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*Official* Optoma HD20 Thread - Page 124

post #3691 of 3813
12/6/12 at 10:51am
Sorry for the lazy post, I'm sure I can find the answer if I google it... but anyway:

I have my Optoma projecting onto my blank wall. I would like to create an affordable "frame" around the picture displayed on the wall. I am thinking a 2" border (not much room for it being any bigger) made out of trim from a lumber store. Do I go slightly larger than the picture leaving a tiny gap, or do I try to get the edge as close as possible? Can I just paint the trim in a black matte paint, or do I need to cover it with some sort of black material to absorb the light? Also wondering where the edges meet, do I cut them on a 45 degree angle or just have the trim pieces butt up against the top/bottom pieces on the flat edge? I'm also thinking of painting inside the frame with the Bahr silverscreen paint as I've seen lots of posts saying it enhances the quality of the picture.

Any tips are welcome!

Terrible text example of the top of the frame meeting the left side with 45 degree angles cut on both trim edges:
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*This way the edges meet at two 45 angles to make a 90 degree side.
vs
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*This way the piece just butt up against each other.
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Gear mentioned in this thread:

post #3692 of 3813
12/6/12 at 11:53am
Quote:
Originally Posted by nickels55 View Post

Sorry for the lazy post, I'm sure I can find the answer if I google it... but anyway:
I have my Optoma projecting onto my blank wall. I would like to create an affordable "frame" around the picture displayed on the wall. I am thinking a 2" border (not much room for it being any bigger) made out of trim from a lumber store. Do I go slightly larger than the picture leaving a tiny gap, or do I try to get the edge as close as possible? Can I just paint the trim in a black matte paint, or do I need to cover it with some sort of black material to absorb the light? Also wondering where the edges meet, do I cut them on a 45 degree angle or just have the trim pieces butt up against the top/bottom pieces on the flat edge? I'm also thinking of painting inside the frame with the Bahr silverscreen paint as I've seen lots of posts saying it enhances the quality of the picture.
Any tips are welcome!
Terrible text example of the top of the frame meeting the left side with 45 degree angles cut on both trim edges:
|\=====
||
||
*This way the edges meet at two 45 angles to make a 90 degree side.
vs
======
||
||
*This way the piece just butt up against each other.

I would definitely paint it matte black no matter what you do. And then bleed the image just slightly into the frame border.

And if the frame is using beveled or other non-symetrical design, then you will need to do a 45 degree cut for the corners.

Other comments:

If your wall surface completely smooth? Or does it have texture like a normal finished home wall such as orange peel? If it has any texture, while it may look great, I was shocked at how much better the image looked when I switched from wall to my current blackout clothe DIY screen. Now it looks like a 125" LCD screen instead of a wall. Just a suggestion to apply new texture to the screen area and try to make it as smooth as possible. Though if you are renting, that may not be an option. Since I didn't want to mess with my wall, I just made my frame strong and stretched blackout cloth on it for cheap, lightweight smooth screen.

I personally don't like the look in person of the silver screen paint. Makes it look like a rear projection TV with hot spotting.
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post #3693 of 3813
12/6/12 at 9:24pm
Xenon my budget was basically as close to a grand I could get, that said I got the Panny from Projector People for $1249 and free shipping. Unbelievably it came the next day! Unfortunately I'm still waiting for the mount so I can't install it yet. Kind of a funny anecdote, as I was returning the unit at Best Buy the Geeksquad guy at the counter says to me before I say a word, "rainbows?" I'm like "yeah" to which he processed my return without saying another word, which I actually thought was kinda cool.
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post #3694 of 3813
12/7/12 at 6:49am
Quote:
Originally Posted by xenon2000 View Post

I would definitely paint it matte black no matter what you do. And then bleed the image just slightly into the frame border.
And if the frame is using beveled or other non-symetrical design, then you will need to do a 45 degree cut for the corners.
Other comments:
If your wall surface completely smooth? Or does it have texture like a normal finished home wall such as orange peel? If it has any texture, while it may look great, I was shocked at how much better the image looked when I switched from wall to my current blackout clothe DIY screen. Now it looks like a 125" LCD screen instead of a wall. Just a suggestion to apply new texture to the screen area and try to make it as smooth as possible. Though if you are renting, that may not be an option. Since I didn't want to mess with my wall, I just made my frame strong and stretched blackout cloth on it for cheap, lightweight smooth screen.
I personally don't like the look in person of the silver screen paint. Makes it look like a rear projection TV with hot spotting.

Thanks for the suggestions. The wall does have a slight texture like an orange since it is normal drywall with a a coat of white paint on it. To me it already looks amazing, but if it can get even better I'm all for it. My only concern is that it seems that blackout cloth is only 54", so that seems like it is too small to make a 120" screen. Even a 110" screen is over 58" tall. I will skip using the silver screen paint. I found these directions for the screen:
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/a/how-to-build-a-diy-black-out-cloth-screen

But I now need to find blackout cloth that is at least 64" wide. To the internet!

Edit: found it!
http://www.carlofet.com/projector-screen-materials/blackout-cloth-projector-screen-materials.html
Edited by nickels55 - 12/7/12 at 6:55am
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post #3695 of 3813
12/7/12 at 9:24am
Quote:
Originally Posted by lpolarin View Post

Xenon my budget was basically as close to a grand I could get, that said I got the Panny from Projector People for $1249 and free shipping. Unbelievably it came the next day! Unfortunately I'm still waiting for the mount so I can't install it yet. Kind of a funny anecdote, as I was returning the unit at Best Buy the Geeksquad guy at the counter says to me before I say a word, "rainbows?" I'm like "yeah" to which he processed my return without saying another word, which I actually thought was kinda cool.

Interesting. So that clerk is either an LCD proponent, or the HD23 is well known for its intense RBE. As I still think the HD20 has acceptably low RBE and my guests can never see it on my setup.

Glad you found a projector that fits your needs. I would have gotten something other than the HD20 if I could have go over the $900 mark. Of course I would really have to get over the $1200 mark to really get into another set of PJs to pick from.
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post #3696 of 3813
12/7/12 at 9:45am
Quote:
Originally Posted by nickels55 View Post

Thanks for the suggestions. The wall does have a slight texture like an orange since it is normal drywall with a a coat of white paint on it. To me it already looks amazing, but if it can get even better I'm all for it. My only concern is that it seems that blackout cloth is only 54", so that seems like it is too small to make a 120" screen. Even a 110" screen is over 58" tall. I will skip using the silver screen paint. I found these directions for the screen:
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/a/how-to-build-a-diy-black-out-cloth-screen
But I now need to find blackout cloth that is at least 64" wide. To the internet!
Edit: found it!
http://www.carlofet.com/projector-screen-materials/blackout-cloth-projector-screen-materials.html

I posted links to stuff I bought, but man, the pricing you found is excellent! About $40 shipped vs the $50-55 that I paid in total. Anyway, the link you posted also has the wide cloth for huge screens. The walls I was using as a screen at one time, was ultra smooth lightly textured orange peel and I got a screen just for testing and it was a huge difference to me. I couldn't believe that I didn't notice the wall texture before. But it's so obvious once you see your setup with a smooth blackout cloth or other smooth screen. Mine came shipped folded, but once it was stretched and stapled to the frame, no wrinkles.

A 110" 16:9 screen is only 54" high, not over 58. I am using blackout cloth and have a 125" screen, or is it 124", I need to double check.

I bought my material from this seller on eBay. http://www.ebay.com/sch/b-a/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=25

Sadly ebay doesn't go back further than 60 days and I bought it in early 2010. But I spent around $50-60. But given that the wood and hardware is so cheap. I have a really nice 125" (or 124") DIY screen for way under $100.

For instance, this one says it's for 122" 16:9, the material is 64" x 110", which I am pretty sure mine is that size. PJ calculator shows a 125" 16x9 is 61"x109", I do have mine right to the limits and it has stayed perfect for the past 3 years. The 64" was dead on, but the 110" was actually a little more like 111 or 112 as they do cut that part by hand. I did fien with 1.5" or overlap on each each as my frame is only about 0.75" deep.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/B-ADEALS-122-16-9-PROJECTION-HOME-THEATER-CINEMA-PROJECTOR-SCREEN-MAT-FREE-SHIP-/230890946837?pt=US_Projection_Screens_Material&hash=item35c22c4115

I also noticed that they claim 123" on some listings and it's still the same 64x110" material. All his listings seem to be for the same Gain 1.0, viewing 170+ degree, material. Which is what I have and it looks fantastic.
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post #3697 of 3813
12/7/12 at 10:19am
Here is a link to my HD20 public gallery.

http://imgur.com/a/7H317

These are REALLY old photos. So I think it's time I take some new photos to share. My ceiling is now painted a dark color. The same color as the darkest wall in that room. And the carpet has been replaced with darker carpet. But the dark ceiling made a huge difference.

And since I have a "floating" screen, I am thinking of looking for a good deal on RGB LED rope to do backlighting.
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post #3698 of 3813
12/8/12 at 8:37am
I put up tape borders to measure for my screen. I noticed that HDMI 1 and 2 fill the frame. My xbox 360 is connected to the VGA port. For some reason the 360 has about a 2" gap on the right side.

Watching a show on the HDM input. Notice how the image goes all the way to the tape marks on the right:


Using the 360 on the VGA input, notice the 2" gap on the right. The left side goes all the way to the same spot as the HDMI input. Only the right side comes up short:


Any clue why the 360 isn't filling the frame?
Edited by nickels55 - 12/8/12 at 11:16am
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post #3699 of 3813
12/9/12 at 7:20am
Quote:
Originally Posted by nickels55 View Post

Sorry for the lazy post, I'm sure I can find the answer if I google it... but anyway:
I have my Optoma projecting onto my blank wall. I would like to create an affordable "frame" around the picture displayed on the wall. I am thinking a 2" border (not much room for it being any bigger) made out of trim from a lumber store. Do I go slightly larger than the picture leaving a tiny gap, or do I try to get the edge as close as possible? Can I just paint the trim in a black matte paint, or do I need to cover it with some sort of black material to absorb the light? Also wondering where the edges meet, do I cut them on a 45 degree angle or just have the trim pieces butt up against the top/bottom pieces on the flat edge? I'm also thinking of painting inside the frame with the Bahr silverscreen paint as I've seen lots of posts saying it enhances the quality of the picture.
Any tips are welcome!
Terrible text example of the top of the frame meeting the left side with 45 degree angles cut on both trim edges:
|\=====
||
||
*This way the edges meet at two 45 angles to make a 90 degree side.
vs
======
||
||
*This way the piece just butt up against each other.

Or you could do just like me painting the screen off white and the border around the screen back and it worked fine for me.

Edited by dvnandover - 12/9/12 at 8:40am
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post #3700 of 3813
12/10/12 at 12:10pm
Hi,

I'm new to this forum - so greetings to you all. I posted a new thread in the main forum but didn't get any replies, so I hope you don't mind me posting my query here in this thread.

I need help with the repair of an HD20 - I picked up a non-working unit off of eBay and on opening the unit up I have noticed that there is a surface mount crystal missing from the PCB in the position shown in the picture below. The problem is I cannot find a high resoloution picture on the web of the unit so I can't read the value of the missing crystal. I would greatly appreciate it if anyone has a unit currently apart, if they could read off the markings on this crystal for me. Or alternatively if someone could post on this thread a high resolution picture of the inside of the HD20, so I can read off the crystal markings myself.

Many thanks in advance,

Cyclone biggrin.gif

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post #3701 of 3813
12/10/12 at 2:35pm
Thanks for sharing. Great info and tips. I was having the flashing and weird color issues and decided to perform the cleaning operation last night. Projector is now working properly again. I would just like to note that I was able to perform the cleaning without detaching the wire that goes from the control panel to the main board. So if anyone is sweating that part of the operation it may be comforting to know that it's possible to clean the unit without detaching that wire. Thanks again.
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post #3702 of 3813
12/10/12 at 2:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by lostsole1976 View Post

March 2011 Update: member jalfonso says in addition to what I have put below: "my 5 cents. I had the same flickering problem described frequently with this projector. I followed the instructions to dissasemble. When taking off the cover start from the front of the pj. There is a snap in the central part but can easily be pulled off. There where no dust bunnies inside. Apparently Optoma has put some foam filters on the air entrance and the projector was almost clean."


More March 2011 updates: Also, it has now been a month and a half and my projector is still working like new since the cleaning. As a reminder the cleaning solved the following problems:


1. Blotchiness/pixelation in the dark skin tones or shadows. (This was initially before things got really bad)

2. Crazy purple and green flashing after having the projector on for just a few minutes. This rendered the picture un-watchable.

3. Strange ghosting and double images.


Some folks later after I initially posted this were not having the success I did. They may have a different problem OR, it could be that blowing out the unit with a high powered shop compressor did more to "clean it" and make it work right than I thought? I know some people would not have a high powered air compressor, thus they may substitute a can of compressed air. It is possible that this would not be strong enough to clear "something" that needs cleared? I just don't know?


If you decide to follow this procedure, please make sure you understand the following statements first.



1. I am not any sort of engineer, I could be doing something mechanically wrong to my projector and not know it. UPDATE (Actually, I broke one of my cover clips, so, see what I mean! However, I think you can do it without breaking it, thus learning from my pain.)

2. Doing this will certainly void your warranty, standard or extended.

3. Understand that I don't know if this is a long term fix? My projector is working great so far and it has been several days. There may indeed be other problems with the projector when it exhibits the symptoms earlier described, only time will tell? I really hate paying people hundreds of dollars for something I could have done myself in twenty minutes. I hope this is the big fix!?

4. Agree that you will not abuse me in any way if you do damage your projector. This includes eggs on my home, late night phone calls with heavy breathing, sending viruses, etc.


Special note: I had a hard time with the wire going form the control panel to the main board the 2nd time I took apart the projector. The blue plug in tab did not want to stay very easily, too loose. So, I had to have the cover down very close to the projector to create slack to get the plug to stay in. As I said in the tutorial, test the projector once you plug in the blue tab by plugging in the power cord first to make sure the tab is connected all the way when the cover is almost in place. See the photo below and take note as this is one thing that changed for me and was of some concern.


Special note 2: I realized I did not do a good job covering how the snaps seem to operate. I'm covering the back snaps as they seemed to give me all the trouble. So, I have gone back and looked more closely at what I did to separate the cover. I see I broke my right snap. No biggie, it still closes up.


Either way, the right snap above the power source input has a clip with a lip on it that hangs down from the cover and towards the front of the projector. This clips to the connector on the bottom projector main body near the power source. See photo below. Thus, I can imagine if one were to do this correctly, you would pull the cover back towards you to get this one snap to come undone.


Then, there is a recessed clip in the middle that hangs down from the cover and has a lip that faces BACK towards you. This may just come undone easily after the other snap, but, if not, one could likely poke the knife gently on it and push it back to release it. See photo UPDATE for the back of the projector.


I would love to hear any feedback or further info that one of you may learn that I missed?


Good luck and I hope this has been helpful. I did it because I wished very much someone had done it before me!



And yes, I know I spelled butter wrong.



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Thanks for sharing. Great info and tips. I was having the flashing and weird color issues and decided to perform the cleaning operation last night. Projector is now working properly again. I would just like to note that I was able to perform the cleaning without detaching the wire that goes from the control panel to the main board. So if anyone is sweating that part of the operation it may be comforting to know that it's possible to clean the unit without detaching that wire. Thanks again.
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post #3703 of 3813
12/15/12 at 10:33am
did you ever resolve this issue? mine is doing the same and the hrs are less
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post #3704 of 3813
12/15/12 at 10:42am
Compressed air fixed mine too. Put 40 hours on it after blowing it out.
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post #3705 of 3813
12/17/12 at 5:09am
Hello, can someone please help me with my hd20. I've allready googled couple days but find no answer:

My issue is color wheel that does not rotate. It just makes ticking sound. Sometimes when I put power on, it rotates about 1/4-1/2 round, but then freezes again and just ticks...

If I rotate it gently with my finger (with power on), it almost starts to rotate but then it again freezes again.

Is the color wheel broken or the color wheel circuit?
Or something else, like power circuit etc.?



Regards, Mikko
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post #3706 of 3813
12/18/12 at 10:34am
Quote:
Originally Posted by danmekio View Post

Hello, can someone please help me with my hd20. I've allready googled couple days but find no answer:
My issue is color wheel that does not rotate. It just makes ticking sound. Sometimes when I put power on, it rotates about 1/4-1/2 round, but then freezes again and just ticks...
If I rotate it gently with my finger (with power on), it almost starts to rotate but then it again freezes again.
Is the color wheel broken or the color wheel circuit?
Or something else, like power circuit etc.?
Regards, Mikko

I haven't had any issues with my HD20 yet. So I haven't even opened mine up yet. But seems that when the color wheel does act up, people use compressed are to clean out the color wheel motor or full replacement of the motor/wheel assembly. I personally would likely not attempt cleaning of the color wheel motor while inside the HD20. I would remove it for full access.

So not sure what will help you. Good luck.
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post #3707 of 3813
12/23/12 at 3:57pm
HD20 owner looking for a new Blu Ray Player

Right now I have a Samsung BDP 1600, when I switch back and forth between menus on the same disc, I often get the dreaded blue screen, sometimes for minutes at a time until a signal is detected. Is there a player that is more "fast switching" friendly when it comes to the HD20?

The "Searching" and looking at a blue screen is really getting old.

If there is some way to minimize this by settings, that would be great to know as well!

Thanks for any tips or advice!
Edited by DenM3 - 12/24/12 at 10:17am
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post #3708 of 3813
12/24/12 at 10:21am
Quote:
Originally Posted by DenM3 View Post

HD20 owner looking for a new Blu Ray Player
Right now I have a Samsung BDP 1600, when I switch back and forth between menus on the same disc, I often get the dreaded blue screen, sometimes for minutes at a time until a signal is detected. Is there a player that is more friendly when it comes to the HD20?
The "Searching" and looking at a blue screen is really getting old.
If there is some way to minimize this by settings, that would be great to know as well!
Thanks for any tips or advice!

Do you have an HDMI switcher or AV receiver in the mix between the HD20 and your Samsung BDP 1600? If it is, then you could try, just for testing, to connect the BDP 1600 directly to the HD20 to see if it's your player or your AV receiver. I use a PS3 for my BD player and haven't seen this happen. Though so far all the BDs I have played stay in 1080p / 24 hz, the whole time.

What BD title is it? I might have it and could test on mine. Though I do have mine going through an Onkyo AV receiver with no issues so far.
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post #3709 of 3813
12/24/12 at 11:31am
i'm trying to program my fios tv remote to work with the hd20 to control the on off functions at least. i got it to work with my sony receiver, where i can turn it on or off and change the volume. i was trying to do the same for the projector, but the one programming code of 0914 did not seem to work. anybody got any help on this, or what code actually works?
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post #3710 of 3813
12/24/12 at 6:42pm
I had to clean and reset the bulb the other day. I was getting all the typical problems. Thanks to this thread i wad up and running within the hour.
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post #3711 of 3813
12/24/12 at 10:16pm
[/quote]
Quote:
Originally Posted by xenon2000 View Post

Do you have an HDMI switcher or AV receiver in the mix between the HD20 and your Samsung BDP 1600? If it is, then you could try, just for testing, to connect the BDP 1600 directly to the HD20 to see if it's your player or your AV receiver. I use a PS3 for my BD player and haven't seen this happen. Though so far all the BDs I have played stay in 1080p / 24 hz, the whole time.
What BD title is it? I might have it and could test on mine. Though I do have mine going through an Onkyo AV receiver with no issues so far.


Yes, I have a Yamaha 7.1 AV receiver that sends everything out via HDMI. It seems to do this unwanted effect on pretty much any disc, even old DVDs. Here is a writeup on this issue:

http://www.synopsys.com/Company/Publications/DWTB/Pages/dwtb-hdmi-fast-switching-fall2012.aspx

Maybe I need a new, new receiver!
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post #3712 of 3813
12/25/12 at 7:27pm
Ok I have been readigin your posts and they seem very helpful, perhaps you can help me as well. I have my directv (hd) connected to my optoma HP20 via a Denon AVR-1610 and the picture and sound is amazing. I bought my kiddos a PS3 for Christmas and when I connect it using the HDP input on the Denon i can only get the 480p to work. The cable from the denon to the projector is a standard 20' hdmi. I get perfect 1080p from my satelite reciever so I dont understand why its not working with the PS3. I intend to hook the PS3 directly to the projector with a shorter hdmi (one I tested with teh PS3 on another tv and it worked fine).Does this sound plausible, for a hdmi cable to work with 1080p on one device (the satelite rcvr) and not with the PS3?
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post #3713 of 3813
12/26/12 at 7:13am
Quote:
Originally Posted by DenM3 View Post

Yes, I have a Yamaha 7.1 AV receiver that sends everything out via HDMI. It seems to do this unwanted effect on pretty much any disc, even old DVDs. Here is a writeup on this issue:
http://www.synopsys.com/Company/Publications/DWTB/Pages/dwtb-hdmi-fast-switching-fall2012.aspx
Maybe I need a new, new receiver!

I don't understand how your link to "Fast switching" technology, has to do with your issue? You are not switching between devices.

So it's not a specific disc. Have you already tried bypassing the receiver to see if the issue still happens? I am just wondering if it's your player or your receiver. Personally I think it's more likely your player, but I guess it could also be something about the receiver. But it SHOULD be the player since everything else should be reacting to the output from your player since you are not switching devices when this happens to you.

I just think it's a good idea to be sure what has the issue so you are focusing on the right thing.
Edited by xenon2000 - 12/26/12 at 9:08am
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post #3714 of 3813
12/26/12 at 7:23am
Quote:
Originally Posted by gatorbrown2000 View Post

Ok I have been readigin your posts and they seem very helpful, perhaps you can help me as well. I have my directv (hd) connected to my optoma HP20 via a Denon AVR-1610 and the picture and sound is amazing. I bought my kiddos a PS3 for Christmas and when I connect it using the HDP input on the Denon i can only get the 480p to work. The cable from the denon to the projector is a standard 20' hdmi. I get perfect 1080p from my satelite reciever so I dont understand why its not working with the PS3. I intend to hook the PS3 directly to the projector with a shorter hdmi (one I tested with teh PS3 on another tv and it worked fine).Does this sound plausible, for a hdmi cable to work with 1080p on one device (the satelite rcvr) and not with the PS3?

I guess anything is possible, I have seen odd things happen. But I highly doubt it's your cable in this case. I am using a heavy gauge 35ft HDMI cable and everything works at 1080p just fine with my HD20. Directly or through my Onkyo receiver.

http://manuals.playstation.net/document/en/ps3/current/settings/videooutput.html

You didn't say anything about settings on your PS3, so I will ask. The above link covers the output settings on the PS3. Have you already gone through this process? 1080p is only supported on HDMI and Component. Though I have only tested mine PS3 using HDMI.

Step 7, in the link above, you select all available resolutions that your display supports. Are all the boxes selected in this step? You will also set the ratio to 16:9 in further steps.

FYI, it shouldn't matter which HDMI input on your Denon you plug it into. HDP, DVD, etc... are just labels to match the front buttons and Denon menus. Unless I missed something in the Denon manual, all the HDMI inputs should be the same.
Edited by xenon2000 - 12/26/12 at 7:49am
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post #3715 of 3813
12/29/12 at 7:44pm
I bought a new HD20 two weeks ago. Immediately when I turned it on the image was flickering. I read somewhere that this may be normal for a new bulb and to run it in bright mode for a few hours, so I let it run for about five hours, and the flickering went away after that. A week later it started flickering again, and continued to get worse until now it just shows an extremely dim image with an occasional flicker to full brightness every few minutes. I also noticed that the green standby LED is not lit up while the projector is turned on. It does this whether or not any inputs are plugged in. I've tried switching power outlets thinking it may be a power issue but it doesn't help. Does anyone have any idea what's going on here? This is the second time I've purchased an HD20, and I had to return that one too for a different problem.

Here's a picture with the lamp on bright mode. It's barely visible and the colors are blotchy.
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post #3716 of 3813
12/30/12 at 10:07am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dogaroo View Post

I bought a new HD20 two weeks ago. Immediately when I turned it on the image was flickering. I read somewhere that this may be normal for a new bulb and to run it in bright mode for a few hours, so I let it run for about five hours, and the flickering went away after that. A week later it started flickering again, and continued to get worse until now it just shows an extremely dim image with an occasional flicker to full brightness every few minutes. I also noticed that the green standby LED is not lit up while the projector is turned on. It does this whether or not any inputs are plugged in. I've tried switching power outlets thinking it may be a power issue but it doesn't help. Does anyone have any idea what's going on here? This is the second time I've purchased an HD20, and I had to return that one too for a different problem.
Here's a picture with the lamp on bright mode. It's barely visible and the colors are blotchy.

Bulb is the only thing that affects image brightness on the HD20. So likely a problem with the bulb. Of the circuit that controls the bulb. Where both of these HD20 new from a respected seller? I know you said "new", but seems extremely unlikely that you would get 2 lemon HD20's in a row unless they were not new and/or not from a respected reseller.

I bought mine from Costco and have had it for almost 3 years with no real issues. I did not have any "break in" period for flickering. Mine had zero hours from Costco, shipped directly from Optoma, and zero flicker since day 1. I have only seen people mention color flickering after so many hours and it was a color wheel issue that was sometimes solved by running in high mode to kick the fan into the higher speed to help remove dust. I haven't seen anyone mention brightness flickering when new. But maybe I missed that in this huge thread.

I would return this one too as I can't see anything you can do to solve the issue for free. If the image is really in full color but dim, then the the bulb or bulb circuit has issues. And color blochiness has generally been color wheel and/or circuit board issues. Overall, doesn't sound good for the long term even if you could fix it yourself. It just should not be that way brand new.
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post #3717 of 3813
1/1/13 at 7:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by xenon2000 View Post

Bulb is the only thing that affects image brightness on the HD20. So likely a problem with the bulb. Of the circuit that controls the bulb. Where both of these HD20 new from a respected seller? I know you said "new", but seems extremely unlikely that you would get 2 lemon HD20's in a row unless they were not new and/or not from a respected reseller.
I bought mine from Costco and have had it for almost 3 years with no real issues. I did not have any "break in" period for flickering. Mine had zero hours from Costco, shipped directly from Optoma, and zero flicker since day 1. I have only seen people mention color flickering after so many hours and it was a color wheel issue that was sometimes solved by running in high mode to kick the fan into the higher speed to help remove dust. I haven't seen anyone mention brightness flickering when new. But maybe I missed that in this huge thread.
I would return this one too as I can't see anything you can do to solve the issue for free. If the image is really in full color but dim, then the the bulb or bulb circuit has issues. And color blochiness has generally been color wheel and/or circuit board issues. Overall, doesn't sound good for the long term even if you could fix it yourself. It just should not be that way brand new.

Thanks for the reply. I bought both of them on Amazon, from Optoma. The first one worked fine except that the power button was stuck "on", so when you turned the projector off (with the remote) it would turn itself on again after it cooled down. I'll be sending this one back as well. Maybe the third time's the charm!
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post #3718 of 3813
1/2/13 at 9:34am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dogaroo View Post

Thanks for the reply. I bought both of them on Amazon, from Optoma. The first one worked fine except that the power button was stuck "on", so when you turned the projector off (with the remote) it would turn itself on again after it cooled down. I'll be sending this one back as well. Maybe the third time's the charm!

http://www.amazon.com/Optoma-HD20-Definition-Theater-Projector/dp/B002G0CWSU/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1357147770&sr=1-1&keywords=optoma+HD20

So it was this new one that says ships from and sold by Amazon? And not one of the used ones right? I am really shocked that you would get 2 lemons in a row from Amazon new. Talk about unlucky. I would suggest Costco, but currently they do not have the HD20 or HD180. Good thing Amazon has a great return policy and process as well. Good luck on your next one.
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post #3719 of 3813
1/2/13 at 10:11am
Here's a picture with the lamp on bright mode. It's barely visible and the colors are blotchy.
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Try removing the lens cap.

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Sorry. Couldn't resist. That is seriously frustrating. My head would explode if I had two major issues in a row like that. You are a more patient human being than I.
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post #3720 of 3813
1/2/13 at 1:29pm
In case anyone is interested, here is my project from Christmas break. I bought all the material and made my own screen and frame. You can't tell but the frame is black fabric so it absorbs any spillover light. The screen is made from blackout cloth stretched and stapled to a frame that I made out of wood. The frame is attached to the sides of the screen with 6 L brackets. Total cost was about $150, and it took me many hours of manual labor. In the end it was well worth it, not so much for picture clarity, but the room looks a lot nicer now.



The viewable area is 110" diagonal 16:9 ratio. I still need to hide the speaker wires and add trim along the floor. This is a work in progress but almost finished.
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