I recently got my HD7100 up and running, and have been a little disappointed in the image quality. I am projecting on a 106" Carada BW and the main seating distance is approximately 10'6". I have only viewed a few hours of standard dvd's, and am using a Sony NS75H dvd player outputting through HDMI to a Gefen switcher, which then outputs DVI to the projector. My test material has come from "The Fellowship of the Ring", "Troy", and "Finding Nemo." "Finding Nemo" looks good, but I ran into problems with the other two. The main problems are a lot of image noise and the image isn't as sharp as I thought it was going to be. Some scenes look good, but others (things in the background, some close ups, etc) are blurred and dark/bright scenes tend to have a ton of image noise (pixels kind of sparkling). One thing I did notice was that whenever I check the status of the projector when using the dvd player, it says it is only outputting at a 720x480 resolution (is this normal?). I have the DVD player set up at 1280x720, the projector is native 720p, so shouldn't it be showing an output of 1280x720? This is the second Sony I have tried (took the first one back) and it still shows that the pj is outputting at 720x480. I have no problem with HDTV outputting at 1280x720 using the same switcher and cables (DVD player won't upconvert on either, while satellite receiver works on both). The store where I bought the Sony said that it is a compatibility issue between brands and there is nothing that can be done about it (while Sony and Optoma have said otherwise). Any suggestions on what might be wrong or how to clean up the image? Are my expectations just to high? Am I sitting to close? Any recommendations you guys have would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance...

Anyone own an HD7100...

I have an Optoma HD-7100 and have found varying results with different DVD players.

I tried a Denon-1910 with the DCDi processing and found the picture to be lacking like you described. I used the Toshiba HD-A1 with a regular DVD and set it to output 480p and the picture looked wonderful. I think the HD-7100 likes a good 480p signal which it then scales to 720p. I use conponent video cables with the Toshiba as it does an HDMI error with the DVI input.

The picture from my PS3 with Blu-Ray disks is great also. The PS3 syncs with the HD-7100 fine, no problems with the DVI in.

I think the Optoma HD-7100 is picky as to what signal it gets and in what format (ie 480p, 480i, 720p, 1080i).

I think I have read that the Oppo DVD players don't look good with the HD-7100 also.

Have you tried the Sony using conponent cables (YBG) instead of HDMI? Try sending 480p to the Optoma from regaular DVD's and let the projector scale it to 720p.

Let me know your findings.

Scottnv

Thanks for the info. Scott. Is it normal for the projector to show a resolution of 720x480 if the dvd player is upconverting the signal to 1280x720? Will the projector ever show standard dvd's at a resolution of 1280x720? What I mean is, when playing a dvd and then check the status of the projector, it shows that it is only outputting at 720x480. Will the resolution ever be 1280x720 when watching standard dvd's? I apologize if my questions are off the wall or don't make too much sense. This is my first projector (new to this) and I just want to make sure that I am taking full advantage of it. What I'm seeing just doesn't go with the reviews I heard of this projector. Thanks for the info so far....

I don't know the answer to the resolution question. I know the projector displays the resolution that it is receiving, but I output 480p from regular DVD's to the HD-7100 so it shows the 720x480. With HD-DVD's it shows the 1280x720 (with the PS3 also).

Remember, I am using conponent cables not the HDMI - DVI connection for my standard DVD's, I don't know what picture difference that makes, but you should try it to see.

Scottnv