*Official* Optoma HD20 Thread - Page 125

Turn off the Optimal Resolution under display settings and manually select 1080P, I had this issue for a long time before i figured out it was actually the Xbox and not my gear.

I'll give that a try. I somewhat fixed it by adjusting the Overscan to +1 on the projector. The black bar went from over 2" to just under 1/2".
Thanks!!!

Its definitely something to do with the EDID that is passed from the Xbox and Display. I pulled my hair out for a year before i figured it out.

Hi all,

I've lurked around on this forum here and there over the last 2.5 years and 3040 Lamp hours since i bought my HD20, but my recent situation made me want to post as the info might help any others who were looking for the same info i was looking for previously, and i know this has been posted before but there have been conflicting posts from other owners so i thought it might show that the this has helped me out.

Recently, i started getting the colour changing/flickering issue after periods of around an hours usage, which slowly reduced to 15/20mins use, and then to 3mins use unless i used High Altitude setting.

I thought i'd bite the bullet and open my baby up for cleaning, and as others had suggested i cleaned the VERY dirty colour wheel by removing it, and using some Windolene and a cotton wool bud/cue tip, i used one end of the bud as the 'wet' end to gently scrub the wheel one segment at a time, then using the other end to immediately dry that segment until it was crystal clear before moving the wheel to the next segment, and then doing the same on the other side of the wheel.

I then used a tooth pick and a squashed bud/cue tip just to brush over the Colour Wheel Optical Sensor to make sure it was dust free, and checked the Marker on the Wheel, which was perfect.

After i replaced the wheel, i used a bud/cue tip to remove any excess lumps of dust from the fins of the heatsinks i could reach, and used a hoover nozzle to get out what i could.

I had no compressed air so i used short sharp blows to clear what i could, and put her back together again, giving all the vents one last go with the hoover...

Problem solved!.. No flashing/flickering/colour changing, just 100% perfect, and i didnt realise how degraded my image had become!

I run all my video through my Media centre, which serves the whole house for a number of functions, as well as being my Audio Workstation, and i had previously thought my Nvidia Drivers, due to a software issue/conflict, had been causing a slight banding on skin tone gradients and loss in detail which i have been trying to solve for months, and the Colour Wheel had been the cause!

Movies, Games, TV, all look much crisper! I'm still on my original bulb, and i would highly suggest anyone/everyone with a steady hand and an hour or so to spare to gently clean your Colour Wheels, especially if you've had it a few years like me! And its not as delicate as i thought it was going to be, just take your time...

Well hope this helps someone who might have been in the same boat as me.

Happy new year everyone, and happy projecting!

Dickie.

Its NEVER finished! Looks good.

So far I can't find this screen. I looked under Display Settings and mine doesn't look like this.

Make sure you have the latest xbox update. Also, this issue has been around since the HD70 came out about 6 years ago. As in, not a Display issue, but something with the xbox that doesn't show the symptom on all displays. But yeah, check to see if you are using the latest xbox 360 update.

I have the latest Xbox update. When I go to Settings->System->console settings->Display there is no HDTV Option. *See attached. I am using the VGA cable from the 360 to the Optoma HD20. Weird. Under Screen Resolution it just has all the different options, no Optima Resolution option, and 1920x1080 is already selected. Screen Format is greyed out. No HDTV Settings in the menu. XboxMenu.jpg 1515k .jpg file

Nickles, Dude. I'm not sure what is going on with your software build.

Here's a picture of my settings:

But yaknow, I did buy my XBox off eBay from Charlie Sheen, so maybe he had it customized.

And you have the same gap on the right hand side, just like Nickels55.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/906663 - This page covers the steps and screenshots of the various display settings for the Xbox 360. But it looks like their example is based on HDMI connection. I don't see a guide based on VGA connection.

Layd Dly, can you post an image of an xbox game via VGA on your HD20? Does it not have the gap on the right? I don't have a VGA cable to test mine out. I see 2 people here have this gap issue. And a screenshot of your xbox settings.

Psst. It was just a joke, Xenon.

I have Weird German Pornography Levels set to medium, didn't help.
/not funny joke

There is no way to fix this via the Xbox menus - I've tried everything at this point. Overscan for VGA set back to 1 on the Optoma. It isn't perfect, but a little better as the gap is much smaller. I forget the gap is even there once I start playing a game anyway.

As for: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/906663
Step 4 says to "Select HDTV Settings." - it must not be available on mine because the 360 considers VGA a computer monitor and not an HDTV (my guess).


PS: No, he photoshopped my attached photo to add in the fake menu items. That is totally my set-up in that photo. haha

I thought it looked familiar. I didn't back track to double check. lol.

I switched the connection on my Xbox to the Optoma from using the VGA cable to component cables. The black bar on the right was gone with component cables. The PQ seemed about the same, so I guess I'll be buying a 15' M->F component cable and stop using the VGA cable. Not sure if it is the VGA port in general or if I just got a crappy VGA cable.

Sorry, I would have suggested another cable connection type but I thought you were out of connection options as VGA is an odd choice for non-computer devices. I have only seen this right side gap issue with the Xbox 360 and the VGA connection with several displays. Not just the HD20. HDMI and Component are more preferred than VGA unless it's a computer, then I would only use HDMI or VGA. (Or DVI to HDMI adapter)

Glad you figured it out. I don't think it's your VGA cable. I think it's just the way the 360 outputs via VGA and not being 100% compatible with all VGA displays.

I was away from home and kids were watching the projector they heard a pop and it auto shut down. I had a blinking light when I unplugged it and plugged it in it has a solid light. Is it safe to assume my bulb blew and would it hurt to turn it on to check

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Most likely bulb. It is safe to try turning on. If the bulb is blow you will have no light and the LED should indicate bulb is out. Page 40 of the manual has the error codes. If Temp-LED flashes red and Lamp-LED is off, it's overheated. If the Lamp LED is flashing red, the lamb is bad.

Thank you it does appear to be the Lamp. Lost the manual but manual owl saved me. Is amazon the best place to buy the Lamp.

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Be careful that you get a OEM lamp, replacement lamps can be whole lot of trouble. Last time I got from Buy.com could also check Provantage.com both have the right one for the HD20. Good pricing at both places.

Rew

Thanks for pointing this out. Plenty of people who have gone with non-OEM bulbs and been unhappy with poor white uniformity. Sadly it's very confusing because there are OEM "bulbs" and OEM "lamp housings". You really want a full OEM lamp housing assembly which is an OEM bulb already mounted in the OEM housing.

http://optomausa.com/products/detail/BL-FP230D - This is the bulb as sold by Optoma. Part number BL-FP230D, the issue is so many places will claim they sell this part number, but really it's a knock-off or the part doesn't even have this number on it, but they sell it as such. Just be very careful. Expensive from Optoma for $249.

The "BL-FP230D" labeled lamps from Amazon do NOT look like the OEM bulb and have a much lower price. I do not trust any of the ones I have found on there so far.

The one on Newegg appears to be OEM, but it's only slightly cheaper at $220.

B&H Photo is also respected and appears to have the OEM lamp at a more reasonable $198.

Projector People is trusted, but bulb is the same cost as Optoma directly.

So I don't know where the best price is for a truely OEM BL-FP230D

Took a risk and ordered the amazon bulb. Does not fit. Plastic housing is off by a few mm so pegs don't line up to holes. Will order from b and h

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I just upgraded from an Optoma H31 to the HD20. I had 5 very satisfying years with the H31 but wanted to finally upgrade to something HD.

I went with the HD20 because I figured "how could it be worse in any way?"

Was I ever wrong. I never saw a single rainbow on my old projector, but I see them all the time on the HD20 and my eyes feel very tired after watching for more than a half hour. I don't understand how this is possible at all.

Is there a way to adjust the image so that I don't see them? Or should I look for a different projector?

Sorry to hear that. The H31 and HD20 both have a 4x speed 6 segment color wheel. The big difference, and of course one of the components for RBE, is brightness/contrast. The HD20 had a much brighter output. Which will definitely make RBE more noticeable. Low bulb is the lowest output you will really see from the HD20. Which means you have to increase the screen size or put an ND filter in front of the lens to cut more light output. Increasing the size will drop brightness, but you would have to really go huge to cut the brightness down to be close to the H31. And then size also works against you for RBE. As side to side eye tracking makes the issue worse.

I would start with Cinema mode, bulb on low, and see if that helps at all. Otherwise you will need an ND4 or ND8 filter to really cut the brightness down. ND2 will not be much of a light output drop. You can also use a grey screen if you are not already. That will cut brightness down as well. The high contrast caused by bright on dark, with side to side movement are where RBE is the worst. Dropping the contrast, but lowering bulb output, can help a lot.

Personally I wish the HD20 had a dimmer bulb. Even at my current 125" setup, the brightness is a little too high causing lighter black levels than I care for.

Though based on the much lower output of the H31 and your sensitivity to RBE, you may want to switch to an LCD projector. I am not sure what other DLP projector will have significantly lower bulb output and better RBE without getting into a much higher price bracket.

Anybody have the optimal settings they have achieved with this beast? I just got one.
If you want to get darker blacks without ruining the colors and setting scheme, or wishing for a dimmer bulb, just buy an ND 2 Filter from Neewer.

DERp, this
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/77-mm-Neutral-Density-ND2-Filter-for-77-mm-Lens-of-Camera-New-/261036691688?pt=Camera_Filters&hash=item3cc6ffd0e8&_uhb=1#ht_2452wt_984

Also the filter reduces RAINBOW Effect, and makes the picture crisper.


Thank me later.
Edited by Bejita - 1/22/13 at 7:32pm

It is certainly cheap and easy enough for people to try and see. I did, and I honestly couldn't tell much of a difference with and without it on my 1.0 Gain matte white screen. But I left it on for 2 months to see if I liked it better. I ended up taking it off and prefer the picture without it I think. Though I might try again and see yet again. It did help the black levels. But I felt my white highlights were crushed a little. I will have to try again. Mostly just want to point out that the ND2 filter isn't the magic cure that I thought it would be. That might sound obvious to some, but just pointing it out so people don't over-expect grand results from it.

Hey guys so I ordered my bulb which came in a original optoma box fits perfectly. I turned the projector on fans run for about five minutes and and it turns off. I get a blinking power light and a solid lamp light any thoughts

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Hello all,
My color wheel broke about a month ago and so I replaced it. Since I had my projector open I cleaned as much of the dust out as possible with compressed air. When I tried to start my projector again I got a solid red lamp LED and flashing amber light. According to the manual this indicates that my lamp needs to replaced. I replaced the lamp today but I still get the same error lights. The projector starts for about 20 seconds but then it turns off. Both fans are spinning, the color wheel is spinning and the picture looks good but then it shuts off. I tried to reset the lamp hours but it shuts off before I get there. Anyone have any suggestions before I send it off or purchase a new one?

Update
After several attempts of unplugging and plugging it back in, the lamp will not turn on anymore. Instead I get a blinking green light followed by red lamp led and flashing amber led. The color wheel spins at first and then the fans turn on but the brand new lamp never lights up. After reading many forums I believe it is a motherboard issue. I would like to maybe try and reset the lamp hours but I don't know if it's possible without being able to access the menu.

Update. I took the projector completely down. Opened the plastic housing which did not contain much visable dust. I used compressed air and cleaned the whole thing out. I placed the new bulb in without snapping the little side plastic peices into the lamp housing and for some reason it fits and works. If I snap it in tight and screw the sides in I get an error lamp code. So its working now I guess so that will do for me. Thanks for the help.

Thirsty