Optoma HD71 - Press Release Info (http://www.optomausa.com/PressRelease_detail.asp?Press_id=42)
720p Resolution
2400 Lumens
4000:1 Contrast Ratio w/ ImageAI
HDMI 1.3, DVI, Component, Composite, S-Video, VGA
2 Watt Speaker :p
Street Price of $1299
Available January 2008

wow 2400 lumens!! thats a light canon! Should I start the official HD65 thread?

Hmm,

I wonder which DLP chip it'll have? DC2 or DC3...prolly DC2. It would be a huge success if it had DC3.

Troy

What is the general reliability of Optoma products?

Moderate reliability.

Hmm,

I wonder which DLP chip it'll have? DC2 or DC3...prolly DC2. It would be a huge success if it had DC3.

Troy
I don't see it having a DC3. That'ld be amazing, but more of a dream

It's HD2+ on a new platform and it's using the color wheel technology of the HD65 with the brilliant color 2. I'm going to get one in a couple of weeks. Hope it doesn't melt my screen. :) The HD65 absolutely tested out at spec with 1600lumens. It's not the bulb it's the color wheel and BC2 that does it.

I'm going to echo jay²'s comment. Light cannon!
Is there anything close to this bright in this price range?

Perhaps the Panasonic AX200U?

updated info on the optoma website
http://www.optomausa.com/product_detail.asp?product_id=351

In the user manual there is a rough guide for offset and distance, looks like
it has half the offset of the HD70, which is great news!:D

http://www.optomausa.com/images/mainimages/HD71.gif

boy this thing sounds great, I really want to get another pj for my 135 screen so its has a brighter image than the HD70 I use now. I wanted to wait for a cheap 1080p projector, but I suspect doubling the lumens will be more impressive than adding 1080? Are there any other 720p projectors with this many lumens? Any of you guys know if the bulb will be priced similar to the HD70's.

Happy New Year,

I just received an HD71. It is a very attractive projector. I can watch a movie in my family room, that is 20'x20' and has two walls of windows, in the daytime. The quality does suffer because of the light but it is watchable.

The HD71, like the HD65, has the super-wide feature. When I select the feature I don't see any change. The bars are still present on top and bottom. The users manual doesn't provide anything except a definition. Is there a trick to this feature?

Thanks

Has anyone hooked up their PS3 or 360?


How is the performance?

Thanks in advance.

So a 144inch screen it would become like a 1100 lumens pj at 92inch as far as black level.. I have a huge wall in the front room of my days place that has a huge white wall. He's 88yrs old and still has 27inch crt, on Saturday and Sundays the sports being watched on this would probably turn my dad in to a sports addict which he already is. It's cheap and workable for me him and something he could just sit back and enjoy for once, but I also want good black levels for that WOW Punch of DLP.

Only one year warranty according to the Optoma website. Looking forward to hearing and seeing more about this model.

Costco just starting selling these in Canada, called the HD710.
they have a $300 off coupon coming soon :)
http://www.costco.ca/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=10306233&search=optoma&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Mo=25&cm_re=1_en-_-Top_Left_Nav-_-Top_search&lang=en-CA&Nr=P_CatalogName:BCCA&Sp=S&N=0&whse=BCCA&ViewAll=26&Ntk=Text_Search&Dr=P_CatalogName:BCCA&Ne=4000000&D=optoma&Ntt=optoma&No=23&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Nty=1&topnav=&s=1

Comes with screen and hdmi cable, not a bad deal considering best buy is still selling the old hd70 for more (before rebate) than the new one :confused:

Happy New Year,

I just received an HD71. It is a very attractive projector. I can watch a movie in my family room, that is 20'x20' and has two walls of windows, in the daytime. The quality does suffer because of the light but it is watchable.

The HD71, like the HD65, has the super-wide feature. When I select the feature I don't see any change. The bars are still present on top and bottom. The users manual doesn't provide anything except a definition. Is there a trick to this feature?

ThanksIs this your first PJ? Do you have it set at full 2400 lumens, just wondering how bright that thing is with the windows, do you have shades over them? So what is that super-wide feature supposed to do?

This is my first home theater pj. I have used panasonic and sanyo business pjs. My sanyo is 4000 lumens and 500:1 contrast and the HD71 is very close to as bright. I have used the HD71 at econo and full.

I have windows on the north side of my room, a 7' slider and two 2'x6' side windows and these have no coverings but don't receive direct sunlight. On the south side I have a 5'x6' window that has a bambo shade that lets in some light.

I have figured out the superwide feature. It cannot be used with auto AI. There are 4 resolution settings native, 16:9, 4:3 and LBX. To use superwide it has to be set to native (which automaticly adjusts to the signal). An attempt is made to fill the screen but doesn't always seem to do a good job. There are so many different formats of movies, I never realized. I prefer to leave the superwide off and manually make any adjustments. The remote has all the settings for easy changes.

The color and contrast I feel is excellent. I am using component connections at the moment and even some newer non-HD DVD's look close to HD with a few setting changes. I watched 'Over The Hedge' and you could practically count all the quills on the porcupines.

Through costco there are several Optoma Projectors that are available in a narrow price range:

HD620 or something like that .. looks like the HD65 -- I believe it is 960 C$
(this can be purchased from the store ).

The rest are all through costco.ca:
HD32 (same as HD70?)- 980 C$
HD710 (same as HD71??)- 1100 C$ including the coupon
HD7100-Darkchip3 machine ..- 1350 C$

The first through from a specification standpoint are different in the lumen output , inputs (some have HDMI, DVI or both). The weights are different .. I believe the HD7100 is 14 pounds .. The included cables are different .. I need this for home (for a movie or program) and office.

The 7100 is intriguing .. the vertical/horizontal adjustments are nice to have the contrast ratio is very good at 5000:1. No HDMI input and 1000 lumens.
The review I read on audioholics was not very favourable but that assumed it is a 5k machine ..

In the absence of information I am leaning towards the HD32 (HD70?). The HD710 with higher lumen output 2400 lumers may not be such a bad choice.
It is 150 extra (has an extra DVI output).
The HD7100 with the darkchip .80 chip and higher contrast ratio may prove the most convenient in terms of placing the projector. It doesn't have an HDMI input and is only 1000 lumens ..
Thoughts here would be great ..
Sam

Through costco there are several Optoma Projectors that are available in a narrow price range:

HD620 or something like that .. looks like the HD65 -- I believe it is 960 C$
(this can be purchased from the store ).

The rest are all through costco.ca:
HD32 (same as HD70?)- 980 C$
HD710 (same as HD71??)- 1100 C$ including the coupon
HD7100-Darkchip3 machine ..- 1350 C$

The first through from a specification standpoint are different in the lumen output , inputs (some have HDMI, DVI or both). The weights are different .. I believe the HD7100 is 14 pounds .. The included cables are different .. I need this for home (for a movie or program) and office.

The 7100 is intriguing .. the vertical/horizontal adjustments are nice to have the contrast ratio is very good at 5000:1. No HDMI input and 1000 lumens.
The review I read on audioholics was not very favourable but that assumed it is a 5k machine ..

In the absence of information I am leaning towards the HD32 (HD70?). The HD710 with higher lumen output 2400 lumers may not be such a bad choice.
It is 150 extra (has an extra DVI output).
The HD7100 with the darkchip .80 chip and higher contrast ratio may prove the most convenient in terms of placing the projector. It doesn't have an HDMI input and is only 1000 lumens ..
Thoughts here would be great ..
SamI don't think the 7100 is the same, I think its been out for some time now.

This is my first home theater pj. I have used panasonic and sanyo business pjs. My sanyo is 4000 lumens and 500:1 contrast and the HD71 is very close to as bright. I have used the HD71 at econo and full.

I have windows on the north side of my room, a 7' slider and two 2'x6' side windows and these have no coverings but don't receive direct sunlight. On the south side I have a 5'x6' window that has a bambo shade that lets in some light.

I have figured out the superwide feature. It cannot be used with auto AI. There are 4 resolution settings native, 16:9, 4:3 and LBX. To use superwide it has to be set to native (which automaticly adjusts to the signal). An attempt is made to fill the screen but doesn't always seem to do a good job. There are so many different formats of movies, I never realized. I prefer to leave the superwide off and manually make any adjustments. The remote has all the settings for easy changes.

The color and contrast I feel is excellent. I am using component connections at the moment and even some newer non-HD DVD's look close to HD with a few setting changes. I watched 'Over The Hedge' and you could practically count all the quills on the porcupines.
Wow it sounds like you have lots of light coming in, and from how you describe the picture, it does a great job of fighting off all that light. I love the idea of having a pj you can use during the daytime for games and such, or even at night with a small light on. Its just not fun to always be in the dark, especially when its light outside. have you played movies with that AI much? On the HD70 I can detect the AI working by adjusting the light up and down, which can be annoying at times, especially when it doesn't seem to know which way to go and it adjusts two times in a few seconds. It'd be nice if they can make it transition better on this new HD71. Its supposed to increase the contrast ratio from 3000 to 4000.

I don't think the 7100 is the same, I think its been out for some time now.


Yes .. the 7100 is a darkchip3 machine .. And has all the vertical/horizontal adjustments afforded by that chip .. It is also heavier with HDMI inputs ..

Go to costco dot ca and see which ones they have .. My point is that from the HD32 to the HD710 to the HD7100 the difference in price is not that great and I can go with either one if I can understand the differences ..
Sam ..

Wow it sounds like you have lots of light coming in, and from how you describe the picture, it does a great job of fighting off all that light. I love the idea of having a pj you can use during the daytime for games and such, or even at night with a small light on. Its just not fun to always be in the dark, especially when its light outside. have you played movies with that AI much? On the HD70 I can detect the AI working by adjusting the light up and down, which can be annoying at times, especially when it doesn't seem to know which way to go and it adjusts two times in a few seconds. It'd be nice if they can make it transition better on this new HD71. Its supposed to increase the contrast ratio from 3000 to 4000.

I watched a little with the AI and did notice it making adjustments. It seems that once initial adjustments are made it locks in but I haven't watched a full movie to see if this is true I have always turned the AI off. I will try a full movie and see what it does.

FYI my screen is a 16:9, 96" diaganol.

Through costco there are several Optoma Projectors that are available in a narrow price range:

HD620 or something like that .. looks like the HD65 -- I believe it is 960 C$
(this can be purchased from the store ).

The rest are all through costco.ca:
HD32 (same as HD70?)- 980 C$
HD710 (same as HD71??)- 1100 C$ including the coupon
HD7100-Darkchip3 machine ..- 1350 C$

The first through from a specification standpoint are different in the lumen output , inputs (some have HDMI, DVI or both). The weights are different .. I believe the HD7100 is 14 pounds .. The included cables are different .. I need this for home (for a movie or program) and office.

The 7100 is intriguing .. the vertical/horizontal adjustments are nice to have the contrast ratio is very good at 5000:1. No HDMI input and 1000 lumens.
The review I read on audioholics was not very favourable but that assumed it is a 5k machine ..

In the absence of information I am leaning towards the HD32 (HD70?). The HD710 with higher lumen output 2400 lumers may not be such a bad choice.
It is 150 extra (has an extra DVI output).
The HD7100 with the darkchip .80 chip and higher contrast ratio may prove the most convenient in terms of placing the projector. It doesn't have an HDMI input and is only 1000 lumens ..
Thoughts here would be great ..
Sam

You can compare the three out at a site like Projectorcentral dot com. Just remember that costco Canada has funny names for optoma projectors sometimes.

Costco -> US name
HD6800 = HD72
HD710 = HD71
HD7100 = HD7100
HD32 = HD70

Personally I think the two to pick from are the HD7100 or HD710 (Confused yet?). The HD710 is much brighter (2400 lumens) but the HD7100 is higher quality (Darkchip3).

If I were buying today I think I would go for the HD710 as the extra brightness would allow you to run this in eco-mode and it's smaller, quieter and newer technology (HDMI and not DVI). But a video purest would probably disagree.

Let us know what you choose.

I kind of agree with you. The HD7100 is a project judging by the review on the audioholics website .. not to mention the weight and price.

I would even consider the HD70 (HD32 at costco..) the difference in price when taxes and coupon are taken into account is 180 dollars. The review on audioholics is extremely favourable. I will go to costco this weekend and make sure which model they have on display ..

thanks very much for the follow-up
SAM

The model on display at Costo .. is HD640 .. looks like HD65 and the specs are the same ..

It's the HD70 platform HD2+ but it's using the color wheel technology of the HD65 with the brilliant color 2. I'm going to get one in a couple of weeks. Hope it doesn't melt my screen. :) The HD65 absolutely tested out at spec with 1600lumens. It's not the bulb it's the color wheel and BC2 that does it.Tom,

By any chance can you offer any advice on how the lumen ouput of the HD71 at 2400 lumens might compare to my Optoma EP739 at 2500 lumens? I have no idea how Optoma rates their PJs - esp. for Data vs HT projectors. I'm contemplating a switch from 84" 4x3 to 92" 16x9 (which should be almost the same sqft).

TIA, jasg

I use a 106" diagonal and measured 1600lumens with the HD65 which is spec. I'm getting a HD71 delivered day after tomorrow, expect a review up soon.

I placed an order for my HD710 (a.k.a HD71) last week, I am hoping for it to arrive by Friday or early next week. I am pretty surprised that this thread is so quiet considering the HD70 was such a big hit and this one has superior tech? and is in the same line.

In any case, I am in a sense upgrading from the HD72 to the HD71, I am wondering if anyone would have an idea of what I can expect, I am thinking that the HD71 will be brighter with better colours, should I expect this or something else, sharper picture, more vibrant, better blacks? any ideas??

That's because there's only one person here that owns it. Two more to come by the end of the week. First thing I'll do is get the light meter out. These bright projectors are great for Xbox 360 or PS3.

OK so I just ordered the HD71(hd710) from Costco. It will be my first Projector. I've been wanting to buy the HD72(HD6800) for about 1 1/2 years, but money always seems to be an issue. Go figure.

I friend at work has the HD72 and I checked it out one lunchtime, thought it looked good. Not as bright and deep blacks as I expected, though it was during the daytime and he did not have a complete dark room.

I was just about to pull the trigger and order the HD72 from costco, then I found out about the HD65 and HD71. Don't know how they compare since there are no real reviews of the quality of image, contrast, colors, brightness, deep blacks etc.........

I was a little disappointed that costco is now shipping Matte White screens. I thought Grey with 1.8 gain was better for the contrast and blacks???? I've been told for a 92" screen the Matte White should be good.

I also was leaning towards the HD71 for a couple of reasons. More inputs DVI and HDMI so I can now connect my PS3 and Bell expressvu box. The HD65 has only component and HDMI. My Bell box is already connected to my existing 42" CRT Widescreen using component which I expect to continue to use to watch regular non HD and even some HD primetime shows.

As well the HD71 has better offsets than the HD72. I'm going to install it in my basement that has only 7'8" to joist. That does not count for the drop ceiling I'm eventually going to install another 2" drop.

I hope the HD71 is as good or better than what I've heard about the HD72. I was also concerned with some of the lamp issues I've heard with the HD72. Though I was told that what is in the forums may only represent 4-5% of all HD72 customers.

Anyhow I'll try the HD71 and if I find I don't like it or the reviews don't fair well. I'll return it.

Tomorrow mine arrives, yeh\!

Outdoor ..Just remember there is a 300 dollar coupon from Costco.ca on this thing (HD710)..
(In my area the coupon is good starting Jan 28th ..)..So total is 1400 + tax -300 ..
I hope you didn't pay full price ??. I hope you enjoy the projector ..
SG

It's true, basic retail will be $1299. They consider it a higher upscale over the HD65.

Ill be looking forward to your thoughts Guitarman, my HD710 hasn't shipped yet... I gave the retailer a call on Monday and they told me that there was a delay with the distributor getting stock and I should get it by the end of the week... I have a feeling I wont have any trouble getting the $300 rebate ;) specially with the order delays and such.

Has anyone else had their unit from this retailer ship yet?

This looks to be an interesting machine, different and ground up deisign from the earlier projectors, ergo the slighter offset. I hear it's super quiet in econo mode.

Tom, can't wait for your review. I have been waiting for Optoma to release another 720p DLP to use for 2.35:1 CIH system, as the HD72 has that wonderful lamp shut-off problem everyone is complaining about. Plus, that high of lumens should make daytime viewing possible (although no direct sunlight on screen for sure).

I was aware of the $300 coupon. I put the order in anyhow figuring Costco will still honor it. I sent an email to Costco 2 min after placing my order indicating I had this coupon. They said send an email on Jan 28 and they will credit my account. They could not process the coupon before Jan 28.

I'm looking forward to seeing how the projector performs. Still waiting for my HDMI cable from MonoPrice to arrive. Placed the Order over a week ago.

Plan on spending the weekend running an extra electrical outlet up to my joists. I'm going to put a small fan up there as well 120cfm point it down toward projector. Hoping this keeps the heat away. I may mount it a little less than the 4" between ceiling and top of projector.

When I eventually get around to installing a drop ceiling I'll leave a grate above the projector so the extra fan can disperse the heat.

The kit from Costco.ca comes with 7.5m HDMI cable .. am I missing something ??

I need to hookup both PS3 and Satellite HD Box. So I need an additional Cable

They told me it was in the warehouse and ready to ship today but it did not ship :( Looks like it will be sometime next week for me.

Did you receive yours guitarman??

Tom,
Where's ur review???? The wait is killing us!!!!!!!!

Tom missed my flight out of Iraq the last two days and my HD71 came in today. I did about a hour viewing and rocking the different controls. I have two florescent lights (2 bulbs each) in my Chu (chu is 14' by 16' in the living area). Both lights are about 1/2 to 2/3 the width of the screen. I turned the back light on and adjusted where the picture was very watchable. Turned on the front light that is only about 3 to 4 feet from the screen and I could still do a viewable picture. I have an HD81 I normally use in the room and the HD71 does put out more lumens. I can not watch the HD81 with both lights on.

I did notice some Rainbows very minor only small areas and quick bursts in darker scenes I believe no issue for me and I believe they will be close to none existant when I set it up.

Well I loaded it into my backpack and will take it home with me on leave to do some calibration. I will set it up over the breakfast bar and use some goo to make an extra screen and viewing area for my superbowl party when I get to the islands.

Look forward to your post!

Bob

Proper settings for HD71???

OK I'm still waiting for my projector to be shipped from Costco. I ordered it on Jan 22. They say they have it in stock in Brampton, Ontario. It needs to go to Kanata, Ont. But it has not shipped yet and the status shows in process? They basically said don't bother us it is within the 7-10 days posted.

Someone I know ordered an HD7100 from costco. It is in stock shipped from and to the same places yet their shipping timeframe posted says it will ship in 3-5 days? How is that?

Anyhow? I want to be prepared for when I receive it. Can anyone suggest the settings that should produce the best image?

I own a Digital Essentials DVD and have used it before. But I get a little confused on Contrast and brightness since with my existing HD CRT 42" I don't see pluge or pulsing form the Contrast test patterns?

As well it does not talk about Red bias, Green Bias, Blue Bias, Degamma, how do I know what colour temp to set? I don't own a meter or anything. I understand 6500K should be the best.

The question for me is whether to buy this (HD710) or the HD640 from Costco ..
so HD65 vs HD71 .. any insight would be great ..

Start with Film, Color temp 2, gamma 1, tune the brightness and contrast with DVE or even the THX Optimizer. You could try AI, AI II will delete the option to use low lamp. AI 2 will use the bulb to cover the ranges of contrast and brightness in the video material. It's suppose to act very fast. I'll test it when my HD71 arrives probably tomorrow.

Start with Film, Color temp 2, gamma 1, tune the brightness and contrast with DVE or even the THX Optimizer. You could try AI, AI II will delete the option to use low lamp. AI 2 will use the bulb to cover the ranges of contrast and brightness in the video material. It's suppose to act very fast. I'll test it when my HD71 arrives probably tomorrow.

What is AI vs AI II? is there 2 AI modes? I thought AI was Automatic Iris for helping contrast levels.

No Iris needed it functions with the bulb and colorwheel adds some juice also. :) It's just called AI II, there was a AI 1 but it's different, an older cruder operation.

No Iris needed it functions with the bulb and colorwheel adds some juice also. :) It's just called AI II, there was a AI 1 but it's different, an older cruder operation.

Well I'm supposed to get mine Today. The only problem is the mount won't arrive until maybe next week. Not sure if I can setup the screen without the mount. The screen will need to be different position if I want to put the projector on the coffee table until the mount comes.

Hey Outdoor, I was just wondering what kind of mount you ordered, mine is from Monoprice (currently using it on the HD72) - cheap but not the best mount... does the job.

My HD710 is arriving today as well...

Ok I got one now. Throw is similar to the H79 I could fill 92" wide screen from less than 14' back. Throw angle is allot less than the HD70 was. This was an edit from earlier.

It's extremely bright, contrast looks very good, blacks are good. So even with this level of brightness movie will still look good. I have AI II on and when I first put it on I noticed a brightness jump. I think this was just it acknowledging bright bulb, it seemed to settle down after the first jump as I'm not seeing the changes too easy now. More viewing needed. Signals are pre tuned from the factory and look very good OTB.

Oh here's a fun item, when I first hooked it up and ran the HD-DVD player (didn't turn my amp on yet) some pretty decent sound was coming from the projector. Forgot this one has on board sound so when you view HDMI the movie's sound is on. It has a mute feature and volume control in the menu.

I started to notice brightness changes when using the HD-DVD video calirations so you may want to leave AI off, unless it doesn't show up in movie watching, more testing needed. The only thing I could change on a basic HD tuning was one number back on brightness, all the other test showed the factory numbers were in the right place. If you look over a graysteps pattern it looks right on with no color bias. HD-DVD video tests material looked great.

Another thing what the blanking feature did was give me 5% overscan all around which is a safe area so I'll just leave it there.

how does the HD71 compare to the HD65? Do you own both?

Ok I got one now. First off it has a pretty long throw. People interested in this projector should check the setup calculator in the on line manual. First I set it where my H79 was at about 14' back from a 92" wide screen. There was a about 10" on each side of over spill at minimum zoom. I was about to re-install a couple of feet back when I saw a blanking feature which my CRT has. I put blanking to 10 and got the width to fit at the current location. Not what you should do but for me with the demo I'll leave it there.

It's extremely bright, contrast looks very good, blacks are good. So even with this level of brightness movie will still look good. I have AI II on and when I first put it on I noticed a brightness jump. I think this was just it acknowledging bright bulb, it seemed to settle down after the first jump as I'm not seeing the changes too easy now. More viewing needed. Signals are pre tuned from the factory and look very good OTB.

Oh here's a fun item, when I first hooked it up and ran the HD-DVD player (didn't turn my amp on yet) some pretty decent sound was coming from the projector. Forgot this one has on board sound so when you view HDMI the movie's sound is on. It has a mute feature and volume control in the menu.

I started to notice brightness changes when using the HD-DVD video calirations so you may want to leave AI off, unless it doesn't show up in movie watching, more testing needed. The only thing I could change on a basic HD tuning was one number back on brightness, all the other test showed the factory numbers were in the right place. If you look over a graysteps pattern it looks right on with no color bias. HD-DVD video tests material looked great.

Another thing what the blanking feature did was give me 5% overscan all around which is a safe area so I'll just leave it there.

Close but way brighter, it's amazing blacks good and black. Not as black as the H79 but blacker than other HD2+ projectors I've had.

I tried one of the best 720P DLP Projectors out there and the bulb was new. I did not like it because it was NOT bright enouph for my home theater setup, and I was only projecting a 92" image! I have white walls in my room and a white ceiling and want to leave it that color. Will a bright projector like the HD71 be a good choose?

with the Marantz 12S4.... at night with no lights on the picture looked great... just not really that bright... but bright enouph. But with any lights on in the room at all... the picture gets washed out. Will this Wash Out be less with the HD71 when I turn some lights on at night?

the 12S4 puts out 700 Lumens... and the HD71 puts out 2400 lumens... thats over 3 times the lumens!!!

And I am worried because of the white walls and ceiling may reflect a lot of light coming off the very bright HD71. Or will the brightness of the HD71 overcome any reflections coming of the walls and ceiling?

That's because there's only one person here that owns it. Two more to come by the end of the week. First thing I'll do is get the light meter out. These bright projectors are great for Xbox 360 or PS3.

Hey Outdoor, I was just wondering what kind of mount you ordered, mine is from Monoprice (currently using it on the HD72) - cheap but not the best mount... does the job.

My HD710 is arriving today as well...

Mine is the Optoma BN1015

So my HD71 arrived yesterday. Spent the evening setting it up, mounting to ceiling.

I have a few questions perhaps others could answer.

1) I tried leaving the aspect setting to 16:9, though if I chose native the screen size was quite a bit smaller than my 92" screen? I was trying it using my Bell Expressvu HD9200 receiver watching the Pittsburg vs Atlanta, CSI Miami, House HD I had recorded.

I thought Native means the aspect ratio of the signal vs 16:9 would change the native signal to fit 16:9 and thus stretch to fit? If watching a DVD (which I've not had time yet) I would have thought you want to leave on native and you may get some blackbars on top since the aspect may not be 16:9 exactly?

2) Image Shift. I found this very helpful since it was impossible to get the mount and projector set exactly perfert so the image was exactly aligned to the 92" screen. So this allowed me to move slightly up/down, left/right. Does this impact the image quality at all? Is it moving the lens?

3) I noticed I would most likely want to calibrate the settings a bit. I own DVE so plan on doing this Friday. I don't have much experience in doing this but If I us my PS3 to run DVE and try and adjust contrast, sharpness, brightness, red, green, blue etc..... How do I adjust the settings to optimize the picture when I watch Satellite? Do I just use the same settings?

Another quick one I forgot:

So the HD71 Upconverts 480p to 720p correct? So does my PS3. How do I try using one or the other to do the upconverting to determine which does it better?

I read here but don't post until now! I am Seriously thinking about getting this projector while still on sale and was wondering if you new owners could help me? What are the lumens in economy mode? Will 2400 be too bright from 9.6ft away? I have the H30 but want to watch my HD DVDs in HD.:)
Thanks for your reply.

I read here but don't post until now! I am Seriously thinking about getting this projector while still on sale and was wondering if you new owners could help me? What are the lumens in economy mode? Will 2400 be too bright from 9.6ft away? I have the H30 but want to watch my HD DVDs in HD.:)
Thanks for your reply.

I think it will too bright considering the max zoom you can go is about 84" 16:9 diagonal. I have the same distance (9.8 to be correct) and I'm at max zoom with my HD73, which is suppose to have 1300 less lumens and sometimes I think it looks too bright (although I have a totally light control room).

What type of screen are you using?

So my HD71 arrived yesterday. Spent the evening setting it up, mounting to ceiling.

I have a few questions perhaps others could answer.

1) I tried leaving the aspect setting to 16:9, though if I chose native the screen size was quite a bit smaller than my 92" screen? I was trying it using my Bell Expressvu HD9200 receiver watching the Pittsburg vs Atlanta, CSI Miami, House HD I had recorded.

I thought Native means the aspect ratio of the signal vs 16:9 would change the native signal to fit 16:9 and thus stretch to fit? If watching a DVD (which I've not had time yet) I would have thought you want to leave on native and you may get some blackbars on top since the aspect may not be 16:9 exactly?

2) Image Shift. I found this very helpful since it was impossible to get the mount and projector set exactly perfert so the image was exactly aligned to the 92" screen. So this allowed me to move slightly up/down, left/right. Does this impact the image quality at all? Is it moving the lens?

3) I noticed I would most likely want to calibrate the settings a bit. I own DVE so plan on doing this Friday. I don't have much experience in doing this but If I us my PS3 to run DVE and try and adjust contrast, sharpness, brightness, red, green, blue etc..... How do I adjust the settings to optimize the picture when I watch Satellite? Do I just use the same settings?

?1. I'm watching comcast cable HD and native will fill the screen, when it's a 16.9 program. If you see a small image in native it's some kind of 4.3 material or down res ad. Using 16.9 I see no overscan but will test later today.

?2. Vertical shift does not effect the image quality, the overscan or zoom will soften the image.

?3. I start with brightness then contrast then sharpness then color. You'll probably find you don't need to do much. Satellite, you should send the connection and type of signal level with a DVD player. The projector will save setting per cable hookup and resolution level. I will use my HD-DVD player and since I use component for cable I'll send 1080i over component from the HD-DVD player. To do 480i I'll switch over to a standard DVD player at 480i with the component hookup and tune that signal.

?1. I'm watching comcast cable HD and native will fill the screen, when it's a 16.9 program. If you see a small image in native it's some kind of 4.3 material or down res ad. Using 16.9 I see no overscan but will test later today.


So does that mean most of Bell Expressvu HD Channels are in fact not true hd? Since I tried it with several programs. Hockey, CSI, House all were still a wide screen picture just did not fill the screen. It doesn't have to do with 1080i vs the Projectors native of 720p does it?


You mentioned vertical shift won't affect image quality, I assume that goes for Horizontal as well.

I'm going to try out some DVD tonight both Standard and Blu-ray (spiderman 3)

Try setting the sat receiver to 720p when using native. Use 16.9 for 1080i. Digital Horizontal won't effect the image either.

Try setting the sat receiver to 720p when using native. Use 16.9 for 1080i. Digital Horizontal won't effect the image either.

My receiver is set to 720p

Use 16.9 if that works, 16.9 has zero overscan also.

Gigimonagas
I am using a Panoview screen that came with my H30. I am not sure of the gain I think 1.0! I also have light control in my room. I am just worried that the 2400 lumens will washout the picture. Is there a way to tone down the lumens? A setting maybe?

Gigimonagas
I am using a Panoview screen that came with my H30. I am not sure of the gain I think 1.0! I also have light control in my room. I am just worried that the 2400 lumens will washout the picture. Is there a way to tone down the lumens? A setting maybe?

Of course! You could always leave it in low lamp mode and play around with the brightness and contrast. The thing is that for a totally control light room and the distance you are planning to place the pj I believe you don't the extra lumens, especially for the size of your screen. Are you planning to have some lights on during playback?

Are you planning to have some lights on during playback?
Not Usually but it might be nice to eat supper or a snack with some lights on!
I am just trying to be sure that this the one I want!
Thanks for your help!

Gigimonagas
I am using a Panoview screen that came with my H30. I am not sure of the gain I think 1.0! I also have light control in my room. I am just worried that the 2400 lumens will washout the picture. Is there a way to tone down the lumens? A setting maybe?


When you set the menu to Cinema you get a darker image, still it's 1000lumens on my screen is Standard bulb mode.

When you set the menu to Cinema you get a darker image, still it's 1000lumens on my screen is Standard bulb mode.
Guitarman in cinema mode are the settings tweakable? (bri,con,color,tint,etc?) They are on my H30.

Yes every preset mode can be adjusted and with a ton more options then our old H30. :)

Hi all, I'm new here and want to thank everyone for all their great input! I've owned an Optoma H31 for a year now and loved it. I'm thinking of trading up to either the HD65 or HD71. My question is this: Is there any sacrifice in picture quality with the HD71, compared to the HD65? My concern is that since it's brighter, there might be a sacrifice in some other area (like contrast, color saturation, black level). Or would you lucky owners say that the pic. qual. of the HD71 is equal to, or better than, the HD65?

I like the HD71 more than the HD65. I like brightness, the bulbs don't stay bright forever it's best to start out at a higher point. I've moved the projector closer to the screen by 2 or more feet and still have room to open the lens, so this is a pretty short throw projector. I picked up even more brightness being closer to the screen with a more open zoom. Everybody's going to love this projector. It's intensely bright with high contrast.

Great, thanks! Sounds like the old tradeoff for home theater projectors (low lumen output) is in the past. The HD71 might even trump the Panny PT-AX200U, eh? Nice to know that I'll be able to watch my next projector in the living room on a Saturday afternoon!

Great, thanks! Sounds like the old tradeoff for home theater projectors (low lumen output) is in the past. The HD71 might even trump the Panny PT-AX200U, eh? Nice to know that I'll be able to watch my next projector in the living room on a Saturday afternoon!

Speaking of the Panasonic PT-AX200U, I was all ready to get that projector right up until I saw some information on the HD71 about a week ago. Now I can't decide which one to get. They're both priced about the same and have similar specs, with the HD71 being a bit brighter and the AX200U having a bit better contrast ratio. Has anyone seen/used both projectors in person that can give a comparison?

I wish there were some reviews for the HD71 so I could get an idea on how well it performs. I'm getting sick of waiting and want to get something - now I don't know what to get. :confused:

Thanks!

I've owned the Pany AX100 and Sony HS51a, but I still prefer the pop of a good DLP. It's the ANSI contrast, real contrast I prefer. The mirrors of DLP can be on or off at the same time giving you the pop in the image most are looking for. Not good news for the 5 percent of the public that get eye strain from DLP technology but great for the 95 percent that aren't bothered.

But where's the review G-man?!?!

Thanks for your help guys! I agree that a review would be nice!

Guitarman,
Does the HD71 have a white segment, similar to the Mits 1000/1500 projectors? I would think it would have to, in order to get those lumens.
I'm not saying that's a bad thing - I own an HD1000 and a 3000, and I prefer the 1000 on my big screen.

This just seems to be an exponential leap in brightness in affordable DLP projectors - there would seem to have to be a trade off.

How about color wheel? I've seen several Optoma ads that tout the HD71 as a great "crossover" machine between business and theater. This typically means that it is a 2x wheel machine with white segment (standard business light engine) that just happens to do pretty good color and video processing.

So, is the HD71 a dedicated theater machine, with a 4x or greater color wheel?

My hd1000 has a thousand hours on it, and I'm itching for an upgrade...

It uses the new design color wheel that's in the Optoma HD81LV, HD65 and now the HD71, it's works with brilliant color 2 and has RGBCYM, it's 4x speed. I haven't seen one rainbow yet. These are all HT machines that just happen to be blaring bright if need

After much thinking .. I am considering the Dell 1800.. It is 900 from costco. comes with an extra lamp. so really the projector is closer to 650 or so .. I will need to buy a tripod screen anyway ..

You wanna be talked out of it? :)

That Dell is an XGA presentation machine, you won't find a large following in the HT forums for that projector.

HD65 is a true HD machine and designed for Home Theater, big difference. An extra bulb shouldn't be the deal maker the type of machine I'm buying should. Unless you need it for the office. :)

Tom my thinking is also along the lines of : I need it for the office and the occassional home movie .. These things are getting cheaper all the time .. The extra lamp will save me the embarassment at some point in time .. so it is not the HT enthusiast speaking here you are right ..

I wanted to purchase the HD71 with screen from Costco online... but they are out of stock.

I was thinking of getting the HD71 and doing a side by side with the Epson Home Cinema 720... has anybody else done one by any chance?

So I decided to purchase an Epson Home Cinema 720 at $1069 shipped and it includes a free Lamp. I would of paid an extra $169 for the lamp just to have one on hand.... so it is like I got the projector for $900. I know it is a $300+ lamp... so I will more than likely sell it on eBay and get a $90 3 year 2 bulb warranty instead. The lamp would pay for the mack bulb warranty and I could pocket about $150+ after shipping and eBay fees. still about $900 for the projector. but who really knows how much I can get for the lamp.... plus.... I have not even got it yet! to make a long story short.... if I don't like it.... I will get a HD71 and do a side by side. it would be great if this comparison has already been done.

for a non-light controlled room... and if you don't see rainbows or the color wheel effect.... isn't the HD71 the better projector for more accurate colors and contrast?

Tom,

I have a 135" screen. What is the maximum distance back you put this projector to fill that? I am worried about the short throw. My projector is currently 17' 6" from the screen. Is this too far.

thanks,
Toon.

It would be great to hear a comparison between the 720 and the HD71, let us know if you get to do one.

yes.... I will be getting a HD71 if I do not end up liking the 720.

I wanted to get the HD71 at the good price... but when that deal was not available i found a deal on the epson 720.

It would be great to hear a comparison between the 720 and the HD71, let us know if you get to do one.

How much vertical shift is there?

I wanted to purchase the HD71 with screen from Costco online... but they are out of stock.

I just placed my order. Said nothing about being out of stock.

Is the image going to be blinding in full bright for me at 9.6ft. That is all I am worried about.

Tom,

I have a 135" screen. What is the maximum distance back you put this projector to fill that? I am worried about the short throw. My projector is currently 17' 6" from the screen. Is this too far.

thanks,
Toon.

Looks the for a 135" diag screen the PJ needs to be back 16'11"
http://www.projectorcentral.com/Optoma-HD71-projection-calculator-pro.htm

Is the image going to be blinding in full bright for me at 9.6ft. That is all I am worried about.


No you'll probably like the light the projector has. Use Cinema mode it cuts the lumens down by half, plus use the standard bulb setting.

Thanks Guitarman.
Does anyone know where or what the best distance calculator is? They all seem to be different by a couple of inches. Wouldn't Optoma's be most accurate?

Projector centrals automated program is pretty accurate. You could double check with Optoma. When does the projector arrive?

I just ordered this evening 7 to 10 days I would imagine. How long did you have to wait for yours? Projector central is the one I have been looking at and comparing to Optoma's. I can't wait to watch my Bell 9200 HD and my HD DVD player in HD!!!!

Well Optoma actually just lends me the projectors to review and help people with info. Delivery is next day :)

Since we will all have the same projectors and HD DVD players and Bell express vu service wouldn't there be some uniformity in our settings and PQ?
I would think so!?!? It would be cool!:)

How long do you have them for? which has been the best so far?

1 month, this one has been the brightest so far, the HD65 comes in second. I'm a bigger fan of high brightness lately, seen the light. Just so as long as blacks are still good, which it is.

Since we will all have the same projectors and HD DVD players and Bell express vu service wouldn't there be some uniformity in our settings and PQ?
I would think so!?!? It would be cool!:)

Well my machine didn't allow me any changes when using HD-DVE. I didn't need to change black/white or color. Kinda boring :)
I'll try to run colorfacts on the machine sometime when it's pitch black.

Guitarman,

I am thinking about upgrading from my HD70 to the HD71. If I do so, I would probably have to rearrange my mounting situation to accomodate the shorter throw angle of the HD71.

Can you please let me know if the bottom of he HD71 uses the same triangle configured machine screw mounting setup as the HD70. Or will I have to buy a whole new mount for this puppy?

I just placed my order. Said nothing about being out of stock.

sure you did.... at full price I bet.

no more discount
I will wait till the price drops $200.

I don't want to spend more the a grand.... maybe 100 more... but not 300 more.

Question

Does the Optoma Hd72 have the same premature bulb failure issues as the Optoma Hd71 as described in the dedicated " HD71 BULB went link "
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=851041.

Or are the Optoma HD71 AND HD72 two totally different Projector using a different bulb..??
also what are the diffrences
thanks for any help .


cheers

Murph:)

sure you did.... at full price I bet.

no more discount
I will wait till the price drops $200.

I don't want to spend more the a grand.... maybe 100 more... but not 300 more.

Just ordered mine from CC online a minute ago and got the $300 discount at the end of the checkout.

Originally Posted by RobbyTV

sure you did.... at full price I bet.

no more discount
I will wait till the price drops $200.

I don't want to spend more the a grand.... maybe 100 more... but not 300 more.

Costco.ca has the HD71 for $1399 with $300 off at checkout for a grand total of $1281 after taxes (shipping included). Sale on until Feb 10th! They have them in stock!

Guitarman,

I am thinking about upgrading from my HD70 to the HD71. If I do so, I would probably have to rearrange my mounting situation to accomodate the shorter throw angle of the HD71.

Can you please let me know if the bottom of he HD71 uses the same triangle configured machine screw mounting setup as the HD70. Or will I have to buy a whole new mount for this puppy?


Yes it's the same triangle we've been seeing lately from Otpoma. Same as the HD70 for sure.

Guitarman
I have the HD DVD D3(A3), How are my SD dvds going to look. Will the upconvert nicely on my HD71? Have you tested upconverting yet?
I will be using the 7.5m HDMI that is included. I've only ever had 480P so I don't know what to expect!

Should look great the HD-DVD players are like computers or HTPC's. I think they look great set at 1080p, 1080i, and 720p. Take a look see if you can tell a difference.

Guitarman
What about the 7.5m HDMI cable that is included is it 1.3 like the projector?

So I was watching a lot of stuff on my HD71 this weekend. I wanted to use DVE (Digital Video Essentials) to fine tune but ran into some issues. I didn't get past the Contrast setting. Since I'm using my PS3 I'm using the standard DVD Format.

For those familiar with DVE the contrast setting uses a Pluge with three black bars on either side video black bar and I believe a 2% and 4% bar? Anyhow I could not see the video black bar on the outside no matter what my contrast setting.

Is this right? Does it have anything to do with using a Standard DVD on a 720p Projector? Should I have my PS3 upconverting?

I don't know, I'm not that technical but want to finetune the picture. I find it a bit soft, dark at times

You don't need the 3 bars, black can still be tuned fine with 2 bars. Plus your tuning just the brightness with the pluge pattern. Contrast tuning has it's own pattern.

You don't need the 3 bars, black can still be tuned fine with 2 bars. Plus your tuning just the brightness with the pluge pattern. Contrast tuning has it's own pattern.

Sorry, You are correct. I mean't to say Brightness. How do you do it using only 2 bars?

Should I still not see the third bar? Why wouldn't I ?

Different devices, the Tosh players can have a problem with black with different displays. But as long as you can see 2 black bars and make the darker one barely visible your blacks will be tuned right.

Different devices, the Tosh players can have a problem with black with different displays. But as long as you can see 2 black bars and make the darker one barely visible your blacks will be tuned right.

Tosh? I have a PS3 so should I not see 3rd bar. I guess I'm a little confused if I set it using the next darkest bar does that not mean it will be set to a different black level?

I would think the PS3 and HD71 are both modern and should show proper levels and thus show the 3rd bar from DVE?

Sorry If I sound stupid and don't quite follow

Looks the for a 135" diag screen the PJ needs to be back 16'11"
http://www.projectorcentral.com/Optoma-HD71-projection-calculator-pro.htm

Thanks Tom

Tosh? I have a PS3 so should I not see 3rd bar. I guess I'm a little confused if I set it using the next darkest bar does that not mean it will be set to a different black level?

I would think the PS3 and HD71 are both modern and should show proper levels and thus show the 3rd bar from DVE?

Sorry If I sound stupid and don't quite follow

You're not missing anything by not seeing the very black bar, it's blotted out when tuning anyway. Set the two bars you see.

The Costco US web site lists the HD71 bundled with a 92" screen. Does anyone know what screen is included - fixed, pulldown, gain etc.? TIA jasg

hi guys

i have just ordered the projector from costco with the sale, i have never had a pj, i was wondering what kind of mount do you guys use for the HD710? where can you get it? i will be mounting it to my floor joists , it will be in a basement where i can control the light

thanks in advance

Get a cheap universal mount off ebay, one that can be flusher to the ceiling.
NEW 2008 WHITE UNIVERSAL PROJECTOR Mount

The chief universal is high end great but more than five times the price.

hi guys

i have just ordered the projector from costco with the sale, i have never had a pj, i was wondering what kind of mount do you guys use for the HD710? where can you get it? i will be mounting it to my floor joists , it will be in a basement where i can control the light

thanks in advance

Did you get it from Canada or do they also have the sale in the U.S.?

Tom, a quick question, if you don't mind. How does the H71's picture compare with that from the H79? Thanks.

I setup my HD71 with the HDMI cable, turned it on put in HPOP HD DVD and it was a let down! The amount of video noise, halos and flicker in the preset modes was awful! Even upconversion of SD was bad. HDTV on component was very disappointing. I went to user preset and tuned using DVE DVD version and that made things a little better but watching fast action scenes is giving me eye strain. I am not joking as I was really looking forward to making the switch to HD.:( Can anyone give me some insight! Should I return or exchange? My H30 looked better! My Image is 70" wide and I sit 9.6ft away under the projector. Am I to close maybe?

Tom, a quick question, if you don't mind. How does the H71's picture compare with that from the H79? Thanks.

Main differences, the H79 is 17ft candles, the HD71 can be 52 ft candles. The 71 will stay brighter for a much longer period of time. Blacks on the H79 are allot better, colors can look more natural. So on the HD71 you'll get super high brightness and stronger color with the brilliant color feature. Some may like the more vivid color, like in the pictures I posted. You can find a review under my name on the H79 with pictures also, maybe you can see the differences.

I setup my HD71 with the HDMI cable, turned it on put in HPOP HD DVD and it was a let down! The amount of video noise, halos and flicker in the preset modes was awful! Even upconversion of SD was bad. HDTV on component was very disappointing. I went to user preset and tuned using DVE DVD version and that made things a little better but watching fast action scenes is giving me eye strain. I am not joking as I was really looking forward to making the switch to HD.:( Can anyone give me some insight! Should I return or exchange? My H30 looked better! My Image is 70" wide and I sit 9.6ft away under the projector. Am I to close maybe?


Ideal is 1.5 back which would be 12.5'. But that's probably not it.
Things to do -
1. Turn off Ai, if it's on.
2. Make sure the lamp is set at STD not birght.
3. Choose Cinema Mode Choice
4. Tune the blacks, leave the white set at the minus factory number it's at.
5. Tune colors with blue filter.

If it's still too bright you could try Film Gamma instead of factory Video Gamma, it's darker. If you do re-tune all the above. If none of this works and you still have eyestrain you could either try a ND filter or send the machine back for a refund if you can.

The reason I suggest leaving contrast at the factory mark. Contrast and brightness moved higher up will cause the video noise, or dithering. I noticed when moving contrast higher which I could without crushing the grayscale suffered and went to a red bias. You can see this on any graysteps pattern, like needle pulse steps or Pluge.

So you don't need to max out contrast for this digital PJ. I asked Guy Kuo along time ago the best way to set contrast, he told me make the lighter moving bar half the brightness of the darker moving contrast pattern bar. Some PJs you can push it and set contrast to the point of white crush, but not this one the colors will suffer.
Hope the tuning works for you.

Edit: here's a big change things item I missed. If you still see noise for HT movie watching turn down or all the way down the brilliant color item. Then just use brilliant color for TV watching, or daytime sports.

Tom , I think this would only apply to you . What Optoma pj do you recommend agter using this HD71 ? thanks I would appreciate this. I bought this HD71 from costcompany and used it temporarily with the 92" screen it came with. It looked OK . and this is my first pj. can i expect worse with other brands or maybe my setup was not as efficient? Also what screen size would you reccomend i felt it wasnt big enough? my room is 15 feet long and is wide enough for a bigger ones. Cause yo mentioned the further you go back the more you will loose pj brigtness and maybe clarity. thanks again.

Guitarman
I tried your recommendations with much improvement but still HDTV looked just as good or in some cases better on my H30. Even still I am finding the refresh rate during motion scenes choppy and hard on my eyes also that grainy flickering noise is still present, I understand with movies that a poor transfer can leave film grain but it shows up on everything(Tv,DVD and HD DVDs!) I am leaning towards a return to Costco. A nice machine but not sure if its the one I need. Any suggestions for a good HD Projector in the same price range? I am still not sure What I am going to do!
Thank You for your help!


Problems are on component and HDMI.

I did a search and didnt find anything so I thought Id ask...
Has anyone posted or seen a "complete" list of settings they ended up with after calibration on this pj? Everything from A-Z in one list would be the shiz.....

I used a list of recommended settings someone posted with my previous PJ and it turned out waayy better overall then me just calibrating with a dvd on my own. Same thing here, I calibrated with S&V home theater tune up and its just still not right. Colour and black detail just seems off to me....

Thanks

"Guitarman
I tried your recommendations with much improvement but still HDTV looked just as good or in some cases better on my H30"

You have to be seeing the increased resolution over our old SVGA 800X600 pixeled projector, HDTV should look immensely sharper with cleaner detail. Less pixel corners visible on edges, plus background details will have allot more pixels and be more detailed.
You could try a Panasonic Ax100, they might have some issues though. Or an Optoma HD7100 also with possible issues. Maybe you could swap for a HD65 at the Big C.

well if I got a HD65 and a HD71 for free... I would sure give them a good review.

isn't it true you got them for free to try?

The AX100 is a 2006 projector?? The AX200 is the current model.

What about a Epson HC720 if the person doesn't like the HD71?

And why would you recommend an HD65 over a HD71 when you said the HD71 is very close to the HD65? And if anything... you pointed out that the HD71 has advantages over the HD65?


"Guitarman
I tried your recommendations with much improvement but still HDTV looked just as good or in some cases better on my H30"

You have to be seeing the increased resolution over our old SVGA 800X600 pixeled projector, HDTV should look immensely sharper with cleaner detail. Less pixel corners visible on edges, plus background details will have allot more pixels and be more detailed.
You could try a Panasonic Ax100, they might have some issues though. Or an Optoma HD7100 also with possible issues. Maybe you could swap for a HD65 at the Big C.

Tom , I think this would only apply to you . What Optoma pj do you recommend agter using this HD71 ? thanks I would appreciate this. I bought this HD71 from costcompany and used it temporarily with the 92" screen it came with. It looked OK . and this is my first pj. can i expect worse with other brands or maybe my setup was not as efficient? Also what screen size would you reccomend i felt it wasnt big enough? my room is 15 feet long and is wide enough for a bigger ones. Cause yo mentioned the further you go back the more you will loose pj brigtness and maybe clarity. thanks again.

A 106" diagonal screen like mine would work good for a 15' room. You could try the Optoma HD7100 before it's EOL or maybe you can find a refurbed H79.

well if I got a HD65 and a HD71 for free... I would sure give them a good review.

isn't it true you got them for free to try?

The AX100 is a 2006 projector?? The AX200 is the current model.

What about a Epson HC720 if the person doesn't like the HD71?

And why would you recommend an HD65 over a HD71 when you said the HD71 is very close to the HD65? And if anything... you pointed out that the HD71 has advantages over the HD65?

That's correct, Optoma sends me projectors to review. I get to keep them a month to see how well they hold up and I look for any glitches that might pop up. Then I'll buy one if I like it. I got tired of the projectors that get dim after a short while. Not dim to the point you can't watch them but dim to a point the new bulb pop is gone. I figure these high brightness models will stay bright and have the pop I'm looking for for a long time. I'll probably buy the HD71.

I recommend the HD65 because it's a little dimmer than the HD71, maybe he wouldn't get the eyestrain so easily. Plus the easy return to costco, it's worth a shot. If he could get the ax200 for $1,000 or less, I figure the ax100 can be found allot cheaper. The pany for the zero screen door, I can see the typical 720p LCD screendoor too easy.

I am going to buy a projector for the business. We already have a 4:3 screen that they wont replace with a 16:9 screen. It will be for mostly power point but we will also get some HDTV viewing out of it. So my question is can this projector output all signals at 4:3 on a 4:3 screen with no image going off the screen especially through the VGA because if I buy this and it does not act like a 4:3 projector(we want some kind of HD though) I dont think the high ups will be very happy with me.

What will happen with 4.3 material is you'll have large black bars all around a small center 4.3 image. 16.9 HDTV will look ok with just having large bars on the top and bottom. If you go for a 4.3 presentation projector the Optoma EP910 is a good one, see it on their site.

I've been using a 4x3 Optoma 739 since 2004 and it does a very good job with HD (even if not quite full resolution). It is an XGA - 1024x768 (or 576 in HD). It is a steal these days at about $700.

I'd love a 910, or some other 1440 x 1050 unit but I can't quite justify the cost right now.

Tom , just wondering how does this PJ compare to the panasonic ones. I know they are a big hit as well. Do you think this optoma exceeds those ones or not . please let me know . eg Panasonic PT-AE900U or higher models compared to this OPTOMA 71. thanks as always :)

Between the Pany AX100 which I had and the HD71 they're both similar high brightness models with the HD71 being substantially higher in brightness. DLP's have more real time contrast/ansi contrast, but both put up a great images. Rainbow sufferers gotta go with the Pany.

I would hope you at least get a discount for testing them for optoma.

that is if you decide to buy one.

That's correct, Optoma sends me projectors to review. I get to keep them a month to see how well they hold up and I look for any glitches that might pop up. Then I'll buy one if I like it. I got tired of the projectors that get dim after a short while. Not dim to the point you can't watch them but dim to a point the new bulb pop is gone. I figure these high brightness models will stay bright and have the pop I'm looking for for a long time. I'll probably buy the HD71.

I recommend the HD65 because it's a little dimmer than the HD71, maybe he wouldn't get the eyestrain so easily. Plus the easy return to costco, it's worth a shot. If he could get the ax200 for $1,000 or less, I figure the ax100 can be found allot cheaper. The pany for the zero screen door, I can see the typical 720p LCD screendoor too easy.

Wow, Costco is sold out of the HD71. That was quick. The HD7100 and HD710 are gone too.

Help. I received my projector from costco and tried to use it with a bluray disc on my
ps3 using the HDMI cable. I had sound but no picture. When I ran regular satelitte through a dvd player I had picture (480i) but no sound (from the built in speaker). When I played a game on the ps3 it was reading 480p. How do I fix these issues? Thanks

Help. I received my projector from costco and tried to use it with a bluray disc on my
ps3 using the HDMI cable. I had sound but no picture. When I ran regular satelitte through a dvd player I had picture (480i) but no sound (from the built in speaker). When I played a game on the ps3 it was reading 480p. How do I fix these issues? Thanks

Try resetting the PS3 by holding down the power button for approx 5 seconds till it beeps (when unit is off). This will reset all video/audio.
then goto Video settings and re-configure.. it will auto select 1080P.
audio should auto come from projector as its seeing the digital signal from HDMI cable.

Is this thing great or what. After having the HD71 for two weeks all I can say is it rocks. The only thing I had to do was lower brightness one number, everthing esle stayed at factory.
We watched Lost and Prison Break on it and these type of shows just pop off the screen. Unreal brightness and color saturation yet looking very natural, with a great black level to boot. I don't know how they made blacks look so good with this level of brightness, but they did.
enjoy it, great machine.

Hi Guys,

I'm having a little problem with mine as well, when a dvd that looks perfect on my LCD tv, it looks blurry on the svideo/component, I had the exact same setup for the tv and it looked good. I tried to tweak some setting on the projector but it didn't help much, any idea ?

Hi Guys,

I'm having a little problem with mine as well, when a dvd that looks perfect on my LCD tv, it looks blurry on the svideo/component, I had the exact same setup for the tv and it looked good. I tried to tweak some setting on the projector but it didn't help much, any idea ?

Have someone help you adjust the focus so you can be right at the screen to get it dialed in exact, then calibrate with Avia or DVE.

When i put the exact same dvd in my ps3 through HDMI, the quality will look pretty similar to the TV, not the exact but pretty close, much better then the component/svideo, but why is it that the component/svideo looks good on the tv and not on the projector ? I understand the image is bigger but the quality shouldn't be that much different.



BTW what is Avia or DVE ?

I think I raised my sharpness up to the 3/4 level. Didn't notice any ringing on the sharpness pattern so I pushed it up. Component should look very similar to the HDMI/DVI, s-video is weaker.

I tuned up HD-HDMI 720p with my Colorfacts system but still preferred the factory tuning.

Here are the changes.

Under RGB/ gains and bias

R-gain -13
G-gain -5
B-gain -12

R-bias -1
G-bias -1
B-bias 0

The stock setting on my PJ are -
R-gain 0
G-gain -5
B-gain -12

R-bias 0
G-bias -1
B-bias -1

Are others stock HDMI numbers the same as my stock numbers?

Tom, gots to bother you again :) I have a room thats 19 feet by 14 feet wide. what size screen would you recommend. i want a 124 inch , but tell me is that ridiculous thought or what do you suggest . thx in advance.

124" I'd get the biggest that would fit. Check the setup calculator, this projector can do a hugh size screen. The benefit is not just the bigger screen but the image will be better, blacks will increase. You'll have a more movie toned image.

Hi, new to this forum, great info here! I'm buying my first projector and I've got it down between the Costco HD71 and the Amazon HD70. Amazon currently has the HD70 on sale for $700 after rebate, with free shipping...seems like a great deal.

So my question is....within the bounds of subjectivity, is the HD71 worth the extra $800 I'd be spending when all is said and done? Is there any major differences between them, beyond the lumens rating? I also have the same question about the included Costco screen specs that someone asked before...don't know if that got answered.

For the record I'll be viewing this in a room that I can shut off about 70% of the light during the day, pitch black at night.

Thanks in advance!

HI guy, I got a question? I just brought Optoma HD73, the spec is definetly good but only 1100 ANSI. I like to buy optoma hd71 but I don't know if the picture quality be a tremedous worse going from HD73 down to HD71? I have two other projector at home: Sony VPL-HS60 and Optoma HD70 and Optoma HD73. I definitly want sell all three those projector and get HD71 but I don't the contrast in black level be decent enought when I am use to HD73? My experience with HD70 was very sharp picture but color saturation wasn't able to compare with Sony VPL-HS60. While Optoma HD73 have all the strong point from those two projector but lack in term of bright ness. I litterly have to cover all my window and close all door during the day, just to able to see a vagely image from the projector. Guitarman, you seem to have a lot experience about projector. Can you help me out? I like the HD71 because of Hight brightness but I don't know about image quality when compare to HD73? Please help me out? Thank You. I'll try to do a review and post on youtube for any one whoes curiest DLP VS LCD projector and rainbow effect vs Screen door effect.

CzechSix, I would definetly recommend you to buying the HD70 since it's your first projector. It's not worth the double cost for HD71, since you have 70% control of light. I have the HD70 and the image quality is sharp and clean with ok color saturation. I can tell you this, playing Call Of Duty 4 on xbox 360 with component input is beautiful. The only down side is this DLP optoma HD70 produce more heat than my Sony VPL-HS60 and it a lot noisy if you sit right next to. The only solution is turning volume up. Other than that, I the HD70 is perfect.

Guys,

My blu ray movies doesn't look HD at all, I think they are still playing at the 480 resolution on this projector, I read somewhere that a system update is needed in order for the ps3 to display at 720p, otherwise it will only play at 480p,1080i for this particular HD71 unit, true ?

HI guy, I got a question? I just brought Optoma HD73, the spec is definitely good but only 1100 ANSI. I like to buy optoma hd71 but I don't know if the picture quality be a tremedous worse going from HD73 down to HD71? I have two other projector at home: Sony VPL-HS60 and Optoma HD70 and Optoma HD73. I definitely want sell all three those projector and get HD71 but I don't the contrast in black level be decent enought when I am use to HD73? My experience with HD70 was very sharp picture but color saturation wasn't able to compare with Sony VPL-HS60. While Optoma HD73 have all the strong point from those two projector but lack in term of bright ness. I litterly have to cover all my window and close all door during the day, just to able to see a vagely image from the projector. Guitarman, you seem to have a lot experience about projector. Can you help me out? I like the HD71 because of Hight brightness but I don't know about image quality when compare to HD73? Please help me out? Thank You. I'll try to do a review and post on youtube for any one whoes curiest DLP VS LCD projector and rainbow effect vs Screen door effect.

Agian you'll be wowed by the brightness difference, specially since the HD73 is not a bright projector. If you want bright power the new models are the way to go. Blacks are still very black with great detail in black which equals high contrast/ansi contrast. The HD71 is 2400 lumens versus the HD70's 1000lumens.

After more research, it looks like the problem only occurs for systems with firmware less then 1.8, but mine is 1.9 so I'm not sure whats wrong.

What do the Optoma Techs say? I only use the Tosh AX1 and the PJ will display 720p. You'll see the readouts at the lower right bottom when different signals are sent to the projector. You were uncertain and thought you were down resed to 480p, what do the readouts say?

I was hoping to spend about $1000 on a projector that would be used mainly for movies in a 1500 sq ft space with high ceilings. The longest throw distance would probably be around 24 ft. I was thinking brighness would be an important consideration for this size of a room. I was looking at the Benq mp 723 because it was the brightest I found at this price range at 3300 lumens. For $300 more, The Optoma HD 71 seems to be better designed for movie watching with it's HD compatibility, native 16:9 aspect ratio, and better resolution. Has anyone seen the Benq mp723? I was wondering if it would be a better buy for the money at $1000. How much would I lose watching HD sources on the mp723 with a native resolution of 1024x768? Will the HD 71 really blow it away for this size room? Is 2400 lumens all I will ever need? Thanks!

Great site, great forum. Sorry for lurking for so long.
Have had this pj (Costco HD 710) for 10 days and have been enjoying it's features. Nice to be able to watch it during daylight hours.
Non HD DVD and TV looks much better than on my rptv Hitachi. 720p from my HD Sat and xbox hd player is awesome except for the problem below , all settings at default. Ceiling mounted 10.5' from 92" white matte screen.
However, when watching 720p through component from my HD sources I get 3 strips of thin white light diagonally across the top of the black portion of my screen just above the projected image, switch to 480 source and this disappears.
So I guess what I am asking is; Does anyone know if this may be a setup problem, a hardware/software problem or is the pj just faulty.

Mr. Tank 1024X768 for a thousand and a presentation model also, I wouldn't waste the money. The HD71 much much better.

over55, me too :)

You may be seeing the typical video station garbage. TV channels with this you have two ways to go, use the overscall feature or vertical shift the image. Which ever one looks best to you, purists would say vertical shift. You're not seeing this garbage when using a DVD player or HD-DVD player are you?

Is this thing great or what. After having the HD71 for two weeks all I can say is it rocks. The only thing I had to do was lower brightness one number, everthing esle stayed at factory.
We watched Lost and Prison Break on it and these type of shows just pop off the screen. Unreal brightness and color saturation yet looking very natural, with a great black level to boot. I don't know how they made blacks look so good with this level of brightness, but they did.
enjoy it, great machine.

Guitarman,
Have you try out Sony Dynaclear screen yet? I was just wondering if you can use that screen and HD71 together to see how picture quality look? Even better, using those combo out door during day time? I had seen many review saiding HD71 have a very noisy with the fan and bulb tent to died easyly, it's true. I don't have HD71 yet but I have a Sony VPL-HS60 with noise on that baby is whisper quiet but when I upgrade to optoma HD70. The noise was noticeably loud and constant, the HD73 is even worse. How those model compare to HD71? Also, it's a smart decision to buy any Projector that not 1080P over $1000? I have seen Mitsubishi HC4900 selling for a merely $1499 and that a good deal. That price make me hault my decision to buy the HD71, should I wait or just go for and get the HD71. Enjoy bright screen now and regret later on if 1080P fall even lower than $1499?

guitarman, thanks. Yes this was with hd sources but with a slight v-shift was able to remove the lines. Still don't understand why hd scource would need finer tuning than a sd image. Anyway all is well.

Guitarman,
Have you try out Sony Dynaclear screen yet? I was just wondering if you can use that screen and HD71 together to see how picture quality look? Even better, using those combo out door during day time? I had seen many review saiding HD71 have a very noisy with the fan and bulb tent to died easyly, it's true. I don't have HD71 yet but I have a Sony VPL-HS60 with noise on that baby is whisper quiet but when I upgrade to optoma HD70. The noise was noticeably loud and constant, the HD73 is even worse. How those model compare to HD71? Also, it's a smart decision to buy any Projector that not 1080P over $1000? I have seen Mitsubishi HC4900 selling for a merely $1499 and that a good deal. That price make me hault my decision to buy the HD71, should I wait or just go for and get the HD71. Enjoy bright screen now and regret later on if 1080P fall even lower than $1499?

The HD71 is much quieter than the HD72 HD73 HD70, when it's in econo mode, bright mode sound is more like the others and even a little higher, bulbs are 200watts on the HD71 and the PJ feels cool to the touch after it's been on for hours. PJ is still to new now for a track record on bulb wear. Mine has 60hours and is still bright like day one. People seem happy with the mits line, the Optoma is a new direction for DLP. At 2400 lumens for a HT designed projector this is a new standard and a first. I like this level of brighness, plenty of room to age. :)

The HD71 is much quieter than the HD72 HD73 HD70, when it's in econo mode, bright mode sound is more like the others and even a little higher, bulbs are 200watts on the HD71 and the PJ feels cool to the touch after it's been on for hours. PJ is still to new now for a track record on bulb wear. Mine has 60hours and is still bright like day one. People seem happy with the mits line, the Optoma is a new direction for DLP. At 2400 lumens for a HT designed projector this is a new standard and a first. I like this level of brighness, plenty of room to age. :)

Guitarmab, I got ask this question. HD DVD and Blu-Ray disc, which one offer better video quality? I had heard that HD DVD offer better quality than Blu-ray, since Blu-ray use Mpeg 2 for video and HD DVD use some other form of video compression. Do you have any insight on this? I am thinking about getting one of these High def for my projector but I want to get the best quality one. By the way, I have seen so many review from projector with HD DVD, why is that?

This one is very easy, as much as I love HD-DVD and it's menu systems (I'll miss it) HD-DVD from Toshiba is a dead business. They'll be no more HD-DVD players, soooo we're stuck with Blue Ray / Sony. I hate the Blue Ray reference, what the hey is a Blue Ray. HD-DVD logo sounds much cooler to me.

Buy yourself a Sony Playstation 3 and get a game player and high def player, it's a monopoly now. :(

Hi Guitarman,

Yeah I wasn't really sure when I posted the message, I'd only been playing with the projector for a few days.

Anyways I have 3 different setups right now.

1. PS3 feeding 720p through the projector via hdmi ( as the readout says :rolleyes:)

2. xbox360 via vga at 1024*768 ( suppose to upscale dvd with vga ? )

3. xbox360 via hdcp at 720p..

With all these settings, regular dvds look about all the same, when I watch them on the computer they look fine, but when I project, scenes that doesn't look blurry on the computer, they will on the projector, most of the closeup scenes have no problem, but when I see a blurry scene on the projector and watch the exact same scene on the pc, its clear.

Of course I've tried to focus it with the knob and through the menus, and again some of the scenes look blurry, some are fine.

BTW what is Avia or DVE ?


Avia and DVE are calibration dvd's used for setting up your audio and video.

Hi Guitarman,

Yeah I wasn't really sure when I posted the message, I'd only been playing with the projector for a few days.

Anyways I have 3 different setups right now.

1. PS3 feeding 720p through the projector via hdmi ( as the readout says :rolleyes:)

2. xbox360 via vga at 1024*768 ( suppose to upscale dvd with vga ? )

3. xbox360 via hdcp at 720p..

With all these settings, regular dvds look about all the same, when I watch them on the computer they look fine, but when I project, scenes that doesn't look blurry on the computer, they will on the projector, most of the closeup scenes have no problem, but when I see a blurry scene on the projector and watch the exact same scene on the pc, its clear.

Of course I've tried to focus it with the knob and through the menus, and again some of the scenes look blurry, some are fine.

It may be bothering you because the image is huge. With any video the center subject close up is nice and sharp, other actors say standing back 10feet or even less are blurry, the focus is mainly on the guy up front. Plus if your center subject is nice and sharp that says your focus tuning is right, background blur is normal.

Here's a good example from the HD65 review. You see the center subjects are sharp, notice Joe kane in the center background and the lady in the right background look blurry.
http://www.cigarbest.com/sales/optomahd654.jpg

I currently have a borrowed Dell MP2400 that has an excellent bright picture of 3000 lumens. I am looking at the HD71 and would like to know how that would compare to the HD71. I have a lot of ambient light in my room.

My current configuration with the MP2400 is a 130" 16x9 image projected on a plain wall at around 20' distance with both vertical and horizonal keystone adjustments.

If I purchase the HD71 and place it around 15' (centered) away from the wall to get a similar image would I get the same type of brightness? I am also thinking of purchasing a large screen.

Any comments would be appreciated

The HD71 will be plenty bright, the main difference is the color will be way better and the blacks / black detail.

Guitarman, Do you know any good calbiration software that I can buy? I got optoma HD projector and Dynaclear screen. It's a pain it butt to calbirate the PJ, don't really know how?

I saw a new Avia Guide To Home Theater on the shelves just recently pick that one up. You can probably find it at Amazon.

I'll throw this up on this thread also.

"I tuned up the grayscale to D65k here's what I got. I used the Tosh AX2 and Colorfacts with a Eyeone Beamer which is an excellent color meter.
http://www.cigarbest.com/sales/optomahd71d65k.jpg

First off zero brilliant color, zero True Vivid, and using PC gamma which came closer to 2.2reference gamma.

HDMI/720p
Cinema
contrast -7
Brightness -6
Color 10
Tinit 0
Sharpness 0

Advanced Degamma PC
BC 0
TV 0
CT warm
AI off

RGB gains/bias
RG 0
GG -5
BG -7
RB -1
GB -1
BB 0

Take a look and see if these numbers can make a better difference. If you want everything back to the way it was hit the reset function in the options menu. Or you could note down what you had if you had already made changes."

The HD71 will be plenty bright, the main difference is the color will be way better and the blacks / black detail.

Guitarman,
You talked me into it.
Ordered the HD71 from Costco this morning and it should arrive in 2 days.

A question for Tom

In Europe, Optoma under Themescene are advertising an HD75

http://www.themescene.tv/uploads/brochures/HD75-B-en-gb.pdf

which looks very much like the HD71, but is only 1400 lumens (less than the HD65).

Can your friends in Optoma shed more light on this one? Does this have BC 2 or is this using a conventional RGBRGB colour wheel?

Thanks

John

It's exactly the same as the HD71, 200watt bulb BC II and will have the RGBCYM color wheel, the 1400lumens they state is Film optimized tuning. They're right there when you use Cinema you will tone down the enourmous brightness which is good. If you want full blast like for the daytime hours you can use the bright choice and even bright bulb which will put you at the 2400 lumen level. Good for TV Sports, daytime video games etc.

I saw a new Avia Guide To Home Theater on the shelves just recently pick that one up. You can probably find it at Amazon.

Thank You Guitarman! I am going to sell all my projector and keep only my Optoma HD70 and Dynaclear screen. I am going to wait until 1080P goes down to $1500.00 price range. Right now two of the 1080P that I really like to get my hand on are Sanyo Z2000 and Panasonic AE2000. The review look very good for those model. I am going to buy the AVI guide to home theater and hope it's simple enought for me. Thank again Guitarman! You are the master of PJ and I am your grass hopper:) Oh, one last question, do you know why Optoma HD72 PJ would turn on to Optoma screen than suddently turn off? It's the bulb hours limited reach? I borrow a new bulb and install to HD72 and it work fine but when I put in the old bulb, it died again. I want to buy a new bulb so badly but so far, I can't seem to find any retail that would sell a new bulb for $250. Do you know any cheap store out on web?

hi i bought the HD710 from costco with the 92in diag screen

my room is 14 feet wide and 13 feet deep

now should i place the projector in the cieling at 10.5 feet for the best picture?? if so how close can a couch be put to see the screen clearly?

as well i have never seen a projector display in a room before

if i arange couches along the side of the room will the screen be easy to see from the side?

thanks for the info guys

Is the hd71 shelf mountable?

ALso, how are the dynaclear screens in the day time? I saw the youtube video, but is it that good?

I received my HD71 today. I bought from a on line store in Texas and the proj shipped out of Chicago. It took two days.

Background: I have been using the HP XB31 since 2002 and a 10 ft. wide Da-Lite High Power screen. I used the vga input for a long time and last year went to a DVI-D connection. The projector still has the original 150w lamp with over 10,000 hours. I don't know for sure because the memory resets during lightning strikes. The picture was pretty and sharp until the bearing on the color wheel went out and the wheel shattered. Now it's black and white.

Until my new cable arrives, I'm back to using a VGA feed. The HD71 does a better job of grabbing an analog signal from a cheap extention cable. My color is not calibrated and I'm not going to bother; the defaults are fine. I'll fine tune with DVI-D.

As others have said, the HD71 is a light cannon. It arrived from the factory set in bright mode with the lamp on low (standard). My eyes are sunburned. I did not try it on high. I set the mode to Cinema and that cut the brightness. Before I bought, I saw the bulb was 200w. I popped the top and sure enough, the bulb was a German brand. So maybe I can avoid the failures.

The HD71 is whisper quiet. The light from the bulb is gathered more efficiently than the XB31. It puts out more heat, but mainly to the front where it can disperse better. I'm worried that the shutdown is only six seconds with the fan at full speed. It seems too short for a UHP mercury.

The color range on this machine is better than I have seen anywhere, even on a CRT system. The greens, blues, purples, and magentas are full and deep range. The greens could have come out of a magazine or from a CRT projector. One color I have never seen on any display is what looks like far violet as the spectrum tails off towards UV in a rainbow. I know from the sRGB color space that this is an illusion, but it is convincing.

I had to set up the HD71 two feet closer to the screen than the XB31. The pixels are the same size but the picture is wider and looks better. The only adjustment I had to do in my HTPC was changing subtitle placement in fddshow and vobsub.

I received my HD71 today. I bought from a on line store in Texas and the proj shipped out of Chicago. It took two days.

Background: I have been using the HP XB31 since 2002 and a 10 ft. wide Da-Lite High Power screen. I used the vga input for a long time and last year went to a DVI-D connection. The projector still has the original 150w lamp with over 10,000 hours. I don't know for sure because the memory resets during lightning strikes. The picture was pretty and sharp until the bearing on the color wheel went out and the wheel shattered. Now it's black and white.

Until my new cable arrives, I'm back to using a VGA feed. The HD71 does a better job of grabbing an analog signal from a cheap extention cable. My color is not calibrated and I'm not going to bother; the defaults are fine. I'll fine tune with DVI-D.

As others have said, the HD71 is a light cannon. It arrived from the factory set in bright mode with the lamp on low (standard). My eyes are sunburned. I did not try it on high. I set the mode to Cinema and that cut the brightness. Before I bought, I saw the bulb was 200w. I popped the top and sure enough, the bulb was a German brand. So maybe I can avoid the failures.

The HD71 is whisper quiet. The light from the bulb is gathered more efficiently than the XB31. It puts out more heat, but mainly to the front where it can disperse better. I'm worried that the shutdown is only six seconds with the fan at full speed. It seems too short for a UHP mercury.

The color range on this machine is better than I have seen anywhere, even on a CRT system. The greens, blues, purples, and magentas are full and deep range. The greens could have come out of a magazine or from a CRT projector. One color I have never seen on any display is what looks like far violet as the spectrum tails off towards UV in a rainbow. I know from the sRGB color space that this is an illusion, but it is convincing.

I had to set up the HD71 two feet closer to the screen than the XB31. The pixels are the same size but the picture is wider and looks better. The only adjustment I had to do in my HTPC was changing subtitle placement in fddshow and vobsub.

Could you post some picture up please?

I have my HTPC connected to my HD71 via VGA.
I noticed that some area's of the screen look slightly blurred
only when viewing text, would there be any
advantage to connecting through DVI vs. VGA ?
also its approx 25' run from the proj to the HTPC.

BTW, Love this projector.. but I am finding more and more
that during high contrast scenes I see so many rainbows
and I had not been bothered by rainbows till now..
I guess its due the the high brightness/contrast of this unit?

philttz:
You are too excited about the new projector. Give it a few weeks and you won't notice. Yes, high contrast with opposite colors are the worst, but I have to look to see them.

The text is blurred probably from the proj being in Letterbox or 16:9 mode. Push the Native button on the remote. The proj reports itself to the PC as a 1280x768 monitor. I haven't checked, but I think the actual display is 1280x720, for whatever reason. If you are not in Native mode, the machine remaps the 768 into 720 and the scan lines are single in places and double in places. That's the vertical.

Horizonal, 25 feet is a long run and reflections likely due to minor impedance mismatches. If that's the problem, try reducing the scan rate from 'optimal' or 'adapter default' to something way below 85 Hz. Doing this affects the update refresh into proj memory, but not the flicker you see on the screen. That is fixed by the color wheel speed.

There is a major advantage connecting with DVI-D. There is a direct digital path to your eyes, no analog conversion. The colors and definition are crisp. It's like going from a low bit rate mp3 played over the phone to 24 bit audio.

On my old proj, I had a 18 ft. DVI-D cable (single link). When the PC was rebooting, I could see sparklies (I guess that's the terminology - data errors.). In settings for my card driver there is a box to check 'reduce data rate for high res', or some such, and it works. But I'd say if you can get full data rate over 25 feet, great. You should search for other threads about DVI-D runs without a booster. I'm going to a 15 ft cable. If the data rate is lowered to accomodate the lenght, you may lose parts of frames in extreme action scenes.

Great new owners get to see the power the HD71 has. Searing punch burn your retinas out, enjoy :) What a change for a low priced projector. Give them more brightness than has ever been available on a HT DLP projector. Great idea

So guitarman is/was an HD-DVD fanboy? lol.



This one is very easy, as much as I love HD-DVD and it's menu systems (I'll miss it) HD-DVD from Toshiba is a dead business. They'll be no more HD-DVD players, soooo we're stuck with Blue Ray / Sony. I hate the Blue Ray reference, what the hey is a Blue Ray. HD-DVD logo sounds much cooler to me.

Buy yourself a Sony Playstation 3 and get a game player and high def player, it's a monopoly now. :(

For sure, they were first for quite some time, gave me HD-DVE - very useful for a calibrator. I'll miss it but will use what I have. Sony actually saved me some money, no need to get more involved now got enough.

Tubes still sound better, I like that. Just finished listening to records on my Rega Planer and Fisher 40watt a channel intergated Tube amp from the 60's. Music doesn't get better you're right. It works that way with guitar amp also. :)

Hi Guitarman,

I finally had time to post up some pics of the problem I'm describing, some screens of close up shots, which obviously are good.

http://img158.imageshack.us/img158/968/img0172fq6.jpg

http://img117.imageshack.us/img117/5467/img0174oe4.jpg

http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/3323/img0184qk1.jpg

http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/2190/img0195wu6.jpg

Now here is the problem that I'm describing.

http://img184.imageshack.us/img184/4062/img0187hb1.jpg

http://img128.imageshack.us/img128/6789/img0190eu3.jpg

These 2 scenes looked VERY blurry when I was watching them, looks a little better on camera but you'll get the idea.

http://img117.imageshack.us/img117/631/46248913bh6.jpg

http://img117.imageshack.us/img117/5070/12842340pz1.jpg


All the pics were taken with the same settings on the projector, nothing tweaked, displaying on my wall, via PS3 HDMI

hi

i have never had a projector just wondering where do i put it? how far from the wall?

i have couches on the side as well is the projector very visable from there?


please let me know

thanks

How does the brightness compare to the HD1000u?

Newbie here!
I am doing a backyard theater. I was ready to purchase a EP1691 then found this thread. I am going to use a Gemmy screen 144" and use a PS3 as the dvd player. So given what I want to do, is the HD71 worth th few extra bucks?
Thanks
-Joe

I also am trying to find out what the big differences are between the two pj's of the hd71 and the ep1691. It seems like these are them so far:

1691 has a 2x color wheel and the 71 has a 4x
the hd 71 has a lower noise rating
the hd 71 has a few more imputs
The bulbs for the 1691 seem to be a little cheaper

One thing of note is infocus is coming out with a new projector next week the work big in2106 that is only missing the HDMI input and 1080p conversion that has bulbs for less than 200 bucks.

Well my HD71 showed up yesterday:)
So all I need is my PS3 and I'm ready to go.

-Joe

Not much activity on this forum. I hope everyone did not return their HD71. I received mine a couple weeks ago and I am seeing the same out of focus issues that have been reported here at least by 2 owners. I am also a H30 owner and never experienced anything like this before. This appears to be a problem with the upconversion in the HD71. 480p signals seem to be the most effected although I have not tried a 720p signal. It is definately not an optical focus issue since it appears frame by frame for certain types of scenes. 1 frame will be OK and the next frame will be bad. For 1080i sources such as from my HDDVD it seems to me much less evident but I think it is still happening to some degree. I will try to isolate some scenes that produce this problem.

If I compare this unit to my H30 you can definately see the brightness improvement at the expense of a brighter background. Not sure which one I prefer yet. Detail seems better for 1080i sources. For 480P it is terrible due to this issue with non optical focus. It is intermittent since as I mentioned it only occurs for some scenes but it is really annoying once you notice it. H30 also seemed to have better skintones even after very careful calibration usiing AVIA and DVE.
I agree with guitarman that this unit is very sensitive to contrast levels. If you are a little off the picture suffers dramatically. On the H30 you could see above black and above white on the DVE grey scale. On the HD71 you cannot see below black or above white. If you use AVIA to adjust contrast so that you can barelhy see the second white bar this is way too high for the HD71 and most everything you watch will crush white. I ended up having to use the white lapel on the gal in restaurant on the DVE reference material. If you adjust your contrast so this lapel will not crush the whites it will look good for most material. I also agree that PC gamma is better than Film Gamma.

Did anyone confirm if a firmware upgrade was put in place to fix this focus problem? Has Optoma acknowledged that this is a problem?

Couple of other details regarding the HD71 story in my previous note:

I use a 1080i HD DVD DVE calibration disk for most things. I just double checked the contrast on the regular DVD AVIA disk which was upconverted by the HD DVD player to 1080i.

I am also using component input so I do not know if this is better or worse using HDMI. I will switch to HDMI once I get the cables.

Hello there,
I have an OPtoma TV model RD65, I was working on the mirror tunnel ( shawdow on the right), now the shawdow is fixed, but now some fine white vertical lines come out all across the screen and I can't get access to the DATA menu, before I fixed the right shawdow everyting was working fine, please help.
thank you very much
Icom.

Edit: here's a big change things item I missed. If you still see noise for HT movie watching turn down or all the way down the brilliant color item. Then just use brilliant color for TV watching, or daytime sports.

Thank you! I just got mine up and was calibrating, and everything looked great except for the insane amount of grain noise. I turned the BC all the way down and it is completely gone!

On an unrelated note, how do you check your firmware version? And is it upgradable?

Well the rainbows and accompanying headaches and dizziness got to be too much, so I returned it today and got a Mitsubishi HC5500.

I am very happy with my new HD-71.

I upgraded from an Optoma 739 (XGA) 5 days ago after using it for 4000 hours. Went from a 67" wide Stewart 1.3 to 80" wide Elite 1.0 screen at the same time.

I do not have a PS3 (used for the blurry pictures above), but on my Moto HD cablebox, two HD tuners and a progressive DVD player, the PQ is outstanding. Brightness and colors are improved over the 739. Even old LD's are watchable via s-video (but boring compared to HD).

With Image AI or high lamp mode, fan noise is audible (I sit directly below) but not objectionable (my LaserDisc player is noisier). To get better bulb life, I stick with low lamp and it projector is not audible with a normal sound track - a low hum with no sound track.

This is my third DLP pj and I can confirm that RBE exists - I used to see it occasionally, but my brain seems to filter it out now (helped by a 4x color wheel). Out of dozens of friends and family who have watched my DLPs, only 1 person has suffered from RBE.

I do not have a light controlled room and even in the evening, we watch with lights on (this is our primary television). The HD-71 is fine for this and even in full daylight, we can watch sports with no issues. It comes close to being a 92" plasma.

I considered the HD65 as well, but when I found the 71 for the same price my decision was made.

JasG,

I'm really glad you posted this as I'm looking forward to getting one myself. Thanks.
A few questions if you would please:

1) what screen size do you have running with it?
2) if you have room and the pj isn't mounted, can you please see how a 143" size image looks like? that's what Im going with :-)
3) have you calibrated it yet or are you playing it with out-of-box settings?
4) what about SDE? how close would you say you would be from the screen before you see it?
5) do you think RBE would be cut drastically and maybe even vanished with a 120"-130"+ screen size?

Too many questions but I'd really appreciate it a lot. Thanks in advance.

I'm really glad you posted this as I'm looking forward to getting one myself. Thanks.
A few questions if you would please:

1) what screen size do you have running with it?
A1) As I said above, 80 inch wide (92 diagonal),

2) if you have room and the pj isn't mounted, can you please see how a 143" size image looks like? that's what Im going with :-)
A2) Sorry, too small and mounted anyway. I'll leave it to others with that size screen, I would consider it too dim.

3) have you calibrated it yet or are you playing it with out-of-box settings?
A3) Mostly out of the box - dialed down Brilliant Color a bit. I just don't spend much time on tweaking - gives me more time watching :)

4) what about SDE? how close would you say you would be from the screen before you see it?
A4) 3 feet. SDE is a non-issue these days.

5) do you think RBE would be cut drastically and maybe even vanished with a 120"-130"+ screen size?
A5) I don't experience RBE and have never seen it related to screen size. Others may have more opinions than I.

Too many questions but I'd really appreciate it a lot. Thanks in advance. As closing advice, don't overthink this. An old friend used to claim that music lovers listened to music on their stereos - but audiophiles listened to distortion. Those of us who are Videophiles (vidiots?) are susceptible to the same disorder. Make sure you spend your time watching movies!

2) if you have room and the pj isn't mounted, can you please see how a 143" size image looks like? that's what Im going with :-)
You must have large room - in my room, with a standard 8 foot ceiling, the combination of screenheight and offset would put the bottom of the screen on the floor (or below).

5) do you think RBE would be cut drastically and maybe even vanished with a 120"-130"+ screen size?
A5) I don't experience RBE and have never seen it related to screen size. Others may have more opinions than I.

As closing advice, don't overthink this. An old friend used to claim that music lovers listened to music on their stereos - but audiophiles listened to distortion. Those of us who are Videophiles (vidiots?) are susceptible to the same disorder. Make sure you spend your time watching movies!

Thanks JasG for a detailed reply. I really appreciate it a lot :)

In my RBE question, what I actually meant was given the screen size I'm going with, lumens will be cut down to about 600 or so, and this cut in brightness will ease RBE a lot if someone is prone to it. As I understand it, RBE is a DLP related issue and the color wheel speed is the main culprit, and if the DLP pj is of higher lumens e.g. say 1600+ RBE will be worse as brightness does play a role too. The HD71 has 4x speed color wheel so I guess that's ok, but the higher lumens i.e. 2400 will make it pretty obvious. Am I right in my thinking? Maybe not, as I haven't used DLP pj's before, only LCD's. So I'm not sure if I'm in the 5% who see them :o

But, I'll have to agree with your closing advice :D Great philosophy! Thanks :)

You must have large room - in my room, with a standard 8 foot ceiling, the combination of screenheight and offset would put the bottom of the screen on the floor (or below).

My rooms size is 16ft W X 25ft L X 11ft H so yeah I can go with a 143" screen size in 16X9 ratio and that's half of the fun :)

My actual screen is DIY 14ft wide 2.40:1 AT scope screen which will be coupled with a DIY anamorphic lens :D

HD71 is my choice now based on the rated lumens which I need really badly, plus it's HD65's bigger brother which was my choice in the first place :cool:

It's exactly the same as the HD71, 200watt bulb BC II and will have the RGBCYM color wheel, the 1400lumens they state is Film optimized tuning. They're right there when you use Cinema you will tone down the enourmous brightness which is good. If you want full blast like for the daytime hours you can use the bright choice and even bright bulb which will put you at the 2400 lumen level. Good for TV Sports, daytime video games etc.

how would you explain advertised contrast ratio difference HD71 ( 1:4000, 1:3000) and HD75 ( 1:5000) .. as far as I can see HD75 does not have built-in speaker as well

1) My room is pretty small, and one window with very limited light. Would I be safe with HD65 or do you recommend me to spend the extra $200 to by the HD71?

2) I have a little problem! The room I am planning to use HD71 or HD65 is approximatly 19ft Long. BUT, 12ft from the wall that I will display the image is a beam that runs across the width 1ft down from the ceiling :(

So, can I install the projector at 15ft by bringing the projector down further and then try to tilt projector up so the picture miss the beam!? lol

1) My room is pretty small, and one window with very limited light. Would I be safe with HD65 or do you recommend me to spend the extra $200 to by the HD71?Sounds as if you are light controlled, so the extra brightness of the HD71 might not be needed - will depend on your screen size.

2) I have a little problem! The room I am planning to use HD71 or HD65 is approximatly 19ft Long. BUT, 12ft from the wall that I will display the image is a beam that runs across the width 1ft down from the ceiling :(

So, can I install the projector at 15ft by bringing the projector down further and then try to tilt projector up so the picture miss the beam!? lolMy HD71 is mounted so that the lens is 11" from the ceiling. This works with the required offset and my screen size/position. Just do the math for your screen and you'll have the answer. I don't think you should tilt the projector, keystone adjustment would be needed and that degrades the image - especially if you use the PJ for computer display.

I couldn't believe the price.

Best Buy wouldn't match the price! $1,149
Costco don't match price either! $1,299
Circuit City $899. I think you can also save 5% by using Microsoft Live Search Cashback!!
Go to Live Search http://www.live.com and search for Circuit City, then click the link from there and finish the transaction with Circuit City and then I guess I will get 5% back from Microsoft Live Search Cashback!!!Che

Cheers.

Can anyone tell me what this projector does when you feed it 1080p?

My current InFocus sp5000 says 'invalid signal' or something. Will the HD71 display a picture?

TIA

hey guys how much should I sell my optoma hd71 with 19 hours on it??? I don't have a clue as to how much it should go for on AVS classifieds.

i know it can accept a 1080p signal but it will of course down-rez it to 720p...

Ryan

Interested in what settings others are using for both films and sports .

Interested in what settings others are using for both films and sports .
I am mostly using the default settings. Display mode is set to Cinema, degamma to PC, BrilliantColor to 7, TrueVivid to 1, ColorTemp medium, Image AI off, Colorspace auto, and Source Lock on. All of this is with DVI-D only and gives a realistic look to movies and jpgs from my camera.

I have 2065 hours on the lamp with it set to STD brightness (dim). The picture looks as good as when new. Also the projector is driven by an ATI Radeon and I have a 120" wide Hi-power glass bead screen.

I am mostly using the default settings. Display mode is set to Cinema, degamma to PC, BrilliantColor to 7, TrueVivid to 1, ColorTemp medium, Image AI off, Colorspace auto, and Source Lock on. All of this is with DVI-D only and gives a realistic look to movies and jpgs from my camera.

I have 2065 hours on the lamp with it set to STD brightness (dim). The picture looks as good as when new. Also the projector is driven by an ATI Radeon and I have a 120" wide Hi-power glass bead screen.

Do you use the projector for TV at all - news, sports, animation etc.? I'm doing fine with the defaults, just wondering if I should use different settings for different media. Have had the pj for over a year and loving it.

Alright ive been lurking around these forums looking for a good projector for outdoor use and this has been recommended several times here. Im mostly leaning towards it because its so bright im sure we will be able to throw it 30ish feet and still get a great picture, but im just wondering about audio. Obviously the 10watt or whatever internal speaker isnt going to sound that great, so is there any sort of audio output on the projector, it doesnt look like there is, so would the only option be to get a separate receiver for the speakers?

It's mostly for my parents who arent too worried about audio quality and they dont want to deal with a receiver, so i wouldnt mind if it had like a 3.5mm output and i could just plug it into some computer speakers or something. But i looked over the specs and it doesnt seem like there is anything like that... so would the internal speaker be able to put out enough audio for like 5 people tops to enjoy?

so would the internal speaker be able to put out enough audio for like 5 people tops to enjoy?Nope. At the very least, you'll need to plug a set of computer style speakers into your cable box. Ideally, you'd run the sound though a home audio system.

Make sure your parents understand the concept of bulb wear on a projector - it is not like a TV you turn on and off several times a day. My understanding is simply turning it on is the equivalent of an hour of use. Do that 5 or 6 times a day and use the bulb up in a year +/-.

are replacement lamps easy to get a hold of in canada?

Hi, Im thinking about picking up this projector. A lot of owners who bought it then havent posted how the unit is holding up at the moment. Can i know how this projector has performed over a year or two ? Thanks

Hi, Im thinking about picking up this projector. A lot of owners who bought it then havent posted how the unit is holding up at the moment. Can i know how this projector has performed over a year or two ? Thanks

1500hrs on mine, only issue was a flickering problem that has since gone away, couldn't be happier with this projector. I was thinking about upgrading to the new HD20 1080p, but it seems the specs on the HD71 are still better, other than increased res.

Philttz >

Flickering ?? Oh my. Was it due to the AI ?

How is the image quality. Have you travelled with it quite a lot or has it been in just one place throughout (cause im planning to use this about 4 times in a month at different locations).

Thanks

Chrome Sushi >

I only shift between 720p and 768p depending on the source material. Otherwise I keep all settings the same.

plainman007 >

Philttz may be talkiing about the flickering that is a characteristic of high pressure metal halide lamps that pops up not too often. You will find this in most projectors. It is caused by the arc twisting and changing shape and isn't that big of a deal. It seems to be caused by votes in the Senate, phases of the moon, and magnetic fields of solar flares, not to mention the power.

The most important things I do to care for the lamp are:
1) keep the proj cleaned out for good air flow.
2) let it cool off half an hour before moving it.
3) do not start it and shut it down a couple of minutes later.

If you read up on the bulbs, you will find you should let them run at least 20 minutes to let the internal metal redeposition cycle to work on the electrodes. I run mine over 12 hours a day and have 2300 hours on the 71.

The image quality is fantastic if you are using DVI-D or HDMI, and just okay with vga, but then, analog is obsolete.

Daventry > DVI-D would render more quality than DVI-I ? Is this dual link or single link or that doesnt make a difference ?

Also if i have a device which outputs HDMI ver1.1 what happens ?

Thanks

I'm thinking of getting one but does the HD71 have the same RGBCMY color wheel and speed as the HD65? If so, the RBE drives me crazy. On the other hand I'm fine with the 4X RGBRGB wheel on the HD200x/HD20

I think its a six segment , 6x speed wheel from the few reviews ive read. But there are guys here who actually own the unit and might know better.

plainman007> I haven't torn into the HD71 and looked at the wheel, but it's much less flicker than the X2 of years back, though I am easing back on the coffee.

On the HDMI, read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hdmi for the different types. The HD71 is v1.3, which means it can receive full 1080p over a single link cable. I am using 720p on DVI-D single link which is native and more than enough and is more like the HDMI v1.1 the way I have it set up. DVI-I is just like DVI-D, except it also has analog RGB. I am thinking that if you use a DVI-I cable, the projector and HTPC may link up using analog. Maybe not. But the main thing is that the digital signal is miles above the analog in clarity. With DVI, a lot of the older flat panel monitors used the new connector, but were still using the VGA signals.


The advantage of a dual link is you can have a longer cable at a reduced data rate. I have not been a situation to try a dual link on the HD71.

I heard they've discontinued the HD71 here in Asia. That was the only PJ whhich had some decent brightness and i was thinking of getting it as my 2nd projector. Now theyre introducing some new PJs is what ive heard. Probably 150-200 lumens models....lol.

Hi, Im thinking about picking up this projector. A lot of owners who bought it then havent posted how the unit is holding up at the moment. Can i know how this projector has performed over a year or two ? ThanksOnly 6 months and 500 hours, but still very happy.

I use Component, HDMI and DVI-D inputs (have not tried DVI-I and the other analog inputs).

Second high output Optoma, I have a non-controlled light environment and a 92" screen so I appreciate the high lumens.

Hey all,

I have an Onkyo SR805 (I have had it for about a year and a half) receiver, here is my setup, and then the problem.

Sources to the receiver:

Xbox360, connected via HDMI
XA2, connected via HDMI
BD30, connected via HDMI
DirecTV, conected via Component

Output to the projector is a single HDMI.

I had been running a Panny AE900, up until tonight.

Tonight I switched out to a new Optoma HD71, and now I have a problem in the setup somehow.

I kind of thought just swap the projectors, but noooooo...

Now, the Xbox (720p) and the DirecTV (variable based on channel, but including 720p) are fine. However, the XA2 and BD30 are no good. Neither is watchable. The BD30 is visible, but very fuzzy, and the XA2 is barely visible and a rainbow of colors.

To test, I ran the HDMI direct to the HD71 from each component, and the picture looks great. The issue only comes up now when the signal is going through the 805.

I realize this is most likely a problem in the SR805's sending of the signal, but wanted to post here as well since different folks view different areas of the forum.

Any thoughts on what may be happening?


PS - Sorry for the cross posting for those who visit the other areas...

I just picked up a Denon 1610 and connected it to my Optoma HD71 projector via an HDMI cable. My inputs the the 1610 are DVD connected via HDMI, a Wii connected by analog video (composite), and a cable box connected via analog video. The DVD picture is great, but the Wii and cable box picture is a green, purple, and black/white mess. I’ve tried two different 1610s with the same outcome. Is the projector and 1610 incompatible, or could it be something else like my HDMI cable?

My understanding is simply turning it on is the equivalent of an hour of use. Do that 5 or 6 times a day and use the bulb up in a year +/-.

Is this true? So if I'm just leaving the room for 30 minutes I should leave the PJ on?

Is this true? So if I'm just leaving the room for 30 minutes I should leave the PJ on?Two hours is my rule of thumb, but this blog (http://theprojectorblog.blogspot.com/2008/06/tired-of-buying-new-expensive-bulbs-for.html) says one hour. The key factor is allowing the bulb to cool for an hour before using it again. Here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=802179) is another thread.

I can't find the reference to each strike equaling an hour of life, will update this if I find it.

Are owners finding the image too bright in a completely dark room? I have a 96" screen (1.2 gain Firehawk) and am looking for an inexpensive replacement projector. Looks like it might fit the bill, but I don't want it to burn my eyes out. I sit about 12' from the screen.

Are owners finding the image too bright in a completely dark room? I have a 96" screen (1.2 gain Firehawk) and am looking for an inexpensive replacement projector. Looks like it might fit the bill, but I don't want it to burn my eyes out. I sit about 12' from the screen.No worries - that is my seating distance to a 92" screen.

I just picked up a Denon 1610 and connected it to my Optoma HD71 projector via an HDMI cable. My inputs the the 1610 are DVD connected via HDMI, a Wii connected by analog video (composite), and a cable box connected via analog video. The DVD picture is great, but the Wii and cable box picture is a green, purple, and black/white mess. I’ve tried two different 1610s with the same outcome. Is the projector and 1610 incompatible, or could it be something else like my HDMI cable?What happens if you take the 1610 out of the picture - when direct connected to the HD71 how do the Wii and Cable box look?

I'd guess that the 1610 upconverts those analog signals to HDMI and that may be the issue.

Why don't you use a digital (HDMI/DVI-D) or at least component connection from the cable box?

I use an older Denon which upconverts to component and every analog composite or s-video signal has worked. I only use a direct HDMI from my Samsung ATSC tuner.

JasG,

both Wii and cable box work when connected to the projector. Also, the cable box I have only has the analog video output. I've sent the 1610 back, and have a Onkyo HT-RC160 on order.

Just wanted to say I've just recently become a member of the HD71 Owner Club :) Anyone with a BestBuy locally, check out to see if they have the HD71 in stock. In the Fargo area, it was on clearance for half the price, so $650 was a deal I thought, along with the 4 year replacement plan for $200.

Has anyone noticed any overheating issues with their HD71? Mine seems to do it once every few days. It isn't exactly in too cramped a space, not much different from being ceiling mounted or having it shelf mounted. Just curious, currently have a 100cfm can cooling it :confused:

I just picked up an HD71 for the family Christmas gift. I'm now planning the install in our attic bonus room. The family wants to set this up so that while watching movies, we have the feel of sitting on the front row of a theater. I'm looking for any experience and advice on getting the best out of this projector on a budget.

The room is a attic bonus room that is quite dark on it's own. It is a game room and hobby room that is used often. The space I have for the projector is about 20X20 and I'll be able to mount the projector about 17' away from the screen. The screen will have to be either ceiling mounted or portable as it has to be hidden when not in use.

Here's a few questions:

1. Screen. I'm looking at a Elite Screens 16:9 Manual Pull Down 150" screen but heard it had issues with waves. I thought about hanging a fixed frame screen from hooks on the ceiling so it could be pulled up out of the way when not in use. Thoughts or suggestions on a screen?

2. Mounting the projector: I want to ceiling mount the projector. I plan to mount it 17' from the screen so I can get the 150" size. There is a ceiling fan with no light right in the middle of where I want to mount the projector and where the screen will be. The fan hangs down 20" from the ceiling. I read in the manual where the projector should be mounted 4" to 13" from the ceiling. What are the issues on mounting the projector? Shouldn't it be mounted in relation to the screen and not just a certain distance from the ceiling?

Thanks for any help!

Dennis

i have owned 4 projectors in 4 years previous to the hd71 and i have been pleasantly surprised with the picture and how much brightness matters when available in abundance. I know their are better quality pictures out there but i will never dismiss again the importance of brightness. my previous unit was the Panasonic ax200u and this is substantially brighter which makes its use in my living room perfect. less fan noise than the panasonic but miss the zoom and lens shift.....

What are the issues on mounting the projector? Shouldn't it be mounted in relation to the screen and not just a certain distance from the ceiling?

Thanks for any help!

DennisYou should take a look at the Optoma calculator (http://www.optomausa.com/distancecalculator.asp).

Your screen size will dictate the possible mounting location for the projector.

The horizontal position will fall into the zoom range for a given screen width.

The vertical position will be a set distance above the top of the screen. That position is called the 'vertical offset' and is calculated as a percentage of the screen height. Keystone adjustment can be used to overcome an improper vertical offset, but at the cost of image quality.

Instructions state Native 720p.
Sell card at Costco states Native 720p, HD1080p compatible.
Connects to HD cable boxes, satellite boxes, Blu-ray DVD players, etc.
Not correct!
Works with composite video input but not with HDMI – so no HD!

Optoma service – Can only contact by phone message or e-mail.
First answer: “Use shorter HDMI cable”. Did not work. April 07, 2010
Second answer: “Try 720p connection”. Did not work. April 12, 2010
No further follow up. Certainly not satisfied with Optoma customer service.
HD71 is not 1080p compatible!
Third contact by Optoma – Return product to update. April 14, 2010.

Purchased an ACER H7530D, full 1080p – 2,000 lumens.
Cost more – but worked on first try. Perfect picture.

Comment. From reading AVS forum, it is obvious that Optoma are aware
of this problem but refuse to admit they have a problem.
Optoma is a Taiwan company – HD71 produced in China.
Typical Chinese mindset – They expect you to purchase a product that has
to be fixed before you can use it.