Themescene HD80 configuration help please

pjeast

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Hi all
my HD80 is used to project in mainly a darkened room. Is there a set of recommended settings for this environment. Clearly I haven't got my set up correctly as whilst the rest of the picture appears OK, human faces are not displayed well at all. I'm currently running firmware C.05 - is this the latest - I beleive it is.
Secondly, I am aiming to go for a bigger screen 106" diagonally - again, can people recommend a descent screen (and where to buy) to compliment this set up. I'd be prepared to pay around £400 - more if I would notice a difference. (If I do go for a descent screen, am I likely to notice a big difference from my current 84" panoview?)
And lastly, I am currently using a 10m Profigold HDMI cable. Is this good enough or would people recommend I upgrade also in the process?
I appreciate all comments as I don't have a great deal of knowledge of the subject and found searching didn't answer all my questions.
 
The trick with this PJ (and many others) is getting the white level correct. This takes some time messing about with the colour settings (bias & gain). I used the DVE bluray to calibrate the PJ as best I could without entering service menus etc.
I had the same first impressions of the HD80 I had, but after an evening adjusting the settings I found the colour reproduction to be very good.

Have a look at the Beamax screens as I believe that these will fall into your budget and are very good for the ££.
 
Oh, and the HDMI cable will be fine. There is always a debate on this, but in my experience you won't see any improvement in picture quality if you buy a more expensive cable.
You're much better off focusing on getting a better screen and reducing light reflection on the surfaces near the screen. i.e. white walls/ceiling are not ideal, especially with this PJ.. If you can reduce the reflection you will get a much more dynamic picture.
Beware of the rainbow effect becoming more apparent as you scale the screen size, although some might argue that this reduces it, as the picture will be dimmer??
On this note, calibrate the PJ again each time you change screen.

Also make sure that you turn off any "intelligent" iris, although it's actually light dimming technology on the HD80 as opposed to iris control on the 81.

Hope this helps.
 
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thanks for the info - I should have mentioned, the PJ is ceiling mounted, and the ceiling is wood panelled painted silk white. I presume this is a big reason my image isn't what it should be.
Having looked at the Beamx screens, is the R series (manual) the same screen as the M series without the electrics? I would prefer a manual screen. Are the huge price differences attributable to the electrics or is the quality of the screen an issue also (approx -£130 for R-series v £400 M-series).
Will a bigger screen size reduce my image quality in this set up, or will properly calibrating and a few simple steps to stop reflected light sort this out.
 
I’m guessing that the ceiling will be playing a big part in the image quality. You may find that you can get a good balance from time spent calibrating. Many people have white rooms as their systems are in a family lounge and painting the walls black or dark colours is simply not a viable option. My ceiling is white, and my walls are not far off, I know that my picture will be hugely improved by reducing this light reflection and I am in the process of converting the garage for this very reason. But I have had, and am enjoying many evenings of great TV&film viewing, so it’s a progression in quality rather than an absolute essential necessity.
Some people have a dark curtain that they draw out and round the adjacent walls to reduce light reflections; this is a great easy compromise.

The main issue is mid - high APL (average picture level – amount of light on the screen) and mixed APL scenes. The light is reflected off your screen and lights up the room essentially. This light in the room is reflected back onto the screen and the result is a ‘washed out’ picture. The dark areas of the picture become lighter thus destroying your contrast ratio. With less reflection your picture will deepen as the light parts are light and colourful, and the blacks are black.

As you have hard wood panelling, assuming that this is flat, you will probably find that some sound treatment might improve your acoustics too, as this will be an issue for mid-high freq reflections.
I don’t know that much about the Beamax screens, but I am guessing that they use the same material on the manual as the electric screens and you simply pay for the automation.

A bigger screen will make the picture slightly dimmer, but in all honesty, with that PJ you should be OK with 106”. I had it running on a 92” and it was very bright.
I suppose that distance from the screen (which is fairly restrictive with the zoom on this PJ anyway) and the amount of ambient light you have will be important too.
 
thanks again for comments. I'm going to mess with my settings - the picture isn't bad in my room set up now- just that mainly faces look awful - but sure I can get these a lot better by configuring. I am also happy to go for the bigger screen - but last question, knowing my room situation, would I be best suited with a grey screen or one that offers some gain. I would presume a grey screen might be best for me.
 
hello
i have also bright walls and Optoma, using now Mat gray with gain 0,8 after mat white was outstanding diference in plus, try gray one it could solve your problems, here is also link to calibratin setting for optomas series HD8...,have fun with your pj. :smashin: :www.projectorreviews.com/optoma/hd80/performance.php#calibration
 
here is also link to calibratin setting for optomas series HD8...

Give these a try, but don't forget all rooms/screens/pjs/blub life have their own colour characteristics, so although these colour settings may be good for the chap writing the review, yours will undoubtedly be different.
I still don't know why people post their settings :confused: it makes no sense... you may even find that your PJ is worse off.
 

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