New Optoma HD33 HD3300 1080p 3D Projector Review - Page 129

I have a scope screen with an anamorphic lens, so I love the immersion. I am sending my HD3300 in for a firmware update which fixes some issues with those that use anamorphic lenses. Hopefully I'll get it back soon!

That said, it has been hit and miss with 3D scope movies for me. On my setup, I didn't really enjoy Pirates 4, and Transformers had some epic moments, but overall they didn't really impress me much. Perhaps the firmware update will fix some things, or maybe the issues inherent with anamorphic lenses (chromatic aberration, pincushioning) effect the 3D. Who knows? I may also be sitting too close...so many things.

Once I get it back, I'm going to compare scope (2.35:1) 3D movies with the lens in place (~140" image) then with it out of the way (112" 16:9 with black bars) and see how that effects the 3D.

What I'm really saying is that 3D movies so far have looked better in 16:9 than in scope. But, I'm wanting to rule out said issues before I say that one format looks better in 3D than the other. I'll post back soon!

PS - The Legend of the Guardians did look utterly fantastic in scope and that is my go to disc for 3D demos.

sounds great, Blastermaster. Let us know what your total turnaround time ends up being as I am close to wanting to send mine in for a firmware update.

NP. I'm sending it in today. Sad panda.

The argument for academy (16x9 or 1.78/1.85) aspect ratio for 3D:

If something is going to successfully pop out of the screen, it must not be bound by the sides of the screen. If a tennis ball was really in your face, you would see all of it. Not just the portion that the screen doesn't block. Since a pop-out object is "closer" to you than the screen, it has the potential of appearing larger to you than the screen, which is impossible since the image itself is still being projected on the screen. So the object has to both be smaller than the screen, and unbound by the screen to pop-out.

A person's head generally can't pop-out because it's attached to their neck which is attached to their shoulders, etc. Part of the body will likely be bound by the top or bottom of the screen, which means you can't really pop it out. Humans are tall, so to zoom out enough that the body is unbound by the top/bottom of the screen- you're zoomed out enough that the character is probably deep in the screen rather than popping out.

Most objects in the world aren't two and a third times as wide as they are tall. Humans are the opposite and most other objects tend to be closer to equally distributed in the 3 dimensions. So a less wide aspect ration means that objects will more likely be unbound by the screen than a more wide aspect.

Summary: More height (I know you CIH people will call this "less width") means more room for non-super-wide objects to not be bound by the frame of the screen. Not being bound by the frame of the screen means more ability to pop-out. More ability to pop-out means more options on compelling 3D.

whats the likelyhood ill get a hd33 with the cfw 4 on it, if im ordering it brand new from tiger-direct (they just started selling it from their site)

For those wondering about the time line of a firmware update on the HD33 (Mine was C01). I sent it UPS ground on March 6th they received it on the 8th I called today and was told it shipped back to me today the 12th. So If All goes well with UPS I should have it soon. I found Optoma's customer service to be very good. when i inquired today by email they responded by phone just a few minutes later. Their RMS status web page could use some work though, it always times out.

sounds like they have drastically improved their turnaround time. that's good to know.

I ordered mine from Amazon at the beginning of February and got one with c01.

Cool, mine got there the 8th too. Hopefully will have it back tomorrow then. One day shipping from Fremont for me.

Sorry if this has been asked before, i searched a bit but could not find an answer. My hd33 will be here tmrw, do the ps3 3d glasses work with this pj? Thanks for any response.

I believe the sony's are also RF's (Radio Frequency) Glasses. HD33 runs off of RF and DLP Link. In menu choose which to use, Vesa or DLP link. If you already own Sony RF, try it. If have DLP Link it will work. If don't have Sony RF I would keep asking the question until someone on this forum has tried it before u buy it.
Any help Guys!

I'm looking at getting an Optoma HD33 but after some research the HD3300 is looking like a better deal is there a substantial difference between the two projectors how much better is the picture

Thanks cvh for your help. I will keep looking around the net to see if i can find the answer.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cvh

I believe the sony's are also RF's (Radio Frequency) Glasses. HD33 runs off of RF and DLP Link. In menu choose which to use, Vesa or DLP link. If you already own Sony RF, try it. If have DLP Link it will work. If don't have Sony RF I would keep asking the question until someone on this forum has tried it before u buy it.
Any help Guys!

Response:
Thanks cvh for your help. I will keep looking around the net to see if i can find the answer.

Good luck finding on web. I actually tried that and was unsuccessful.

set up my hd33 over the weekend. it's nice, but i gotta say the criticisms regarding black levels are well warranted. blacks aren't very good at all. i'll keep tinkering with settings to see if i can improve them.

are the hdmi 2D settings in the OP based on the user preset or the cinema preset?

also, can we get the OP updated with other people's preferred settings? i don't wanna have to dig through this whole thread.

these numbers are going to vary a lot depending on what kind of screens people are using. i think the hd3300 has fantastic black levels.

have you tried tinkering with the gamma and viewing mode settings (like "cinema")??

Tanks again for your responding. I will probably buy a pair and if they dont work take them back. I will let you know after i test them out. thanks again.

2D Settings
DISPLAY MODE: Cinema

CONTRAST: +7
BRIGHTNESS: -4 (if too bright still, reduce down to preference)
SHARPNESS: 12
COLOR: 20
TINT: 0

ADVANCED:
GAMMA: film
Gamma Curve type: -4
Offset: +1

PURE ENGINE:
Pure Color: 1 (others set to 0)
2D Settings

COLOR SETTINGS:
Color Temp: Warm

RGB BIAS/GAIN:
Red Gain: 0
Green Gain: -2
Blue Gain: 0
Red Bias: +2
Green Bias: 0
Blue Bias: +2

I calibrated it using AVATAR on my screen until I was visually happy with it.
OMG, The figures on screen wanted to jump into my lap. Beautiful colors, blacks and details. The true test was will it work for other movies. I popped in "The Fifth Element." WOW. Still looked good

3D Settings

LAMP MODE: STD
DISPLAY MODE: User

CONTRAST: +7
BRIGHTNESS: -4 (if too dark, Increase to preference, but kills the blk level a touch.)
SHARPNESS: 12
COLOR: 20
TINT: 0

ADVANCED:
GAMMA: film
Gamma Film Curve type: -7
Offset: +2

PURE ENGINE:
Pure Motion: off (or 1 if you like. I dont, I like the movie judder)
Pure Detail: off
Pure Color: 1

COLOR SETTINGS:
Color Temp: Medium

RGB BIAS/GAIN:
Red Gain: 0
Green Gain: -2
Blue Gain: 0
Red Bias: +2
Green Bias: 0
Blue Bias: +2

You can tweak the Brightness for your taste, but I found it to lighten the blk levels in the movie as well as the cinema-scope blk bars on top and bottom.

curious to hear if other users are switching their lamp mode in 3d to "STD" from the default "high/bright" setting for 3d. i have left it on bright mode, but haven't tried recalibrating to compensate with it in "STD".

otherwise CVH's settings look pretty close to mind at first glance.

PS after watching Avatar in 3d, i have decided to always turn puremotion off when 3d mode is triggered. what it takes away in occasional film judder isn't worth the artificial motion effect it creates even on the lowest setting.

Has anyone owned both to make the comparison? I know the 3300 has better contrast and 200 more lumens but is it a noticeable improvement over the HD33

Honestly, I could run in Bright Mode, does brighten a little, not much. The projector roars in 3D Bright Mode. STD really quiet. I re-calibrated to compensate for STD 3D and have been using ever since. also the fact that saves lamp life. Seriously have not even considered going into Bright Lamp Mode.All 3D movies I have watched look fantastic and no complaints by my wife or family members.

thanks for the settings, cvh. they're a lot different than guitarman's. i'll try them tonight.

i did watch parts of avatar in 3D with stock settings just to check it out. i was very impressed. the rf glasses were nice and comfy too.

Had the pj for a month. Emitter worked fine at first, then stopped working. Called Optoma. They want me to send the emitter back, for repair or replacement. Outbound shipping on my toll of course... Bad start...

Before doing so, I read through the rf emitter instructions to realize that there is a firmware update procedure (and there's a mini usb connection on the emitter). Called Optoma back. Can only be done by them... Strike 2...

I was wondering if I could get some help from one of you guys to try to fix it before sending it in.

Problem: the middle led is steady red when the emitter is plugged in the pj and 3D content is not transmitted. When I connect the emitter with my computer through usb, the computer attemps to make a connection but then, not much else happens. Any idea?

Bought HD33 last month. Package deal at costco, including 2 pairs of rf glasses and the rf transmitter.

There were some comparisons earlier in this thread as I remember, but jury is still out. I have an HD3300 projected on a 142" DIY screen that is about 1.2 gain and it's bright enough for me in 3D mode, while others have had smaller 1.0 gain screens with HD33s and thought they weren't bright enough. I'm thinking the HD3300 has the edge. That said I got mine from Avscience because they had a great deal going and not that much more than the HD33.

In the Monstervision 3d glasses thread (which are the same as the optoma RF glasses) there was a discussion about a workaround firmware update that actually works using the VIP firmware program, but it would possibly void any warranty you have with the emitter. Back when i used the emitter (i have since switched to dlp link), i had the same exact red-light stuck problem and using the VIP update software worked for me. it's a free download. The "official" formware updater hangs up for most people just like you mentioned.

here is the specific info

http://www.curtpalme.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=27776

it's maddening that both the firmware updater for the projector and the "official" one for the glasses are both so unusable that people are having to use 3rd party workaround updaters, but the one listed in the link above worked for me (still can't update the actual projector yet, though).

I believe Guitarman has a 2.3 Gain Screen which when I tried his settings was very dark on my 1.1 gain Screen. Not sure what ur settings are. I have a controlled dark room for ambient light. In other words I only watch movies at night in total darkness.

since u have 1.1 gain and i have 1.3 gain screen, i maybe try to use ur setting for it to see if itis better or not.

First post states 106" 1.0 gain screen was used for guitarmans numbers. I also "bumped" mine up just a bit. I have 100% light control System well.

The PS3 glasses are "universal" IR glasses. I think this means that they will work with all IR systems, but probably not RF or DLP Link exclusive systems.

Fo the record, I own 6 pair of the PS3 glasses and use them with my 3010 (IR).