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.

Hey C.

Could you post your numbers? They would make a great starting point for me.

Thanks,

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.

Hey Steve,

So you have a Marantz with no bowing? You are lucky. That still is a very good PJ. If I had no bowing issue, I would not have looked any further.

Are you going to sell it and get a HD7300 just for the scaler?

If you do send the scaler in, please keep us informed. Also, make sure you read the limitations on the lens shift to make sure it will fit your needs. It is nice, but I was hoping for a bit more.

bdbaba

Yes, it'll be an interesting comparison. The original plan was to use the scaler with the Marantz, but we'll see how it goes.

Hello, This is my first post, many of you seem to be very knowlegable. Could I get some opinions.
I have a dedicated light controlled theatre. I want to upgrade my lcd panasonic ae500 which is about 3 years old. My only use is watching dvd movies. I want to go to a DLP projector. I am torn between 3 projectors my screen size is 94" wide which I think corresponds to about 105" diagonal. I am leaning toward a 720p projector for two reasons. (1) What a great price. (2) High end projectors At 720p resolution such as these are probably better than a 1080p mid priced projector.
Optoma hd7300, Sharp xv-z12000 mark ii, and waiting a year to get a 1080 p DLP such as the benQ w 9000,When the price comes down.
I am not really concerned about the scaler firmware upgrade with the optoma because I intend to use it with the projector.
I saw the optoma hd 80 on a comperable screen with a standard dvd with a standard upscaling dvd player and it looked very nice, if this is any indication of how the hd7300 will look.
Also will i be better off with a blue ray or high def dvd player than an upconverting dvd player, being that the projectors scalers probably do some of this quite well.Sorry to be so long winded. Thanks for any advice or suggestions. Mike

I have noticed when someone wants them to reply they write PM me. What does that mean and how do you do it.

PM = private message

If you click on the users name to the left, you can then select to send that person a private message instead of posting it here for everyone else to see. Only you and the recipiant of the PM will be able to read it. It's similar to e-mail, but secure for both you and the recipiant because you are not giving out your e-mail address and vice versa.

I have a question. I still have not connected the Scaler--been a busy day. However, when I go to the Menu option "Layout", I only have Vertical and horizontal keystone. It should have "H Position" and "V Position" to adjust over-scan. It is connected by HDMI. Any suggestions? What am I missing? All this is on page 44 on the manual.

http://marketing.optomausa.com/PDFs/usermanuals/Optoma_HD7300_Manual.pdf

Thanks,

bdbaba

With HDMI there is zero (n0ne) overscan to adjust. No color or hue either.

With HDMI there is zero (n0ne) overscan to adjust. No color or hue either.

Interesting. Thanks Caspian. I wonder why they did that.

I inverted the PJ last night on my mount, and now i have all the lens shift I need.

I will hook up the scaler today.

Caspian--could you post your numbers that you are using with and without the scaler if you get the time?

Thanks.

bdbaba

smarty pants. thanks for the response on the PM

hello ,bdba,law guy,and guitarman,
all three of you have had the sharp xvz-z12000 markii or are quite familiar with it. For watching dvd movies standard or high def/bluue ray, do you feel that the sharp or the optoma hd7300 is a better choice. Thanks

hello ,bdba,law guy,and guitarman,
all three of you have had the sharp xvz-z12000 markii or are quite familiar with it. For watching dvd movies standard or high def/bluue ray, do you feel that the sharp or the optoma hd7300 is a better choice. Thanks

Aloha Luigi,

I only had the Sharp for a month or so, and I have only had the Optoma up and running for a couple of days.

The Sharp is a great machine. It has a bit less lumens, but the irises give it a lot of flexibility.

I think it depends on your room, honestly. If you have a long room then the Sharp would work well. if you have a short room, then the Optoma would work well. I guess this also depends on how big a screen you want to display. I am always into "bigger is better" when it comes to screens, so I opted for the short throw of the Optoma.

As far as the picture goes, they are so close as to be a toss up in my opinion. I have not seen the Optoma with the scaler attached, so it might change things, but i doubt it is going to change things that much.

I also loved the Marantz VP4001 picture as well--except for the bowing screen. I did not have any bowing on the XV-Z3K, which is a great machine as well. Both of these are short throw as well.

Hope this is somewhat helpful.

bdbaba

I really need to finalize the numbers if you are talking about RGB set up but here they are:

Contrast 0
Brightness -2
Color +3
Hue -1
Sharpness normal
color tem 7000
Gamma 2.35 but I am sure it will be changed to 2.2 with some hours (300+) on the lamp.


R gain +2
G gain -1
B gain +1


R bias +1
G bias -1
B bias 0

It really depends on the screen material too. I have a low gain screen.

Hey gang, came across a deal today on the 7100 and my Z2 ready to bite the dust and I must have lens shift. Looked like it was a great deal but like I always do I come to these boards and have read just about this entire thread, dizzy by the way. A couple of questions as I am still confused.

1) The bulb firing issue was that fixed in the 7300 or newer runs of the 7100.
2) Did Optima ever come up with a fix for prior 7100 owners or did they ever acknowledge the problem.

Its not such a great deal if these problems were never fixed and with my luck would get one with the bulb firing problem and if Optima just denied the problem or never provided a fix not sure I would want to buy anything from them and it seems these were great models provided they worked. Any input appreciated.

I just pulled the trigger on the HD7300. I was planning to wait until after the big AVS projector shootout to pick up a 1080p, but the price was just too appealing to pass up. The HD3000 video processor is what tipped the scales for me. My pioneer receiver doesn't switch HDMI, so having 3 HDMI inputs on the processor is ideal. I can connect my TivoHD, HD-A2, and future Blu-ray player without needing to replace my receiver right away. I'll be upgrading from a Panny L300u (540p), so I'm expecting it to be a nice jump in image quality/resolution. I'd also like to hear from more HD7300 owners if they are experiencing the bulb firing problem.

I really need to finalize the numbers if you are talking about RGB set up but here they are:

Contrast 0
Brightness -2
Color +3
Hue -1
Sharpness normal
color tem 7000
Gamma 2.35 but I am sure it will be changed to 2.2 with some hours (300+) on the lamp.


R gain +2
G gain -1
B gain +1


R bias +1
G bias -1
B bias 0

It really depends on the screen material too. I have a low gain screen.

Hey C.,

Thanks for the settings. I will try them and see what they look like.

I tried some of these as well, pasted from earlier in the thread.

As far as the bulb misfire--I can't really say as I hav e only turned it on twice! No issues so far!:D

This is why i bought it with the extra bulb and a 2 bulb replacement warranty. i fgure I am taken care of now.

bdbaba

Here's some settings that may help.......

From Guitarman

I have some colorfacts numbers for the HD7100.

I used the Accupel to reference tune it. DVI 720p showed video level brightness crushed out so I tuned PC level brightness. Here's what I got.

Brightness -11
Contrast 18
Sharpness Normal
Gamma 2.2
Color temp 6500k

White balance
R Gain 1
G Gain 0
B Gain1
R Bias 0
G Bias 0
B Bias 0

Not much on the white balance was needed because OTB 6500k 2.2gamma tracked extremely well.

From FGM...........

Thanks, it works!!
So, basically we just have 2 memory positions at our disposal, Custom 1 and 2. However, I find it peculiar that settings under Normal and the ISFs can't be saved. Since we are all different and our installations are different as well, how would Optoma figure that Normal, ISF Night, etc could be of use to us w/o the capability of saving our specific settings. Go figure
I project from about 10' onto a 92" GrayWolf in a room w/o lights but with clear walls ceiling and floor and use the following setting (still tweaking with Sound and Vision disc):
Brightness: -18
Contrast: +6
Colour: -9
Tint: -3
Sharpness: softest
Colour temp: 6500
Gamma: 2.2
Green Gain: -1
Green Offset: -2
Mode: econo
I found that the settings posted by other members helped me a lot to arrive to these settings under Custom1.
It may be just me, but I still find that the same settings under ISF Night give a different, better balanced picture.
Have you guys tried playing a bit with ISF Night? What are your settings?

From upnorth

Calibrated using Colorfacts

96" Goo Systems Digital Grey Screen
Oppo DVD player upconverting to 1080i over a 30' Better Cables DVI to HDMI cord.
Ambient light nil in darkend room, flat painted walls
Projected from 10 feet using about 1/4 vertical lens shift and slight horizontal lens shift.

These are the final settings and results achieved by using the Spyder Pro2 light meter facing the projector versus the screen. I used the Avia disk for my IRE test patterns and to check contrast ratios and foot lamberts post calibration. I also verified my results with the Get Grey disk.

I turned the light meter around to face the projector and got much more accurate results. This method also allowed recording of the lower light levels at 10IREand 20IRE without giving me an out of range error. I still had to raise the red gain up to +18 to achieve accurate results of 6507K at 80IRE. I adjusted the x value by +1 at 6500K and left the y value alone as it was near perfect at .329 which resulted in about 0.31265 for x.

Custom 1 Setting[u]
Brightness = -4
Contrast = +14
Color Temp = 6500K
Sharpness = Sharp
Gamma = 2.2
Color Temp X value = +1 adjusted at 80IRE
Color Temp Y value = 0 adjusted at 80IRE
White Balance =
Red Gain +18, Green Gain -1, Blue Gain -1
Red Offset +4, Green Offset +6, Blue Offset +3
All color tracking from 30IRE to 80IRE within 15 points on 6500K with 10IRE off by about 200points and 20IRE off by about 75 points 90IRE off by about 500 points and 100IRE off by about 1400 points, due to Red running out.
Achieved Contrast ratio = 3,763:1
Foot Lamberts Achieved on100IRE window = 11.1

Still teaking and playing, and also trying to figure out the best settings for this projector. Have tried other settings and calibrating with some of the other color temps, but so far this is the best yet. I can achieve an over 4000:1 contrast ratio if I (a)move the light meter back further from the screen or (b)give up a more accurate color temp and grey scale. Tom recorded over 4:000:1 in his calibration of this projector. Other reviews I have read sighted contrast ratios anywhere from 3500:1 to 3700:1, so I feel I am there with my calibration.

I am puzzled at the brightness with a setting such as -18 with PC setting.
That would crush my black by a huge margin.
Or upnorth RGB are way out with HD3000 unless he did all his calibration with color temp at "Standard".
With the exception of warm setting in the hd3000 everything is very close to where it should be. Perhaps they had a different firmware. I am puzzled again. This unit out of box looke pretty close.

Hey C.,

Yeah, there is a lot of variance in those numbers. I am going to try yours next time I fire it up. I will let you know how they work for me on my Behr Ultra White wall--I still have not bought my DW laminate.

Seems like this thread has slowed down a bit. Could be the Holiday weekend or the fact that the free bulb deal is gone or maybe the scaler issue. It could be the writer's strike!!!

Hopefully everyone is simply enjoying their new PJ.

bdbaba

Let us know what you come up with?
My on/off should be right around 4k:1.

So far 50 hrs and at least 25 times turned on and no misfire.

Let us know what you come up with?
My on/off should be right around 4k:1.

So far 50 hrs and at least 25 times turned on and no misfire.

I'm curious under options menu do you have auto power off set to on or off?

I tried both and no difference in power up function.

I'm curious under options menu do you have auto power off set to on or off?

I set mine to off last night. Doesn't this feature just stop the PJ from turning itself off when it does not receive a signal for 15 minutes?

That is my understanding. Actually I kike to leave it on just in case!

Is that PJ on ebay from a forum member that decided to sell? Just curious...

That is my understanding. Actually I kike to leave it on just in case!

Do you know why Optoma chose to not let you adjust the overscan with HDMI? Seems a bit odd. I could adjust it with the marantz.

Do you know why Optoma chose to not let you adjust the overscan with HDMI? Seems a bit odd. I could adjust it with the marantz.

With HDMI you get full pixel mapped. No pixel is cropped. That is 1:1.
If you want to crop use the zoom function or side masking in hd3000.

I set mine to off last night. Doesn't this feature just stop the PJ from turning itself off when it does not receive a signal for 15 minutes?

It will also shut itself off if it also doen't detect a signal. Gireesh thought he had a misfire the first time he turned his on but not since he set it to off. See his previous posts.

With HDMI you get full pixel mapped. No pixel is cropped. That is 1:1.
If you want to crop use the zoom function or side masking in hd3000.

Interesting. I usually do not need it for HD, just for the SD channels that have that weird distortion on the top of the screen. They should have all channels in HD, but things are a bit backward here in Hawaii.

Of course we are one of only two undefeated schools! three more games to go.

Interesting. I usually do not need it for HD, just for the SD channels that have that weird distortion on the top of the screen. They should have all channels in HD, but things are a bit backward here in Hawaii.

Of course we are one of only two undefeated schools! three more games to go.

Take care of those lines by side masking not zoom. Because if you use zoom the entire picture will be rescaled to a lower resolution.

Take care of those lines by side masking not zoom. Because if you use zoom the entire picture will be rescaled to a lower resolution.

By side masking, do you mean using the black borders, or is this something done by the PJ/scaler? Sorry for the ignorance.

bdbaba

Side masking is a parameter in the HD3k that masks pixels one by one I think.

Side masking is a parameter in the HD3k that masks pixels one by one I think.

Excellent. Thanks. I will check it out when I set it up.--probably tomorrow.

Have a great night Caspian.

bdbaba

Hi,

I have a technical question, regarding the use of my Optoma, which has been returned because of a faulty hardware concern...

My DVD player, plugged into the component input, can provide either 576i or 576p...My display native resolution is 720p. I assume that the optoma scaler must have a 576i signal to scale it to 720p instead of a 576p....am i right here ?

On the other hand, my Satbox can output from 576i to 1080i....in this case i think i need to output 1080i inside the optoma, this way it'll downscale to 720p.

Am i right here ?

Thx for your answers.
D*

You want to feed the scaler the signal with the least amount of processing possible. So whilst the scaler can accept 576p, you'd probably be better with 576i. Ditto with the sat box. If it's native resolution is 576i, feed the scaler that.

Hi,

I have a technical question, regarding the use of my Optoma, which has been returned because of a faulty hardware concern...

My DVD player, plugged into the component input, can provide either 576i or 576p...My display native resolution is 720p. I assume that the optoma scaler must have a 576i signal to scale it to 720p instead of a 576p....am i right here ?

On the other hand, my Satbox can output from 576i to 1080i....in this case i think i need to output 1080i inside the optoma, this way it'll downscale to 720p.

Am i right here ?

Thx for your answers.
D*

Answer to question 1:
Your scaler is a high quality scaler. Feed it the best definition, least processed signal available. In your case, 576i from the dvd player seems to be the one.

A2:
The same principle applies here. If your satbox is giving you 1080i from a HD program then that is your highest definition, least processed signal. If you are receiving a SD program, then use 576i and let your scaler take to 720p.

Thx boys,

Awesome, awesome, awesome....

Love this

Take care

David

You want to feed the scaler the signal with the least amount of processing possible. So whilst the scaler can accept 576p, you'd probably be better with 576i. Ditto with the sat box. If it's native resolution is 576i, feed the scaler that.

Aloha Steve,

So did you send in your scaler to Optoma yet?

bdbaba

Not yet. Got tied up. Will phone them today.

Being an idiot when it comes to scalers as I understand nothing about them. If I sent my scaler and paid the 300 and haven't bought the package yet does that scaler when modified turn the 7300 into a 1080p projector. Sorry its probably a dumb question.

Not yet. Got tied up. Will phone them today.

Hey Steve,

You have a PM.

bdbaba

Being an idiot when it comes to scalers as I understand nothing about them. If I sent my scaler and paid the 300 and haven't bought the package yet does that scaler when modified turn the 7300 into a 1080p projector. Sorry its probably a dumb question.

No, it does not. The projector has a DMD that can display 1280x720 only.

By opening up the scaler to do other resolutions, one will be able to use it with other devices, including ones that are capable of displaying 1080p signals. At least, that is the theory.

At present, it can only output 1280x720@60Hz and struggling to do even that :D

Thx, so why bother? Lets just say I am watching sports and dvds is it gonna make that much of a difference from just buying a 1080 projector and hd dvd player.


No, it does not. The projector has a DMD that can display 1280x720 only.

By opening up the scaler to do other resolutions, one will be able to use it with other devices, including ones that are capable of displaying 1080p signals. At least, that is the theory.

At present, it can only output 1280x720@60Hz and struggling to do even that :D

Hello,

I have the HD7300 (for about 3 months) it has been a lot of fun. I watched Spiderman 3 in SD last night and thought it almost looked Hi Def. I have my panny bluray outputting 1080p into the scaler. I also have the A2 HD DVD that also looks great with the 7300 combo. I was just wondering about the quote :At present, it can only output 1280x720@60Hz and struggling to do even that. Is there problems with your scaler? As we all know there will be better scalers down the road and the next step for me will be 1080p. Why is there so much demand for this scaler to do 1080P out. This whole system when we all bought it at the great deal was obsolete before it even got to our doorstep. IMHO.

rmlowz

I am trying to use it with an HTPC and it has trouble doing 1:1 pixel mapping.

update........

Newegg is down to 4.....I haven't bought one yet though.....

Hello,

At present, it can only output 1280x720@60Hz and struggling to do even that.

What do you mean by"struggling to do even that"?

I was quoting gireesh he is having problems with the scaler and HTPC

I don't remember reading it has issues with 720@60hz. Glad you are happy with yours.

I am trying to use it with an HTPC and it has trouble doing 1:1 pixel mapping.

I have not used any pc with this unit yet. Are going VGA or HDMI with the PC?

Hello, I am debating between the optoma 7300, and the sharp xz-v12000 markii,any comments.
I have been following your threads, Now that many of you have set your projectors up.
HOW DO THEY LOOK, with dvd,s------ sde,rainbows,noise,blacks,punch, wow factor
Any feedback would be welcome

Hello,

I have the HD7300 (for about 3 months) it has been a lot of fun. I watched Spiderman 3 in SD last night and thought it almost looked Hi Def. I have my panny bluray outputting 1080p into the scaler. I also have the A2 HD DVD that also looks great with the 7300 combo. I was just wondering about the quote :At present, it can only output 1280x720@60Hz and struggling to do even that. Is there problems with your scaler? As we all know there will be better scalers down the road and the next step for me will be 1080p. Why is there so much demand for this scaler to do 1080P out. This whole system when we all bought it at the great deal was obsolete before it even got to our doorstep. IMHO.

rmlowz

I am confused now. Everyone was saying that the scaler as it is can only accept 720P /60. It seems that yours is accepting 1080P. So does that mean it does accept all inputs? Was yours part of the package or was it sold as the separate unit?

Thanks,

bdbaba

I am confused now. Everyone was saying that the scaler as it is can only accept 720P /60....

Thanks,

bdbaba
It can accept most anything coming in. The issue is that it only outputs 720P@60Hz...

It can accept most anything coming in. The issue is that it only outputs 720P@60Hz...

Got it! Thanks!

It can accept most anything coming in. The issue is that it only outputs 720P@60Hz...

I thought it wouldn't accept 1080p.

George

I thought it wouldn't accept 1080p.

George

Hey George, welcome back. Any news?

bdbaba

How can you tell they are down to 4? I don't the avail quantity listed anywhere? Mine arrives on Thursday :)

I thought it wouldn't accept 1080p.

George

That is correct.
OO7, Both are in the same league but different in some ways.
The major is the throw distance. Optoma is short throw vs. long.
Optoma is brighter than Sharp. Sharp has better black by a small margin but in some material that small margin is huge IMO.
Value is where Optoma is way ahead and you get that extra box with it.
Overall Optoma is a very nice PJ and hardly disappoint even the seasoned eyes.

How can you tell they are down to 4? I don't the avail quantity listed anywhere? Mine arrives on Thursday :)

Put twenty in your cart and then update your shopping cart. Voila!

bdbaba

Hey George, welcome back. Any news?

bdbaba

Howdy, I have not heard anything. I was hoping that Optoma would back down on their $299 price for the 'HD3000 fix'. I'm not sure it made a difference, but a certain someone here seemed to take Optoma's side on this matter, and I don't think that helped our cause.

It might just be that there isn't enough of us to really make a difference to Optoma. Obviously, it didn't help us much that there never was any official word from Optoma nor anybody to talk to officially even.

I will certainly post any information that comes my way, although I doubt that will happen.

George

Oh yea, I haven't gone anywhere, still reading all the posts, just didn't have anything to contribute other than my ongoing disappointment. Also, my HD7100 and HD3000 are still sitting sealed on my floor.

That is correct.
OO7, Both are in the same league but different in some ways.
The major is the throw distance. Optoma is short throw vs. long.
Optoma is brighter than Sharp. Sharp has better black by a small margin but in some material that small margin is huge IMO.
Value is where Optoma is way ahead and you get that extra box with it.
Overall Optoma is a very nice PJ and hardly disappoint even the seasoned eyes.

Hey C,

It seems that rmlowz is feeding 1080P from his BR player and it is working. Is that right rmlowz?

bdbaba

Howdy, I have not heard anything. I was hoping that Optoma would back down on their $299 price for the 'HD3000 fix'. I'm not sure it made a difference, but a certain someone here seemed to take Optoma's side on this matter, and I don't think that helped our cause.

It might just be that there isn't enough of us to really make a difference to Optoma. Obviously, it didn't help us much that there never was any official word from Optoma nor anybody to talk to officially even.

I will certainly post any information that comes my way, although I doubt that will happen.

George

Oh yea, I haven't gone anywhere, still reading all the posts, just didn't have anything to contribute other than my ongoing disappointment. Also, my HD7100 and HD3000 are still sitting sealed on my floor.

That must be frustrating seeing those sealed boxes taking up space!:D

I had to dig in to mine. Not sure if I am going to get a chance to watch anything tonight, so my scaler is still sealed in box.

What is going to make your final decision before you open the box?

By the way, the one on ebay went up to $1180 i think. The reserve was not met, but that is a good price as far as resale goes.

Cheers,

bdbaba

Howdy, I have not heard anything. I was hoping that Optoma would back down on their $299 price for the 'HD3000 fix'. I'm not sure it made a difference, but a certain someone here seemed to take Optoma's side on this matter, and I don't think that helped our cause.



That is unfortunate.

Get it out and let your screen get some new shine!:)

CaspianM.
Thanks for the info.I hope your optoma looks great

I wonder if you purchase the hd7300 and want the scaler firmware upgrade in a year or two when you want to upgrade to a 1080p projector will optoma still be able to do it then.

When 1080p projectors become more mainstream and less costly (kind of how no one buys SDTVs anymore), and the 720p projectors become the el'cheapos, then all HD3000/720p-60hz scalers will be worth as much as a paperweight. If anyone is even thinking of doing the upgrade, you better do it now, because later will be too late. This is my prediction and not fact.

When 1080p projectors become more mainstream and less costly (kind of how no one buys SDTVs anymore), and the 720p projectors become the el'cheapos, then all HD3000/720p-60hz scalers will be worth as much as a paperweight. If anyone is even thinking of doing the upgrade, you better do it now, because later will be too late. This is my prediction and not fact.

I agree. I would do it immediately before their offer is no longer valid whether you think it is fair or not. Because then the scaler will be future-proof for a very long time. Well, until you need 2160p that is. ;)

Mike

Just ordered teh 7300 deal from NE. Wish I could have got the free bulb though!

My Hitachi Home-1 just broke with big blue blotches. But I had it for about about three years. So it has lasted a bit. I don't see other ones like it for sale at a decent price at this time.

I have a very short throw at about 8'6" and the Home-1 allows me to project a 100" picture at that distance. I can't find anything close to it. The 7300 gets me as close as I can get at 90" from this throw distance. So I am going to need to rework my screen.

I decided to order this up before they went out of stock because everything else will give even a smaller screen. Though, I was still thinking of holding out for a bit, seeing if I could find another Home-1. Seems like I saw a box on Ebay a couple of months ago, but nothing now.

I was also considering the Sonly AW15 because this will give me 89". It sounds though, that this 7300 will give me much better picture. To tell the truth the projector is mainly used by my teenage kids down stairs. I watch my movies upstairs for the most part rather than taking the trek down to the basement. So the 480P Home-1 worked great for what they wanted with movies, gaming and sports.

But I guess we have gone way past it with technology these days. I am surprised though, that nothing else out there has the short throw capability of the Home-1. I wonder what is limiting all the other projectors out there.

I thought I would have a 30 day return capability without openning the boxes, but after I made the order, I read on the invoice the following:

Limited Non-Refundable 30-Day Return Policy
Return for refund within: non-refundable
Return for replacement within: 30 days
This is our Detailed Limited Non-Refundable 30-Day Return Policy. Products that state "This item is covered by Newegg.com's Non-Refundable 30-Day Return Policy", or items labeled as “Non-refundable” (or similar labeling) must be returned to Newegg.com within 30 days of the invoice date for this policy to apply. Products covered by this return policy may only be returned for a replacement of the same item.

So, it looks like this is non-refundable w/i 30 days? Or is that only if I open the boxes.

It is only allowed for defective exchange within first 30 days.

I have not used any pc with this unit yet. Are going VGA or HDMI with the PC?

I have couple of issues that I working with Optoma on resolving:

(1) When I connect the projector directly to the HTPC, via HDMI, I have used two video cards with HDMI/HDCP, on the motherboard, and off, the projector is not recognized by the HTPC... it doesn't think anything is connected to the HDMI port.

(2) When I connect the projector via the scaler to the HTPC via HDMI, HTPC knows that a device is connected to it, but I cannot get a one to one pixel mapping via HDMI (see attached).

I just checked... newegg is now sold out.

I have couple of issues that I working with Optoma on resolving:

(1) When I connect the projector directly to the HTPC, via HDMI, I have used two video cards with HDMI/HDCP, on the motherboard, and off, the projector is not recognized by the HTPC... it doesn't think anything is connected to the HDMI port.

(2) When I connect the projector via the scaler to the HTPC via HDMI, HTPC knows that a device is connected to it, but I cannot get a one to one pixel mapping via HDMI (see attached).

I just checked... newegg is now sold out.

When usind PC turn the pj on first then pc. If no handshake, disconnect the cable and reconnect after a few seconds.
Make sure auto is selected under signal selection.

CaspianM,

Thanks for you input... tried all that, and after spending hours with VA, NE, and Optoma, I send the HD7300 in for check up to Optoma on RMA.

I have been using HTPC since 1999 when I joined this forum... so anything PC related, I know how to troubleshoot and resolve. What I am witnessing is definitely an HDMI handshake issue. I had a Sony VPL-HS51 connected to the same port prior to the Optoma. It worked great, but HS51 was not designed to do 1:1 pixel mapping over HDMI port, HS51A and HS60, and the current projectors VW10, and VW15 from Sony support one to one pixel mapping. I chose the Optoma as VW15 has some light spill from what I read.


You had mentioned of a way to bypass the scaler logic and use the scaler as a switcher... how do you do that? I tried connecting the projector to the HDMI output for AV Receiver, that did not work.

Gireesh

Just remove the short hdmi cable that connects "to receiver" to "from receiver" and then connect your cable to "to receiver" in the back of the scaler. Sorry you're having hand shake issue.

Hi all
I've been reading this forum for years and finally decided to join! Just sold my X1 that gave me 4 years of enjoyment in my basement HT. Need your help on deciding on which 720p to go with. I think I've narrowed it down to 2 DLP machines, Infocus IN76 or the Optoma HD7100. I know the basic differences DC2 vs. DC3, lens offset/throw etc. My room setup is: matte white 80" x 45" screen, 87" ceiling height, 2 rows of seating, room length= 16'4", dark red walls, screen wall is flat black and white ceiling tile. Sony upconverting DVD player with Expressvu(Canada) HDTV reciever.

Any advise would be great!

Just remove the short hdmi cable that connects "to receiver" to "from receiver" and then connect your cable to "to receiver" in the back of the scaler. Sorry you're having hand shake issue.

That is exactly what I did... no luck. Well, now Optoma can tell me what is wrong... it should get to their CA facility on Friday.

Hi all
I've been reading this forum for years and finally decided to join! Just sold my X1 that gave me 4 years of enjoyment in my basement HT. Need your help on deciding on which 720p to go with. I think I've narrowed it down to 2 DLP machines, Infocus IN76 or the Optoma HD7100. I know the basic differences DC2 vs. DC3, lens offset/throw etc. My room setup is: matte white 80" x 45" screen, 87" ceiling height, 2 rows of seating, room length= 16'4", dark red walls, screen wall is flat black and white ceiling tile. Sony upconverting DVD player with Expressvu(Canada) HDTV reciever.

Any advise would be great!
I moved from the X1 to the HD7100 quite some time ago. It was a direct swap for me. The short throw of the 7100 matches perfectly in the spot where the X1 once hung. I have had my problems that are well documented in this thread, but, at around $1000 I would do it again. At the $3000 that I paid I would not do it again. Great picture on the 7100/7300.

Hi,
May I get some opinions on recommended screen sizes and material colour? I have been debating between a 106 and 120 inch screen. Does the 7300 omit enough light in a light controlled setting to illuminate a 120 inch screen sufficiently? Which is a better screen material colour with this projector, white or grey? I have read that grey is the preferred option with LCD projectors, but how about the DLP 7300? I was considering Elunevision screens; 16:9 Versions are offered in a 1.8 or 1.1 gain (grey); or 2.4 gain, (white). Eastporters.com has info on them.
Any advice or comments would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
Greg.

I'm a fan of grey screens, and of big screens. In fact I have a 120" 1.8 gain grey screen like the one you mention on the way right now. I believe the Eastporters screen is the same as the Optoma Greywolf II so do a search for that here.

I got my HD7300 hooked up and am projecting it on a Da-Lite High Contrast Cinema Perf screen (acoustically transparent version of High Contract Cinema Vision). It is a light gray surface with a gain of 1.1. Screen size is 105". All I can say is - Holy Cow is it bright! And this is in low power mode. It seems to me that going to 120" and light gray should be no problem for the HD7300. From what I see, I don't think you need a higher gain screen. I would prefer a screen with less brightness to avoid hot-spotting.

I did consider the Greywolf II but it is a retro-reflective material. Since my PJ is ceiling-mounted, I didn't want the light reflecting back at the ceiling.

I got my HD7300 hooked up and am projecting it on a Da-Lite High Contrast Cinema Perf screen (acoustically transparent version of High Contract Cinema Vision). It is a light gray surface with a gain of 1.1. Screen size is 105". All I can say is - Holy Cow is it bright! And this is in low power mode. It seems to me that going to 120" and light gray should be no problem for the HD7300. From what I see, I don't think you need a higher gain screen. I would prefer a screen with less brightness to avoid hot-spotting.

I did consider the Greywolf II but it is a retro-reflective material. Since my PJ is ceiling-mounted, I didn't want the light reflecting back at the ceiling.

Howdy, I have the same screen although not the acoustic model. Are you considering a neutral density filter? I also have an IN72 and it is a light cannon as well. I used an ND2 filter on it for the first 1,000 hours.

I'm going to be projecting the 7300 onto a 96 inch diagonal screen from about 11 feet. I really have enjoyed the HCCV screen from Da-Lite. I couldn't imagine a better screen for the price. At first I did notice some sparkling of the image but very little and it doesn't bother me like I've heard it does for other people.

George

Honestly, I never thought of a neutral density filter. However, I do love the setup as is. It got me thinking about blacking out the walls in my room, just to reduce the reflection. My walls now are a medium-dark blue, with a black ceiling. Only very occasionally have I noticed any sparkling, and only in bright white areas. And this is only when I'm really looking for it. It really doesn't bother me at all since if I'm not looking for it, I don't see it.

It really seems to me like the HD7300 + HCCV is a terrific combo. I went this route to get the best quality possible at a (relatively) reasonable price. It was a much cheaper route than Stewart and others for acoustically transparent material. I have a really high end audio system and I have noticed no adverse impact on the sound, placing the center speaker behind the screen. I couldn't be happier with the PJ or the screen, and especially the combo of the two.

Just a reminder that ND will lower the ansi contrat of the pj to some extent depending on the quality of the filter used.
Also when I first fired up the 73k the bulb was blazing bright. Now after some 50 hours it has settled down some 10% or so. By two hundred hours count on 25% reduction.

Just a reminder that ND will lower the ansi contrat of the pj to some extent depending on the quality of the filter used.
Also when I first fired up the 73k the bulb was blazing bright. Now after some 50 hours it has settled down some 10% or so. By two hundred hours count on 25% reduction.

Wow, that is some drop off in brightness! Are you sure? I've only had the IN72 and I would have guessed about no more than 25% after about 500 hours. I didn't even remove the ND2 filter 'til 1,000 hours and I was wondering even then if it was necessary.

I guess I'm 'popping the carton' on mine tonight. I might be able to get it setup tomorrow.

I've asked Optoma if we do send in the HD3000 for 'upgrading' (I'm still going to call it 'fixing') and they decide at some future time that the upgrade should be less or free, if us early worms would then be taken care of.

Here is the number I was given to call to setup the upgrade, 888-942-2929.

Luck all,
George

Early hours it loses more then it slows down. If it varies it is not substantially different.

Well, certainly this information is unofficial in my opinion, but just heard that if we send in our HD3000's now for the $299 update fee and if, later on Optoma decides to either reduce or eliminate the fee, we will not be reimbursed (as in, 'too bad').

I wish Optoma would just come out and make an official announcement detailing their stance on this issue so at least we would all know exactly what we are dealing with.

Oh well, the world is an imperfect place. Reminds me of a scene in a movie, Prelude to a Kiss. Meg Ryan says to Alec Baldwin, 'I don't want to bring kids into this world.', to which he replies, 'Where else are you going to raise them?'.

Luck all,
George

Well, certainly this information is unofficial in my opinion, but just heard that if we send in our HD3000's now for the $299 update fee and if, later on Optoma decides to either reduce or eliminate the fee, we will not be reimbursed (as in, 'too bad').

I wish Optoma would just come out and make an official announcement detailing their stance on this issue so at least we would all know exactly what we are dealing with.

Oh well, the world is an imperfect place. Reminds me of a scene in a movie, Prelude to a Kiss. Meg Ryan says to Alec Baldwin, 'I don't want to bring kids into this world.', to which he replies, 'Where else are you going to raise them?'.

Luck all,
George
10% brightness loss within the first 100 hours is not outragious. There is no official rate of decay on the lamp brightness. There was a study however that pointed out 50% reduction by about 750~1000 hrs a couples years ago on this forum.
Many for the same reason wait at leat 200 hours for the lamp settles down before any seriour grayscale and color tweaking.
AFA Optoma, I am not planning to send my unit in.

Opened my HD7300 finally! Now, I have to wait for a shipment from Monoprice as there is no way to ceiling mount this thing without an HDMI to DVI-D cable or adapter. Optoma does provide a cable but it is only a 2 meter job, no way that is gonna work. I just ordered a little female HDMI > male DVI-D adapter.

What's a few more days now anyways...

Build quality looks good. This thing is heavier than my IN72. I'm hoping to be able to use my Premiere mount, it has adjustable spiders. Anybody have any advice for ceiling mounting the HD7100?

George

Forgot to mention that I'm still on the fence about sending my HD3000 in for the 'fix'.

I used a Chief Universal mount. Works great and solid as a rock. Very easily adjustable and no play whatsoever. I cost me maybe $40 more than an "economical" mount on Amazon, but it was more than well worth it. The finish looks great too - black powder coat. Quality, with looks to match.

BTW, I used a 32' (10m Silver Serpent) BetterCables HDMI-HDMI cable with an HDMI-DVI adapter on the PJ side. Works great and I don't have to worry about an obsolete cable in the future. Talk about your thick HDMI cables though. Serious construction for a cable!

Hi folks,

Regarding one of my previous posts : my scaler has been returned to optoma france. Waiting for a new one.

Meanwhile, are Molex cables provided with the unit are good enough or should i really must switch to brands like QED or Tech+Link ? Nobody talked about it in this thread so i assume they're ok but...who knows.

Thanks

David

Hi folks,

Regarding one of my previous posts : my scaler has been returned to optoma france. Waiting for a new one.

Meanwhile, are Molex cables provided with the unit are good enough or should i really must switch to brands like QED or Tech+Link ? Nobody talked about it in this thread so i assume they're ok but...who knows.

Thanks

David

Depends on the length of your run... how long is it from the scaler to the projector? I am assuming the runs from your satellite box to the scaler is really short, I use the Optoma supplied cable for that, without any issues.

Molex invented the micro-cross design, M1/DA, DVI and HDI are all descendants of that design. I have used couple of cables for 5m run from the scaler to the projector. A cheap cable I bought from newegg.com seems to perform better than $$ cable from Belkin PureAV.

My experience is that the HD7300 is a lot more sensitive to signal degradation than the Sony HS51 that I had.

Make sure that there are no sharp turns in the run from the projector to the scaler, I have noticed that to cause considerable signal degradation. Likes cars, electrons do have difficulty negotiating sharp turns.

Ok thanks, not so far, 2 meters maximum because i'm connected to a large LCD Flat Panel....so i assume that molex cabels are great for my purpose....
Thx
David

I'm on the OCD sied of the spectrum and always upgrade my cables. However, if you're only going 2 m, then I'm sure the included cables would be sufficient. Then main concern with digital transmission is signal degridation and interference, unlikely to occur with a short 2 m run.

When speaking to a rep from BetterCables, he emphasized the need for good shielding over long runs. Particularly with DVI connections, which seem more sensitive to interference, and the HD7100/7300 especially, a good quality cable is recommended. He said that HDMI connections are less sensitive to cabling. As I noted, my 10m run to my 7300 works glitch-free. No sparklies/jaggies/etc.

I agree with the sharp turn warning. I guess that until Porsche comes out with cables, we need to take turns as wide a a truck.

Ok, I'm trying to justify spending the $299 to 'fix' my HD3000, but I'm struggling. Thinking out loud...

The HD3000 does not accept any 1080p input. So, it's worth as it pertains to HD DVD's seems non-existence. In order to 1:1 pixel map (forget that the HD7100 is a 720p projector, I'm looking to the future), you must read the data directly off the HD DVD disk in its native format, either 1080p or 1080i and send that data unprocessed to the display, also 1080i/p.

The problem is with the frequencies. In order to eliminate 2:3 pulldown, you must also take the data off the HD DVD disk as 1080p/24. Because the HD3000 will not take any 1080p input, that negates it as a useful tool for HD DVD viewing (if you are seeking the perfect digital path between your source and display).

Now, what about HDTV... HDTV is broadcast as either 720p/60 or 1080i/60, which perfectly matches up with our HD displays (as well as the HD7100). So, why does this image need to be scaled?

I do understand that the HD3000 does have some useful tools as far as manipulating/processing the image, but from what I've been able to gather these last 5 or 6 years with my HD displays is that you really don't want to manipulate/process the image if you don't have to.

Unless I'm missing something, I just don't understand how we will be able to use the HD3000 in our HD DVD path effectively. To get the most out of our HD DVD players, we need to be able to output 1080p/24, but the HD3000 will not accept that signal. If we output 1080i/60 to the HD3000, we've already lost the battle as the HD DVD player will have to process the data before the HD3000 even sees it.

I guess I'm talking myself out of spending the $299 on the 'fix'. I've got a call into the Optoma division that will be doing the 'fix', but haven't heard back yet. Preliminary information claims the 'fix' could take as long as 3 weeks or longer, we will be responsible for shipping (not sure if for both ways).

Can anybody enlighten me on the HD3000's virtues?

George

And, a bit disappointed to find that the HD3000 only outputs over HDMI, yet mysteriously enough, the HD7100 only accepts (digitally) DVI-D. And, the HDMI/DVI cable that comes with the HD3000 is only 6 feet long? What setup could Optoma have possibly imagined supporting with this gear??? A much better solution than the 6 foot HDMI/DVI cable would have been a simple male DVI/female HDMI adapter (even an HDMI to HDMI coupler would have been preferable).

It's worth it if you have an HD-DVD player than only ouputs 1080i (HD-A2 for example). The HD3000 will do an excellent job of de-interlacing the signal (using the weave method) and down converting to 720p. It will also shine when de-interlacing a 1080i HD broadcasts. It's a bummer that it won't accept 1080p/24Hz.

As far as the DVI input, I agree. It looks to me like optoma decided to bundle the projector and scaler together as an after thought. My HD7300 arrives today. I decided to buy a 30' HDMI-HDMI cable, an HDMI-HDMI coupler, and a 6' HDMI-DVI cable. That way I can plug the DVI connector directly into the projector without having an ugly HDMI-DVI adapter hanging off the back.

It's worth it if you have an HD-DVD player than only ouputs 1080i (HD-A2 for example). The HD3000 will do an excellent job of de-interlacing the signal (using the weave method) and down converting to 720p. It will also shine when de-interlacing a 1080i HD broadcasts. It's a bummer that it won't accept 1080p/24Hz.



I do have the A2. So, if it does 3:2 pulldown to output 1080i/60, will the 3000 de-interlace properly, as in undo the 3:2 pulldown?

If so, is this process exactly like not doing 3:2 pulldown at all?

George

De-interlacing and undoing the 3:2 pulldown are two different steps in the processing. If you patch the firmware on the HD3000 then I believe this will be the sequence:

1. The HD-A2 reads data off the disk as 1080p/24 hz, outputs it as 1080i/60hz by applying the 3:2 pulldown (padding from 24 to 60 frames).
2. HD3000 converts from 1080i/60hz to 720p/24hz. It must do two things well for this to look good: de-interlace and quickly identify the 3:2 sequence. If it can identify the 3:2 sequence it will throw away the padded frames and restore the original image (or at least very close to the original).
3. The HD3000 will then convert from 720p/24hz to 720p/72hz which the HD7300 can accept natively.

The picture won't be as good as the original, but it should be very close. The Silicon Optix's HQV Benchmark HD DVD will tell you if the HD3000 is doing it's job. The review below indicates that the HD3000 does an excellent job of 3:2 pulldown detection and a good job of detecting mixed cadences (doesn't handle 2:2:2:4 very well).

http://www.hdtvexpert.com/pages_b/psuedo_hd.html

I'm also considering getting the patch. I'd love to see there results of the HQV tests with the HD3000 outputing at 720p/72 vs 720p/60. The first person to get the patch should post the results for the rest of us :)

Preliminary information claims the 'fix' could take as long as 3 weeks or longer, we will be responsible for shipping (not sure if for both ways).

I called Optoma. I was told that we pay shipping to them; they pay the shipping back to us. The person I talked to said they have to open the unit and put a new chip inside as well as flash the firmware. He also said it should turn around in less then a week.

Just passing along what i was told. Still debating the "fix" as well.

It looks to me like optoma decided to bundle the projector and scaler together as an after thought.

Quite true, actually they sell the projector as HD7100 and they neutered the HD3000 to HD3000-P to bundle with HD7100 to create the HD7300 combo.

He said that HDMI connections are less sensitive to cabling.

Video portion of the specs for DVI-D single link and HDMI are quite similar, if not identical. So I am not sure why the DVI-D/HDMI link would be any flakier. If you open the connectors, you will see that there is no other electronics in the DVI-D/HDMI cable other than metal connectors. The pin outs, obviously are different.

I called Optoma. I was told that we pay shipping to them; they pay the shipping back to us. The person I talked to said they have to open the unit and put a new chip inside as well as flash the firmware. He also said it should turn around in less then a week.

Just passing along what i was told. Still debating the "fix" as well.
We need to call them and get the charges down to $100.

We need to call them and get the charges down to $100.

I'm all for that Caspian, but how are we going to do it? I don't think Optoma cares whether or not we send them in to tell you the truth.

I don't think I can restrain myself though. Being able to output 1080p24 is just too great a temptation, especially for the future.

I did mention that they said that if you pay $299 now and then later they decide to lower or eliminate the charge, too bad for us, no refund?

Decisions decisions...

George

Hey, have you seen that old box of chips layin around anywhere??

Ya, they're right here. Let me blow the dust off of 'em.

Wow that's a lot of dust.

Ya they been layin there for like 2 years. What do you want them for? I was gonna throw them out when I clean up tomorrow.

Those suckers who bought all the neutered HD3000s want to upgrade their scalers so that they actually work properly, so we're thinkin about chargin 'em all $300 to fix 'em.

What's wrong with them?

We rigged them so they would only output 720p @ 60hz.

WHY??

I dunno, save face I guess. Didn't want all the people who paid big bucks for the scaler by itself to get pissed off that they blew their wad on an overpriced component.

Okayyyy... So why not just do it for free. After all, aren't we going to win over their loyalty for future business with Optoma?

Nahh, there's not really that many of them, so we don't really give a crap wether they keep buying Optoma products... we just want to screw them over and make a few bucks off of 'em. We already got 'em by the balls since they can't return the projectors. So if they want that scaler to work like it should, they they'll have to pay baby... and who reaps the profits?... we do.

Sounds pretty unethical if you ask me. I thought the customer was always right. What about customer service?

Well dude, that's why you're not the one runnin the show here. I am. ...and that's why we make money around here. Don't you know that customer service is out? We make more money now than ever before since we don't have to abide by that stupid,... the customer is always right thing. Fooey on the customers. I could care less what they think. Optoma pays me to make the money and that's what I'm-a-doin. If those guys wanna piss and moan about us screwin them over, then they can all take I flyin leap. Good ridence. That's the last thing we need around here. Customer service, what a JOKE! Now don't forget to empty the trash again tonight.

Yes sir...

lol, g1

Thanks for your replies Steve and snomon1017!
Here is a little more info on my setup. I realized that I probably didn't provide enough info. I've also discovered that I'll need to stick to a 106 screen unless I use a sound transparent material because the 120 will block the side speakers. I'm on a tight budget, so that might rule those materials out.
I was thinking of a rigid frame that I could remove from the wall and hang from the ceiling by hooks, as it would have to be in front of my plasma TV, but in the absence of that a retractable ceiling mount would do.
My basement room's free floor space is 11 feet wide by 20 feet long.
The screen would be mounted on the 11 foot wall. There is a bank of windows on the wall opposite of the screen placement, but the glass is only 44 inches tall, and is controlled by wood blinds and does not have sun exposure. A blackout blind could be added. Walls are a fairly dark green with some accents very dark green. I was thinking of darkening all surfaces to the darkest green. Viewing would be primarily of movies and would take place during the evening and night.
The projector would be ceiling mounted. The ceiling is 90 inches high, but there is a 77 inch high drop ceiling (5 feet wide) running across the room starting at 6 feet from the screen wall and ending at 11 feet. Thus, the projector will be flush mounted on the drop ceiling at a height of 77 inches if placed between 6 and 11 feet, or suspended from the 90 inch height, but to the level of 77 inches so the projector would not be obscured by the drop ceiling if the projector was mounted back beyond 11 feet.
Seating will be four across the free space, perhaps staggered, but not raised, with the very occasional placement of one or two additional chairs.
Looking at the Elunevision screens, at Eastporters.com [ One more post until I can post a url link, sorry]
should I rule out the 1.8 grey because it is retro-reflective? Which Elunevision screen would best suit my conditions? What about Da-Lite? Which material would be best?
Thanks for your input,
Greg.

I've only done a couple of tests my my 7300 before I take the scaler in for the update, and I'm staying in a hotel so it's a room I'm not familiar with, but the projector seems pretty bright. Not as bright perhaps as my VP4001, but much brighter than my old HD70.

So, from 11 feet to a 106 screen, I don't think brightness will be a huge problem. I'd still get a gray screen for the black levels, but not necessarily high gain. Something like the Da-Lite HCCV. I'm sure Eastporters have a high contrast screen with about even gain or just below.

My VP4001 is currently firing at gray painted screen with .8 gain and it is plenty bright enough in mid iris mode.

However, since you are rigging something anyway, have you considered a DIY screen? The Wilsonart Platinum laminate might be just the ticket and is very easy to rig up in the way you are thinking since it needn't be tensioned. And it costs under $100.

Check the DIY screen forum for laminate and you'll find all you need to know.

As for the scaler, I talked to a guy from Optoma and have the sent in the RMA form. I'm holidaying in San Francisco at the moment and will take the scaler down to Optoma in Milpitas personally since I need it back by the end of next week before I fly back to Australia. They are well aware of this thread and not at all happy about it since they still don't see what the problem is.

Oh well, I'm not so happy about paying $300, but I just bought a 1080P monitor. I want feed it at its native rate and got it for a great price so I guess it all balances out.

I have decided to go ahead and send my HD3000 in for the 'fix'. But, I haven't given up the fight. I have penned a letter to Optoma CEO Otto King, which is included below. I don't wish to speak for everyone but I thought it important to let Mr. King know that I wasn't the only one who had issues with my HD3000 purchase. I haven't mailed the letter yet, but hope to tomorrow. I will wait to see if anybody has any objections first (at least through today).

George

Otto King, CEO, Optoma Technology
715 Sycamore Dr.
Milpitas, CA. 95035
Dear Mr. King,
I am writing to you today asking for your assistance in a matter involving my recent purchase of one of your products, the HD7300. This is a package which includes both the HD7100, a 720p DLP projector, and the HD3000, a video processor.
If you would, the issue I would like you to address is the discrepancy between the functionality and features of the HD3000 I received and the available Optoma sales literature regarding the HD3000. On the Optoma website, the HD3000 is listed as having the ability to output 1080p, “Converts All Video Sources to 1080p…”. The problem that I am having is that my HD3000 does not output 1080p at all. In fact, it is locked at a single output, 1280x720p 60Hz.
Furthermore, the HD3000 User’s Guide lists multiple output resolutions as well as multiple output frequencies/timings;
1280x720p 50/60/72 Hz
1024x768p 50/60/72 Hz
1280x768p 50/60/72 Hz
1366x768p 50/60 Hz
1920x1080p 48/50/60 Hz
I could not find any reference on your website that the HD3000 that I was purchasing with my HD7100 projector did not have the functionality and features of the HD3000 that was being advertised by Optoma. I believe that this was an oversight by either marketing or your website. If there were indeed different models of the HD3000, as I’ve since learned there are, that information should have been made readily available to potential customers BEFORE they made their purchases. As it is, I made the decision to purchase the HD3000 based on your sales literature and now find that your product can not do what it has been advertised as being able to do.
I have made several attempts at speaking with your sales/customer service/technical support personnel at 888-942-2929 with no satisfaction. Their only solution is to have me ship my brand new HD3000 to their service facility for ‘fixing’ at a cost to me of an additional $299 plus shipping costs. I do not think that this is a fair solution. It is my opinion that the only reasonable resolution would be for Optoma to, preferably cross-ship me an HD3000 that has 100% functionality as advertised, or at the very least, offer to have my HD3000 ‘fixed’ at no charge.
I also wanted you to know that I belong to an online community of home theater enthusiasts. Many of us assist one another with buying decisions, along with feedback on our purchases. This online community is worldwide and rather large, and includes a public forum. This issue with the HD3000 has garnered quite a bit of attention on the forum. There are some 50 pages with over 60,000 viewers. I am not alone in feeling displeasure that those of us who purchased the HD3000 with our HD7100 projectors did not receive the functionality and features as advertised by Optoma. Our displeasure is heightened by Optoma’s decision to charge an additional $299 fee so that our HD3000’s will perform as advertised. I believe that this is a poor decision, especially from a customer relations standpoint.
I was told by Optoma’s Director, Tech Support & Customer Service that inside the HD3000’s User’s Guide, there is a reference to the fact that there are different versions of the HD3000. Here is the direct quote from the user’s guide (which is on page 51 of the 60 page guide), “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 HD30000 have been factory preset for a single output range.”
I believe that this is his justification that I was informed BEFORE I purchased that my HD3000 did not have the functionality and features as advertised by Optoma. I would have expected a reputable and respected company such as Optoma to make this information readily available to potential customers on the sales literature page, not buried at the back of the user’s guide, which is only available either by download or AFTER the purchase.
Please consider my request. I believe it to be the right solution for everybody. The $299 fee collected from those of us willing to pay to have our HD3000’s returned to full functionality with all advertised features pales in comparison to the shadow this has cast over the good reputation of Optoma.

Thank you,


George Fitting

The letter sounds fair to me. Hopefully he will read it.

George, thanks for taking this up with the Optoma CEO. It will interesting to see what comes out of this.

I've logged about 25 hours on my HD7100 so far and have been tweaking the image with my E1D2 meter and Calman software so I thought I would share with everyone what kind of calibrated performance you can expect from this machine. I had read that it has great color balance out of the box but mine had a large green surplus in all modes. The 6500K mode ran warm with red higher than blue so I settled on 7500K since red and blue were almost perfectly balanced though with green still too high. My Toshiba HD-A1 player and GetGray calibration disc were used for all measurements. Master brightness 15, Master contrast -11, Gamma 2.0, Color temp 7500. In the advanced section green gain was -23 everything else is default at 0.



http://home.comcast.net/~moeharris/hd7100a2.gif
http://home.comcast.net/~moeharris/hd7100a1.gif


This machine calibrates out very nicely in my opinion. The grayscale is flat and the gamma curve is very smooth. Red, green, and yellow are all oversaturated on the cie chart which though not correct gives the impression of strong, deep colors. My subjective impression is very favorable. The first thing I noticed is that relative to my Optoma H77 the HD7100 has a sharper, crisper image. I was seeing slightly more details in the image than I had with the H77 and the image seemed to have more depth and a more 3d like look. The difference was not monumental but certainly appreciable especially on hd-dvd shots. Of course sharpness can be a double edged sword as the HD7100 from my seating distance is not quite as smooth looking as the H77 is. Over all though very impressive. I have not had any bulb striking issues though I have had a couple of missed syncs with my HD-A1 but that is a worst case notorious pairing since the HD-A1 normally doesn't play nice with the HD7100. I found that I have to turn on the projector first and then when the pj is searching for a signal turn on the source, works perfect most every time. Noise is not an issue for me even though it is shelf mounted 2 feet above my head, I have heard other pjs that are quieter but the noise level was not bothersome at all to me. This projector reminds me a lot of the Sharp Z3000 that I demoed in my theater last year. The calibrated contrast and lumen output of the HD7100 is almost exactly the same as the Sharp in its medium iris mode. I found the Sharp to have a slightly soft picture though whereas the HD7100 is anything but. Later I'll post my calibration numbers for the HD7100 with a magenta filter as well as showing what the CMS hidden in the service menu can do for the cie chart.

Moe

What did you get for top lumen and lowest lumen?
Contrast ratio seems off.
Is the x-y color after CMS tweak?
I have been able to dial in the blue and red but geen is still a bit yellow.
I always thought it would be best to pick the one with most red then calibrate.
I settled on 7000K but I am not done.

I am considering either the 7100 or 7300 and the infocus 7210 how would you compare them if anyone has seen all of them and is the scaler worth the extra money? i have dish hd and the hd-a2

What did you get for top lumen and lowest lumen?
Contrast ratio seems off.
Is the x-y color after CMS tweak?
I have been able to dial in the blue and red but geen is still a bit yellow.
I always thought it would be best to pick the one with most red then calibrate.
I settled on 7000K but I am not done.

Caspian,

The x - y color is before any CMS tweaking. After CMS tweak the green is toward yellow just like yours. Most red and most accurate red can be different things. There is more red at most % levels on my machine in 7000K but there is runoff between 90% - 100%. In 7500k the red does not drop off at 100%. It's all the same in the end. If I calibrate in 7000K I'd have to drop red gain a notch or two to even out the response if I do it in 7500K I don't, same numbers in the end. Does your machine have excess green in the grayscale before calibration? As for top and low lumen I'm sure which unit of measure that is on my charts.

Moe

I see your top brightness in NITs.

Interesting comparison to the Sharp. Should I assume that you've found the Sharp to have better contrast in the Narrow iris setting?

Interesting comparison to the Sharp. Should I assume that you've found the Sharp to have better contrast in the Narrow iris setting?

With the iris all the way closed down the Sharp has a calibrated contrast ratio over 4000:1. Problem is the lumen output in this mode when the bulb is brand new is about 230 lumens. Doing the math it would take a screen with a very high gain to make this watchable in my opinion. The High Power will not give this type of gain when the Sharp is ceiling mounted. That's why the Sharp Z12000 is great. It has a vertical lens shift allowing for use with the Dalite HP which brings the light output up to acceptable levels while maintaining the high contrast in low iris mode. As for comparisons between the HD7100 and Sharp Z3K/DT500/VP4001, assuming the middle iris mode in the Sharps which is how most people run them picture quality is remarkably similar. Contrast, brightness, throw distance, noise level, all very similar. Optoma has sharper focus and seems to me have a little more depth in the image.

Moe

So, after I did my first calibration on the HD7100 I started thinking. It's a shame that I had to drop the green gain 23 notches to get the gray scale in line since that is a lot of contrast to give up in the name of D65. I used to own a Panasonic AE900 and had done a lot of filter tweaking to squeeze contrast out of it so I had a few filters lying around. I grabbed a magenta colored CC30M resin filter and taped it to the lens to test it out and luckily for me it was the perfect filter for the job. Instead of dropping the green gain like I would've without the filter I left it at zero and the grayscale fell into line almost immediately. Now, for any of you who have ever owned an lcd machine and done some filter tweaking you know that it is no free lunch. When I applied the filter I immediately noticed that the lumen output had been decreased. How much? I have no idea, but it felt about the same output that the Sharp Z12000 has in its high contrast mode. I'm guessing somewhere in the neighborhood of 240 lumens but again that is just a guess. If you have a Dalite High Power screen or other high gain screen it would be a wonderful match. Those of you with a normal gain screen this setup would probably be too dim unless the screen was very small. Anyway here are the numbers.


http://home.comcast.net/~moeharris/filter1.gif
http://home.comcast.net/~moeharris/filter2.gif


So a pretty nice bump in contrast. 2300:1 though brighter without filter and 3300:1 though dimmer with filter. As I said I have a High Power screen so the loss of lumens for me was negligible. The result is that with the filter in place the black level is lowered and the whole image has more depth and richness. I tweaked the CMS to get the cie positions more accurate. Green ends up a little toward yellow and blue slightly toward green but everything else is nearly spot on. The color decoder levels are nearly exactly in line with specifications.

Moe

I called Optoma. I was told that we pay shipping to them; they pay the shipping back to us.

Here is the quote I just received from Optoma regarding the cost of 'fixing' our HD3000's.

First off, I pay shipping to them.
They charge me $299 for the 'fix'.
Plus, they claim there is a $15 charge for return shipping.

Starting to get pi**ed off,
George

Here is the quote I just received from Optoma regarding the cost of 'fixing' our HD3000's.

First off, I pay shipping to them.
They charge me $299 for the 'fix'.
Plus, they claim there is a $15 charge for return shipping.

Starting to get pi**ed off,
George

I guess it depends on who you talk to over at Optoma. My guy was very nice, and pretty sure of himself. I hope he was right and your guy was wrong.

Hopefully you will get some action from your letter to the president. Please let us know if you get a reply. Are you sending a hard copy, email or both?

Zipplemeyer, How do you go from NITs to lumen?

Thanks for sharing your calibration result.
Reading projectorreviews.com says in isf night he got very accurate d65 out of box.
He ended up with green gain -1 and bias -3 and it worked out well. If so we should get about 400 lumen in that mode. Now if I figure to convert nit to lumen.
http://www.projectorreviews.com/optoma/hd7100/performance.php#calibration

Here is the quote I just received from Optoma regarding the cost of 'fixing' our HD3000's.

First off, I pay shipping to them.
They charge me $299 for the 'fix'.
Plus, they claim there is a $15 charge for return shipping.

Starting to get pi**ed off,
George

By the way George, great letter.

I think the logic is sound, and it is written very well. I hope it bears fruit.

I wonder if we all should send in the same letter?

Like i said before, both my brother and I will stick to a company that treats us well. I think most people are loyal in that way. Optoma has treated my brother well in the past. I hope they continue with their great customer service with this situation as well. They would earn many more lifetime customer's by taking care of us HD7300/HD3000 owners I am sure--me being one of them.

Marantz' lousy customer service lost me as a consumer. Granted this is not as bad as that situation; this PJ actually puts out a rectangular image and not a big bow--difficult as that might be!:rolleyes:

However, a little goodwill here will go a long way for me at least.

Cheers,

bdbaba

I think if you include some names it would be more effective.
I will happily would PM you my name and assiciated info to be included with the letter.

I think if you include some names it would be more effective.
I will happily would PM you my name and assiciated info to be included with the letter.

Caspian, I hear what you are saying but I'm wondering if, say we only get about even a dozen people to sign this letter, would that bolster its effect or would that few of names weaken what we are attempting to do?

I have absolutely no qualms with letting whoever wants to join in this effort join in. I'm just not so sure that unless we have say 30 or 40 names, that having just a few names might paint our entire group as small. I'm not sure that would be an effective motivator for Optoma seeing how few are affected by this. It might be enough that I mentioned there are some 60,000 viewers at the AVS Forum (maybe I should have elaborated this fact more?).

I'm just thinking out loud... I'm interested in doing whatever it takes to get satisfaction or at the very least an official 'go jump' from Optoma. I don't think we are going to get what we want dealing with the people we have been dealing with so far, no offense. Although I'm not very optimistic about my letter to the CEO getting the desired results, I'm also not one to give up so easily when I feel I've been wronged.

I think the situation here is clear cut and those who are claiming that the vague reference about '...certain versions...' at the back of the user's guide as being the proof in the pudding that we all were well informed by Optoma BEFORE we purchased are being disingenuous, or possibly motivated by some unforeseen self-interest.

I'm willing to go along with the consensus if we can all reach one.

George

You initiated this so you do what is right in your opinion. I will be happy going along with that. Thanks george!

You initiated this so you do what is right in your opinion. I will be happy going along with that. Thanks george!

Count me in if needed.

Thanks fellas, I appreciate the support. Believe me, if I get results from Optoma CEO, I will share with everybody.

I doubt that I would have sent my HD3000 in for 'fixing' had it been able to output 720p72. I do have a 42in 1080p LCD and eventually would like to move up to a 1080p projector but for now, I don't actually NEED 1080p output.

BUT, I do need the HD3000 to be able to handle DVD content and it being locked at 720p60 just isn't going to cut it. That resolution and frequency/timing is fine for HDTV but sucks rocks for DVD's.

From what I have gathered from my research, if you output a 1080i60 signal from your HD DVD player, the information contained in that signal is unaltered even though the 2:3 cadence is generated by the player and used by the display device. However, if you send this signal to the HD3000, and it can output in a multiple of 24Hz, then the HD3000 should be able to remove the 3:2 cadence and re-assemble the original 1080p24 data from the HD DVD player and scale it to 720p72 without the 3:2 pulldown information. In essence, you are able to transfer the original data from the HD DVD media and display it with the HD7100 in as pure a form as is possible considering you are scaling the 1080p image to 720p.

I can't believe that Optoma would lock the HD3000 that is bundled with their HD7100 720p projector at 720p60. Don't they realize that most people buy a projector to watch movies?!? Sure, it is great to be able to watch HDTV with your projector, but c'mon it doesn't take a genius to figure out that home movies are what drives the projector business. Optoma would have been better off to lock the HD3000 at two outputs, 720p60 for HDTV and 720p72 for DVD's.

The one thing I'm a little concerned about is the HD7100's ability to take the 720p72 signal from the HD3000 (once it has been 'fixed') and convert that to 720p48, which is an output resolution of the projector, without 'issues'.

Anyways, that is my goal. I know that I will not be able to 1:1 pixel map this projector with ANY DVD source but I will be able to pixel map, through the scaler.

My understanding of 1:1 pixel mapping is taking the native resolution of the DVD source material and mapping it to the native resolution of the display panel, unaltered and unprocessed. This can not be done with ANY 720p projector because there are no DVD's encoded at 720p resolution. SD DVD's are encoded at 480p and HD DVD's at 1080p.

Pixel mapping though is a different story. It is the ability to match the source device, as opposed to the source material with 1:1 pixel mapping, with the resolution of the display device. So, in this case with the A2 HD DVD player and the HD7100/HD3000 combo, I can take the 1080p24 data from the source material, output it at 1080i60 to the HD3000, have the HD3000 reassemble the information from the source material at 720p72 and display it natively with the HD7100.

Whew, I hope I got all that right.

Eventually, I should be able to 1:1 pixel map to a 1080p projector with the HD3000 as long as it is really able to recreate the original 1080p24 content from the HD DVD disks.

Luck all,
George

Is there a trick to being able to select the ISF day and night settings on the HD3000. I thought maybe they were only available for hdmi and I was using component. Then I hooked my A2 using hdmi and the ISF options are still grayed out. Is this another feature that was removed from the bundled HD3000 that comes with the hd7300.

ISF Day/Night is there as a service for ISF certified installers/calibrators. They have to call Optoma and submit their credentials for the unit they're working on. Then Optoma will give them the codes. An end user doesn't really need it, you can do grayscale saves in the user menu.

As is I believe the warm or 6500k is same as isf night.

I just replaced my infocus 5700 with the hd7300. Too bad my 5700 died. anyway, should i make video adjustments to the projector or just to the hd3000? I plan on using those adjustments that previous posters have made. Thanks.

Just unpacked the 7300 and HD3000 and wow is this a beautiful picture!

Compared to the Hitachi Home1, which was a 480 LCD projector, this is night and day. What an incredible difference, even with SD. And I thought the Home1 looked good before. The old projector developed blue blotches, noticeable in dark screens and that is why I replaced it, but even on the parts that are not affected by the blue splotches this 7300 looks so much better. Its like when I switched my old SD TV to HD. The color and detail are phenomenal. Glad the old one broke down! Just hope the bulb issue doesn't crop up.

From what I have tried, looking at HD and SD channels from a Comcast 6412, I really can't tell the difference between using the scaler or not. Maybe there is something more to set up on the scaler. I am just not sure what that device is providing me, other than a switcher, which my receiver does OK right now. It must take a lot more of an eye to see the difference. I am testing by switching back and forth between DVI from the scaler and Component directly from the DVR.

ISF Day/Night is there as a service for ISF certified installers/calibrators. They have to call Optoma and submit their credentials for the unit they're working on. Then Optoma will give them the codes. An end user doesn't really need it, you can do grayscale saves in the user menu.

guitarman and CaspianM thanks for your responses. I thought the ISF night and day modes could be selected just like the USER1, 2, and 3 modes. Whats the point of having the ISF modes if I can't select them for a source?

guitarman and CaspianM thanks for your responses. I thought the ISF night and day modes could be selected just like the USER1, 2, and 3 modes. Whats the point of having the ISF modes if I can't select them for a source?

That is designated for isf so it won't get messed up I guess.
I have no idea what manufacturers are thinking when designing a pj.
Having said that you can do it from the pj's side.

My hd3000 menu doesn't even have the option of isf only a bottons on the remote that dosn't do anything.
Where in the menu is the isf option located?

Hey guys, I just thought I'd tell you that I got the lamp firing problem on my HD 7100 today. It just passed 100 hours last night, and today it wouldn't fire. I've been having the problem intermittently since I got it October 20th, but usually after pulling the plug and restarting it, it would fire right up; not this time.

BTW I haven't made many posts yet, so thats why you probably don't recognize me :)

Try just waiting for a second cycle instead of pulling the plug. The 7100 at least mine would re-cycle a second time and fully fire up. Mostly it would fire up on the first try. I don't think the HD7300 owners will experience the same thing with the two piece system, I haven't read many start up complaints from them. How about having a DVI source on before you start the 7100, plus have the 7100 set to auto-detect.

@Madmoney, there is an Auto Power in Options that need to be turned OFF. If not, the lamp will go out if a signal isn't detected. If you power on the source before the projector, you could end up in a situation where HDMI/HDCP handshake fails and your source will fail to recognize the projector.

@gireesh and guitarman, I have tried most of those suggestions. I have, in the past, waited for the second cycle and it did fire, but it seems the pj is completely dead now. I get fans and all, but I just can't get the lamp to light.

For the most part, I had been powering on the projector first, and then all the other equipment.

Keep the auto power off.
Just unplug it and wait 15 secs and plug it back and turn it on.
Go to the main menu and turn the "auto Power" off.

The ISF menus are hidden and can only be accessed through a combination of buttons on the front panel of the HD3000. The ISF technician made the manipulation in front of me but i didn't have time to write it down ;-)
Take care
D*

@Caspian, I can't get it to power on at all, so I can't change the auto power. I can hear it trying to light the lamp, but it never does. Since it's Monday, I will call Optoma and see about getting a replacement.

That sucks!
I assume it has been unplugged and plugged back.
Most likely they will fix rather than replace.

I'm planning to use the HD3000 as a video switcher since my current receiver won't switch HDMI. The HD3000 has 2 HDMI outputs, which seems like a nice bonus. I assume it will work to connect the primary HDMI output to the projector and the secondary output to an LCD monitor. I'm planning to hook up a MacMini and it would be really nice to be able to control it via the LCD without always having to turn on the projector. Has anyone tried connecting the 2nd output to a monitor? I won't be able to set my system up until after thanksgiving, but I'm dying to find out if it works.

@Madmoney, how long ago did you buy the projector? As long as you are the original owner, they should swap it out with in the first ninety days of purchase. I assume you have an HD7100. They do not have HD7300 in stock, so swap out is not an option per support personnel.

Do you know when your projector was manufactured? If you received a recent one that was dropped shipped from Optoma, then you should have a very recent run, and will say HD7300 when connected to an HTPC... your source might be able to identify the attached device (projector) as well.

I'm planning to use the HD3000 as a video switcher since my current receiver won't switch HDMI. The HD3000 has 2 HDMI outputs, which seems like a nice bonus.

One is an output to connect to AV Receiver for audio, and needs to be looped back. I don't believe you can use both. CaspianM has tried this output scheme... may be he can weigh in.

I think you're right. The manual mentions that you need to use the loop back cable when you aren't connecting to a receiver. Bummer.

You can do two outputs. One from swicher port and one from scaler port.
But you have to have two two inputs for two outputs. One input goes to the switcher and another onput goes to the scaler.
Example: conncect the output from the switcher to a reciever (or a TV, pj) and output from reciever (or a DVD player) to the scaler port.
The trick is you cannot have two outputs from the same source unless the source has a passthru.
I hope I did not confuse you.

I get it now. As you said, you can output 2 different sources at the same time, but not the same source twice :) That means that I can't output the MacMini to the projector and monitor at the same time.

To clarify in case anyone else is confused, the 3 HDMI inputs go directly into a MUX that performs the HDMI switcher functionality. The output labeled "HDMI to AV Receiver" is the output of the switcher. There is no scaling being performed in this loop. In order to use the scalar, you must have a signal coming into the "HDMI From AV Receiver" port. That signal gets routed through the scalar and output on the "HDMI Output to Display" port. The loop back cable is used to feed the output of the switcher circuit into the scalar circuit. Without the loop cable back you have 2 completely isolated circuits with 2 different outputs.

@Madmoney, how long ago did you buy the projector? As long as you are the original owner, they should swap it out with in the first ninety days of purchase. I assume you have an HD7100. They do not have HD7300 in stock, so swap out is not an option per support personnel.

Do you know when your projector was manufactured? If you received a recent one that was dropped shipped from Optoma, then you should have a very recent run, and will say HD7300 when connected to an HTPC... your source might be able to identify the attached device (projector) as well.

I think I have decided to just return my "broken" HD7100 and pay the extra money for the HD7300. I'm not too worried about the reliability issues as long as they're covered by the warranty (which they are).

@your first question, I have only had the projector since Oct. 26.

I think I have decided to just return my "broken" HD7100 and pay the extra money for the HD7300. I'm not too worried about the reliability issues as long as they're covered by the warranty (which they are).

@your first question, I have only had the projector since Oct. 26.

Where did you get it from?

Where did you get it from?

Costco.com

They don't have any 7300s so you'll be SOL on that theory.

They don't have any 7300s so you'll be SOL on that theory.

oops, my mistake for not mentioning! I will return the 7100 to Costco for a refund, and then buy the 7300 from another vendor to be determined. There are some really hot deals on the 7300 right now! Sorry about that:o

oops, my mistake for not mentioning! I will return the 7100 to Costco for a refund, and then buy the 7300 from another vendor to be determined. There are some really hot deals on the 7300 right now! Sorry about that:o

There WERE some really hot deals on the 7300.

There WERE some really hot deals on the 7300.

See the PM I sent you...I just bought one! Plus there is a $200 rebate, so it's even lower.

I'd be curious to know where you found a deal on the HD7300. I have a buddy that just missed out on the newegg deal.

Hey guys, I just thought I'd tell you that I got the lamp firing problem on my HD 7100 today. It just passed 100 hours last night, and today it wouldn't fire. I've been having the problem intermittently since I got it October 20th, but usually after pulling the plug and restarting it, it would fire right up; not this time.

BTW I haven't made many posts yet, so thats why you probably don't recognize me :)

How does this firing problem manifest itself? Does the bulb strike and gradually
increase intensity and shutdown after a period of time or does it strike and not
turn on at all. I've been trying to research these ballast mode of operation. Initially there's a strike of about 20kv via a trigger transformer forming a plasma in the high pressure lamp, after which the voltage drops to a much lower value
of 40 to 100 volts. The misfiring probably sets a fault latch that is cleared by unplugging. These lamps should not be restarted for at least from 10 to 15 minutes. It's a mystery how the scaler would help prevent this other than reducing interference caused by the initial High voltage strike. The lamp or ballast could also be marginal. Sorry about the rant.

How does this firing problem manifest itself? Does the bulb strike and gradually
increase intensity and shutdown after a period of time or does it strike and not
turn on at all. I've been trying to research these ballast mode of operation. Initially there's a strike of about 20kv via a trigger transformer forming a plasma in the high pressure lamp, after which the voltage drops to a much lower value
of 40 to 100 volts. The misfiring probably sets a fault latch that is cleared by unplugging. These lamps should not be restarted for at least from 10 to 15 minutes. It's a mystery how the scaler would help prevent this other than reducing interference caused by the initial High voltage strike. The lamp or ballast could also be marginal. Sorry about the rant.


The lamp never actaully produces any light. When it attempts (for lack of a better word) to light, it makes a clicking sound, and there appears to be electrical arcing visible from the rear vents. After a short time, the clicking and flashes of light (not the lamp) stop, and it recycles and tries again...

The unit had been doing this intermittently as I said, but I could always let it recycle and it would light right up. Now, it wont light at all.

The lamp never actaully produces any light. When it attempts (for lack of a better word) to light, it makes a clicking sound, and there appears to be electrical arcing visible from the rear vents. After a short time, the clicking and flashes of light (not the lamp) stop, and it recycles and tries again...

The unit had been doing this intermittently as I said, but I could always let it recycle and it would light right up. Now, it wont light at all.

You don't here the clicking anymore correct? Seeing flashing also means something is arcing over/and or breaking down. It's good yours did it early enough. I'm wondering about connection issues as well. Did it start early or later
in use. High voltage needs good dielectric strength insulation and spacing. Multiple strikes will degrade the lamp fast. A good design should only make 1 strike to start the lamp conduction.

You don't here the clicking anymore correct? Seeing flashing also means something is arcing over/and or breaking down. It's good yours did it early enough. I'm wondering about connection issues as well. Did it start early or later
in use. High voltage needs good dielectric strength insulation and spacing. Multiple strikes will degrade the lamp fast. A good design should only make 1 strike to start the lamp conduction.

I do still hear clicking, and see the flashing arcs, I just haven't been able to get the lamp to light (I'm pretty sure the lamp is completely fried by now).

Before the complete failure, the chances were about 1 in 6/7 for a failed startup.

Has anyone figured out why this lamp striking problem is so prevelant in the 7100, but not in the 7300? Doesn't really make much sense since they are the same projector. Could it be that due to the high original price of the 7300, that they just didn't sell enough of them to create a history of the lamp striking issue?

Has anyone figured out why this lamp striking problem is so prevelant in the 7100, but not in the 7300? Doesn't really make much sense since they are the same projector. Could it be that due to the high original price of the 7300, that they just didn't sell enough of them to create a history of the lamp striking issue?

That sounds like a very good guess

It could have been that the problem was so "rare", that people just dismissed it as an isolated issue.

Actually the start voltage is more like 5kv and not 20 kv.

Read this link to get some insight into these lamps.

http://www.ercservice.com/lamps/philips/PhilipsUHPLamps.html

Here's some brief comments from the link:

When a lamp comes to the end of its life it must be replaced as soon as possible to prevent damage to the control gear and radio interference.

These lamps can be considered to have come to the end of their service life if:
• the light color of the lamp changes dramatically or-
• there is an appreciable loss of brightness or
• the lamp periodically goes out and restarts or
• the lamp no longer ignites
Sometimes a UHP lamp end it's life with a explosion or a big pop.

Also in general:

The high pressure lamps require an incrementally higher start voltage at each start. At the end of life the lamp might still be capable of firing, but requires more voltage than the ballast can provide. It explains the cases when a set would not start for several days, then it starts the first time but maybe not again until the lamp is replaced.

@mkoss, I really don't know what to think anymore, beside it being some kind of electrical fault due to a manufacturing problem. I don't know if you saw my previous posts, but I ordered the HD7300, so I guess I'll find out if it's a problem on that set as well. If it is, I'll just get it repaired under warranty because as of yet, I haven't found a better deal on a different projector.

I need to do more research but it's beginning to look like to me the some lamps degrade rapidly
due to inferior quality. Need to find out the manufacturing sources for these and how many. A clue maybe why they give you the extra bulb in the new egg offer. And it's the luck of the draw as to the quality of the bulb you get. I believe that's why some people have no problem and others do. From the inputs here I'm not sure turn on sequence matters very much.

It's advantageous to get the bulb warranty for sure. It's cheap insurance

It's advantageous to get the bulb warranty for sure. It's cheap insurance

Indeed. It couldn't be more obvious that if you own the 7100/7300, you NEED the insurance.

75 hrs and no issues with my 7300 but you never know.
Just because there was a free lamp offer it means nothing other than speculation.There has been offers like this by many other brands.

Oh there is no such offer any more meaning Optoma fixed the issue.:D

Is it possible to buy lamp insurance after you've already purchased the projector? I got my HD7300 from newegg but I didn't see an option to buy lamp insurance.

75 hrs and no issues with my 7300 but you never know.
Just because there was a free lamp offer it means nothing other than speculation.There has been offers like this by many other brands.

Oh there is no such offer any more meaning Optoma fixed the issue.:D

Looks like you have 25 hours left until doomsday:)

Indeed. It couldn't be more obvious that if you own the 7100/7300, you NEED the insurance.

Does the bulb warranty actually apply here? From the sounds of it the problem is the projector and not the bulb. In other words it isn't fixed by replacing the bulb, but rather by replacing the projector.

That said, I am going to get a bulb warranty while I am still within the 30 days.

On the other hand, I've just realized, I got one for my VP4001 and it doesn't specify which PJ I bought it for.

On the other hand again, even though I will sell one of them I suspect the bulb warranty may pay for itself in resale.

BTW, I dropped off my HD3000 at Optoma today and should get it back before Thanksgiving.

Looks like you have 25 hours left until doomsday:)

It wish it goes out sooner rathen than later (before first three months) or Optoma is going to have issues with me.
I have a second free bulb in hand so if it consumes both in a short time I know it is the pj not the lamp and Optoma and its three year warranty will be put on the table along the scaler limititation all together.:eek:

Does the bulb warranty actually apply here? From the sounds of it the problem is the projector and not the bulb. In other words it isn't fixed by replacing the bulb, but rather by replacing the projector.

That said, I am going to get a bulb warranty while I am still within the 30 days.

On the other hand, I've just realized, I got one for my VP4001 and it doesn't specify which PJ I bought it for.

On the other hand again, even though I will sell one of them I suspect the bulb warranty may pay for itself in resale.

BTW, I dropped off my HD3000 at Optoma today and should get it back before Thanksgiving.

Can't wait to hear how it turns out with the scaler. As far as the bulb warranty goes, you can call Mack and get it transferred to the new PJ as long as you have not had it for a long time. That is what i did with my warranty on my broken VP4001.

Please keep us apprised!

bdbaba

It wish it goes out sooner rathen than later (before first three months) or Optoma is going to have issues with me.
I have a second free bulb in hand so if it consumes both in a short time I know it is the pj not the lamp and Optoma and its three year warranty will be put on the table along the scaler limititation all together.:eek:

There are 2 items that are required for proper operation, a good ballast and a good lamp either of which can cause a problem for the other if not designed properly. From my reading the lamp is the weaker link of the 2. That said the safer thing to do is replace the projector which replaces both items. While there could be a strange interaction of firmware and hardware I don't think this is the case since the projector allows multiple stikes of the lamp and does not inhibit retries which it should.

I am just going to sum up all of my PM's here:)

The site I found the deal on was www.iavi.com. I am not sure they still have it in stock, as a friend of mine tried to order one and it did not go through. I also made a call to them for all of you and they told me they would send me a fax telling whether they were going to get any more.

I'll post any info that I recieve.

Ryan

Ryan, their price is higher than what either newegg, buy or visual apex advertised when they had the units in stock.

Ryan, their price is higher than what either newegg, buy or visual apex advertised when they had the units in stock.

Keep in mind that is before the $200 rebate. Even if it is higher, it's the only price anywhere close to the other clearance sales.

http://marketing.optomausa.com/PDFs/rebates/Optoma_HD7300_Rebate.pdf

Here is the link to the Optoma rebate

As far as the bulb warranty goes, you can call Mack and get it transferred to the new PJ as long as you have not had it for a long time.
bdbaba

Cool, I will do just that if I get my other unit shipped from buy.com :D

http://www.buy.com/prod/-1-hd7300-1-blfp250a/q/loc/101/206132105.html

These people say they have stock... http://www.preferredphoto.com/viewproduct.aspx?ID=3546255&l=Froogle

Cool, I will do just that if I get my other unit shipped from buy.com :D

What unit did you go for from here?

Nothing yet... I am waiting on two things:

(1) My HD7300, Optoma is supposed to tell me today what is going on with it
(2) An order I placed for a Sharp XVZ12KMII, which I don't believe will get filled... I am keeping my fingers crossed.

http://www.buy.com/prod/-1-hd7300-1-blfp250a/q/loc/101/206132105.html

These people say they have stock... http://www.preferredphoto.com/viewproduct.aspx?ID=3546255&l=Froogle

I think that site is a scam. Reseller Ratings gives it a 1/10 for customer satisfaction.

I know nothing of them... they came up on froogle search. I have also heard that anything with 'photo' in its name should be avoided like a plague.

I know nothing of them... they came up on froogle search. I have also heard that anything with 'photo' in its name should be avoided like a plague.

B&H Photo from my dealings is ok. Got a good buy on a Hitachi PJX-100 which
has lense shift and is short throw equiped with a good lense.

B&H is one of the most reputable businesses in existance.

Almost went with the PJX-200 which has a dynamic iris with better blacks but due to the
dust blob problem ended up here discussing a whole new set of problems with the 7100/7300.

Happy Thanksgiving guys!

For those of you that have the HD7100/7300 how visible is the pixel structure? I'm upgrading from a Panasonic which had smooth screen so the screen door wasn't an issue. I'll be sitting at 1.85x from the screen, so do I have any reason to worry? One review that I read mentioned that the screen door was more visible on the HD7100 than other 720p units due to the excellent optics. I'm currently doing some work on my projector lift, so I won't be able to mount the HD7300 until later next week. The waiting is killing me.

For those of you that have the HD7100/7300 how visible is the pixel structure? I'm upgrading from a Panasonic which had smooth screen so the screen door wasn't an issue. I'll be sitting at 1.85x from the screen, so do I have any reason to worry? One review that I read mentioned that the screen door was more visible on the HD7100 than other 720p units due to the excellent optics. I'm currently doing some work on my projector lift, so I won't be able to mount the HD7300 until later next week. The waiting is killing me.

From my experience sitting at 1.5x the screen width, it's not a big issue. It is visible in credits and other text, but you wouldn't notice it unless you were looking for it.

Keep in mind, though, the pixel structure is a little more visible than other DLP projectors beacause of the very high-quality lens.

At 1.85x, you should be fine in my opinion.

I too was concerned about pixel structure before I bought my HD7300. I relied on the fact that is is due to the high quality lens. I also have a Da-lite acoustically transparent screen - the pin holes do serve to amplify the visible pixel structure. Nevertheless, I sit about 1.1x (11 feet from a 100" screen) and do see pixels sometimes. It is not bothersome and not apparent on most material. It seems to depend on the quality of the image - better image = less pixels. I see very little pixel structure with HD DVD. I do see pixels in credits and bright white spaces, but still, no problem.

BTW - Always check BBB before buying from unknown internet sources. Easy enough to google [Name + BBB] in search. I've been steered clear from a number of sources in the past. Never had a problem when BBB says OK. Note how long they've been members of the BBB though. If it's recent, there won't be a history. If they're not members at all - FORGET IT!!!!!!!! YOU ARE ASKING FOR TROUBLE.

I too was concerned about pixel structure before I bought my HD7300. I relied on the fact that is is due to the high quality lens. I also have a Da-lite acoustically transparent screen - the pin holes do serve to amplify the visible pixel structure. Nevertheless, I sit about 1.1x (11 feet from a 100" screen) and do see pixels sometimes. It is not bothersome and not apparent on most material. It seems to depend on the quality of the image - better image = less pixels. I see very little pixel structure with HD DVD. I do see pixels in credits and bright white spaces, but still, no problem.

BTW - Always check BBB before buying from unknown internet sources. Easy enough to google [Name + BBB] in search. I've been steered clear from a number of sources in the past. Never had a problem when BBB says OK. Note how long they've been members of the BBB though. If it's recent, there won't be a history. If they're not members at all - FORGET IT!!!!!!!! YOU ARE ASKING FOR TROUBLE.

In my opinion, the BBB is a complete and utter rip-off. Their members are actually paid members who pay to support BBB, talk about the fox being in charge of the hen house. When you file a complaint against a company with the BBB, all the company has to do is deny everything you claimed, case dismissed with nothing ever showing up on their site. The company has to be a complete scam/sham for BBB to do anything.

I have filed a couple of complaints against companies ranging from defective products to refusal to honor the warranty. In each case, the company simply denied the facts of my complaint and BBB notified me that the case was resolved.

I don't even bother any more with BBB.

George

I did not know that they don't even have to show complaints on their site. What has been helpful to me is not how the BBB has settled cases, but rather that the complaint history that has been shown on the site. I have found it irelevant about the resolutions, I was just interested in the number and types of complaints filed. I have always found this information when I've looked. However, my assertion is moot if the BBB doesn't even have to list complaints filed.

I think that site is a scam. Reseller Ratings gives it a 1/10 for customer satisfaction.
they are a scam.
http://www.resellerratings.com/store/Broadway_Photo
We detected and disabled 50+ fraudulent "Very Satisfied" reviews for this merchant.Lifetime rating of 1.14 out of 10.

Another thing to look for is a link on a merchant's page to "ShopCartUSA". This is a fraudulent "rating site" to counter ResellerRatings. It is owned by a bunch of the scam camera shops and, of course, Very Satisfied out ranks all other ratings.

http://photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00Gikr

For those of you that have the HD7100/7300 how visible is the pixel structure?

Isn't the Panny an LCD? I upgraded from VPL-HS51, a Sony LCD. Granted the Sony has less fill ratio compared to the Panny, but from an LCD to DLP, you should should see a substantial difference in pixel structure. I did, from the Sony to the 7100/7300.

The panny is an LCD but it uses a special refractive crystal that makes the grid lines appear thinner and lighter. It works really well at reducing screen door. Panasonic is the only LCD manufacturer that uses this technology. My Panny L300U is only 540p and I can rarely see screen door from a 1.85x viewing distance. If the HD7300 has equal of less screen door then I'll be happy.

My gues is that what I am seeing is the pin holes in my screen. According to Da-lite, you need to be at least 11 feet back for the holes to disappear. I'm on the cusp. Maybe this is why it's most apparent on bright areas. Lokking behind that screen, there is obvious light getting though the screen. It has to get through somewhere, the holes must have something to do with it. But, most images show no structure whatsoever - nice smooth, film-like image. I knew there would be some compromise with an acoustically trasparent screen, but I have no complaints. In fact, I love the fact that the sound comes directly from the image, as opposed to above or below. Sound pans are as flat as the midwestern prairies. I still say that the HD7300 and the Da-lite High Contrast Cinema Perf (or cinema vision) is a killer combo.

The panny is an LCD but it uses a special refractive crystal that makes the grid lines appear thinner and lighter. It works really well at reducing screen door. Panasonic is the only LCD manufacturer that uses this technology. My Panny L300U is only 540p and I can rarely see screen door from a 1.85x viewing distance. If the HD7300 has equal of less screen door then I'll be happy.

7300 is never going to look like Panny with smoothscreen but it is not too bad by itself. I see SDE at 13' away from 8' wide screen time to time. SmoothScreen has its own pitfalls too. Cmpared to my Sony HS51A it is a bit better but not a whole lot.

It sounds like I shouldn't have any problems with screen door on my 106" screen sitting ~14' away. I use a Draper electric screen with the M1300 material (1.0 gain with a wide viewing angle). I use the projector in the family room, so the viewing angle was a big consideration for me. 1000 lumens is probably borderline for a 1.0 gain screen, but it has performed fine with my 800 lumen Panny.

1000 lumen is a lot of lumen more than you need. If you think that is what hd7300 gives you is another question. Think in 350~420 range in low lamp and 500 in hi.

I realize that the HD7300 won't produce 1000 lumens at least not in any mode that you would actually want to watch it in. What I meant is that my L300U rated at 800 lumens performed O.K. on a 1.0 gain screen. The HD7300 is rated at 1000 lumens which means that it should produce a slightly brighter image in a comparable viewing mode (cinema for example).

Manufacturers lumen ratings are a joke. If you really want to know how much the projector outputs, look for reviews by projectorcentral.com. They measure the outputs and post with their reviews... may not be accurate, but should give you a comparative score at the very least. From what I read, Samsung SP-H710AE rated at 700 lumen has higher light output in their measurements than the Optoma rated at 1000 lumen.

I realize that the HD7300 won't produce 1000 lumens at least not in any mode that you would actually want to watch it in. What I meant is that my L300U rated at 800 lumens performed O.K. on a 1.0 gain screen. The HD7300 is rated at 1000 lumens which means that it should produce a slightly brighter image in a comparable viewing mode (cinema for example).

Agree! I run onto a 8' wide unity gain and looks good for now in low lamp.

Grrr.

After being assured by Optoma that my HD3000 would be ready before Thanksgiving and before I fly back to Australia, they now tell me it won't. So I have to have it shipped to my mail forwarder and then to me (for about an extra $100).

I have to say they have been less than sympathetic too.

This will definitely be my last Optoma product.

Grrr.

After being assured by Optoma that my HD3000 would be ready before Thanksgiving and before I fly back to Australia, they now tell me it won't. So I have to have it shipped to my mail forwarder and then to me (for about an extra $100).

I have to say they have been less than sympathetic too.

This will definitely be my last Optoma product.

I'm sorry to hear that Steve. I agree with you though, the representatives that I've spoke with at Optoma seem very unsympathetic, almost like 'take it or leave it' attitudes, which I find extremely unprofessional.

I hope that the old saying, 'the fish stinks at the head', doesn't apply with Optoma because I have a letter to the CEO in the mail. I don't give up easily.

George

I fired up the HD7300 and the HD3000 tonight. I decided to go ahead and mount it even though I'm going to have to take it down next week. The lens shift is wonderful. Within a few minutes I had a perfectly square image at exactly the right height.

I'm using an TivoHD and an HD-A2 for my source components over HDMI. My initial impressions are very positive. Compared to the Panasonic L300U, the HD7300 is incredibly sharp. The image also has more depth which is probably due to the increased resolution and superior lens. I immediately noticed a difference in sharpness on the Tivo menus. The text is much cleaner, and the increased contrast is clearly visible.

So far the biggest difference that I've noticed is in SD content. Last night my wife and I watched the biggest loser on the Panny. We watched part of it again tonight on the HD7300 and, WOW, what a difference. The picture was noticeably sharper with deeper blacks and more vibrant colors. My wife immediately commented on the difference. She said that it was like a fuzzy filter had been lifted. I believe the HD3000 is doing a stellar job of noise reduction and upconverting to 720p. The Panny was connected via component, so it isn't exactly an apples to apples comparison.

The difference between HD content on the Panny and HD7300 wasn't as dramatic. I watched a few minutes of Transformers on HD-DVD, CSI NY, Pushing Daisies, Desperate housewives, and Letterman. The image thrown by the HD7300 definitely has more depth due to the extra resolution and it shines on well lit scenes. Screen door is not an issue at all from my viewing distance, and I have excellent vision. Pushing Daisies and Transformers were gorgeous. Letterman was definitely more vivid and 3D like. CSI NY and Desperate weren't much different from how I remember them on the Panny. My only complaint is in shadow detail. Blacks are good, but I feel like I'm missing details in dark scenes. The Panny wasn't very good in this regard either, but I was hoping for a bigger improvement. Oh well.

All in all I'm very pleased with my purchase. I had every intention of buying a 1080p unit until I came across this thread and the incredible deal. I don't regret my decision. It would be very difficult to beat this image for the price.

I haven't calibrated yet, so all of my testing was done in low power mode, 7000k color temp (skin tones seemed the most accurate), and normal setting. I'm looking forward to calibrating it and picking up the HQV HD-DVD to put the HD3000 to the test.

Use Gamma 2.35 on the pj and further tweak it by the hd3000 (gamma sub adjustments) and should not have any shadow detail problem. In the HD3k choose PC level not video which crushes black.

Use Gamma 2.35 on the pj and further tweak it by the hd3000 (gamma sub adjustments) and should not have any shadow detail problem. In the HD3k choose PC level not video which crushes black.

Thanks. I'll give that a try.

Grrr.
After being assured by Optoma that my HD3000 would be ready before Thanksgiving and before I fly back to Australia, they now tell me it won't.

My projector and scaler are stuck there too. They are out this Friday. They have not been able to determine what is wrong with the unit I have.

If anyone has a way of checking, can you please see if you are getting all of the image when you are projecting the image through the scaler and outputting a 720p image from your source via HDMI/HDCP. I have 'native' set on both the projector and the scaler... I am missing few top and right pixels.

If I output via VGA from the source, the entire image is displayed... but beats the purpose of having a digital projector :mad:


Gireesh

There is a botton on your remote for pixel:pixel. I wonder that has any effect?

Well, my neck finally felt good enough to work on setting up my new 7100, my scaler is off to Optoma.

Here are my initial impressions after about 6 or 7 hours of HD DVD and HD broadcast through both OTA and Dish Network VIP622 HD DVR.

The 7100 is noticeably louder than my InFocus IN72. Both were ceiling mounted with the IN72 only about 5 inches from the ceiling and the 7100 being about 10 inches. The 7100 has a sort of grinding sound to it, not merely air moving as I had heard from others. I am disappointed about this to be sure as I never liked the amount of sound the IN72 made.

The 7100 does not seem to focus as I think products that use a focus ring should, meaning the IN72 or a pair of binoculars. Here is how my IN72 and binoculars focus... You can rack the focus knob from one extreme to the other and as you move away from either extreme, the image slowly moves into better and better focus until at some point, the image seems to snap into focus. If you move just ever so slightly past that point, you immediately start moving away from focus again. Here is how the 7100 focuses, either extreme you are out of focus. Move away from either extreme and you slowly move towards better and better focus until eventually you get to a spot where focus does not get any sharper, yet the focus knob still moves and you don't move away from focus either. I would say a good 1/2 inch on the knob for those of you with this projector (and for those who don't, I would guess about 10 - 15% of the total range without any focus change).

It never snaps into focus, it just plays back and forth that 1/2 inch without focus changing. It seems to be in focus, but is very hard to judge because of the 'slop' in the focus knob (or actual adjustment inside the projector). I just never actually felt like I had achieved pure focus. I kept wanting to rack the adjustment back and forth until I found focus but never could. I'm hoping for some feedback here from those who have this projector, thank you very much.

Now, the only changes I made to the settings were to adjust the color temp to 6500 (why it defaults at 8000 I'm not sure) and change gamma to 2.0 (the default gamma setting seemed very washed out). The out of the box colors seemed very good as was the 'pop' and 'depth' of HD DVD's (I had in King Kong HD DVD), although not as impressive as I had hoped. I mean, I did move from a 480p projector to an HD projector, I was really hoping for some wow, didn't get it. For some reason, the exact same settings using the signal from the 622 left a lot to be desired. The colors were flat as was the overall presentation of the image, low contrast and a soft image. I switched between numerous HDTV channels, ESPN, local networks, OTA HD (through the 622), Discovery HD etc... The image just was not very good, soft and flat.

I really believe I'm having focusing issues and for whatever reason, my two different HD sources being fed through the exact same cable run (I switch between my one HDMI cable run to the projector, with the monoprice HDMI/DVI adapter), have very different images qualities.

I haven't done any calibrations at all as I have no HD DVD calibration disks, all three of mine or SD.

One other thing to mention, the lens shift is great for simplifying the initial setup although I have a problem there as well. The horizontal lens shift works normally with very little deviation on the vertical axis. The problem is with the vertical lens shift. As I move the image down, the horizontal movement to the right is very pronounced as in 2:1 or so. So, for every 2 units of movement down, I also get a unit of movement to the right and vice versa, vertical movement up also gives me horizontal movement to the left. I mean, I was able to compensate by using both knobs at the same time but this, and the focus issue, makes me wonder about the quality control of the build of the 7100.

Anyways, just a couple of quick observations. I wasn't wowed by the image, although no tweaking had been done, with the HD DVD image being much better than the HDTV image, even though settings and cabling were exactly the same. This thing is loud, in my opinion, clearly audible over the sound of my 700 watt sound system at normal listening levels. I'm concerned regarding the build quality as I have a 'misbehaving' focus adjustment as well as vertical lens shift.

Do you guys have these 'issues' with the focus and lens shift?

George

Forgot to mention that when I select 'native' or 'pixel' from the menu or the remote, I get only a very small portion of the image blown up larger than it should, with partial image above where it should be with the rest of the image. Very strange, this with my 622 feed. Also, when cycling a few times between my 622 output of 1080i and 720p, the projector started puking on the image with the lower half of the screen flashing white. It was so bad I had to unplug the HDMI cable and re-plug to get it to stop. This had never happened in the 2+ years I had the 622 with my IN72, my Westy LCD HDTV or my Mits 55 inch HDTV, this was definitely the projector having some sort of issue.

Your shift issue is normal. 7300 has narrower H-shift as the vertical shift is increased.
Gamma 2.0 is way washed out. try 2.35~2.5.
Focus is what I call "soft socus" meaning the changes are incremental rather than rapid.
You will need a cross-hatch to get it right. It gives the ability to fine tune.

IMO there is nothing wrong. Make sure lamp is low brightness mode so fan is not running fast. When I turn the pj on initially it runs fast but it slows down in a minute once image is up on the screen.

Your shift issue is normal. 7300 has narrower H-shift as the vertical shift is increased.
Gamma 2.0 is way washed out. try 2.35~2.5.
Focus is what I call "soft socus" meaning the changes are incremental rather than rapid.
You will need a cross-hatch to get it right. It gives the ability to fine tune.

IMO there is nothing wrong. Make sure lamp is low brightness mode so fan is not running fast. When I turn the pj on initially it runs fast but it slows down in a minute once image is up on the screen.

Thanks C,
Good to know about the lens shift, it did seem very uniform in its 'drift'.
Gamma 2.35 just made the image darker, didn't increase contrast. I guess I used the term 'washed out' wrong. I mean the image lacks contrast, better with HD DVD sources when compared to my 622 HDTV channels.
As far as focus, there is seemingly no focus going on in the exact range where I would expect focus to snap into place. I don't think I ever reach true focus, close but I never get there. This is definitely not working as my other projector does or binoculars.
Lamp is in low power mode and it does cycle up and then settles down. Still, the sound is loud and not the sound of air being moved. More of a mechanical sound, like grinding.

I use a grid put out by HDNET for focusing and setup for HDTV settings. I also use binoculars so that I can focus on a very small pixel area. With my IN72, once focus snapped into place, it was very obvious as the pixel structure just jumped out at you, white pixels and jet black in between, while using the binoculars. With the 7100, this never happens. The pixel structures are undefined and the area between them is greyish, not black.

Thanks again for the advice, I appreciate it. I will revisit 2.35 gamma (I had initially set it at that per your advice from earlier posts). I'm never going to be 100% satisfied with the noise level as I never liked the noise my IN72 generated and it is much less than the 7100. I guess I need to purchase an HD DVD setup disk. Are there any of those THX optimizers on HD DVD's? I only have Deer Hunter, King Kong and Letters From Iwo Jima, along with Planet Earth on HD DVD.

George

You really should not compare this with a 480p unit in sharpness.
The pixel structure is not there with this machine. IF72 gives you false sharpness. This is DC3 with much more pixel density and better fill factor than even DC2. You need to put up a crosshatch and one pixel vertical and horizontal line or fine text and focus for best contrast or detail not pixel. If you buy a 1080 machine it even gets smoother and gives the impression of soft but in reality the detail is what counts not apparent sharpness.

gamma increases brightness in certain range. In Optoma numbers are reversed for some odd reasons. Higher gamma means more brithness not less. Gamma brightens up darker part of the image. My 7300 works best with 2.35 otherwise on 2.2 or 2.0 I get haze all over the image. Out of box I found the best colortemp is either 7000 or native until you tweak the RGB.

I just got mine back - only to find it was NOT properly upgraded to support 1080p output - The firmware is newer but it's still locked at 720p - back to calling Optoma for me - very frustrating


Grrr.

After being assured by Optoma that my HD3000 would be ready before Thanksgiving and before I fly back to Australia, they now tell me it won't. So I have to have it shipped to my mail forwarder and then to me (for about an extra $100).

I have to say they have been less than sympathetic too.

This will definitely be my last Optoma product.

I just got mine back - only to find it was NOT properly upgraded to support 1080p output - The firmware is newer but it's still locked at 720p - back to calling Optoma for me - very frustrating

UNBELIEVABLE!

Thanks C,
Good to know about the lens shift, it did seem very uniform in its 'drift'.
Gamma 2.35 just made the image darker, didn't increase contrast. I guess I used the term 'washed out' wrong. I mean the image lacks contrast, better with HD DVD sources when compared to my 622 HDTV channels.
As far as focus, there is seemingly no focus going on in the exact range where I would expect focus to snap into place. I don't think I ever reach true focus, close but I never get there. This is definitely not working as my other projector does or binoculars.
Lamp is in low power mode and it does cycle up and then settles down. Still, the sound is loud and not the sound of air being moved. More of a mechanical sound, like grinding.

I use a grid put out by HDNET for focusing and setup for HDTV settings. I also use binoculars so that I can focus on a very small pixel area. With my IN72, once focus snapped into place, it was very obvious as the pixel structure just jumped out at you, white pixels and jet black in between, while using the binoculars. With the 7100, this never happens. The pixel structures are undefined and the area between them is greyish, not black.

Thanks again for the advice, I appreciate it. I will revisit 2.35 gamma (I had initially set it at that per your advice from earlier posts). I'm never going to be 100% satisfied with the noise level as I never liked the noise my IN72 generated and it is much less than the 7100. I guess I need to purchase an HD DVD setup disk. Are there any of those THX optimizers on HD DVD's? I only have Deer Hunter, King Kong and Letters From Iwo Jima, along with Planet Earth on HD DVD.

George

Hey George,

My unit is very quiet, no grinding. I also get a very sharp image. I wonder if you might have a dud. I am sorry to hear you are having trouble.

TempTag I just got mine back - only to find it was NOT properly upgraded to support 1080p output - The firmware is newer but it's still locked at 720p - back to calling Optoma for me - very frustrating

That is a bummer. Please let us know what they say when you call them.

Hey George,

My unit is very quiet, no grinding. I also get a very sharp image. I wonder if you might have a dud. I am sorry to hear you are having trouble.



That is a bummer. Please let us know what they say when you call them.

bdbaba, does your focus knob adjust focus throughout its range, especially near the center where you achieve sharp focus? Mine has a good 1/2 inch movement where absolutely nothing happens and this right where you would expect to get precise focus. In other words, where my projector is in sharpest focus, the focus knob can be moved quite a bit either direction without affecting focus.

Is your projector ceiling mounted? This can increase the amount of perceived noise quite a bit. My IN72 was mounted much closer to the ceiling, I would think this would increase the noise a bit. I did have to move the mount forward about 2 feet, so I would again think this would make the sound less evident from my seating position, about 15/16 feet. But, the 7100 is mounted 6 inches lower from the ceiling and 2 feet further away from my seating location, yet the noise is a considerable amount greater.

I'm hoping to hear from more owners, on both the focus and noise level. If I've truly got a problem with my projector or if it is simply my expectations being out of whack, I would like to make the determination right away and get on to a resolution.

Thanks everybody,
George

This thing with getting back your HD3000 and it has not been 'fixed'/unlocked, is very disturbing as mine will be worked on by Optoma soon.

Hmmm. When I talked to Optoma about my unit they said it wasn't going to be ready in time because they were checking if everything works. I wonder if this means they themselves aren't sure if this firmware works?

This is getting beyond a joke.

I just got mine back - only to find it was NOT properly upgraded to support 1080p output - The firmware is newer but it's still locked at 720p - back to calling Optoma for me - very frustrating

TempTag, what does your firmware date say... something like Dec, 2006? The original firmware is from May 2006. Are there any new menu items with the so called 'Unlocked' firmware?

In other words, where my projector is in sharpest focus, the focus knob can be moved quite a bit either direction without affecting focus.


I remember this being the case, but the change was still visible, especially with the focus pattern that I used... Nokia Test pattern. Unfortunately, that program only runs on a PC. What/When does HDNET put out the test pattern?


I'm hoping to hear from more owners, on both the focus and noise level.
Mine was (will be) ceiling mounted. HD71(3)00 is definitely much louder than the Sony VPL-HS51 I had, both mounted exactly at the same location. There is someone else here who had the same two projectors, may be they can weigh in. I was able to get extremely sharp focus with both 7100 and the 73000.


This thing with getting back your HD3000 and it has not been 'fixed'/unlocked, is very disturbing as mine will be worked on by Optoma soon.

You mentioned using two sources, one being sharper than the other, using the same cable. There might be some sort of timing issue that might be causing one of your images to be scaled. I am getting really concerned about the quality of the projector. Edit: I just re-read your post... 622... are you outputting 720p from 622? DN receivers are the worst scalers I have seen... you may want to switch the output to reflect the source material... i.e. 1080i on locals etc. Or switch to Directv which has a "Native" option :D

One other thing to mention, the lens shift is great for simplifying the initial setup although I have a problem there as well. The horizontal lens shift works normally with very little deviation on the vertical axis. The problem is with the vertical lens shift. As I move the image down, the horizontal movement to the right is very pronounced as in 2:1 or so. So, for every 2 units of movement down, I also get a unit of movement to the right and vice versa, vertical movement up also gives me horizontal movement to the left. I mean, I was able to compensate by using both knobs at the same time but this, and the focus issue, makes me wonder about the quality control of the build of the 7100.

Make sure you start with the horizontal shift at the center, you can tell by looking at the lens, or moving from one end to the other and then centering. Adjust the vertical shift to your desired position, and then adjust the horizontal. If either is close to the extreme they seem to be coupled... if you look the the picture in the manual, this is the region where the extremities are dotted.

Well, my neck finally felt good enough to work on setting up my new 7100, my scaler is off to Optoma.

Forgot to mention that when I select 'native' or 'pixel' from the menu or the remote, I get only a very small portion of the image blown up larger than it should, with partial image above where it should be with the rest of the image. Very strange, this with my 622 feed. Also, when cycling a few times between my 622 output of 1080i and 720p, the projector started puking on the image with the lower half of the screen flashing white. It was so bad I had to unplug the HDMI cable and re-plug to get it to stop. This had never happened in the 2+ years I had the 622 with my IN72, my Westy LCD HDTV or my Mits 55 inch HDTV, this was definitely the projector having some sort of issue.

Well, my neck and the projector are out :D

I don't know if you remember, but my woes started when I connected my 811 and the HTPC and switched between them. Come to think of it, I did switch between 1080i and 720p outputs on the 811. I started getting alternate white screen and picture, till I unplugged and plugged the HDMI cable back in. Is it possible that something that the Dish receivers are sending corrupts the projector's memory? Optoma is trying to figure out what happened with my projector, I was supposed to have an answer Wednesday, but have not heard anything... they are out today.

Did you ever have your sources connected through the HD3000 to the projector before you shipped it out?

There is a botton on your remote for pixel:pixel. I wonder that has any effect?

Been there... done that to a point where the key is now worn out :D

bdbaba, does your focus knob adjust focus throughout its range, especially near the center where you achieve sharp focus? Mine has a good 1/2 inch movement where absolutely nothing happens and this right where you would expect to get precise focus. In other words, where my projector is in sharpest focus, the focus knob can be moved quite a bit either direction without affecting focus.

Is your projector ceiling mounted? This can increase the amount of perceived noise quite a bit. My IN72 was mounted much closer to the ceiling, I would think this would increase the noise a bit. I did have to move the mount forward about 2 feet, so I would again think this would make the sound less evident from my seating position, about 15/16 feet. But, the 7100 is mounted 6 inches lower from the ceiling and 2 feet further away from my seating location, yet the noise is a considerable amount greater.

I'm hoping to hear from more owners, on both the focus and noise level. If I've truly got a problem with my projector or if it is simply my expectations being out of whack, I would like to make the determination right away and get on to a resolution.

Thanks everybody,
George

This thing with getting back your HD3000 and it has not been 'fixed'/unlocked, is very disturbing as mine will be worked on by Optoma soon.

Hey George,

Mine is mounted in a weird way. The lens center is exactly 80 inches high from the floor. It is upside down, resting on four corks--I could not get enough lens shift with it sitting right side up. It is about two feet back from my sitting position. I also have a small Vornado Zippi fan blowing over the bottom of the unit--it sits behind the PJ on the shelf.

With all this, it is still pretty quiet. It is not completely silent mind you, but definitely acceptable.

As far as the focus, I will check it out soon when I turn on the Hawaii vs. Boise game--GO HAWAII!

I will play with the focus and see what happens. Mine is very sharp though--even sharper then the Marantz I think--not by much though.

I do like this PJ quite a bit.

I do miss the irises of the Marantz/Sharp. I still have to give the nod to the Marantz/Sharp on over-all black level, but they are very close.

I am sorry to hear that you are having troubles. I feel for you as I had the same angst with the Marantz and its 1/2" bowing problem.

Good luck.

bdbaba

I will play with the focus and see what happens. Mine is very sharp though--even sharper then the Marantz I think--not by much though.



Sharpness could be confused with detail. Less resolution=larger pixel size and that translates into sharper image.
Focussing should be done with a pattern with fine detail. On my unit any deviation from where the focus lever should be blurrs the FINE DETAIL.

Having said that I have had several pj's including a Sony HS51A and hi end 8" CRT FP and both are somewhat sharper with more definition on fine detail even with defocus on the Sony. It is easy to see the difference. I don't classify this projector as suprer sharp.

Hey all,
I never had my 3000 'in the loop', in fact never even opened it before sending it off. I couldn't live with it being locked at 60Hz.

I think I understand how focus mechanisms are supposed to work. Mine doesn't work like it should. I have no way of knowing if my unit is in precise focus because as I approach the range where focus would be precise, i get a ton of 'play' where focus is unaffected. I could be in precise focus but I have no way of telling because of the way my focus mechanism isn't working.

For example, take a pair of binoculars and rack them to either extreme end of focus. Now, slowly rack towards focus and your image will become more and more in focus. You will eventually reach a point where if you go further, the image starts going more out of focus instead of in focus. You can, at that point, rack the focus knob back and forth and 'rock' between out of focus in one direction, to in focus, to out of focus in the other direction. By rocking the knob back and forth, you can find precise focus.

The way my 7100 works is as you approach focus from either direction, instead of approaching that point where if you go further, you are moving away from focus instead of towards it, there is a range where nothing is happening. You are not moving towards OR away from focus, the focusing has died even though the mechanism is still moving.

And, I would like to revisit this lens shift situation. I guess I'm not understanding why when moving the vertical lens shift, I get a corresponding movement in the horizontal direction. I am not at either extreme of the dial, this happens from dead center. I would think that if the two axis are tied together in some way, wouldn't the horizontal shift also affect the vertical, not just the other way around?

The sound level of my projector isn't quiet by any definition of the word. The sound also fluctuates/cycles, buzzes, grinds. At least my IN72 made a sound that was constant so you could eventually just phase it out. But, this 7100 is both louder and the noise is variable. It is annoying.

I don't think that the soft picture I'm seeing from my Dish 622 receiver, as opposed to my HD DVD player over the exact same cables, is a product of the receivers scaling. I've switched back and forth from 720p/1080i over many channels, including many ABC/ESPN channels that do broadcast in 720p, and the other that broadcast in 1080i. Remember, I've had two other HD displays, a 55 inch Mits rear projection CRT (1080i) and a Westy 42 inch LCD (1080P) hooked up to this Dish 622 receiver and I've never seen this 'soft' picture like I'm seeing now. I really don't think it is the receivers scaling. I either have to tweak some settings on the 7100 or something, although I can't imagine the two HD sources over the same cabling would be so far off with each other.

Also, when I select 'native' for the 7100, doesn't matter if the signal it's receiving is 1080 or 720, I get a strange image that is bottom on top of top with image pushed to one side with part of the screen blank. Not sure what is going on there. I haven't messed with it because I have no source that has a native signal I can send to the receiver yet (maybe that is why it is messed up when selecting native on the 7100).

I watched King Kong (HD version) over the Toshiba A2 HD DVD today and the picture really looks nice. Very 3 dimensional with vivid colors, lots of 'pop'. I changed settings to 2.35 gamma and 7k color temp. I increased contrast to 10 I think, all other settings were left at default.

Oh, not sure about the HDNET test patterns, I have mine on the 622's hard drive. It's been well over a year since I got them. They are on very early once a month I think, check the HDNET website for their programming schedule.

I need to buy an HD DVD setup disk like AVIA or Video Essentials. I have the SD versions but nothing for HD setup.

I appreciate all the help guys, thank you all. I just want to make sure my projector is not malfunctioning in the focus, noise level and lens shift areas. If there is something wrong with my 7100, I would like to get it taken care of right away as my 3000 is gone now anyways. I would hate to wait for two weeks to find out then I have a problem and then have the 3000 sitting there waiting for the replacement 7100.

George

Hey all,
I never had my 3000 'in the loop', in fact never even opened it before sending it off. I couldn't live with it being locked at 60Hz.

I think I understand how focus mechanisms are supposed to work. Mine doesn't work like it should. I have no way of knowing if my unit is in precise focus because as I approach the range where focus would be precise, i get a ton of 'play' where focus is unaffected. I could be in precise focus but I have no way of telling because of the way my focus mechanism isn't working.

For example, take a pair of binoculars and rack them to either extreme end of focus. Now, slowly rack towards focus and your image will become more and more in focus. You will eventually reach a point where if you go further, the image starts going more out of focus instead of in focus. You can, at that point, rack the focus knob back and forth and 'rock' between out of focus in one direction, to in focus, to out of focus in the other direction. By rocking the knob back and forth, you can find precise focus.

The way my 7100 works is as you approach focus from either direction, instead of approaching that point where if you go further, you are moving away from focus instead of towards it, there is a range where nothing is happening. You are not moving towards OR away from focus, the focusing has died even though the mechanism is still moving.

And, I would like to revisit this lens shift situation. I guess I'm not understanding why when moving the vertical lens shift, I get a corresponding movement in the horizontal direction. I am not at either extreme of the dial, this happens from dead center. I would think that if the two axis are tied together in some way, wouldn't the horizontal shift also affect the vertical, not just the other way around?

The sound level of my projector isn't quiet by any definition of the word. The sound also fluctuates/cycles, buzzes, grinds. At least my IN72 made a sound that was constant so you could eventually just phase it out. But, this 7100 is both louder and the noise is variable. It is annoying.

I don't think that the soft picture I'm seeing from my Dish 622 receiver, as opposed to my HD DVD player over the exact same cables, is a product of the receivers scaling. I've switched back and forth from 720p/1080i over many channels, including many ABC/ESPN channels that do broadcast in 720p, and the other that broadcast in 1080i. Remember, I've had two other HD displays, a 55 inch Mits rear projection CRT (1080i) and a Westy 42 inch LCD (1080P) hooked up to this Dish 622 receiver and I've never seen this 'soft' picture like I'm seeing now. I really don't think it is the receivers scaling. I either have to tweak some settings on the 7100 or something, although I can't imagine the two HD sources over the same cabling would be so far off with each other.

Also, when I select 'native' for the 7100, doesn't matter if the signal it's receiving is 1080 or 720, I get a strange image that is bottom on top of top with image pushed to one side with part of the screen blank. Not sure what is going on there. I haven't messed with it because I have no source that has a native signal I can send to the receiver yet (maybe that is why it is messed up when selecting native on the 7100).

I watched King Kong (HD version) over the Toshiba A2 HD DVD today and the picture really looks nice. Very 3 dimensional with vivid colors, lots of 'pop'. I changed settings to 2.35 gamma and 7k color temp. I increased contrast to 10 I think, all other settings were left at default.

Oh, not sure about the HDNET test patterns, I have mine on the 622's hard drive. It's been well over a year since I got them. They are on very early once a month I think, check the HDNET website for their programming schedule.

I need to buy an HD DVD setup disk like AVIA or Video Essentials. I have the SD versions but nothing for HD setup.

I appreciate all the help guys, thank you all. I just want to make sure my projector is not malfunctioning in the focus, noise level and lens shift areas. If there is something wrong with my 7100, I would like to get it taken care of right away as my 3000 is gone now anyways. I would hate to wait for two weeks to find out then I have a problem and then have the 3000 sitting there waiting for the replacement 7100.

George

Hey George,

Great game! Go Hawaii! Only one more to go to BCSville--or should I say B.S.ville. Both Boise and UH should get into a Bowl game. Its time for a playoff system already--jeeesh!

Anyway, I did not get a chance to play with the focus as my helper--aka wife--fell asleep on the couch. Go figure. I will check it out for you tomorrow night.

However, from what I am reading about the noise of your PJ, it sounds like you should do a hot swap for another. Mine makes no grinding noises. It is also pretty quiet--definitely not offensive, which it sounds like yours is. On start up it makes a sort of whine, then the fan ramps up, then settles down again.

Also, my pic is not soft by any stretch of the word. You might just have a dud. At least Optoma will hot swap it out with a call tag, I think--unlike Marantz, which would make you send it in on your own dime.

Please keep us apprised. Have a great night,

Aloha,

bdbaba

Also, when I select 'native' for the 7100, doesn't matter if the signal it's receiving is 1080 or 720, I get a strange image that is bottom on top of top with image pushed to one side with part of the screen blank. Not sure what is going on there. I haven't messed with it because I have no source that has a native signal I can send to the receiver yet (maybe that is why it is messed up when selecting native on the 7100).

George,

Seems like you have a problem with your projector... you should call Optoma and have them replace the projector for you... or repair yours.

Neither of the units I had exhibited any sharpness issues... when I got a picture, it looked awesome, I had just switched from an HS51, equivalent in resolution.

Having said that I have had several pj's including a Sony HS51A and hi end 8" CRT FP and both are somewhat sharper with more definition on fine detail even with defocus on the Sony. It is easy to see the difference. I don't classify this projector as suprer sharp.

Hmm... I found the Optoma to be sharper than the HS51...

HS51A did 1:1 pixel mapping via HDMI, so I guess you are comparing apples to apples.

Yes, the HD7100 is as sharp as a tack or at least should appear that way to you. I've had 5 projectors in total since I started this 'hobby' in 2003 and the HD7100 is without a doubt the sharpest of all.

Just hook up a computer via DVI and check out the desktop. You'll be amazed at how sharp the image is from corner to corner. If it's not, send it back.

Wayne

My HD7300 has started to exhibit an annoying problem. It keeps losing sync over the DVI connection. It has been happening quite frequently. It lost sync 3 times during a 2 hour movie last night. Everything will be fine and the screen will go black with a message in the lower right hand corner that says (DVI, searching). It comes back 2-3 seconds later. I'm using the HD3000 and I've seen the problem while watching HD-DVD and Tivo. It was really bad on the Tivo Thursday night (losing sync every couple of minutes). I finally had to unplug the HDMI cable from the output of the HD3000 and plug it back in. That seemed to clear it up. I'm not 100% sure if it's the projector or scaler that's at fault. Tonight I'll take the scaler out of the loop and see what happens.

Aside from the sync problem, I'm very pleased with the image. I too am now running at 7000k, 2.35 gamma and the picture is beautiful. I'm praying that the sync issue can be resolved without having to return my unit.

For some reason, HDMI connection on these units seems to deteriorate with time. I had the same happen to me.

Where will you return the unit? Newegg will not take it back, not if you bought the one with the free bulb. Optoma will not swap it out, since they don't have them in stock. I had to ship both the projector and the scaler to Optoma so that they can fix the issue. I am anxiously waiting its return, but as of Wednesday, they have not figured out what is wrong with it.

For some reason, HDMI connection on these units seems to deteriorate with time. I had the same happen to me.

Where will you return the unit? Newegg will not take it back, not if you bought the one with the free bulb. Optoma will not swap it out, since they don't have them in stock. I had to ship both the projector and the scaler to Optoma so that they can fix the issue. I am anxiously waiting its return, but as of Wednesday, they have not figured out what is wrong with it.

They do not have any to swap? I don't like to hear that. If it is truly broken, what will they do? Will they give you the next model up--whatever that is?

I don't know... they have not told me what is wrong with my projector/scaler yet. I have very similar issues with the DVI /HDCP input, plus the fact that my PC will not recognize the projector... which really sucks, as the scaler is cutting off some of top and right pixels, at least, I think it is the scaler, because I can't feed the test signal over DVI, as the program only runs on the PC and I don't have HD/BR player.

If they don't have replacements in stock, I would expect an equivalent or better replacement. It worked for just a couple of days and once I hooked up the scaler, everything went nuts.

What sources are you using... bub is using DN receiver, I too am using one of those (811), and the problems started after I switched from the PC to 811. From that point on, the PC would not recognize the projector, I got signal drop out issues after a half an hour or so... which like in your case went away after unplugging and replugging the HDMI cable at the scaler end.

I don't know... they have not told me what is wrong with my projector/scaler yet. I have very similar issues with the DVI /HDCP input, plus the fact that my PC will not recognize the projector... which really sucks, as the scaler is cutting off some of top and right pixels, at least, I think it is the scaler, because I can't feed the test signal over DVI, as the program only runs on the PC and I don't have HD/BR player.

If they don't have replacements in stock, I would expect an equivalent or better replacement. It worked for just a couple of days and once I hooked up the scaler, everything went nuts.

What sources are you using... bub is using DN receiver, I too am using one of those (811), and the problems started after I switched from the PC to 811. From that point on, the PC would not recognize the projector, I got signal drop out issues after a half an hour or so... which like in your case went away after unplugging and replugging the HDMI cable at the scaler end.

I do not have my PC hooked up yet. I still have not even hooked up the scaler, as I am waiting to see if I want to send it in for the "fix", and now, the "fix" sounds like it is not a "fix". I am hoping that is just a fluke.

I have both my TW HD cable box and my Oppo 970 hooked up through a Panny SA-XR700 with HDMI. So far everything is working as it should. I hope it continues to work. I might just break down and hook up the scaler today just for fun. So many good games on today--so little bulb life--what's a guy to do?"

I hope they get yours back soon.

bdbaba

For some reason, HDMI connection on these units seems to deteriorate with time. I had the same happen to me.

Where will you return the unit? Newegg will not take it back, not if you bought the one with the free bulb. Optoma will not swap it out, since they don't have them in stock. I had to ship both the projector and the scaler to Optoma so that they can fix the issue. I am anxiously waiting its return, but as of Wednesday, they have not figured out what is wrong with it.

This information is very disturbing to me. If my 7100 does have a problem, am I just stuck with it? Man, and to think just a few days ago, I could have walked away from this entire deal. Now, I've spend an additional $340 bucks, have a noisy projector that won't focus nor does the lens shift function properly (I still do not understand why moving the vertical adjustment has any affect on the horizontal) AND I have no recourse but to send it in to a company that seemingly has little regard for their customers nor do they appear to even know what they are doing (case in point, the forum member who received back his 3000 where all they did was upgrade the firmware and didn't re-enable all the other features that had been disabled).

InFocus was very good to me regarding issues. They were very responsive to my requests and, in my opinion, cared about me as a customer. I hope I don't regret my decision to buy this thing.

George

Make sure you tell the tech area you are upgrading a HD3000 you got with the HD7100/HD7300 combo, you're just upgrading the scaler to be open to all the resolutions like the stand alone HD3000 Optoma sells and not locked at 720p for the HD7100/HD7300 projector. Pls open the scaler it up to all resolutions.

That's because owners of the opened up HD3000 needed to send there's in for a 1080p fix that was needed. Could be the cause of confusion so word it clearly.

This information is very disturbing to me. If my 7100 does have a problem, am I just stuck with it?


George, if you have a HD7100 and not the HD7300 (Projector+Scaler), it is a different story. They have the HD7100s and from what I understand, they will do a swap out if you are within the first ninety days. It is the combo that they don't have in stock, but I fail to understand why they cant give you a HD7100 in either case, after all, HD7300 is HD7100 + HD3000-S. On top of that, when I had the HD7100, as I stated before, my HTPC recognized it as an HD7300 projector and not an HD7100, go figure :D

This information is very disturbing to me. If my 7100 does have a problem, am I just stuck with it? Man, and to think just a few days ago, I could have walked away from this entire deal. Now, I've spend an additional $340 bucks, have a noisy projector that won't focus nor does the lens shift function properly (I still do not understand why moving the vertical adjustment has any affect on the horizontal) AND I have no recourse but to send it in to a company that seemingly has little regard for their customers nor do they appear to even know what they are doing (case in point, the forum member who received back his 3000 where all they did was upgrade the firmware and didn't re-enable all the other features that had been disabled).

InFocus was very good to me regarding issues. They were very responsive to my requests and, in my opinion, cared about me as a customer. I hope I don't regret my decision to buy this thing.

George

There's an open box 7300 for sale on Newegg. Even IF it had the extra bulb, I wouldn't touch it with a 10 foot pole. Optoma has suckered you guys good. I feel bad for everything you're going through with these PJs, but glad I drug my feet too long to get in on it. I wonder what the repair rate is on the 7100/7300. Has to be at least 50%... and the customer service seems absolutely disgraceful.

I'm still looking for a good deal on a nice PJ for about a grand. If anyone knows of anything, please let me know. I'd be very appreciative.
Unsubscribing to this thread now since I'm out of the loop.

Good luck to you all and happy holidays. :)
(even you Guitarman. sorry about the negative posts... just trying to get the consumers their just deserves ;))

Where will you return the unit? Newegg will not take it back, not if you bought the one with the free bulb. Optoma will not swap it out, since they don't have them in stock. I had to ship both the projector and the scaler to Optoma so that they can fix the issue. I am anxiously waiting its return, but as of Wednesday, they have not figured out what is wrong with it.

I bought the HD7300 from Newegg without the extra bulb. I assume I can return it within 30 days if it's defective which it sounds like the DVI\HDMI connection is. I'm about to jump ship. Since Optoma doesn't have any in stock for future replacement I should probably bail now while I still can. What a shame. I guess I need to reconsider a trip to Rochester NY for the 1080p projector shootout. I really want there to be any easy solution to this problem without sending it back. I only have 10 hours on the projector.

The sources that I've connected so far are the TivoHD and the Toshiba HD-A2 HD-DVD

If I'm reading the return policy correctly, newegg will only take back the item for replacement within 30 days - no refund. What happens if they don't have any in stock to replace it with? Do you get a store credit or are you forced to send it back to Optoma to have it "fixed".

I bought the HD7300 from Newegg without the extra bulb. I assume I can return it within 30 days if it's defective which it sounds like the DVI\HDMI connection is. I'm about to jump ship. Since Optoma doesn't have any in stock for future replacement I should probably bail now while I still can. What a shame. I guess I need to reconsider a trip to Rochester NY for the 1080p projector shootout. I really want there to be any easy solution to this problem without sending it back. I only have 10 hours on the projector.

The sources that I've connected so far are the TivoHD and the Toshiba HD-A2 HD-DVD

How long are your cables? If you have shorter cables try those. I don't think it's a good idea to hot swap cables since your not insured of ground continuity before signal inputs. Dropouts can be caused by signal reduction due to long cable runs or signal splitting.

Now, I've spend an additional $340 bucks, have a noisy projector that won't focus nor does the lens shift function properly (I still do not understand why moving the vertical adjustment has any affect on the horizontal)

If you read your manual and look at the picture provided it shows clearly H-shift range gets smaller as V-shift is increased. At max V-shift you have zero H-shift. See page 22 on the bottom left of the PDF downloadable user's manual.

DVI is very picky with regard to cable.
I am using a 25' plus 6' the goes from the source to HD3000 with no issue.
Turn the PJ on first then the source and HD3K. It is the way it is with my other DVI based gears.

I'm using 6' cables from the components into the HD3000 and a 35' from the HD3000 to the projector. I could cut the length down by 3' by using shorter source cables, but I'm locked into using the 35' due to the location of the equipment rack.

I'll try changing the order that the components turn on in my Harmony. Currently, I have the projector turning on last.

It is not the pj that causing the sync issue whereas it is the source unless pj is defective.
The source looks at the pj for a handshake before communication is established.
If pj is off hence no handshake and no signal output.

I do sometime turn the pj last and it works except once which it did not. What I do rather than hot swap it just turn the source off and back on and hd7300 syncs.

It is not only the lenght of the cable. The quality of it is also anothe consideration. For 35" and above perhaps 22 gauge is needed. I use 24 silver coated from bluejean.

It is not only the length of the cable. The quality of it is also anothe consideration. For 35" and above perhaps 22 gauge is needed. I use 24 silver coated from bluejean.

I'm using 24 guage gold plated from monoprice. I used the same cable when I had my HTPC connected to my Panny without issue.

I'm using 24 guage gold plated from monoprice. I used the same cable when I had my HTPC connected to my Panny without issue.
I think the plugs are gold plated not the cable.
Do the power up sequence see if solves the issue otherwise either shorter or better cable.

I'm using 24 guage gold plated from monoprice. I used the same cable when I had my HTPC connected to my Panny without issue.

I am using a 50' cable from BJ--the more expensive one. So far, so good.

As far as the lens shift goes, Their is a top range both ways, but if I move the vertical or horizontal, I do not get movement the other way as well. It will just not go any farther. If George is getting movement both ways at once, it sounds like something is amiss--at least it seems to me. Is this right George? What do you think Caspian?

If you read your manual and look at the picture provided it shows clearly H-shift range gets smaller as V-shift is increased. At max V-shift you have zero H-shift. See page 22 on the bottom left of the PDF downloadable user's manual.



I have read the manual and seen the graphic you mentioned. I still do not understand how this explains why as I move vertical lens shift, this also moves horizontal lens shift even though I'm not moving that dial.

From a dead center on both horizontal and vertical lens shift, as I lower the vertical lens shift via the knob, my horizontal lens shift also moves to the right. Not by just a bit either, almost a 2:1 factor. So, for every two units of vertical lens shift, I also get one unit of horizontal shift. When I only dial the vertical lens shift down, my entire image now moves diagonally down and to the right.

I refer to my projector as the 7100. I purchased the 7300 package deal which included the projector and the 3000.

When I experienced the flashing white/source image after cycling my DN 622 HD receiver between 1080i and 720p, I was using a 15' monoprice HDMI cable hooked up to the 7100 via a monoprice HDMI/DVI adapter.

Also, I am not saying my 7100 is not sharp. I AM saying that I have no way of knowing if it is as sharp as it could be because my focus knob has a good 1/2 inch of play in the exact area you would expect to achieve focus. I could have great focus but because my focus mechanism doesn't seem to be functioning correctly, I have no way of knowing. My focus mechanism seems to move into focus and then is static while my focus knob continues to move a good half inch, then it moves out of focus. If this is how it is supposed to operate, it operates like no other focus mechanism I've ever used.

As far as the noise of my 7100, it is very difficult to describe noise using words. It grinds, it whirs, it fluctuates, it howls. I definitely hear it over my sound system when I almost never heard my other projector with almost the exact same setup. Remember, this projector is about 2 feet further away from my seating location and about 6 inches further away from the ceiling, both would make the noise less obtrusive in my opinion. I really think it isn't so much the volume but the fluctuation and the amount of different sequences of noises that is bothering me. It is a bit louder but hard to tell how that alone would bother me because of the other parts of the sound.

George

I don't see NewEgg offering to refund money on these purchases. If the problems are chronic, I think we are all in big trouble. Even the very best scenario would entail us sending our projectors in for service. I'm not feeling very confident with Optoma at this point.

I am using a 50' cable from BJ--the more expensive one. So far, so good.

As far as the lens shift goes, Their is a top range both ways, but if I move the vertical or horizontal, I do not get movement the other way as well. It will just not go any farther. If George is getting movement both ways at once, it sounds like something is amiss--at least it seems to me. Is this right George? What do you think Caspian?

I don't think there is anything wrong with his shift mechanism.

If the vertical shift lever is centered you 3/40 of hight of the screen to shift to either side of the screen horizontally. You get zero if V-hight is at max and rest falls in between.

I have read the manual and seen the graphic you mentioned. I still do not understand how this explains why as I move vertical lens shift, this also moves horizontal lens shift even though I'm not moving that dial.

From a dead center on both horizontal and vertical lens shift, as I lower the vertical lens shift via the knob, my horizontal lens shift also moves to the right. Not by just a bit either, almost a 2:1 factor. So, for every two units of vertical lens shift, I also get one unit of horizontal shift. When I only dial the vertical lens shift down, my entire image now moves diagonally down and to the right.



I personally doubt it is happening. Unless your unit is absolutley out of wack.
The lens shift is so hard to move and has lock mechanism built in that would be near impossible to be moved unless the H-shift is not centered properly first. Even then v-shift dial cannot move the H-shift rather it just doesn't move. Another words one limits the other one depending where they are. Check it out before you send it out.
You focus also works to do fine detail and has a limited range.
Before you get disappointed or send your unit connect the hd3000 to it. Hit menu on the HD3k to bring the menu up. Use the fine text on it to focus. You will see smallest movements the text goes out of focus. If not then you might have issue with that but this pj doesn't work like a 480p unit since has a lot more detail to focus on.

Noise.. It is not a quiet pj but it is not really that loud either. If it is installed to close to the ceiling that might accentuate the noise. The discharge fan is directed toward the ceiling so be aware of that.
To be honest if you have so maney issues I would ebay the unit and buy something else. But if you decide to RMA the unit make sure you have issues that can be solved before then. Good luck bub.:)

I think the plugs are gold plated not the cable.
Do the power up sequence see if solves the issue otherwise either shorter or better cable.

Yes the plugs on the HDMI cable are gold plated not the cable :) I changed the power up sequence and it didn't help.

Audioholics did a review of the HD7100 and they encountered sync problems with multiple DVI cables over 25'. When they switched to 15' HDMI cable with HDMI/DVI adapter the problem went away.

I currently have the power cord routed along with the HDMI cable. I had the option of routing it with the component cables or the HDMI cable and I choose to route it with the HDMI since it's digital. I'll try moving the power cable out of the way and see if that helps. I have to take the projector down tomorrow anyway, so I'll test it with a 6 footer instead of the 35' and see how it goes. If the problem goes away then I guess I'll buy a better 35' cable. I really need a flexible cable since it will be attached to the scissors on my lift and it needs to flex when I raise and lower the projector.