ST1080 1080p Head Mounted Display Pre-orders starting March 1st w/ $100 Discount - Page 8

Oh man, I am regretting buying 2 of these now. Haven't got them yet but hope they both work fine and no problems...

Seems they gnna try 2 improve the optics on them no so cewl for the first buyers that

new review
http://yann.vernier.se/2012/06/06/st1080-vs-hmz-t1-a-slightly-verifiable-account/
and SMD reply
http://www.siliconmicrodisplay.com/1/post/2012/06/addressing-some-mis-information.html
Edited by corppor - 6/6/12 at 7:42pm

I posted a comment over at the SMD blog so I'd thought I'd post it here, too.

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I'm an owrner of the ST1080. Working with SMD tech support has been a very positive experience.

After reporting my issues to tech support, they have been timely and very forthcoming in their findings and have kept me in the loop as to steps they are taking to resolve manufacturing and quality control issues as outlined in Mr Yin's blogs.

I'm confident that SMD will make things right with those of us that have reported trouble. Have patience and give them some time.
=======================================================================================================

Good customer service can be hard to come by, So far so good with SMD. I really do think the ST1080 is a cool piece of tech, even with the current blemishes my unit has.

And here is a link to the latest blog post by the CEO of SMD...

http://www.siliconmicrodisplay.com/1/post/2012/06/addressing-some-mis-information.html#comments

There's some idiot by the name "Dan" who keeps spamming comments section with his stupidity. I told him to shut up. I will probably get banned. *sigh*

The guy in this video talks about pros/cons of different display technologies. He seems to describe LCOS technology as being pretty unreliable (around 5 minute mark) due to the crystals' inflexibility.

Do you think that this may be part of the reason for all the complaints about the ST1080?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuyyEML2rlU

shape81, any chance that you can post your review of the st1080 here? I saw your brief thoughts in post 188 here, but just really want to hear more ... good and bad. Thanks.
Edited by tomin - 6/11/12 at 6:06am

So it is like we're "rolling the die" a bit, when it comes to getting a well functioning device.

To sum it all up the HMZ is superior. The HMZ has better blacks, color accuracy, is brighter, much more vibrant, a larger perceived screen size, better motion, much better menu options, and doesn't have any dead pixels or color bleed. The ST1080 is significantly lighter and more portable. I have above 20/20 vision so Im sensitive to resolution and the ST1080 does have noticeably clearer resolution but there is no "sweet spot" so really only the center is clearer than the HMZ. As for 3d, I can't get it working with my GTX 680 and every time I put the ST1080 on to play around with it I just hate the focus and light bleed issues that I instantly want to switch back to my HMZ. I really can't see any convincing argument for choosing the ST1080 over the HMZ especially considering they're the same price. In my opinion the ST1080 is worth about $200 and mine will probably never be used again unless I give it away or someone comes up with some crazy experimental mod that makes it ten times better.

Well, yes, If what this guy says is true, and applicable to the ST1080, which I see no reason to doubt.

If this were an obvious deficiency with the technology though, then I wonder what would
motivate Silicon Micro Display to pursue it further, and invest all this money into it, after big companies
like Intel had already rejected it?

They have admitted elsewhere that their optical system needs to be developed further, and that
it is a long term fix. Since when was putting a product out for mass consumption a good idea, when
it seems to be serving its purpose only half-way? Is it like beta-testing software?

I would like to believe that all the negative impressions appearing on MTB3d, AVSforum and SMD's blogs
are coming from a few defective units, or trash-talking competitors (Sony? Vuzix?) Hopefully that is the case.
Ok, back to sipping my warm hot chocolate.

P.S. The wikipedia entry on LCOS seems to confirm what the guy in the youtube video said.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid_crystal_on_silicon)
Edited by Michaelb4thewar - 6/8/12 at 4:21am

Really happy i dint jump into the preorder on this now, i was so close.Im gnna wait 2 see if they improve the hmd as thers so many unhappy owners atm.

There is nice ST1080 review on russian forum: http://www.really.ru/forum/12/3405.html
Main points:
-Device is light but constantly slips to nose
-No color or contrast control
-Screen size similar to HMZ-T1
-Default contrast is much lower then HMZ-T1
-Great 3D depth, nice picture quality in the center
-But at the edges pictures looks blurry
-Font looks very small. Like on 21` LCD with 1980x1080 resolution
-3DTV Play finds device as standart PNP display. Works fine
-HMZ-T1 overal feels like a better HMD

Sony HMZ if modify correct will solved all the blur issue and comfort issue and u will really get to enjoy it more like i did and really happy for it just that i was hoping to get 3d full hd experience which currently the HMZ is not and was hoping ST1080p is solution to this but after much review by most i would on hold purchasing it will wait to see all the issue resolved which then i will consider to purchased it.

Yes all 4 corners are in focus and no blur without eyestrain.

But it did takes me so times to finally solved the issue which around 1 week that i finally modify it correct but of course is not so nice to look at my modify HMZ but is ok since it is used only by myself

Ah! no HMD whether st1080 or HMZ seem better to me as of now the issue - none is perfect !
HMZ with it's bulk and low sweet spot and st1080 with it's inherent issues.

regd st1080 what they 'd been doing under 'stealth mode' - designing HMD or the 'thin' vector HDMI cables i do not get it !

4-5 years in stealth mode to finally come with vector series thin HDMI cables while their HMD was a big bummer ! - Wow what a progress this small company has made !

i suggest they close down SMD and start selling HDMI cables which is what they are good at !

as a matter of fact - the technology has not matured yet !
what a bummer ! have to stick to my headplay PCS and z800 and even get a used z800 as insurance for the bad times ahead for HMDs.

ppl link me on smd blogs as troller - i do not know why - they do not understand is that my aggressive tone made SMD listen to what needs to be added to 2D formats for st1080 to make it at least desktop replacement worthy which was for everyone's benefit still i am a troller for some of the folks there! Why ?

Now i am happy that 2d formats are looking good for st1080 - but being a 1st generation product it's not yet perfect [see reviews on the smd blog] or may this tech. is more complicated than rocket science - whatever!

So anyone who criticizes st1080 and brings out the deficiencies in the product is ancjob - whether hailing from Newyork [Dan] or another part of the world .

going back to my headplay PCS / z800 as they are still good to hold on to - 3D is not my interest for now
Edited by ancjob - 6/13/12 at 4:29am

Ancjob - and once again - have you tried either HMD (HMZ or ST1080) to give your personal opinions rather than using others hear say...?

See silicon optics are now removing user posts on its blog site

Yes due to inapproprate comments - not even closely related to the HMD

I don't like the fact they charge a $125 fee for returns plus you have to pay for shipping. That's stupid. I haven't gotten mine yet but read some bad reviews and it sounds like Silicon Micro knows it's not that great and has problems so they are trying to get more money anyway they can. I'm sorry, but when I get mine if it don't work the way it should I am sending it back, and will demand a FULL refund and they can pay for shipping since I wrote them more than twice asking if they could ship from Korea to Japan and that I'd pay extra for it.

i do not like their return policy either - a restocking fee of usd$125 is too much to even think about trying ! it's this clause that stopped me from pre-ordering .Normally other companies do not do like this Also the payment via PayPal also irked me as direct credit card payment is safe as u can dispute anytime instead of 45 day period for paypal.

Sony usa even accepts return with full refund - no restocking fee !
latest : shipments suspended by SMD - too bad they have the ppl's money and not a quality product to deliver ! Wooh!


BTW - does that mean that their actual cost on it is usd$125 and the rest is profit par se ?

Good luck pal - i hope it turns out great for u

it's mostly aimed at ancjob and Dan being inappropriately addressed and called names !


if reports & reviews on this site and others are an indication both lack qualities which are essential to an HMD - i.e optics(st1080,sony hmz) and comfort (sony HMZ) - 3D, FOV, resolution[HD or Full HD] is secondary to me atm

just for 2d - am sticking to Headplay PCS and z800 instead of wasting away my precious usd$799
Edited by ancjob - 6/14/12 at 3:14am

125 for returns is just more proof of this is out of controll

If you paid a startup company US$799 for their first and only product without reading the fine print, it is NOT the company's fault.
It would be the company's fault if they had withheld this information, but they didn't, so it isn't.


The prototypes on display at CES did not have these issues [tested by at least MTBS3D] so it must be a physical thing related to production/assembly which is good news as its not inherent to the tech and can therefore be fixed.

Paul Jin has mentioned that the corner focus issues are a result of bad QC in one area of production, obviously because of the rush to satisfy pre-orders.
What remains to be seen is whether the new production run has the same problems.


The one negative thing thats inherent to the tech is the grey blacks and, again, LCoS is clearly mentioned as being the tech used in this device right from the initial announcement and anyone, anywhere, could have done some very basic Googling and found this out waaaay before any pre-orders were announced.


If you want to complain about the actual product, please do so as long as you have tried the product yourself.

agreed 100% - these guys have been very understanding and have dealt with issues with honest answers! I can't wait to get mine - totally understanding that the blacks will not be as black as the HMZ - as long as I have comfort and a 1080p picture - I will be happy! I am also waiting to see the phase 2 of the shipments with the issues addressed before I order. I did not go forward with the pre-order totally based on the $125 return fee - this was clearly stated in the order form therefore this should not have been a surprise to anyone.

Update from their blog:

* We are still working through our back log. Our goal is to ship all back log orders by mid-July. We haven't been able to ramp up as quickly as we had planned. The added quality control measures have also affected our overall manufacturing throughput.
* We've resolved all the reported quality control issues (corner blurriness, top half blurriness, dust in the display (reported as dead pixels), and excessive "light bleeding") and have implemented assembly procedure changes as well as additional training.
* We also implemented additional quality control check points. This does affect the manufacturing throughput, but we feel that it's more important to ship high quality in lower volume than low quality at high volume.
* We are also planning to increase manufacturing throughput to additional infrastructural changes as well as additional production personnel.

Guess that one reviewer was right when he said it might be best to wait till the initial issues with the first few batches are taken cared off before ordering. I might give these a go later if that other HMD with high FOV project doesn't come to fruition any time soon.

I will be going with the st1080 as well as the high FOV HMD - keep in mind the high FVO HMD is a kit and will not be ideal for everyday normal PC use. As Palmer has stated it is for enthusiasts - not for those wanting an easy to use, hassle free low-FOV HMD...

Of course I and others saw the $125 returning fee, but we also expect a product that works correctly. I have written Silicon about what they shall do with the customers that already got the product and are having problems. How will they handle it? Will they take the devices back and ship new ones, or make customers keep defected units and then ship the new batches to others that may not have the problems reported? I still get no damn reply as always with them. Why should people who ordered first pay $125 for a defective product just to return it if the unit they have has problems?

This.

It appears that some people don't realize that there are two different types of HMD for completely different purposes.
The ST1080 mimics a big screen TV. This is good for watching movies and playing existing video games not configured for a wide field of view. For this type, head tracking does not make much sense.
The second type tries to mimic your eyes wide field of view. This is similar to the IMAX dome theaters. This setup is terrible for movies and standard video games, but great for head tracking games designed for this display (or watching imax films designed for dome theaters).
The requirements of each are so vastly different, I don't think you will find one device that does both.

Correct - and they are going to try to unsure the potential buyers of the Rift are aware of this in the kickstarter campaign... Palmer has already clearly stated on his site the following:

The Rift is for enthusiasts. It is not for people who want an easy to use, hassle free low-FOV HMD to play all their games on! If that is what you want and you still somehow made it to this page, I suggest closing the window and buying a Sony HMZ-T1 or a SiliconMicroDisplay ST1080, they are both great products

LOL - the st1080 is going to be a great everyday use, casual gaming and movie HMD - the Rift on the otherhand, is going to be all about immersion!!! I can't wait!