I can't remember... there was nothing that I saw that was not 1280x720 or Native in any of the tabs.

It should be there otherwise only 720p would be available as only output rez.

Well, just visited Newegg and the listing for the 7300 w/processor is still there, BUT THE LISTING FOR THE ONE WITH THE EXTRA BULB IS GONE. It did state yesterday that it was coming back IN-STOCK tomorrow, but now it's not even on the website. (SIGH...)

My projector still has not arrived, dang UPS delivers to my area last thing. I'm not very optimistic that I will be getting the extra lamp. I ordered using the ...9002 item number from NewEgg. Even though others using that item number have reported getting the extra lamp, I have only one package coming and those who did get the extra lamp reported two packages from NewEgg.

I still hold out a small bit of hope that because my order was upgraded by NewEgg to next day air saver, they might have tried to save money by repackaging everything into a single box.

I will report back just as soon as my package gets here. If no extra lamp, I will have to hold off opening my projector and scaler until I can speak with the NewEgg supervisor handling my order to see if there is anything that can be done so that I do get the extra lamp.

Luck all,
George

Ya, I'm one of those late delivery locations too. Usually between 5pm and 7pm. Really sucks sometimes when you're actually watching and waiting for a package to arrive.
Good luck though, hope you do get the bulb.

Ya, I'm one of those late delivery locations too. Usually between 5pm and 7pm. Really sucks sometimes when you're actually watching and waiting for a package to arrive.
Good luck though, hope you do get the bulb.

Well, finally received my order and no extra lamp. There is no way to get an extra lamp in the box that comes from Optoma that includes both the 7100 and the scaler.

Dang, off to shoot an email to my contact at NewEgg. Not sure what can be done now but I really don't want to open the projector or scaler box in case I really do have to return them and re-order.

So, BEWARE when ordering using the ...9002 item number from NewEgg. Not all are getting the extra lamp!

George

Well, finally received my order and no extra lamp. There is no way to get an extra lamp in the box that comes from Optoma that includes both the 7100 and the scaler.

Dang, off to shoot an email to my contact at NewEgg. Not sure what can be done now but I really don't want to open the projector or scaler box in case I really do have to return them and re-order.

So, BEWARE when ordering using the ...9002 item number from NewEgg. Not all are getting the extra lamp!

George

That SUCKS! Maybe there's an off chance that it is still coming? Please keep us abreast of what they say when you call. (sorry about your luck :()

Chances are the (1) HD7300 & (1) BLFP250A - HD7300+BLFP250A, the one with the bulb will never return. If you want the scaler/projector combo, this probably is your last chance. It is not coming back to Visual Apex, and the agent there told me that the combo is no longer in production, that is why I ordered from newegg.

I think there was just one instance of someone getting the extra bulb from the 9002 link. That was probably an aberration.

Dang, off to shoot an email to my contact at NewEgg. Not sure what can be done now but I really don't want to open the projector or scaler box in case I really do have to return them and re-order.
George

Even though I ordered from the bulb link, I was told the bulb is usually in the projector... the people I spoke to had no clue :D

Even though I ordered from the bulb link, I was told the bulb is usually in the projector... the people I spoke to had no clue :D
Hey gireesh, what caused you to have a conversation where the subject of where the bulb was at came up? If you ordered from the link that included the extra bulb, why did the subject then come up? Did you not receive the extra bulb and you called in?

I was unaware that only one person ordering from the ...9002 number received the lamp.

I left an email with the supervisor handling my order and am on the phone now with
NewEgg CSR. I'm not very optimistic for some reason.

George

I still hold out a small bit of hope that because my order was upgraded by NewEgg to next day air saver, they might have tried to save money by repackaging everything into a single box.


Open it up and enjoy it and email them hoping for best.
Still it is a great deal imo. You cannot fnd another hi end DC3 with a seperate scaler for near that price.

Open it up and enjoy it and email them hoping for best.
Still it is a great deal imo. You cannot fnd another hi end DC3 with a seperate scaler for near that price.
Yup, that is what I should do. But, for the exact same price, I really would prefer to get the extra lamp. I can wait a few more days to find out if that can happen.

I'm still unclear why I thought there were many people who received the extra lamp with the ...9002 item order. I must be losing it.

The NewEgg supervisor called and he said he would look into the future availability of the ...9047 item number. I'm not very optimistic as their website no longer allows you to use the search, "Optoma HD7300", to get to that item number (you can still search and both item numbers are returned in the search but you can't use that to click further to the actual item. Remember, for the last 3 or 4 days, that particular item description showed, "Out of stock. ETA 11/6/2007").

I was really looking forward to hooking this thing up to see if it would output 1080p to my Westy 1080p LCD.

George

Well, finally received my order and no extra lamp. There is no way to get an extra lamp in the box that comes from Optoma that includes both the 7100 and the scaler.

Dang, off to shoot an email to my contact at NewEgg. Not sure what can be done now but I really don't want to open the projector or scaler box in case I really do have to return them and re-order.

So, BEWARE when ordering using the ...9002 item number from NewEgg. Not all are getting the extra lamp!

George

bub,
sorry it turned out this way for you and possibly many other Newegg's customers. I was unsure about the bulb, like you and others here, so I sent an email to Newegg on Sunday asking if the bulb was still included in the deal. I just got an answer saying "For this item I just show its the item it self, I don't show any other promotiong
being offered with this item at all."
I think Newegg intentionally created, and has mantained for many days, false expectations on its customers about this product. Concurrently advertising the 2 items at the same price is, in my opinion, a questionable, unethical practice. I hope this does NOT become its new way of doing business.
Will you please tell me if the processor can output 1080p when you decide to use the processor?
I have been asking this question for days and nobody seeems to know/care.

bub,

The reason the bulb came up in my case with newegg is because I ordered from the link with the bulb and I received the HD7300 box first. I was anxious and forgot to check to see if there was another package and called newegg. That is when I was told that usually the bulb is in the projector :D


All,

newegg had two separate SKUs, so did several other online retailers like buy.com. The one with the bulb was a promotion and is no longer available from any retailer... do a froogle, that is how I found that newegg and buy.com carried this in the first place.

Visual Apex told me that HD7300 is discontinued. I am not sure of that. I was on the phone with Optoma support and they did not say it is discontinued... I will ask the question tomorrow when I am back on line with them... as my sync issues continue. They don't have a clue as to why this is happening, the tech I spoke to was going to talk to the head engineer to find out what was going on.

No 1080p with HD3000 without unlocking it.

No 1080p with HD3000 without unlocking it.
Unlocking it? What is this?
Is there a known procedure to do it?
Thanks.

bub,

The one with the bulb was a promotion and is no longer available from any retailer...

I am leaning towards agreeing with you, at least as far as NewEgg is concerned. I don't think NewEgg is going to get any more stock that includes the extra lamp. Their website went from claiming more stock on 11/6, to eliminating the item information page, to eliminating any reference to this item from their website entirely, all in a matter of a few hours.

From at least Friday, they have been advertising more stock, then this morning they removed the information page, now a search doesn't even bring up the item at all. Not a good sign that they will be selling more of the projector which includes the extra lamp.


Will you please tell me if the processor can output 1080p when you decide to use the processor?
I have been asking this question for days and nobody seeems to know/care. -FGM

FGM, it is very likely that I will be opening my projector/scaler in the next few days, I have to attend a service for my daughters best friends dad tomorrow. I have been promised by a NewEgg supervisor that he will find out if they will be getting any more stock. If so, I can RMA this order (that is why I want to wait before opening) and place a new order.

I am very interested, like you, in finding out if/how this scaler will output 1080p to my Westy 1080p LCD. This will be the very first place I go once I start messing around with my new toys. So, when I know, you will know too.

Luck all,
George

One of my pet peeves... Going to a manufacturers website and using their, 'contact us' form only to find out AFTER I've entered all my personal information as well as taken 10 minutes or so in composing my inquiry to find out that pressing the 'submit' button results in a...

"Server object error 'ASP 0177 : 800401f3'
Server.CreateObject Failed
/WA_Universal_Email/CDONTS_NewMail_VB.asp, line 54
800401f3"

page error. I love this stuff!!! Thanks Optoma!

Unlocking it? What is this?
Is there a known procedure to do it?
Thanks.
If you look at the system menu on the bottom says it is a 720p version.

By the way, I've read multiple times that the projector itself is capable of running @48hz with 6x color wheel speed. You would need a source that could send it that, though, and apparently the hd3000 is not one of them. Strange.

So this deal is still really good, but it looks like you won't be able to use the hd3000 for a 1080p display. Unless once it's hooked up to a 1080p display it automatically outputs at 1080p.

Why would optoma choose to lock the resolution @720p? People payed a good amount for the 7300. It doesn't say anywhere in the owners manual or product literature that this is the case. If I bought a 7300 for it's original price, I wouldn't let optoma hear the end of it.

The manual says that actually. Read the page 7 saying some thing like "Certain versions of the HD3000 have been factory preset for a single output range."
I think the stand alone version does 1080p. I am pissed but still is great deal and it does a good job of down converting the 1080i along other things.

I guess yet another reason NOT to get a 1080p projector.

Speaking of 1080i to 720p, how much better does the hd3000 do that than your hddvd player or bluray player? Is it a big improvement?

I have not done datail study of HDDVD/hd3000 combo but broadcast looks ceamy smooth reminding me constantly of my Nec XG.

mine was set up only for 720P 60HZ also, since I tried to change it did not work anymore with the projector.
if you read the manual there is 2 models for the HD3000; HD3000P & HD3000S; mine is HD3000P.

Jose

Poli,

Did other resolutions come up on the OSD for you to choose from before they didn't work?

I guess I'm confused. What is the point of locking this scaler to 720p 60hz??? That just doesn't make any sense and would completely defeat the purpose of having a scaler.

I want/need the scaler to do 72hz for HD DVD's to eliminate 3:2 pulldown. This just might be a deal breaker for me if this scaler is restricted to one resolution and one refresh rate. How could they even call it a scaler anymore?

Dang, what a nightmare.

George


mine was set up only for 720P 60HZ also, since I tried to change it did not work anymore with the projector.
if you read the manual there is 2 models for the HD3000; HD3000P & HD3000S; mine is HD3000P.

Jose

No, it did not show anything else just 720p 60HZ, the osd was working perfect but in 60HZ, I switched off the HD3000; turn in on again and can not get the osd to work again. my projector keep serching for dvi and it does not find it, I still have to get a DVD with HDMI and hook it up to the projector to see if it works, and see if I can get the HD3000 working with the dvd player through HDMI, I have not been able to get it to work through component or composite, I have spent so much in cables..for nothing... when I receive my new 10meters component cable I will play with it again.
does anybody know how to get the osd back to the HD3000

Jose.

The manual says that actually. Read the page 7 saying some thing like "Certain versions of the HD3000 have been factory preset for a single output range."
I think the stand alone version does 1080p. I am pissed but still is great deal and it does a good job of down converting the 1080i along other things.
That is so much BS!!! To provide that important of information in that way is outrageous. The entire HD3000 manual is written for the unfettered model and to slyly make reference to a 'stripped down' model(s) is completely underhanded in my opinion.

Nowhere, that I've found, in their sales literature does it mention that the HD3000 that you are considering buying is a stripped down, feature locked, compromised version.

When I try to send Optoma tech support an email, their form crashes. I guess I will be making a non-800 phone call this morning.

George

does anybody know how to get the osd back to the HD3000

Jose.

José,
I am just guessing, but the manual shows that under OSD, SYSTEM, there is a factory reset that may reset the output resolution to the 1280x720p 60H "default". Since you don't have "visual" access to the OSD you will have to work "blind".
First make certain that everything is well connected, source, processor and pj and that your pj is on auto signal detect and make certain you have bridged the HDMI terminals "from AV receiver" and "to AV receiver".
Then, turn on the source and the processor. Leave the pj off for now to avoid that it turns itself off when not finding a signal.
Carefully but firmly press once the menu/exit button on the processor front panel. This should take you to the OSD position.
Press twice the down button on the processor panel. Press once the enter/source button on the processor panel. This should take you to the SYSTEM menu.
Press 5 times the down button. Press once the enter button. You should now have a factory preset processor. Turn the pj on and, after a short while, your pj should be looking for a DVI signal. If everything went well, the projector should be showing a glorious 1280x720p 60Hz DVI signal after a short moment.
Good luck.
Tell us how you make out and , if it all works, please tell us what you see when you go "enter" on the output resolution menu of the processor.
Fermín.

That is so much BS!!! To provide that important of information in that way is outrageous. The entire HD3000 manual is written for the unfettered model and to slyly make reference to a 'stripped down' model(s) is completely underhanded in my opinion.

Nowhere, that I've found, in their sales literature does it mention that the HD3000 that you are considering buying is a stripped down, feature locked, compromised version.

George

George,
I am with you on this one. If all this is true, we, the consumers, have been taken by Optoma big time. This would be one more big stain to its reputation.
I shall not look to Optoma for other products.:mad:
Fermin.

George,
I am with you on this one. If all this is true, we, the consumers, have been taken by Optoma big time. This would be one more big stain to its reputation.
I shall not look to Optoma for other products.:mad:
Fermin.

Has anyone tried to call Optoma to see if they will flash the units with the new firmware and unlock them? Unlikely, but possible.

Optoma tech line is 888-887-5001.
Call them see what they say! They are not going to enable this unit for 1080.

I though I would be able to run my CRT with 1080p with this box but it did not turn out.
I was going to buy the 7100 first then found out about this for a little more dollar.
So while I am disappointed I really don't care at this point any more it doesn't do what I was anticipating to do.
Still if I wanted to do it all over and knew about this limitation I would still have bought the 7300+3000. We should have called Optoma before placing the order. Thos who did were told it is a single rez out put box.
Oh I do not think hd7300 is capable of 74 hz afaik. It might do 48 with the right signal.

Do you guys want this thread stuck to the top?

Do you guys want this thread stuck to the top?

Aloha Alan!!!

Thanks! I have never been part of a sticky thread. Cool!

I do think it would be good to ad HD7300 + HD3000 Scaler to the Title if possible.

By the way, Alan, what do you think the odds are that Optoma will upgrade our Scalers to do 1080P?

Thanks again.

bdbaba

Optoma tech line is 888-887-5001.
Call them see what they say! They are not going to enable this unit for 1080.

I though I would be able to run my CRT with 1080p with this box but it did not turn out.
I was going to buy the 7100 first then found out about this for a little more dollar.
So while I am disappointed I really don't care at this point any more it doesn't do what I was anticipating to do.
Still if I wanted to do it all over and knew about this limitation I would still have bought the 7300+3000. We should have called Optoma before placing the order. Thos who did were told it is a single rez out put box.
Oh I do not think hd7300 is capable of 74 hz afaik. It might do 48 with the right signal.
CM, did you speak with Optoma regarding this? If so, did they say they would not enable 1080p? I can live with 1080i and all the other resolutions/timings. I really need 72hz for DVD's to eliminate 3:2 pulldown or this projector/scaler isn't worth it to me.

It's a good deal still, just not what I want to spend money on right now.

I will call them myself again this afternoon (I have two calls into them now without any return call so far) regarding this, but I'm not optimistic.

George

Aloha Alan!!!

Thanks! I have never been part of a sticky thread. Cool!

I do think it would be good to ad HD7300 + HD3000 Scaler to the Title if possible.

By the way, Alan, what do you think the odds are that Optoma will upgrade our Scalers to do 1080P?

Thanks again.

bdbaba

I think it very fortunate that we have Alan here at least looking at our posts. I am fairly certain he has contacts with Otpoma.

Perhaps Alan, you would consider contacting Optoma on our behalf?

George

I tried, I did not work yet, I have to call my brother in law to bring me his denon dvd whith HDMI. I tried with component cables.

CM, did you speak with Optoma regarding this? If so, did they say they would not enable 1080p? I can live with 1080i and all the other resolutions/timings. I really need 72hz for DVD's to eliminate 3:2 pulldown or this projector/scaler isn't worth it to me.

It's a good deal still, just not what I want to spend money on right now.

I will call them myself again this afternoon (I have two calls into them now without any return call so far) regarding this, but I'm not optimistic.

George

Do u have evidence you could do 72 with hd7300?

I called them but you guys need to call them to and politely argue with them. They sure did not specifically say on their site that it is 720p60 processor.

Aloha Alan!

Thanks Brah! Appreciate all the help!

Mahalo,

bdbaba

CM, did you speak with Optoma regarding this? If so, did they say they would not enable 1080p? I can live with 1080i and all the other resolutions/timings. I really need 72hz for DVD's to eliminate 3:2 pulldown or this projector/scaler isn't worth it to me.

It's a good deal still, just not what I want to spend money on right now.

I will call them myself again this afternoon (I have two calls into them now without any return call so far) regarding this, but I'm not optimistic.

George

Hey George,

Please let us know what you find out. My unit is supposed to arrive tomorrow. Hopefully they will be willing to do the firmware upgrade.

Do u have evidence you could do 72 with hd7300?
The only evidence I have is in the video processor literature. It lists 720p at 72hz as one of the output resolutions it supports.

I'm not very clear on the projector side of it though.

George

Hey George,

Please let us know what you find out. My unit is supposed to arrive tomorrow. Hopefully they will be willing to do the firmware upgrade.
I was able to get Optoma customer/tech support on the phone, of course I had to call them again. The actual wait was minimal, using the 800-877-5001 number. The CSR, Mike, told me that this number gets you both tech support and customer support, not sure which he was though.

I explained the problem everybody is having, which is all the literature on the HD3000 claims all these output resolutions but the HD3000 bundled with the HD7300 combo has many of these features disabled. In particular, nowhere is the buyer warned that the HD3000 they are getting is not the HD3000 that they are advertising. Mike basically said that the two HD3000 units are only different because of the firmware, and that the disable unit is discounted because of the package as sold and that it matches up with the projector it is bundled with.

I explained that the HD3000 being locked at 720p 60hz is fine for TV but horrible for DVD's because you really want a multiple of 24 for DVD's, the output resolution of 720p 72hz as described in all the HD3000 literature should be allowed even on this disabled model.

I don't think anybody here has any wish to go out and spend $1500 on the HD3000 stand alone scaler, so I doubt that Optoma would be hurting their own sales by letting us have the firmware that would re-enable all the disabled features on our HD3000's.

What bothers me is I was given no choice BEFORE I made my purchase! All Optoma's sales literature claims all these output resolutions of their HD3000 video processor/scaler. I read the sales literature and buy their product only to find out AFTER the fact, that my HD3000 doesn't have the features that they advertised it had. That isn't fair and I really fell they should make some sort of concession here for us.

How do you guys feel about it?

George

I was able to get Optoma customer/tech support on the phone, of course I had to call them again. The actual wait was minimal, using the 800-877-5001 number. The CSR, Mike, told me that this number gets you both tech support and customer support, not sure which he was though.

I explained the problem everybody is having, which is all the literature on the HD3000 claims all these output resolutions but the HD3000 bundled with the HD7300 combo has many of these features disabled. In particular, nowhere is the buyer warned that the HD3000 they are getting is not the HD3000 that they are advertising. Mike basically said that the two HD3000 units are only different because of the firmware, and that the disable unit is discounted because of the package as sold and that it matches up with the projector it is bundled with.

I explained that the HD3000 being locked at 720p 60hz is fine for TV but horrible for DVD's because you really want a multiple of 24 for DVD's, the output resolution of 720p 72hz as described in all the HD3000 literature should be allowed even on this disabled model.

I don't think anybody here has any wish to go out and spend $1500 on the HD3000 stand alone scaler, so I doubt that Optoma would be hurting their own sales by letting us have the firmware that would re-enable all the disabled features on our HD3000's.

What bothers me is I was given no choice BEFORE I made my purchase! All Optoma's sales literature claims all these output resolutions of their HD3000 video processor/scaler. I read the sales literature and buy their product only to find out AFTER the fact, that my HD3000 doesn't have the features that they advertised it had. That isn't fair and I really fell they should make some sort of concession here for us.

How do you guys feel about it?

George

This is worse than reading the fine print. At least you know it's there. This exercise was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

The only evidence I have is in the video processor literature. It lists 720p at 72hz as one of the output resolutions it supports.

I'm not very clear on the projector side of it though.

George

Unless you want to use the 72 with another pj, 7300 probably will not sync on that rr.
The highest is 60 and 75 I think. But agree it is nice to have that option.

Unless you want to use the 72 with another pj, 7300 probably will not sync on that rr.
The highest is 60 and 75 I think. But agree it is nice to have that option.
Yup, I just downloaded and read through the HD7100 literature and it does not look like it supports 720p at 72hz over DVI or HDMI, dang.

I guess this deal is dead for me. What an oversight on Optoma's part, no support for DVD players to eliminate 2:3 pulldown!!! That is like the holy grail for DVD player/display.

Right now, my InFocus IN72 and my Bravo D1 DVD player can play and display SD DVd's in their native resolution with 1:1 pixel mapping along with 48hz that eliminates 2:3 pulldown. The SD image is stunning on this setup.

With the HD7300, I would get more resolution for HD DVD's, but I would give up both 1:1 pixel mapping for HD DVD's (as they are encoded at 1080p 24hz) and player/display ability to do a multiple of 24fps, either 24hz, 48hz, 72hz or 120hz, and thus eliminate 2:3 pulldown.

The world is NOT a perfect place ;)

Luck all,
George

I will report back on any info I receive from Optoma.

This is worse than reading the fine print. At least you know it's there. This exercise was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Huh???????

Bub,
You can do 48 with hd7300 but not with hd3000. HD 3000 can be used as a switcher and feed 48 hz.

Bub,
You can do 48 with hd7300 but not with hd3000. HD 3000 can be used as a switcher and feed 48 hz.
So, you are saying that you can bypass the scaler without physically removing it from the 'loop' and let the HD7100 do the 48hz?

My Toshiba A2 does not output 48hz I don't think. I would need something to convert to 48hz and I'm guessing the projector will not do this but merely accept a 48hz signal being provided by another device, one of which would NOT be the HD3000, correct?

What a nightmare...

George

Yes you will un-bridge the 3000 so you will have 3-1 switcher and still have 1-1 scaler/processor too.

First of all hd7300 does 1:1 full pixel mapping with all the signals.
Now if you feed the 73000 a 720p48 it will display it as is.
You feed it 720p60 you get just that.
Both would be mapped pixel to pixel as well.
We need someone with htpc to try 720p48 and report back.

Ok, I guess Optoma is saying that they have no ability to correct this situation. They claim that there is no way to use the HD3000 stand alone unit's (you know, the one that has all the features that the Optoma website claims it has) firmware for the HD3000 that is bundled with the HD7100 projector, the HD7300 package.

Also, the manager told me that he was able to find very quickly the reference in the owners manual, "Certain versions of the HD3000 have been factory preset for a single output range." that should warn potential customers that the HD3000 they are buying packaged with a projector will NOT do multiple output resolutions/frequencies.

He allowed the fact that most potential customers do not download and read through a 62 page manual trying to find some obscure reference to a possible neutered product, but simply read through the sales literature. And, the sales literature on the HD3000 touts the ability to output many different resolutions and frequencies.

His advice to me was to return the product for a refund. When asked, what about those who can not return, he offered no solution.

I guess we are on our own.

George

Even if the 7100 will accept a 48hz signal from a HTPC, I have no interest in building one for personal use, simply to get this feature.

I'm sure you can't use the stand alone firmware for the 7300 processor. But I'm sure they could write new firmware if they wanted to, or adapt that which comes with the HD81.

Yup you will need to move on.

I'm sure you can't use the stand alone firmware for the 7300 processor. But I'm sure they could write new firmware if they wanted to, or adapt that which comes with the HD81.

Oh I think it is doable.
What we have is HD3000-p (package) and the other one is "S" standalone version.
They can update the P with S firmware but they are not going to do it.

If enough people complain, and petition, and spread the Optoma name through the mud... loudly (especially here, @ AVS), they WILL update your processors. However if you just "roll over" and give up as they want you to do, then yes, you are SOL.

If I could get the deal with the free bulb, I'd be there to help move the mission forward, but alass, I waited too long and now it seems as though I am the one who is SOL. :)

If someone finds their public relation contact info PM me.

Optoma tech support must be real busy... I have not heard back about my cropping issue yet. I can't believe that I can't get 1:1 pixel mapping with this scaler.

Yes you will un-bridge the 3000 so you will have 3-1 switcher and still have 1-1 scaler/processor too.

How do you un-bridge... I am not following you.

I know that people are a little disappointed that the HD3000 included with the HD7300 package will not output 1080p signals but I think that we are losing sight of how much value is included in this package. Take a deep breath and put aside 1080p for a moment and you are left with a very high quality projector that includes a video processor that while locked at 720p allows almost unheard of calibration and adjustment abilities at this price point. The deinterlacing and scaling on this unit are likely to be better than any projector near its price and coupled with a hi-def player like the Toshiba A2 you'll get top notch hi-def images.

moe

How do you un-bridge... I am not following you.


I posted that before. There is short HDMI cable came with the unit.
That goes in the back between receiver in and out. This will bridge the switcher to the scaler. Not using the cable you will have two seperate units.. a scaler and a switcher.

I know that people are a little disappointed that the HD3000 included with the HD7300 package will not output 1080p signals but I think that we are losing sight of how much value is included in this package. Take a deep breath and put aside 1080p for a moment and you are left with a very high quality projector that includes a video processor that while locked at 720p allows almost unheard of calibration and adjustment abilities at this price point. The deinterlacing and scaling on this unit are likely to be better than any projector near its price and coupled with a hi-def player like the Toshiba A2 you'll get top notch hi-def images.

moe
Yes. Even if you put the hd3000 away for a sec... find a pj better in performance for the price..

I looked to see if the HD81 came unbundled with scaler as a seperate pj(it doesn't) to use that as an angle to get the new firmware. I thought using the angle that you were getting an optoma 1080P
and need the firmware upgrade. I don't think they want you to use the scaler to take advantage of some competitors 1080P pj.Just a thought.

This projector is almost like buying a Marantz S4. Same scaler built in, very good optics. With the Marantz, you won't be able to use it's built in scaler with any other projector. At least with the Optoma, you could output to another 720p pj.

The biggest difference is that the Marantz can display at 48hz, or some multiple of 24 (forgot which). The optoma can do this on the projector end, but not through the scaler, which is incredibly lame.

I think this whole thing got messed up because Optoma did not design anything in the HD7300. All they did was match the two units together (scaler with pj), and what a horrible job of doing that they did. The pj doesn't work very well without the scaler (bulb/sync issues), and doesn't work as good as it should with the scaler.

Still, it's kind of hard to complain when we don't have many other options in this price range, maybe none.

I'm just thinking how angry the guys who bought this thing for full price must have been when they found out about the crippled scaler. Money is money, but more money hurts more.

This projector is almost like buying a Marantz S4. Same scaler built in, very good optics. With the Marantz, you won't be able to use it's built in scaler with any other projector. At least with the Optoma, you could output to another 720p pj.

The biggest difference is that the Marantz can display at 48hz, or some multiple of 24 (forgot which). The optoma can do this on the projector end, but not through the scaler, which is incredibly lame.

I think this whole thing got messed up because Optoma did not design anything in the HD7300. All they did was match the two units together (scaler with pj), and what a horrible job of doing that they did. The pj doesn't work very well without the scaler (bulb/sync issues), and doesn't work as good as it should with the scaler.

Still, it's kind of hard to complain when we don't have many other options in this price range, maybe none.

I'm just thinking how angry the guys who bought this thing for full price must have been when they found out about the crippled scaler. Money is money, but more money hurts more.

On the bright side.. hd3000 you can:

full CH set up
Fully digital analog input
SD&HD color standard
Fully isfed
Front panel input for camcorder or paly video clips
Accepts video level line as well as PC
gamma tweaks the pj's gamma presets
presets for luminance boosts
Edge masking to delets broadcast message line on four sides
Complete color space calibration on primeries and secondaries
And more

I know that people are a little disappointed that the HD3000 included with the HD7300 package will not output 1080p signals but I think that we are losing sight of how much value is included in this package. Take a deep breath and put aside 1080p for a moment and you are left with a very high quality projector that includes a video processor that while locked at 720p allows almost unheard of calibration and adjustment abilities at this price point. The deinterlacing and scaling on this unit are likely to be better than any projector near its price and coupled with a hi-def player like the Toshiba A2 you'll get top notch hi-def images.

moe
I agree that this is still a pretty good deal. That being said, it still does not absolve Optoma of their responsibility to accurately describe their products for sale.

For any company, it is absurd to require potential customers to download the user manual, read through 62 pages of sometimes hard to understand technical information to find an unremarkable comment buried either back on page 57 or included with a few other mystical statements that the product you are contemplating purchasing has virtually none of the features that they are touting on the actual sales literature page.

To anybody who thinks this is some marketing 'accident', I have a piece of ocean front property to sell you in Utah. Optoma could just as easily state on the sales literature page of either the HD3000 or the package HD7300, "The HD3000 video processor that comes bundled with the HD7100 720p projector will ONLY output 720p at 60hz. It WILL NOT output ANY of the other resolutions or frequencies."

Simple, straightforward, informative and honest.

The fact that people are now either confused or upset or both is completely understandable and Optoma should be held accountable. I just don't see how anybody could see this any other way. Still a good deal? Of course. The deal we all thought we were getting? No way.

George

And, for all the things/options this combination can do, it can't display a DVD image without 3:2 pulldown, which is unforgivable considering the possibilities of this projector/scaler.

I'm starting to wonder if anyone actually bought this thing for full price. You would think people would have complained about this more than we are doing now. It's like the 7300 has no history.

Not that I am not disappointed but...
All pj's in the market speced with lumen and CR rating well above real values. We should go ahead and hold them accountabe.

Have you ever seen a scaler & pj boundle with scaler outputing more rez than the pj can accept? I sure regret the lack of 48 FPS.

I thought I'd pipe in since I owned this unit HD7300 without the scaler about a year ago. At the time I was in touch with the head designer in Taiwan of that unit to find out some features. I also dug around the world for 3 months to get into the service menu, which I eventually posted here on AVS.

HD7300 was never sold as a separate deal, the scaler was included as part of the pj. As far as I remember that unit has an older Broadcom chip, which is different then the scaler they sell separately. As such you are buying a projector with an outboard processor not a package deal. I don't think Optoma meant to bs anyone, they sold a 720p projector with an outboard control box.

The projector itself was misunderstood here in US and I tried to address some of these on the board a while back.

It's not build by Optoma but Chillin Electronics and sold under many names. Extremely popular in Europe under many other names it has some unique features and won many awards overseas.
It has expanded red segment on the color wheel which allows for excellent black level due to better filtering of the lamp.
The color wheel spins at 5x for 60Hz NTSC , but with input at 48Hz and 50Hz (pal) it spins at 288Hz and 300Hz respectively for true 6x color wheel. I run it in that mode exclusively using pixel mapping from my Bravo or HTPC. The processor on board is quite good and the pj can be dialed into an excellent greyscale. HD7300 is IDENTICAL to HD7100 except for the box.

Of all Dlp's I've tested and seen in action only Marantz 1080p could match the Optoma for lack of rainbow effect to which I am very prone.

The downside of it was panning was worse at 6x speed.

The optics are some of the best in the business.

The price on this unit is excellent given the scaler even if locked to 720p. A Lumagen DVI will still cost a pretty penny these days and will do the same things.

Now, I have owned a few things since HD7300 including the Pearl and the Z12K Mk2.

In the context of the latest crop of discounts on 720p pj's with Sharp being in this price range, I would say that I would go with Sharp. As much as I loved the Optoma, Sharp offered another level of performance in the 720p category.

Nevertheless, aside from the Sharp, this would be my second choice at these low prices.

I thought I'd pipe in since I owned this unit HD7300 without the scaler about a year ago. At the time I was in touch with the head designer in Taiwan of that unit to find out some features. I also dug around the world for 3 months to get into the service menu, which I eventually posted here on AVS.

HD7300 was never sold as a separate deal, the scaler was included as part of the pj. As far as I remember that unit has an older Broadcom chip, which is different then the scaler they sell separately. As such you are buying a projector with an outboard processor not a package deal. I don't think Optoma meant to bs anyone, they sold a 720p projector with an outboard control box.

The projector itself was misunderstood here in US and I tried to address some of these on the board a while back.

It's not build by Optoma but Chillin Electronics and sold under many names. Extremely popular in Europe under many other names it has some unique features and won many awards overseas.
It has expanded red segment on the color wheel which allows for excellent black level due to better filtering of the lamp.
The color wheel spins at 5x for 60Hz NTSC , but with input at 48Hz and 50Hz (pal) it spins at 288Hz and 300Hz respectively for true 6x color wheel. I run it in that mode exclusively using pixel mapping from my Bravo or HTPC. The processor on board is quite good and the pj can be dialed into an excellent greyscale. HD7300 is IDENTICAL to HD7100 except for the box.

Of all Dlp's I've tested and seen in action only Marantz 1080p could match the Optoma for lack of rainbow effect to which I am very prone.

The downside of it was panning was worse at 6x speed.

The optics are some of the best in the business.

The price on this unit is excellent given the scaler even if locked to 720p. A Lumagen DVI will still cost a pretty penny these days and will do the same things.

Now, I have owned a few things since HD7300 including the Pearl and the Z12K Mk2.

In the context of the latest crop of discounts on 720p pj's with Sharp being in this price range, I would say that I would go with Sharp. As much as I loved the Optoma, Sharp offered another level of performance in the 720p category.

Nevertheless, aside from the Sharp, this would be my second choice at these low prices.

Would you tell us the advantages of MKII?
Yes I have not seen RBE yet with this machine.

This thread is being read by people from Optoma. I just had a PM from one explaining about the two scalers, HD3000S and HD3000P.

I replied with much the same response as has been expressed here.

Interestingly, if you Google the two 'models', the only links are back to this thread. So it wasn't exactly widely advertised.

OPTOMA -To whome it may concern of those of you reading this thread. You know all too well what is transpiring here with all of the HD7300s sold over the last month. You have made errors in your representation of your product, and now the end users are suffering because of it. You would do yourself great justice in retaining and promoting the good name of Optoma by doing what is right here. You need to offer to update these HD3000 processors to output 1080p. With the way the market is going, and having the 1080p projector competitions heating up, the last thing you need is a recent tainting of the Optoma name. DO THE RIGHT THING OPTOMA. Take care of your customers.

By the way, I've read multiple times that the projector itself is capable of running @48hz with 6x color wheel speed. You would need a source that could send it that, though, and apparently the hd3000 is not one of them. Strange.

Yes, the pj does. I have been doing it for about a year with a custom resolution of 1280x720 48Hz/72Hz from a Bravo D1 player. Glorious PQ!!!
For just a 720p 60Hz signal, Optoma may keep its processors as far as I am concerned.
I still believe Optoma ought to call an apple an apple. Anything else is unethical misrepresentation
Cheers.

The only evidence I have is in the video processor literature. It lists 720p at 72hz as one of the output resolutions it supports.

I'm not very clear on the projector side of it though.

George

The pj handles 720p at 72Hz beautifly.

You get the feeling that the people that put the scaler together with the projector have no clue about home theater. Did they think they were putting a business projector together?

It's one thing to lock it at 720p. It's just completely insane and ignorant to lock it at 60hz, when clearly the pj and scaler can do more.

Maybe they think nobody watches movies with their "hometheater" projectors.

The pj handles 720p at 72Hz beautifly.

FGM, what are you using as a source?

George

Sorry FGM, also forgot to ask, what media are you using the Bravo to output 720 at 48hz, sd dvd's? I'm using my D1 on my IN72, 1:1 pixel mapped at 48hz.

I was able to get Optoma customer/tech support on the phone, of course I had to call them again. The actual wait was minimal, using the 800-877-5001 number. The CSR, Mike, told me that this number gets you both tech support and customer support, not sure which he was though.

I explained the problem everybody is having, which is all the literature on the HD3000 claims all these output resolutions but the HD3000 bundled with the HD7300 combo has many of these features disabled. In particular, nowhere is the buyer warned that the HD3000 they are getting is not the HD3000 that they are advertising. Mike basically said that the two HD3000 units are only different because of the firmware, and that the disable unit is discounted because of the package as sold and that it matches up with the projector it is bundled with.

I explained that the HD3000 being locked at 720p 60hz is fine for TV but horrible for DVD's because you really want a multiple of 24 for DVD's, the output resolution of 720p 72hz as described in all the HD3000 literature should be allowed even on this disabled model.

I don't think anybody here has any wish to go out and spend $1500 on the HD3000 stand alone scaler, so I doubt that Optoma would be hurting their own sales by letting us have the firmware that would re-enable all the disabled features on our HD3000's.

What bothers me is I was given no choice BEFORE I made my purchase! All Optoma's sales literature claims all these output resolutions of their HD3000 video processor/scaler. I read the sales literature and buy their product only to find out AFTER the fact, that my HD3000 doesn't have the features that they advertised it had. That isn't fair and I really fell they should make some sort of concession here for us.

How do you guys feel about it?

George

We are with you, George. Hiding the restrictions is utterly unethical and most likely illegal.

Unless you want to use the 72 with another pj, 7300 probably will not sync on that rr.
The highest is 60 and 75 I think. But agree it is nice to have that option.

Actually the HD7100 does 48Hz and 72 Hz flawlessly.

My Toshiba A2 does not output 48hz I don't think. I would need something to convert to 48hz and I'm guessing the projector will not do this but merely accept a 48hz signal being provided by another device, one of which would NOT be the HD3000, correct?

What a nightmare...

George


You are right on both points. The HD7300 will play 720p at 48Hz if sent to it and the way Optoma is handling this issue is a nightmare.

If I was to sum it up I'd say MK2 offers the most celluloid image I've seen on a 720p, while retaining all the qualities of DLP that I enjoy ie. pop and 3d effect. Most importantly the pans on MK2 are super fluid for a DLP, dither in dark scenes is pretty minimal and the combo of super blacks/shadow detail was hard to beat. If I did not seat 1:1 distance from my 150" HP I would have kept it. If 20K comes down to under 3K I am in both feet :)

But, as I said, I loved my Optoma back then and if not for the panning issues I would have kept it, if I did not own the Sharp I would have considered it a top 720p pj.

BTW, if you go to HT Projectors, Andrea tested SIC Cinema (same pj) and posted pretty good calibration settings that were a great starting point:

Questi i valori di calibrazione, validi UNICAMENTE nell’ambiente di test con il relativo hardware e software (HTPC con Radeon 9700, driver Catalyst 4.40 e lettore TheaterTek 2.0, schermo di 244 cm in 16:9 con guadagno 1.3).

Brightness = -3
Contrast = -1
Sharpness = Normal
Gamma = 2.0
Color temp = 6500°K (x=0, y=0)
Picture setting = Custom 1
White balance
Red Gain = 1
Green Gain = -1
Blue Gain = 1
Red Offset = -1
Green Offset = -1
Blue Offset = 0

First of all hd7300 does 1:1 full pixel mapping with all the signals.
Now if you feed the 73000 a 720p48 it will display it as is.
You feed it 720p60 you get just that.
Both would be mapped pixel to pixel as well.
We need someone with htpc to try 720p48 and report back.

Yes, it does do 720p at 48Hz

[QUOTE=bub;12150412]FGM, what are you using as a source?

George

Sorry FGM, also forgot to ask, what media are you using the Bravo to output 720 at 48hz, sd dvd's? I'm using my D1 on my IN72, 1:1 pixel mapped at QUOTE]
48hz.[/
Yes, sd dvds at 720p with 1:1 pixel mapped at 48Hz. Incredible PQ!!:)
For less than this, who needs a crippled HD3000?:confused:

Actually the HD7100 does 48Hz and 72 Hz flawlessly.

I know that at 48hz, the color wheel is 6x. What is the color wheel speed at 72hz? Maybe around 3x or 4x?

If I was to sum it up I'd say MK2 offers the most celluloid image I've seen on a 720p, while retaining all the qualities of DLP that I enjoy ie. pop and 3d effect. Most importantly the pans on MK2 are super fluid for a DLP, dither in dark scenes is pretty minimal and the combo of super blacks/shadow detail was hard to beat. If I did not seat 1:1 distance from my 150" HP I would have kept it. If 20K comes down to under 3K I am in both feet :)

But, as I said, I loved my Optoma back then and if not for the panning issues I would have kept it, if I did not own the Sharp I would have considered it a top 720p pj.

BTW, if you go to HT Projectors, Andrea tested SIC Cinema (same pj) and posted pretty good calibration settings that were a great starting point:

Questi i valori di calibrazione, validi UNICAMENTE nell’ambiente di test con il relativo hardware e software (HTPC con Radeon 9700, driver Catalyst 4.40 e lettore TheaterTek 2.0, schermo di 244 cm in 16:9 con guadagno 1.3).

Brightness = -3
Contrast = -1
Sharpness = Normal
Gamma = 2.0
Color temp = 6500°K (x=0, y=0)
Picture setting = Custom 1
White balance
Red Gain = 1
Green Gain = -1
Blue Gain = 1
Red Offset = -1
Green Offset = -1
Blue Offset = 0

Nice.
I have not notice any pan issue but I am running the unit at 60hz and looks near my CRT.
Color accuracy of Optoma is great and hard to beat and there is twice the lumen. Based on little info I have 7300 is based on Gennum but not the one in 3000 but not certain if what I read was accurate. Pq of this machine is hi and its black level is exceptional for a unit w/o iris and in league with units with iris. Shadow detail is good but not exceptional.

Huh- I've been away for a few days and come back to read about the mutiny going on. Ouch!

I dunno gents- I tend to agree with those that say you got a great deal. Enjoy it in the configuration it was sold to work in without regards to whether it will work with a 1080p display down the road. I think about the only thing Optoma made a mistake on was putting a link to the actual HD3000 manual on the HD7300 product page. I could not find any mention in any brochure, datasheet, or any sales material for the 7300 that actually says you are getting an HD3000 scaler. They just mention the image processor that comes as part of the package. I think this would give them some leeway in disabling some features not needed for the package it was sold in.

Perhaps unfortunate? Sure. Unethical, immoral, false advertising or illegal? I guess I don't see that IMHO.

I would encourage you to enjoy the excellent image you will be getting from your HD7300package and don't fall over backwards about a few nits. Those exist for all machines.

Cheers!

I heard of companies disabling functions on a lower end model, so that they can sell the higher end one for more, but this has to be one of the worst cases of all time.

Also, don't you think that Optoma, or any company for that matter, should reward you for buying both items, instead of just the 7100 on it's own? It's as if they were encouraging you to buy another manufacturer's scaler instead, because the one they were trying to sell you with the pj was crippled intentionally.

I guess that explains why almost no one bought the 7300.

Of course all of this discussion really has not much weight to it for the amount these things are going for now. Just think that you are buying the scaler for $100, which is the difference in price of the 7100 versus 7300 right now.

Additionally, if the 7300 wasn't so messed up, and it did what we all want it to do, do you think they would be selling for this little now? So in a sense, we can benefit from Optoma's mistake.

The only other pj I can think of that has this video processor is the Marantz S4, and it is at least 3 to 4 times the amount.

It still does suck though.

This is a shame, the manual for the hd3000 confuse everybody about everything, if you can not unlock this unit, don't talk in the manual about changing things, they use the same manual for both. that make everybody to be confused. that was my case. if you download the manual from the 7300 is the same one than the HD3000 unit by itself.

Jose.

The reason 7300 wasn't a big seller last year was the msrp of $6k and mostly feared the problems with 7100 not because it was so messed up. While Optoma should honor the firmware up grade imo it is insane that people expect to pay 1100 for a dc3 hi end dlp and 1080p hi grade prosessor/scaler and a free lamp.

So has anyone received official word from Optoma that they will not upgrade the units we have just bought?

If they are reading this board, the power's that be at Optoma probably do realize that many of us will buy an Optoma 1080P PJ to use with this scaler in the future--especially when we see that they are indeed a great company and that they truly do take care of their customers. I know my brother has been very happy with Optoma's customer service over the years.

I hope they will take care of us. It would definitely make me jump on the first short throw 1080P PJ that Optoma puts out, as soon as they put one out. I would have bought the HD80, but it will not work for my room with the large off-set and the long throw.

I will be calling Optoma as soon as mine arrives. I have high hopes that Optoma will resolve this issue equitably.

bdbaba

The reason 7300 wasn't a big seller last year was the msrp of $6k and mostly feared the problems with 7100 not because it was so messed up. While Optoma should honor the firmware up grade imo it is insane that people expect to pay 1100 for a dc3 hi end dlp and 1080p hi grade prosessor/scaler and a free lamp.

When I said messed up, I was referring to the locked scaler at 720p60hz. Yes, for 6k, that was pretty messed up. At 1K, it's a steal.

With that being said, a company should take care of it's customers, whether they paid full MSRP, or a lot less. These customers who got a taste of what they can offer will remember it when they are in the market for their next pj. For this crowd, that may not be very long from now.

I guess for a while we did think it was an insane deal. Now it's only a really, really good deal.:)

I honestly think we are all getting really spoiled by these incredible prices on these top tier 720p projectors. Once they are gone, we probably won't be seeing any 1080p pj's of such quality at these prices for a long, long time. When I say of this quality, I mean in comparison to what is considered high end at the time.

Sure, you might be able to pick up a Sharp Z20K for $1,300....in like 5 years from now! The Sharp MKII is only a year and a half old, and it is sub 1.5k already.

Do you realize what 1k will get us in the 1080p generation? Goodbye high-end, hello budget pj.

Enjoy the ride while it lasts.

I'm wondering if they would give you the upgraded firmware if your purchasing say the HD80 was contingent on using your present scaler. It might be worth finding out just
to hear their reaction.

So, we are all just a little bit pregnant?

Regardless of the quality of the 'deal', I still would prefer to know the facts BEFORE I make a purchase decision, not AFTER.

This entire fiasco could have very easily been avoided. Optoma simply could/should have placed a note/notice on their product/sales literature page of the HD7300. It might have looked like this.

"Please note that the HD3000 video processor that is packaged with the HD7300 bundle is locked at 720p 60hz."

And, on the HD3000 product/sales literature page,

"Please note, the HD3000 is sold both as a stand alone product and bundled with projectors in a single package. The HD3000's that are bundled with projectors are locked, meaning they will only output one single resolution/frequency. They do not have the complete functionality of the stand alone unit and are priced accordingly."

I'm certainly not accusing Optoma of misleading their potential customers on purpose, they were just sloppy. But bottom line, there is no way to misinterpret who is ultimately responsible for all the confusion many of us are now realizing AFTER we've made our purchases.

Luck to all,
George

So, we are all just a little bit pregnant?

Regardless of the quality of the 'deal', I still would prefer to know the facts BEFORE I make a purchase decision, not AFTER.

This entire fiasco could have very easily been avoided. Optoma simply could/should have placed a note/notice on their product/sales literature page of the HD7300. It might have looked like this.

"Please note that the HD3000 video processor that is packaged with the HD7300 bundle is locked at 720p 60hz."

And, on the HD3000 product/sales literature page,

"Please note, the HD3000 is sold both as a stand alone product and bundled with projectors in a single package. The HD3000's that are bundled with projectors are locked, meaning they will only output one single resolution/frequency. They do not have the complete functionality of the stand alone unit and are priced accordingly."

I'm certainly not accusing Optoma of misleading their potential customers on purpose, they were just sloppy. But bottom line, there is no way to misinterpret who is ultimately responsible for all the confusion many of us are now realizing AFTER we've made our purchases.

Luck to all,
George

While they may not be obligated to give you the 1080P, The firmware should at least support 720P,50,60, & 72HZ as a minimum. Based on the exercise here, future purchases of any of their products will necessitate extreme caution if not people looking elsewhere due to lack of trust.

While they may not be obligated to give you the 1080P, The firmware should at least support 720P,50,60, & 72HZ as a minimum. Based on the exercise here, future purchases of any of their products will necessitate extreme caution if not people looking elsewhere due to lack of trust.

Agreed!

While they may not be obligated to give you the 1080P, The firmware should at least support 720P,50,60, & 72HZ as a minimum. Based on the exercise here, future purchases of any of their products will necessitate extreme caution if not people looking elsewhere due to lack of trust.

I agree with this but with the following adder...


HD7300 was never sold as a separate deal, the scaler was included as part of the pj. As far as I remember that unit has an older Broadcom chip, which is different then the scaler they sell separately. As such you are buying a projector with an outboard processor not a package deal. I don't think Optoma meant to bs anyone, they sold a 720p projector with an outboard control box.


If this information is true, I don't even know how Optoma could market the "scaler" as an HD3000. It does not use the same chip and has very limited functionality to its big brother, this should have been marketed something like an HD2900 or HD2000...

It uses Gennum GF9350 for sure.

I know bcause I looked.
Also: http://www.optomausa.com/PressRelease_Detail.asp?Press_id=40

A copt of their release:

"Optoma Ships Top-of-the-Line 720p Home Theater Projector Featuring External Control System with Scaler and Advanced Video Enhancement

Orlando (June 7, 2006) – Optoma, one of the leading manufacturers of digital projection and display devices, has started shipping the HD7300 home theater projector, a new top-of-the-line product in the company’s highly-awarded home theater projector line. The HD7300, based on Texas Instruments’ DarkChip3™ DMD chipset, features an external control and image enhancement system requiring only a single digital cable to the projector.

Optoma's innovative two-piece design eliminates the need for multiple cables – all that is needed for the projector to be connected is a single cable to the control and image enhancement box, the Optoma HD3000. With its anodized, brushed aluminum casing, the HD3000 has an innovative look and design to fit in any room . With the image enhancement box's extensive inputs, there are ample connections to up-convert sources to 720p for optimal viewing. The one cable connection, as well as horizontal and vertical lens shift, makes this projector perfect for home theater installations.

The HD7300 uses a hand-picked advanced optical system that delivers 1200 ANSI lumen and 6000:1 peak contrast, and 600:1 ANSI contrast ratio. The dual-lens shift has a 1.25x zoom ratio, with a 12-elements system for low dispersion; this allows the HD7300 to achieve deep blacks, high precision, and high-contrast image quality. The HD7300's video/color enhancement processing system delivers an advanced three-stage process flow (decoding, image enhancement, color reproduction enhancement) that offers impressive, personalized adjustment setting at each stage.

The external control and image enhancement system is based on a highly acclaimed, studio-grade Gennum video processor that offers motion adaptive de-interlacing on 480i/576i/1080i film contents, and optimized scaling co-efficiency. The Optoma HD7300 comes with many unique features that are user controllable, such as gamma, color, display format, and edge enhancements. Plus, the control box's firmware is user upgradeable to allow the user to get all the benefits of new controls.
Specifications:

Display Technology Single 0.8" DarkChip3™ DLP® technology
Brightness (typical) 1000 lumens
Resolution 720p native, with color management
Image scaler Gennum VXP solutions
Color Management 10-step Gamma enhancement, RGBCYM 6-color, 15-region adjustment
Video Compatibility NTSC , PAL , SECAM, HDTV (720p, 1080i), EDTV (480p), SDTV (480i), 576i/p
Aspect Ratio 16:9 native, 4:3 compatible
I/O Connectors 3x HDMI™ & 1x External HDMI expansion, 2x RBGHV(BNC), 2x RCA component, 3 S-Video, 3 Composite, 1 VGA ( RGB /YPbPr/SCART), 2xRS232, 2x 12V Trigger, 1xIR port extension
CEDIA certification ISF ccc certification

The Optoma HD7300 home theater projector available now for an estimated street price of $5,999 through authorized Optoma dealers"

I like this part of that press release:

"Plus, the control box's firmware is user upgradeable to allow the user to get all the benefits of new controls."

Ha ha.

The GF9350, of course, does 1080P. I'm not so fussed about 1080P24, but would like 1080P 60.

I believe the mystery S model uses the GF 9351.

I think both are exact same units but different firmware.
Optoma ought to to update the firmware as promised in their Press Release!

I know bcause I looked.
Also: http://www.optomausa.com/PressRelease_Detail.asp?Press_id=40

From the link:

Plus, the control box's firmware is user upgradeable to allow the user to get all the benefits of new controls.

Is this false advertising if they won't supply new firmeware and are they liable?

We need to call them or send a group email to the HQ's customer relations.

(sniff-sniff)
You smell that?!?!
Smells like Class Action.
:D
DO THE RIGHT THING OPTOMA!

HD7300 was never sold as a separate deal, the scaler was included as part of the pj. As far as I remember that unit has an older Broadcom chip, which is different then the scaler they sell separately.

This is inconsistent with the Optoma's press release on the HD7300.


The projector itself was misunderstood here in US and I tried to address some of these on the board a while back.


HD7300 is IDENTICAL to HD7100 except for the box.

As far as I can tell, I have both, they are identical, my HTPC, when it recognizes the projectors via VGA input, sees both as HD7300 :D


Now, I have owned a few things since HD7300 including the Pearl and the Z12K Mk2.

How does the Pearl compare to the HD7300? I know the street prices are quite different, but having seen both, what do you think?

Thanks
Gireesh

1 good thing I have noticed as this thread has progressed. No one who has gotten the 7300 has said anything about any startup issues with the bulb not firing. So if the scaler not outputting what the manual clearly states what it is suppose to do is your only problem then I guess there is a bright side to buying the 7300. I looked through most of the manual and was close to buying but after the scaler not outputting the different resolutions and not getting the extra bulb I had to pass. This is still a great deal but I wanted to be greedy and have it all. ;)

Mike

1 good thing I have noticed as this thread has progressed. No one who has gotten the 7300 has said anything about any startup issues with the bulb not firing. So if the scaler not outputting what the manual clearly states what it is suppose to do is your only problem then I guess there is a bright side to buying the 7300. I looked through most of the manual and was close to buying but after the scaler not outputting the different resolutions and not getting the extra bulb I had to pass. This is still a great deal but I wanted to be greedy and have it all. ;)

Mike
I would also change the auto power off feature in the options menu if no signal detected from on to off(page 45 of manual). I think this is a problem as well although not many people have confirmed it.

Here is the contact info.

Optoma Corporation
5F., No. 108, Minchiuan Rd. , Shindian City, Taipei Taiwan 231, R.O.C.
Tel：+886-2-2218-2360 EXT.3727
Fax：+886-2-2218-2313
http://www.optoma.com.tw
Contact：Peter Hsieh
peterhsieh@optoma.com.tw

Did you guys see this in the printed manual for the HD3000:

"A complete gray level bar on the top of screen is shown while adjusting level; it may help
user to see different effects with different value to decide a suitable value. (Dana: I don’t
understand this.)"

Talk about getting something out the door quick... it is also in the PDF version on the website.

Many parameters (adjustments) in HD3000 gives you a gray scale ramp on the top to be used as a reference.
Or you can choose a window (PIP) to see the changes live in PhotoShop style..

I would also change the auto power off feature in the options menu if no signal detected from on to off(page 45 of manual). I think this is a problem as well although not many people have confirmed it.

I can confirm this... the 7100 I got was set to Auto Power Off OFF. Never noticed any issues at start up.

When I got the HD7300, the first time I turned it on, the bulb came on and stayed on for a few minutes and went dark. My heart sank, so to speak, I went out of the room to come back after a few minutes, when I came back to turn the projector on, I noticed that the projector was on, and the HTPC had finished booting. Then I learned from here about the Auto Power Off option... checked, sure enough, it was set to ON. I changed it to OFF and has had no lamp going dark issue since.

I was referring to the "(Dana: I don’t understand this.)" part. Clearly, this was left in the text by mistake :)

I understood just wanted to elaborate on the those features.

I just received a call back from Optoma and they are offering to allow us to send in our HD3000's for a firmware upgrade (I'm not sure if this is exactly what will happen as I thought these things were setup for end-user upgrade ability, I don't think this person is technical but rather customer service) to re-enable all the features as described in their sales literature, including 1080p output.

He said that the cost would be $299 and the units would go to their repair facility, which is right next door to their offices. The phone number is 888-942-2929. He mentioned that this information could be posted in the forums.

Now, since I just got off the phone and wanted to post this as quick as possible, I really haven't had time to digest the information. Another $300 is not chump change for me. That would make the deal $1600 sans rebate.

Anybody have any thoughts?

George

Forget it no candy for you. :)

Guys this is the way the product is, the HD81 and HD81LV are set at 1080p, no 720p for them. The HD7300 is a 720p product zap scaler set for 720p. They're not going to change the HD81 or HD7300 so you can have a stand alone scaler, it won't happen. And why, right they sell the stand alone scaler on it's own, it is costly but there's a market for it they've sold some.
Sorry

I just received a call back from Optoma and they are offering to allow us to send in our HD3000's for a firmware upgrade (I'm not sure if this is exactly what will happen as I thought these things were setup for end-user upgrade ability, I don't think this person is technical but rather customer service) to re-enable all the features as described in their sales literature, including 1080p output.

He said that the cost would be $299 and the units would go to their repair facility, which is right next door to their offices. The phone number is 888-942-2929. He mentioned that this information could be posted in the forums.

Now, since I just got off the phone and wanted to post this as quick as possible, I really haven't had time to digest the information. Another $300 is not chump change for me. That would make the deal $1600 sans rebate.

Anybody have any thoughts?

George
Did you ask if the would supply the firmware in a file download form since there is an rs232 connector on the unit? The purpose of furmware is to make updates easy. Sounds like their trying to make more money off this.

I think someone from Optoma should pipe in.

Also I bet you have to pay shipping as well.

It should be done free to bring the equipment up the spec vs. advertised documents.

Inexcusable to have to pay $299+ to get what Optoma advertised as "included" with the 7300 package.

Guitarman, I believe you may be trying to "plant seeds" with your comments. Not very ethical of you if that is true. If anything, you should be trying to help the end-users get what they deserve since you are so close with Optoma.

It's only firmware for f***ing sake. I mean give me a break.

I'm still looking to buy a new projector within the next few weeks. If this is the way Optoma is going to treat their customers, there's no way I'm buying an Optome when it eventually comes time to buy a 1080p.

It's business, I explained they sell the stand alone scaler. I always thought the HD7300's scaler was set to match the 720p PJ just like the HD81's set at 1080. I don't know where this info got around that the scaler was wide open like their HD3000. Hell I almost bought one for getting a most usable scaler. Them offering to make your scaler set so you could sell it as a stand alone scaler is surprising and $300 sounds like a deal.

if it were $150 bucks which included shipping both ways, I do it.

Forget it no candy for you. :)

Guys this is the way the product is, the HD81 and HD81LV are set at 1080p, no 720p for them. The HD7300 is a 720p product zap scaler set for 720p. They're not going to change the HD81 or HD7300 so you can have a stand alone scaler, it won't happen. And why, right they sell the stand alone scaler on it's own, it is costly but there's a market for it they've sold some.
Sorry

There is candy in the form of a firmware upgrade. The question is the price of said candy.

As an Optoma dealer, how much do you normally charge for the firmware upgrades you list on your site? Will you be doing this one?

Especially as the PDF data sheet on your own site has the 7300 as being compatible with 1080P, when quite clearly it is not. The projector by itself may be, but as you have pointed out we purchased a package.

Did you ask if the would supply the firmware in a file download form since there is an rs232 connector on the unit? The purpose of furmware is to make updates easy. Sounds like their trying to make more money off this.

The person I spoke with has this title, Director Tech Support & Customer Service.

Whether or not he has the technical information regarding if this is simply a firmware upgrade, I don't know. I asked if the two HD3000 units were identical with the exception of the firmware and he said he didn't know. I did ask if he could find out.

I know that I'm not thrilled with the $299 additional cost. Maybe I'm not objective enough or knowledgeable enough about the worth of this video processor to make the right call. That is why I posted and hoped that there would be some consensus.

I do wonder why we would have to send it in if all they were going to do was a firmware upgrade. I apologize for not having all the answers, this was a phone call, not an email so it is very hard for me to remember exactly how everything was spelled out.

I sent anther email just now asking for a written clarification. I don't want to be responsible for putting out inaccurate information.

I do know for sure, outputting 1080p was specifically mentioned as one of the features to be re-enabled. I also believe that he said that ALL disabled features would be re-enabled.

George

It's business, I explained they sell the stand alone scaler. I always thought the HD7300's scaler was set to match the 720p PJ just like the HD81's set at 1080. I don't know where this info got around that the scaler was wide open like their HD3000. Hell I almost bought one for getting a most usable scaler. Them offering to make your scaler set so you could sell it as a stand alone scaler is surprising and $300 sounds like a deal.

The problem is HD3000-P is too restricted in refresh rate that HD7300 can handle.
It needs an update to bring it up to the spec of the projector.
If not possible it would be Optoma's decision to unleash the processor like the "s" version as already has expressed willingness to do it. Let it go.

The person I spoke with has this title, Director Tech Support & Customer Service.


Is his name Robert?

Is his name Robert?

No. I hate to post his name without making sure it is ok with him first. I will ask him.

George

"firmware upgrades you list on your site? Will you be doing this one?"

That was a favor for H77 owners and my H77. It was a pain also, the projector had to be opened up for the process. I had to use special equipment also and it was 2yrs ago and history. Sounds like the the process is the same way for this one.

There are millions of Robert! Just kidding.
What you said I agree with.

It's business, I explained they sell the stand alone scaler. I always thought the HD7300's scaler was set to match the 720p PJ just like the HD81's set at 1080. I don't know where this info got around that the scaler was wide open like their HD3000. Hell I almost bought one for getting a most usable scaler. Them offering to make your scaler set so you could sell it as a stand alone scaler is surprising and $300 sounds like a deal.

Hey Guitarman, I've been a fan of your support here in the forums for years, before my IN72 purchase 2 years ago.

Where this info got around regarding the HD3000 packaged with the HD7300 comes from Optoma's own sales literature. All the sales literature points to a video processor as part of the package. When clicking on the video processor link from Optoma's website, the HD3000 is the only one.

Now, nowhere on that sales literature page is there any warning that all HD3000's are not created equal. You actually have to download and read the ~60 page users manual and hope that you stumble upon the vaguely worded statement that says, 'some HD3000's only have a single output'. Now, not only would you have to stumble upon that statement but you would also have to understand that what they really mean is, 'The HD3000 you are getting that is packaged with any projector is locked to the resolution of that projector.'

I think most reasonable people could agree that to avoid confusion, the simplest statement possible placed in the most obvious location is the best course of action.

Optoma could have, and should have, placed this valuable piece of information on the HD7300 sales literature page for all to see and have the opportunity to contemplate the ramifications of this information BEFORE making a purchase decision.

I think it would have been prudent as well to place this information on the HD3000 sales literature page as well. Everybody should have this information available BEFORE buying. I know that you have a higher level of understanding of these types of things, but please remember that most of us do not. We need things spelled out for us.

Not to beat the horse dead here either nor do I want to sound unappreciative of your input, but I don't think it fair your characterization that any of us are doing this so that we can all sell our re-enabled scaler as a stand alone scaler for profit.

George

It looks like progress is being made in resolving this. We should be patient enough to see
what compromise solution can be reached and why their putting a value of 299 on the upgrade.I certainly would like to know why a windows or linux os couldn't save a large hastle by being able to download a file via the rs232 port unleashing the full cababilities of the unit.

if it were $150 bucks which included shipping both ways, I do it.

I like the way you think (actually, I was hoping for free, which is my favorite price).

George

"firmware upgrades you list on your site? Will you be doing this one?"

That was a favor for H77 owners and my H77. It was a pain also, the projector had to be opened up for the process. I had to use special equipment also and it was 2yrs ago and history. Sounds like the the process is the same way for this one.

Why did the unit need to be opened up? Was their a switch or jumper setting used to enable the down load? That would not be a problem for me if given specific instructions. However, others might say I don't want to take a chance
and therefore send their unit to Optoma if thats their choice. But there should be alternatives. It also saves them and me a hastle of packaging shipping and waiting to get it back.

Optoma,
This situation could have been handled much better by you up to this point. It is now on the brink of a customer relations nighmare come true. You should really consider what you are doing to the Optoma name. I realize that you are attempting to get out of the situation at cost, but now that may not be possible. You should have thought longer and harder about what the situation would escalate to when you decided to put these products in the public. Your offer to your paying customers is the equivilant to a slap in the face. Almost everyone who purchased the 7300 package did so in relation to getting a great product for a bargain price, and most just simply don't have an extra $300+ to give to Optoma to make up for YOUR mistake. You do realize that your situation is a classic example of a potential Class Action Lawsuit. Is that what you want to invite into your front door right now... or ever? Be smart about it. Figure and add up your potential losses. It's really not that much compared to how much your "business" could be potentially damaged.. is it? Do the right thing.

Forget it no candy for you. :)

Guys this is the way the product is, the HD81 and HD81LV are set at 1080p, no 720p for them. The HD7300 is a 720p product zap scaler set for 720p. They're not going to change the HD81 or HD7300 so you can have a stand alone scaler, it won't happen. And why, right they sell the stand alone scaler on it's own, it is costly but there's a market for it they've sold some.
Sorry

Please forgive my ignorance, but does this mean that if they do upgrade the unit, I would not be able to use it with the HD7300 anymore--it would only work with a 1080P PJ? I was assuming it would work with both.

Anyone?

By the way, my two boxes arrived just about 15 minutes ago!!

Thanks,

bdbaba

I like the way you think (actually, I was hoping for free, which is my favorite price).

George

I was thinking $100, but $150 would be nice. $300 is a bit steep. Hmmmm.....

Guitarman,
Of course at this point you certainly realize that your not fooling anyone with your subliminal type statements. Hard to tell at this point wether or not your Optoma's little puppet, or wether your just trying to gain brownie points with them... maybe both. It's really disappoiting that at this point in your career, ethics take the back seat in the vehicle that drives your business. Hey, maybe that's the secret of your success. Maybe you should just go spread propaganda somewhere else. We've all got our quota here.

I was thinking $100, but $150 would be nice. $300 is a bit steep. Hmmmm.....

This is firmware update to bring the scaler up to pj's spec.
It should be done free!
It should be available as a downloadable file with instructions.
Forget $100, $299..etc.

Hey Guitarman, I've been a fan of your support here in the forums for years, before my IN72 purchase 2 years ago.

Where this info got around regarding the HD3000 packaged with the HD7300 comes from Optoma's own sales literature. All the sales literature points to a video processor as part of the package. When clicking on the video processor link from Optoma's website, the HD3000 is the only one.

Now, nowhere on that sales literature page is there any warning that all HD3000's are not created equal. You actually have to download and read the ~60 page users manual and hope that you stumble upon the vaguely worded statement that says, 'some HD3000's only have a single output'. Now, not only would you have to stumble upon that statement but you would also have to understand that what they really mean is, 'The HD3000 you are getting that is packaged with any projector is locked to the resolution of that projector.'

I think most reasonable people could agree that to avoid confusion, the simplest statement possible placed in the most obvious location is the best course of action.

Optoma could have, and should have, placed this valuable piece of information on the HD7300 sales literature page for all to see and have the opportunity to contemplate the ramifications of this information BEFORE making a purchase decision.

I think it would have been prudent as well to place this information on the HD3000 sales literature page as well. Everybody should have this information available BEFORE buying. I know that you have a higher level of understanding of these types of things, but please remember that most of us do not. We need things spelled out for us.

Not to beat the horse dead here either nor do I want to sound unappreciative of your input, but I don't think it fair your characterization that any of us are doing this so that we can all sell our re-enabled scaler as a stand alone scaler for profit.

George

I figured it came from reading the HD3000 manual. But - Page 60 'some HD3000's only have a single output'. It's the same line for the HD81 and HD81LV. I am really surpised they'll open up the scaler for the $299. I have to call in to see what's up and why.

"we can all sell our re-enabled scaler as a stand alone scaler for profit."
Well there's no doubt it can be sold, that's why I'm surprised. Watch the HD81 and HD81LV owners are up next, it would only be fair.

I figured it came from reading the HD3000 manual. But - Page 60 'some HD3000's only have a single output'. It's the same line for the HD81 and HD81LV. I am really surpised they'll open up the scaler for the $299. I have to call in to see what's up and why.

"we can all sell our re-enabled scaler as a stand alone scaler for profit."
Well there's no doubt it can be sold, that's why I'm surprised. Watch the HD81 and HD81LV owners are up next, it would only be fair.
They should have given it a completely different part number and spelled it out in bold letters so there was no confusion. Anything else is deceptive advertising.
There will be some who want to sell it and would do it anyway but most of us want a piece of equipment that works up to our expectations with out having to make a mountain of research and expect honesty in our dealings. This is why we share information on this forum ie to be help to one another so we don't run into problems and help solve them when we do and can.

This is firmware update to bring the scaler up to pj's spec.
It should be done free!
It should be available as a downloadable file with instructions.
Forget $100, $299..etc.

I am game for that as well!:D

bdbaba

"we can all sell our re-enabled scaler as a stand alone scaler for profit."
Well there's no doubt it can be sold, that's why I'm surprised. Watch the HD81 and HD81LV owners are up next, it would only be fair.

Here is the WHOLE quote...
Not to beat the horse dead here either nor do I want to sound unappreciative of your input, but I don't think it fair your characterization that any of us are doing this so that we can all sell our re-enabled scaler as a stand alone scaler for profit.

Why don't you use the ENTIRE quote Guitarman?:rolleyes: Stop spreading propaganda! It's now getting rediculous on your part.

I am game for that as well!:D

bdbaba

I've already spent 2400+ between the 7100 and 7300 and don't want to spend any more myself.

Here is the WHOLE quote...
Not to beat the horse dead here either nor do I want to sound unappreciative of your input, but I don't think it fair your characterization that any of us are doing this so that we can all sell our re-enabled scaler as a stand alone scaler for profit.

Why don't you use the ENTIRE quote Guitarman?:rolleyes: Stop spreading propaganda! It's now getting rediculous on your part.

Ah I give up! You know the facts why, forget about it.

Why don't you use the ENTIRE quote Guitarman?:rolleyes: Stop spreading propaganda! It's now getting rediculous on your part.

Go baby..go.:)

;)

I am game for that as well!:D

bdbaba

Ah I give up! You know the facts why, forget about it.

Don't give up help us out. Do the right thing

I like Tom but I really have to complain.
Days ago many were asking if hd3000 would do 1080p but he never posted an answer knowing now that he knew the answer. That is not good Tom.
Edited misspelled word

Has anyone other then George called and emailed Optoma?

I did days ago with no go but told them "I'LL BE BACK!':D

I like Tom but I really have to complain.
Days ago many were asking if hd3000 would do 1080p but he never posted an answer knowing now that he new the answer. That is not good Tom.

I like Tom as well! He has helped me before a few times. I do not want to bash anyone, including him. However, it would be great to get some back-up on this.;)

I do have to say that i was one that asked that question--a couple times. I tried to get an answer while I could still cancel the order if needed. Too late.

What do you think Caspian? Should i leave the PJ boxed until we get an answer, or doe sit not matter?

bdbaba

I like Tom but I really have to complain.
Days ago many were asking if hd3000 would do 1080p but he never posted an answer knowing now that he new the answer. That is not good Tom.

Isn't that funny I just thought the same thing but didn't want to be the first to mention it. I will try to call as well but I'm not as articulate on scalers as others
might be more knowledgeable in doing so.

I say Optoma will stand up and stand up tall and will take care of the business.
Go for it.. crack the box open.

I say Optoma will stand up and stand up tall and will take care of the business.
Go for it.. crack the box open.

Thanks for the reply Caspian!

I think Optoma will cover us as well. They are already moving in the right direction--just need to go a bit further.

Caspian, what about my other question. When Optoma helps us out and upgrades the unit, we still will be able to use it with this unit and a 1080P unit, right? It seemed that Tom was saying it was one or the other? Am I misreading that?

I say Optoma will stand up and stand up tall and will take care of the business.
Go for it.. crack the box open.

I agree, I hope that Optoma will be reasonable and do the right thing. After all I spent a reasonable amount of money on their product. Hopefully they will want a repeat customer

I bought this unit to run 1080p with another unit I own. So once updated yes can be paired with another unit.

I figured it came from reading the HD3000 manual. But - Page 60 'some HD3000's only have a single output'. It's the same line for the HD81 and HD81LV. I am really surpised they'll open up the scaler for the $299. I have to call in to see what's up and why.

What is up and why? Last time I checked false advertising is not legal in most of the United States, if not all. Why do corporations and dealers not like free market forces and laws that protect the consumer when they do not work in their favor? HD7300's street price was estimated by Optoma at $5999 when it came out, most of these boxes that we are buying were packed over a year ago ... the advent of 1080p projectors drove the price down to a point where they cannot sell them for much more than current street price. That doesn't mean that Optoma does not have to live up to their advertisement, which because of the Internet has become 'eternal', unlike old days when people could not find the brochures a few months after release of a product.

Would you have questioned someone selling the scaler for $1500 June of last year when the street price of the combination was four times that?

well said.

"Originally Posted by guitarman
I figured it came from reading the HD3000 manual. But - Page 60 'some HD3000's only have a single output'. It's the same line for the HD81 and HD81LV. I am really surpised they'll open up the scaler for the $299. I have to call in to see what's up and why.

What is up and why? Last time I checked false advertising is not legal in most of the United States, if not all."

First off read my post, there is no false advertising. HD3000's are set different for different projectors. I only got wing of the HD7300's being opened up here in the thread, you jumped to false conclusions.
I'm out of the loop on this one.

I figured it came from reading the HD3000 manual. But - Page 60 'some HD3000's only have a single output'. It's the same line for the HD81 and HD81LV. I am really surpised they'll open up the scaler for the $299. I have to call in to see what's up and why.



So the only way someone would ever know that the scalers with these 2 optoma projectors are locked at a certain resolution AND refresh rate is on page 60 of the owner's manual? I can understand if it was a minor feature, but output resolutions and refresh rates on a scaler are very significant.

Even that line identifies the HD3000's that are locked as "some". Very vague.

This can be an opportunity for Optoma to be more clear on the features of their products, especially features that are critical to the potential buyer.

By Optoma's response, they do have the power in their hands to rectify this situation. Now their decision as to what to do with that power will send a clear message to consumers, for better or for worse.

All the owners in the over $3,000 a unit forum never questioned that their 1080p projectors scaler is set at 1080p. They understood the HD3000 stand alone scaler was a different item. Someone started early here and jumped to false conclusions. If you search back you'll probably find out who. It wasn't me, when I heard the HD7300's scaler is opened up to all resolution's again I was surprised and almost bought one. Bummer for members who bought on that assumption because it was wrong. Don't blame me on it.

"Originally Posted by guitarman
I figured it came from reading the HD3000 manual. But - Page 60 'some HD3000's only have a single output'. It's the same line for the HD81 and HD81LV. I am really surpised they'll open up the scaler for the $299. I have to call in to see what's up and why.

What is up and why? Last time I checked false advertising is not legal in most of the United States, if not all."

First off read my post, there is no false advertising. HD3000's are set different for different projectors. I only got wing of the HD7300's being opened up here in the thread, you jumped to false conclusions.
I'm out of the loop on this one.

Tom, I think (I hope I was able to bold the text I wanted out of your quote/post above correctly) what is being brought up here is not that you knew Optoma was or could upgrade these neutered HD3000's but rather that you knew that the HD3000's that we were getting with our HD7300 package could not do 1080p as was asked repeatedly in this thread.

George

Also, not to defend or discourage anyone, I think some of the criticisms of Tom a bit harsh. I think we can all work through this while being courteous at the same time.

Tom, I think (I hope I was able to bold the text I wanted out of your quote/post above correctly) what is being brought up here is not that you knew Optoma was or could upgrade these neutered HD3000's but rather that you knew that the HD3000's that we were getting with our HD7300 package could not do 1080p as was asked repeatedly in this thread.

George

Also, not to defend or discourage anyone, I think some of the criticisms of Tom a bit harsh. I think we can all work through this while being courteous at the same time.

Well said George.. Tom, I still think you rock! Thanks for all the help you have given my brother and I so many times in the past. It was and is truly appreciated.

However, I hope you do see our side of this point as well.

As far as the guys that bought the 1080P units, they are never going to back-track to a 720P unit, I am sure. So the fact that their Scalers are set at 1080P probably does not matter much to them. However, us more broke lads that are still using the 720P units until we can upgrade to 1080P, do still need both--if that makes sense.

I just had to replace a belt on my dryer and I am a bit out of it--What a PITA that was!!!

Optoma--You are a great Company--I know you will pull through!!!!

Cheers,

bdbaba

"but rather that you knew that the HD3000's that we were getting with our HD7300 package could not do 1080p as was asked repeatedly in this thread."

I figured the scaler would be set to output 720p to the 720p projector and not upscale to 1080p to the projector. That's why I say I was surprised to hear about the full open scaler and almost bought one, mainly just to get an opened up scaler. :)

I'm going to talk the their manager tomorrow about it.

Tom, it is hard to understand what you are really saying... it came across as if you were suggesting that people were trying to get this opened to sell.

I for one bought the 7300 hoping it would behave better than the 7100 and HDMI switch combo. However, to date I have had very little luck. I have to ship the projector and scaler to Optoma so that they can fix the issue. I cannot get it to do 1:1 pixel mapping. I have little or no use for the HD3000's scaler.

Did you see "resolution" under the System tab?

No.

I figured the scaler would be set to output 720p to the 720p projector and not upscale to 1080p to the projector. That's why I say I was surprised to hear about the full open scaler and almost bought one, mainly just to get an opened up scaler. :)

I'm going to talk the their manager tomorrow about it.

If even someone who has a lot of "inside" knowledge of Optoma products was not entirely sure of the abilities of the processor, how is the average consumer supposed to have any idea.

When you say you "figured", that is a conclusion you drew on your own, and not from reading any literature dealing with the Optoma 7300 set. What you figured apparently was in line with what Optoma was thinking as well. However, even your brief deduction that you came to would have been exactly what Optoma should have written clearly in the Optoma 7300 specification sheet, yet nothing of the sort was written.

Can you say that the a consumer was also supposed to "figure" that not only the resolution was locked at 720p, but also the frequency at 60hz? I don't see anywhere in the manual that states the frequency is locked at 60hz.

I am not attacking what you said at all, but showing that even a person possessing the knowledge of Optoma products such as yourself would not be able to perceive the limitations of the Optoma 7300 from the product literature.

Edit: By the way Guitarman, do you remember how you found out that the Optoma hd7300's version of the hd3000 was locked at 720p?

"but rather that you knew that the HD3000's that we were getting with our HD7300 package could not do 1080p as was asked repeatedly in this thread."

I figured the scaler would be set to output 720p to the 720p projector and not upscale to 1080p to the projector. That's why I say I was surprised to hear about the full open scaler and almost bought one, mainly just to get an opened up scaler. :)

I'm going to talk the their manager tomorrow about it.

Hey Tom,

So are you going to give us a hand with this? We greatly appreciate anything that you can do to help us out. I am glad you are on the case.

Have a great night.

bdbaba

I don't think anybody should be taking Tom to task on any of the shortcomings of the HD3000 scaler. In all the threads I have read over the years Tom has been nothing but helpful to countless members. I know he would help everyone if he can by mentioning this dilemma to his contacts at Optoma but again he is only here trying to help and offer his opinion.

Mike

I disagree.

Tom has a privileged position here as initially a de facto Optoma spokesman, and now a fully fledged dealer of Optoma products. It was he who introduced the HD3000 to the board:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=690384&highlight=hd3000

I too find it disturbing that he either a) didn't know the capabilities of the products he sells, or b) watched us leap over the lemming ledge without trying to stop us.

As the semi-official Optoma rep here, and one who has used the amorphous nature of his relationship with both members and Optoma to build his business, I would expect Tom to cash in some chips.

Steve

(Owner of H27, H30, H31, HD70, HD7100)

I wish I could have it 720p 50Hz, at least I could use it. I have to call this afternoon to see if they can change the firmware to 50Hz, anyway I think Optoma should have it for 720p50/60/70HZ not only for 60Hz.

as a first time PJ owner who purchased the 7300 combo i do feel like optoma shorted me a bit, and misrepresented what they were selling. w the bulb deal from newegg generating tons of intrest i didnt feel i had the time to figure out all the details, and i was right; i did purchase the combo w the bulb before it sold out. i was afraid there would be a catch somewhere, and here it is. i still need to learn more....whats 3/2 pulldown? / RRate got to do w anything? etc....any quick links would be appreciated. all i wanted for now out of the scaler was to have a functioning HDMI switcher, and something that would optomize the various inputs for the PJ. looks like the locked version of the hd3000 will do this fine, and mine works as advertised. however, i did figure some day i would upgrade to a 1080p display to repace the 7300 or for use somewhere else in the house, and the hd3000 could go there.

anyways...if anyone believes i should contact optoma to express my opinion i will, as a rookie owner who is a bit disappointed

lear

Again when I said I figured it would be 720p is because I know that's the way Optoma set them up from day one. What I didnt' know was they added all the inputs on the PJ so it could be used alone. After hearing that and that the Scaler was open to all resolutions in this thread I followed along with everybody else. Then now in the later part of the tread I read no the scaler isn't open. All the miss information comes from this thread not Optoma deceiving anybody.

I want to see if Optoma will offer the $299 deal to my HD81 owners and HD81LV owners also.

Guitarman, I would be more than happy to have my scaler working at 720p 50Hz, do you think that Optoma ca do that change, it would be the same product that they offer but to be used in 50Hz instead of 60Hz.

Can someone with a PC/Laptop and HD7300 do a simple test for me?

Please hook up your PC via the VGA connection to the scaler, output 720p if you can and see what shows up on the projector?

What I see is a chopped off image, that takes up only the right two thirds of the screen.

I wish I could have it 720p 50Hz, at least I could use it. I have to call this afternoon to see if they can change the firmware to 50Hz, anyway I think Optoma should have it for 720p50/60/70HZ not only for 60Hz.

Why the 70Hz, and not 72Hz?

Does anyone happen to know if it does well the 1080i->720p conversion like the full Hd3000? This will be quite important to me.

Why the 70Hz, and not 72Hz?

I believe it is a type-o :P

But I do agree at min it should support 50/60/72hz refresh rates as the manual states.

All the miss information comes from this thread not Optoma deceiving anybody.

I 100% disagree with you Tom. Optoma lists all the specs of their HD3000 on their website, just search for video processors. They don't differentiate between models, nor do they even acknowledge that there are different models. They simply list the features of the HD3000, which includes the ability to output many different resolutions and many different frequencies.

So, when a potential customer sees their HD7300 package deal includes the HD3000 video processor, where do you suggest these potential customers get their information from, if not the Optoma webiste?

Optoma could very easily have listed the HD3000 as both a stand alone unit for x amount of dollars AND a package unit, including a projector. This package HD3000 specs should clearly be disclosed that it only outputs a single resolution and a single frequency tied to the projector it is bundled with.

The fact that Optoma did not do that is why all the confusion, period. There is no way around that fact.

George

Furthermore, I don't think that you are helping us here on this issue by contacting your Optoma contacts to see if your customers can purchase an upgrade for $299. We all, or at least most, feel like Optoma is taking advantage of us by asking an additional $299 to provide to us the functionality in our HD3000's that we all thought we had already paid for.

I 100% disagree with you Tom. Optoma lists all the specs of their HD3000 on their website, just search for video processors. They don't differentiate between models, nor do they even acknowledge that there are different models. They simply list the features of the HD3000, which includes the ability to output many different resolutions and many different frequencies.

So, when a potential customer sees their HD7300 package deal includes the HD3000 video processor, where do you suggest these potential customers get their information from, if not the Optoma webiste?

Optoma could very easily have listed the HD3000 as both a stand alone unit for x amount of dollars AND a package unit, including a projector. This package HD3000 specs should clearly be disclosed that it only outputs a single resolution and a single frequency tied to the projector it is bundled with.

The fact that Optoma did not do that is why all the confusion, period. There is no way around that fact.

George

Furthermore, I don't think that you are helping us here on this issue by contacting your Optoma contacts to see if your customers can purchase an upgrade for $299. We all, or at least most, feel like Optoma is taking advantage of us by asking an additional $299 to provide to us the functionality in our HD3000's that we all thought we had already paid for.

Have to agree with George here. No offense.

George, did you get a clarification email back yet?

gireesh, I meant 72Hz; I typed it wrongly.

The spanish distributor from Optoma is getting in touch with Optoma Spain and see if the can change the firmware of my scaler. let´s see what they say, this projector has not been sold in Europe. but if you read the manual it talks about multiple voltage, Pal, 50/60/72 Hz. it tell you to play with the up key to change resolutions,
I have been reading the manual for the HD3000 that comes with the european version that is called THEMESCENE(OPTOMA HD3000) it comes in English it says:

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
The HD3000 is designed to provide the best possible image to a high definition display, such
as Optoma/ThemeScene® Home Theatre DLP projector or others. By utilizing HDMI or
DVI/HDCP inputs on the display device, the video stream is fully digital. The HD3000 supports
High Resolution DLP Projectors, Plasma TVs or LCD TVs with the following native High
Definition Display resolutions:
· 1024x768
· 1280x720*
· 1280x768
· 1366x769
· 1920x1080*
* HD-ready Standard
Not all displays or projectors are capable of receiving and displaying this complete list
of resolutions. Please refer to the documentation that came with your projector or
display for the exact compatibility match. Certain versions of the HD3000 have been
factory preset to a single output range.
ESTABLISHING INITIAL OUTPUT RESOLUTION
From the factory, the HD3000 is shipped with the default output resolution of 1280x720,
progressive scan, commonly knows as 720p. This is a resolution format commonly found on
many high definition digital displays. For most high definition display products, this is the only
step needed.
If your display is not compatible with 720p resolution, the HD3000 offers an easy way for to set
the right output signals that match your display.
Prior to connecting the HD3000 to a display, please determine resolution capabilities of your
Display. To determine the resolution that will work, please refer to the list of compatible
resolutions below:
• 1280x720p 50*/60*/72 Hz (default 50Hz for European product and 60Hz for US and ASIA)
• 1024x768p 50/60/72 Hz (Native resolution for a few 16x9 Plasma TV)
• 1280x768p 50/60/72 Hz (Native resolution for some DLP projector, LCD TV and plasma TV)
• 1366x768p 50/60 Hz (Native resolution for 16x9 plasma TV)
• 1920x1080p 48/50*/60* Hz
* HD ready Standard
To avoid multiple processing of the same images, we recommend outputting “native”
resolution to your display from the HD3000. This will ensure the best possible image quality.
Many displays also feature a built-in Scaler unit – but these Scalers are not as sophisticated as HD 3000

I had bought another projector, probably the Optoma HD 73 which is sold Europe, anyway, the picture quality of this projector is very good. but I feel dissapointed about Optoma.

The American model does not seem to have Theme Scene on it... where are the European one does.

The scalers that came from VA and Newegg... did they have the Theme Scene logo on top or just Optoma?

Here is the Theme Scene HD-3000 sold in Europe:
http://www.optomaeurope.com/uploads/manuals/HD3000-M-en.pdf

Here is the one I thought came with my HD7300:
http://marketing.optomausa.com/PDFs/usermanuals/Optoma_HD-3000_Manual.pdf

Ok here's the why, they'll offer to open the scaler to make owners happy that feel they need it. But to be fair to anyone that bought or buys the open scaler alone they'll have to charge and have the scalers sent in. They'll cover the return shipping and it's not certain but I suggested they upgrade the return sending to 2day air which they'll probably will do. So if you really think you need it set up an RMA, I still think it's a good deal. You'll have a scaler you can use with other products, plasma TV, or other HDTV in your house.

It's best to send 720p to the projector anyway for 1.1 pixel matching. If you send 1080 the Pixelworks chip on the PJ will be down scaling it, you'll lose pixel amplitude, no 1.1. 720p will look better.

Does anyone happen to know if it does well the 1080i->720p conversion like the full Hd3000? This will be quite important to me.

1080i from the Tosh HDA1 being deinterlaced by the scaler passed all the HQV test discs torture tests, it did great.

Have to agree with George here. No offense.

George, did you get a clarification email back yet?

I did get another email from Optoma but it simply said he would try to get me more information.

I had asked for a reiteration in writing of what we spoke about on the phone and any additional technical information he could provide.

Oh well, guess just sit and wait. I wasn't sure if I should speak to him again about the $299 additional cost. I was hoping that we all, as a group, might figure out how we wanted to proceed.

George

1080i from the Tosh HDA1 being deinterlaced by the scaler passed all the HQV test discs torture tests, it did great.

Tom, do you know if all version of the HD3000 are the same hardware wise. I know it seems now that the firmware is different, but our HD3000's, which came boxed with the HD7100 projector, are they exactly the same as the stand alone unit?

Basically, once our HD3000's are upgraded, they will be the exact copy of the stand alone units?

I also have the Toshiba A2, I'm guessing there is no way to bypass 3:2 pulldown using it and the Hd7300 setup?

Thanks,
George

1080i from the Tosh HDA1 being deinterlaced by the scaler passed all the HQV test discs torture tests, it did great.

thank you for the help :)

Tom, do you know if all version of the HD3000 are the same hardware wise. I know it seems now that the firmware is different, but our HD3000's, which came boxed with the HD7100 projector, are they exactly the same as the stand alone unit?

Basically, once our HD3000's are upgraded, they will be the exact copy of the stand alone units?

I also have the Toshiba A2, I'm guessing there is no way to bypass 3:2 pulldown using it and the Hd7300 setup?

Thanks,
George

It's the same machine identical, the scaler the HD81 has is different in that it also uses rs-232 for control to the PJ. No you can't bypass 3.2 with the scaler, didn't someone get it to work direct?

But to be fair to anyone that bought or buys the open scaler alone they'll have to charge and have the scalers sent in.

I'm still at a loss to understand how unlocking our scalers is 'unfair' to existing owners of the standalone unit.

If Optoma were worried about the delicate sensibilities of current owners they wouldn't have blown out the units for 1/4 the original retail in the first place.

That's the sort of thing that peeves owners.

But to be fair to anyone that bought or buys the open scaler alone they'll have to charge and have the scalers sent in.

Sorry to pull this quote out of your entire post but I completely missed the ramifications of this statement until I saw it pulled out below.

Are you speaking here as an individual who sells Optoma products or are you speaking as 'the' Optoma representative? I'm not sure that anybody here yet has been able to accurately define the term 'fair' as applicable to this situation. This is something I think we are all now trying to determine for ourselves.

I could be wrong, but my instincts are that most of us here do not think it 'fair' to be charged another $299 to have our HD3000's restored to the functionality that we thought we had already paid for.

I also think that we are all waiting and hoping for further negotiations with Optoma regarding what is and is not 'fair'.

I know, for me personally, I was not thinking that Optoma was looking at this situation and thinking, hey here is a another revenue stream. I AM hoping that they will eventually look at it like, oops made a little mistake here and caused some confusion for our customers, what can we do to make it right quickly before our customers get really upset.

George

It's what some one in charge told me. It's not going to change, If you really need and want to hotrod your scaler up the opportunity is approved. Hey it's better than not being allowed at all.
take care

So how to we take advantage of Optoma's 'generosity'?

At least they should offer 48 & 72 Hz unlock for free in order for 7300 and 3000 be compatiable.
I am not going to take the $300 road. It is scam to me.

Yup they sell you this and charge you $300 more to sell the one which was supposed to be to begin with. Sorta switch and bait. Optoma is asking for trouble IMO.

With all problems with their HD-81-LV they are having it is absolutly mind buggling how little they can think in the right direction as a company. No wonder they do not even have a Customer Relation department.

At least they should offer 48 & 72 Hz unlock for free in order for 7300 and 3000 be compatiable.
I am not going to take the $300 road. It is scam to me.

That's 300 + shipping. I dont' need 1080P right now I just want full functionality for 720P at no cost as well. Why did they make this statement:
"The control box's firmware is user upgradeable to allow the user to get all the benefits of new controls" if they are not going to live up to it.

So how to we take advantage of Optoma's 'generosity'?

Call the tech area and set up a RMA for opening your scaler up to be like the stand alone HD3000 they sell. They were forwarded the approval and will tell you what you need to do.

That's 300 + shipping. I dont' need 1080P right now I just want full functionality for 720P at no cost as well. Why did they make this statement:
"The control box's firmware is user upgradeable to allow the user to get all the benefits of new controls" if they are not going to live up to it.

If there's a problem with the HD7300 and it's scaler they could setup a firmware, but the systems been setup for a long time now and all bugs are taken care of.

I know it's not what you want but opening up the scaler to be like the stand alone scaler they sell is a horse of a different color. :)

I know it's not what you want but opening up the scaler to be like the stand alone scaler they sell is a horse of a different color. :)


Why there is a $300 charge to update my machine? A $30 charge would have made sense but gosh $300!! Any comments?

I 100% disagree with you Tom. Optoma lists all the specs of their HD3000 on their website, just search for video processors. They don't differentiate between models, nor do they even acknowledge that there are different models. They simply list the features of the HD3000, which includes the ability to output many different resolutions and many different frequencies.

So, when a potential customer sees their HD7300 package deal includes the HD3000 video processor, where do you suggest these potential customers get their information from, if not the Optoma webiste?

Optoma could very easily have listed the HD3000 as both a stand alone unit for x amount of dollars AND a package unit, including a projector. This package HD3000 specs should clearly be disclosed that it only outputs a single resolution and a single frequency tied to the projector it is bundled with.

The fact that Optoma did not do that is why all the confusion, period. There is no way around that fact.

George

Furthermore, I don't think that you are helping us here on this issue by contacting your Optoma contacts to see if your customers can purchase an upgrade for $299. We all, or at least most, feel like Optoma is taking advantage of us by asking an additional $299 to provide to us the functionality in our HD3000's that we all thought we had already paid for.

Well said, Geoge.

Well, received another call from Optoma, Director, Tech Support & Customer Service.

He said he can not understand why all the confusion. Did not want to hear me explain it again. Said they had been selling this combination for years and never had a complaint.

I'm really stumped. I think that there just aren't enough of us to cause Optoma too much concern. I also think that they feel like they are bending over backwards to even do this for us, that's the sense I get anyways.

It's weird that they can't see why we are all confused over the HD3000, and why we feel ours are neutered and that we didn't have any opportunity to learn that BEFORE we purchased. It boggles the mind really.

George

I also would like everybody to understand that I have absolutely no relationship with Optoma. The only reason that I'm getting calls from this Optoma representative is I've written and called numerous times asking for an escalation of this issue. I think it strange that they would entrust me to pass along the specifics of their offer of resolution. Just doesn't seem very professional.

The answers in my first post from this morning after talking to managment. I bet they prefer not to get any in.

Lets talk about something else about the combo, how about does it start up every time and doesn't have the delay the straight 7100 has? How about a test starting up the PJ without the scaler is it any different? That's something I'd be interested in. How does a pixel burst pattern look with a HMDI device and the PJ scaler out at 720p, is it sharp with good contrast around each pixel? HD-DVD has some good patterns for this.

I'm interested in these questions also.
How does the 7300 with the scaler hooked up look compared to the stand alone pj (essentially a 7100) when it receives input from:
1. A Directv H20 box outputting 720p and 1080i?
2. An upconverting DVD player?
3. A Blu Ray DVD player?
4. An HD-DVD player (any brand)?
5. A standard definition signal?

My 7100 does a good job with the first 2 items (I don't have a Blu Ray or HD-DVD). I'm wondering if it's worth it to get the 7300 package, sell my 7100 to a friend for $500 (it has 450 hours on the bulb, I paid $2200), thereby getting a new 7300/scaler combo with zero hours on the bulb for the difference of $600. I don't care if it puts out 1080p, etc. But it must massage the 720p and 1080i input enough to make a $600 expenditure worthwhile. I have had only 2 bulb firing problems, not enough to cause much concern but I am interested if the 7300 does better in that area.

I think you'll be losing too much money to pick up the better deinterlacing. The pixelworks chip in the 7100 still does a decent job. The scaler just does better deinterlacing for HDTV. But HDTV looks so good you'll hardly notice jaggies anyway.

I see what you mean on the $600 though. You do get all the tuning features the scaler has plus the switching, it could be worth $600.

If Pixelwork would scale the 1080i to 540p and then up to 720p, $600 extra might worth spending. HD3000 is also a hi Q switcher so you don't have to switch cables when you change sources. Another thing that I like with the combo is the option it offers to select film or video deinterlace (weave vs bob) method. The pq increase might be incremental to some but it is going to be there nevertheless.

Thanks Tom. I was going to spring for the 7300/extra bulb deal, that was almost a no-brainer, but dithered too long and the offer disappeared. I've been on the fence with this one but your advice, plus the crappy stock market, pushes me towards a no buy decision. Plus, I have a remote switcher I picked up from Monoprice, it works well.

Caspian, have you seen a quantitative difference in PQ when using the scaler vs, against a straight feed from a 720p or 1080i output into the stand alone pj?

It just occurred to me that Optoma has made a concession (if offering to upgrade our HD3000's for $299 can be considered a concession) while at the same time, not taking any responsibility for all the confusion regarding the HD3000.

The only other possibility would be they do feel they are responsible but aren't willing to admit it. Either way, if they are willing to provide an upgrade path, even at a cost of $299, without feeling responsible, I'm wondering what their offer would be if they were convinced that they are responsible?

I still can not fathom how anybody could come to the conclusion, after looking over all the facts, including their own website literature, that all the pertinent information was readily available to potential customers BEFORE they purchased the HD7300.

So, there are two keys to this thing, how are we all coming to the conclusion that we were not given enough information to properly make our decision AND how do we get Optoma to see our side of this?

George

Maybe it's easy for HD81 owners to justify ponying up an additional $300 over their $5,000 projector (a 6% premium) but that same $300 is over 25% more on our $1100 purchase.

Jeez, I should probably just see if I can return this thing and move on. I was excited for awhile though...

How do the hddvd and bluray players (playstation 3 in particular) scale 1080i to 720p for hd content? Do they go the 540p route, or the real deal? Sometimes I wonder if I've ever seen proper 1080i to 720p scaling or not. I have a Toshiba HD-A1 and a PS3. I know the Toshiba does a horrible job at scaling down to 720p, but the ps3, as well as my former pj, the Sony vpl-hs60, did a good job, as far as I could tell.

This stuff gets kind of confusing if you don't know how your equipment is actually doing stuff.

The thing that's different about the HD81 is that none of the literature for it says that it can output a whole bunch of resolutions. That explains why no owners of those are complaining because they got exactly what they were told they would get. If any owners do compain about this issue, what would be their basis?

Edit: By the way, is the HD81 locked @60hz as well?

Caspian, have you seen a quantitative difference in PQ when using the scaler vs, against a straight feed from a 720p or 1080i output into the stand alone pj?

It is hard to say since I might see things differently.
If you are in a money crunch mode stick to your 7100.
I like it a lot better with the hD3000. 7300 is nice too but 3000 gives that touch of refinement that I always like to see. The smooth and richness of the pic is just as good as my CRT. Well... close:)

It just occurred to me that Optoma has made a concession (if offering to upgrade our HD3000's for $299 can be considered a concession) while at the same time, not taking any responsibility for all the confusion regarding the HD3000.

The only other possibility would be they do feel they are responsible but aren't willing to admit it. Either way, if they are willing to provide an upgrade path, even at a cost of $299, without feeling responsible, I'm wondering what their offer would be if they were convinced that they are responsible?

I still can not fathom how anybody could come to the conclusion, after looking over all the facts, including their own website literature, that all the pertinent information was readily available to potential customers BEFORE they purchased the HD7300.

So, there are two keys to this thing, how are we all coming to the conclusion that we were not given enough information to properly make our decision AND how do we get Optoma to see our side of this?

George

Maybe it's easy for HD81 owners to justify ponying up an additional $300 over their $5,000 projector (a 6% premium) but that same $300 is over 25% more on our $1100 purchase.

Jeez, I should probably just see if I can return this thing and move on. I was excited for awhile though...

Someone can go over to the Sharp XV-Z12K thread and see if LAWGUY will read through this and give us hie professional opinion. Johnsmith808--are you still over on that thread? Maybe I will go voer there right now.

bdbaba- Still sealed box?!

bdbaba- Still sealed box?!

Hey C!

Yes. Still sealed. My APC Smart UPS died, and I do not feel comfortable setting up the PJ without it. APC is a great company by the way. They are sending me out a replacement! All companies should be this good!

By the way, I sent a PM to Lawguy. We will see if he has the time to come over to this thread.

Cheers,

bdbaba

I was going to say, that a friend of mine may be able to look into wether there is a case for a class action suit. I was gonna wait till Optoma took a strong stance on not fixing the processors for free. Hopefully Lawguy can shed some light on the situation and give some input.

It is going to cost less than $300 to get into a CAS so I was told this morning.
I am looking into this as well. It is not the cost of the upgrade but you know how it goes. We'll see.

It is hard to say since I might see things differently.
If you are in a money crunch mode stick to your 7100.
I like it a lot better with the hD3000. 7300 is nice too but 3000 gives that touch of refinement that I always like to see. The smooth and richness of the pic is just as good as my CRT. Well... close:)

Hmmmm, now you've got me back to considering hitting the button on the 7300. Maybe if I waffle long enough it'll be sold out and the decision will be made for me. After experiencing the picture with the 7100, I've had no desire to plunk down large for a 1080p pj. Maybe get the 7300 and keep the 7100 as a spare, the scaler will probably never break down.

In terms of deinterlacing the difference is NOT always there.
It shows up in some hard material only but then we have a different scaler too and that is Gennum which is considerably better than the pj's scaler. And there are tweaks available that make a bit of difference here and there. So quantitatively I say 10%~15%in some and less or none for the rest.
If you use HDVD and BR you might want to consider it but if its mostly none prestine material and you are a content watcher pass.
Something I never read on this board is when you use the 3k the sequence that you switch them on is important or the pj will not sync.
1-pj
2-source
3-3k

Any other sequence might be problematic but easy to fix. Just turn the 3k off and then on and pj will sync. It is a known DVI handshake issue that I had with my CRT DVI card as well.

Guitarman, if I send my scaler, what resolution Am I going to have in my scaler, all of them. just like the scaler they sell separetly..

Hi,

I'm a newbie here, and a brand new owner of the HD3000. I'm encountering a strange issue here and maybe somebody have an answer for me. I'm using a SatTV receiver connected to HDMI input, it works without any problem and the Optoma does a great job. On the other side, i have a strong issue with my DVD player connected to the Component input : The image shows horizontal black lines all over the picture and it's obvious and horrible. This is the case either in 16:9 or 4:3 mode. In Native mode, the image is ok, but it's just in a small box inside my screen. The DVD player output is 576i or 576p. the result is the same weither those two modes.
I've first assumed that it maybe an hardware problem of the component input 1, so i've plugged my DVD player to component input 2 : Issue not solved.

As everything was calibrated with the help of a technician, he tried some manipulations inside HD3000 menus and didn't find anything that solved this issue.

Stangely, the first time i've plugged my SAT receiver and DVD player, it was working.....My firmware is dated 12-08-2006.

I've called Optoma french support but i need to wait until monday coz' i do not have my serial number with me at the office (!!!)

Thanks for your help
David

Hi guys.

I have been asked to weigh in on this issue with the HD3000 scaler and am glad to do it.

Let me preface my comments by stating that a public internet message board in NOT the place to be seeking legal advice and this discussion is certainly not privileged or protected by any attoreny/client relationship. In other words, don't take my word for it.

The issue as I understand it is that many of you purchased a projector/scaler package that was manufactured by Optoma. The scaler is the HD3000 and the projector is the HD7300. I understand that the combination package works just fine together but that the scaler will not output a 1080p signal. Many of you would like to use the scaler with a future 1080p projector.

The thing that I am unclear on is what representation or representations did you rely on in concluding that the scaler output 1080p?

The legal situation is kind of complex. There are, in my mind, two possible theories under which Optoma could be made to fix this issue. The first would be if they have some contractual obligation to do so. The second would be if there is some extra-contractual basis, such as your reasonable reliance on some misrepresentation that they made prior to the projector/scaler's purchase.

No one here purchased a projector from Optoma as far as I know. Thus, no one here has any contractual relationship with Optoma. You all have a contractual relationship with Newegg, or whoever else you purchased the projector/scaler from. The only contractual rights that you have from Optoma are those granted in their product warranty. Some one would have to take a hard look at the scaler warranty to see if it would cover something like this. My guess (and it is just a guess) is that the warranty would not cover something like this. I could very well be wrong, but can't know without looking at the warranty. Someone please look at the HD3000 warranty and see if what it covers and does not cover?

If there is no contractual basis under the warranty, perhaps there could be an extra-contractual basis on which you could recover. The law in most places is that if a party makes some misprepresentation (negligent or intentional) and another party reasonably relies on that mispreresentaion to their detriment, than the party making the misrepresention can be liable to the injured party. In this situation, I am not sure what misrepresentation was made by Optoma? Can someone tell me? If it was Newegg, for instance, that posted incorrect information, you might all have a claim against them because they are selling you something that does not conform to what their advertisement said, but I don't know what misrepresentation Optoma itself has made in advertising its products. Please also note that you will have to demonstrate that you relied on any misrepresentation prior to the purchase. It is not enough that after you bought the scaler you discovered it wouldn't do 1080p, you must have relied on that fact when you purchsed it.

The thing that I am unclear on is what representation or representations did you rely on in concluding that the scaler output 1080p?



Go to www.optomausa.com and click on 'home theater', then, 'hd7300' then, 'video processor'. You will now see the sales literature page for the HD3000. It clearly states all the different functions of the HD3000. NOWHERE does it state that the HD3000 that comes with the HD7300 has been altered. In fact, nowhere on Optoma's website can you learn that there is more than one HD3000.

Here is the direct link, http://www.optomausa.com/product_detail.asp?product_id=319

George

PS, the issue isn't merely 1080p output, there are many other advertised output resolutions and output frequencies of the HD3000 that are disabled on our HD3000's purchased with the HD7300.

Hi,

I'm a newbie here, and a brand new owner of the HD3000. I'm encountering a strange issue here and maybe somebody have an answer for me. I'm using a SatTV receiver connected to HDMI input, it works without any problem and the Optoma does a great job. On the other side, i have a strong issue with my DVD player connected to the Component input : The image shows horizontal black lines all over the picture and it's obvious and horrible. This is the case either in 16:9 or 4:3 mode. In Native mode, the image is ok, but it's just in a small box inside my screen. The DVD player output is 576i or 576p. the result is the same weither those two modes.
I've first assumed that it maybe an hardware problem of the component input 1, so i've plugged my DVD player to component input 2 : Issue not solved.

As everything was calibrated with the help of a technician, he tried some manipulations inside HD3000 menus and didn't find anything that solved this issue.

Stangely, the first time i've plugged my SAT receiver and DVD player, it was working.....My firmware is dated 12-08-2006.

I've called Optoma french support but i need to wait until monday coz' i do not have my serial number with me at the office (!!!)

Thanks for your help
David

Use another components source to find out if the problem can be reproduced.
If not it could be the source.

Go to www.optomausa.com and click on 'home theater', then, 'hd7300' then, 'video processor'. You will now see the sales literature page for the HD3000. It clearly states all the different functions of the HD3000. NOWHERE does it state that the HD3000 that comes with the HD7300 has been altered. In fact, nowhere on Optoma's website can you learn that there is more than one HD3000.

Here is the direct link, http://www.optomausa.com/product_detail.asp?product_id=319

George

PS, the issue isn't merely 1080p output, there are many other advertised output resolutions and output frequencies of the HD3000 that are disabled on our HD3000's purchased with the HD7300.

Yes but it also says in that manual that some versions of the HD3000 have limited output resolutions. "Certain versions of the HD3000 have been factory preset for a single output range." It does not specifically identify the one that comes with the 7300, so there is some argument that you can make.

Ultimately, the first question will be did Optoma misrepresent anything. They will say no and you will say yes. A jury would decide who is right, not you or me or Optoma.

The second question will be did you rely on any misrepresentation and was your reliance reasonable? A jury would also decide this issue. Is it reasonable to have thought that the processor that came bundled with a 720p projector could output other resolutions when the manual says that some versions can't do that? It seems to me that it would not be reasonable to have relied on that. That is just my opinion, a jury may feel otherwise.

If I were Optoma I would see that that there is some lack of clarity here and abide by the rule that the customer is always right. If all it is is a firmware flash, what is the big deal?

Precisely. Optoma are pissing off a group of projector hos who would normally be relied upon to upgrade yearly. In my case to one of the 5 Optoma projectors I have owned.

I don't think there is a legal issue. It's badly written promotional material, that has become really bad PR for Optoma.

This thread has had 60,000 views on the most influential AV site on the web. It was made a Sticky so everyone can find it. I suspect that will cost Optoma more than $300.

Yes but it also says in that manual that some versions of the HD3000 have limited output resolutions. "Certain versions of the HD3000 have been factory preset for a single output range." It does not specifically identify the one that comes with the 7300, so there is some argument that you can make.



Ok, I'm a bit confused here. You didn't know where the HD3000 sales literature page was nor what it said, yet you know that somewhere in the 62 page owners manual, that you have to download to read, there is a vague reference to 'certain versions of the HD3000...'?

Here is how a normal/usual customer researches a product. Check the companies sales literature page. Note to self, the very first thing mentioned under features is that the HD3000 'converts all sources to 1080p'.

Here is how Optoma thinks their normal/usual customer gets their information. Check the companies sales literature page, ignore it completely. Download the 62 page owners manual instead. Read thoroughly all the way to page 57 of 62 pages and when you get to the sentence that says, 'some versions of the HD3000 are factory preset to only a single output range', make the realization that the sales literature statement of converting all sources to 1080p is not accurate AND that the HD3000 they are getting is one of these mystical, 'some versions'.

Either I'm a complete idiot or just too cynical for this 'stuff'.

I just can't believe we are all still having this conversation on whether or not Optoma properly disclosed the fact that there are different version of the HD3000 and that if you buy your HD3000 packaged with a projector, all output resolutions and all output frequencies were disabled with the exception of one. Even Optoma's reference to this possibility in their owners/users manual is too vague to support their argument that they were forthcoming with this information, ignore the fact that this information is nowhere to be found on the HD3000 sales literature page.

My head hurts.
George

This thread has had 60,000 views on the most influential AV site on the web. It was made a Sticky so everyone can find it. I suspect that will cost Optoma more than $300.

Excellent point Steve. They are getting 10's of thousands of dollars of free bad press here, yet they see this as an opportunity for a new revenue stream.

Even the bean counters should have no trouble figuring this thing out, no offense to CPA's.

George

They should have differents manuals for each model. the one for the projector should talk just about one resolution, it should not say anything about changing resolutions pressing the up key......if you dont have the desired one. this make everybody confused.

Jose

"Plus, the control box's firmware is user upgradeable to allow the user to get all the benefits of new controls. "

That came from their press release on HD7300&HD3000 combo product.
And they want $300 plus one way shipping cost for it and they don't allow user to upgrade the box.

That is the core of dispute.

Either I'm a complete idiot or just too cynical for this 'stuff'.


I can only give a legal opinion. Whatever business decision Optoma makes is something different than that.

I can only give a legal opinion. Whatever business decision Optoma makes is something different than that.

Aloha Lawguy!

Just woke up here. Thanks for taking the time to come over here and give us your opinion. Did not want to take you away from your RS1 for too long!:D

Your opinion is greatly appreciated.

bdbaba

Page 33 post 971 Mkoss answered the question does the scaler that comes with the 7300 output all resolutions. "The unit bundled with the 7100 is only 720p Read the HD3000 thread"

This was early on and before people started buying it. You'll see other members started posting the HD3000 capabilities in full, then the confusion started.

The way it breaks down is any HD3000 that goes out with a projector is matched for that projector. There are 4, Big Vision, HD81, HD81LV, HD7300. Of course 1080p projectors have the scaler set at 1080p and the one 720p projector is set at 720p. Only the separate unit to be used with a variety of customer products is open to other resolutions and that's is it's selling point.

I didn't read it but I imagine the info is talked about in the HD3000 thread mkoss pointed to.

Greetings! Been following the thread and had to chime in. Note that even if you look at the early literature (i.e. product reviews) on the HD7300, even they refer to the 7300 being a combo of the HD7100 + HD3000 scaler. See this link to Ultimate AV June 2006:

(I don't have enough posts, so you will have to google for the link (just enter "Optoma HD7300" and it's a few down the list).

To quote the article:
"While the HD7100 does have its own input switching and video processing, it is also available as a bundled package with the Optoma HD3000 outboard video processor (switcher/deinterlacer/scaler) at a price of $4999. The combination is designated the HD7300."

It is only natural to expect that the HD3000 as described as being "bundled" would be an independent unit, since it was NOT referenced as being just a scaler for the HD7300. That is why I bought mine - future upgradability. FYI - mine is still in the box since my theater is under construction (DIY).

Page 33 post 971 Mkoss answered the question does the scaler that comes with the 7300 output all resolutions. "The unit bundled with the 7100 is only 720p Read the HD3000 thread"

This was early on and before people started buying it. You'll see other members started posting the HD3000 capabilities in full, then the confusion started.

Yes I made that statement based on reading it somewhere but when I tried to find it I couldn't, that is what started all this research into where. But I
thought I would have all the benifits up to and including all resolutions in 720P
with the exception of 1080, not to be neutered at 720P60Hz.

@Lawguy,

Here is what I did prior to buying the HD7300.

I went to Optoma USA website and clicked "Video Processor User's Manual" from the product description page of HD7300. I looked at the Specifications on page 54... this is what it says:

Specifications
Product Highlights And Features
Gennum solution, High-end 10-bit GF 9350 scaler, 1080i deinterlacing ability
High-end Jepico L006 10-bit Image Quality Enhancement LSI .
Whole 10-bit Video Processing System. (Except HDMI input and output).
Dual channel both with powerful 10-bit image processing ability.
Channel A&B front end: 10-bit integrated multi-format video decoder and RGB graphics
digitizer ADV7402
Input: 3 HDMI input for HDMI signal switching,
1 HDMI-in from AV receiver,
2 YPbPr through RCA connector,
2 YPbPr/RGBHV through BNC connector,
1 VGA-in through Dsub-15 connector
3 S-video,
3 Composite
Output: 1 HDMI output (To AV receiver)
1 HDMI output (To display), with configurable output timing to four modes
1024X576p, 50Hz ,1024X576p, 60Hz, 1024X576p, 72Hz
1024X768p, 50Hz ,1024X768p, 60Hz, 1024X768p, 72Hz
1280X720p, 50Hz, 1280X720p, 60Hz, 1280X720p, 72Hz
1280X768p, 50Hz, 1280X768p, 60Hz, 1280X768p, 72Hz
1366X768p, 50Hz, 1366X768p, 60Hz
1920x1080p, 48Hz, 1920x1080p, 50Hz, 1920x1080p, 60Hz
Two programmable 12V trigger,
RS-232C: 1 RS232C Dsub-9Pin connector.
IR: 1 front built-in IR sensor and 1 external IR module through phone jack.
Keypad : Power, Menu/Exit, Enter/Source, Up, Down, Left, Right/Resync
Remote Controller key: 40 keys
Weight: approx. 9.2 Lbs
ID Color: Anodized Black
Unit dimension (W X D X H): 433X285X50 (mm) (not including height of feet)
Control keypad: Power, Menu/Exit, Enter/Source, Up, Down, Left, Right/Resync
Power indicator lights: “Power On”: Blue
“Stand by”: Red
Materials: Top cover, Lateral panel and Front bezel are made of aluminum. Base is made
of iron.
IR receivers: Front of HD3000 and one set of extra IR module.


There is no mention of locked, single output frequency, not even a footnote.

We should research serious questions and the question of does the scaler that comes with the HD7300 output all the resolutions popped up many times early on and after mkoss's answer. (Hmmm almost like they knew some don't output all resolutions)

Funny thing is I searched for the HD3000 thread and I'm the one that started it. It's been a while. :)

" 07-10-06, 03:15 PM #48 | Link
guitarman
AVS Special Member
AVS CLUB MEMBER


Join Date: May 2001
Posts: 10,195 The HD3000 will have the 9351 chip. I have a first batch which is for the HD7100 which has the 9350 chip. It's resolution is locked for a 720p display. The later units for seperate displays will use the 9351 chip and can do what Darin was asking, convert 1080i to 1080p48."


Now you have something to really worry about, does your box have the 9350 chip, just kidding. That was the first few put out don't worry. :)

@guitarman:

There are too many people on forums weighing in with their opinions on what they think a device will and will not do.

I did not base my purchase decision on what was said on this thread about the capabilities of the scaler. I read the official document that Optoma put out on their website, listing their product's specifications.

Opinions of the posters of the forum are just opinions. What corporations advertise/publish on their official website as specifications are not opinions and it is very reasonable to assume that the specifications on a manufacturers website are correct.

Greetings! Been following the thread and had to chime in. Note that even if you look at the early literature (i.e. product reviews) on the HD7300, even they refer to the 7300 being a combo of the HD7100 + HD3000 scaler. See this link to Ultimate AV June 2006:

(I don't have enough posts, so you will have to google for the link (just enter "Optoma HD7300" and it's a few down the list).

To quote the article:
"While the HD7100 does have its own input switching and video processing, it is also available as a bundled package with the Optoma HD3000 outboard video processor (switcher/deinterlacer/scaler) at a price of $4999. The combination is designated the HD7300."

It is only natural to expect that the HD3000 as described as being "bundled" would be an independent unit, since it was NOT referenced as being just a scaler for the HD7300. That is why I bought mine - future upgradability. FYI - mine is still in the box since my theater is under construction (DIY).


Note this quote from a review at HDTVexpert.com (July 28, 2006):

"As far as output resolution goes, the factory ships the HD3000 to output 1280x720 pixel resolution with 50, 60, or 72Hz refresh rates. This can be changed manually to 1024x768, 1280x768, 1366x768, or 1920x1080. The latter supports HDMI interfaces that accept 48, 50, or 60 Hz refresh rates. Through HDMI or DVI-D, the refresh rate and optimum pixel count should be automatic (although we’ve seen that it isn’t with HD DVD and Blu-ray players!)."

Does it get any more clear than this?! I would figure that if even the professional reviewers expected this level of flexibility, then so should we.

The problem there is you had to read the whole manual to find out all the facts. Then you would hv seen the item on page 52 in highlights and the only place to get the answer is direct with the Optoma tech department or from knowledgeable members here.

Again, if I were you, I would refer to what Optoma says on their website, and the user guide you got with your scaler. Under specifications, multiple resolutions are listed.

Reviewers don't represent Optoma. What Optoma states on their website and what Optoma personnel say, and what Optoma states in the documentation you get is what matters.


@Guitarman, I just opened the document again from their website. Page 60 deals with "Important Safety Instructions"

Good point, and I agree. I just wanted to point out that it was not unreasonable for us to expect that we would have unlimited flexibility - to coincide with with the specifications. There was support from independent sources, and if there were errors, I would ASSUME optoma would respond in one way or another. They've had ample opportunity, after all. From a legal perspective, Optoma's representation of the product is all that matters.

@Lawguy,

Here is what I did prior to buying the HD7300.

I went to Optoma USA website and clicked "Video Processor User's Manual" from the product description page of HD7300. I looked at the Specifications on page 54... this is what it says:

Specifications
Product Highlights And Features
Gennum solution, High-end 10-bit GF 9350 scaler, 1080i deinterlacing ability
High-end Jepico L006 10-bit Image Quality Enhancement LSI .
Whole 10-bit Video Processing System. (Except HDMI input and output).
Dual channel both with powerful 10-bit image processing ability.
Channel A&B front end: 10-bit integrated multi-format video decoder and RGB graphics
digitizer ADV7402
Input: 3 HDMI input for HDMI signal switching,
1 HDMI-in from AV receiver,
2 YPbPr through RCA connector,
2 YPbPr/RGBHV through BNC connector,
1 VGA-in through Dsub-15 connector
3 S-video,
3 Composite
Output: 1 HDMI output (To AV receiver)
1 HDMI output (To display), with configurable output timing to four modes
1024X576p, 50Hz ,1024X576p, 60Hz, 1024X576p, 72Hz
1024X768p, 50Hz ,1024X768p, 60Hz, 1024X768p, 72Hz
1280X720p, 50Hz, 1280X720p, 60Hz, 1280X720p, 72Hz
1280X768p, 50Hz, 1280X768p, 60Hz, 1280X768p, 72Hz
1366X768p, 50Hz, 1366X768p, 60Hz
1920x1080p, 48Hz, 1920x1080p, 50Hz, 1920x1080p, 60Hz
Two programmable 12V trigger,
RS-232C: 1 RS232C Dsub-9Pin connector.
IR: 1 front built-in IR sensor and 1 external IR module through phone jack.
Keypad : Power, Menu/Exit, Enter/Source, Up, Down, Left, Right/Resync
Remote Controller key: 40 keys
Weight: approx. 9.2 Lbs
ID Color: Anodized Black
Unit dimension (W X D X H): 433X285X50 (mm) (not including height of feet)
Control keypad: Power, Menu/Exit, Enter/Source, Up, Down, Left, Right/Resync
Power indicator lights: “Power On”: Blue
“Stand by”: Red
Materials: Top cover, Lateral panel and Front bezel are made of aluminum. Base is made
of iron.
IR receivers: Front of HD3000 and one set of extra IR module.


There is no mention of locked, single output frequency, not even a footnote.

"There is no mention of locked, single output frequency"

It's just two pages back, page 52 and highlighted, sorry

If you want to have your processor have all the capabilities of the stand alone HD3000 spring for the $299 it's a deal. Before they change their minds. After seeing that highlighted statement on page 52 there shouldn't be an argument. I'll bet the persons asking earlier will it output all the resolutions read that.

As I said, I look for the specification section, as any sane person would do before a purchase. When was the last time you went into a store and asked the sales guy to open the box so that you can read full user manual? One looks at the specifications on the box. Similarly, I just looked for the Specification.

The text you are referring to is this:
"Note: Not all displays or projectors are capable of receiving and displaying their
complete list of resolutions. Please refer to the documentation that came with
your projector or display for the exact compatibility match. Certain versions of
the HD3000 have been factory preset for a single output range."

However, it does not state that the version of the scaler that is in the HD7300 package is locked to output a single resolution... no where is this clearly identified. Like the Lawguy said, that is for a jury to decide, and certainly not for you to decide, unless of course you are on the jury, and judging by your statements here you are disqualified to even be in the jury pool :D

Having said that, I bought the HD7300 for entertainment and not to spend my time arguing with you or litigating.

I have some issues with the unit I got, and Optoma has been very professional and courteous in taking care of the specific issues with the unit that was shipped to me from newegg.com.

The way it breaks down is any HD3000 that goes out with a projector is matched for that projector. There are 4, Big Vision, HD81, HD81LV, HD7300. Of course 1080p projectors have the scaler set at 1080p and the one 720p projector is set at 720p. Only the separate unit to be used with a variety of customer products is open to other resolutions and that's is it's selling point.

I didn't read it but I imagine the info is talked about in the HD3000 thread mkoss pointed to.

Tom,
Even if it had been CLEARLY specified by Optoma that the HD3000 that comes with the pj only does 720p, that would have meant to cover all the frequencies at that 720p "range" and not just the 60Hz.
But Optoma has never specified that and while we were asking the question in this thread you kept silent.
Anyway we look at it, Optoma has been all but transparent on this issue.

Like the Lawguy said, that is for a jury to decide, and certainly not for you to decide, unless of course you are on the jury, and judging by your statements here you are disqualified to even be in the jury pool...

Judging by his satements here, he needs to be commited. Tom is hoping that all of you are so stupid, that you'll believe anything he says just because he's an Optoma dealer and has extensive knowledge of a/v products. In fact, all that makes it so much easier for him to manipulate words, paraphrase quotes inacurately, BS everyone till they finally give up. No one here is that dumb Tom. You should just give up like you already said you were going too. So that means now, that you've gone from manipulation, to just plain lying. Are you going to be there in court too?... to testify on Optoma's behalf? Gimme a break.
BTW, last time I checked, no one ever charged me $300 to give me a gift.

Page 33 post 971 Mkoss answered the question does the scaler that comes with the 7300 output all resolutions. "The unit bundled with the 7100 is only 720p Read the HD3000 thread"

This was early on and before people started buying it. You'll see other members started posting the HD3000 capabilities in full, then the confusion started.

I would certainly hope that Optoma is not counting on this as proof that they didn't mislead us!

I guess it is possible that Optoma thinks that their potential customers would be reading through some 1400 posts, on a privately owned unaffiliated website by a guy named Mkoss, to find the pertinent information they would need to make an informed buying decision, but I doubt it...

George

Don't those upset with their purchase have the option to return the 7300 package within 30 days? I don't know, maybe once you fire up the bulb it negates that option.

Indeed... return it and take a 15% or whatever restock fee... 200 bucks to preview the unit would hurt but be OK in my book. Those are the chances you take in ordering over the web. Sometimes it works... sometimes it doesn't...

I'm sorry but I still feel like you guys got a GREAT 720P projector for $1100 and got a free neutered version of a $1500 processor. A good deal in my book.... Sorry..

Indeed... return it and take a 15% or whatever restock fee... 200 bucks to preview the unit would hurt but be OK in my book. Those are the chances you take in ordering over the web. Sometimes it works... sometimes it doesn't...

I'm sorry but I still feel like you guys got a GREAT 720P projector for $1100 and got a free neutered version of a $1500 processor. A good deal in my book.... Sorry..

No return on the package with the bulb from NE. Only direct replacement from Optoma--at least that is what it said at NE. The other link had a 30 day return if the PJ was broken for replacement. If they do not have anymore left, then they will refund your money.

SO I did set mine up today sans scaler just to test it out. I had to lower my mount about 8", although I would like to have the image even lower. The lens shift is nice, but nowhere near my old Panny AE900. I would like another 10" of wiggle room on the vertical shift.

The picture is very nice, clear, sharp, good colors, contrast and blacks--still tweaking. Would like to see other people's settings by the way.

It is nice to have a picture without a bowed screen!!!!

Just this fact alone makes me like it better then the Marantz VP4001 that I have. However, I like the Marantz picture as well--forgetting about the bowing. Still debating which is the better image--again, this is taking the bow out of the equation.

I do like the freedom that the Sharp/Marantz irises give you. With both irises engaged, blacks might be a small tick better on the Marantz, but I am still playing. Very minor RBE for me--similar to the Marantz--not a factor for me with either PJ.

Fan noise is maybe a slight bit louder then the Marantz, but both PJs are very quiet as far as i can tell--again, a non-issue, and I am sensitive to noisy fans. The Optoma stays cooler then the Marantz by the way. Just a question, is the Marants automatically in low fan mode when the lamp is in Economy mode? I could not find a high/low fan in the menu.

I like the fact that you can't turn the Optoma off by accident with a single button push like you can with the Marantz. That was a bad idea on Marantz' part.

Did I mention no bowing!!!!:)

Anyway, its late and this is just a first view report. I am no expert by any means, so take all this with that in mind.

I will hook up the scaler tomorrow.

Again, if anyone that has one of these would like to post their settings, I would appreciate it.

Cheers and Aloha,

bdbaba

Thanks for the comparison. I have a VP4001 as well, without bowing. Best projector I've seen.

If the 7300 is close to the black levels of the Marantz, but with added placement flexibility I'll be happy.

I also have a 1080P LCD monitor which I use for casual viewing. That's another reason I'm annoyed with Optoma. I assumed I could use my fancy scaler to feed both my PJ for big picture nights, and also the LCD at its native rate for casual viewing.

So I will be using the ripoff firmware upgrade. I'm in the States for 2 weeks starting Monday whereupon I'll pick up the 7300. Hopefully I can ship it to and from Optoma before I leave.

From the sounds of it I'll be the guinea pig for us all.

"There is no mention of locked, single output frequency"

It's just two pages back, page 52 and highlighted, sorry

In my manual on page 52 it says in bold letters:

You can download updated firmware from the Optoma on-line support
center at www.optoma.com

Step1:
Connect PC/Notebook and HD3000 with RS232 cable

Step2:
Execute the update program downloaded from the support center, and follow
the instructions in the update program

If they wanted to protect the firmware from being shared they could request a copy of the sales receipt and serial number. This would be far less costly.
Also what you state is on page 51 and states range and not single output.
This means I learn after I buy instead of before I buy. Bad Bad Marketing.
300 + shipping as set forth now will cause a lot of apprehension for future purchases. It's very poor policy to do business this way.

No return on the package with the bulb from NE. Only direct replacement from Optoma--at least that is what it said at NE. The other link had a 30 day return if the PJ was broken for replacement. If they do not have anymore left, then they will refund your money.

SO I did set mine up today sans scaler just to test it out. I had to lower my mount about 8", although I would like to have the image even lower. The lens shift is nice, but nowhere near my old Panny AE900. I would like another 10" of wiggle room on the vertical shift.

The picture is very nice, clear, sharp, good colors, contrast and blacks--still tweaking. Would like to see other people's settings by the way.

It is nice to have a picture without a bowed screen!!!!

Just this fact alone makes me like it better then the Marantz VP4001 that I have. However, I like the Marantz picture as well--forgetting about the bowing. Still debating which is the better image--again, this is taking the bow out of the equation.

I do like the freedom that the Sharp/Marantz irises give you. With both irises engaged, blacks might be a small tick better on the Marantz, but I am still playing. Very minor RBE for me--similar to the Marantz--not a factor for me with either PJ.

Fan noise is maybe a slight bit louder then the Marantz, but both PJs are very quiet as far as i can tell--again, a non-issue, and I am sensitive to noisy fans. The Optoma stays cooler then the Marantz by the way. Just a question, is the Marants automatically in low fan mode when the lamp is in Economy mode? I could not find a high/low fan in the menu.

I like the fact that you can't turn the Optoma off by accident with a single button push like you can with the Marantz. That was a bad idea on Marantz' part.

Did I mention no bowing!!!!:)

Anyway, its late and this is just a first view report. I am no expert by any means, so take all this with that in mind.

I will hook up the scaler tomorrow.

Again, if anyone that has one of these would like to post their settings, I would appreciate it.

Cheers and Aloha,

bdbaba

Glad you got it up and running.

Just a few words..
With very carefull RGB offset set up and choice of gamma the black level gets very dark almost as good as it can get.
Also I can attest that this is one of best pj I have seen producing real black color with no tint at all revealing real good gray scale tracking.