Official Planar PD7130 owners thread - Page 52

I upgraded to a Viewsonic Pro8100 for a good price. Not as good as the Woot deal, but still good. The Pro8100 beats the 7130 with BD playback, but not with DVD or HDTV. Right now DVD and HDTV look the same. But I need to try sending DVD and HDTV to the Viewsonic through component, since using HDMI does not let the Viewsonic use many of the features of the Reon processor. The BD image is so much better. There is a lot more depth to the image and a lot more detailed. Also sharper. I am keeping the 7130 and running a two projector set up in my dedicated room. 7130 will be for Xbox 360 gaming and Kintec. HDTV, DVD and BD will be done on the Viewsonic.

i do most of my upscaleing though my home theater amp an onkyo TX-SR607.
There is probably better stuff out there now but it seems to work well for me =)

most of my video is fed though the PS3 as a media box anyway. I'll probably get a 1080p projector when I find an affordable with a really good contrast ratio.

The Viewsonic Pro8100 has the Reon VX 210 chip. Most of the higher end AVR's that have the Reon Chip use the VX 200 chip. So video processing with the projector should be better than anything else that I have (A35 HD DVD, Xbox 360, PS3, & Harman Kardon AVR).

Only $135 now at replacementlightbulbs.com. Just ordered one.

Also, according to that link, alternate part numbers are:

P-VIP 250/1.3 E21.8M, P-VIP 250/1.3 E21.8, 69378, 102-246, UHP 250W/1.3, 23.87109.021A, P-VIP 250/13 E21.8, 59.J0C01.CG1, W620EP02738, P/N 33950032XX, P-VIP 250/13 E21.8, RUPA-007000, 151-1037-00

Anyone switch from the PD7130 or PD7150 to a sub-1k 1080p projector? If so, I'd be interested in comparisons.

I just switched from a 7150 to an Optima HD20. I've only spent a couple of days with the HD20 while I've had the 7150 now for about 2 1/2 years. The Optima is brighter and really seems to do much better for TV sports. Its also nice to see less pixel structure, but that was not too bad on the 7150. Its much quieter, which I really like. And the remote control actually works. For most movies (especially standard DVD's) I'm not sure there is much gain. Its smaller, which is nice. But the lens shift on the 7150 made it more flexible. Had to tear out my old mounting system and start from scratch.

I don't feel that the HD20 picture is in any way worse, including black levels. Its as good or better, and for high contrast TV/Sports, really has the edge. Both seem to have about the same level of sharpness.

Like the Planar, the Viewsonic was at one time a high end projector that you were able to find for less than 1K fairly regularly. For BD play back it is much better than the Planar. For SD DVD and HDTV the are close.

Which Viewsonic?

Pro8100, but read the thread. Many people have had banding problems and the projector is about (if not already) discontinued. http://www.projectorreviews.com/view...8100/index.php
Only real fault that Art found with the projector was the digital iris and Viewsonic provided a firmware upgrade that corrected the problem.

Wow, no more eco-mode with bulb prices like that.

my 7130 just went dead. No power at all. called planar and the rep said its probably the power supply. He said it would cost $500 to fix. A friend will take it to a shop to see if it can be fixed. So two questions:

If it cant be fix, which pj should I get? I have done very little research, but I saw mitsubishi hc4000 and epson 8350 had good reviews. I want a pj that you connect and power up and ready to go. Don't understand convergence issues or how to calibrate.

Do you think woot will come out with another pj deal? I know you don't have inside info, but just your opinion would be welcome.

thanks,
hector

If the fixed off set of the Mits HC4000 will work in your room, then get it. The HC4000 throws a better image than the Epson 8350.

for the average person, would I be able to see the difference in image quality of hc4000 vs planar 7130?

I have a 7150 from the original Woot purchase.

My lamp failed explosively @ 2638 hours(Czech-made Osram p-vip 250/1.3 e21.8). It's been getting dim for awhile, so I ordered a replacement lamp back in January. It failed during operation from a generator (tornado-induced lack-of-power), but I suspect that this was a coincidence.

Replacing the lamp in the holder was straightforward. It's amazing how much brighter the unit is with the new lamp (Chinese-made Osram p-vip 250/1.3 e21.8).

Deleted.

Hi all, had my projector for a couple years now, beautiful image. Currently it is failing: turns on, sometimes says "over heating" or whatever near the bottom, then turns off. The exhaust is not hot, the house is cool, and it will only be on for a couple minutes. It seems to me like the thermal sensor is malfunctioning.

Has anyone else had this issue? Any hints, if so? Does anyone know where the thermal sensor is, and if I can open up the unit to replace? (I'm an experienced EE, don't worry. Opening up and poking around will happen one way or the other, haha!)

thanks!

Really? According to the specs, the HD20 is louder than the Planar 7150. The HD20 is tempting, but I didn't want anything louder than my 7130.

Just a note to say "Thanks" to Mack for honoring the lamp warranty. I had to send them the blown lamp and a receipt, whereupon they reimbursed me for the price I paid. The integrity was refreshing.

By using the lamp P/N (as opposed to the projector model number) I ordered another replacement lamp to put on the shelf. I paid roughly half what I paid for the first one.

Question:
These are ultra-high-pressure mercury vapor lamps. How much poisonous mercury vapor gets released into the room when one of them blows? I have advised my family to abandon the floor if this happens.

Anyone upgrade their PD7130 or PD7150 to another projector? If so, please comment and compare

Does this mean that everyone is still using their Planar PD7130/PD7150? Maybe I shouldn't upgrade!

i upgraded to the Acer 9500, check that thread. don't have a comparison. the acer is a different animal 1080p, 3D, brighter, better backs, etc. the planar did have an advantage in lens shift and placement options.

I tried Projection Calculator Pro on projectorcentral.com and was astonished at the results.

11'6" throw distance, 106" screen.

PT-AR100U (2800 lumens): 32fL Video, 64fL Presentations
Planar PD7150 (1000 lumens): 29fL Video, 58fL Presentations

Is this accurate? I thought the PT-AR100U would be MUCH brighter than my Planar PD7150. 3fL does not seem to be that much.

I haven't figured out a way to get my PD7150 that bright. How do you guys do it since the PD7150 doesn't come with presets such as Theater, Dynamic, Sports, etc.

Replacement bulb is only $115 shipped now. At this price, it makes it so hard to upgrade to another projector.

http://www.amazon.com/Osram-BULB18-F...ata/B006YVUFI6

Looks like 7130 is shutting off after 10 minutes . I cant see or hear the fan spinning. Air intakes look free of dust. Overtemp led flashes red and projector shuts down . Any ideas what to try?

i took apart the planar yesterday day, almost no dust inside the projector. i noticed fan wasn't spinning so i replaced with a standard 80mm fan, still no dice, i measure the voltage coming into the fan ~3.1VDC , this seemed a bit low for a 12V fan, didn't track back further but looks like power supply failure. everything runs fine for about 10 minutes than image goes black. the case fan seems like everyone was having some sort of issue. im thinking i will just buss over an AC fan from the outlet and cool it.

I have Planar PD7150 in really good condition for sale. PM if interested has about 800 hours on it I think - I'm upgrading to a JVC DLA. Planar is one of the cleaner DLP projectors, has great color and contrast.

The JVC RS-20 is cleaner, has better blacks, sharper image (1080p), more light output (brighter) and better video processing (locks on singals faster). The Planar is still a strong projector that offers, at least in my setup, better color and a little better depth in scenes with high amounts of light. I'm using a 106" DaLite High Power 2.8 screen. Most DLP have digital noise that brothers me - this one is clean. Great placement flexibility and optics - has a really sharp picture for 720p. ANSI contrast is really good also - better than the JVC.