Epson 5020UB Owners Thread... - Page 10

My walls are off white and my ceiling is flat white. It hasn't been an issue for me.

May I ask what picture mode you are using for 3d and if you had to make any adjustments to your color settings?

Haven't changed a thing out of the box yet and very pleased. It ships in THX mode. Will calibrate it next weekend when I can get someone with non color blind eyes to give me a hand. Can't trust mine for critical adjustments.

I like these projectors but I am having a hard time finding one that works properly. I have had 2 of them with green blobs/large green dots on a black screen/no signal screen, one that has shown black smudges on a red purity test screen, one with a blue glowing dot/area at the top of the screen(on a black/no signal screen), and finally a couple with convergence and focus issues. All of them pretty much show a green hue on the very right hand side of the screen on a white slide as well as a slight pinkish hue throughout.

I am now going to try one that they are going to test and cherry pick themselves to make sure it has none of these issues before sending it out to me. We will see if this one is the one to keep. I have to say Epson is great though, they overnight them out no problem and keep trying to help me find one that works. Great customer service but the product seems to be lacking the quality control it needs to ensure this doesn't happen.

My 5020ub arrived at the fedex office this morning. I took the day off so I could set it up.

I quick setup on my rear shelf and lined it up with my screen; though I still need to take some time later to dial it in so the alignment is perfect.

But anyway I have been playing around with the 3d since I set it up. I did have to throw out an hdmi splitter in my setup.

Before I took out the splitter I got ESPN 3D working by manually setting it to side by side.

Then I got my PS3 working via my receiver (after I took out the old powered splitter). I started watching Avatar which looks incredible.

But I tried to go back to watching ESPN 3D and I am having problems keeping the signal.

I set the 3d back to manual side by side.

The 3d locks in but then the screen goes black after about 10 seconds, then the picture comes back. If I go back to the PS3 playing Avatar its fine.

Anyone else have similar problems?

I hope you finally get a good one. I gave up on Epson after three projectors and moved to a Sony. All had focus and convergence issues. It has to make you wonder if the Epson will be able to perform long trem. The sony worked right out of the box with little or no adjustment.

I was definitely worried I was going to want to shuffle through multiple copies until I got a 'good' unit too but mine has been great for me right out of the box. Maybe I'm not as picky as others but I'm very satisfied with how it looks compared to my old 900u =)

Is anybody using the HD Fury adapter for the 2nd component video input on this? I want to run dual screens simultaneously, if for nothing else to show off.

There are different versions of it, which baffles me why compatibility would vary. My projector will be about 25' from the receiver. Seems like I should just put the adapter at the receiver and save on HDMI cable.

I find the component input very limiting. I'm using a Denon 3313 with 2 A/V zones, and the 2nd zone can pass a seperate HDMI source, but doesn't upscale to HDMI. So in order to have all inputs available, I have to run the to the receiver with component cables. And basically I have to dance around the limitations of the projector in setting up my entire system.

So far so good. I sat through all of Avatar 3D and it looked great without touching anything. That said I plan on giving everything a thorough once over with the patterns on the Disney Wow disc that was included.

As far as my problems with ESPN 3d they seem to only be an issue while the Tivo is connected through my Pioneer receiver. If I route the hdmi direct to the 5020 the problems go away. Though PS3 3d works perfectly fine through my Pioneer.

If that's the only problem with my unit I am perfectly ok with it.

I've only been playing around with 3d so far and it looks incredible. Its bright and sunny out right now which means even with the curtains drawn there is a lot of ambient light. But it still looks extremely bright in 3d even in dark scenes.
Edited by Bob Benson - 3/19/13 at 2:15pm

If the Pioneer has a "pass through" mode, you might try that, and/or if you can turn off "deep color" on the Tivo, it that option is available. Usually the video dropouts are a result of a hdmi cable that isn't able to maintain the signal strength needed. 3d signals over 20' can start to get a little dicey if your using a lower thickness cable, like say 26 awg. Each connection in the hdmi chain can cause a slight signal loss. Maybe running the connection through the Pioneer is degrading the signal, just enough, to cause the dropouts?

I don't think its signal loss. If I don't enable 3d on the Epson I can view the side by side channel fine in 2d with no degradation. And I have thought about going through all my hdmi cables in the chain. But the total run of all the cables is under 20 ft. And although some of the cables are not high speed certified they are all at least 24 gauge.

The strange thing is when I include my non 3d 2x1 splitter in the chain then it works (but then the ps3 doesn't).

The Tivo is simply outputting side by side and the display needs to be manually set to that.

My theory is that when I include the non 3d 2x1 splitter there is no id letting the display (Epson) know that there is a 3d signal. It just sees it as another 2d signal. Which is correct because the Tivo does not include an identifying code.

Well, I guess you could try adding the splitter, and turning off "deep color" in the ps3 and see if that works?

I went ahead and ordered a new powered splitter that is 3d certified. So we will see how everything works once I add that to the chain.

But anyway I just wanted to say so far I am pretty impressed with the projector.

3d was very watchable even with low ambient light during the day.

And the picture quality right out of the box was decent without even touching anything.

First impressions were the sharpness might just be a touch lower then my pro8100 (though it just might be that I need to still find the ideal focus level). But contrast and black level are world's ahead on this.

Hi guys, I need your help to determine if my 5020 is working correctly. With all the rave reviews about this projector's black level, I'm beginning to think mine has a problem (maybe with the iris) since blacks are still a dark gray for me.

It's hard to come up with meaningful tests for black level without a light meter, but I've made an attempt. Can someone please try these out on their 5020 so we can compare results?

Setup: In a fully light-controlled room (or at night), put on a source that has an all-black image (for instance, pause a movie before it starts). Set the iris to Fast, mode to Cinema, and lamp to ECO.

My observations:

1. Hand-puppets are obvious and easy to see. The difference between the black shadow of my hand and the light hitting the screen shows an obvious "dark grey" color coming from the projector.
2. Stand near the screen, and look back toward the projector. I see a fairly bright, bluish light coming from the projector. It is not quite bright enough to induce squinting, but it is surprisingly bright for a black image.
3. Try reading a book by the light hitting the screen. I cannot make out individual words, but I can see that there are individual lines of text and spaces between words.
4. Turn the iris off and on. I find the iris only makes the image subtly darker (just a bit darker), but it is not dramatically darker.

How does this compare to yours?

It's tough to do a comparison because room environment influences black level and perceived contrast a lot.

That said I was instantly impressed with black level right out of the box, even before I enabled the auto iris.

And I have a living room setup with white walls and ceilings. And the projector this was replacing, a Viewsonic pro8100, while not know for exceptional black levels is still thought to be competitive. And the 5020 on black level is noticeably better with no fiddling.

Hi guys. I've been in HT for well over 10 years but have never been able to have the front projection set-up I've wanted. I think I'm finally going to jump in with the 5020. However I don't know much about screens other than I don't want to spend a lot(not more than $700). The room will be light controlled, and front row seating will probably be 9-12 feet range. I want a fixed frame screen. So what should I look at that will mate well with the 5020 and not break the bank? It looks like a lot of retailers carry the Elite brand as a nice lower cost but nice FF screen???

You are better off creating a thread in the screens section or searching existing threads there.

However I have an Elite screen. A cheap pull down 100 inch I bought from Amazon.

It has served me well over three years.

But if you buy a cheap pull down screen (and almost all low cost screens you find will be manual pull down) you do run the risk of wrinkles /waves.

My current manual pull down is basically wrinkle/wave free after pulling it down and retracting after each use.

But.... mine does bow at the edges. And I have seen that in pictures of many other peoples screens so I think that is pretty common for all non tensioned screens over time.

It doesn't bother me. Its not noticeable unless to me as long as I am not looking for the distortion it creates. But it's something to keep in mind.

If you buy a cheap screen you have to be willing to live with a certain amount of imperfection as far as the flatness of the screen.

If you can't live with that and your budget won't allow for a fixed or tensioned screen you should consider going the DIY route.

Thanks Bob. I was hoping to get more 5020 owners here who would know what paired best in a certain price range. For instance, the Elite EzFrame fixed frame screens can be had for $500 in the 120" size with cinewhite 1.1 gain screen material. Would that be good for a bright projector in a light controlled room? Are more people using a higher gain material?.....gray material?

I have Elite's basic white pull down screen. It didn't even have any gain rating as it was probably under 150.

But even in my non light controlled room I am getting results with my white screen even though a gray material would suit me better.

The projector really is a light cannon, easily twice as bright as my last projector. So I would think unless you have a super huge screen with the projector mounted far back a high gain screen should be unnecessary in a light controlled room.

Ordered my 5020 the other day along with a Da-Lite 106" diagonal electric screen. Supposed to be here early next week. I have a few concerns but figure I can handle a few compromises since this is my first projector and the price is right for a bright 3D projector. I considered the Sony and JVC projectors but thought this might be the best choice for 2D and 3D at this price point. Didn't want to spend a great deal on my first projector so I am crossing my fingers that I get one that is not flawed. I just went through 2 Samsung plasma TVs due to QC issues about a year ago and numerous issues with Tivo Premieres (ugh!).

WIl post my results.

i have my 5020 paired with an 120" Elite EZ frame 1.1 gain white screen and love the PQ .

dedicated room or living room?

Dedicated

I have to say the latest replacement 5020 epson sent me is pretty sweet. It had a note inside the box saying it was tested. Nice thin lines in the convergence pattern so focus is good, good convergence, no blotches or blobs and good whites. Took a few of them but found a winner. Epson really came through on this cherry picked unit.

To top it all off on a side note my cambridge audio 751r arrived and is very nice. Better than the onkyo 5010 i had but sold.
Edited by TommmyJ - 3/21/13 at 6:39am

Epson CS is awesome

I have the Elite 120" in grey. Works great in my dedicated room. Only complaint if you can call it that is that I sit close enough (rougly 7 feet back) that I can see the structure of the screen material in bright scenes.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000GEAD8O/

I think I lucked out and got a unit with good convergence and no picture quality issues out of the box.

However I am having a lot of hdmi hand shake issues.

3d has been problematic with certain sources.

And last night I lost hdmi sync on a non 3d source, then lost picture all together which never came back. The projector was still on but it wasn't even showing no signal. Just blank. And it stopped responding to remote commands. After about 20 minutes I had to give up and pull the power. I let it cool down and it started back up fine but that obviously worried me.

My cabling is a mess so I decided to go ahead and replace at least all the cables in the chain from the ps3 with high speed certified ethernet 3d etc cables.

We'll see if that helps and if not I may have to start playing the replacement game with Epson. Hopefully not because like I said picture quality wise I am very happy with my unit so far.

What shelf is this exactly? There are a bunch by omnimount. I was looking at this one but I'm worried it will stick out too far from the wall and look strange. Yours looks like a perfect fit.:




This one is 16" deep and has another 4" space to the wall, and swivels. Maybe that's fine for cabling, I planned to stick a power outlet right in the wall or ceiling there and a panel for routing cables.

I'm having all kinds of hdmi dropout/handshake issues in 3d (and occasionally in 2d).

They most frequently occur in side by side forced 3d from the Tivo and 720p Netflix streaming 3d video via the ps3. The drop outs can occur with Blu ray 3d. But they are not as consistent and not nearly as frequent. Netflix in particular completely freaks out. But even when the Blu Rays are dropping its ever few minutes instead of every few seconds like Netflix.

The possible culprits / suggestions I have received so far are:

Deep color setting on the PS3

non 3d compliant hdmi cables

darbee darblet video processor.

So far I tried:

turning off deep color

replacing all the cables with ones labeled 3d 1080 with ethernet.

Removing my hdmi splitter.

Bypassing the Darbee Darblet Video processor.



Every solution I tried I thought solved the issue at first. Most the time I would do something like remove the Darbee and then I would sit through an entire 3d video drop out free. But then I will queue up another video from the same source and the drop outs return.

Anyone with similar issues?

Does it sound like I may have a bad unit?
Edited by Bob Benson - 3/22/13 at 11:43pm

I think I've found a consistent pattern for when it works and when it doesn't (which explains why on Tuesday I was able to get through 3 entire movies without drop outs).

The key is I have to start the projector with a 3d video signal (for the most part).

It seems like switching to a 2d source and then back to a 3d one is what causes it to start freaking out.

Netflix 3d via the PS3 seems the most problematic.

But if I start a 3d video, pause. Power down the Epson, power it back on, then I can make it through an entire Netflix 3d video with not a signal drop out.

But if I go back to the Netflix menu and start the video over or start a new one the picture drops out again.

And it seems like its the same with blu ray playback as well.

Drop outs occur when I'm switching back to 3d from 2d. But if I leave the movie queue up and power cycle the projector everything is smooth for the duration of the movie.

Oh and one more thing. Often with Netflix when starting a 3d video it fails to obtain hdmi sync what so ever. I see the following message displayed:

hdmi1
not supported
h 89.90 v 59.93

I power cycle the AVR. Then the hdmi usually does sync. But then I get crazy drop outs every few seconds.

Blu ray is never that bad. Usually with blu ray it plays fine for about 5 minutes. Drop outs. Comes back for 30 seconds. Starts freaking out. Is ok for 5 minutes and the cycles continues like that.

I opened a ticket with Epson so we'll see what they have to say.

The only item that I have not yet removed from chain is my AVR. But the AVR is the most difficult for me to remove from the chain. And I'm more inclined to believe the bug is with the Epson now.

I do hope I can get this resolved without an exchange. I am loving the picture quality of my 5020 in both 2d and 3d.
Edited by Bob Benson - 3/22/13 at 11:55pm