Which one Optoma H81 or Sony Pearl

[scouse258]

Simple question, having read the homecinema choice articles on both this month i now can not decide which to go for. My head says Optoma, simply due to the issues of convergence problems on the sony that i have read about (yer, i understand for every "horror story" there are a dozen or so happy customers).

Also I am wondering if the Optoma scaler is better than my DVDO HD+ and, if so, then it would seem to make sense to sell the DVDO.

I am toying with the idea of importing from the US, if i do then a Sony Ruby is only a few hundred more than the pearl (we have been through the pro's and cons on a different thread but, for example, a BenQ PE8720 is £2400 in the US and £5000 here - does it really make sense).

Other models on the shortlist are Sim2 35H or even, maybe the Infocus In78 although reviews are small in number

Please discuss the above and help me make a decision.

As for my budget, i have £2000 saved, and revenue from the sale of my PE7700 and possibly a DVDO HD+. I also have a completely clear visa card (but i am not getting too carried away even though i really want something like a sim C3X)

[scouse258]

perhaps i should add that the cinema is in the loft where there is no ambient light visable

[Avi]

Originally Posted by scouse258

Simple question, having read the homecinema choice articles on both this month i now can not decide which to go for. My head says Optoma, simply due to the issues of convergence problems on the sony that i have read about (yer, i understand for every "horror story" there are a dozen or so happy customers).

Also I am wondering if the Optoma scaler is better than my DVDO HD+ and, if so, then it would seem to make sense to sell the DVDO.

I am toying with the idea of importing from the US, if i do then a Sony Ruby is only a few hundred more than the pearl (we have been through the pro's and cons on a different thread but, for example, a BenQ PE8720 is £2400 in the US and £5000 here - does it really make sense).

Other models on the shortlist are Sim2 35H or even, maybe the Infocus In78 although reviews are small in number

Please discuss the above and help me make a decision.

As for my budget, i have £2000 saved, and revenue from the sale of my PE7700 and possibly a DVDO HD+. I also have a completely clear visa card (but i am not getting too carried away even though i really want something like a sim C3X)

Scouse

I think you need to see your suspects in action to decide for yourself. I spent time with both of these units before reaching my decision.

My observations


HD81

Pro
- Bright Image should be good with larger screens sizes
- Living room friendly size
- High res image
- External VP included

Cons
- DI is noticeable in action and noisy (lagged behind what was on screen)
- Very loud fan noise in normal (highest lamp) mode
- Limitations if short throw or lens shift is required
- Must be used with supplied VP so a future VP upgrade may be limited
- Image appeared "digital/Coarse" rather than sharp to my eyes
- RBE/ low IRE dither
- £4995 MSRP

Pearl

Pros
- Bright image (100" screen)
- Living room friendly noise levels
- Detailed high res image (does not look digital, more film like)
- No RBE/low IRE dither
- Installation flexibility i.e. short throw, lens shift
- DI works very well
- Choice of VP's
- £3500 MSRP

Cons
- largish unit
- Possible mis-convergence, colour uniformity issues
- Lumens may struggle with large screen sizes
- Doesn't handle 2:2 PAL film that well

I think there is a lot of hype about mis convergence and colour uniformity that may influence your decision. Go demo the unit to see how this may look in reality. I’m sure non of us wants any type of issue but it's easy to fall into the trap of test signals at 12" from the screen rather than watching movies. Same applies to RBE / low IRE dither on the Optoma. I guess the only thing you can’t rule out is if your guests are sensitive to RBE.

As for the Ruby I would be concerned about the replacement bulb cost as much as the risk of import.

AVI

[scouse258]

thanks for that. we have two sony centres up here (one in the metrocentre and one in newcastle) and neither have asony pearl demo. Both stated they do not stock it !!!!! This leaves three AV shops to try- lintone Sevenoaks and global hi-fi. its not much AV fun living in the north!!!

[Nic Rhodes]

I think it well worth travelling to see these things. I don't just mean someone who has one and will fire it up for you. If anyone views these devices at 'default' settings they are wasting their time imho. Find dealers who know and understand the projectors, who have them properly set up and calibrated if possible. You will then get a good idea of what they are capable of in your installation and beleve me it is NOTHING like the 'default' settings. It may involve some petrol and time but for a £3-£5k purchase, you want to get it right.

[Avi]

Originally Posted by scouse258

its not much AV fun living in the north!!!

Scouse

I know because I live in the North as well BTW what throw distance/mounting options do you have ?

AVI

[scouse258]

the throw is only 3m and wasceiling mounted but have now stuck it on a table as im going to sell it.

[Timbo21]

Scouse,

I really wouldn't recommend importing, especially for a projector. If there are any probs the saving you have made will soon vanish & be replaced by a rather large headache, as you pay for courier costs to ship it back to the States, especially if you are worried about convergence issues. I believe people like Elliot @ PJ Hifi (AV forum member X3ELS) check their pj's for these problems, and will sort it properly if there are any issues. Yes, it's a bit more, but worth it IMO when paying this kind of money. Even if it took a day out to a good retailer it's worth it. I spent £2900 on my first pj, and ended up changing it after 6 months. This is likely to happen if you pay too much attention to reviews, and get bad demos. I think 7oaks is alright for £1500 projectors, but if you're spending more then someone more specialised is worthwhile. Recommendations from Nic Rhodes, Gordon@Convergent etc. are well worth listening to.

The Optoma H81 is more than likely going to be replaced pretty soon, and since you already have a VP you may want the option of updating this in the future.

T.

[Lone Granger]

Originally Posted by scouse258

Simple question, having read the homecinema choice articles on both this month i now can not decide which to go for. My head says Optoma, simply due to the issues of convergence problems on the sony that i have read about (yer, i understand for every "horror story" there are a dozen or so happy customers).

Also I am wondering if the Optoma scaler is better than my DVDO HD+ and, if so, then it would seem to make sense to sell the DVDO.

I am toying with the idea of importing from the US, if i do then a Sony Ruby is only a few hundred more than the pearl (we have been through the pro's and cons on a different thread but, for example, a BenQ PE8720 is £2400 in the US and £5000 here - does it really make sense).

Other models on the shortlist are Sim2 35H or even, maybe the Infocus In78 although reviews are small in number

Please discuss the above and help me make a decision.

As for my budget, i have £2000 saved, and revenue from the sale of my PE7700 and possibly a DVDO HD+. I also have a completely clear visa card (but i am not getting too carried away even though i really want something like a sim C3X)

I agree, when Global pricing differs by more than 20% you have to be tempted to ship.

Did you work out what £2400 would be, landed? (are you saying £3k?)

What warranty support will there be and is the mains power switchable 110 / 220?

[Liam @ Prog AV]

HD81 is a brand new model so I doubt it will be replaced any time soon. The media box for it will outperform the iScan. But will also show an overprocessed image if not setup correctly...... But yeah, it's also bloody loud.

[Ian.Templeman]

Hi,
The price difference between UK and US on the Sony Pearl has made me consider an import. However, I don't know if I can just plus a 'US' model into a UK power socket without killing it! How would I go about finding this information out?

[Nic Rhodes]

I warned against the importation of the Pearl before it arrived because of the things that could have gone wrong. I think the experience of users here bears out the concerns I had with their 'mixed convergence' experiences. Luckily dealers like Elliot have led the way here and Sony appear to have been excellent as well. With a grey import....? Well you are on your own.

[gandley]

Dont import a pearl, far too risky. Nics comments are bang on the buck and UK prices are not that bad considering where you look.

I would not import the HD81 either as there have been a few issues with that as well.

the nightmare you will have if you have to ship one back will just suck the fun out of owning a PJ

[scouse258]

actually .... if im importing one then it will be the ruby - does this have the same convergence issues or is a little more care placed on this item

[Avi]

Originally Posted by scouse258

actually .... if im importing one then it will be the ruby - does this have the same convergence issues or is a little more care placed on this item

IIRC at best the Ruby is the same as the Pearl re convergence. It potentially affects all three chip designs and I'm not certain at what price point you can get a guarantee of zero convergence issues. I considered a Ruby but at the size of a suitcase it was just too big for my room. Added to that I didn't fancy paying £1000 a lamp every couple of thousand hours. I'm not sure it's as simple as poor QC or care taken that causes misconvergence. This may play a role but so does chromatic aberration unless you wish to spend mucho cash on ultra high quality optics.

The real question is at what point does minor i.e. 1 pixel misconvergence have any impact on PQ at normal viewing distance.

AVI