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Official InFocus Sp8602 owners thread. - Page 55

post #1621 of 1956
8/1/11 at 5:38pm
Count me in for those who would love a PM on those prices. I was planning on a refurb Samsung but at those prices it'd be silly not to pick one up.
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post #1622 of 1956
8/1/11 at 6:02pm
Me too. I've been eyeing this projector awhile now. Thanks!

Quote:
Originally Posted by coderguy View Post

Can someone PM me the link where you got it at this price?
Also, is the warranty still valid in the US for this purchase?
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post #1623 of 1956
8/1/11 at 6:15pm
I think I found the store, but I'd have to call them.
The store doesn't look suspicious, but the price does, are we sure this isn't a refurb or used product. Every other german store starts around $2500 / about $1750 euros.

Why would one single place have it for half price?

Also, has anyone succesfully ordered one to the US from this place?

I imagine there will be an export or import tax, plus the extremely high shipping charges to the US, and I'm pretty sure you'd lose the warranty. Even at this incredible price and even if the price is correct, it's probably not worth it to the US.
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post #1624 of 1956
8/1/11 at 11:24pm
Sorry, but you can't order from this company from outside.

For example:
This company has branch offices in Austria and Germany and is currently selling the SP8602 for 1.007,- in Austria and for 999,- in Germany.
For me (in Austria) it's even impossible to order from Germany (and vice versa).
So I'm sure there is no way to order from the US.
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post #1625 of 1956
8/5/11 at 5:15pm
I've read a few reviews on the site selling the projectors for cheap.

Potential buyers from Germany should beware. It looks like the site obtains items with serial numbers which aren't meant to be sold in Germany. For example, your device may have an serial number marked to be sold in Italy. Your warranty will not be honored should anything happen to the device, because you purchased the device in Germany. I don't quite understand the EU laws, but it appears a fair amount of buyers are stuck with devices which arrived non-functional or became non-functional soon after arrival and have no recourse. The sites Customer Support makes it very difficult to return items.



In other news, I've received my projector (firmware v72), and am happy with the results. No RBE and have yet to spot the DI. No doubt, my eye will eventually be able to spot the DI at work. Zero color space issues so far.

Hopefully I've got a solid unit. It seems a fair amount of people have had problems during the first few months, so I'll be on the look out.
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post #1626 of 1956
8/5/11 at 5:40pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheDeliverator View Post

I've read a few reviews on the site selling the projectors for cheap.

Potential buyers from Germany should beware. It looks like the site obtains items with serial numbers which aren't meant to be sold in Germany. For example, your device may have an serial number marked to be sold in Italy. Your warranty will not be honored should anything happen to the device, because you purchased the device in Germany. I don't quite understand the EU laws, but it appears a fair amount of buyers are stuck with devices which arrived non-functional or became non-functional soon after arrival and have no recourse. The sites Customer Support makes it very difficult to return items.




In other news, I've received my projector (firmware v72), and am happy with the results. No RBE and have yet to spot the DI. No doubt, my eye will eventually be able to spot the DI at work. Zero color space issues so far.

Hopefully I've got a solid unit. It seems a fair amount of people have had problems during the first few months, so I'll be on the look out.


Thanks for the heads up! Welcome to the club! I'm getting ready to fire mine up in just a few minutes! Enjoy
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post #1627 of 1956
8/6/11 at 4:03pm
I got my SP8602 January this year. After it suddenly stopped this summer, I got my replacement unit short time after. Excellent service. What I find strange is that I have noticed an improvement in picture quality with the new unit. That is with the exact same settings. It´s not only because of new lamp. It is sharper and picture quality especially with panning in complex scenes is improved. Don´t know why but guess something just wasn´t as it should be with the old unit. Anyway, I was happy with it, so now I am even happier. I have a Crystalio II and together I find they create an unbelievable good picture.

Some of my settings: I have found that I prefer BrilliantColor set to Normal and Color Temperature to Warm. Bright and Warmest gives over-saturated colors or washes out some detail. I have a pretty dark room and a white screen. I have Gamma set to Film and both Noise Reduction and Flesh Tone Correction set to 0. Also have turned off Motion Smoothing which is not working well I think if on. The Crystalio VP is doing a lot better job in that area.
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post #1628 of 1956
8/7/11 at 5:20am
I got my projector back from service this week.

This is the part they had changed:

"PCBA, FORMATTER BOARD, SP8602"

Well, all works well now, and I hope I wont have more problems with it.
The one thing i noticed is now that I don't get lots of noise if I add +1 contrast. All else seems to be the same.

So happy to have it back.
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post #1629 of 1956
8/7/11 at 11:46pm
I received my SP8602 from this cheap shop (for €1.000,-) and no problemes to far.
I will check this info about serial numbers...

But now the most important thing:
The Picture is overwhelming
*) Very rare RBE - just using x4 CW, and will wait now for the bulp to reach about 100h and take a look if it really disappears completely as some other mentioned in the thread
*) DI - so far OK for me (using the reduced RGB 16-235 advice form here)

BUT

My only problem is the HDMI sync - it's really disastrous

*) first i upgraded the FW from 72 to 77 (hoping it will resolve this problem)
*) already tried a lot of compinations (Auto Source: off,Power-up Source: HDMI 1, Detect Film: on, Color Gamut: Auto, Aspect Ratio: Native)

Even on one and the same disc, without changing blu-rays, it looks like this:
Insert disc - no sync - you can already hear the main menu sound - still no picture - after some seconds the picture will pop up - select the main movie - no sync - you can hear the sound of the intro in the background - the end of the intro is displayed - the movie is starting - no sync for some seconds - and after a while you have picture and sound, so rewind to see also the first seconds of the movie - really annoying
If i swap blu-rays it's getting even worse - sometimes i have to switch the player of an on to get a sync.

My chain is:
Panasonic DMP-BDT110 - Pioneer VSX-920 - SP8602
using a high quality 7m (23ft) HDMI 1.4a cable

Any tips for this problem

PS: Standard noise reduction is set to 50 - i think i have to set it to 0 to disable this feature, right?
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post #1630 of 1956
8/8/11 at 12:44am
Quote:
Originally Posted by heino69 View Post

My chain is:
Panasonic DMP-BDT110 - Pioneer VSX-920 - SP8602
using a high quality 7m (23ft) HDMI 1.4a cable

Process of elimination: connect your blu ray player direct to the 8602 (bypassing the Pioneer receiver), if it works fine, it could be the receiver or the cable between your blu player and receiver (assuming that you'd be direct connecting with the long cable).

If it doesn't work fine, try the other hdmi cable (the one between your blu player and receiver) direct (between player and 8602). You might have to put the Panny player on a ladder if the cable is really short.

Etc...

Even if it works w/o the receiver inline, it doesn't mean the receiver is bad, it probably just means the receiver might need some settings adjustments...
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post #1631 of 1956
8/8/11 at 1:57am
Hi fleaman,
thanks - sure i will try to eliminate one by one, i just was wondering if anybody else is facing the same problems with this PJ.

Point is: This is my third projector I'm using with this chain of BD Player / Receiver / cable and I never had any problems like this
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post #1632 of 1956
8/8/11 at 2:05am
Quote:
Originally Posted by heino69 View Post

I received my SP8602 from this cheap shop (for 1.000,-) and no problemes to far.
I will check this info about serial numbers...

But now the most important thing:
The Picture is overwhelming
*) Very rare RBE - just using x4 CW, and will wait now for the bulp to reach about 100h and take a look if it really disappears completely as some other mentioned in the thread
*) DI - so far OK for me (using the reduced RGB 16-235 advice form here)

BUT

My only problem is the HDMI sync - it's really disastrous

*) first i upgraded the FW from 72 to 77 (hoping it will resolve this problem)
*) already tried a lot of compinations (Auto Source: off,Power-up Source: HDMI 1, Detect Film: on, Color Gamut: Auto, Aspect Ratio: Native)

Even on one and the same disc, without changing blu-rays, it looks like this:
Insert disc - no sync - you can already hear the main menu sound - still no picture - after some seconds the picture will pop up - select the main movie - no sync - you can hear the sound of the intro in the background - the end of the intro is displayed - the movie is starting - no sync for some seconds - and after a while you have picture and sound, so rewind to see also the first seconds of the movie - really annoying
If i swap blu-rays it's getting even worse - sometimes i have to switch the player of an on to get a sync.

My chain is:
Panasonic DMP-BDT110 - Pioneer VSX-920 - SP8602
using a high quality 7m (23ft) HDMI 1.4a cable

Any tips for this problem

PS: Standard noise reduction is set to 50 - i think i have to set it to 0 to disable this feature, right?

Part of the problem is because of how slow the projector syncs frequency. Your menu is probably at 60hz and movie at 24hz, so every time you switch between these, the projector has to re sync witch takes a few seconds.

The PROBLEM is only when it does not sync at all.

I usually leave my devices to output just 24hz because of this. Only when i want to watch some critical material that is not 24hz (which is quite rare) i switch to a different frequency, so that the projector does not have to re sync every time between menu and movie.
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post #1633 of 1956
8/8/11 at 2:20am
Verners,
I also fixed my BD Player Settings to 24p - but it seams to me that a BD Menu or promotion clips for example are not the same format than the movie itself - and this can be the reason for loss of signal ?

Do anybody know what the Menu item >Sync Threshold< will do exactly?
Maybe it's possible to tweak the sync behaviour at this point?
Default is 50.
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post #1634 of 1956
8/8/11 at 11:40am
Quote:
Originally Posted by heino69 View Post

Point is: This is my third projector I'm using with this chain of BD Player / Receiver / cable and I never had any problems like this

Welcome to the quirks of HDMI

Really, HDMI can be unpredictable. It could be the PJ, but with HDMI, it could easily be anything else in the chain that doesn't play well with the handshaking protocol.
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post #1635 of 1956
8/8/11 at 3:22pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by fleaman View Post

Welcome to the quirks of HDMI

Really, HDMI can be unpredictable. It could be the PJ, but with HDMI, it could easily be anything else in the chain that doesn't play well with the handshaking protocol.

This is normal for the SP8602, it takes a long time to sync signals. It's annoying but I don't see a way around it.
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post #1636 of 1956
8/8/11 at 3:42pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by SauceXX View Post

This is normal for the SP8602, it takes a long time to sync signals. It's annoying but I don't see a way around it.

Maybe I misunderstood, but I thought he doesn't get any sync at all sometimes? >>> >>>

Quote:
Originally Posted by heino69 View Post

If i swap blu-rays it's getting even worse - sometimes i have to switch the player of an on to get a sync.

.
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post #1637 of 1956
8/9/11 at 12:38am
hm,
bad situation, because the PQ of this PJ is really outstanding and without this problem it would be near perfect (IMHO).
Just wondering if anyone tried to escalate this to Infocus - so I will try..
Is Infocus aware of this problem?
What's about the Infocus pros / employees on this thread like tibia, or InFocus-Ben?
I will try to PM them as well..

PS:
No ideas about the Menu item >Sync Threshold<
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post #1638 of 1956
8/9/11 at 2:05am
Quote:
Originally Posted by heino69 View Post

hm,
bad situation, because the PQ of this PJ is really outstanding and without this problem it would be near perfect (IMHO).
Just wondering if anyone tried to escalate this to Infocus - so I will try..
Is Infocus aware of this problem?
What's about the Infocus pros / employees on this thread like tibia, or InFocus-Ben?
I will try to PM them as well..

PS:
No ideas about the Menu item >Sync Threshold<

Contact Infocus support for sure! Mine syncs slow but it syncs. I normally leave it on 60Hz for normal TV viewing and 24 Hz for movies. No problems when set to one or the other. Good luck
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post #1639 of 1956
8/10/11 at 1:55am
Just for my understanding, it seams that my background knowledge is not enough on this topic...

Even if I force 1080p and 24p output on my BD-Player to prevent sync-problems on the PJ side, the output will still by influenced by the material on the BD itself?
So for example main movie is "coded" with 24p, but menu or intros/commercials are with different settings (60Hz, etc.) - so this is the reason why the PJ tries to resync again, as soon as the picture changes from menu to movie.

Is this how it works
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post #1640 of 1956
8/10/11 at 2:03am
Quote:
Originally Posted by heino69 View Post

Just for my understanding, it seams that my background knowledge is not enough on this topic...

Even if I force 1080p and 24p output on my BD-Player to prevent sync-problems on the PJ side, the output will still by influenced by the material on the BD itself?
So for example main movie is "coded" with 24p, but menu or intros/commercials are with different settings (60Hz, etc.) - so this is the reason why the PJ tries to resync again, as soon as the picture changes from menu to movie.

Is this how it works

I haven't used a standard BD player in so long, I don't have an answer for the menu frequency verses the movie frequency. sorry
I run my Blu rays directly from Hard drive.
Does your receiver give you options to set its output to 24Hz?
Yes you have to set noise reduction to 0 to turn it off.
Once you hit around 300 to 400 hours..black levels REALLY look AWESOME!
The projector is sooo bright from the start, it takes quite a while for the lamp to settle in.
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post #1641 of 1956
8/10/11 at 2:20am
Just come on to mention my own 'blue screen' syncing problems, hoping for an answer, but at least it is clear this is more than just a one off.

I've logged an email with them today. Just bought a new Sony BD player, which is considerably worse than the previous Samsung (though that was annoying in itself). It may seem a small thing, but seeing the menu pop up again and again and getting the blue screen is just very annoying, especially now that, since I switched to the Sony, it happens over the start of the film.

I'm taking it there is no known fix? Tried setting the player to 1080p instead of Auto but makes no difference and the 24p option is either on or off, so don't really want to turn it off.
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post #1642 of 1956
8/15/11 at 2:41am
I am from germany and just buyed two 8602 for an upcoming polarized S3D Setup with my HTPC.
Unfortunately on my windows Desktop I noticed that there is a small Halo around every letter. By Reducing sharpness in the menu I only get a softer SXRD like picture, but the sharpening artifacts remain.

My questions:
1.) Is there a way to shut down completely the videoprocessing and display 1:1 the incoming pixels over HDMI?
2.) Related above problem: Is there anybody out there who knows the key sequence to get into the Service (and ISF) Menu?

Coming from a Sony HW10 I really like the performance of these Infocus device, but I desperately want a natural and unmodified signal.

The last days I went through this whole thread but could did not find anything helping me regarding my problem.

Thanks in advance for help.
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post #1643 of 1956
8/17/11 at 1:04am
Update on sync problem!

Bad news:
I received a PM from a former Infocus employee... (this is just an excerpt)

>....relations with Coretronic (the company which is developing the firmware for the chipset) have deteriorated to the point where they ignore InFocus requests for firmware upgrades that might resolve your problem.

Sorry to say but the bottom line is don't hold your breath waiting for a solution.
....<<br />
So I think we have to life with this behaviour of our PJ

Other question:
I really like CFI (in low setting) for motion smoothness, but there are too many artefacts with the Infocus implementation.
Is it possible to handle the CFI outside the PJ and use a videoprocessor box for this?
If yes - what will be the cheapest one with good quality?
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post #1644 of 1956
8/17/11 at 2:24am
Quote:
Originally Posted by heino69 View Post

Update on sync problem!

Bad news:
I received a PM from a former Infocus employee... (this is just an excerpt)

>....relations with Coretronic (the company which is developing the firmware for the chipset) have deteriorated to the point where they ignore InFocus requests for firmware upgrades that might resolve your problem.

Sorry to say but the bottom line is don't hold your breath waiting for a solution.
....<<br />
So I think we have to life with this behaviour of our PJ

Other question:
I really like CFI (in low setting) for motion smoothness, but there are too many artefacts with the Infocus implementation.
Is it possible to handle the CFI outside the PJ and use a videoprocessor box for this?
If yes - what will be the cheapest one with good quality?

I can't remember the owner in this thread, but he/she uses a processor with the Infocus.
This will eliminate any syncing issues, as it outputs only the frequency you want it to. Just like what I do with my HTPC. I don't have the syncing issues because I force only 24Hz or 60 Hz to the projector anyway.

For movies there's a software that can be used for FI if you use your projector with a computer. Here's a link to the description http://download.cnet.com/SmoothVideo...-75446994.html . I've used it before, it works fairly well.

I mainly use the on board FI for live sports, that's about it though. I never liked turning my movies into home videos. lol
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post #1645 of 1956
8/24/11 at 2:52pm
First of all, I am very ignorant when it comes down to projectors. As the title says, I just purchased a new SP8602 in germany for 999 euros. This was quite an impulsive decision based on the fact that it was such a good deal. However, I am thinking of returning it (I haven't received the projector yet) since my room dimensions and lightning conditions are not ideal. I currently have a 47" LG 47SL80, and I'm pondering how much better the projector would be, if at all. I would like people with experience to help me in the decision if possible. The cons for keeping it:

1) The projector would have to go on a 9" wall to wall length, which according to a projector calc would give me a screen size of ~ 67" (taking into account the ~2" of the projector)
2) The lightning condition during the day is basically plain daylight.
3) How bad is the noise/heat? (the specs say 250W but does it put that out all the time it's on?)

Besides from that, how is the pic quality compared to the hdtv in overall terms (I mean pixel by pixel)? I am not easily amazed since I have experience in using quality calibrated screens and so on, but I would expect the projector to be much better than the hdtv?

Also, how much does projector tech improve in say a couple of years? I don't plan on living in this apt for more than that so I will probably be able to take much better advantage of it by that time, but if for 999 euros in 2 years I can buy something much better than this I would probably not keep it.

Sorry the questions are all over the place but I guess besides the technical aspects it boils down to whether the purchase is still a good deal even if I can't "fully" use it for say 2 years compared to something I might get at that time or not.

Thanks a lot in advance for any advice,

Inaki

PS: Tomorrow morning I'll attach a pic of the room, maybe it's easier to get a feeling for it
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post #1646 of 1956
8/24/11 at 3:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by rookie4002 View Post

First of all, I am very ignorant when it comes down to projectors. As the title says, I just purchased a new SP8602 in germany for 999 euros. This was quite an impulsive decision based on the fact that it was such a good deal. However, I am thinking of returning it (I haven't received the projector yet) since my room dimensions and lightning conditions are not ideal. I currently have a 47" LG 47SL80, and I'm pondering how much better the projector would be, if at all. I would like people with experience to help me in the decision if possible. The cons for keeping it:

1) The projector would have to go on a 9" wall to wall length, which according to a projector calc would give me a screen size of ~ 67" (taking into account the ~2" of the projector)
2) The lightning condition during the day is basically plain daylight.
3) How bad is the noise/heat? (the specs say 250W but does it put that out all the time it's on?)

Besides from that, how is the pic quality compared to the hdtv in overall terms (I mean pixel by pixel)? I am not easily amazed since I have experience in using quality calibrated screens and so on, but I would expect the projector to be much better than the hdtv?

Also, how much does projector tech improve in say a couple of years? I don't plan on living in this apt for more than that so I will probably be able to take much better advantage of it by that time, but if for 999 euros in 2 years I can buy something much better than this I would probably not keep it.

Sorry the questions are all over the place but I guess besides the technical aspects it boils down to whether the purchase is still a good deal even if I can't "fully" use it for say 2 years compared to something I might get at that time or not.

Thanks a lot in advance for any advice,

Inaki

PS: Tomorrow morning I'll attach a pic of the room, maybe it's easier to get a feeling for it

No projector will look good in direct sunlight. I find the projector unobtrusive at 24Hz input. Noise level is subjective because we all hear differently.

Will it match or beat your LG LCD flat panel in IQ?
This projector will destroy your LG in image quality.When set up in the proper conditions, meaning a dark room. You'll find it difficult to ever want to use your TV again.

Will you be able to buy a projector with better image quality than the 8602's in 2 years for the same amount? Who knows? Inflation will be the judge of that. If looking at projectors that retail for the same money..I doubt it.

So let me get this straight, your room is 9ft long? You may notice additional warmth of a room that size. All of the projectors at the 8602's wattage and above output some heat. They have to in order to give the lamp along with the projector useful longevity.

You may be better off with an LCD unit like the Epson 8350 because of your throw distance limitations. Unfortunately, its IQ isn't in the same league.
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post #1647 of 1956
8/24/11 at 3:58pm
At a 67" screen size the 8602 is overkill unless you're trying to overcome ambient light issues (even so, the blacks/contrast/saturation will still not compare to a flat panel). In a light controlled dark room it would be too bright and blacks will suffer, unless you can control the iris to stop down enough during bright scenes.

Also, it's a LARGE pj (the case), for what appears to be a small room.

A mits HC4000 would have been a better fit (can easily do 67" @ 9ft), though the 8602 would be better for bigger rooms/screens.
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post #1648 of 1956
8/24/11 at 4:10pm
@fleaman
Yeah I agree ..that's a lot of projector for a small room. lol
I can understand his quandary, it will be tough to get this much projector for that price.
He would have to use it in manual mode and close the Iris down significantly.
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post #1649 of 1956
8/24/11 at 4:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Joesyah View Post

I can understand his quandary, it will be tough to get this much projector for that price.

It's almost worth it to move to a bigger space
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post #1650 of 1956
8/24/11 at 9:13pm
Thanks for the input guys. The room is actually longer in the other direction, about 15", but it's the living room and everything is already set up so can't change that. I know that for 67" another projector could be better (or this one is overkill), but the whole point of keeping it was the fact that I plan on moving out to somewhere bigger after a while. However I think I'm too lazy to put all the work to install it now without so many benefits in the short run, especially the lightning conditions that wouldn't be good at all, plus installation and such.

So I guess I'll send it back and wait until I get a proper place to get one, hopefully at a decent price.

By the way, here is a pic of the room in question

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AVS › AVS Forum › Display Devices › Digital Hi-End Projectors - $3,000+ USD MSRP › Official InFocus Sp8602 owners thread.