*Official* Optoma HD20 Thread - Page 7

Hallo deez,

do the Optoma HD 20 have a stretch mode for using an anamorphic lens ??

Yes, I know that the projector is only 720p, but it accepts 1080p/24 and does an amazing job with it. What I'm saying is that the cable that I get is crap compared to a good Blu-ray transfer. I've seen plenty of 1080p displays and the 1080i sports broadcasts are not very good. Take the IRL on Versus and compare it to an ABC or ESPN broadcast, you'll see what I mean.

The better the signal, they better your display will look. So don't expect miracles from a 1080p projector if you send it pixelated, low bandwidth signals.

While I agree with you on this in theory, in actual real life you have to ask yourself...Is it worth the extra 1k or more for this jump in picture quality?"

Especially, when you factor in that this unit can be user firmware upgraded and that almost every Optoma I've had has had a tweakers thread and have been able to far exceed thier price point in picture quality.


If, I could afford a higher end unit I would get it but for me this meets a very nice sweet spot.

Most etailers will allow you to return it if you dont like it and then you could always get a different projector.

In the manual it states that it does support an anamorphic lens....I am not for sure on this though...

iirc, most of the recent (last 2, 3 yrs) optoma pjs have the stretch mode, even the 'low enders'.
best check on it to be sure, tho.

For those who have the HD20. What your experience with the AI feature??

Does it work?
How watchable is it?
Do you find it annoying?

Would you use it or just leave it off?

Thanks
Rew

Anyone have a PS3 connected? In the other (HD200x) thread I posted a screen shot of lines through the PS3 display when the output was 1080p 60Hz.

Bluray is fine at 1080p 24Hz, and PS3 and gaming or watching videos is fine at 1080i and 720p.

It's not the cable, swapped it (not that I believed it would help), and I'm
running 2.80 on the PS3 (newest firmware).

Trying to figure out if it is a projector or PS3 problem.

Txs.

I just read through the manual http://marketing.optomausa.com/PDFs/...D20_Manual.pdf , here is a clip from it in reguards to you question...

Detail informations about LBX mode :
1. Some Letter-Box DVDs are not enhanced for 16x9 TVs. In
this situation, the image will not look right when displayed in
16:9 mode.
In this situation, please try to using the 4:3 mode to view the
DVD.
If the content is not 4:3, there will be black bars around the
image in 16:9 display. For this type of content, you can use
LBX mode to fi ll the image on the 16:9 display.
2. If you use an external anamorphic lens, this LBX mode also
allows you to watch a 2.35:1 content (include Anamorphic
DVD and HDTV fi lm source) that support anamorphic wide is
enhanced for 16x9 Display in a wide 2.35:1 image.
In this case, there are no black bars. Lamp power and
vertical resolution are fully utilized.


Hope that helps.

all that remains is to glom onto a (relatively inexpensive) htb lens!
(and a 2.35(9?):1 screen (re 2.35:1; iirc, most modern 2.35:1 movies are actually 2.39:1 a/r)).

"Anamorphic prints are still often called Scope or 2.35 by projectionists, cinematographers, and others working in the field, if only by force of habit. 2.39 is in fact what they generally are referring to (unless discussing films using the process between 1958 and 1970), which is itself usually rounded up to 2.40. With the exception of certain specialist and archivist areas, generally 2.35, 2.39, and 2.40 mean the same to most professionals, whether they themselves are even aware of the changes or not."

result-an anamorphic lens/1080p hd pj based CIH setup for under $1700 (+ screen). not bad.

I have a PS3 connected to mine. Haven't actually played any games on it yet other than demos (my retail discs are still packed somewhere) and all the demos switch resolution to 720p for some reason. I'll see if I can dig out Resistance 2 or something and give it a try in the next day or two for you.

I purchased a unit through ProjectorPeople, since they told me they received stock today. I will use my current 110" screen for a while, but I believe I will ultimately upgrade to 120" so I'll be able to move my projector stand further back and out of the way.

I don't fully understand screen gain, so my question is whether anyone has a guess what would be the optimal gain for this projector. My room is rectangular with virtually a wall of windows that have room darkening blinds, but which still let in light around the edges. There is a sliding window in the back, but I'll probably add a room darkening blind to that window shortly. (Fortunately, we're in the mountains, so when it's dark outside there's not much ambient light.) Finally, there is a loft above that can let light in from the hallway. but we generally close the door.

Is that enough info for any recommendations?

I think 1.0 grey screen is your best bet....especially with these lower cost projectors it will help black level.

Ok, I need help here guys...

I've been searching for days and can't seem to come to a decision. What mount would you guys recommend for under $50???

I found a bunch on ebay, some look better than others. I would like to find a solid, all metal mount.

Thanks in advance,

What's the video optimized lumens of this projector?.

i want images like this,
i was lookn at a pany 200u but now maybe the hd 20
but the thing is i project 25 ft to the screen!! wont that put down image quality compared to yalls who project around 10 - 15 ft on avg

^^ i project onto a wall... not a screen, just to clear that up

Some of my movies run at at 1080p 60Hz and they run fine on my PS3, i have the newest firmware too, other then that i cant really think of what to try, since your firmwares is updated and you have tryed different HDMI cables.

Any recommendations on a good solid mount??

That's normal - unlike the Xbox 360, the PS3 doesn't have a hardware scaler in it, so games only display in resolutions that were specifically programmed in, and they don't always support 1080i/p. That's why you tell the PS3 all the resolutions your TV can support, so the game can choose the best one for your TV (where on the Xbox 360, instead you just tell it the single resolution to display all games at).



Well, you'll need a VERY dark room for that - from that distance, the smallest the picture you can possibly get is 191", which is just plain huge...and dim. And it won't be quite as sharp because you are making the pixels huge.

Hi Guys!

I already have an Optoma HD65 and I would like to upgrade to HD20.
Both projectors can be adjust to the same mount???

I bought exactly this item

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00..._ya_oh_product

Do you think this can be used for the HD20?

Cheers!!

I am a new member here so maybe I'm breaking some rules by posting this here but I would check this out if I was getting ready to buy a hd20. Read below:

Optoma HD20 1080p Projector $879 After Bing double cashback and Free shipping
Well see if this is a better deal for ya.

J&R has the HD20 for $999 and then 12% bing cashback gets ya to $879 with free shipping and they should start shipping with a week. But for this price its worth the wait.

I tried adjusting other post but would not let me change title.

Goto bing search optoma HD20 then click on optoma products in bing cashback area(pinkish area before search results). Sort by price high to low and then click on page 4 and look for 1700 lumens and $879 price click link and there ya go J&R hd20 $879

This thread and the reality of sub-$1,000 1080P projection has attracted a lot of newbs. Just a brief word of caution to our valued new members ...please do not solely judge these new 1080P projectors by the quality of screen shots you see here. If you venture to the pricey projector forum you will read that sentiment echoed over and over. Screen shots are a very small part of the purchase evaluation puzzle. And while many early owners of the HD20 are well-meaning, their screen shots are not an accurate representation of what this projector can, or can't do. Because of budgetary reasons I am very interested in the new breed of affordable 1080P projectors, as well. But I am awaiting some professional reviews before jumping in. I am also waiting on some real calibration settings from such reviews. The HD70 was markedly improved by the volumious amount of professional and hobbyist tweaking...just look at the size of the original HD70 threads. Sorry for the soap box moment, but this emphasis on screen shots as a primary means to evaluate a projector is just not in your best interest.

Still looking for a response on the above, Please!

Also, have you folks found what your Firmware Revision number is?

Thanks
Rew

You're being much too kind. Screenshots are worthless.

Here you go rmerlano,

Did some digging around in the forums. Found this little tidbit of info. Might make you happy. I really liked your mount, so I bought one myself. The bolt pattern for the HD20 is the same as the HD30, HD65, HD70, and HD71.

Regarding the AI function, myself i hate it, it makes you run the fan on high which is loud and also if a movie scene changes from dark to light quickly you will see the brightness change in the picture

thanks!

I kinda thought it would be more of a gimmick than a real feature.

Thanks
Rew

Not seeing it.

A few more comments to add to my previous postings:

Compared to my previous projector, the NEC LT240K, I don't think the scaling is as good on the HD20. When I fed the NEC a 480p DVD signal (which is how I always watched DVDs) the picture looked very good. By comparison, DVDs from the same player don't look quite as crisp on the HD20. Of course you could say that after seeing Blu-ray and HD content on it I have adjusted my expectations--I am sure there's a bit of that. But I have tried watching DVDs through two different up-converting methods and they look much better.

First I have watched DVDs with the PS3, via HDMI, upconverted to 1080p. When I first tried them over component, where upconversion is disabled I believe, they looked similar to the DVD player. However, over HDMI they look much better. The HDMI also turns on 24fps for blu-ray disks along with 1080p. In my previous post I was thinking that component was satisfactory but this changes my thinking.

I also played DVDs via PowerDVD 9 on a Vista machine. These also looked very good. So my thinking is that whereas the NEC was pretty good at scaling with any progressive signal (it sucked at deinterlacing) the HD20 does best if you give it its native resolution. In truth I think 720p looks very good on it also (the PS3 games tend to put out 720p).

I did find myself seeing some RBE, but so far only on blu-ray discs and only running at 24fps. Does anyone know if 24fps exacerbates this effect for DLP projectors? I have never been bothered by this--my mind easily forgets about it. So far it has only been in a few instances I have noticed it. I have to say I almost kind of like it--DLP projectors seem like magic, with their millions of tiny mirrors and color wheels tossing bits of light around. In any case I'll try to experiment disabling 24fps and seeing if this makes any difference.

I am trying to figure out how I managed to put 40 hours on this thing in one weekend!