Optoma Themescene H79

[fortean]

I am thinking of replacing my CRT projector with a DLP or LCD projector. I have been looking at specs for ages now and like the look of the Optoma Themescene H79 although I will still want to see one running before making a purchase.

Does anyone here have an opinion on this machine, good or bad? Maybe I should keep looking or wait until next year.

Thanks, John.

[gandley]

Its a very good machine and when coupled with a decent scaler-deinterlacer it has retained the name of THE GIANT KILLER.

Heres a decent link that shows some decent screenshots and info.

On a side note the H78DC3 was compared to the marantz S4 and it did ver very well. better in some arears.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=507075

The gladiator pics are amazing.

There are however a few new projectors about to hit the market. Some with a big increase in contrast etc.
See any of the Cedia show info for whats new.

1-chip 1080p DLP could be as early as march and rumour is the ANSI contrast is well up.

[Gary Lightfoot]

What size CRT are you coming from?

The H79 is a good machine and capable of some very nice images as Gandley has said, and can produce a good black level depending on screen size and/or the use of a filter.

Concuring with Gandley again, there are lots of new products coming out in the very near future so it's a difficult time to decide to buy if your budget can allow it. Waiting is not a bad idea IMHO.

Gary.

[fortean]

Thanks for the link Gandley. I've not been to the other place for months; it will take a while to go through that post.

It's a Seleco SVP310 projecting on to an 8 foot wide screen Gary.

Main reason for the change is I am tired of seeing the damned thing hanging from my ceiling. In fact the DLP or LCD that I get will be mounted in the space between ceiling and roof over the bay window. This presents a 12 inch face from the main ceiling down so only the lens will be visible. Projector throw will be 4.4m so I would expect to have the same size image.

I will need to upgrade sooner or later anyway to take advantage of HD sources.

[Gary Lightfoot]

Other than absolute black level, the h79 should show many improvements over your Seleco. The parts where the Seleco may be better is the ability to render smoother backgrounds with DVD sources. A friend upgraded from a Seleco 350 or 400 to a Domino 20, and much prefers the image he has now, so I think you'll be even more pleased with an H79.

If you want a better black level rather than a brighter image, it is possible to use a lens filter such as an fl-day and an ISF calibration to get the pj to D65. This should increase the overall contrast ratio and give a better black level at the same time. Gordon of Convergent can do ISF calibrations if that's the route you decide to go. If you're happy with the image out of the box then you may not need the filter or calibration.

The H79 has a lens shift facility, but the projector itself has to be below the top of the screen or above the bottom (give or take a couple of inches), so that may effect projector or screen placement. I've not checked the throw though but the calculator on projector Central is pretty accurate I believe.

Gary.

[danny daniell]

Any ideas on how this compares to a 300E? Also,how much would the lens filter cost?

Thanks,

Dan

[Gary Lightfoot]

It's a subjective evaluation really, but I think the H79 will have more contrast and the scaler in the Sim2 will be better. The Hoya HMC FL-Day costs about £30, and you'll have to speak to Gordon about the recalibration. Just adding the filter doesn't add any contrast, it's how it affects the colours and rebalancing is where the advantages are found.

Gary

[danny daniell]

Cheers Gary,
wow,if it`s that close then the H79 at half the price seems like the bargain of the decade! A little bit off topic,but any suggestions for a suitable scaler for the H79 that could also improve my plasma?

Thanks,

Dan

[Gary Lightfoot]

I use HTPC myself, as it's very flexible and can playback DVD content as well as Hi Def material, but the Lumagen and Crystalio get good reviews. Again, Gordon can help you with those requirements.

If you would like to see the Sim2 300E and the Optoma on demo and can get down to Horsham in East Sussex, give RTFM a PM and see if he can arrange something. He had an H78 and 300E recently but may be able to give you a better idea of the comparisons between them since he's more familiar with the Sim2 range than I am.

Gary.

[ukfatboy]

Just dipped into the thread.

If its of interest I run a H78 DC3 with a visiondvi supplied and setup by Gordon.

The picture is stunning and far exceeds the infocus 7205 I had previously.

I use a HTPC for dvd and high def and a toppy for tv. the toppy looks as good as dvd on the 7205.

Have a word with Gordon as he has setup scaler with H79 for somebody else and said its even better.

Good luck

[danny daniell]

The H79 is sounding better all the time! Gordon,if you are out there....would you care to comment?

Dan