The Official Acer H9500BD Thread - Page 96

I am not at all stunned. My experience seems to indicate the left hand has no idea what the right hand is doing at Acer. They are a premeir example of a business model with a drill down menu for support and all but no communication within. As I said before, this will not be fixed because we cannot get the right information to the right people. They are insulated by idiots who flush your concerns and will not let you speak to the right people.

Maybe I should have added the :roll eyes: icon to "color me stunned" (or whatever I wrote). I think (for whatever that's worth) this will get fixed. We'll see when and whether it's on this model, but I'd be kind of surprised if the info I got wasn't credible (color me gullible).

Anyway, I'm looking forward to getting my PJ back and hope it's in better condition than it was when I sent it.

How did BenQ handle the firmware update? Did the PJ have to be sent in?

Just wondering if anyone can share their experiences of using the acer with different brands of glasses. When I first took the 3d plunge it was using an Acer H5360 and I searched for the best pair of glasses to match it with. The CrystalEyes5s gave the best contrast with that projector, while the Ultra-Clears looked so bad that I almost never used them. With the H9500BD, I lose sync so often with the CE5s that they are unusable. I don't have that problem with the Optoma ZD101s (my favorite so far with this projector), Ultra-clears or Acer stock glasses. BTW the Ultra-clears look much better with this projector, very good in fact. The Acers are OK, but no one in my household likes the white border and frame design, so I'll likely sell them. Anyone aware of a way to boost the DLP-link transmission setting on the projector to keep the CE5s in better sync? Or any other suggestions?

There's been quite a bit of talk regarding the beauty (or lack thereof) of the Acer glasses on this thread. I have a funny idea and may post it if I can pull it together. My personal theory is that some Acer marketing people were unloved as children and are trying to pay back the world by designing these glasses.....a sinister plot to be sure and I wish we could assemble The Avengers to set this situation aright.

I don't know of any DLP adjustments, but others may know more. The general consensus seems to be that the Acer and Optoma glasses are the best (for viewing....if you are alone....and in the dark).

BTW....thanks for your read on the Ultra Clears. I'm a little surprised as the consensus seemed to be otherwise. Maybe I'll have to buy a pair. Do they have different models or just one DLP? Do they make you look like an Elton John groupie like the Acers do?

Well I got off work way too late tonight to call Acer Corporate and not surprisingly there was no message on my answering machine.The nature of my work this week absolutely precludes me from fooling with Acer so It will likely be next week before they can ignore me some more.

Now to the glasses question. The Acer units appear to be the same as the Optoma ZD201s sold in Europe only with those goofy white frames. They work very well. I have 4 pairs of UC DLP glasses and they too work very well with my Acer, only the Acer glasses are just a bit better. It is noticeable when doing side by side viewing but not as evident if you just give someone a pair of UCs, they seem to be fine and I can watch using those as well but I prefer the Acer units.

Yes, Benq made them send it back to do the firmware update.

BTW, I did look into the feasibility of making a custom firmware on projectors, but it looks like a research project. I'm sure it can probably be done, but it just looks to be more trouble than it is worth. It would likely be harder than being the first to root a Smart Phone that has never been rooted (let me put it that way).

The first step is getting a picture of the insides of the chipsets and figuring out the exact chipsets used (some info is public in docs), then you gotta sign up as a partner on the TI and Pixelworks sites (and whoever makes the VP), and then probably violate some TOS stuff and ruin your warranty. Then the question becomes if you can find some low-level reset commands to override the custom HEX codes on the firmware protection (or you can try to analyze the firmware code at the assembly level or with a C de-compiler). Then figure out the adjustments to make in the code (which is actually probably the easier part), and then finally you will basically be ROOTING the projector and then overwriting the default firmware.

If the projectors were actually using the higher-level Davinci VP's, then it would be easier, but I don't think any are using that one (guessing most are pixelworks).
It didn't sound like something I really wanted to try.

The thing that chaps me about this is how easy the fix can be for the company that owns the code if they can just pull their head out of the sand.

Yah, there is some chance it could be unencrypted ASCII strings, but I kind of doubt it. Even if it is not encrypted, it is probably obfuscated (which means I need the low-level VP docs to figure out what code to change). Plus would still need to figure out the update procedure and potentially bypass some update security (maybe). Plus the threat of bricking the projector is the bad part.

Newegg has this for 10% off with promo. Tempted to pull the trigger...

1550 isn't a bad price out the door. If it weren't for the tax, it would be a killer deal......Tiger occasionally has them for 1499 no tax free shipping, but haven't seen that for quite some time. This might be the best that can be done at this point.

I'm also tempted to get this PJ as a second projector, just for 3D and gaming, to compliment my JVC X70 (RS55) that will be used primarily for 2D bluray movies. This is one of the few 3D DLP projectors that will easily setup in my theater. I'm hesitant because my screen is on the large side, 140" wide (not diagonal) 2.40 aspect, and I'm concerned about the pixel mapping issue being more apparent on a larger screen.

I don't think you'll have any trouble with 3D blu rays, but you are rightfully concerned with regard to gaming.

Maybe call Acer sales and tell them you'd like to buy the PJ and let them know about your concerns????

For me after the discount, it's about $1421 with no tax and free shipping.

I do like to game some and the hdmi blurriness or input lag would be my main concerns. How noticeable is the blurriness over HDMI from a PS3?

Any more word from Acer on the firmware update?

Well, it looks like it is my turn to join the shut down club. Only 118 hours on the lamp and it shut down last night as if the power plug was pulled. No lights. AC plug was fully seated. Unplugged it for 20 seconds and plugged it back in and the blue led flashed for about 45 seconds and fan running full speed and then it came back on and has been fine since then. Hopefully this is not the beginning of the end already.

Out of curiosity, I did some quick calcs on the diagonal of your screen. It's amazing how quickly the difference between the horizontal and diagonal shrinks as the aspect ratio increases.

Man, I wish I had room for your screen, but my beer filled fridge gets in the way. That must be awesome.

Has anyone spoke with someone from avs or proj central or proj reviews about putting some pressure on acer to address the pixel mapping issue? Or even the random shutdowns that seem to be happening to several people?

I know this has already been asked before, but input lag is around 35 ms, right?

Oh yeah.......read the thread. Mike's been pushing it through to corporate even though the blurring isn't as obvious for his purposes (no gaming). I've been raising hell's half acre every time I'm on the phone with them (and believe me, that's a lot). Others have written reviews about the issue and been pushing it also. We did get a report (maybe you missed the post earlier in the thread) that the firmware "fix" was in and was expected late May to mid-June. We'll see.

Thanks InCali! I spent the better part of an afternoon reading through the W7000 thread yesterday, and most of this one as well but I didn't get the feeling Acer was responding like the Benq folks did. I'm real close to pulling the trigger on this since it's on sale til tomorrow, but only if there has been some sort of owning up to the problem on Acer's part.

I will probably reach out to AVS since they seem to be great folks to do business with.

Thank you Mike, InCali, and others who have helped spearhead the move for the fix! Based on what everyone has said and if Acer can get this problem addressed, this projector has some serious bang for the buck!

Acer "hadn't" and, to my knowledge, "hasn't" responded like BenQ did....good for BenQ. We've gotten info from Acer saying they know about the problem and that it would be fixed shortly. At this point, we still don't know for sure that this is the case. For someone with a humongous (140" horizontal widescreen....jealous....) screen or gaming, I can't say how the PQ will be. I will say this.....I have a Sanyo PLV Z2000 and there's nothing wrong with the PQ. The Acer is better....easily (that's why my son has the Sanyo....).

Acer H9500BD

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Optoma HD33

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BenQ W7000 with firmware 1.004 (OLD)

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Can you see the difference?
So like why couldn't the professional reviewers see it?


http://www.microsofttranslator.com/b...-11678-22.html

Good pictures showing the blurry pixels compared to the HD33. I wonder if Benq and Acer used some of the same code or hardware since the issue plagued them both?

As far as the reviewers are concerned, I don't understand how they missed it either, although I'm not complaining. I'm just grateful we have the reviews to look over since a lot of us can't view the picture on these before we buy. I think most of the time they are pretty accurate and agree with the reputation the projector will have once it's been out for a while.

I'm definitely going to follow this for a while to see how Acer responds.

Haven't some of the original people from this post already returned or sold their Acer?

Hi, everybody...
Tell as to me to receive the new program on Acer h9500bd??
I personally live in Russia... Whether it is necessary to send a projector to Europe or America that it, reprogrammed... Problemma with "Pixel mapping" is...., not really this projector and remains with this problem...
Whether and it is possible перепрошить a projector most...
Thanks... sorry for my "stupid" accent =)...

Hi SC
With these stills, you're right; the mapping problem is pretty obvious. Wonder if we could get a picture of the fixed BenQ?? I believe the reason it wasn't "caught" by (m)any of the reviewers is that a lot of them (and, in particular, the one I spoke to doesn't use HTPC or test disks) watch certain movies to judge color, clarity, etc. This gives them some consistent information. When watching a Blu Ray movie, the pixel mapping is much harder to see (if it even can be seen....we won't know until we get the fix). I'm not saying stills shouldn't be used, but, ultimately, most people want to to watch a movie. The Acer does a great job of that and, for the price, it gives you a LOT. BTW, three different sources have told me that the Optoma may have a lot of the reliability issues the Acer has. I find this credible because one of them talked about their return policy being beyond reasonable. This could be "good" company policy, but it may also be an admission that there are reliability issues and necessary. Guess we'll never know for sure. If you go back in the thread, you'll see other examples of the blurring. Come to think of it, I believe someone posted a before and after of the BenQ??? (Coderguy????) Don't remember for sure.

Keep going over the postings on the forum. It's a good source of information and the vast majority are generous about passing information on. Only on occasion do you run across someone who asks questions they think they already know the answer to and doesn't provide any real information.

the first picture is the benQ7000 not the acer. this one was the acer. not as bad as the benQ, but still point taken, acer needs to fix...

Looks like the post with the three pictures has been fixed and has them labled correctly now.
The Acer does not look as bad as the pre-fix W7000 and not as good as the HD33.
I can see why people would say the problem with the Acer is not much of a problem for movie watching.
Almost looks like the blur option some projectors have. I think the Panasonic ax200 had somthing like that. Ofcorse you could turn it off.

Considering the current issues with the acer 9500 and if you could go back in time, would the current/previous owners say it's worth buying at a price point below $1500 from a retailer only offering an exchange policy? I'm going to assume that Acer will address the pixel mapping issue as promised, but we should all know what assuming can get you.

Trying to get a feel for current overall satisfaction with this thing? Mostly gaming and movies on a 120" screen with light controlled as needed will be my setup. Based on previous posts in this thread, does well for movies and gaming. 3D is really just a bonus as most of my viewing will be with 2D content.

It's a risk and I'm on the fence... I'm tempted to contact Acer directly for confirmation of the firmware fix before I purchase. Who has everyone been dealing with at Acer thus far? A particular engineer or representative that is already aware of things?

Thank's for all
In general, I solved a problem of "pixel cartography"....(maybe)// The image became more sharply only when in manual settings, compulsorily establish 1920x1080 (I have Catalyst center)....
it was necessary to find only signal sources with VGA-output =)

I can only speak to the picture when viewing blu ray (2D and 3D) and cable. The picture is way better than my Sanyo Z2000. My sense is that whatever blurring there is isn't as noticeable when watching movies. I can't speak to the gaming aspect, but there have been reports of delays (worse in 3D than 2D as I recall) and some tearing (in 3D???).

Wish I could be more help on the gaming angle. The picture is pretty dang (censored by me) good. I think there are early reliability issues and don't be surprised if you have to go through some paces (many haven't experienced any reliability issues and some have). For the price, I was willing deal with any problems to save the dough.

I'm considering inquiring about an extended warranty for my PJ, but I think I'm going to a passive dual projector setup in the next couple/few years, so I'm not sure whether it's worth it or not.

It's a good projector, but not rock solid from a reliability perspective.