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Sparkling Problem - Epson 8350

post #1 of 10
8/6/12 at 3:11pm
Thread Starter 
Hi Gurus,

I own an Epson 8350. I have my Directv and Bluray player plugged into it.

When I turn on my directv, there are fairly prominent gold sparkles all over the picture. They are gold dots that just sparkle constantly throughout when playing. How do I get rid of these? I use a 15 ft rocketfish cable that runs along the walls of the room.

I had heard a lot of stuff about how the cable's quality can be the cause of this, yet when I use my bluray player, these sparkles go away.

What can I do to rectify this?
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post #2 of 10
8/6/12 at 9:18pm
Does your directv box and bluray player go to a receiver first then to the projector? Maybe check the hdmi cable from the directv box to the receiver? Unless you meant you use the same 15ft hdmi cable for both devices straight to the projector?
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post #3 of 10
8/6/12 at 9:37pm
HDMI performance is a function of the cable, the bit rate (resolution, refresh rate, and color depth), all the electronics involved, and the environment. Change one of those and you have the possibility of changing performance. You should be using a certified high speed HDMI cable.

Do you have two 15' cables plugged into your PJ, or are you using a single HDMI cable and a switch? Have you tried switching the ports the cables are plugged into on the PJ? Have you switched the sources the cables are plugged into?
Edited by Colm - 8/6/12 at 10:14pm
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post #4 of 10
8/6/12 at 10:47pm
Thread Starter 
Thank you for your responses thus far.

The way my setup is right now is that I have the Directv plugging directly to the projector. When I want to turn my bluray on, I take the cable out of the directv box and put it into the back of my blue ray player. So I'm just moving the cable when I'm switching inputs. I am not plugging into a receiver, just using a single HDMI cable ands switching manually as needed. This is why I say the cable might probably be okay since when it plugs into the bluray (a 1080p signal) there are no sparkles. Whereas when it plugs into the directv box (1080i) signal, it starts sparkling, How do I rectify this situation?
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post #5 of 10
8/6/12 at 11:20pm
Hmm maybe try hdmi port 2 on the projector just to see if you get the same result? Also maybe try setting the directv box to 720p? These are more or less troubleshooting steps, not necessarily solutions. You still might need to try a different higher end cable. I recommend monoprice.com, I have a 75ft hdmi cable from them going to my 8350 that works perfectly.
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post #6 of 10
8/6/12 at 11:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jmoakk View Post

...try hdmi port 2 on the projector...
+1
Quote:
...try setting the directv box to 720p...
Worth a try and easy to do. But I would be surprised if there is a significant difference. 720p bit rate is about the same as 1080i
Quote:
...try a different...cable...
A new certified high speed cable need not be expensive. A 15' high speed HDMI cable can be had from monoprice for about $15 plus shipping.

FWIW it sounds like the cable is the culprit. 1080p24 from a BD player is about 20% lower bit rate than 1080i from a cable box, assuming the number of bits per pixel.

Did you by any chance make any tight bends with your current cable?
Edited by Colm - 8/7/12 at 12:29am
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post #7 of 10
8/7/12 at 9:35am
Quote:
Originally Posted by lordchaos View Post

This is why I say the cable might probably be okay since when it plugs into the bluray (a 1080p signal) there are no sparkles. Whereas when it plugs into the directv box (1080i) signal, it starts sparkling, How do I rectify this situation?

In addition to the other advice make sure you have no problems with your Direct TV reception, check the signal strength (should be in the menu somewhere) and the physical condition of the dish and cable.
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post #8 of 10
8/12/12 at 11:12pm
Thread Starter 
Hey guys, so to give you an update, I thought it was a problem with the directv signal and it turns out that is the case. I bought a Sony dh830 receiver, and ran all three devices (directv, bluray, and xbox) and now the sparkles are gone. However, its odd because the sony DH830 only upscales to 1080i, a fact i found out after I rectified my problem.

Do you guys know of a receiver that does a good job of upscaling 1080i signals to 1080p? Preferably under 500 sheckles?
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post #9 of 10
8/13/12 at 7:04am
Quote:
Originally Posted by lordchaos View Post

Do you guys know of a receiver that does a good job of upscaling 1080i signals to 1080p? Preferably under 500 sheckles?

No need really. The Epson 8350 will upscale the 1080i to its native resolution of 1080p to display.
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post #10 of 10
8/13/12 at 10:05am
Thread Starter 
Colm, I did not make any tight bends with the hdmi cable. It is in a straight line.

Essentially it is the cable box. So what tried was to buy a good upscaling receiver, only to find out this particular one that I bought only upscales to 1080i. Regardless, the picture did get better and the sparkles are now gone.

The problem is, having experienced that upscaling does good things, now I want to get a receiver that upscales to 1080p.

I heard about this DVDO Edge Green, but it seems like a lot of people are having reliability issues with it.
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