optoma H56 sorted and ACE...

[gandley]

Some of you may have seen on other threads that i was having trouble with this H56 of mine. first got it replaced diredy with optoma,

but still had the same problems.

BUT what i thought were problems was in fact mostly my inexperence with projectors.(as this is my first one)

coming from plasma i took a few things for granted like a progressive signal. u feed it to the plasma and jobs a good un.

but with the H56 its not quite the case. so i fed it a signal and it looked like it was only filling 3 quarters of the screen and there was a horrble red tinge to everything etc.

what i didnt know was i needed to adjust the frequencys to get thing perfect. so set frequency, this stretches the pic across to fit the screen. (pal prog issue sorted)
then i adjusted the vertical (NTSC problem sorted)

then i had to change colour balance, and reduce red contrast and red brightness.(crapy red problem gone. i should of guest this earlier but didnt realize you can set colours different for interlaced and progressive as well as ntsc and pal)

calibrated everything with DVE for pal stuff and the pic is now excellent.
the A11 i have is doing a much better job at deinterlacing than the sil504 as it corrects edge enhancement and chroma issues etc.(its suprising how much more it does than just deinterlace)
the pic is truly brilliant for such a low res PJ(and cheap)

So i guess what im saying is as a newbie, patience has realy paid off. I have been fed alot of BS at times some from optoma(with good intentions) some from others but persistace has paid off.( a good side is my knowlege has increased one hell of alot, im a noob no more.

a thanx goes to Roy stonebank at optoma for realy wanting to help.

and special thanx to Justin Halls of optoma for nailing the problem
and taking the time to explain detailed tech.


So all works fantastic...........Shame im going to upgrade now
just as i get it sorted im going to sell it.

 

[Docta teef]

Glad to see this post as i have a h56 on order as my first pj, ive seen a couple of posts stating problems with the h56 although i understand that one of its main drawback is that it can be a bit of a bastard to set up. i May well get back to you on the setup if you dont mind although ive got about 2 months worth of cellar conversion work to contend with first. How do you find the pj compares with the rest of your kit as i would say you were a set above my sony 333es amp and pio 757ai amp? The only thing i can get you on is you dont get to play mario cart

 

[KraGorn]

Originally posted by gandley
what i didnt know was i needed to adjust the frequencys to get thing perfect. so set frequency, this stretches the pic across to fit the screen.

I'm glad you got it sorted, even if you are now selling it, but I'm perturbed with all the problems you've had, which you've described here and on AVS.

You're blaming your lack of knowledge, but what sort of [email protected] product is it that needs a high level of expertise simply to make it function?

Sure, calibration needs knowledge and experience, but if it doesn't work out of the box without extensive twiddling is it really a sensible product for ANYONE to buy, n00b or not?

The H56 was on my shortlist .. I need a long-throw projector and the H56 fitted the bill perfectly .. but apart from it supposedly being a noisy machine and rarer than hen's teeth ... your problems have played a large part in my decision to buy soemthing else, probaby an XVZ200E. Should I reconsider do you think now you've learned how to drive the H56? And is it noisy?

 

[Docta teef]

KraGorn dont upset the apple cart i was just getting round to thinking i had made the right choice ive been looking for a year for god sake at this rate i will end up discounting every pj ever made.

 

[KraGorn]

Sorry Docta ... the H56 is a very attractive proposition and got a good review on ProjectorCentral and somewhere else, it's got an ideal throw distance for me, about the only fly in the ointment is lack of vertical lens shift but I can adapt.

I very nearly did order one two weeks ago until I discovered Optima basically can't supply them without an umpteen-week wait and I'm not feeling inclined to do that.

Given Gandey's problems have been solved, albeit after a lengthy period, then to an extent I'm re-thinking my plans .. don't let my pessimism rub off on you.

 

[gandley]

actually im a donky.....kong racing expert.(N64)

ive got a game cube as well but i need to get hold of a component lead but dont know where and not sure how sound will work.

as for the rest of my gear, i luv my amp its a beauty and the denon A11 just delivers in prog mode.

KraGorn

i do hear what your saying but now i know the PJ inside-out
and the end result is very very worth it. im getting a equal image to my m8s HT1000.
yes it is a pain and some might of lost faith. for others it might be fine straight out the box. (i am a picky sod who has to get it right)

and id be happy to help any one whos planning or who has orderd one. because it is superb for the price.

it could be a little quiter but than that goes for all cheaper PJs.

its sat right by my ear at presnt though and in action films does disappear.

if i was to keep it id fix it further up the wall on a shelf or ceiling fix. that way i dont think noise would be an issue

actually what i would do is open it up and add some expensive papst fans that run much quiter but are quit dear.

 

[KraGorn]

Originally posted by gandley
im getting a equal image to my m8s HT1000.

You jest surely? Given the 1000's reputation, with those like Kramer waxing lyrical about it, it's hard to believe a machine costing less than 2/3 the price could be comparable.

I think ultimately the noise will sway me, every report I've read says it's noisy to the point of being a distraction and I think noise is a lot more of a problem for me than rainbows .. and I can get a Sharp delivered Saturday, an H56 isn't on the horizon from what was being said on the 'powerbuy' thread last week.

 

[gandley]

KraGorn whats your buget?

The only PJ in this price range to better the H56 is the domino20

 

[KraGorn]

An HT1100 is not out of the question if it were justified, the BIG factor is throw, I need at least 14' for a 92" 16:9 and few pjs offer that, the XVZ200E is the only other I am looking at. Short-throw is only an option is it's QUIET as in silent, AFAIK only the HT1100 does that and its' throw is just a little too long, I need 9' or less really.

The only LCD I'm considering in the TW500, with its' very nice V/H lens shift .. if only more pjs with a 1.5-2 throw distance included that to make locating the pj not a problem colliding with seating .. and we're back to noise again.

 

[gandley]

there was a test done on the AVS forum with gladiator and the H56 actualy showed a better pic when used via dvi over the HT1000 via dvi.

with component id say they are neck and neck without a doubt
bar maybe the faroudja deinterlacing. but know i have the A11 set right i could not choose between them.

 

[KraGorn]

I read that thread with great interest .. one or two shots I think showed the NEC better, one I recall with a grassy field the greens of the 1000 seemed more 'real' than the H56, but on the whole the Optima did very well. In fact it was that thread which nearly sealed it for me and I was about to order one when I discovered the severe availability problems .. which in turn led me to look around some more.

I'll be feeding component, I'm scrapping my HTPC, it's too much of a hassle using it and I've got a V880 if I need DVI, but I fancy an Denon 2900 or at a pinch a Pio 668 since I hear it too is a great PAL de-interlacer.

 

[gandley]

thatll be the first pioneer with a good pal-deinterlacer if its true.
infact it`ll be the first good pioneer de-interlacer.

 

[KraGorn]

Originally posted by gandley
thatll be the first pioneer with a good pal-deinterlacer if its true.

Hmmm. I'm going by a comment in a thread on AVS IIRC where someone noted that the de-interlacer in a pj under discussion was made by Pioneer .. of course, now I want to find the thread I can't.

So, you'd recommend the 2900 feeding an H56 I gather .. as Ive commented before, I can't justify the price of an A11.

 

[gandley]

Ive sent you a pm kraGorn

the 2900 will do de-interlacing better for sure.

Who can justify the cost of an A11. its a rip off. (but its good)
i darnt tell the missus what it cost and i was lucky i could sell my SD900e to offset cost. could sell the 9500e as well then i get the A11 for next to nothing

the 2900 and the H56 have the same de-interlacer but the 2900 seems to implement it better. my sisters 2900 is quite good with a very detailed pic. not bad at all

 

[KraGorn]

Thanks for the PM .. food for thought indeed.

The 2900 appeals for its' DVD-A/SACD ability as well as supposedly excellent de-interlacing .. given the H56 is not HD then scaling isn't an issue, nor with the Z200E of course. If I went for an HD panel then the 2900 its' own wouldn't be sufficient, however I'll probably get it for audio if nothing else.

Hmmm, 2900+H56 .. + earplugs.

 

[ntslik]

Can we now state for the record that the H56 does not have a fault

 

[gandley]

YEP

that is the intention of this post.

its just a tricky bugger to set up

[please don't use such language/circumvent the swear word filter - Kramer]

 

[KraGorn]

I'm still confused .. your description on here and AVS address the big problem but what about the earlier problem which IIRC you had with a strange scanline artifact with PAL progressive?

Same cause?

I'm also surprised that such a 'simple' error on your part failed to be picked up by Optoma's support techs .. something as simple as that I'd expect to feature on their front-line support scripts.

 

[gandley]

All i can say is its working A1 now with very good results.

the overscan for prog has also been sorted in getting the frequecy right.

there is more overscan on interlaced but its 3% which is actually about the same as a plasma screen will do(if not a tadge better.)

So what i have here is a perfect working within tolerence PJ thats doing a fantastic job for the cash.

Its the manual i blame. its so brief its untrue. also the front desk at optoma dont seem to do english to good so takes a little time to get where you need to go.

but as it stands im 100% satisfied with results now.

as i said some of this has been down to my lack of knowlege of all things projection and im quite happy to admit that.

and what the hell is IIRC

 

[gandley]

well to say its all working now is an incorrect statement.

that should read all is calibrated now. Because that was realy all that was up.

 

[ntslik]

Nice to hear you are all set up and a happy bunny

 

[gandley]

Thanks Neil

least i wont have so much trouble with the next one.


NEXT

 

[KraGorn]

A question about the noise .. it's relatively loud compared to other brands I know, but how would you describe the noise itself? Is it white noise as in air movement, a rumble, buzz, whine?

Loud white noise is less objectionable generally than noise with a pitch and I find a whine worse than a rumble. Hard I know, but I'd appreciate an idea of this.

 

[gandley]

Its not a whine, which is good.

basicly you have two 80mm fans blowing out the warm air.

so its like the noise a computer makes. thats the nearest comparison i can give.
it blends out in the film with full surround. and if i better positioned it it would not bother me

ive heard louder PJs

 

[KraGorn]

Ah, so it's not colour-wheel whine, which is what I was suspecting .. fan noise I can certainly put up with.

Thanks .. me must ponder .. must make decision before the next shipment of H56s arrive .. ah, plenty of time then.