A Sony VPL-VW50 - Optoma HD81 Comparison

drapp1952 · 10-10-06, 02:25 PM

Steve Atkinson (HiHoSteve), Kevin Anderson, and I got together yesterday to compare the Pearl and the HD81. A good time was had by all and I'd like to thank Kevin for his hospitality. It was great to meet Steve who is clearly quite knowledgeable and experienced about video and projectors. Kevin's setup was very comfortable and his sound system was very dynamic. He is in the process of getting darker walls and ceiling. WAF was involved and I congratulate Kevin, who's wife came in for a while to offer some astute observations.

I'm going to give my subjective opinions about the two pjs. I think overall they are in line with what Kevin and Steve thought, but I will leave to each of them to amplify and / or give differing opinions.

I may include a screenshot or two later but with my technique at least I don't think they capture the differences we saw between the two pjs. The differences are too subtle and get lost in the digital processing, etc.

Conditions: Screen 116” diagonal Carada Brilliant White with 1.4 gain. Walls, carpet, ceiling all light.

HD81: iris off, lamp low – calibrated previously by Kevin. Ceiling mounted with a reported slight keystone not observed by me.

Pearl: iris off, lamp high – “quickie” calibrated using Kevin's gear to reasonably flat RGB. Autoiris calibration was not attempted. A major caveat here is that further calibration might have affected color performance and other performance parameters to varying extents. Blue convergence off by a pixel in right lower area of screen.

Observations: Here are some parameters with my opinion of which pj "won" in each, in this viewing and in Kevin's HT:

Brightness - HD81 (and it was on "low" lamp while the Pearl was on high.)

ANSI CR – HD81 (This and brightness made the HD81 look "punchier" than the Pearl in Kevin's HT - see more below.)

Shadow detail – Pearl (Very close to the HD81, however.)

Black level – HD81 (The Pearl has brighter black left lower and right upper corners. In actual use this was seldom, if ever, visually intrusive. The HD81's higher simultaneous CR helps here with perceived black level in mixed high contrast image elements.)

Smoothness - “film-like” – Pearl, unanimous vote.

Contouring / Banding - Pearl (Seen once with the HD81 in an underwater scene in U-571, and not troublesome or seen in many other scenes)

Motion – Pearl (Related probably to single chip rainbow. This is a main reason I like the Pearl, and something I notice as a significant difference having had two single chip DLPs previously)

Color rendition – Pearl (Kevin might say HD-81. IMO this goes to the Pearl but the higher ANSI and brightness of the HD81 at times made colors stand out, just as going from a low or negative gain screen to a high gain screen with the same pj would make colors stand out. With more calibration or tweaking it is possible the Pearl could have looked more like the HD81, not that the difference was significant. In many scenes one would have trouble telling which pj was which, but with Seabiscuit in the initial ride through the fall forest scene I thought there was greater subtlety and, again, a more film-like quality with the Pearl. On my High Power colors from the Pearl don't look quite as muted as they did at times with Kevin's 1.4 gain Carada.)

Color uniformity – HD81 (No surprise, the Pearl showed disuniformity on higher IREs, not bad or intrusive, but visible on white fields.)

No possibility of rainbows - Pearl. (No contest and arguably an unfair item to toss in. Actually, I didn't see them per se on the HD-81 but I think I perceive them almost unconsciously and that's a primary reason I find the Pearl more relaxing to view, based on about three years with single chip DLP before getting the Pearl. As they say, YMMV.)

Value / Bang for the Buck – Pearl.

Discussion: (Might as well continue the format of a formal report although this should be considered quite informal): I warn all potential Pearl buyers about setup and possibly excessive brightness expectations. We had to put the Pearl, that already was on high lamp setting, on autoiris off to begin to match brightness with the HD81. If the Pearl hadn't been compared directly with a brighter pj, brightness wouldn't have been an issue, I think. Still, I highly recommend a high gain screen with the Pearl, and as dark an HT as possible. This was a big takeaway point for me: The ANSI or simultaneous CR of the Pearl is not as high as the HD81's, and environments that have light reflective surfaces will further compromise this leaving the Pearl looking not very punchy and kind of flat in comparison. I am thinking here of posts by visitors to retail shops who have said the same about the Ruby. The HD81 may "take" a more typical home environment (assuming this will not be a super-dark, non-reflective one) better while the Pearl will begin to look a little flat as that environment gets lighter.

We talked of seeing the two pjs again in different environments. Steve was kind enough to offer his HT for another shootout. I'd like to see a comparison in my very dark HT with the High Power. I think I could install the HD-81 in my setup with minimal keystoning based on what I saw in his HT. That would be for comparison purposes because I am keeping my Pearl.

Conclusion: We all enjoyed very much watching each projector. It was easy to get distracted from technical analysis and pulled into the film with each. As Steve said, a buyer won't go wrong getting either pj (I'd add, if he/she considers his viewing environment.)

Dan

Chako · 10-10-06, 02:34 PM

Good stuff, thanks.

velvetpoet · 10-10-06, 02:36 PM

what kind of zoom was used on the pearl?

romanesq · 10-10-06, 02:37 PM

Excellent writeup, thanks. Do you have any ideas on the screen gain for the Pearl?
Retroreflective screen at 1.5, 2, 3 etc.

Boy this was a great read.

DIY Guy · 10-10-06, 02:43 PM

Thanks Dan! I hope Kevin and Steve chime with their impressions also. This is very helpful.

Both projectors appear to have a lot of bang for the buck and you couldn't go wrong with either one. It seems like it comes down to room parameters, feature preferences and personal viewing tastes.

tbacos · 10-10-06, 02:48 PM

Thanks a ton for posting this, Dan. Great info.

Since you didn't comment on "sharpness," can we assume that they are comparable in this area?

-tony

LEVESQUE · 10-10-06, 03:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drapp1952

Pearl: iris off,

Why? Auto-iris is probably what 99% of Ruby/Pearl users are using, and the best way to use it.

So if the H81 was close in performance to the Pearl w/o the auto-iris, then the Pearl would have been the clear winner if it was used the way almost all users would use it (auto-iris).

Did you try to compare both projectors, but with the Pearl with auto-iris on?

Craig Peer · 10-10-06, 03:41 PM

Quote:

So if the H81 was close in performance to the Pearl w/o the auto-iris, then the Pearl would have been the clear winner if it was used the way almost all users would use it (auto-iris).

Not necessarily, as the HD81 has an auto iris and also has the ability to go automatically from low bulb power to high bulb power depending on the scene too.

Seems to me that if one wants a BIG screen the HD81 is a better choice. Sure, some will say use a high gain screen with the Pearl, but I can use a BIGGER high gain screen with the HD81!!

HoustonHoyaFan · 10-10-06, 03:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LEVESQUE

So if the H81 was close in performance to the Pearl w/o the auto-iris, then the Pearl would have been the clear winner if it was used the way almost all users would use it (auto-iris).

Not necessarily correct. In dark scenes in very dark movies (Dark City, AVP, ... ) the Pearl with auto iris would have a clear advantage in CR snd shadow detail. In the end the pjs would still have a different "look" ( electrostatic speakers vs. conventional drivers

). Different viewers may prefer a different look! For film-look fans, the Pearl will be the choice. For giant plasma, choose the HD81.

I agree that not using the auto iris on the Pearl is like taking away all bit 1 of Tiger's clubs, still very good, but not at his best. It did not hurt the HD81 because according to TJN, the HD81's auto iris is useless!

A better solution would have been to put a ND filter on the HD81 to match brightness.

tjgar · 10-10-06, 04:02 PM

My problem is I have a fairly new F-Hauk, 115" 1.25 gain , and I am not sure if the pearl will be bright enough for my set up. Especially after it has a little run time on the bulb.
I want to be able to use in light controlled for movies, but with some ambient light for sports. Like when My Bears are in the Super Bowl! Don't want it to dark for the party!
Any Opinions out there?
Thanx
Tony

drapp1952 · 10-10-06, 04:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LEVESQUE

Why? Auto-iris is probably what 99% of Ruby/Pearl users are using, and the best way to use it.

So if the H81 was close in performance to the Pearl w/o the auto-iris, then the Pearl would have been the clear winner if it was used the way almost all users would use it (auto-iris).

Did you try to compare both projectors, but with the Pearl with auto-iris on?

I use the autoiris all the time in my HT with a High Power and I'd almost never use the Pearl without it. Mainly we used the iris off setting because we wanted to calibrate the pjs to similar conditions - that is, with Kevin's gear showing each tracking RGB similarly. We didn't have the time to get into calibrating with autoiris as this is a bit more complicated.

It was striking how in Kevin's environment autoiris just seemed to dim the picture somewhat and render it apparently inferior in A-B comparisons to the HD81 on that basis. I think the improved ANSI or simultaneous CR afforded by the autoiris was also to a significant degree lost in Kevin's more reflective environment and this is very important for a prospective Pearl owner to note. In my HT iris off just bumps up overall brightness to unnecessary levels.

Regarding sharpness, no one spoke out about the Pearl looking noticeably fuzzier than the HD81 in actual use. Ratings advisory screens, for one example, looked about equally as sharp with the Pearl and HD81. The grid up close with the SXRD looks sharper than I anticipated. They say convergence is better with the Pearl versus the older Rubies. Basically, there might have been more of an edge to images with the HD81, due in part to other factors like CR, brightness with the SXRD looking smoother overall but I didn't ever get a real sense of missing detail. Steve and Kevin should chime in about this one.

The Da-Lite High Power provides gain of 2.8-3 on axis and for those viewers close to on axis.

The Pearl was placed about 15 feet from the screen at Kevin's, putting it I believe toward the brightness over contrast end of the zoom (unless I've got that in reverse.)

Dan

HTCrazy · 10-10-06, 04:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tjgar

My problem is I have a fairly new F-Hauk 115" 1.25 gain , and I am not sure if the pearl will be bright enough for my set up. Especially after it has a little run time on the bulb.
I want to be able to use in light controlled for movies, but with some ambient light for sports. Like when My Bears are in the Super Bowl! Don't want it to dark for the party!
Any Opinions out there?
Thanx
Tony

Sure. My opinion is the Bears won't be in the SuperBowl. Seattle will and this time with refs that are paid off with Paul Allen money. Seriously, sounds like the Optoma would be the clear winner for sports and ambient light conditions.

TheLion · 10-10-06, 04:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LEVESQUE

Why? Auto-iris is probably what 99% of Ruby/Pearl users are using, and the best way to use it.

So if the H81 was close in performance to the Pearl w/o the auto-iris, then the Pearl would have been the clear winner if it was used the way almost all users would use it (auto-iris).

Did you try to compare both projectors, but with the Pearl with auto-iris on?

I second that! (Probably) Nobody will use the Pearl with Iris off/open in the real world. The state of the art auto iris is one of the BIGGEST features the Pearl has going for it. So comparing these two projectors with real world, realistic settings (auto iris on with Pearl, iris closed down to step 10-13 with HD81) that consumers actually use them with would make much more sense IMHO.

HoustonHoyaFan · 10-10-06, 04:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drapp1952

...It was striking how in Kevin's environment autoiris just seemed to dim the picture somewhat and render it apparently inferior in A-B comparisons to the HD81 on that basis.

Until you see it is hard to believe but in quick A/Bs brighter will always look "better", colors will be "punchier", thats the nature of the HVS. Same with comparing speakers, louder will sound 'better".

velvetpoet · 10-10-06, 04:11 PM

Thanks for the update. =)

15 should put the zoom dead center.

Interesting observations thanks

Petrucci · 10-10-06, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HoustonHoyaFan

Not necessarily correct. In dark scenes in very dark movies (Dark City, AVP, ... ) the Pearl with auto iris would have a clear advantage in CR snd shadow detail. In the end the pjs would still have a different "look" ( electrostatic speakers vs. conventional drivers

). Different viewers may prefer a different look! For film-look fans, the Pearl will be the choice. For giant plasma, choose the HD81.

I agree that not using the auto iris on the Pearl is like taking away all bit 1 of Tiger's clubs, still very good, but not at his best. It did not hurt the HD81 because according to TJN, the HD81's auto iris is useless!

A better solution would have been to put a ND filter on the HD81 to match brightness.

I agree, You should not only turn on the auto-iris of the pearl but also set the brightness level of the hd-81 to its preferred level. Projectors should not be modified to match another projectors specs especially in a shoot-out. Both projectors should be setup exactly how the end user will use them in their optimal mode.

LoveMovies · 10-10-06, 04:18 PM

What is the relative msrp of these two projectors? noone mentioned cost

Bob Sorel · 10-10-06, 04:19 PM

Just a couple of quick notes, and then I'll shut up:

1. The Pearl should be shown at minimum or close to minimum throw and in auto iris mode - any other setup would clearly put the Pearl at a disadvantage - a MAJOR disadvantage. Iris on is way too dim and iris off is brighter, but has poor black levels and "apparent" contrast. The auto iris of the HD 81 supposedly is broken at this point, so unfortunately there is no way to tell how effective it is.
2. Brightness is a purchase consideration and I'm sure that the HD 81 won easily in this department (or at least should have). Once that comparison is made, it is essential to match brightness levels in order to compare all of the other picture quality traits, much like speaker volumes need to be equalized in order to compare sound quality. Brighter always looks better, especially in quick side by side comparisons. And let me repeat, before someone jumps all over me - BRIGHTNESS IS AN IMPORTANT PURCHASE CONSIDERATION!! You just don't compare other PQ traits until you equalize the brightness.

A friend of mine ordered a Pearl and once it arrives I will be calibrating it for him and then running a quick comparison to my Ruby. The biggest single obstacle I am facing for the "faceoff" will be the ability to equalize brightness levels between his brand new Pearl and my ~600 hour Ruby - They won't be even close!

Edit: I see that in the long time that it took me to compose my post, others had already made my points for me...

Grubert · 10-10-06, 04:21 PM

Great writeup, Dan.

Quote:

Originally Posted by LoveMovies

What is the relative msrp of these two projectors? noone mentioned cost

$10000 for the HD81 and $4999 for the Pearl.

tjgar · 10-10-06, 04:21 PM

sure

Quote:

Originally Posted by HTCrazy

Sure. My opinion is the Bears won't be in the SuperBowl. Seattle will and this time with refs that are paid off with Paul Allen money. Seriously, sounds like the Optoma would be the clear winner for sports and ambient light conditions.

Really?

You Mean the whole team already bought tickets to see the Bears in the Super Bowl? They Probably used the money they won when they bet against themselves last Sunday night! They must of, because nobody can play that bad unless they wanted to. HaHa

The opinion I was really looking for was about the Pearl brightness issue. Not Yours.

Just kidding!

This is a Major decision so I must try to get it right!

Bob Sorel · 10-10-06, 04:26 PM

Oh, and great writeup, Dan!

Where are my manners?

Jon V · 10-10-06, 04:33 PM

Outstanding -thanks for this very useful review Dan, guys like you are what make this forum so valuable. These 2 PJs are on my short list. i happen to like the sharpness of DLP vs softness of Sony lcd and sxrd and was considering HD81, except lack of lens shift is a concern in my 7' 9" ceiling basement theater. Can you estimate how far above the top of the screen your HD81 was mounted? Best i can do is about 4-5" above the top of my 45" high FireHawk. I can live with minor keystoning if, as you mention, it not really noticeable - i would probably just let it spill over the screen frame rather than use correction.

drapp1952 · 10-10-06, 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Sorel

1. The Pearl should be shown at minimum or close to minimum throw and in auto iris mode - any other setup would clearly put the Pearl at a disadvantage - a MAJOR disadvantage. Iris on is way too dim and iris off is brighter, but has poor black levels and "apparent" contrast. The auto iris of the HD 81 supposedly is broken at this point, so unfortunately there is no way to tell how effective it is.
2. Brightness is a purchase consideration and I'm sure that the HD 81 won easily in this department (or at least should have). Once that comparison is made, it is essential to match brightness levels in order to compare all of the other picture quality traits, much like speaker volumes need to be equalized in order to compare sound quality. Brighter always looks better, especially in quick side by side comparisons. And let me repeat, before someone jumps all over me - BRIGHTNESS IS AN IMPORTANT PURCHASE CONSIDERATION!! You just don't compare other PQ traits until you equalize the brightness.

A friend of mine ordered a Pearl and once it arrives I will be calibrating it for him and then running a quick comparison to my Ruby. The biggest single obstacle I am facing for the "faceoff" will be the ability to equalize brightness levels between his brand new Pearl and my ~600 hour Ruby - They won't be even close!

Edit: I see that in the long time that it took me to compose my post, others had already made my points for me...

All the comments about brighter seeming to be better in comparisons are important. When I was viewing the Pearl at Kevin's the comparison I kept making mentally was with how it looks in my HT where is image has almost 3 gain and with very little side or scattered light reflection back to the screen. The High Power tends to suppress any side reflections by virtue of being retroflective as well. In Kevin's theater, that I think is more typical than mine is, it was much harder to see the autoiris work. It simply did not look like the same projector, but looked actually closer to my mental picture as well as the HD81 after the calibration with iris off.

Dan

drapp1952 · 10-10-06, 05:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jon V

i happen to like the sharpness of DLP vs softness of Sony lcd and sxrd and was considering HD81, except lack of lens shift is a concern in my 7' 9" ceiling basement theater. Can you estimate how far above the top of the screen your HD81 was mounted? Best i can do is about 4-5" above the top of my 45" high FireHawk. I can live with minor keystoning if, as you mention, it not really noticeable - i would probably just let it spill over the screen frame rather than use correction.

I didn't notice keystoning with Kevin's Optoma mounted on his 7 1/2 - 8 ft ceiling, by my estimate. He said keystoning was there but subtle. It was probably masked in the border of his Carada.

I know Kevin's busy in DC so he may not post for a couple of days. When he does he may clarify his ceiling height and other setup details for his HD81.

Dan

HoustonHoyaFan · 10-10-06, 05:15 PM

Dan great review.

What sources and content did you use for the comparison?

Did anyone take lumen readings?

Was there a significant difference in the video processing of the HD81's VPX solution vs the Pearl's internal processor?

If the two pj were hidden and brightness equalized with a ND filter, how quickly would you be able to tell them apart?

Would you be able to distinguish them simply by the sharpness difference?

TheLion · 10-10-06, 05:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grubert

Great writeup, Dan.

$10000 for the HD81 and $4999 for the Pearl.

It is actually more like $6990.- HD81, $4990.- Pearl MAP

Chako · 10-10-06, 05:23 PM

Oh really?

Projector Central is normally spot on and they have the MSRP at $10,000

Where did you guys get those numbers?

TheLion · 10-10-06, 05:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chako

Oh really?

Projector Central is normally spot on and they have the MSRP at $10,000

Where did you guys get those numbers?

"Projector Central is normally spot on"

Chako · 10-10-06, 05:30 PM

Ok fine, don't like them just type optoma hd81 msrp and see how many come up for 10k

Pretty much ALL of them

HoustonHoyaFan · 10-10-06, 05:34 PM

The UltimateAv review listed it at $7K.

The street price difference between the HD81 and Pearl is ~$3K!

10-10-06, 02:25 PM	#1 \| Link	<a href='http://rev.avsforum.com/phpAdsNew/adclick.php?n=a4ac4393' target='_blank'><img src='http://rev.avsforum.com/phpAdsNew/adview.php?what=zone:30&n=a4ac4393' border='0' alt=''></a>
drapp1952 AVS Special Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Posts: 1,459 Classified Rating: 100% (1)	A Sony VPL-VW50 - Optoma HD81 Comparison Steve Atkinson (HiHoSteve), Kevin Anderson, and I got together yesterday to compare the Pearl and the HD81. A good time was had by all and I'd like to thank Kevin for his hospitality. It was great to meet Steve who is clearly quite knowledgeable and experienced about video and projectors. Kevin's setup was very comfortable and his sound system was very dynamic. He is in the process of getting darker walls and ceiling. WAF was involved and I congratulate Kevin, who's wife came in for a while to offer some astute observations. I'm going to give my subjective opinions about the two pjs. I think overall they are in line with what Kevin and Steve thought, but I will leave to each of them to amplify and / or give differing opinions. I may include a screenshot or two later but with my technique at least I don't think they capture the differences we saw between the two pjs. The differences are too subtle and get lost in the digital processing, etc. Conditions: Screen 116” diagonal Carada Brilliant White with 1.4 gain. Walls, carpet, ceiling all light. HD81: iris off, lamp low – calibrated previously by Kevin. Ceiling mounted with a reported slight keystone not observed by me. Pearl: iris off, lamp high – “quickie” calibrated using Kevin's gear to reasonably flat RGB. Autoiris calibration was not attempted. A major caveat here is that further calibration might have affected color performance and other performance parameters to varying extents. Blue convergence off by a pixel in right lower area of screen. Observations: Here are some parameters with my opinion of which pj "won" in each, in this viewing and in Kevin's HT: Brightness - HD81 (and it was on "low" lamp while the Pearl was on high.) ANSI CR – HD81 (This and brightness made the HD81 look "punchier" than the Pearl in Kevin's HT - see more below.) Shadow detail – Pearl (Very close to the HD81, however.) Black level – HD81 (The Pearl has brighter black left lower and right upper corners. In actual use this was seldom, if ever, visually intrusive. The HD81's higher simultaneous CR helps here with perceived black level in mixed high contrast image elements.) Smoothness - “film-like” – Pearl, unanimous vote. Contouring / Banding - Pearl (Seen once with the HD81 in an underwater scene in U-571, and not troublesome or seen in many other scenes) Motion – Pearl (Related probably to single chip rainbow. This is a main reason I like the Pearl, and something I notice as a significant difference having had two single chip DLPs previously) Color rendition – Pearl (Kevin might say HD-81. IMO this goes to the Pearl but the higher ANSI and brightness of the HD81 at times made colors stand out, just as going from a low or negative gain screen to a high gain screen with the same pj would make colors stand out. With more calibration or tweaking it is possible the Pearl could have looked more like the HD81, not that the difference was significant. In many scenes one would have trouble telling which pj was which, but with Seabiscuit in the initial ride through the fall forest scene I thought there was greater subtlety and, again, a more film-like quality with the Pearl. On my High Power colors from the Pearl don't look quite as muted as they did at times with Kevin's 1.4 gain Carada.) Color uniformity – HD81 (No surprise, the Pearl showed disuniformity on higher IREs, not bad or intrusive, but visible on white fields.) No possibility of rainbows - Pearl. (No contest and arguably an unfair item to toss in. Actually, I didn't see them per se on the HD-81 but I think I perceive them almost unconsciously and that's a primary reason I find the Pearl more relaxing to view, based on about three years with single chip DLP before getting the Pearl. As they say, YMMV.) Value / Bang for the Buck – Pearl. Discussion: (Might as well continue the format of a formal report although this should be considered quite informal): I warn all potential Pearl buyers about setup and possibly excessive brightness expectations. We had to put the Pearl, that already was on high lamp setting, on autoiris off to begin to match brightness with the HD81. If the Pearl hadn't been compared directly with a brighter pj, brightness wouldn't have been an issue, I think. Still, I highly recommend a high gain screen with the Pearl, and as dark an HT as possible. This was a big takeaway point for me: The ANSI or simultaneous CR of the Pearl is not as high as the HD81's, and environments that have light reflective surfaces will further compromise this leaving the Pearl looking not very punchy and kind of flat in comparison. I am thinking here of posts by visitors to retail shops who have said the same about the Ruby. The HD81 may "take" a more typical home environment (assuming this will not be a super-dark, non-reflective one) better while the Pearl will begin to look a little flat as that environment gets lighter. We talked of seeing the two pjs again in different environments. Steve was kind enough to offer his HT for another shootout. I'd like to see a comparison in my very dark HT with the High Power. I think I could install the HD-81 in my setup with minimal keystoning based on what I saw in his HT. That would be for comparison purposes because I am keeping my Pearl. Conclusion: We all enjoyed very much watching each projector. It was easy to get distracted from technical analysis and pulled into the film with each. As Steve said, a buyer won't go wrong getting either pj (I'd add, if he/she considers his viewing environment.) Dan

10-10-06, 02:37 PM	#4 \| Link
romanesq AVS Special Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Hoboken Posts: 1,170	Excellent writeup, thanks. Do you have any ideas on the screen gain for the Pearl? Retroreflective screen at 1.5, 2, 3 etc. Boy this was a great read. __________________ It's all just a game. I just play to win.

10-10-06, 02:43 PM	#5 \| Link	<a href='http://rev.avsforum.com/phpAdsNew/adclick.php?n=a591f81a' target='_blank'><img src='http://rev.avsforum.com/phpAdsNew/adview.php?what=zone:36&n=a591f81a' border='0' alt=''></a>
DIY Guy HT Enthusiast Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan Posts: 600	Thanks Dan! I hope Kevin and Steve chime with their impressions also. This is very helpful. Both projectors appear to have a lot of bang for the buck and you couldn't go wrong with either one. It seems like it comes down to room parameters, feature preferences and personal viewing tastes. __________________ Steve

10-10-06, 04:02 PM	#10 \| Link	<a href='http://rev.avsforum.com/phpAdsNew/adclick.php?n=a591f81a' target='_blank'><img src='http://rev.avsforum.com/phpAdsNew/adview.php?what=zone:36&n=a591f81a' border='0' alt=''></a>
tjgar Opoma HD81 Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 226	My problem is I have a fairly new F-Hauk, 115" 1.25 gain , and I am not sure if the pearl will be bright enough for my set up. Especially after it has a little run time on the bulb. I want to be able to use in light controlled for movies, but with some ambient light for sports. Like when My Bears are in the Super Bowl! Don't want it to dark for the party! Any Opinions out there? Thanx Tony Last edited by tjgar; 10-10-06 at 04:09 PM..

10-10-06, 04:11 PM	#15 \| Link	<a href='http://rev.avsforum.com/phpAdsNew/adclick.php?n=a591f81a' target='_blank'><img src='http://rev.avsforum.com/phpAdsNew/adview.php?what=zone:36&n=a591f81a' border='0' alt=''></a>
velvetpoet Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Claremont, CA Posts: 411	Thanks for the update. =) 15 should put the zoom dead center. Interesting observations thanks

10-10-06, 02:34 PM	#2 \| Link
Chako I <3 Electronics Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Plano, TX Posts: 709	Good stuff, thanks.

10-10-06, 02:36 PM	#3 \| Link
velvetpoet Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Claremont, CA Posts: 411	what kind of zoom was used on the pearl?

10-10-06, 02:48 PM	#6 \| Link
tbacos Average Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Beaverton, Oregon Posts: 588	Thanks a ton for posting this, Dan. Great info. Since you didn't comment on "sharpness," can we assume that they are comparable in this area? -tony

10-10-06, 04:18 PM	#17 \| Link
LoveMovies Advanced Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: San Antonio, Tx Posts: 586	What is the relative msrp of these two projectors? noone mentioned cost

10-10-06, 04:19 PM	#18 \| Link
Bob Sorel AVS Moderator AVS GOLD CLUB MEMBER Join Date: Jan 2000 Posts: 7,684	Just a couple of quick notes, and then I'll shut up: 1. The Pearl should be shown at minimum or close to minimum throw and in auto iris mode - any other setup would clearly put the Pearl at a disadvantage - a MAJOR disadvantage. Iris on is way too dim and iris off is brighter, but has poor black levels and "apparent" contrast. The auto iris of the HD 81 supposedly is broken at this point, so unfortunately there is no way to tell how effective it is. 2. Brightness is a purchase consideration and I'm sure that the HD 81 won easily in this department (or at least should have). Once that comparison is made, it is essential to match brightness levels in order to compare all of the other picture quality traits, much like speaker volumes need to be equalized in order to compare sound quality. Brighter always looks better, especially in quick side by side comparisons. And let me repeat, before someone jumps all over me - BRIGHTNESS IS AN IMPORTANT PURCHASE CONSIDERATION!! You just don't compare other PQ traits until you equalize the brightness. A friend of mine ordered a Pearl and once it arrives I will be calibrating it for him and then running a quick comparison to my Ruby. The biggest single obstacle I am facing for the "faceoff" will be the ability to equalize brightness levels between his brand new Pearl and my ~600 hour Ruby - They won't be even close! Edit: I see that in the long time that it took me to compose my post, others had already made my points for me...

10-10-06, 04:26 PM	#21 \| Link
Bob Sorel AVS Moderator AVS GOLD CLUB MEMBER Join Date: Jan 2000 Posts: 7,684	Oh, and great writeup, Dan! Where are my manners?

10-10-06, 04:33 PM	#22 \| Link
Jon V Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 104	Outstanding -thanks for this very useful review Dan, guys like you are what make this forum so valuable. These 2 PJs are on my short list. i happen to like the sharpness of DLP vs softness of Sony lcd and sxrd and was considering HD81, except lack of lens shift is a concern in my 7' 9" ceiling basement theater. Can you estimate how far above the top of the screen your HD81 was mounted? Best i can do is about 4-5" above the top of my 45" high FireHawk. I can live with minor keystoning if, as you mention, it not really noticeable - i would probably just let it spill over the screen frame rather than use correction.

10-10-06, 05:15 PM	#25 \| Link
HoustonHoyaFan AVS Special Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 3,500	Dan great review. What sources and content did you use for the comparison? Did anyone take lumen readings? Was there a significant difference in the video processing of the HD81's VPX solution vs the Pearl's internal processor? If the two pj were hidden and brightness equalized with a ND filter, how quickly would you be able to tell them apart? Would you be able to distinguish them simply by the sharpness difference? Last edited by HoustonHoyaFan; 10-10-06 at 05:31 PM..

10-10-06, 05:23 PM	#27 \| Link
Chako I <3 Electronics Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Plano, TX Posts: 709	Oh really? Projector Central is normally spot on and they have the MSRP at $10,000 Where did you guys get those numbers?

10-10-06, 05:30 PM	#29 \| Link
Chako I <3 Electronics Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Plano, TX Posts: 709	Ok fine, don't like them just type optoma hd81 msrp and see how many come up for 10k Pretty much ALL of them

10-10-06, 05:34 PM	#30 \| Link	<a href='http://rev.avsforum.com/phpAdsNew/adclick.php?n=a591f81a' target='_blank'><img src='http://rev.avsforum.com/phpAdsNew/adview.php?what=zone:36&n=a591f81a' border='0' alt=''></a>
HoustonHoyaFan AVS Special Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 3,500	The UltimateAv review listed it at $7K. The street price difference between the HD81 and Pearl is ~$3K!