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*Official* Optoma HD20 Thread - Page 44

post #1291 of 3801
11/11/09 at 9:04am
Can anyone tell me how standard dvd looks upconverted on this thing...please. Has to better than my old4805 which was great for me. I'm about to bite the bullet..pull the trigger...buy a new pj!
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post #1292 of 3801
11/11/09 at 10:54am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mnnc View Post

I understand the hd20 is a cannon...will it be too bright for my 80" now...or can I adjust brightness down a bit to compensate. My old 4805 had about 400 lumens and it looked great in my darkened living rm.

I am shooting onto a 77" and I would not consider it too bright. Actually, it seems to have lost a lot of brightness in the 25 hours or so I have used it. I only expect this to continue, but hoping it levels out soon...
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post #1293 of 3801
11/11/09 at 11:05am
ConradJ...nice audio stuff btw that CJ stuff...you must be a light user like myself...guitarman says the 200hr mark is sweeter with the hd20. I would use 5-10 hrs a week approx. I'm figuring I would have better than I had before, won't invest a bunch, and will be able to move up the ladder in a couple yrs for less than I could do now. So how do standard dvd's look...or am I going to get an answer. To be sure all you hd20 owners are not using br and hd tv solely. If that's the case you could have surely afforded a different pj...unless you're just cheap
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post #1294 of 3801
11/11/09 at 11:31am
Someone please give me the distances for the mounting screw holes on this hd20...approx within 1/2" would be fine and whether or not it takes 3 or 4 screws. TIA
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post #1295 of 3801
11/11/09 at 11:59am
How about a reasonably priced, low profile ceiling mount for the HD20? I have a ceiling of only about 7' 6" so want to keep it as close to the (low) ceiling as possible.

Any suggestions?
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post #1296 of 3801
11/11/09 at 12:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mnnc View Post

ConradJ...nice audio stuff btw that CJ stuff...you must be a light user like myself...guitarman says the 200hr mark is sweeter with the hd20. I would use 5-10 hrs a week approx. I'm figuring I would have better than I had before, won't invest a bunch, and will be able to move up the ladder in a couple yrs for less than I could do now. So how do standard dvd's look...or am I going to get an answer. To be sure all you hd20 owners are not using br and hd tv solely. If that's the case you could have surely afforded a different pj...unless you're just cheap

Light user, yes... no television... only movies for me, and virtually all Blu-ray at that.

As far as regular DVD, my opinions are limited by the fairly poor upconversion of my Panasonic BD35 player. But, from what I have seen, with a good upcoverting player set to 1080p, DVD should look good.
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post #1297 of 3801
11/11/09 at 12:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by conradjohnsonfan View Post

Light user, yes... no television... only movies for me, and virtually all Blu-ray at that.

As far as regular DVD, my opinions are limited by the fairly poor upconversion of my Panasonic BD35 player. But, from what I have seen, with a good upcoverting player set to 1080p, DVD should look good.

Thanks. That's good to hear. My oppo is supposed to be pretty good at uc. I use it as cd transport for now and use my toshi hddvd player for video. I'm going to switch out when I get the new pj...I'll be getting the new oppo br soon as well so it will handle all the duties.
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post #1298 of 3801
11/12/09 at 5:28am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mnnc View Post

Reading through past threads...what the hell is dille yo...stop slaughtering the english language...please.

Good grief. You quoted his entire post to complain about that? What he was misquoting, IMO, was the perfectly good (though archaic) Australian slang expression "Whack-o the diddle-o" (spellings vary). In context, it's a politer way of saying "WTF". Nothing to get hung about.

=====================================================

Way OT, by the way. So to get back on-topic I'll just add that I have observed improvement after a break-in period, and that source material makes a huge difference. Some standard DVDs look quite Blu-Ray-like on my HD20 (played on my Panny DMP-BD35) while others look noticeably worse. SD television (Dish TV) is acceptable, while the HD channels look quite good. All Blu-Rays so far have looked excellent.

I also played with the gamma, following guitarman's recommendations, and found it helped some with dark scene detail (again, this varies with the source material)

Also I have no focus drift issues. I find the quickest way to check or set the focus is to hit the menu button. The little white on black popup menu should be crisp and sharp.
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post #1299 of 3801
11/12/09 at 7:07am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mnnc View Post

Someone please give me the distances for the mounting screw holes on this hd20...approx within 1/2" would be fine and whether or not it takes 3 or 4 screws. TIA

I just downloaded the manual from the Optoma site. It has the exact dimensions in there. I used this to make my own mount. It requires three M3 screws.
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post #1300 of 3801
11/12/09 at 12:10pm
I'm looking forward to setting up up a pj system for the first time so I want to ask is the Optoma HD20 a good first pj to own? I am also interested in the Panny 4K but it is at least twice the cost. So it seems to me that the HD20 make more sense for a first timer, is it not?
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post #1301 of 3801
11/12/09 at 1:01pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by darklord700 View Post

So it seems to me that the HD20 make more sense for a first timer, is it not?

If you plan on keeping the projector for two years or longer I'd go with the Panasonic... the additional investment would pay off during that period of time.
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post #1302 of 3801
11/12/09 at 5:45pm
When you can afford more/better the term 'first timer' does not mean a thing. First timer for me is referring to the first time you skydive, bullfight, or well...you know. If you can afford the 4000 now you will be rewarded with a pj that stomps the hd20 in pq, features, and overall quality. When you double your budget the quality of the pj is night and day. Would you be happy w/ the hd20 as a first pj? Sure, until you see your friends 4000 I only have a 1k budget for a new pj...so I am somewhat limited and deciding on which one still...though the Benq1000 looks promising.
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post #1303 of 3801
11/12/09 at 7:45pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mnnc View Post

When you can afford more/better the term 'first timer' does not mean a thing. First timer for me is referring to the first time you skydive, bullfight, or well...you know. If you can afford the 4000 now you will be rewarded with a pj that stomps the hd20 in pq, features, and overall quality. When you double your budget the quality of the pj is night and day. Would you be happy w/ the hd20 as a first pj? Sure, until you see your friends 4000 I only have a 1k budget for a new pj...so I am somewhat limited and deciding on which one still...though the Benq1000 looks promising.

Oh well, upon further calculation, I found out that because I require a longer throw to mount the pj, DLP without lens shift doesn't work for me. Looks like I have to go with the Panny 4K or the Sony HW15 for their lens shifting capability.
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post #1304 of 3801
11/13/09 at 12:36am
Hi there and first post. First of all, legendary thread with a lot of good information. Many thanks for that.

Like many others, HD20 will be my first "real" PJ. There is a couple of things that worries me a little about throw distance and the picture quality from the given distance. Counting in the physical depth of the PJ, i will have 11' 10" from the lens to the screen, and the screen will be a 106" (92"X52").
When i calculate my room for the specs of the PJ, the results ends up just before the green section, at least at the very end of the red section according to PC.com. And that is with a zoom at around 107" out of 109" max.

The room will be pretty much 100% controllled from lights, read almost pitch black. How will my situation affect the picture quality seeing as the resulting chart isn't optimal, but very close? What may i loose in picture quality and what can i do to somewhat get it back if you know what i mean? Grey screen? More or less gain? Material will for the most part be BD from PS3 and high definition material from the computer.

Thanks for reading

Regards,

Marcus
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post #1305 of 3801
11/13/09 at 11:54am
Quote:
Originally Posted by darklord700 View Post

Oh well, upon further calculation, I found out that because I require a longer throw to mount the pj, DLP without lens shift doesn't work for me. Looks like I have to go with the Panny 4K or the Sony HW15 for their lens shifting capability.

Don't think you could go wrong with the 4000. The Epson 8500 may be of consideration though a bit higher in dollars. If I had 2k...4000 all day. No doubt. You should not have to spend more for this good of a pic unless you absolutely have the money to do so...in that case JVC 10 or 20.
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post #1306 of 3801
11/13/09 at 11:58am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mackanz View Post

Hi there and first post. First of all, legendary thread with a lot of good information. Many thanks for that.

Like many others, HD20 will be my first "real" PJ. There is a couple of things that worries me a little about throw distance and the picture quality from the given distance. Counting in the physical depth of the PJ, i will have 11' 10" from the lens to the screen, and the screen will be a 106" (92"X52").
When i calculate my room for the specs of the PJ, the results ends up just before the green section, at least at the very end of the red section according to PC.com. And that is with a zoom at around 107" out of 109" max.

The room will be pretty much 100% controllled from lights, read almost pitch black. How will my situation affect the picture quality seeing as the resulting chart isn't optimal, but very close? What may i loose in picture quality and what can i do to somewhat get it back if you know what i mean? Grey screen? More or less gain? Material will for the most part be BD from PS3 and high definition material from the computer.

Thanks for reading

Regards,

Marcus

Light controlled room and you will be thrilled. If you plan to watch in darkness then a gray screen will give better blks...That's what I would do. Hd20 and 100-110in gray...yeh.
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post #1307 of 3801
11/13/09 at 1:47pm
I decided to try out a neutral density filter to see if it would improve my black levels. I found a 3-pack on ebay, ND2/4/8, for a reasonable price, no-name manufacturer (AmazingRGB?). I have a Optoma DS9092 white screen.

It might be a total placebo, but I think the ND2 really made a difference, along with some calibration tweaks I got from another AV forum. Arguably, you might be able to get the same by just playing with the brightness and contrast, but for now, the filter stays, and I'm liking it.

For anyone else interested, 77mm filters fit perfectly over the outer ring of the lens, but cannot be screwed on since there are no threads on the lens housing. I used a small piece of tape to keep it from falling off.
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post #1308 of 3801
11/13/09 at 3:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by allograft View Post

Hi:

I just picked up my HD20 a month ago. Got it at BestBuy. They matched the Projector People price of $999. It is an upgrade from my PLUS Piano 3200. That unit basically died about six months ago. Plus no longer makes it so I couldn't get it fixed. Needed to upgrade anyway.

I am by no means the techno geek (said with affection) that many are on this site. So my opinion is simply as a viewr not with any real knowledge of the technology. The picture on this is great. Very bright. I am in a light controlled home theater (built specifically for this purpose). However we can watch sports with the lights on to no ill effect. Movie watching is done in the dark but doesn't need to be. I have noticed no rainbow effects. However, I never noticed them on the old projector. Maybe I am just not susceptable to them.



It is very quite. I really don't hear the fan running even when I listen for it. I know there are better projector out there but, not seeing them side by side, I don't feel I am missing anything. For the price I think this is a great unit.

how far back is ur projector,,,
also ur statement of the quiet fan is disagreeing with most opinions ive heard that the fan is a lil noisy,
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post #1309 of 3801
11/13/09 at 3:06pm
did optoma just drop the price to 789 since benq and vivitek came out
vivitek and benq seem to be slightly better then the hd 20 so this lil price drop i heard realy seems possible
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post #1310 of 3801
11/13/09 at 3:41pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by blinkdogo2 View Post

how far back is ur projector,,,
also ur statement of the quiet fan is disagreeing with most opinions ive heard that the fan is a lil noisy,

The fan is noisy. Delta camera is a horrid place scam scam
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post #1311 of 3801
11/13/09 at 4:24pm
The Camera website master should call the next one Umpteenth Camera.

It's one guy sitting in a brownstone in Brooklyn NY.
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post #1312 of 3801
11/13/09 at 6:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Stix2 View Post

The fan is noisy. Delta camera is a horrid place scam scam

My fan is quiet as a church mouse, -much- quieter than my Sanyo Z5 I had previously. But it seems some people have loud fans, it seems to be kind of random....
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post #1313 of 3801
11/13/09 at 7:53pm
Our seating is basically right under the pj and I do not notice the fan noise at all. The only time I hear it is at shut off when it kicks into high speed for a few seconds.
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post #1314 of 3801
11/13/09 at 7:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by baboiler View Post

Our seating is basically right under the pj and I do not notice the fan noise at all. The only time I hear it is at shut off when it kicks into high speed for a few seconds.

Ditto for me
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post #1315 of 3801
11/13/09 at 8:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Stix2 View Post

The fan is noisy. Delta camera is a horrid place scam scam

The fan is noisy in the full brightness mode, in eco mode is almost as quiet as my Panny 4k. I dont know why people say that this PJ is laud, IMHO under normal watching conditions HD20 is almost totally quiet.

Wojtek
PS: 2c from ex-owner of Optoma HD20
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post #1316 of 3801
11/13/09 at 8:22pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by VirTERM View Post

The fan is noisy in the full brightness mode, in eco mode is almost as quiet as my Panny 4k. I dont know why people say that this PJ is laud, IMHO under normal watching conditions HD20 is almost totally quiet.

Wojtek
PS: 2c from ex-owner of Optoma HD20

What is noisy to one is not always to another. I love the HD20 but to me it was louder than the VIV and Benq.
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post #1317 of 3801
11/13/09 at 9:10pm
for those complaining that hd20 is loud, did you make sure you put the setting to low altitude instead of high altitude in the menu? Switch to low altitude mode and it becomes silent like a mouse.
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post #1318 of 3801
11/14/09 at 6:21am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mnnc View Post

Reading through past threads...what the hell is dille yo...stop slaughtering the english language...please.

Quick, somebody call the Grammar Police!

Seriously, I just killed the second lamp on my Optoma HD72 and had to replace it with the original lamp that I kept as a spare. Both have more than 1900 hours on them. Like many others here, instead of buying a new costly lamp for an older projector, I'm looking for an upgrade.

Does anyone have an opinion on making the move from the HD72 to the HD20? I'm sure the added resolution would be nice on my 115" SMX screen.
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post #1319 of 3801
11/14/09 at 6:28am
Is the HD20 known to be quite picky when it comes to handshaking? I just installed a new HDMI extender and I get clear picture, but the signal tends to drop from time to time (using CAT6 cabling).

For example, when I'm using my Xbox360 (1080p/60hz) games work 95% of the time, with the occasional drop. But when I try to view a movie, the screen turns black for a second, only to return with a purple haze above the blacks, but the video displays fine.

Also, I noticed quite a bit of stuttering when viewing 24p movies, especially in panning shots. This is VERY noticeable when viewing the UP trailer that is included with the Wally BluRay. Panning shot of the balloons going up is incedibly stuttery.
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post #1320 of 3801
11/14/09 at 7:29am
Quote:
Originally Posted by lapino View Post

Is the HD20 known to be quite picky when it comes to handshaking? I just installed a new HDMI extender and I get clear picture, but the signal tends to drop from time to time (using CAT6 cabling).

For example, when I'm using my Xbox360 (1080p/60hz) games work 95% of the time, with the occasional drop. But when I try to view a movie, the screen turns black for a second, only to return with a purple haze above the blacks, but the video displays fine.

Also, I noticed quite a bit of stuttering when viewing 24p movies, especially in panning shots. This is VERY noticeable when viewing the UP trailer that is included with the Wally BluRay. Panning shot of the balloons going up is incedibly stuttery.

I was using HD20 with 35 foot cable and did not really have problems AFTER handshake. If I compare it to Panny 4k, I can see that handshake does not take as long as on Optoma, perhaps 50% quicker.
I tested my cable (el cheapo from ebay) with 1080p/60 and 1080p/24 from my BD60 through Onkyo 806.
Wojtek
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