made by someone on projectorpeople ..... anyone know if thats a good idea for HDTV viewing with the
XR-10X

-First time poster

I'm really sorry to get in the way, but this question is extremely important to me right now.

I need to know about the Warranty, exactly how it is and if it covers the BULB.

I'm a member at Costco, they don't have the sharp projector at the warehouse, but I can order it from their website. Will I be able to order it from there with the extended warranty (if Costco has one) and if anything goes wrong with the bulb after 90 days, can I just take it to the warehouse for a return or replacement of the bulb?

Also, is there any other big-box store that has a warranty that will cover the bulb for about 3 years or so, even if not that long please tell me information, just want to know if the warranty actually goes in our favor.

I'm not rich or anything, so I'm just trying to invest money on a product that can atleast last me 3 years by using the warranty.

Does anyone have any pictures of them playing on xbox 360?

PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!! and Thanks!!!

Normally extended warranty does not cover bulb but individual stores may vary. Check with Costco locally to see if their extended warranty covers bulb. Sam's Club does not cover bulb on their extended warranty. In a way this makes sense as bulb is consumable and not really warrantable.

The warranty is 3 year with 2 year swapable with refurb. vs. new (depends how old your PJ is when the warranty is requested). The 3rd year is repaired with parts and labor only (no swapping). Bulb has 90 day warranty.

Normally extended warranty does not cover bulb but individual stores may vary. Check with Costco locally to see if their extended warranty covers bulb. Sam's Club does not cover bulb on their extended warranty. In a way this makes sense as bulb is consumable and not really warrantable.

The warranty is 3 year with 2 year swapable with refurb. vs. new (depends how old your PJ is when the warranty is requested). The 3rd year is repaired with parts and labor only (no swapping). Bulb has 90 day warranty.

I might have understood that wrong, but are you saying that if the bulb goes bad at exactly one year or so, I can go and swap the projector for a new one or so. Sorry if I understood that incorrectly.

No warranty after 90 days on bulb. Machine is covered for 3 years but for first two years it is covered under express exchange excluding the bulb.

Extended warranty purchased from the retailer may cover the bulb. I know the one at CC does and I specifically asked them about it since it's not expressly excluded from the documentation fine print. Of course, they could always deny it when that time comes around...we'll just have to see.

There was discussion in another thread a while back about someone who did in fact have CC replace their bulb at no cost.

The root issue with alot of these chains is that it seems, in general, no one at the sales level (or even lower levels of the warranty departments) seems to really know for sure. The guy who had his bulb replaced by CC had received conflicting reports all the way until he got to the end of the process. At Sam's, I think it was Bud who was told bulbs were covered, while I was told (after much shuffling of feet) that they weren't...although if it blew early, I could simply return it.

So unless you are specifically buying a bulb warranty (I know at least one online retailer offers such), getting your bulb replaced by warranty is likely going to be a very hit or miss proposition.

If you are in fact told by a sales rep that it is definitely covered, make sure you get it in writing from the manager on your terms and conditions printout (there is usually a space for additional comments, I believe). This will offer you some level of protection should the claim later be denied.

ORPhD’s comments are exactly correct. I think I was the first one to bring up the subject when buying a XR10X. If I knew then what I know now I would have got something specific in writing. Both the sales kid and the manager did tell me it was covered and when I pushed them with “are you sure and when did you last replace one?” I got the answer that they never did a projector yet but have done dozens of RPTV bulbs and never had any issues with not replacing them. So I figured good enough. I’m not loosing any sleep over it ether way and in time we’ll find out I guess.

At 70 bucks (and I almost never buy them) it’s still not a bad deal for the peace of mind. I kind of looked at it like if the projector would have cost 70 more I still think it would have been a great deal. I didn’t know I was going to like it as well as I have when I bought it. But on hindsight it’s one of the best purchases I have made in a while

There is another thread running about turning the projector of when not being used for a short time and how long is long enough etc. it’s a good read if you are interested in maximizing bulb life. I posted over there that it’s about 10 cents per hour of use. When you look at it in those terms its not such a bitter pill to swallow when you do get hit for the bulb.

On another note I have been looking at some of the newer Sharp projectors. I see they have sealed optics also and spec wise don’t seem to offer much more than the XR10X has in fact one model looks like its built around the XR10X platform same case same buttons etc. but they seem to be priced more in line with the non business competition. I can’t remember all the newer model numbers right now
I was just wondering if anyone else was watching the Sharp offerings and what is going to be the next XR10X down the road? I have never bought a lot of Sharp products before but I do have to say when update time comes I’ll be looking at them.

There is another thread running about turning the projector of when not being used for a short time and how long is long enough etc. it’s a good read if you are interested in maximizing bulb life. I posted over there that it’s about 10 cents per hour of use. When you look at it in those terms its not such a bitter pill to swallow when you do get hit for the bulb.


I'm not following here, Bud. It's better to leave the projector on than to use it for a short period of time?

I'm not following here, Bud. It's better to leave the projector on than to use it for a short period of time?

I should have linked the thread so here it is http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=698314

There is some good info in there on tips to maintain bulb life but basically they are saying each time you fire the bulb up takes about two hours off the expected life. The run time is a factor but a bigger factor is the start and stop. So if you watch a movie and plan to watch another in 3 hours you may be ahead of the game to leave it run. Also powering down do to a power loss is very hard on the bulb due to the fans not having the cool down time.

sorry for jumping around a little in that last post. ;)

Very interesting, would've never known there was a 2 hour decrease by just turning it on. Sure wish they could lower lamp prices to around $150.. =/

After purchasing this pj, later down the road I might consider building my own pj.. atleast the bulbs would cost me $50 for 10,000-20,000 hours per bulb.

No worries, Bud. Thanks for the link, interesting reading...

The XR10 makes some news. Ok maybe not real news but its showing up on some of the DIY screen forum posts and its garnered pretty high marks from one of the long time screen makers over there. Most of Mman efforts over the last few years have been in the way of producing ambient light controlling DIY screens. I know a lot here don’t frequent the DIY pages and I thought I would provide the links below to the discussion and photos. He is currently working on a small painted in place screen and used the DIY paint system called (Black Flame) it’s a gray surface that contains layers of translucent paints that contain metallic particles. The first set of pictures is not the XR10 the latest set added is.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=701330

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=700402

Bud,

Since I know you spend alot more time in DIY screens than I do and you've already opened the door for discussion, I do have a question. Did you ever find/come up with a simple explanation for what the silver metallic specifically does? I know there was a thread about this at one point, but skimming it didn't yield the straightforward answer I was looking for. I'm hesitant to ask the question again in DIY in order to avoid alot of the pompous discussion/bickering on pigments this and molecular that.

Bud,

Since I know you spend alot more time in DIY screens than I do and you've already opened the door for discussion, I do have a question. Did you ever find/come up with a simple explanation for what the silver metallic specifically does? I know there was a thread about this at one point, but skimming it didn't yield the straightforward answer I was looking for. I'm hesitant to ask the question again in DIY in order to avoid alot of the pompous discussion/bickering on pigments this and molecular that.

Its only theory and speculation on my part and another member Movielvr2006 part but what we believe happens in these paints is that the metallic particles they could be any number of materials mica being one and mica is not really metallic but we lump them all together. But basically they are flat tiny mirrors and due to purely random orientation some align them selves at roughly 90 degree angles to each other. When that happens those two act together and become retro reflective. When there are millions of flakes in a paint mix some percent line up right and produce an overall gain in the screen. The bottom most layer of the screen is a mirror or high reflective surface and in theory light making it past the metallic comes back out thru the layers of paints as colored light. The fact that the combined layering gives the screen a gray appearance under room lights helps with perceived blacks and combats ambient light.

My screen is neutral gray with no metallic in it and I’m of the mind set that with excessive lumens as the XR10X produces :) (there I did make this post on topic) :) that an excellent ambient light combating screen can be made much simpler than these metallic screens.

But a case can be made saying add the metallic and then the outward appearance of the screen could be made even a darker gray thus improving the ambient problem more so.

IMO who would benefit from a Metallic screen “BF” the most with a XR10X would be the sports bar , or the guy trying to use one in a living room setting with only partial light control. In my case I wanted to be able to use my projector in a totally light controlled room but then I wanted to be able to selectively add lighting back in at the viewing end of the room. Lets face it pitch black is nice for a movie but watching the fights or football eating pizza with your buddy’s its nice to see what you are doing and still be able see a bright clear image. I found that in my case with my screen size this could be accomplished with what I did. I haven’t painted a BF screen yet so I’m not going to try and put a number on the percent improvement you could see with one, first because I don’t know and secondly it would be dependent on how bad your light control is in the room.

That’s my take on this in a nut shell. And some here may want to experiment with such a screen with this projector and I would whole heartedly tell them to give it a try. The more timid about building a screen and painting I would advise going more the way I did.

Great, this is EXACTLY the type of information I was looking for. I knew it increased gain, but under my room conditions (fairly wide viewing cone, typically minimal ambient light) I didn't see an increase in gain helping me that much.
My screen is neutral gray with no metallic in it and I’m of the mind set that[...]an excellent ambient light combating screen can be made much simpler than these metallic screens.
And this is exactly what I was hoping to hear.
The more timid about building a screen and painting I would advise going more the way I did
And (despite being impressed with others' efforts) since I certainly would consider myself to be in this category, I'm especially thankful for your advice. I'm rapidly getting to the point where I will need a screen (the walls will go from off white to dark green likely next week), so I'll be re-reading your threads quite a bit.

In other news, I've been messing with ffdshow and avisynth's limitedsharpen alot over the past several weeks. I've never been so satisfied with the 10X. If DVD can look this good, I can't wait until I actually get to see some true hi def material on it.

Well, at about 100 hours, it looks like my bulb blew :eek:

Very strange behavior happened (HTPC shut off at the exact same moment as the PJ bulb went it seems), but there was no power loss, no beeping from the UPS and no discernable power surge. So I don't know what to think. :confused:

I guess I'll mess with it tomorrow when the bulb cools down (if there's even one left).

Update: I'm now hoping that my bulb is in fact fine, even though the troubleshooting guide would seem to indicate otherwise. I'll be able to make a final determination later today when I give it a shot.

Perhaps this is old news and I just never noticed it posted before, but I figured I would post something in case this happens to another. First some more detail.

The picture suddenly died and as soon as I looked up at the projector, the bulb light was on (and stayed on). Of course, the other thing I found strange was that the sound went off at the same moment (indicating my HTPC had shut off, which in turn seemed to indicate some sort of power issue). Here's where things get a little interesting. The first thing I did was go to the troubleshooting section of the manual. The symptoms I had (sudden loss of image followed by an immediate solid red lamp light) were an exact match for the "replace the bulb" solution.

Well, it turns out that the solid red light and loss of picture can also indicate "the lamp has shut down abnormally," which does have a simple solution that doesn't involve forking over more money or at least some hassle for a new bulb. Since something weird happened with my HTPC too, I'm inclined to believe this is in fact what happened. In any case, I'll know more later today when I try to watch a movie.

You had a very short power interruption. I have had that many times.
Unplug the PJ for 30 second and plug it back in. You will be good to go.

You had a very short power interruption. I have had that many times.
Unplug the PJ for 30 second and plug it back in. You will be good to go.

Yikes!!!! I don't know if that is good news or bad news. Just in case, wouldn't it be prudent to let the lamp completely cool to room temp before striking again?

After about 4 hours of movie viewing today, I can verify my bulb is fine. CaspianM's advice worked like a charm (although I didn't do a hot bulb strike).

Yikes!!!! I don't know if that is good news or bad news. Just in case, wouldn't it be prudent to let the lamp completely cool to room temp before striking again?
I had several nanoseconds interruptions that were not visible by eye last few months.
If that happens Sharp will do to cooling mode and don't allow restrike of the bulb until it cools down the light engine. Once that is done it won't let you turn the pj on unless it is unplugged and replugged back. Its cooling not only timer controlled it is also thermostatically detected. So no matter what once bulb is interrupted it won't allow another power up until the cool down (forced by its fan or naturally in room) is done and manually reset the protection circuit by unplugging the power cord. Most likely most PF's are such.

My screen is neutral gray with no metallic in it and I’m of the mind set that with excessive lumens as the XR10X produces :) (there I did make this post on topic) :) that an excellent ambient light combating screen can be made much simpler than these metallic screens.

But a case can be made saying add the metallic and then the outward appearance of the screen could be made even a darker gray thus improving the ambient problem more so.


My screen is an even darker gray than Bud's (Sherwin William's "Proper Gray") and I can say that I've been impressed with the "viewability" of my screen in situations where ambient light is higher than desired. Of course, it looks best in low light situations.

My screen is an even darker gray than Bud's (Sherwin William's "Proper Gray") and I can say that I've been impressed with the "viewability" of my screen in situations where ambient light is higher than desired. Of course, it looks best in low light situations.

I agree with Irmo I selected my gray shade for the XR10 based on the white level I wanted to maintain and my expectations of no outside source of ambient light making it into the room. It’s kind of like when you calibrate your projector you should do it under the ambient light level you will be viewing at.

I came home to catch the last half of the British Open yesterday and found the women folk working in the projectors room on a project. I could have went to the 32 inch CRT set but thought I would try out the projector with the (8) 60 watt can lights in the room on. I was going to barter over shutting the 4 off in the screen end of the room but the picture wasn’t to bad. It would have been awful with a movie that was dark but for a bright sports image it was pretty bright, the colors were washed out I’m guessing 40%. I watched a couple hours like that. I know if I had Irmo’s gray with my top coat it would have even been better. And with Mman’s BF it could have looked even better.

My compromise was to go as dark of a gray as I could and see virtually no change in white as compared to a white screen sample in total light control. If you have a slight ambient light problem and can tolerate slightly less bright white and or are shooting to a smaller screen in area than I am, going a few shades darker could be perfect for you. One of the things I factored in was that I expect the bulb to dim in brightness some with time. I actually started at what I was thinking of as a white level that I thought was at the bright end of what I like as white and color brightness. I have no idea yet how much brightness I could loose because I’m still on my first bulb but the screen should be ready to adjust for some of it and then I have the brightness settings and lastly shutting off eco mode if required.

IMO select your gray scale screen with this projector based around your normal viewing habits, allow a little for bulb dimming and you will be amazed when it comes to watching brighter stuff like sports how good it looks with the lights up some. To me movie viewing was my number one concern and then the rest just fell into place.

Bud, thanks for that post. Especially for where I'm at right now, it was very helpful, and I really like the process you used. I've also decided (for various reasons) that I definitely would like to use your mix. Unfortunately, I don't have a Lowe's conveniently near me (yet), and it seems like that was the only place that sells the Silver Leaf you used. So now either I need to put this project off another 2 weeks until the closer Lowe's opens (not a great option) or I need to commit DIY Screen heresy and find a substitute. Decisions, decisions.

Bud, thanks for that post. Especially for where I'm at right now, it was very helpful, and I really like the process you used. I've also decided (for various reasons) that I definitely would like to use your mix. Unfortunately, I don't have a Lowe's conveniently near me (yet), and it seems like that was the only place that sells the Silver Leaf you used. So now either I need to put this project off another 2 weeks until the closer Lowe's opens (not a great option) or I need to commit DIY Screen heresy and find a substitute. Decisions, decisions.

Commit the crime and substitute. Chances are at a new Lowes they wont know how the paint machine works for a month anyway.
Get a good flat/ matte white base and have them add 22/48 oz of lamp black if you want to duplicate mine its spelled out better in the thread.

One experiment we are working on now regards the top coating and we think painting on canvas might let you go slightly higher in gain than painting on a less textured surface. Trying to set up an experiment to see if that is true.

I’ll also see if I can cross reference Irmo’s paint to a neutral gray, that will give us a baseline for a darker shade.

Don't mean to derail the excellent DIY-screen talk, but has anyone had any luck programming the Sharp into a universal remote? The one issued from Time Warner can't seem to pick it up.

It's not a big deal, and I don't even know how the TW remote would handle the process of having to press the "standby" button twice to turn it off, but I thought I'd ask...

Don't mean to derail the excellent DIY-screen talk, but has anyone had any luck programming the Sharp into a universal remote? The one issued from Time Warner can't seem to pick it up.

It's not a big deal, and I don't even know how the TW remote would handle the process of having to press the "standby" button twice to turn it off, but I thought I'd ask...

I programmed mine just fine into my Sony RM-3100 remote, but then again I also just directly IR copied the commands into the remote, since I figured that the chances of having the codes stored for a buisness projector in a HT remote were slim at best...

I figured that the chances of having the codes stored for a buisness projector in a HT remote were slim at best...

That's what I'm thinking as well...

...but I promise there is a 10X specific question coming. :)

I'm a total newb to this paint measurement stuff, so the whole numbering system makes little sense to me at the moment (0 20 0, etc....huh?). In any case, I know from the Behr Silverscreen thread that it has 20/48th of lamp black, 20/48 of raw umber and 2/48 of red. Now this would seem to introduce color shift that I definitely don't want. Bud, I know your solution was to replace the raw umber in your mix with lamp black. Since this gave you 22/48th of lamp black (with no other colors), am I to assume that your mix is actually significantly lighter than Behr Silver Screen? I'm under this assumption since 20/48 of raw umber would seem to me to be darker than the additional 2/48 of lamp black. If your mix is in fact lighter than Behr SS, this would surprise me since the 10X has way more lumens than alot of the projectors that people use Behr SS with. Since I'm also curious as to the measurements of what Irmo's color has, maybe I'll swing by Sherwin Williams in the next day or two.

Now my question for everyone who is projecting onto a screen: if you are one of the people experiencing bowing with this projector (as I am), how are you handling that? And what is your setup?

In fact, now that I think about it, I don't think this has been done before, and I would love to hear what everyone here is projecting onto. Regular wall? Wall with some special mix? Purchased screen? Painted mirror? Cloth? Something else?

After reading Bud's thread and and the threads about neutral greys I went with the following formula using Behr's Ultra Pure White Flat base:

0 20 0 Lamp Black and 0 10 0 Raw Umber.

Per Bombadil - I kept in some Umber to warm the grey. Anyway, the resulting paint looks the same color to me as Silver Leaf.

I am still working on my can lights so it will be a week or two before I paint this mix on the wall. Will update this post with my impressions.

I see just a bit of bowing on my projector but I am sure it is due to projecting on an uneven wall!

Dave

Yep silver leaf had 20 black and 2 umber and yes its lots lighter than silver screen. I have also questioned the wide spread use of SS and there is a good thread running now with screen shots by member tiddler you should read start to finish comparing SS.

There are a few reasons I can think of why SS took off. First is the name as stupid as that sounds. There may be a lot of people also that would much rather have or are more impressed with dark black levels than bright whites. And there could be a lot of people that have some pretty high ambient light levels and need that level of grayness. I’m not really sure.

It is strange though we are sitting here with double the lumens and using half the lamp black. I selected my shade as the absolute least amount of lamp black I could go with for this projector in my room. I’m sure you could easily go to 0,30,0 and have a great image and still some really nice whites. I stopped my gray level at the very first indication of whites changing. In fact the XR10X’s white level can be too high IMO as say on a white screen gain 1.0 so what I did was get it to the point for my eyes the white wasn’t blinding me and then stopped. I think it’s important to view samples for a while before making judgments. Really let your eyes adjust and then watch several different light level images.

Another way to look at it several members are using a ND2 filter with the XR10 and I think shooting to a 1.1 / 1.4 type screen and loving the results. ND2 is equal to a fairly dark gray screen maybe around SS darkness.

Personal preference has a lot to do with it I guess. If you buy a gallon 0,22,0 black you can take it back and have it adjusted darker. It’s harder to go the other way. just estimate how much you have used and then add the proportional amount of black to change the mix. Lastly do the top coat if you think you want a speck more gain at the gray level that’s working for you.

As for bowing there was a lot posted about it a couple months back. Mine bows at the bottom only at 72x96 about a quarter inch maybe almost none at 16:9 I think where you mount it in the zoom range has something to do with it. and it.

Jsmcwilliams

All I can say is I didn’t see any color push requiring any umber on my setup. And all my settings are residing at zero after calibration.

I have a HT with a Sharp XR-10S .... works great with a 1.3 gain 120" diag screen ... hooked-up to an XBox 360 in HD ... the Sharp 10S autosyncs to all the resolutions. Doesn't have autofocus - but once you get it right ... you don't need it. The only drawback was that I needed to purchase a special 15-pin VGA/computer adapter/cable set-up to allow the 10S to handle component input. I'm using a Yamaha AV receiver/110-AMP to handle the sound - 7.1 channel with all speakers ... awesome. Room has no windows ... so perfect for this set-up. I'm getting requests from friends and referrals to do the same set-up for them. Can't beat this (XR-10S) or the XR-10X for features and price [IMHO]. The only difference between the XR-10S and the XR-10X is that the 10S does 800x600 max PC graphics vs 1024x768 for the 10X. I have the XR-10S ceiling- mounted ... and ... knock-on-wood ... have had no problems with overheating. Have used almost 10% of bulb life in eco-mode ... my family if starting to "fight" over who gets to use our HT .... I have 2 teens ... ages 15 and 17 .... plus me ... who is the techno-geek and researched/installed this from scratch. Hope this helps others who are trying to decide. I invested more money in HT black leather theatre seating than on the projector, AV receiver, cables and mounting accessories (not including the XBox 360 - which we use for the 480p DVD player).

Welcome to the club, Pedro.

Well, I have been away for a while enjoying my Sharp XR10X projector with the camera mask mod and ND2 filter. This forum has been pretty busy lately with all the DIY screens.

I was wondering if anybody else has tried the camera mask mod at all? Anybody come up with any other improvements regarding the Sharp XR10X?

Anybody come up with any other improvements regarding the Sharp XR10X?

I just modded mine with a Tosh HD-A1. Nice upgrade, especially SD-DVDs at 480p.
Oh yeah, HD-DVD looks awesome too...but, you already read that.

I was wondering if anybody else has tried the camera mask mod at all?

What specifically is that mod?

Go to post #282 of this thread and you will see a picture of the mod! Works great for top masking

After 9 months and 1100 hours my first XR11C went kaput. I exchanged it for a new one and have noticed some interesting differences between the two units. First, the new unit has some significant light leakage coming from the bulb door - my first one had no leakage from there. Second, the new unit projects about 4 pixels in a small dot of light outside the screen! There must be something inside the lens structure reflecting the light. Neither of these issues are that big of a deal and I will live with them. But I was just wondering 1) if anyone else ad similar issues and 2) any others who had exchanged units noticed variations.

Nope, I haven't had any of those same issues. Sorry to hear yours died.

I noticed that Circuit City was advertising the XR10X in their Sunday circular yesterday. It's the same price I paid for mine 6mos or so ago...

I just feel compelled to say that it seems each passing week, I love this projector more and more.

The other night, for the first time, I finally had 1) HTPC settings I was content with, 2) dark side walls and a pure white surface for projecting, and 3) a calibration based on the new room environment. I had always had 1 or 2 of these at a time, but never all 3.

It was amazing. Even more amazing than any of the other "amazing" images I had viewed.

What really intrigues me is that I know it can get even better. First, I should be getting an HD tuner card in the next couple weeks. Second, I know a grey screen would likely improve things even more. Unfortunately, talking my wife into that idea would be an uphill battle that I'm not sure is really worth it.

As a side note, while calibrating, I finally saw something CMRA (and others?) have been saying for a while: the color push. I only noticed it because while I was using the contrast/brightness test pattern on Video Essentials, I could tell it wasn't showing a neutral grey. Previously, I chalked it up to my off white walls, but now, it was clearly and obviously NOT grey at 6500. After showing an A/B comparison to my wife, she definitely noticed it as well. 7500 looked much more neutral to me (and her). Thankfully, the flesh tones didn't really seem to be affected much (if at all) by the change.

Awwww, your'e just bumping this thread...in a clever way.
But, why not? Folks on a budget, (or holding out like me until an affordable 1080p solution surfaces) need to know about this PJ. It's a gem. Put another way, you could do a lot worse and have a hard time finding its equal for the price. Nuff said.

Awwww, your'e just bumping this thread...in a clever way.

Heheheh...not really. My main goal was actually to bring a little more attention in this thread to the color shift issue since I know all the recent discussion on that took place in the other thread.

Also, CMRA, any updates on that anamorphic lens project you were (are?) working on? It seems like it's been a while since it was mentioned.

I watched football all last weekend on the "game" setting since it significantly brightened the image when ambient light was higher than normal. I'm willing to lose a little lamp life in return for better PQ for the duration of football season.

I couldn't believe how good the ND/GT game looked on ABC-HD, especially compared to the game (can't remember which) being shown on ESPN-HD at the same time. ABC-HD did a great job and the XR10 held up its end of the bargain.

Whatever the reason a bump or color shift I smiled to see the thread pop back to the top. This projector really disserved an official thread, but I also enjoyed seeing the kind of cult following it gained over time. I remember when me and about 6 others were yelling its praises from the roof tops in here and the only ones reading were the other 6, or so I thought. Then there would be one here and one there joining in.

I personally haven’t seen the color push and every time I watch a movie and think you know I might bump this or that up. The next movie has me changing my mind. And when I do a calibration everything seems ok to my eyes. I’m the big proponent of the neutral gray screen and being fairly new to projectors my screen design quest was severely altered by this projector, thinking it the norm that would be dealt with. I didn’t realize the effect the lumens played into along with the rest of the fine optics and control built into this projector.

I know if there ever was a projector well suited to the methodology I selected in designing a screen this was it.

What I’m not sure of is if my gray selection somehow neutralized any small effect the XR10X produced as to color shift. But I’m convinced anyone in the 120 inch screen size thinking XR10 should see it on a shade like “Silver Leaf” or slightly darker. Irmo used a darker shade and is enjoying good results also and I believe some of the difference is screen size and flatness of the surface painted. His is a wall mine canvas. The canvas I believe allowed me a higher gain with wider cone. But we will both tell you there is a fair improvement over white.

Lately I have been doing the beginning of some testing with this projector on some of the new higher tech DIY paints and so far I’m seeing the lumens are more than enough without needing the help of the other gain enhancing components the new stuff has.

I’m also really interested in seeing someone use a XR10X with an anamorphic lens.

Yeah, I'm still loving this PJ myself, and I'm glad I'm not alone...makes me think more that I made the right choice for me at this time.

Anyway, a few comments:

1) I agree with some earlier posts that recommended keeping the color temp at 7500k rather than at the "recommended" movie setting of 6500K. it makes things look more "natural' to me, especially HDTV. I keep my movie settings otherwise the same, including keeping the Bright Boost at 0.

2) IrmoGamecoq-- using the 'GAME' setting shouldn't alter your bulb useage at all UNLESS you are running the bulb at the default normal setting that the GAME mode uses . The normal/eco bulb settings are solely what decide the bulb burn rate. Just in case you didn't know. ;)

3) My only reservation about using a anamorphic lens is that it won't help with hi-def, since 576P and up material is automatically 'squeezed' by the XR-10x, no choice. Of course, standard-def material would benefit the most to begin with, so perhaps that isn't as big a deal...

I'm still loving this projector myself! It's been great watching the number of users grow over time, and for it to keep it's wonderful reputation.
My quest is to get the wife to approve a black ceiling to go with the dark blue walls.

Also, CMRA, any updates on that anamorphic lens project you were (are?) working on? It seems like it's been a while since it was mentioned.

Funny you should ask as that was the original intent when trying out the PJ in the first place. Turns out the PJ offset is just too extreme for the lens I have.
In spite of that, I kept the PJ anyway. ( I kept the lens also should the future provide a more 'doable' solution.)

Who knows what the future holds?

2) IrmoGamecoq-- using the 'GAME' setting shouldn't alter your bulb useage at all UNLESS you are running the bulb at the default normal setting that the GAME mode uses . The normal/eco bulb settings are solely what decide the bulb burn rate. Just in case you didn't know. ;)


I had thought about fiddling with the bulb setting too, but was wondering what effect it might have on bulb life. That clinches it. Thanks for the tip!

Bud - Excellent post as always. Yes, I'm using a slightly darker gray "screen" (painted sheetrock), and I'm projecting at around 120". Btw, I got your PM a while back, but it said your PM box was full so it wouldn't accept my reply.

Color shift?? Red is somewhat oversaturated in some programs but that even may not be the case. Green seems less (a bit toward yellow) but that is when I a/b with Nec XG1352 that has reference RGB.
The color temp of this pj at 6500K is actually about 7000k. I have a few light boxes that are 5500k, 6500k and 7500k. They are accurate and compare to the boxes the CT is somewhat blue on the top end of gray scale.

Overall this pj is very accurate out of box. At about 300 hrs I ended up leaving everything at factory default other than contrast at -10, brightness -5 (my screen is 1.3 gain). Out of box it is better than IF4805 that was supposed to be accurate.

I have the Sharp XR10X and also have an anamorphic lens. I think you should save your money and not bother with one. The anamorphic lenses slightly distort the images due to being less than 2:1 length or something like that. Anyway there is a slight bow in the image when using one. That bothers me more than any improvement that there is in the picture.

Well, I just got the projector hung. I made a custom mount(needs tweaking) and I am rather impressed. Well, I wasn't at first. Most of the cable channels seemed rather bad. I then switched to the digital channels(time warner :( ) and they look great. Movies are great and I'm happy with the way mario looks :D .

Though, with a throw of a little more than 10.5ft, and being thrown onto an off-white wall, dark scenes are almost not watchable. I bumped the brightness up quite a bit and it seems to have helped. Hopefully the screen will help out greatly.

To those who've done 16:9 masking on their XR-10x, are you still able to adjust the focus with your mask in place? Does it screw up the alignment of your mask every time you touch the focus ring?

I'm having trouble getting an exact mental picture of how your masking mods work. Please explain..

I have a very nice 16:9 imafe out of mine and dont have any mask at all.

To those who've done 16:9 masking on their XR-10x, are you still able to adjust the focus with your mask in place? Does it screw up the alignment of your mask every time you touch the focus ring?

I'm having trouble getting an exact mental picture of how your masking mods work. Please explain..

It isn't a "perfect 16:9 mask". What I use is a camera lens mask and what it does is makes the black area around the 16:9 image darker. You can easily move electric tape around to get to a point where you are comfortable. I am very happy with the way it works for my top masking. I bottom mask by moving up my 4:3 electric screen.

Boy; that HD70 projector sure looks like a major bang for the buck. It would definitely unseat this projector as the current bang for the buck for the past year IMO....

I have this projector and cant see the need for this tape. Can someone explain what type of issues your having that would require this masking?

I have this projector and cant see the need for this tape. Can someone explain what type of issues your having that would require this masking?

Scrapdiggs

I thought about doing this myself and went as far as trying the tape thing just as an experiment to see if I could make something a little better. The reason I was looking at it was not as much masking the screen image as the light spill that hits my ceiling about a foot or two in front of the projector. My screen is tight to the ceiling and the projector is pretty close also. I think a little of this ambient light might make its way to the screen. that was my thoughts. Because of the focus issues something this close to the lens wont give you a sharp knife edge around your image but can be brought down into the black bars a ways and maybe help a little. But honestly with my gray screen there isn’t much light coming from the black bars with this DLP. Like I said mostly it was the splash on the ceiling I was thinking about. Not sure why others are doing it. I planed on making mine come from the mount so you could turn the lens without touching it.

can anyone point me to the calibration tips /posts for Sharp XR-11XC?

can anyone point me to the calibration tips /posts for Sharp XR-11XC?
Mine is sitting pretty much at all factory settings. Don’t know if its my room, screen or the projector but anytime a calibrated it came back to zeros. There have been about 3 or 4 good XR10X threads including this one and each have some on calibration just do a search.

can anyone point me to the calibration tips /posts for Sharp XR-11XC?

Other than brightness and contrast the PJ requires (mine anyway) no adjustment. 7500K color balance looks best to me. Of course, depending on your environment...YMMV.

It isn't a "perfect 16:9 mask". What I use is a camera lens mask and what it does is makes the black area around the 16:9 image darker. You can easily move electric tape around to get to a point where you are comfortable. I am very happy with the way it works for my top masking. I bottom mask by moving up my 4:3 electric screen.

Boy; that HD70 projector sure looks like a major bang for the buck. It would definitely unseat this projector as the current bang for the buck for the past year IMO....

With the tape applied, can you still adjust your focus ring?

Of Course, Remember the tape is on a Camera Lens Mask that I bought in a used parts bin at a pro camera shop. It slips on and off easily as well if you choose not to use it. I also use an ND2 filter on my lens to protect it and improve the darkness of the blacks as well.

Of Course, Remember the tape is on a Camera Lens Mask that I bought in a used parts bin at a pro camera shop. It slips on and off easily as well if you choose not to use it. I also use an ND2 filter on my lens to protect it and improve the darkness of the blacks as well.

Could you bless us with a pix of your creation, if you have not already done so? Perhaps just link us up if you already have. Thanks, CMRA.

I bought a used XR-10X from one of our fellow members 3 weeks or so ago and am loving the picture I'm getting with the projector.

I'm projecting a 92 inch image onto a Graywolf with an ND-2 filter in place and have been impressed with the contrast this little baby can achieve in the right conditions. HD and DVD's look great.

My Xbox 360 looks fantastic, as well.

Another highly satisfied XR-10X owner here!

Could you bless us with a pix of your creation, if you have not already done so? Perhaps just link us up if you already have. Thanks, CMRA.


Take a look at page 10 of this thread post#282 and you will see it.

I bought a used XR-10X from one of our fellow members 3 weeks or so ago and am loving the picture I'm getting with the projector.

I'm projecting a 92 inch image onto a Graywolf with an ND-2 filter in place and have been impressed with the contrast this little baby can achieve in the right conditions. HD and DVD's look great.

My Xbox 360 looks fantastic, as well.

Another highly satisfied XR-10X owner here!

The X10 PQ has to be seen to be believed. Superior to many HD sets I have seen.
It can hold its own against PJ's costing 2-3 times as much.

Mine is sitting pretty much at all factory settings. Don’t know if its my room, screen or the projector but anytime a calibrated it came back to zeros. There have been about 3 or 4 good XR10X threads including this one and each have some on calibration just do a search.


I shoot to a 92" Da-Lite white high contrast and I am at 0's across the board and 7500 color temp.


Once I nail the focus...the PQ is mind blowing sharp and pops right off the screen.

Hi everyone,

I just made the plunge and purchased one of these. I've been trying to read up on the forum as much as possible as to not sound too much like a newb - but alas, I can't seem to find the exact information I am looking for.

I have a XR-10X and I am looking to buy two additions for it; an HDTV tuner, and a DVD player. Now from the posts that I read, I have gotten the impression that I need to get something that "upconverts" to a higher resolution then native 480. I am assuming that this "upconverting" process is for watching DVD's at a higher resolution (quasi-HD).

I have seen that one DVD player that has been reccomended is the LG DVB418. However, someone said that you need a firmware update to get it to work over component. Can someone point me to the firmware update?

For HDTV, I am going to buy a tuner. I have seen this one advertised on eBay: Zenith HD-SAT520 for about $130. It also claims to be able to "upconvert."

My question is, do I need to have both a DVD player and an HDTV tuner that "upconverts" in order to watch HDTV and or HD (quasi) DVD's? Or does one of those components have to upconvert. I guess I am confused as to whether the HDTV tuner needs to upconvert for me to enjoy a descent picture on the XR-10x.

Any suggestions for any HDTV tuners people have had experience with would also be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Big_D

Hi everyone,

I just made the plunge and purchased one of these. I've been trying to read up on the forum as much as possible as to not sound too much like a newb - but alas, I can't seem to find the exact information I am looking for.

I have a XR-10X and I am looking to buy two additions for it; an HDTV tuner, and a DVD player. Now from the posts that I read, I have gotten the impression that I need to get something that "upconverts" to a higher resolution then native 480. I am assuming that this "upconverting" process is for watching DVD's at a higher resolution (quasi-HD).

I have seen that one DVD player that has been reccomended is the LG DVB418. However, someone said that you need a firmware update to get it to work over component. Can someone point me to the firmware update?

For HDTV, I am going to buy a tuner. I have seen this one advertised on eBay: Zenith HD-SAT520 for about $130. It also claims to be able to "upconvert."

My question is, do I need to have both a DVD player and an HDTV tuner that "upconverts" in order to watch HDTV and or HD (quasi) DVD's? Or does one of those components have to upconvert. I guess I am confused as to whether the HDTV tuner needs to upconvert for me to enjoy a descent picture on the XR-10x.

Any suggestions for any HDTV tuners people have had experience with would also be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Big_D


I am a bit confused by your post.

To get great picture quality (PQ) you just need feed the X10 any HD source, perferably 1080i, and enjoy the show.

I have a Motorolla 6412 HD DVR from my cable company. I have the box set to output 1080i....I connect the component outs from the box to the VGA in of the X10. I also use several DVHS recorder/players to feed 1080i material to the Sharp.

I do not use any standard definition DVD's. I have tons of 1080i movies on DVHS and this provides the best PQ.

As far as regular DVD players, most only "upconvert" over DVI which the X10 does not have. Since I have not watched any SD material on the X10 I have no idea how the scaler is in this machine.

If you feed the X10 an HD 1080i signal, you will be blown away by the picture. Looks better than any RP HD set I have ever seen and will stand toe to toe with full rez HD machines.

Thanks for your reply.

I thought that there was a way to get a better DVD picture by using a DVD player that upconverts to a 780 or 1080i - like the LG DVB418 that has been mentioned on this thread.

Others have attached that DVD player through the component (via RGB conversion cable) and have gotten the DVD player to upconvert the SD DVD to a more HD like picture.

I guess I wanted to know if that was also a necessary function of a tuner - as I have found a tuner on Ebay that upconverts - and then I can get a non-upconverting DVD player and run it through the upconverting tuner/receiver. The question then would be would that setup work (would the upconverting tuner/receiver upconvert the DVD signal at that point). Or will I need an upconverting DVD player - and then a non-upconverting HDTV tuner will suffice?

Any reccomondations for upconverting DVD players (and how I get/install the firmware updates like on the LG DVB418) would be appreciated as well.

I am a bit confused by your post.

To get great picture quality (PQ) you just need feed the X10 any HD source, perferably 1080i, and enjoy the show.

I have a Motorolla 6412 HD DVR from my cable company. I have the box set to output 1080i....I connect the component outs from the box to the VGA in of the X10. I also use several DVHS recorder/players to feed 1080i material to the Sharp.

I do not use any standard definition DVD's. I have tons of 1080i movies on DVHS and this provides the best PQ.

As far as regular DVD players, most only "upconvert" over DVI which the X10 does not have. Since I have not watched any SD material on the X10 I have no idea how the scaler is in this machine.

If you feed the X10 an HD 1080i signal, you will be blown away by the picture. Looks better than any RP HD set I have ever seen and will stand toe to toe with full rez HD machines.

I have never heard of a upconverting tuner. If you have a digital over the air tuner just tune to an HD channel when HD material is presented...and you will be set.

There are upconverting DVD players that upconvert over component. I suggest checking the appropriate forum (I believe video components).

I am a bit confused by your post.

To get great picture quality (PQ) you just need feed the X10 any HD source, perferably 1080i, and enjoy the show.

I have a Motorolla 6412 HD DVR from my cable company. I have the box set to output 1080i....I connect the component outs from the box to the VGA in of the X10. I also use several DVHS recorder/players to feed 1080i material to the Sharp.

I do not use any standard definition DVD's. I have tons of 1080i movies on DVHS and this provides the best PQ.

As far as regular DVD players, most only "upconvert" over DVI which the X10 does not have. Since I have not watched any SD material on the X10 I have no idea how the scaler is in this machine.

If you feed the X10 an HD 1080i signal, you will be blown away by the picture. Looks better than any RP HD set I have ever seen and will stand toe to toe with full rez HD machines.

Trust me, it's not to shabby on a 480p signal either from my HD-A1. Sure, 1080 is even better. (or 768p from my HTPC either)
Many here have stated this PJ holds its own in better company costing two to three times as much. No argument here.

If going the HTPC route is a possibility for you (and you can withstand the inevitable bumps in the road), it is WELL worth considering, IMO. And as far as I know, it is the only way to upconvert over VGA component without the need to consider only certain models, hacks, etc. All computers upconvert, and just about every current one is going to do it very well.

Could someone knowledgeable in both the XR10X and HTPC help me in understanding the whole process start to finish?

I guess I have the basic understanding behind the concept and I like the idea of driving everything from a PC with the added benefits of having a 120 inch monitor for other cool PC stuff. But here are the things I don’t understand and I’m sure there are many others in my position so I’ll be the one to ask the questions that they always used to say “there is no such thing as a dumb question.”

Ok I’m in the market for a new PC to be used for HTPC. Is it going to be dedicated to this task or will it double as my daily driver also?

What do I need in this PC special? Cards, CPU, Memory, I/O, DVD drives, etc.

What do I do with my audio?

What do I do about a second monitor when not using the projector?

Is there special software?

I guess I don’t really know enough to ask all the questions I would like to ask about setting up the output to the projector to match the native of the projector to the driver in the PC etc. But there are a bunch of questions there I’m sure.

If I also feed my projector from cable boxes and program recording boxes, how does that tie in?

How many out there are doing this with the XR10X?

What problems down the road will I have when upgrading projectors some day?

Etc etc etc ?

As you can see I’m pretty new to the concept even though I have been reading snippets here and there for years.

Are there any good reads out there on the basics?

Thanks in advance if you want to tackle the explanation. The reason I posted it here is I have received some great help from this forum and know the posters here. And I really think my next step will be in this direction.

Samsung ts-360 is an upconverting tuner. It has biult in ATSC and inputs for component, s-vid, and composite that it will scale to the output you desire.

Could someone knowledgeable in both the XR10X and HTPC help me in understanding the whole process start to finish?
I'll do my best.
Ok I’m in the market for a new PC to be used for HTPC. Is it going to be dedicated to this task or will it double as my daily driver also?
It really depends on what you're wanting to do with it. For me, because of the layout of my room, it's not the most convenient computer for me to use as my primary machine. I still use if for non-HT stuff fairly frequently, though, and it does the job just fine (but I have a CRT monitor hooked up to it as well). Personally, I like to have the computer be for HT stuff and little else.
What do I need in this PC special? Cards, CPU, Memory, I/O, DVD drives, etc.
Believe it or not, I have found the requirements to be fairly light, but again it depends on what you want to do. You can go crazy with post-processing and such, but you certainly don't have to (again, totally up to you). Basically, the general consensus I've encountered is that an nVidia video card (6600GT or later) is the main component. For memory 512 MB is plenty, pretty much any DVD drive will do, a decent tuner card(s) (HD if desired), and I have found a remote to enhance the experience quite a bit. The wireless keyboard and mouse was ok too though, I suppose. For CPU, the more post-processing you do (like image sharpening), the more power you need (although there are some who claim post-processing is completely unnecessary). I like the post-processing quite a bit, and I'm getting very good results with only an Athlon64 3000 (certainly not bleeding edge).

And if you end up using the HTPC similar to how I (and many others) use it, no amount of hard drive storage will ever be enough. I'm currently sitting at just shy of 1TB, and it still seems woefully short of what I need.
What do I do with my audio?
If you already have a receiver, any soundcard (even onboard) with a SPDIF jack will work. Personally, I'm just using the onboard audio card's coax output with a coax to optical converter (my receiver can't handle coax). Works great, although some people do have difficulty getting the whole process working for the first time. If you don't have a receiver, there are various sound cards that can do the decoding for you and output straight to your speakers.
What do I do about a second monitor when not using the projector? My video card (like most I have encountered nowadays) has two outputs (DVI and VGA). I use the VGA to the projector and DVI to my monitor (using a DVI->VGA converter, but that's of little consequence). Nvidia's drivers allow me to simply clone the displays, so whatever is on one is on the other. This is not a problem for me since my CRT monitor also runs at XGA res, but one limitation to the drivers is that they cannot display at two different resolutions. So if you have a nice big, high res LCD, it's not going to play real nice with the 10X...at least not at native res.
Is there special software?
Tons. The good news is, alot of it is freeware (everything I use at the moment is freeware or bundled). Everyone has their own preferences, but after about 9 months of messing with it, I'm pretty sure I have hit upon the combination I'm most happy with (for both software and for settings).
I guess I don’t really know enough to ask all the questions I would like to ask about setting up the output to the projector to match the native of the projector to the driver in the PC etc. But there are a bunch of questions there I’m sure.
The basic issue is that if you have the computer set to output to 1024x768, the video card will automatically scale everything to that resolution (if it hasn't been scaled to that resolution already).
If I also feed my projector from cable boxes and program recording boxes, how does that tie in?
For SDTV, this is outside my area of expertise. I'm pretty sure that it's doable, although I don't know how feasible it is to do things like IR blast the boxes. For HDTV, this is actually heavily related to my signature (although the signature itself is not entirely current as I did recently purchase an HD tuner card).
How many out there are doing this with the XR10X?
At least 4 of us that I can recall.
What problems down the road will I have when upgrading projectors some day?
None that I can think of at the moment. The biggest issues I anticipate for myself are
1) HD-DVD and Blu-Ray support - it's still kind of hazy what way this is going to go with regards to digital rights management and HTPCs, but I don't really care about it at the moment anyway. Certainly in the future I will though.
2) My processor is not quite strong enough to upscale smoothly to any of the HD resolutions using VMR9 (which is typically the best of several ways Windows can use to generate video).
Are there any good reads out there on the basics?
My overall experience is no. I'm guessing this is because the landscape changes so quickly no one sees it as worth their time. The couple useful guides I did use are now dead links. With that said, my personal experience was that just lurking (and not even posting) in the HTPC sub forum here at AVS for about two weeks gave me about 90% of the knowledge I needed to get started.

The array of options can be dizzying at first, especially since one issue often affects most if not all of the others. Just take a deep breath and tackle one issue at a time. If you have any questions, I'll do my best to help, whether here, or via PM. The results certainly can be WELL worth it in the end.

I sit next to the PJ and the fan noise at night drowns all the minuscule sounds coming from the HT.

SO finally i have decided to build an an under the table HUSHBOX for the Sharp XR-10X.:cool:

Has anybody built one for the Sharp XR-10 any inputs or tips or things that i need to look out for. :rolleyes:

Key to hushbox is 1) side or rear exhaust which XR-10X has (otherwise you may block forward exhaust when placing PJ next to projection hole of hushbox), 2) MDF construction lined with fire-resistant fiberglass drop-ceiling tiles--needs vacuuming to remove all dust particles after glueing on back of MDF box, self-adhesive sound-deadening sheets (http://www.amazon.com/SOUND-DEADENING-SHEET-10-x10/dp/B0002ZQGM4 ), or acoustic eggcrate foam (3M spray adhesive is great) to absorb and deadened sound, 3) Silent 120 mm 12v DC fan (http://www.directron.com/sff21e.html ) powered by wallwart AC->DC adaptor (avail. at Wallyworld) at the intake port of hushbox while allowing exhaust port to be passive (don't really need 2 fans in series as one big one will have enough air movements in CFM, lower RPM, and less noise--2 fans such as one in and one out are really inefficient and not worth doubling the noise), 4) Coated optical glass or photographic filter Hoya HMC FL-D at 72 mm or larger will allow projection through with minimal reflection and light loss (it does filter out green which UHP bulb PJ like XR10X is exagerated and enhance reds which is deficient in these type of PJ) (http://www.photofilter.com/hoya.htm#FL-D ) to seal in the noise--if you want less light and not bother with color enhancement, ND2 filter is cheaper and is also good, 6) 16:9 masking with black poster card at projection hole (just don't mask too close to the edges of the 16:9 window or image quality will suffer) to help make areas outside the 16:9 area more black to enhance apparent contrast--better to mask at screen with black velvet or curtains if you can as it gives you a sharper masked border. 7) Make air travel around corners to get out to make sound bounce off deadened walls to reduce escaping noise (i.e. build some partial walls behind PJ before air can escape out the fan exhaust port. This also lessen dust entry into PJ without resorting to AC filter at intake port--cut down airflow so needs higher CFM, 8) some sort of indoor/outdoor thermometer to monitor temp. inside your box (try not to have inside box temp rise above 90'F)

If you want professional hushbox that looks and works great try www.whisperflow.com for about $500.

Allright guys, I appreciate all the posts, but back to my main questions:

Can I "upconvert" with an upconverting tuner like the Samsung ts-360 or the Zenith HD-SAT520 and then just get a standard progressive scan DVD player? Or should I be looking to get an upconverting DVD player like the LG DVB418 and just a standard non upconverting HDTV tuner.

In either case, reccomendations for HDTV tuners and upconverting DVD players (other then the models I mentioned above - or if anyone has any experience with the models above - any advice would be appreciated).

Specifically, for the LG mentioned above, I have seen mention of some "REMOTE HACK" that I don't quite understand.

Thanks!

The tuners you mention do NOT upconvert. The receive ATSC signals and present a HD signal to your TV/Monitor/Pj.

I don't know anything about the Samsung - as someone else mentioned that one. But the Zenith is ADVERTISED in the specs as upconverting.

I wouldn't imagine its upconverting the HDTV signal - it may upconvert the DVD signal as it is a receiver as well.

The tuners you mention do NOT upconvert. The receive ATSC signals and present a HD signal to your TV/Monitor/Pj.

I don't know anything about the Samsung - as someone else mentioned that one. But the Zenith is ADVERTISED in the specs as upconverting.

I wouldn't imagine its upconverting the HDTV signal - it may upconvert the DVD signal as it is a receiver as well.

Indeed you may be correct.

Dave aka ORPhD

Thanks immensely for taking the time to answer all my questions point by point. You give a very good tutorial for anyone thinking of doing a HTPC setup. :)

I will take your advice and in fact I have dropped into the HTPC forum before, like anything new it’s easy to get lost.

“””””I have this vision of a home theater where the back wall is a combo projection room home office and all the gear is out of site and the projector shoots thru the wall like the movie theater. I see it having a door coming out on the top level seating platform / private booth. “””””

OK enough dreaming I’m not quite there yet but a couple years ago I never saw a XR10X in my basement ether so who knows. I like the wireless keyboard / mouse idea a lot.

And I’m assuming the large no huge hard drive is due in part to you downloading movies to view.

Thanks again and don’t be surprised if I take you up on the offer of answering more questions when I do make the plunge. ;)

Bud

Well, my home pc has died, so I have not posted much nor can I put up pictures yet.

I finally got around to building a screen and I will say that it looks ten times better than just projecting onto an off white wall. I bought the wood for $12 and the cloth for $16. I went to Jo-Anne and bought some draipery cloth. It was labled something to the effect of "budget darkening cloth". It was $5.99 a yard. It has the same texture/feel on both sides, but one side is white and the other side is a light shade of grey. I used the grey side. Even with with blinds open, and light shining off of my very light walls, the image is still pretty damn clean. I would have to say that I am rather pleased with my entertainment center purchase. :)

Once I find my usb cable, I will try to get some pictures up. Who doesn't like pictures?

I will take your advice and in fact I have dropped into the HTPC forum before, like anything new it’s easy to get lost.
And I think it's even easier to get lost in that forum than others, because there are so many options.
I like the wireless keyboard / mouse idea a lot.
Just make sure you get one with decent range if that's going to be your permanent solution. I knew that I would be getting a remote at some point, so I skimped on the wireless m/k (got some cheap Logitech for like $10 AR). It showed in the performance (particularly with the range). I knew it was going to be temporary so I'm still ok with the decision, but I am much happier now that I have a decent remote.
And I’m assuming the large no huge hard drive is due in part to you downloading movies to view.
Not downloading as much as ripping ones I already own. I am hoping to eventually rip all of my DVDs to hard drives, and I'm not converting them to Divx or anything like that because you don't want to hurt the PQ at all when projecting so big. For that, figure about 5-6 GB per movie on average. Additionally, every hour of HD that I record is about 8-9GB. So you can see how storage can become an issue VERY quickly, depending on your usage patterns.
Thanks again and don’t be surprised if I take you up on the offer of answering more questions when I do make the plunge. ;)
No problem at all...I'm happy to do it. In fact, it would make me feel not quite so bad about all the time I spent tinkering/reading/experimenting if I was able to save someone else the trouble as well. From reading some of your previous posts, I'm guessing you probably have very similar feelings in relation to your efforts to solve the world's problems through paint ;)

As I thought more about my previous post, I did realize I probably didn't offer enough in the way of specific guidance on where to begin. So I'll do that now. At the beginning of the process, there are basically two issues you will want to resolve before moving on.

1) What do you want to do with the HTPC? Options include storing DVDs, storing music, PVR functions (both SD and HD), upconverting, photo slideshows, gaming, and really just about anything the mind can comprehend. What worked well for me was focusing on a few key functions (storing/upconverting DVDs and HD PVR), and working from there. But you do need to decide what you want it to do before you worry about anything else.

2) Choose an OS. For some this decision is a no brainer, for others it isn't. I fell into the latter category because I really thought I wanted to use MythTV despite a lack of Linux experience. After alot of research, I decided to stick with Windows, and have really never regretted the decision. Each OS though certainly has its supporters.

Hopefully this at least provides the starting point I didn't really provide in my last post.

self-adhesive sound-deadening sheets (http://www.amazon.com/SOUND-DEADENING-SHEET-10-x10/dp/B0002ZQGM4 ), or acoustic eggcrate foam (3M spray adhesive is great) to absorb and deadened sound,


Huey,
thanks for the reply.
Would the SOUND-DEADENING-SHEET make a a difference, they seem to be designed for reducing vibrations?

Is there anyone else out there who has both watched HDTV through the XR10X AND done HTPC upscaling of DVD? How would you compare the two? Here's why I ask.

I finally had a chance this past weekend to sit down and seriously watch some HDTV through my HTPC. Overall, it looked great. But to be honest, it didn't look quite as great as my upscaled/postprocessed DVDs do. Now I realize that I have some MPEG decoder setting and calibration issues to iron out yet, but ignoring the color/deinterlacing problems, I just didn't see the "way better than DVD" results that others seem to experience when watching HD. So am I the only one watching HD and HTPC-upscaled DVDs?

I guess the good news in all of this is that I really am getting a fantastic image out of SD DVD...one that currently surpasses what I get through HD. Even with better calibration, I suspect it will at least continue to come close. This really is good for me since I watch alot more DVD than HDTV...I just find this occurrence somewhat surprising.

I will also make a qualifying statement about something I mentioned a couple posts ago. While a 6600GT video card is sufficient to handle 1080i in hardware with the proper decoders, it does NOT have HDCP compliance. So that is a new future-proofing consideration one might want to take into account. I think to get that compliance, one has to go up to the 7600GT (though I am less certain about this).

And sorry if you feel this post belongs in the HTPC forum. I can understand that sentiment, but I also somewhat suspect the XGA resolution of the XR10X is playing a (possibly significant) role here.

HD 1080i fed from my Moto 6412 box is far far superior to any other source I have fed the X10.

Have you tried feeding the X10 HD directly from your source box, skipping the HTPC? I assume you have a HD cable box or Sat box.

Edit: Okay...I just read your Sig. I have no idea what to suggest :)

HD 1080i fed from my Moto 6412 box is far far superior to any other source I have fed the X10.

Have you tried feeding the X10 HD directly from your source box, skipping the HTPC? I assume you have a HD cable box or Sat box.

Edit: Okay...I just read your Sig. I have no idea what to suggest :)
But your reply is still helpful if "any other source" includes DVD on an HTPC (and not just an upscaling DVD player). So does it? :)

For reference, all of my HD is OTA, pulled in through a tuner card in the HTPC. Signal strength is typically in the high 90's (out of 100). Basically, after getting totally addicted to my ReplayTV three years ago, I simply can't watch TV any more without the comfort of a pause button. Hence building the HD PVR.

I noticed the same thing on my TV. HD from my cable box looks vastly superior to what I pickup over the air. This is true whether I use the TV's built in ATSC tuner or my PC's HDTV tuner card. At least where I live, OTA HD just sucks compared to cable. And it has absolutely nothing to do with signal strength as they all come in strong.

I wouldn't give up on HD just yet; you still haven't really seen it in action.

So, when do we start chatting about the XR10 again?

Pipe in a good signal (other than composite/ s-video), the PJ will do the rest.

So, when do we start chatting about the XR10 again?

Pipe in a good signal (other than composite/ s-video), the PJ will do the rest.


I have never stopped chatting about it. Wonderful PQ.

I have never stopped chatting about it. Wonderful PQ.

I share your PQ opinion. I have often thought about the only improvement I'd want to see on this PJ is better low level blacks. (Well, ok, more resolution can't hurt either) Only dark low contrast scenes suffer. Makes me wonder what its successor might be.

Makes me wonder what its successor might be.
This is an interesting thought especially since it's supposed to be a business projector. I see three possibilities (depending on which direction Sharp wants to go). If they want to continue being a business projector, even more lumens would be my first guess. If they realize how popular this model is with the HT crowd and decide to go that route, maybe something similar to the HD70 gets released. Or they could choose to straddle the fence and simply make a faster color wheel.

Certainly, there's no reason they would only have to do one of these. But of course, there might not be much incentive to release a new model anyway...at least not yet. This thing seems to have more followers by the week.

Has anyone seen both the HD70 and the XR-10x? I'm very curious as to how they compare...

Has anyone seen both the HD70 and the XR-10x? I'm very curious as to how they compare...

Directly? No. But, the temptation sure is there. Optoma PJs have a history of needing calibration/tweaking. From all reports, the HD70 is no different.
Both have 'white/clear' segments in their color wheels, so expect to give up some low level black performance and gain a brighter punchier overall image.

575 vs 720, take your pick but live (or not to live) with steep offset of HD70.
As CMRA said black level in low apl not ansi is what to improve upon and extra rez as a toping.
I am however getting ready to swap to something with better black.

I have two, one in bedroom and one in theater... And they have worked great, I recommend this projector to people all the time, especially since costco dropped the price again. Unfortunatly the upgrade but has bitten me and I'm on the lookout to replace one of the two (although I'm not sure which yet)

So, when do we start chatting about the XR10 again?

Pipe in a good signal (other than composite/ s-video), the PJ will do the rest.

I'm curious about this comment. Do you mean running DVD out through S-Video has BAD PQ on this projector?

I'm buying one soon, and between now and my Media PC build out, plan on running my DVD player over S-Video.

Is this a bad idea? Once the media pc is in place, we'll be VGA.

It comes with component-VGA cable so use that instead. You get a better PQ.

It comes with component-VGA cable so use that instead. You get a better PQ.

Ahh, good then.

I have to go 25' from the AV closet to the PJ. I *was* going to run 1 VGA, 1 SVideo, and 1 RCA cable up there, but you're saying I'm better off with 2 VGA's (one for laptop/future PC, and one for component to VGA) and then the RCA (for good measure should I need it later?)

Obviously, to go from the component-VGA to the standard VGA, I'll need a coupler, OR I could run a male/male cable.

Thoughts?

Ahh, good then.

I have to go 25' from the AV closet to the PJ. I *was* going to run 1 VGA, 1 SVideo, and 1 RCA cable up there, but you're saying I'm better off with 2 VGA's (one for laptop/future PC, and one for component to VGA) and then the RCA (for good measure should I need it later?)

Obviously, to go from the component-VGA to the standard VGA, I'll need a coupler, OR I could run a male/male cable.

Thoughts?

The adapter cable that comes with it is 10 foot long. Most everyone has used that cable and many have lengthened it as you mentioned with a male/ male cable or an adapter. I lengthened mine 25 feet and I used (3) coax cables that I added the screw on RCA adapters to. I didn’t know how well that would work but the PQ is perfect with this setup so I never changed to anything different. I at first ran it over composite with a single cable and there is a noticeable improvement in PQ by going to component, not huge but enough you can see it on still graphics.

I am using a Canare component to component and a 3' female RCA to VGA and works great. Belden and Canare have a thinner version that can be done in a component-VGA fashion w/o the component-vga jumper. Running component signal over a long run has to be dealt carefully IMO. Check with bluejeanscable or monoprice.

It comes with component-VGA cable so use that instead. You get a better PQ.

Don't even think about s-video/composite with this PJ. Go component/VGA ONLY. Add a HdDVD player at 1080 in the 16x9 mode and ENJOY.

FYI, it appears local costco's, at least mine don't carry this anymore. They sell them on the website, and according to the staff, that means they won't have them in-store, usually. They have an Optoma DX605, which has similar spes, one DVI and one VGA connection, so that's good. $799 is the price. I don't know anything about this one though.

KD

Get the 10x from Staples same price.

There is a thread contrasting the 10x and the EP719 (DX 605) that might be of interest. The DX605 has a rebate from tigerdirect making it even cheaper. I chose it over the 10x for the similar/better specs and HDCP-enabled DVI port (and 'cause it's way more portable).

FYI, it appears local costco's, at least mine don't carry this anymore. They sell them on the website, and according to the staff, that means they won't have them in-store, usually. They have an Optoma DX605, which has similar spes, one DVI and one VGA connection, so that's good. $799 is the price. I don't know anything about this one though.

KD

Not having the Optoma I can’t give you a comparison review. But as far as specs go they look pretty equal and as Nightfly pointed out the Sharp weighs about twice as much. I like to think that weight went into quality parts ,but who knows.

The only other thing that hasn’t been mentioned to you is the Sharp has sealed optics. And IMO that is a big plus. No filters to clean once a month is really nice. I also like the side air intake and exhaust. On most projectors there is some light spill out these places and it’s nice its off to the side not at the screen.

I have viewed some Optoma projectors and my gut feel is they are on par for PQ.

So I would make the pick on cost, availability, weight, and maintenance

Not having the Optoma I can’t give you a comparison review. But as far as specs go they look pretty equal and as Nightfly pointed out the Sharp weighs about twice as much. I like to think that weight went into quality parts ,but who knows.

The only other thing that hasn’t been mentioned to you is the Sharp has sealed optics. And IMO that is a big plus. No filters to clean once a month is really nice. I also like the side air intake and exhaust. On most projectors there is some light spill out these places and it’s nice its off to the side not at the screen.

I have viewed some Optoma projectors and my gut feel is they are on par for PQ.

So I would make the pick on cost, availability, weight, and maintenance

Which Optomas have you compared the XR10X to Bud?

My son is shopping for a projector for under $1000 and his inclination is for a projector with an HDMI input because he wants to buy a Toshiba HD-A1 upconverting player. That player doesn't upconvert to 1080i over component and I remember reading that the better picture from the XR10X comes from component out on a DVD player through the vga adapter and into the composite input of the XR10X. Or do I have that wrong?

John

Which Optomas have you compared the XR10X to Bud?

My son is shopping for a projector for under $1000 and his inclination is for a projector with an HDMI input because he wants to buy a Toshiba HD-A1 upconverting player. That player doesn't upconvert to 1080i over component and I remember reading that the better picture from the XR10X comes from component out on a DVD player through the vga adapter and into the composite input of the XR10X. Or do I have that wrong?

John

John,
Component out to VGA in. Two VGA inputs also. PJ comes complete with both component to vga and vga to vga cables.

Not having the Optoma I can’t give you a comparison review. But as far as specs go they look pretty equal and as Nightfly pointed out the Sharp weighs about twice as much. I like to think that weight went into quality parts ,but who knows.

The only other thing that hasn’t been mentioned to you is the Sharp has sealed optics. And IMO that is a big plus. No filters to clean once a month is really nice. I also like the side air intake and exhaust. On most projectors there is some light spill out these places and it’s nice its off to the side not at the screen.

I have viewed some Optoma projectors and my gut feel is they are on par for PQ.

So I would make the pick on cost, availability, weight, and maintenance

Good info. Really, price is no issue, they are the same, shipping is included from the Costco website. I really want to buy from Costco, mainly for their return policy. I'm not one that takes advantage, but have returned a vcr/dvd after 9 months that really never worked right, so having that ability is a good thing, just for the advantage of not messing with warranty stuff if I don't need to.

That optoma is tiny, but I'm mounting it permenantly anyway, so that's not an issue. I really like the sealed optics, and the venting is a big deal, cooler will live longer...

Thanks!

Which Optomas have you compared the XR10X to Bud?

My son is shopping for a projector for under $1000 and his inclination is for a projector with an HDMI input because he wants to buy a Toshiba HD-A1 upconverting player. That player doesn't upconvert to 1080i over component and I remember reading that the better picture from the XR10X comes from component out on a DVD player through the vga adapter and into the composite input of the XR10X. Or do I have that wrong?

John


If memory serves me my nephew brought over an EP 739 he was setting up for a guy and we had the afternoon to play with it. It’s a very high lumen projector and a 4:3 business projector and it was before I had purchased the XR10X but it caused me to see the benefits of the high lumens with ambient light and gray screens.

Then due to several reasons I ended up with the XR10X and could never have been happier.

239 hours (wow) and counting. I'm still rather happy and find it odd going to other people's houses and watching tv. :D

Here's a few pics. The main reason for going with a projector was to try to leave the living room as open as possible. It worked because the living room feels open and unpersonal. :cool:

The picture of the Price is Right is close to noon, with both windows wide open. It's blury because I probably just got done finishing up my pot of coffee.

My xr-11c is on it's way from Costco.com, whoo hoo! Thanks for all the help from the AVS folks!

What the heck!!!!????

What the heck was this thread doing on page 7 ?

Folks gotta know where one of the best values in FP lies. Sheesh.

Since you wanted to bump it, I might as well ask you the question I've had for a while, CMRA.

I know you've been singing the praises of this thing paired with an HD DVD player (much like I have been singing the 10X with HTPC praises). I've been curious though about how exactly that works.

I know that most upconverting DVD players (including the Oppo) only upconvert over DVI/HDMI. I also know that at some point (way in the future) HD DVD software is likely to stop outputting at full res over component. But does the player output upconverted DVD over component just fine? If so, I think this is the first player (or one of the first) that does so without a hack. It would also make it uniquely well suited for the XR-10X. So much so that I might even be willing to concede that the HTPC has some serious DVD PQ competition in the budget bracket. I know the Toshiba HD-DVD players have gotten rave reviews for their upconverting abilities.

As for how Team 10X fell so low in the standings, I'm guessing it's mainly the new wave of projectors, and the unfortunate influx of every possible combination of "How does the new projector A compare with projector B?" threads, where projector B is any projector released in the last 5 years.

You guys haven’t heard singing praises yet. :D

My friend from work and his wife saw mine about 3 months ago and ran out and bought one and it has set in the box till last week. The plan was get the room finished and the screen built and then get the X10 out. He has 25 channels of HD on his dish and last night was the big night.

All I have heard today was praise singing and not just a little. It started off that he couldn’t go to sleep he was so excited about the PQ he was getting. I have received email after email containing screen shots he took last night. And I still can’t figure out how he watched 25 HD shows in one night.

I thought I was pretty happy and my WOW factor was still fairly high but his reaction was off the scale. :)

Anyone reading this owes themselves to at least see one in action. A lot of bang for the buck.

For anyone that missed the thread I posted on Halloween day where I turned the XR10X into a 1000 Foot Lambert light cannon as a fun experiment, can find a the link to the thread in my signature. (bottom one) some didn’t like the approach I took so I added a disclaimer to the opening post. (takes away some of the fun a little) :eek: :D :eek:

X10 has to be seen to be understood :) When Guitarman made the blanket statement that HD material on an XGA machine was " soft and dull" he lost credibility with me. It was obvious he had never seen 1080i on the X10 and therefore should not have issued such a nonsensical statement. WHile the detail is less than a full 720P 16:9 machine, it is anything but soft and dull.

Since you wanted to bump it, I might as well ask you the question I've had for a while, CMRA.

I know you've been singing the praises of this thing paired with an HD DVD player (much like I have been singing the 10X with HTPC praises). I've been curious though about how exactly that works.

.

Methinks you are addressing the HDMI issue (or lack there of in this case on SDDVD). SD at 480p via component looks pretty good. HDDVD on the other hand looks VERY good. (HTPC and HDTV are no slouches either).

BTW, most people automatically assume "upscaling" benefits all displays equally. NOT SO. Most displays look their best when matching their native resolution, hence 480p often looks better than 720p (especially on 480p displays).

The only real wrench I see mucking up the works is the HD70. Perhaps when costco carries one I'll give it a try, head to head, against the XR. I expect trade-offs, rather than triumph for it.

One of my two x10's just died this week after 700 hours... Luckily cosco took it back and told me to order a new one from the web... So I should have an 11x to replace it soon.

Methinks you are addressing the HDMI issue (or lack there of in this case on SDDVD). SD at 480p via component looks pretty good. HDDVD on the other hand looks VERY good. (HTPC and HDTV are no slouches either).
OK, so my question was not probably not as clear as it could have been, so hopefully this one is better phrased. From what you have said, it sounds like you are in fact sending the 10X a 480p signal and letting the 10X do the conversion up to XGA (instead of "down" to XGA from 1080i/720p). Is this correct? For SD-DVD, is the XR-10X scaling up from a 480P image or down from a 1080i/720p image?

BTW, most people automatically assume "upscaling" benefits all displays equally. NOT SO. Most displays look their best when matching their native resolution, hence 480p often looks better than 720p (especially on 480p displays).
I certainly agree with this, and alot of my HTPC resolution tests certainly confirm this (gotta love the flexibility) It is also why I will continue to believe the HTPC is the source to beat.

I have tried 480i, 480p, 720p and 1080i with 10x.
My zenith DVD player combined with 10x produce the best PQ with 1080i feed from the Zenith even better than Toshiba HD-DVD A1 feeding the 10X with 480P.
My guess is 10X doese a better job with down conversion that upconversion. The difference can be seen with Avia or DVE multiburst patterns.

OK, so my question was not probably not as clear as it could have been, so hopefully this one is better phrased. From what you have said, it sounds like you are in fact sending the 10X a 480p signal and letting the 10X do the conversion up to XGA (instead of "down" to XGA from 1080i/720p). Is this correct? For SD-DVD, is the XR-10X scaling up from a 480P image or down from a 1080i/720p image?


I certainly agree with this, and alot of my HTPC resolution tests certainly confirm this (gotta love the flexibility) It is also why I will continue to believe the HTPC is the source to beat.

Currently, yes, and in the 16x9 mode.

Anyway, all this is splitting hairs. The PJ is on trial here and it apparently handles all our signals quite well.

Bottom line for me is it passes my HDDVD viewing requirements handsomely.

Do I want 1080p and CRT CR so I can sit closer to the screen and wallow in 'inky' blacks? Just like the rest of you. One day.

Anyway, all this is splitting hairs. The PJ is on trial here and it apparently handles all our signals quite well.

Bottom line for me is it passes my HDDVD viewing requirements handsomely.



I second that. The difference is not appreciable unless to look for certain things that you already know they are there. I would go with whatever is convenient AFA what to feed the 10X.
CRT and HD-DVD or HD off my SAT is amazingly detailed with more vivid color and contrast. The comparison is really not fair but 10X is a fine fine piece of machine in its own league. It betters my CRT in overall btightness, brightness uniformity and ease of set up.

The comparison is really not fair but 10X is a fine fine piece of machine in its own league. It betters my CRT in overall btightness, brightness uniformity and ease of set up.

Some may even say beyond its league. It only stumbles (for me) in dark scenes with little or no contrast. No doubt the white/clear wheel segment has something to do with that.
On the other hand, what a great gaming machine, as well as a light cannon for presentations or ambient light football games. Yeah, once you go BRIGHT, it's a bit challenging to accept dimmer.

I'm still loving my XR10X myself. Especially with HD. :D

I have a question, though...how's everyone's bulb experiences been?

I'm asking because at 704 hours earlier this week, I was looking at my blank screen after the bulb had warmed up (i.e. the fan had spun down to 'eco' mode), just before watching some DVR...the screen brighness was alternating between slight bright/dim intervals. Not quite flickering, it was slower and more erratic, but it was noticeable.

I checked again later just before powering down (by the way, if it was occuring while I was watching my stuff--including my precious HD episode of Heroes --I didn't notice). I couldn't see those same issues I had seen earlier, so I guess it stabilized.

I've heard that bulbs tend to drop slight brighness over time, especially within the first 1/3 of it's life. I'm wondering if what I saw was a normal 'transition' or otherwise a not-unheard of thing. I haven't had a chance to power up since, so I can't even say that it's a consistent thing.

I've checked around and I see that the bulb seems to be instock around the web, so if the worst happened I'd be okay (at least I wouldn't have to wait too long for a replacement). I know I'm jumping to conclusions here...I've just got a lot of good gaming planned this month, this would really be a bad break.

By the way, the PJ's in a cool clean basement, plenty of airflow. Other than this little concern, it's performed flawlessly in all respects.

11 months and 1600+ hours on mine. No problems.

I'm still loving my XR10X myself. Especially with HD. :D

I have a question, though...how's everyone's bulb experiences been?

I'm asking because at 704 hours earlier this week, I was looking at my blank screen after the bulb had warmed up (i.e. the fan had spun down to 'eco' mode), just before watching some DVR...the screen brighness was alternating between slight bright/dim intervals. Not quite flickering, it was slower and more erratic, but it was noticeable.

I checked again later just before powering down (by the way, if it was occuring while I was watching my stuff--including my precious HD episode of Heroes --I didn't notice). I couldn't see those same issues I had seen earlier, so I guess it stabilized.

I've heard that bulbs tend to drop slight brighness over time, especially within the first 1/3 of it's life. I'm wondering if what I saw was a normal 'transition' or otherwise a not-unheard of thing. I haven't had a chance to power up since, so I can't even say that it's a consistent thing.

I've checked around and I see that the bulb seems to be instock around the web, so if the worst happened I'd be okay (at least I wouldn't have to wait too long for a replacement). I know I'm jumping to conclusions here...I've just got a lot of good gaming planned this month, this would really be a bad break.

By the way, the PJ's in a cool clean basement, plenty of airflow. Other than this little concern, it's performed flawlessly in all respects.

Mine was acting really strange also with a ripple or wave running from the bottom to the top of the picture the other night I sat straight up in my chair and didn’t know what to think it was freaking me out. Being new to projectors I thought here we go I’m watching my bulb burn out. I was really puzzled and I could also hear a wherring noise like one of my speakers was going at the same time. And all I could think of was the power surge that hit me 2 winters ago and I better start yanking plugs.

When I saw the problem. :eek:
My dang wife had plugged in a small electric heater off to the side of the room and the temp switch had just turned it on and what I was seeing was the heat wave running up thru the projector beam and the noise was the silly fan.

This projector is working great and my coworker is staying up way to late watching his new XR10X.

I've yet to try HD-DVD with my XR-10x but will probably take the plunge sometime over the winter with the 360 add on. It's great to hear it performs well with the format.

I LOVE this machine.

One day, 1080p. Until then, I think my Sharp will hold me over.

What considered the best dvd player for this projector? Keeping reading different things, LG, zenith, etc.... Thanks

What considered the best dvd player for this projector? Keeping reading different things, LG, zenith, etc.... Thanks

Thain, it seems to pair up nicely with just about anything I/we connect to it. You can go to the head of the class, however, by patching in an HD-A1.

I've owned my xr10 for a year now (1200 hrs.) and totally love it. Now I want to donate one to my local private pub. I like the sealed optics. A freind of mine has an infocus x1 and is always having to clean the color wheels and the damn thing squeaks all the time. I'm just wondering does Sharp have a newer version coming out or are there any others on the market with sealed optics? I,m on a tight budget.

I'm still loving my XR10X myself. Especially with HD. :D

I have a question, though...how's everyone's bulb experiences been?

I'm asking because at 704 hours earlier this week, I was looking at my blank screen after the bulb had warmed up (i.e. the fan had spun down to 'eco' mode), just before watching some DVR...the screen brighness was alternating between slight bright/dim intervals. Not quite flickering, it was slower and more erratic, but it was noticeable.


Mine does the same thing. It seems that it has to warm up a bit before it stops. Probably a minute or two after it hits Eco mode.

Mine does the same thing. It seems that it has to warm up a bit before it stops. Probably a minute or two after it hits Eco mode.

Thanks for the post! I was wondering if I was just seeing things. I was thinking the same as you...it needs a extra few minutes to fully warm up.

FWIW, I used the PJ this past weekend and it seemed okay. Not that I was really worried, or anything...but this is prime gaming season! And I love my XR10X. ;)

When you turn the pj on it dims slightly after initial power up in about thirty seconds. But that is not what you have noticed your pj doing. If it flickers just run the lamp on high for a couple of hours should fix the problem.

Noticed my sharp was doing wierd things, noisy, not as bright right before it died last week. Waiting on a replacement 11-c from costco.

I was wondering if anyone on this thread and who owned the XR-10X has had any issues with light green or light pink bans of color floating upwards on the screen. I looked in this thread a little bit, but saw nothing. I have about 200 hours on the buld and just last week began to notice the lines. They were never there before. Not noticible during a movie, but while watching hockey or anything with a light background the green and pink lights stand out. Any ideas? I have not been able to be at home during a time to call Sharp asking about this issue.

Have you checked the connections? I had some similar issues, and as it turns out, it was just a cable that had barely come out...

I was wondering if anyone on this thread and who owned the XR-10X has had any issues with light green or light pink bans of color floating upwards on the screen. I looked in this thread a little bit, but saw nothing. I have about 200 hours on the buld and just last week began to notice the lines. They were never there before. Not noticible during a movie, but while watching hockey or anything with a light background the green and pink lights stand out. Any ideas? I have not been able to be at home during a time to call Sharp asking about this issue.
Yeah, ive got them. However, they dont come from the projector, they come from the unequal ground potentials. If you use digital cable, as I do, try pulling the cable line out of the STB, then just put in the center wire, without letting the outside touch...see if it goes away. If so, you need a ground isolating filter for your cable line.

Let me know how that works. Best of luck, with this great PJ

fragglerock585, Thanks for the help. I'll give that a try tonight. But I am unsure if that is the issue unless the lines can also appear while viewing DVD content.

Hey guys.......hooked up the Xbox360 HDDVD to the X10...amazing PQ. Far beyond regular DVD's on this unit. Picked it up for $159 at Circuit City. Great buy. King Kong has mindblowing PQ on this unit.

Hey guys.......hooked up the Xbox360 HDDVD to the X10...amazing PQ. Far beyond regular DVD's on this unit. Picked it up for $159 at Circuit City. Great buy. King Kong has mindblowing PQ on this unit.

Very good news indeed. Hope the sale is still on.

guys please help me choose an upconverting DVD player that gives most bang for the buck given that i want to connect it to the SHARP XR-10X and am not looking beyond 720p /1080I but need video signal on component out (for obvious reasons :rolleyes: )


I am zeroing on Samsung 860 /850 which available around 50$
any suggestions please!!!

Very good news indeed. Hope the sale is still on.

I used a $40 off CC coupon to get that price.

i used the same coupon, found it in the xbox 360 hd drive thread on avs

guys please help me choose an upconverting DVD player that gives most bang for the buck given that i want to connect it to the SHARP XR-10X and am not looking beyond 720p /1080I but need video signal on component out (for obvious reasons :rolleyes: )


I am zeroing on Samsung 860 /850 which available around 50$
any suggestions please!!!

Would like to know this also? Anybody?

A wild thought crossed my mind today: is an upconverting DVD player really going to have any benefit at all for the 10X?

My reasoning is that, with 480i/p, only one scaling is taking place, and it's done by the 10X, which, by all accounts, does an excellent job on its own. On the other hand, if you use an upconverting DVD player, the player is going to scale up to 720p/1080i, from which the 10X is still going to need to scale (this time downward).

So it seems to me it boils down to this: can an upconverting DVD player's scaler be so good that it not only beats that of the 10X, but beats it by enough of a margin to overcome the eventual downscaling that's also going to be necessary. Perhaps more importantly for those who own this particular projector, can any budget upconverter do this?

The only way I see this happening is if the upscaler's use of the "lost" resolution when outputting 4:3 makes a significant difference. However, as we talked about a few months ago, it should still be possible to access those lines even with a non-upscaling DVD player (by setting the player to 16:9 mode and the 10X to stretch mode).

So basically, my thinking is, if you can't send the 10X a native XGA resolution, save your money and simply let it do all the work for you. Thoughts?

ORPhD
I’m with you on the up convert and then the down convert and I almost posted to this yesterday but wasn’t sure the what or the why so I didn’t.

I’m sure a lot of people are out there reading this with new XR10’s trying to get going and I did get some great advice early on about setting up a projector in this thread and the other 10X thread. Like you I’m also a HT Cheapskate.

So I started off using composite out cable. PQ was good but I followed the advice and looked into component out. (good advice) the second thing I did was used a old DVD player 480i only. The PQ was good but the advice was to get a 480p DVD player (very good advice) I then took it a step more and bought a DVD player burner and the cheapskate in me selected an ILO with 480P out. This allowed me to use the DVD burner as a hub to input things like a cable box and other SD sources into. Low and behold it output them at 480p and the PQ was greatly improved. The shortfall was the ILO only lasted a month and died. But the full refund was applied to another DVD burner a Panasonic. That converted the SD to 480p. (another very good move)

I have switched back and forth a dozen times demo-ing the improvement in SD viewing going this way. Plus its very nice to switch devices thru the one remote.

The reason I doubted going up to 720p and then back down to XGA is only based around I cant see anymore room for improvement in PQ. Each of the steps I took removed some real PQ problem I could see. At this point the 10X is scaling so well I don’t know what it would buy me.

One more side note on being a cheapskate. When I found out how much 30ft component cables were going to cost me I tried a experiment. I made 30 footers out of coax cables and converted them using male and female RCA to F adapters the gold ones. I tested the long cable against a short good quality component and also the composite I was using.
Composite (bad) homemade and store bought component both (perfect)

The reason I doubted going up to 720p and then back down to XGA is only based around I cant see anymore room for improvement in PQ. Each of the steps I took removed some real PQ problem I could see. At this point the 10X is scaling so well I don’t know what it would buy me.
...yet, as surprising as it seems, it probably can still be improved. And depending on your tastes, possibly by a lot.

In my own HTPC experiments, there were several times I thought, "Wow, I'll never be able to get it looking better than this," only to accomplish just that the next day. When you get to that point, though, it's really not as much about removing problems (as you mentioned) as it is about enhancing what's already there (sharpening being a personal favorite of mine). And even though I feel I'm at that "perfect" point again, I can only imagine what I'd see if I was able to paint my wall anything but pure white.

The good news though for all of us is that "that point" is really at a very attainable level for us all. With some very simple steps (namely sending a progressive signal over component), it really is hard to be disappointed with the PQ of the 10X regardless of what we throw at it.

Thanks Bud and Dave that's exactly what I was needing to know.

but then does one get 1080I signal from a regular DVD player?
what kind of DVd player should i buy?

Roughly 300 hours and it stopped working. Had the projector on while I was out in the kitchen helping make dinner. I came out and noticed it was off with a solid red power light and a blinking lamp light. I unplugged it for 10-15 minutes with no luck. Pulled the bulb out, reseated. No luck there either. When I power it on, both the power and bulb light turn green, fans kick on, then the bulb light starts flashing green. After a few minutes, both lights turn red again and it shuts all the way down.

So, how has everyone's warranty service been with Sharp? I did not register the projector, when I bought it, so I hope that is not going to be an issue. Yeah, stupid me. :( I bought it on 8/31/06, so I am well within the 90 day warranty period.

With analog signal it is not as simple as it seems that a 480p might be the pinnacle of performance for 10x.
The best thing to do is to buy a DVD that has a good analog stage output as well as good deinterlacer. That puts you in the league. Some of the upscaling DVD players that can do 1080i via component has a better analog stage output due to their higher bandwidth. Hence providing a better output. If you run the multiburst pattern you can see how different rez will show up on the screen. HTPC is an excellent choice to find out for yourself but make sure it has a good graphic board.
I personally have found that 10x is very happy with 1080i signal from my HD receiver and upconverting DVD player which is a Zenith but no longer available as new.

Roughly 300 hours and it stopped working. Had the projector on while I was out in the kitchen helping make dinner. I came out and noticed it was off with a solid red power light and a blinking lamp light. I unplugged it for 10-15 minutes with no luck. Pulled the bulb out, reseated. No luck there either. When I power it on, both the power and bulb light turn green, fans kick on, then the bulb light starts flashing green. After a few minutes, both lights turn red again and it shuts all the way down.

So, how has everyone's warranty service been with Sharp? I did not register the projector, when I bought it, so I hope that is not going to be an issue. Yeah, stupid me. :( I bought it on 8/31/06, so I am well within the 90 day warranty period.

should not be an issue call sharp at -800-BE-SHARP (237-4277) then press 1-1-4.

the operator will ask you for the serial no, purchase date and place and then send you a fedex next day shipping label (pre-paid). sharp has a turnaround time of 3 days.

...yet, as surprising as it seems, it probably can still be improved. And depending on your tastes, possibly by a lot.

In my own HTPC experiments, there were several times I thought, "Wow, I'll never be able to get it looking better than this," only to accomplish just that the next day. When you get to that point, though, it's really not as much about removing problems (as you mentioned) as it is about enhancing what's already there (sharpening being a personal favorite of mine). And even though I feel I'm at that "perfect" point again, I can only imagine what I'd see if I was able to paint my wall anything but pure white.

The good news though for all of us is that "that point" is really at a very attainable level for us all. With some very simple steps (namely sending a progressive signal over component), it really is hard to be disappointed with the PQ of the 10X regardless of what we throw at it.

Dave

I do know what you are saying and I work for the company that coined the phrase “continuous improvement” and just listening to the guys sending HD signals to the 10X tells me there is more to come, but dang it all it just looks so perfect….. :D :D :D

You did mention one thing I always talk about over in the DIY screen thread and that’s where people look for improvement in PQ. There is always the guy tweaking his screen for the 58th time to perfection and then when he posts a picture there is a huge picture window shining in tons of light on the screen. If there ever was a projector to take advantage of a low gain neutral gray screen this one might be it. I can’t say enough how nice of blacks I’m getting and still maintaining bright whites and colors that pop on the neutral gray screen. IMO anyone shooting less than a 150 inch screen could see benefits from a gray screen with this projector, in or out of a light controlled room.

I have a white ceiling and fairly glossy and I’m willing to bet I could improve my image way more with painting that a dark flat color (like black) than any signal converting would do at this point, but then again I could do both …..hmmmmm…. :confused:

If you guys don't mind which DVD players put out a 1080i via component? Are they HD DVD player that have a componennt out? Or do other non HD DVD player also do it? Thanks.

should not be an issue call sharp at -800-BE-SHARP (237-4277) then press 1-1-4.

the operator will ask you for the serial no, purchase date and place and then send you a fedex next day shipping label (pre-paid). sharp has a turnaround time of 3 days.

Brilliant. If it goes that smoothly, then I will still be happy with the projector. Rather ****** that it went out this soon though.

Wouldn't money be better spent for dvd quality by doing a lower cost HTPC and running dvd's off HDD or through the VGA port direct to the projector? That's what I'm doing and the PQ is awesome,way better than component to VGA or S-video.

I'm intrigued by the XBox360 posts from earlier. You guys're running Component cables from the Xbox360 into the X10 and you're watching HD-DVDs? Heck, at $159, that's only a little more than some of the upscaling DVD players...and waaaaay less than the Toshiba HD-DVD player.

Bud - Just wanted to say hello and thanks for the usual informative/entertaining posts on this excellent projector.

Well, so far so good on the warranty request. I called Sharp this morning and was on hold for 5 seconds. Gave all the info requested and a shipping label was emailed to me. The projector is boxed up and I'm off to drop it off at a shipping center. I just have to fax them a copy of the receipt and all is well.

Irmo

Good to see you still reading. I should be in Timberlake late Saturday night for turkey day week.

I’m not into gaming but the guy in the next cube is and he just fired his XR10X up this last week for the first time, using a screen just like mine he built. And all I have been hearing is about Xbox and HD.

He told me he was planning on getting the new “play station 3” correct me if I’m wrong game players out there. But it’s my understanding it will also play the HD DVD’s and at a considerable lower price than a player plus has all the game abilities. He’s all pumped up about going that way.

Xenogti

Good to hear sharp is taking care of you. Good luck on the repairs.

Yeah Bud, the Playstation3 is actually a Blu-Ray machine whereas the XBox360 plays HD-DVDs. They're the competing HD disc formats that I'm sure you've heard about.

The thing is, a Toshiba HD-DVD player starts at $500, but if I could get an XBox360 for less than $200 that'll play HD-DVDs anyway...over component cables at that...that'd be fairly tempting to say the least.

Are we losing ground to the 720p price busters? Have we had our 15 minutes of fame?

So, anybody here think Sharp should fire back with an answer to these rebel invaders?

Are we losing ground to the 720p price busters? Have we had our 15 minutes of fame?

So, anybody here think Sharp should fire back with an answer to these rebel invaders?


?? Naw...we are doing just fine :) The PQ produced by the X10 is terrific on a 92" screen. Not convinced at this size that the jump in rez would blow me away. I do know that my X10 PQ is superior to just about anything I see in big box stores ( but most of them are using Direct TV HD and it is simply horrid). Not even tempted to go to a HD70.

If Sharp produces a low cost 1080P PJ...perhaps in a few years I would jump.

?? Naw...we are doing just fine :) The PQ produced by the X10 is terrific on a 92" screen. Not convinced at this size that the jump in rez would blow me away. I do know that my X10 PQ is superior to just about anything I see in big box stores ( but most of them are using Direct TV HD and it is simply horrid). Not even tempted to go to a HD70.

If Sharp produces a low cost 1080P PJ...perhaps in a few years I would jump.

I seem to be aboard the same boat. That Mits HD1000 is oh so tempting but would it be enough of an upgrade to justify the jump? Dollars lost I'd want to apply to a 1080p unit can't help either.
Who said life as a projectorhead was easy?

Hey, I've been following this forum for quite some time now. I also have a xr10x projector and it is sweet. I do have a question however. I see there is a lot of chat lately about res. I was wondering which is better in general and for this projector. Is 1080i or 720p better. One would think 1080i is better because there is more lines, but I might not fully understand the difference between interlaced and progressive. I know progressive is put out at the media player and i think interlace is decoded at the video unit, but on some things like the xbox 360, you can choose interlace also. Any feedback would be awsome, I'm trying to optimize my 10x. I'm getting the avia calibration dvd soon. Has any body used this for this projector and if so what did you think? I'm also thinking about using it to calibrate my 7.3 surround, but thats probably a different forum topic. Also I thought dvds were 480i and not 480p.

Hey, I've been following this forum for quite some time now. I also have a xr10x projector and it is sweet. I do have a question however. I see there is a lot of chat lately about res. I was wondering which is better in general and for this projector. Is 1080i or 720p better. One would think 1080i is better because there is more lines, but I might not fully understand the difference between interlaced and progressive. I know progressive is put out at the media player and i think interlace is decoded at the video unit, but on some things like the xbox 360, you can choose interlace also. Any feedback would be awsome, I'm trying to optimize my 10x. I'm getting the avia calibration dvd soon. Has any body used this for this projector and if so what did you think? I'm also thinking about using it to calibrate my 7.3 surround, but thats probably a different forum topic. Also I thought dvds were 480i and not 480p.

In my situation, 1080 looks best from my HD-A1 when playing HDDVDs. Though, after the 2.0 firmware upgrade, 720p looks pretty good too.
It's always best to try ALL resolution options and see which looks best.

So it is more situation based depending on what hardware our using more than anything else. Makes sense

Are we losing ground to the 720p price busters? Have we had our 15 minutes of fame?

So, anybody here think Sharp should fire back with an answer to these rebel invaders?

Just me thinking out loud here but I can’t help thinking if someone made a “cheep” anamorphic lens for this projector and an easy way to compress HD into XGA this projector would be putting some serious hurt on some of the really high priced contenders. :eek:

Not to say I’m even 1% unhappy with what I’m watching. :D :D :D

Ya I know dream on……

Just me thinking out loud here but I can’t help thinking if someone made a “cheep” anamorphic lens for this projector and an easy way to compress HD into XGA this projector would be putting some serious hurt on some of the really high priced contenders. :eek:

Not to say I’m even 1% unhappy with what I’m watching. :D :D :D

Ya I know dream on……

Bud,
Just such a lens made in China was discussed in the CIH forum a few months back.
BTW, as long as you settle for 480p material the XR can squeeze the image for you, allowing the lens to expand the image for playback. HDDVD ,currently, will need to be rescaled, possibly by a Lumagen, DVDO, or Crystalio. Some Optomas and other PJs have the CIH rescaler built in.

looks like sharp has released a new model XR-10XL
I dont see any differences between XR-10X and XR-10XL?
does anybody know?

well, I'll officially be able to see how my Sharp handles HD-DVD after Christmas...the 360 HD-DVD drive has been purchased for future gifting.

I'm anxious to see how my Wii looks on the projector, but Nintendo has, as they always seem to do, completely botched the release of the component cables. I'm not blowing up the 480i pic I'm having trouble tolerating at 37 inches to 92 inches and tainting my little baby.

I remember a while back people talking about horizontal bow in the picture with this projector. I am running a 100" 16:9 screen and have noticed this bow on mine also. However I went to the theater the other day during horrorfest and noticed that the screen at the theater is curved slightly (ends toward audience and midlle away). This makes me think that even the highest end projectors in the theater have bow to them due to the different throw lengths in the middle compared to the ends and the screen gets rid of this effect. Has anybody ever made a curved screen before? This looks like it would fix it becuase my xr-10x is short in the middle. What do you guys think?

I remember a while back people talking about horizontal bow in the picture with this projector. I am running a 100" 16:9 screen and have noticed this bow on mine also. However I went to the theater the other day during horrorfest and noticed that the screen at the theater is curved slightly (ends toward audience and midlle away). This makes me think that even the highest end projectors in the theater have bow to them due to the different throw lengths in the middle compared to the ends and the screen gets rid of this effect. Has anybody ever made a curved screen before? This looks like it would fix it becuase my xr-10x is short in the middle. What do you guys think?

Larmannm
A lot of the new mini theaters are curving the screen as you talked about and that allows you to uses a higher gain screen without hot spotting along with a few other benefits.
I don’t know if this is really the case with the XR10X but like you said it might help. Some people saw the bowing and some didn’t with the 10X and I have somewhat came to the conclusion its caused by Sharp trying to make the shortest throw length they could into this machine. I also think the people that saw it most had to do with where it was in the zoom range and also maybe they didn’t get the drop height perfect. Mine shows about a quarter inch of bow over 96 inches on the bottom only sides are perfect and keystone is set to zero. I’m happy with the setup so I just forgot about it. :D :D

For those who are reading this thread and considering buying one..
I recently bought a Sony HS60. While it is a great PJ I still think that 10x is a great PJ for the price. Other than blacklevel and rez 10x is in fact in some area better. It is a value but huge performer IMO. Don't let comments such as it is presentation or biz therefore cannot do as well as a HT pj distract you. Color balance, smoothness and ansi contrast of this PJ are as good as any digital PJ in ANY price bracket. The color temp of this pj in 6500K is very close or at least in the ball park right out of box.
I had mine for sale and have had a couple inquiries and an offer but I am thinking to keep this one for good. At 410 hours it puts out an amazing PQ. Go get it boy.

For those who are reading this thread and considering buying one..
I recently bought a Sony HS60. While it is a great PJ I still think that 10x is a great PJ for the price. Other than blacklevel and rez 10x is in fact in some area better. It is a value but huge performer IMO. Don't let comments such as it is presentation or biz therefore cannot do as well as a HT pj distract you. Color balance, smoothness and ansi contrast of this PJ are as good as any digital PJ in ANY price bracket. The color temp of this pj in 6500K is very close or at least in the ball park right out of box.
I had mine for sale and have had a couple inquiries and an offer but I am thinking to keep this one for good. At 410 hours it puts out an amazing PQ. Go get it boy.

The Sunday paper had them for sale all over the place at the $799 price point.

What drives me nuts is I have yet to see one running any place that sells them. I think it’s smart marketing in a way because if they had a semi light controlled area set up with the 10X putting out a 110 inch image from a HD source. They would only sell about half as many flat screens as they are. And I’m sure there isn’t anywhere near the markup on a 10X. :eek:

I’m not a person that hypes up a product normally but I’m with Caspian on this one. There are a lot of people out there toying with the idea of FP and looking at it as a unknown. This is the perfect projector for a fence sitter IMO.

"This is the perfect projector for a fence sitter IMO."
-------------------------------------

Absolutely.
AFA bowing...
I had this PJ ceiling mount and used a good size of picture shift due to my low ceiling. With this set up I never noticed a bowing or pincushion.
When Sony came and took its place on the ceiling I had the 10x on a coffee table for comparison. On the table with pic shift near normal I was able to see the bowing on the top of the image. So I don't know what gives but it is a slight amount of bowing and for the most part is not distracting at all.

I do have mine mounted on my 7ft ceiling and have it tilted up to get the picture where i need it on the wall and the zoom is fully out. If I move the projector farther back and get the zoom about centered do you think this will help the bow out some. I think I have about a half to full inch of bow on the bottom right now. Also can you image shift in border mode?

I do have mine mounted on my 7ft ceiling and have it tilted up to get the picture where i need it on the wall and the zoom is fully out. If I move the projector farther back and get the zoom about centered do you think this will help the bow out some. I think I have about a half to full inch of bow on the bottom right now. Also can you image shift in border mode?

I do think it might help. Like I said I haven’t tried it but mine is mid point in the zoom with .25 inch bow.

You also have image shift in border mode and in 16:9 mode. To get the shift to work in 16:9 you have to be sending it a signal in 16:9 so set DVD player to output 16:9 and the grayed out shift tool in the menu will work.

Moving the image up if your ceiling mounted will get rid of bow in 16:9 but try the zoom thing first. If I remember someone took a 10X back and the new one they said didn’t have the bow. You will have to read back thru this thread or the old 10X thread and find out.

Thanks for the input Bud. I will try to fix the zoom within a week or two and I will let everyone know if it does make a difference or not.

I do have mine mounted on my 7ft ceiling and have it tilted up to get the picture where i need it on the wall and the zoom is fully out. If I move the projector farther back and get the zoom about centered do you think this will help the bow out some. I think I have about a half to full inch of bow on the bottom right now. Also can you image shift in border mode?

If the lowest point of your image is bottom right then there must be something wrong with your physical set up. The bow is symmetrical and lowest point should be in the center.
Most zooms have pincushion at extremes. Having said that mine was set up at the widest zoom with lowest bow. But I really think it had to do with image shift. It is hard to say going to mid will help or not. My guess is it might since you will avoid the perimeter of your lens elements. Try it and let us know.

Well hope to be back posting good news and pics of my set up. Got my 10x and I've gotta set up my living room now. Hopefully sometimes right after xmas I'll be done and watching my new setup. I'll be using a 13'9" throw for a 97" screen. Let you guys know how the HD looks!

I have to say that I love this projector, nice color and good resolution. With that being said I have had a problem arise as of lately and need some advice.

The projector starts very quickly within 5 sec it's warming-up and I can see the screen logo, detects the input from my digital cable box and a picture is present.

The problem comes about 15 minutes into watching TV, all of a sudden the picture goes from color ritch to almost monochrome with a slight hint of color. Does anyone know what this could be?

I have had the projector for about 8 mos and it has about 1000 hours on the lamp, no history of this problem before 2 weeks ago. There is some dust on the outer grill but haven't had a chance to get the ladder to the celing to blow it out yet. Could this be a heat problem or possibly my color wheel going bad? I really don't hear any fans going bad if anything it sounds a little quiet to me.

Thx,
Cross

If every time it happens right about 15 mins into operation then seems temperature issue to me. Perhaps cleaning those fan blades might help.
If it is a random issue, it might be that it is something else. Go over your connections and even trying a different cable to rule out cable issue is a good starting point IMO.

Try putting the bulb to econo-mode and go to the settings and turn the fan on high. Do this after you clean the grill and fan blades and see if it fixes or pro-longs the problem. If so, then it is a temp issue.

has anyone used the Avia calibration dvd on this projector? It's coming today and I was wondering if anyone had any hints or tips on using it. Has anyone seen a difference once they have calibrated their projector? I'll let you know what i think this weekend after I do it.

Not Avia, but I calibrated my projector with Digital Video Essentials (DVE).

To be honest, there wasn't much change in the settings after I went through DVE compared to what I tweaked with my naked eye.

What kind of screen are you using and if you don't mind me asking what are you settings?

I have my 10X for sale but decided to play with it today a bit more.
So far I had it connected with a belden cable and using its own cable (component to VGA) but this time used a belden VGA to component from my HTPC.
Couldn't believe the improvements it made with just a different 2' cable. Try it.

so what your saying is that the stock vga breakout cable that it comes with can be greatly improved with another cable? Does it just make a difference with your htpc or does it do it with other systems as well such as playstation or dvd player? Also how did you hook up you pc to the projector through a breakout cable (vga to component)?

Yes the stock cable can be improved greatly. The difference is worth the extra spending IMO. I had it connected to my Directv HR20-700 HiDef DVR component to VGA.
Initially I used a Belden 20' cable with the stock component to VGA. This time same Belden 20' but in conjunction with a Belden short break out component to VGA eliminating the stock.