The following settings were arrived at using only the Ovation Software Avia Guide to Home Theater standard-definition DVD. I am projecting a 92" diagonal image on a flat white surface with varying interior lighting. The only input I currently utilize is Component, with my sources being a Denon DVD-5910 DVD player, an Xbox 360 with HD-DVD drive, and a Sony Playstation 3. The calibration disc was fed via the internal DVD drive of the Xbox 360 (I find it helpful to have my calibration disc in this drive and a demo disc on the HD-DVD drive because I can switch between the two quickly without changing source components, which could introduce other variables).

I have made adjustments to some of the standard color modes that are preprogrammed into the unit. In each instance, I allowed the projector to fully warm up before beginning and did my calibration in the context of the intended viewing conditions. Dynamic mode was adjusted with significant ambient daylight coming from unobstructed windows, which cast light perpendicularly to the screen. Living Room mode was adjusted with controlled daylight, but with three 40W lamps on. Theatre Black 1 was adjusted in total darkness, but with white walls, reflected light was not ideal.

Note that I have not adjusted Sharpness yet, but I will post my results when I do. Also, I am not completely familiar with how the Epson's settings impact one another. I do know that under Input Adjustment, you may either choose to adjust White Level/Black Level or Brightness/Contrast, but you cannot impact both simultaneously. My guess is these are identical, but use names that may be more familiar to one set of users or another. Within Color Adjustment -> RGB/RGBCMY, you may adjust either RGB or RGBCMY; not both. This seems odd to me as RGB should be a grayscale adjustment and RGBCMY should be a Hue and Saturation adjustment (and they are marked as such in their units), but if you select RGB, the image reflects one color palette, while choosing RGBCMY will alter the image to a different palette. Why this is, I do not know, but perhaps we will find out in time. For my purposes, I select the RGBCMY setting and make adjustments based on this as I have no way of accurately calibrating grayscale offset and gain for the primaries. Color Adjustment -> Gamma may be altered, but this setting will always show "Customized" if you tinker with the other Color Adjustment settings.

Color Mode: Dynamic
Input Adjustment -> Brightness/Contrast -> Brightness = -7
Input Adjustment -> Brightness/Contrast -> Contrast = 1
Color Saturation = -4
Tint = -2
Color Adjustment -> Abs. Color Temp. = 6500K
Color Adjustment -> Skin Tone = 3
Color Adjustment -> RGB/RGBCMY -> RGBCMY ->
R Hue = -58
R Saturation = 13
G Hue = 0
G Saturation = 2
B Hue = -28
B Saturation = 6
C Hue = 12
C Saturation = 4
M Hue = 1
M Saturation = 10
Y Hue = 11
Y Saturation = -5
Auto Iris = On

Color Mode: Living Room
Input Adjustment -> Brightness/Contrast -> Brightness = -6
Input Adjustment -> Brightness/Contrast -> Contrast = 2
Color Saturation = -24
Tint = -2
Color Adjustment -> Abs. Color Temp. = 6500K
Color Adjustment -> Skin Tone = 4
Color Adjustment -> RGB/RGBCMY -> RGBCMY ->
R Hue = -58
R Saturation = 13
G Hue = 0
G Saturation = 2
B Hue = -28
B Saturation = 6
C Hue = 12
C Saturation = 4
M Hue = 1
M Saturation = 10
Y Hue = 11
Y Saturation = -5
Auto Iris = On

Color Mode: Theatre Black 1
Input Adjustment -> Brightness/Contrast -> Brightness = -7
Input Adjustment -> Brightness/Contrast -> Contrast = 2
Color Saturation = 1
Tint = 1
Color Adjustment -> Abs. Color Temp. = 6500K
Color Adjustment -> Skin Tone = 3
Color Adjustment -> RGB/RGBCMY -> RGBCMY ->
R Hue = -58
R Saturation = 13
G Hue = 0
G Saturation = 2
B Hue = -28
B Saturation = 6
C Hue = 12
C Saturation = 4
M Hue = 1
M Saturation = 10
Y Hue = 11
Y Saturation = -5
Auto Iris = On

That's the extent of what I've done thus far. Again, I'm not yet certain as to the interplay of the various settings, and, as you can see, it seems that I am tied to a single set of RGBCMY settings, but there may be a way to customize this for each mode that I've yet to discover. At any rate, I hope it proves useful, and I certainly encourage others to experiment and post their findings as they quite possibly (and more than likely) will provide even better results!

Please note that I have striven for the best possible cinematic image. I don't watch sports on this projector (I save that for the plasma), and I don't watch much video-based television material. There is a different chromatic ideal for such source material so please do not expect that my suggestions will yield a pleasing rendering of such programming.

skablaw,

I really like how you calibrated for the different enviroments. I will do the same when I get around to this stage.

I was going to approach this a little bit differently. My intention was to start with Art's www.projectorreviews.com settings for gray scale and then go through with my Avia, etc and make my adjustments. I understand that you can't accept another projector's gray scale settings as perfect for your personal machine, but it seems no more arbitrary to me than accepting the factory defaults as a starting point for everybody to compare settings. When I made the adjustments that Art made, I was quite pleased with the results.

What do you think?

Thanks for the settings. I am just starting to play around. Skblaw. They seemed to darken Theater Black up a bit too much for me while watching Gladiator. I am alos having a bit of trouble switching to and from the memory setting and the original theater black 1 setting. I am going to have to read over the manual a little closer.

Good to see this thread here, I'm about to pull the trigger on one of these and will try to post my own results.

I posted this in the calibration forum and thought I'd post here too:

"I got my first projector (an Epson Home Cinema 720), but am still waiting for cables to arrive so I haven't got to spend time with it. Anyway, reading the manual, the projector has brightness/contrast adjustments in one drop down menu, then black level/white level adjustments in another drop down menu.

This is my first projector and I'm coming from a Sony CRT RPTV. That TV only had brightness/contrast adjustments. With test discs, I feel I've gained a fairly good understanding of brightness/contrast and how to calibrate. Now I'm confused with the additional black/white level adjustments on the projector?"

skablaw, have you got to play around with the projector enough to see if they are indeed the same controls with different names? Hopefully, cables arrive mid-week and I want to dive in with calibration and have a better understanding before I start. Thanks!

skablaw, have you got to play around with the projector enough to see if they are indeed the same controls with different names? Thanks!

From what I can tell, the "Black Level" makes larger changes than "Contrast" does as it also darkens the overall picture. On the flip side of things, oddly enough, "White Level" makes finer adjustments than "Brightness" does and seems to mute the highlights.

From my experience so far with the HC720, I get better results using the Black/White Levels control than the other. Of course, YMMV depending on the screen and lighting conditions. ATM, I am using a 106" 1.2 gain flat white screen thumb tacked to the wall (has given pretty good results for the last 3 years with my old InFocus SP4800) but I will be upgrading to an Elite 1.1 gain light grey screen within the next couple of weeks to help out a little on those blackest blacks. ;)

BTW, I thought I would share my current HC720 settings if anyone cares to try them. Honestly, I think it looks rather real and natural. It's definately the best I've seen so far of any projector or TV.

Also, my screen is a 1.2 gain flat white, 106" and the room is completely dark while watching movies.


Color Mode: Theatre Black 1

Input Adjustment -> White/Black Levels ->
White Level = +7
Black Level = +3
Color Saturation = 0
Tint = 2

Color Adjustment ->
Abs. Color Temp. = 7000K
Skin Tone = 2
RGB/RGBCMY = RGBCMY

Sharpness Advance ->
High Band = +11
Low Band = +11
H-Sharpness = +6
V-Sharpness = +6

Gama = 2.2

Auto Iris = On


Let me know what you think if you try these settings.

Hello,

Happy as hell HC720 owner here. Here are some calibration numbers I have found work great (on my PJ, results may vary). These were done at the 100 hr mark on the bulb. So far so good, lets get this thread rolling, the more input the better.

Picture = color mode = Theater Black 1

Input adjustment = white/black = white level = -6
black level = +2

brightness/contrast = brightness = -1
contrast = -5

Color Saturation = +3

Tint = +3

Sharpness = Advanced = HBE +11
LBE +11
H Sharp +7
V Sharp +7

Color Adjustment = color temp = 6500K
skin tone 3
RGB = offset R -5
offset G -3
offset B +2
gain R -8
gain G -3
gain B +2

Gamma = custom from graph = (1)(5)(7)(7)(6)(6)(5)(7)(9)

Iris - off

Image = Aspect = Through
Epson Super White = off
Progressive = off
Out put Scaling = Larger
Set up Level = 0%


Hope this helps

Lyle

I've got the main settings (brightness, contrast, color, tint, & sharpness) setup really good on my HC720 by using Avia and DVE, but the tough one is grayscale as calibration/measuring equipment is needed to do the best job.

Can somebody give a "dummy" guide on what equipment to buy and how to setup grayscale with a front projector and more specifically the HC720? Or provide a link that summarizes it well?

Gamma is also a tough setting. Any tips on that would be great as well.

Thanks!

What diference will i see if i move the 720 from 17' throw with 3/4 down vertical shift.
To 10' throw and no shift.

craig: You will get alot more light output, it shouldnt change your color or levels, but it might be the diff between low lamp mode and high lamp mode. Projector central says you will get 25% brighter, and by not using the lens shift you will further brighten the image.



Now for my question. Everyone here seems to tame down the reds. Using the first posters settings, the show HOUSE has everyones lips being too blue for my tastes, but whites look white. Using the posted settings and changing the hue or the color temp doesnt help. I ended up going back to default colors, but i really liked the first posters setting, other then the bluish lips. With default colors lips and skin tones look nice, but grass doesnt look right, and blonde peoples hair looks greenish. It doesnt look golden like the first posters settings.

craig: You will get alot more light output, it shouldnt change your color or levels, but it might be the diff between low lamp mode and high lamp mode. Projector central says you will get 25% brighter, and by not using the lens shift you will further brighten the image.



Now for my question. Everyone here seems to tame down the reds. Using the first posters settings, the show HOUSE has everyones lips being too blue for my tastes, but whites look white. Using the posted settings and changing the hue or the color temp doesnt help. I ended up going back to default colors, but i really liked the first posters setting, other then the bluish lips. With default colors lips and skin tones look nice, but grass doesnt look right, and blonde peoples hair looks greenish. It doesnt look golden like the first posters settings.

Use Big Lyle's settings. That's what I'm using, except, I have the auto Iris on.

Anybody else finding it hard to dial in skin tones with this PJ? I've tried Lyle's settings, as well as others, and though they are OK on most sources, some (particularly these NCAA games on CBS) faces are looking a little green behind the gills, so to speak.

Hello all owners of HC720,

As promised, here is my final D65 cal data...

Important Notice

This results was performed with an HD-DVD A2 Set to 480i output to a
DVDO VP50 upscaling signal to 720P native ratio ( Mapping 1:1), all
setting on VP50 was at 0... nothing was adjusted from the scaler. I did
all the adjustements from the epson HC720. Output was feed to PJ
from a RGB colorspace. Output HDMI to HDMI

So depending of your personal gears, all my setting would not produced
the same results on your screen but greyscale for sure will be improved.
So feel free to tried it and leaved me feedbacks....


Softwares and hardwares used :

- Colorimeter Syder II with filter on it
- Light meter
- HCFR 2.0, Avia, Get gray, THX disk, DVDO test patterns

Lets Started....

1- Colormode TheaterBlack 1
2- Color Saturation -7
3- Tint 2
4- Sharpness Advanced
HBE 11
LBE 11
H-Sharp. 3
V-Sharp. 3
5- ColorTemp 6500K
6- Skintone 3
7- RGB/RGBCMY set at RGB

I was not able to adjusted RGBCMY without affecting the Grayscale, so I ditched this mode for RGB only, that sad you cannot use both at the same time, it is really strange it seem you could not adjust color decoder without
affecting the grayscale, anyway I preferred keep a good grayscale instead,

Offset Red 11
Offset Green -7
Offset Blue -18
Gain Red -3
Gain Green 0
Gain Blue -6

8- Gamma personn. (1),(4),(4),(5),(4),(1),(3),(-4),(1)
Got a gamma almost flat for all IRE Range at 2.2~2.3

9 - ( This will be differents from what colorspace you feed the PJ, Tried to
adjust with Avia or Getgray if you found result bad )

White Level 7
Black Level -5

I have Got 18 FT-lamberts on 96 in 16/9 Diag white matte Gain 1.1 screen

10- Aspect Ratio set at Through

11- Epson Super white Off

12- Output Scaling set at Larger

13- DVI-Video Level Set At expanded

14- IRIS ON


With all thoses setting on my PJ, I did manage to get a great D65 flat
line and almost perfect gamma for all IRE RANGE, first thing I noticed, is
that the image have more POPS, better color saturation, No blue push
at low IRE ( Blacks are blacks without blue tint on it ). I did not get good
results at all with Blue Filter for Saturation and Tint adjustement (No enough accurated )...So I did it with colorimeter calculation and light meter instead
and got great results...

....Now I could enjoy a very damn good picture with this LCD base projector
it is almost kill my Mits DLP.

So that is it
Tried and played with those setting to get better results...

Best Regards

Stephen:)

I have a few questions about setting up my HC720.

I am only using the hdmi connection via a monoprice hdmi switch. I currently have a Verizon HD DVR cable box and HD-A1 HD DVD player connected to the switch. I have both outputting at 1080i. I have another tv connected to the same system via component that can't except a 720p signal. So it is much easier to output everything at 1080i. Plus, I noticed that the picture quality is much better outputting 1080i from the HD-A1.

1. What do I set the output scaling to? When I set it to auto it appears to have about 3% overscan according DVE. Normal appears to be the same. Larger appears to be 0% overscan but I'm not positive.

2. I can't adjust a lot of the menu settings. They are blacked out. Is that because I am using the HDMI connection? The owners manual doesn't specify that but I assume that is the reason. The owner's manual is really lacking.

3. What does Epson Superwhite do?

I have a few questions about setting up my HC720.

I am only using the hdmi connection via a monoprice hdmi switch. I currently have a Verizon HD DVR cable box and HD-A1 HD DVD player connected to the switch. I have both outputting at 1080i. I have another tv connected to the same system via component that can't except a 720p signal. So it is much easier to output everything at 1080i. Plus, I noticed that the picture quality is much better outputting 1080i from the HD-A1.

1. What do I set the output scaling to? When I set it to auto it appears to have about 3% overscan according DVE. Normal appears to be the same. Larger appears to be 0% overscan but I'm not positive.

2. I can't adjust a lot of the menu settings. They are blacked out. Is that because I am using the HDMI connection? The owners manual doesn't specify that but I assume that is the reason. The owner's manual is really lacking.

3. What does Epson Superwhite do?


Yes, I did notice that 1080i did a pretty good job and that is happened to my
Mits Dlp also, I don't know why...maybe some forumers could help us on at.

Yes output at larger give you a 0% overscan and an native ratio either, all was verified by my test pattern on VP50.

YES, when use HDMI somes setting are not available at all due to HDMI digital sheme but you could do a lots of tweaking on this mode.

Super white is a system that give you a bright white at 100 IRE and it is also
compensated for overblowned white background....but I found it more easier
to tweak this PJ without this feature with great results.

Sweet! Merci beaucoup Quebecanada!!! Can't wait to try thoses settings!

Question here : Why can't I get to Sharpness - Advanced?? It's not highlited so I can't select it!

Thanks for the fast response quebecanada. I am going to try out some of your settings tonight. I am curious to see how they look compared to what I got using DVE HD DVD.

I believe the reason 1080i looks better than 720p from the HD-A1 is because the first generation HD DVD players were known for having poor 720p performance. I remember reading about that in the HD DVD forums. Most people recommended running them at 1080i and letting the display do the scaling.

Sweet! Merci beaucoup Quebecanada!!! Can't wait to try thoses settings!

Question here : Why can't I get to Sharpness - Advanced?? It's not highlited so I can't select it!


Tried HDMI mode and Theater Black 1 mode, you should have the option
to switch to advanced...

Thanks for the fast response quebecanada. I am going to try out some of your settings tonight. I am curious to see how they look compared to what I got using DVE HD DVD.

I believe the reason 1080i looks better than 720p from the HD-A1 is because the first generation HD DVD players were known for having poor 720p performance. I remember reading about that in the HD DVD forums. Most people recommended running them at 1080i and letting the display do the scaling.


Yes that is make sense, I need to tried to feeding a 720P without the VP50
scaler and let the toshiba doing his job and looked at the difference on image quality.

I'll have to give these settings a shot when I get a chance.

How did you guys settle on the sharpness settings?

Even using the test patterns on DVE HD DVD I find it hard to tell a difference. I can see that the image does change when I adjust it but I can't tell what looks the "sharpest" without artifacts.

Is there a certain test pattern I should use and if so what part of the image should I pay the most attention to?

component settings

I am currently using an old ota hd receiver and use the livingroom setting.
I would like some calibrations for component settings for this mode

thanks

John

Can anybody tell me the difference between using the brightness/contrast or white level/black level settings? The manual states that "you can adjust either one of these settings(but not both) for each image source and color mode." (pg. 35).

On my Avia calibration disc, they state that "brightness" is the same as "black level", and "contrast" is also called "white level".

So why are there options to change both of these settings? Am I missing something?

Thanks,
Nate

I LOVE the white level/ black level option on this thing vs using standard contrast/ brightness. It makes it real easy to setup. Heres what i do. Get a test image dvd or just any 2.35 dvd and display the credits. Keep clicking the black level down till the movies total black matches the top and bottom total black bars of your screen. You just setup your blacks.

I LOVE the white level/ black level option on this thing vs using standard contrast/ brightness. It makes it real easy to setup. Heres what i do. Get a test image dvd or just any 2.35 dvd and display the credits. Keep clicking the black level down till the movies total black matches the top and bottom total black bars of your screen. You just setup your blacks.

By doing that, you're going to severely crush blacks and shadow detail. Fact is, the 720 just cannot do the kind of black levels some people are expecting.

The best movie scene I found to test both black and shadow detail is Kingdom of Heaven. The scene where Salahadin meets the Leper King. Look at Salahadin's black outfit. There's wrinkles in it. If you crush the blacks, you won't see the wrinkles. The 720 does a nice dark grey. But it can't touch the black levels of Dark Chip2 competitors like the Optoma HD70 for example. It's too bad Epson didn't release a 720UB instead. I think most of us would've paid an extra $100 or so for it.

I've got to where I really don't even mess with test patterns for black level. I look for a scene where somebody is wearing black clothing or something similar and crank it way up to see the detail, then I crank it down to where it is black as possible without the detail getting crushed.

BTW, I have no idea why they have two sets of black/white level controls. The last selected area is what you end up seeing. i.e. if you set it with black/white, then back out, that is the calibration you will see. Sharpness is the same way. If you last selected Advanced Sharpness, then that is what you will see. If you last entered the standard sharpness area, then that is the calibration you will see. Unfortunately, that is also the way color decoding and grayscale are setup, which means you can only calibrate one and not both.....which makes absolutely no sense.

Quebecanada - I tried your settings and they look pretty darn good. Definitely a big improvement of my factory Theatre Black 1 settings. The only problem I find with your setting is that the skin tones of Caucasian people are a little off. They seem to appear slightly more tanned than normal. Other than that it looks really good and is a big improvement over how I had it setup. Also keep in mind that I just have a cheap progressive scan SD DVD player hooked up with components. Plus I also have mild color blindness which doesn't help either. Anyways thanks for posting your settings, this was very helpful to me since I have trouble adjusting by eye.

Quebecanada - I tried your settings and they look pretty darn good. Definitely a big improvement of my factory Theatre Black 1 settings. The only problem I find with your setting is that the skin tones of Caucasian people are a little off. They seem to appear slightly more tanned than normal. Other than that it looks really good and is a big improvement over how I had it setup. Also keep in mind that I just have a cheap progressive scan SD DVD player hooked up with components. Plus I also have mild color blindness which doesn't help either. Anyways thanks for posting your settings, this was very helpful to me since I have trouble adjusting by eye.


Yes, skin tones color accurancy with this lcd technology PJ is not an easy task
at all. But I tried to bring the color decoder on red near the reference point, but with this PJ I could not adjust the RGBCMY without affecting the greyscale...so that is a trade-off.

Anyway I will post soon a new calibration setting that I did with a Pro
colorimeter that I got from a friend of mine...So stay tune

Regards

Stephan

I finally have been able to watch a few movies on my 720 and Elite Cinewhite 120" screen.

I watched Bourne Identity and Bourne Supremacy on HD DVD over the last two nights. It looks great but it lacks the punch of my Pioneer Elite Pro-520 RP CRT. The Pioneer has much brighter whites, obviously much better blacks, and the colors are perfect. The Pioneer has been professional calibrated which I am sure has a lot to do with it.

I am now ready to start calibrating the 720. I calibrated the Theater Black 1 mode using HD DVE. I am going to start calibrating the other modes tonight. I was watching a live concert in HD with both the 720 and Pioneer on at the same time. In theather black 1 mode the image was basically dull compared to the Pioneer. When I switched to living room mode it got much brighter but the colors are off.

I am hoping with calibration I can get the brighter modes to look good. I do have a fairly long throw, @18'. I am sure that affects the brightness some.

This is my first front projector. So far I am very impressed. I hope with some calibration I can get it looking relatively close to the Pioneer RP CRT. If not I will keep an eye out for a good deal on a 1080ub. That is the projector I wanted to get but I couldn't justify the price for my first projector.

I will post again after I calibrate the other modes.

Yes, skin tones color accurancy with this lcd technology PJ is not an easy task
at all. But I tried to bring the color decoder on red near the reference point, but with this PJ I could not adjust the RGBCMY without affecting the greyscale...so that is a trade-off.

Anyway I will post soon a new calibration setting that I did with a Pro
colorimeter that I got from a friend of mine...So stay tune

Regards

Stephan

We are all anxiously awaiting your calibrations for livingroom setting using component input

thanks

John

Hello all, i own a 720 and can't seem to get BTB with THX optimizer (can't see the 2 last boxes on the left, can only see 8 boxes and can't see the dropshadow under the THX logo), anybody have some trick for me, it's feed by Oppo 983 via HDMI

Thanks

Sacha

It looks great but it lacks the punch of my Pioneer Elite Pro-520 RP CRT. The Pioneer has much brighter whites, obviously much better blacks, and the colors are perfect.

With calibration you should be able to get the colors closer. But, the punch factor is probably not going to improve at all, unless your levels are currently incorrectly set. The contrast is rather disappointing on the 720.

Hello all, i own a 720 and can't seem to get BTB with THX optimizer (can't see the 2 last boxes on the left, can only see 8 boxes and can't see the dropshadow under the THX logo), anybody have some trick for me, it's feed by Oppo 983 via HDMI

Thanks

Sacha

Make sure DVI Video Level is set correctly to match your output settings.

If you can, feed the Epson RGB via HDMI rather than YCbCr. For some reason the Epson's processor crushes dark details on a YCbCr HDMI input.

Dasbin, why should i care for DVI Video Level settings since my HDMI is a HDMI to HDMI, and the projector in not feed with component.

Should i be able to have BTB with theater black 1, what is your colormode for watching in a completely dark room. If you have specific settings i could try, go ahead.

Thanks

Sacha

Dasbin, why should i care for DVI Video Level settings since my HDMI is a HDMI to HDMI,

Because the setting is not really named correctly, and what it actually changes is the IRE levels that the projector expects - i.e. "Normal" means it expects IRE 16 to be black, and "Expanded" means it expects IRE 0 to be black. If you have this set incorrectly, your blacks (and whites) will not be right. Just trust me, it has effect with HDMI. For BTB, what you need is for this to be set to "Expanded" and your source set to match.


and the projector in not feed with component.


Most hi-def sources feed YCbCr components via HDMI. All it means is the type of colorspace that is being used. Try to change that colorspace to RGB if you can because the shadow detail is a lot better.


Should i be able to have BTB with theater black 1, what is your colormode for watching in a completely dark room.

Yes, you should, and yes Theater Black 1 is what I use in a dark room most of the time. Sometimes it's a bit too dark all-around and lacks punch in that mode so I'll use the "Natural" mode from time to time, but that's not often.

Thank you very much, i'll try this out and hope for the best.......

Thanks again for taking time.

Sacha

Thanks quebecanada looks awsesome with my set up.Hopefully my hd channels look close to what my dvd player is doing.Thanks again

Make sure DVI Video Level is set correctly to match your output settings.

If you can, feed the Epson RGB via HDMI rather than YCbCr. For some reason the Epson's processor crushes dark details on a YCbCr HDMI input.

If I set the DVI Video to Expanded and using Hdmi and RGB color it washes out the color.So should I leave it at normal?

Bought this proj last month and have been rather depressed over it. I look for price/performance semi-sweet spot. Coming from a 2005 Optoma H31 which I was very pleased with as my first projector ever. The bulb is now worth more than the projector so it was time to upgrade. Out of the box HC720 hits hard at first impression (H31 looked rather muted in comparison), but I quickly became disenchanted with the almost purple reds (put in Ace Combat 6 in xbox360 via HDMI). Movies too, the faces are flush. Had read reviews before buying that mentioned the reds and color saturation overall. Have an old calibration dvd (Digital Video Essentials). Have been wrestling with settings but have yet to get a good balanced picture. Began wondering if I got a dud from the factory.

I will cross my fingers and begin trying suggested settings posted here (Thank you all very very much!). Guess I want a quick response as to whether others had same initial experience. I have a sinking feeling this particular projector has issues.

Ill post again with my new found results (for posterity).

Thank you.

puffbird - welcome to AVS! You'll find all the info you need here, and a bunch of friendly, experienced folks willing to chip in with suggestions.

The main Epson 720 discussion is over here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=917897). I have read that some of the units shipped with their factory settings all out of whack. Mine is perfect. Have you tried Art's tweaks (http://www.projectorreviews.com/epson/powerlite-home_cinema_720/index.php)?

Audixium, thank you for the welcome, link, and information. I am beginning to feel a little anxious as I tried first skablaw's then biglyle's settings and while the image was improved, the golds (Kingdom of Heaven) were rather green using lyle's settings.

I switched from xbox360 hdmi as source to a sony dvd player through component cables before using the suggested settings.

Tech at retailer suggested I use Seabiscuit as a test a couple of weeks ago when I called in and it looked terrible! Reds and yellows everywhere. My wife seems to recall that was one of the reasons she did not like the movie in the theater was because of the look, but if this was so, wondering why he would suggest it as a reference?

Any thoughts, anyone? Wondering if I can find a store locally where I can get a quick look at what their demo looks like.

Hey puffbird,I tried quebeccanadas settings and really liked it for my set up,I hope you got a white screen instead of grey,anyways another way of going about it is using Avia guide to home theater DVD.You can find them for pretty cheap second hand or just go to their website.Just a couple of suggestions,if all else fails get it professionally calibrated.Good luck.

Audixium, thank you for the welcome, link, and information. I am beginning to feel a little anxious as I tried first skablaw's then biglyle's settings and while the image was improved, the golds (Kingdom of Heaven) were rather green using lyle's settings.




This is why to some degree that posting settings is somewhat of a useless undertaking. It may work as a good starting point for some, but it is impossible to say for sure as no two projectors that ship will be the same color wise from the factory. I have a local friend who has this pj as well, both our pjs look terrific calibrated. However when we try each others settings on our own machines the results are no where near as good.

My advise is to use these setting and tweak from there, or to get a professional calibration done. It is a little pricey but the results will be guaranteed and you know it will be done right. If this is out of your budget, you could always try a calibration disc such as DVE or AVIA.

Hope this helps.

Lyle

Thank you both. I have tweaked further based on Lyles settings and starting to get positive results. I am relieved by and grateful for all the support. Glad as well that AVS provided a space for such a forum. Happy to be a part of it all. May post something useful in the future ;-)

Puff,

When I got my first PJ I relied heavily on the AVS forum and the helpful people here. Now that I have had a few PJ's and know enough to be dangerous, I feel I should give some back, and help those who are in the same boat I was once in.

I tweaked my settings tonight based on quebecanada's number and I'm very pleased with the results,

for some reason I'm not able to change my aspect to Through, it's stuck on normal. Chances are I'm missing something simple but it's driving me nuts.

We are all anxiously awaiting your calibrations for livingroom setting using component input

thanks

John
This thread seems to be on life support as of late. Stephan, et al, are you still out there?:confused:

Any luck with an effective Living Room setting? Your Theater Black 1 settings are fantastic, but I have a bit of ambient light in the daytime and the light output of the Living Room Setting is much better for my room much of the time. Thanks in advance...

Or if anyone else has a calibrated living room setting they would like to share...

Thanks again,
Josh

This thread seems to be on life support as of late. Stephan, et al, are you still out there?:confused:

Any luck with an effective Living Room setting? Your Theater Black 1 settings are fantastic, but I have a bit of ambient light in the daytime and the light output of the Living Room Setting is much better for my room much of the time. Thanks in advance...

Or if anyone else has a calibrated living room setting they would like to share...

Thanks again,
Josh

Hello everyones,

Sorry for the delay but as you probably knows, I destroyed my first projector a month ago when I drop it on the floor. Now I received a brand new one ( thanks to my insurance company )...but I am leaving now for summer vacation, so that will delay my calibration workshop. I am sorry for that but I will do it for sure...

Ciao Stephen

Thanks, Stephen. Looking forward to it!

Enjoy your holiday!

Anyone else want to post their settings?? This discussion has completely died and i just bought mine :(

Can people post their settings for when watching Sports? Or with some ambient light like during the day? I find the projector plenty bright enough to look good with light in the room.

Hello everyones,

Sorry for the delay but as you probably knows, I destroyed my first projector a month ago when I drop it on the floor. Now I received a brand new one ( thanks to my insurance company )...but I am leaving now for summer vacation, so that will delay my calibration workshop. I am sorry for that but I will do it for sure...

Ciao Stephen

Hello, Avs'er and Epson 720 owners, I am back to work but sadly I won' t be able to perform anymore calibrations on the Epson 720...I sold my unit a week ago and I bought an Epson 1080UB instead.:D

Sorry for that....

Enjoy you PJ

Sincerly yours

Thanks to Quebeccanada and mpilon, I now have a much more impressive picture-thanks fellas! Never thought I'd be so excited to see stubble. Now to actually watch a full movie on this thing:)

I just picked up an Epson 720. It's an upgrade from my old Panny l300u but I need some help setting this thing up. I used some of the calibration settings listed here and got good results through HDTV but through my Panny bd35 Blu-Ray result are less than impressive. Anyone have some calibration advise? I am running hdmi from the bd35 straight to the pj.

I just picked up an Epson 720. It's an upgrade from my old Panny l300u but I need some help setting this thing up. I used some of the calibration settings listed here and got good results through HDTV but through my Panny bd35 Blu-Ray result are less than impressive. Anyone have some calibration advise? I am running hdmi from the bd35 straight to the pj.

Make sure you ouput 720p from the BD35. 1080i will work as well but I prefer 720p. 1080p does not work well, lots of jaggies.

If you send the projector 720p then you can set the Epson to "through mode" and set the image size to "larger". That will give you 1:1 pixel mapping and in theory the best PQ.

I'd be curious to see some settings for the Living Room mode as well. I have been using QuebecCanada's "theatre black" settings from the outset and tonight during a hockey game I changed over to "Living Room" mode to see if there was a difference.

Turns out, there is.

The ice was nice and bright instead of dull and grey - and I'm watching in a room that is totally black. I then popped in Band of Brothers on BluRay and the same can be said. The image just had more pop.

I see when I create a Memory location, that it saves the current Gamma, etc.. Anytime I choose that Memory it retrieves that Gamma setting.

If I then choose a different Color Mode (as opposed to choosing a different Meomry setting), that the Gamma settings stay the same. Therefore the color mode gets the Gamma from whatever was in the Memory (probably whatever the current Gamma is set to...).

I was wondering if there is a table or a good decription on what settings change via color mode, and if anyone has some suggestions on how they have dealt with setting up their Memories?

Any help is appreciated.

I have to agree. I understand that using theater black with the above settings gives you the best measured picture but it really is bland. We had superbowl last night and had some lights on so I switched to dynamic. After the game I switched off the lights and fired up the 360 and you really get the 'stained glass' effect that I love about plasmas with the brighter settings. Now granted some of the colors were pretty wonky so I did some tweaking and still need to do more but man oh man I was living in a grey grey world before...so can we tweak the brighter modes to get accurate colors?

btw, I'm lovin hy HC720--just beautiful, no screen door at all for me and a great picture. Use it primarily for xbox 360 gaming and blu ray with some 'hdtv event viewing'.

JASON


I'd be curious to see some settings for the Living Room mode as well. I have been using QuebecCanada's "theatre black" settings from the outset and tonight during a hockey game I changed over to "Living Room" mode to see if there was a difference.

Turns out, there is.

The ice was nice and bright instead of dull and grey - and I'm watching in a room that is totally black. I then popped in Band of Brothers on BluRay and the same can be said. The image just had more pop.

...so can we tweak the brighter modes to get accurate colors?

JASON

I don't know that I would call them accurate...but, I've switched to running in dynamic mode all the time with Art's tweaks (http://www.projectorreviews.com/epson/powerlite-home_cinema_720/performance.php#calibration) over at Projector Reviews.

I've been using Living Room because I also found Theatre Black to be too dim with around 500 hours on the bulb.
My settings are:
White Level 0
Black Level -2
Brightness -2
Contrast 8
Saturation -5
Tint -4
Sharpness Standard (4)
Colour Temp 6500
Skin Tone 3
RGBCMY
R -32; -41
G 0; -4
B -28; 6
C 12; 4
M 1; 10
Y 11; -5
Gamma 2.3
Aspect Through
Output Scaling Larger
DVI Level Expanded
I used 3:10 to Yuma on Blu-Ray, about 6 minutes in, with a close-up of Russell Crowe in front of the hills, to set it. The picture looks awesome.
I use an HTPC with MediaPortal for viewing movies. My screen's a 120" dia. Elunevision Elara, a white, glass beaded screen with 2.4 gain. Since my pj's ceiling mounted, I imagine the gain at the seated position is around 1.3 to 1.5.

Hi all -
Looks like I might be digging up a partially fossilized thread here, but I just picked up the HC 720 and while I'm already loving it, I know I can get more out of it by calibrating properly.

I'm watching in a dedicated theater room, no light when watching movies, 125" 2.40 screen made from SeymourAV material and DIY instructions.

I have both Avia and DVE calibration disks. Questions for this projector are about starting points for calibration:

Which mode did you select as a baseline / why? (ie, Theater 1, 2, Living Room, etc.)

I read what auto iris does in the manual, and when I turn it on, scenes look brighter to me, but would this be a variable in calibration that is better set to off?

Skin tones... DVE recommends 0 for the setting, and controlling color with RGB offsets, right way to go on this PJ?

Epson Super White? Again, something better turned off or does it improve finished calibration results?

In general, I'm looking to avoid plugging up shadows too much and keep high lights from blowing out and loosing detail. Seems I might have to give up some contrast to achieve that but should be okay in a completely dark room.

Any suggestions for starting points? THANKS!

Good choice on PJ - great value! I've been subscribed to your build thread and was surprised to see you here...

For your room I'd definitely start with one of the Theater modes. More importantly, you should read this entire review which includes Art's tweaks... (http://www.projectorreviews.com/epson/powerlite-home_cinema_720/index.php)

Thanks for the link, I'll have a read!

Cool that you're following my thread. And I think this PJ is a great value! I hope to run an Epson 1080p projector and an SMX screen down the road, but I blew my budget building the room, sound treatments, and nice audio equipment so I figured I could save about $3000 right now going this route and in a year or two, upgrade when possibly something even better is available and prices have dropped.

Id start off with theaterblack1. Turn off the auto irs. use black and white contrast settings to get your contrast and brightness right. then go from there. Out of the box color is pretty good, but brightness and contrast tweaking can help a lot. After your done tweaking and saved your settings, turn auto irs back on. The irs doesnt affect anything that you did in the settings.

I had the HC720 in my home for 2 days last week. I already have a BenQ W5000 DLP 1080p projector but it's been a year since I bought it and I have the urge to open up a box with a brand new pj inside. :) I don't really have a reason to purchase another beamer other than the desire to try out something new.

Anyway, I may have kept the HC720 as a backup unit to my main one since you can get it so relatively cheap nowadays except for the fact that it died less than 48 hours after receiving it. The red light rhythmically flashed slowly and no attempt at restarting it would work. It's a shame because for the money, there may not be a better projector out there today. I consider my W5000 to be right up there when it comes to bang for the buck but this HC720, when it's working is very impressive.

I found that standing back from my 106" Da-Lite High Power screen about 6' or so the screen door effect vanished. The brightness uniformity was perfect to my eyes and the convergence was only out a little bit in various places and certainly became a non-issue a few feet back. I saw no vertical banding or dust blobs or color uniformity problems either. Even motion blur was minor and better to my eyes than the 1080UB I demoed a while back. :eek:

The colors of the HC720 were amazing and it's sharpness was at least equal to my W5000 if not a tad better (this is truly shocking as the W5000 is considered one of the sharpest projectors around). Brightness, even in Theater 1 mode was perfect and I liked the shadow detail.

Setup was a breeze. I used calibration discs to touch up the white and black levels and was quite pleased with the results.

Although I prefer my W5000, I could easily use the HC720 as it's temporary replacement to stand in for it if it were out for service for instance. I could even sell the W5000 and be happy with the HC720 for a time if necessary if not for one problem. And that is black levels. Unfortunately the blacks on the HC720 don't stand up to the W5000. They appear to be slightly bluish at times and for that reason I wouldn't be able to use the HC720 for years and years but for the money I am extremely impressed.

However, it doesn't give me a good feeling when the projector only lasts for two days. :( I had to return it for a refund. Too bad. I had a nice new home for it on my audio/video stand and it was a perfect fit too.

The lens on it would have allowed me to go larger than 106" in my room. This is what was tempting me to keep it. I'd like a 120" or 133" screen and my W5000 is maxed out at 106" from about 13' away from the screen.

The very fact that I can compare the HC720 so favorably to the W5000 is a testament to Epson's engineering in my opinion. I realize that any manufacturer can deliver a dud right from the factory so I don't really hold it against Epson but still, I have owned 6 projectors now over the past 6 years and not one of them have quit on me that fast. :confused:

Well, I just thought I'd chime in with my humble experience. I have thought about re-purchasing it. I'll give it some thought. It's a whole lot of projector for the price, that's for sure!

Wayne

Wayne - sorry you got a dud...if you follow the main Epson 720 thread you'd see that nobody else has had the same experience. Hard to really judge a product based on that. I mean, someone over in the dedicated theater construction got a "dud" new Sim 2 and got it replaced for free since it was a new unit and under warranty. fwiw....

Glad you liked it for everything else except black levels.

Thanks Audixium. :)

I don't hold it against Epson. Any manufacturer can let a bad one through once in a while.

I bought it at a big box store with a very liberal return policy. I could easily re-order it but they're out of stock. I don't really need to order it again. I was just curious and having a bit of fun. Still, the short throw lens on it along with the low price is very tempting... ;)

The problem is I have a cave (deep brown - almost black walls and ceiling with black area rugs over a beige carpet). So anything but great blacks is going to show it's shortcomings. I should really consider the 1080UB or the 6500 but at 3 x the price I'm not ready to outlay that kind of cash when I already have a perfectly good working projector with good blacks. I just wish I could throw a larger image like what the HC720 gave me.

It may come down to the point where I have to choose between good blacks and a larger image if I want to stay at the price point that the HC720 is at now. If a larger image is more important than black levels then it's a no brainer. I need to order the HC720 again. If it's the other way around then I need something else.

I did notice that any other mode than Theater 1 was a little noisy with regards to the fan. Not a huge issue but I'm used to 23db levels with my W5000. My concern would be that as the bulb ages on the HC720, I'd have to bump up to one of the other modes to get a brighter image but then a noisier fan.

The High Power screen helps in this regard though. :cool:

Wayne

If I set the DVI Video to Expanded and using Hdmi and RGB color it washes out the color.So should I leave it at normal?

Make sure DVI Video Level is set correctly to match your output settings.

If you can, feed the Epson RGB via HDMI rather than YCbCr. For some reason the Epson's processor crushes dark details on a YCbCr HDMI input.

Doesn't setting the DVI Video to expanded make the projector expect PC levels(0-255)? In that case, you're clipping below blacks and above whites, as video is 16-235. The image appears washed out because there is no true black or white, just shades of grey. Put in a 2:35 movie, change from DVI-standard to DVI-enhanced and the bars will get lighter. This isn't right, the bars shouldn't change.

As well, changing to enhanced creates a yellow push, indicating there is a mismatch between the source and the display. In this case the source is sending 16-235 and the pj is displaying that in 0-255 levels.

Hooking to a PC gives the proper levels with enhanced, as that is what PC displays are optimized for.

Am I the only one who sees it this way?

I admit I can't switch my source to enhanced, perhaps there is a difference...

I believe the Epson's have it backwards. Expanded will allow btb and wtw to be displayed. Normal will not. If you have a test disc that displays a btb and wtw pattern you will be able to test it. You want it set so that btb and wtw is displayed. Then adjust the brightness and contrast properly. If you have a BR or HD DVD player download and burn the AVS HD calibration disc. It is free and will allow you to do this.

Keep in mind some players/sources won't send btb and wtw. Basically that means the player/source is clipping not the Epson. In that case neither normal nor expanded will work.

I believe the Epson's have it backwards. Expanded will allow btb and wtw to be displayed. Normal will not. If you have a test disc that displays a btb and wtw pattern you will be able to test it. You want it set so that btb and wtw is displayed. Then adjust the brightness and contrast properly. If you have a BR or HD DVD player download and burn the AVS HD calibration disc. It is free and will allow you to do this.

Keep in mind some players/sources won't send btb and wtw. Basically that means the player/source is clipping not the Epson. In that case neither normal nor expanded will work.

Normal and expanded have nothing to do with BTB and WTW. If the source can send it and the display can show it, then both will displayed. Both BTB and WTW are displayed on the range of 16-235..it's only a bar or two below 16 that you need to show BTB, similarly with WTW.

People seem to be think that the 0-255 range is somehow more than the 16-235. It's not. Black is set at 0 and white at 255 for PC-video. For consumer-video black is set to 16 and white to 235.

Here's a quote that explains it:

"When consumer video is mastered it is not uncommon for the video signal to go slightly below digital 16 or slightly above digital 235. This is directly related to using a calibration disc to set black level using a pluge pattern that provides 1 or 2 bars slightly above 16 and one bar below 16 and that bar we call below black. The difference between the below black bar and peak black is called Black To Black. Digital Video Essentials also includes WTW, White To White, video content in select patterns. Just like the below black bar this content is slightly above peak white or 235

The reason DVI uses RGB is because DVI is actually a PC standard and adding to the confusion of standards PC video uses the full 0-255 range of digital video. If a consumer source or display is designed for PC video 0-255 then the original 16-235 of consumer video will be scaled to 0-255 and BTB and WTW cannot pass since they exceed the available range."

By setting the Epson to expanded(0-255) you are not only preventing BTB and WTW from passing, but you are clipping blacks and whites.

If you have a BR or HD DVD player download and burn the AVS HD calibration disc. It is free and will allow you to do this.


Is this it (or is there something newer I should look for?)

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=948496

Thanks for mentioning that. I've been here for a while and didn't even know there was a free calibration disk!

Both BTB and WTW are displayed on the range of 16-235..it's only a bar or two below 16 that you need to show BTB, similarly with WTW.

This doesn't make sense as written. It says BTB is displayed on the range of 16-235 and that you need a bar or two below that range to display it. Seems contradictory. Can you clarify?

Normal and expanded have nothing to do with BTB and WTW. If the source can send it and the display can show it, then both will displayed. Both BTB and WTW are displayed on the range of 16-235..it's only a bar or two below 16 that you need to show BTB, similarly with WTW.

People seem to be think that the 0-255 range is somehow more than the 16-235. It's not. Black is set at 0 and white at 255 for PC-video. For consumer-video black is set to 16 and white to 235.

Here's a quote that explains it:

"When consumer video is mastered it is not uncommon for the video signal to go slightly below digital 16 or slightly above digital 235. This is directly related to using a calibration disc to set black level using a pluge pattern that provides 1 or 2 bars slightly above 16 and one bar below 16 and that bar we call below black. The difference between the below black bar and peak black is called Black To Black. Digital Video Essentials also includes WTW, White To White, video content in select patterns. Just like the below black bar this content is slightly above peak white or 235

The reason DVI uses RGB is because DVI is actually a PC standard and adding to the confusion of standards PC video uses the full 0-255 range of digital video. If a consumer source or display is designed for PC video 0-255 then the original 16-235 of consumer video will be scaled to 0-255 and BTB and WTW cannot pass since they exceed the available range."

By setting the Epson to expanded(0-255) you are not only preventing BTB and WTW from passing, but you are clipping blacks and whites.

Normally I would agree with you but you are wrong this time. The Epson has it backwards. I've researched this more than I can begin to explain. In order to see btb and wtw on the Epson you need to set it to expanded. End of story!

Is this it (or is there something newer I should look for?)

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=948496

Thanks for mentioning that. I've been here for a while and didn't even know there was a free calibration disk!

That is it!

Burn it and select the normal settings tab in the disc menu. That will display different test patterns. It will display one that allows you to set the brightness and contrast properly by eye. If you leave the Epson set to normal you will not be able to see anything below 16 on the brightness pattern or above 235 on the contrast pattern. If you set it to expanded you will be able to.

So again set it to EXPANDED and calibrate the brightness and contrast using the test disc.

Now if you can't see below 16 or above 235 whether the Epson is set to expanded or normal then that means your source is clipping it. Some receivers are known for this problem as well as some players.

Bottom line is if you can see below 16 and above 235 when the Epson is set to expanded then that is where you should set it before you calibrate.

I apologize if I am offending anyone but I know I am right and I don't want anyone here to get the wrong information. I read a lot of incorrect information here on this topic before I found out the truth. It is rather simple to understand. If you can see btb and wtw then the display is not clipping. If you can't see it then it is. In normal you can't see it, it is being clipped. In expanded you can see it, it is not being clipped.

That is it!

Burn it and select the normal settings tab in the disc menu. That will display different test patterns. It will display one that allows you to set the brightness and contrast properly by eye. If you leave the Epson set to normal you will not be able to see anything below 16 on the brightness pattern or above 235 on the contrast pattern. If you set it to expanded you will be able to.

So again set it to EXPANDED and calibrate the brightness and contrast using the test disc.

Now if you can't see below 16 or above 235 whether the Epson is set to expanded or normal then that means your source is clipping it. Some receivers are known for this problem as well as some players.

Bottom line is if you can see below 16 and above 235 when the Epson is set to expanded then that is where you should set it before you calibrate.

I apologize if I am offending anyone but I know I am right and I don't want anyone here to get the wrong information. I read a lot of incorrect information here on this topic before I found out the truth. It is rather simple to understand. If you can see btb and wtw then the display is not clipping. If you can't see it then it is. In normal you can't see it, it is being clipped. In expanded you can see it, it is not being clipped.

I think part of the confusion lies in the fact that I am not talking about BTB and WTW being clipped, rather normal black and white levels. Those that lie within the 16-235 range. It seems to my eye that setting the pj to 0-255 and the source to 16-235 is clipping normal black and white levels and rendering shades of grey. It's a mismatch being source and pj. I don't have a player to set to expanded so I don't know what that combination would produce.

Don't you see a very unnatural yellow push when changing the pj from 16-235 to 0-255? Put it in Dynamic and you'll really see it. To me that indicates a color space mismatch being source and display.

I think part of the confusion lies in the fact that I am not talking about BTB and WTW being clipped, rather normal black and white levels. Those that lie within the 16-235 range. It seems to my eye that setting the pj to 0-255 and the source to 16-235 is clipping normal black and white levels and rendering shades of grey. It's a mismatch being source and pj. I don't have a player to set to expanded so I don't know what that combination would produce.

Don't you see a very unnatural yellow push when changing the pj from 16-235 to 0-255? Put it in Dynamic and you'll really see it. To me that indicates a color space mismatch being source and display.

It really depends on your source. I can't change it on my Samsung BD-UP5000 when it is connected to a TV which it sees the Epson as. The option is blacked out. It automatically selects tv output. Even with that said I can see btb and wtw on the Epson in expanded mode because the player passes it even in normal mode. Not all players or receivers do but they should.

What you need to do is get a test disc that has btb and wtw patterns. Display the pattern and try both normal and expanded in the Epson. If you can't see btb or wtw then change your source to expanded and try again. You should be able to see it with the proper settings. If you lower the brightness and still can't see below 16 no matter how low you set it then it is being clipped. Same if you can't see above 235 no matter how high you set the contrast. If you still can't see it then that means your source is clipping and the Epson won't display btb or wtw because it isn't receiving the information.

Again, just selecting expanded and not calibrating is not going to look good. You need to adjust brightness and contrast using a test disc.

It really depends on your source. I can't change it on my Samsung BD-UP5000 when it is connected to a TV which it sees the Epson as. The option is blacked out. It automatically selects tv output. Even with that said I can see btb and wtw on the Epson in expanded mode because the player passes it even in normal mode. Not all players or receivers do but they should.

What you need to do is get a test disc that has btb and wtw patterns. Display the pattern and try both normal and expanded in the Epson. If you can't see btb or wtw then change your source to expanded and try again. You should be able to see it with the proper settings. If you lower the brightness and still can't see below 16 no matter how low you set it then it is being clipped. Same if you can't see above 235 no matter how high you set the contrast. If you still can't see it then that means your source is clipping and the Epson won't display btb or wtw because it isn't receiving the information.

Again, just selecting expanded and not calibrating is not going to look good. You need to adjust brightness and contrast using a test disc.

Okay, with my new matte white 1.0 screen the image is much better, not washed out at all. Deep blacks and still good shadow detail. Weird, because I was using an "inherited" gray screen before(which should have deeper blacks) and it looked like crap no matter how I tweaked it.

When should the buib be changed ? I have 1200 hours and it look good in total darkness which is the only way I watch it. What should I look for to know when to change the bulb.

As long as it looks fine to you, then don't worry about it. I'm currently over 2,100 hours on the original bulb. The "change bulb" warning has started appearing when I turn the projector on, but it goes away shortly.

Great news, I didn't know there was a warning message. Yes it still looks great to me, probably need to get up there and dust it off when I move the image up to make room for the kids Kinect thats coming for xmas.
Thanks for the reply.

As long as it looks fine to you, then don't worry about it. I'm currently over 2,100 hours on the original bulb. The "change bulb" warning has started appearing when I turn the projector on, but it goes away shortly.

You can eliminate that warning (if you want to) by resetting the hours.

You can eliminate that warning (if you want to) by resetting the hours.

Thanks. I thought that might work, but I'm just gonna let it ride so it will be easy to know how many hours I actually get out of the bulb. The warning goes away after about a minute, so it's not that big of a deal. Last night it was showing 2,114 hours. If I didn't have a High Power screen, it would probably be way too dim, but with the HP all is still good.

If anyone is interested, I took apart my 720 to clean the polarizers, LCDs and light path. I had some pink blotches that I was able to get rid of. http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=19732825#post19732825

How hard was it to get the pink blobs out? Do you know if it was the LCDs or Polarizers that was causing them? What did you use to clean the Polarizers and how did you go about cleaning them and the LCDs?

I have some pink splotches on my projector that I want to get cleaned. I have no problem taking things apart and putting them back together, but I just don't want to damage anything in the cleaning process.

Dave

I initially just removed the cover and then blew compressed air (from a compressor). That did not help.

The second time with the cover off took about two hours to remove the main board, the polarizers and light path cover, and clean it all. It is not hard, but it takes some patience and care.

I have read that it is the polarizers, but couldn't tell you for sure. I didn't take the LCDs out, but just cleaned one surface after removing the small lenses in front of each one. Two of the polarizers are actually pairs. I had dust in between them that wouldn't come off with just a dry microfiber towel (for auto cleaning!). I used glass cleaner, but that left streaks. I ended up using a q-tip to clean the streaks. I cleaned all of the mirrors and lenses in the light path also. I used the microfiber towel and blew to remove the stray dust.

The biggest challenge was figuring out how to disconnect the LCD ribbon cables to take off the main board. --> The black plastic piece needed to be pulled and twisted off after the tabs on the white plastic were pried open (or broken off). Then just the ribbon was pulled out of the white plastic piece. It took a bit to figure that out. ;) It was easy to put back once I figured out how the black plastic pieces twisted in.

A tip: the cover of the PJ can be taken off only when you take a couple of the screws out of the connection panel ( take them all off as you'll need to take the connection panel cover off to remove the main board).

Let me know if you have any questions!

I initially just removed the cover and then blew compressed air (from a compressor). That did not help.


Well, I couldn't get the cover off the top. I'm missing a screw someplace towards the back. Which screws need to come out to get the top off besides the deep-set ones on the bottom and the little one on the side of the connections?

Dave

Dave, if you are looking directly at the connections, there are two screws there that need to come off to get the cover off (one of the top ones, and the one on the right facing 90 degrees from your view). You might as well take all of them out if you plan on removing the main board since you need to remove the plastic cover over the connections to do it.

Good luck and feel free to ask me any more questions.

Thanks, Andreas! I will try that.

Dave