OPTOMA ML500 LED 1280x800 - Page 6

For reference sake, the Qumi is rated at 28dB - 32dB and not too many people have complained about noise issue as far as I know.

Maybe he was making smoothies while playing, mmmhhh!

Yeah, I've got the qumi and as others have reported it behaves opposite as far as when the led is on eco(lowest mode) it is actually louder than normal(highest mode). It is virtually silent when it is at its brightest. It doesn't seem to get that hot so I don't know why the fan kicks in and it is louder when its dimmer...weird. When it is in that mode it is too loud for my liking so from that video I couldn't live with the noise of the Optoma or any of the other 500 lumen led's. I am anxious to hear of user's reports as I have a friend who had planned on getting a 500 lumen model after he saw my qumi.

Mike

acer k330 wont be as loud as ml500
ML500 is just too loud unless you use headphones lol

I really, really hope that these projectors are much quieter in real life than what is on spec.
Sometimes I wonder if manufactures really give a damn of what potential buyers look for; I get that this is a business oriented Pj but if they already know that a percent even if it is small (anybody's guess here) is going for Homes applications like the one in the above videos; Why do they incorporate loud fans in their design? Are quieter fans cost prohibited? I guess that the only way to make them understand is staying away of their product.
Don't get me wrong, the truth is that I really wish I can use one of these projectors but I have been waiting a while now for an affordable and usable LED solution that I could use for several hours a day that don't want to be disappointed. Its hard to continue waiting but if that is what I have to do, then I will.

small fans produces a high frequency pitched noise, its not all about db
hi pitched noise is an intolerable irritant

Shame there aren't bigger models in the same spec/price range. I don't think most people here would really care if it was 50% bigger if it meant less noise.

Of course I care. we are in the end of 2011 starting 2012.
Those models should be a smaller they can with a noiseless fans.
Maybe with heat sink .

They probably already have heat sinks, but the heat still has to be transferred away, hence the need for fans. Small fans in a small enclosure will be noisy. If you want more passive cooling and less noise, you have to go bigger. That's just a limitation of 2011's technology.

You don't think they make them noisy on purpose, do you?

I'm just being realistic. I would like them to be pocket size, but I'd sacrifice size for lower noise levels.

Agreed, not just noise but longevity as well. Small fans are inherently noisey in relation to RPM and move very little air even under the best of circumstances. There are high volume fans but they are impractical due to them wailing like banshees. You can look at a list of fans on Newegg and compare CFM output in relation to RPM and the resulting dBA. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...Id=1&name=40mm

http://translate.google.com/translat...s-lg-hw300y%2F On the cine4home blog you can look at a LG pico that was disassembeld and see the LED chipset on a heatsink that is rather large.

Here's a YouTube video of a 40mm fan screaming at 10,000 RPM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCMV3b74-BE Thermal control in these LED picos hopefully will not be an issue other than noise.

Blee did you get it?

Noisy? ---> Yay? or Nay?
Focus issues? ---> Yay? or Nay?

Finally done playing around with this new LED, the reds are really bright. Ran into some problems that I am not used to. The slot for the SD card is not playing through my receiver, but Ill figure it out. Getting it positioned was frustrating. But after some positioning, its all squared. Picture is actually better than I thought, looks similar to my RS40 in my stage mode, kind of. Picture is brighter than I thought. I didn't do any adjustments, its just out of the box. I didnt adjust any brightness, but I got 311 lumens on my 119in HP screen

How is the noise? Does focus drift from time it is turned on to about 20 minutes later?

Thanks,
Mike

It's pretty loud. I turned it on Eco mode and it was still noticeable. The focus is not a problem, I turned it off and on about 4 times. The picture is really nice and noise on the picture is an non issue so far. Haven't tried 3D yet. So far, only the fan noise is a minor issue.

When you say it's "pretty" loud, do you have any other PJs to compare it to as a reference point?

And I think when people are asking about the focus issue....it should be from a purely cold start (and when it's actually at room temperature). Upon starting on the PJ, adjust the focus, and see if adjustment is needed again after about 15 ~ 25 minutes.

Could you use Monitor Asset Manager and get the EDID information and post the file? I'm mainly interested in the Vesa supported timings and if it shows 1280 x 720p at 120Hz. If you do not have Monitor Asset Manager it's free. http://www.entechtaiwan.com/util/moninfo.shtm Yes, most people are worried about it having focus issues like the Qumi. As far as the fan noise would you describe it as; of no concern, tolerable or annoying. Also can you please give more lumen readings in all modes. TY

Since Blee has had all of these he has had experience with lots of different projectors so if he says it is loud then it is too loud for me especially after listening to the YouTube videos. Thats a shame since it is brighter than the qumi.

Mike

It's not a deal breaker for me, but I think most will be annoyed by it. But I'll look at it more tomorrow. It's nice and bright with really good colors, but its the first projector that I could actually hear

The QUMI fan is audible but it's not really annoying when I'm just watching TV.

I am curious how this compares.. of course my larger projectors like the JVC and Sony are near silent compared to the QUMI.

if it's similar to the QUMI, i'd be fine with it since i'm just using it for casual TV watching.

thanks for the info so far. I might have to grab one this week.

I don't know how the qumi looks, but the colors are really good. I think on a 100in HP screen, it would be perfect.

if the Acer is a clone, isn't it going to be same noise level?

I was curious if there was any advantage there, but it doesn't sound likely.

300 lumens will be fine on my 142" HP since I usually watch TV with just a few lights on in a light controlled room. The QUMI is fine for this purpose so the Optoma should be that much better.

The colors on the QUMI aren't that far off from D65, I posted my calibration report a while back showing how it was pretty decent out of the box with flesh tones.

Are skin tones ok on the Optoma?

Skin tones look good. I thinking all the clones should be the same in noise levels

Did you watch that YouTube video of this projector? It sounded like a vacuum cleaner was on in the room. I still think the qumi has the fan reversed for the Eco and Normal settings as why would the fan get louder when it is in Eco(lowest setting) vs being very quiet in Normal(brightest setting)? I'm not complaining but when the qumi is on Eco it is too loud for my tastes.

Mike

It's possible that the noise level of the Acer and Optoma vary because of the size difference between the units. It was pointed out in the ZOL.com that the box of the Acer was slightly larger than the Viewsonic.

Blee, I read that the Acer goes down to 400 lumens in eco mode, so I assume that would be the same for the Optoma. So with a screen size of 110 inches and watching in the dark, would eco mode be more than sufficient?

I'm asking this cause of the noise factor.

I'm using a 119in Da Lite 2.4 HP screen. I just measured again and I'm getting 351 lumens on standard mode. The fan is noticeable but not a big problem like yesterday. It doesnt get really hot. Yesterday I had it on for 3 hours and it was warm. I like the PC mode the best out of all the settings. Out of the box with this mode is great. It looks like my RS40 will be getting much needed rest.

The fan noise of Eco mode of QUMI become almost silent after power off and on, or after waiting for one or several minutes. I don't know why but it looks like they're using lower temperature threshold for "emergency cool down" in Eco mode than in Normal mode.