Any HT Projector Enthusiasts? Specifically the Optoma EP1691

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spacetrader

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Optoma EP1691

these can be had for $500 shipped on fleabay. anyone have any experience with them? basically, this is the business version of the HD65, which most people seem to get. this is brighter, but supposedly a tick back in color. i like the fact that its a little better adapted for pc hookups, as thats what id be hooking into (htpc)

the couch will be about 10' back from the screen... hoping to get 100"... for bragging rights you know? :)
 
well, i have no experience with that model but i do have an HD65 at 100" and its hooked up to my HTPC(DVI-HDMI). so far its been great, awesome picture and bright enough to handle some ambient light(its in my living room). as far as PC connectivity, you should be fine with any projector as long as it has HDMI or DVI(most/all new ones do) and all projectors have had VGA inputs for years.

i would suggest you get a warranty though, either factory(confirm with ebay seller) or aftermarket. i especially recommend a lamp warranty, you can find a mack 3 year/2 bulb warranty for under $100(pretty good considering bulbs go for $250+).

oh, and one more thing.....once you watch your HD projector for a while, all other LCD or plasma tvs will seem tiny by comparison.......
 
Mack camera, they offer extended warranties on various electronics and they can be purchased at various retailers online.

http://www.mackcam.com/

the bulb warranty i referred to entitles you to two free replacements bulbs over a period of 3 years, the folks at AVS recommend buying through Tapeworks Texas, theres even an employee roaming the projector forums there to help out on claims.
 
that is pretty good, it basically means you can pencil in a lower cost per year to run your projector a lot. you can get bulbs for $200 on ebay, but you also have a very real chance of not getting past one year before you need a new one.
 
EP's are business projectors.


It has a white segment in the color wheel, this is how it gets such a high lumens rating. With the white segment in at all, it will look horrible for anything other than powerpoint presentations with white text. It also has a yellow segment, which you might not be able to completely turn either off... regardless, both are bad for black levels and colors.

I would get an HD65 IMO, it's plenty bright for a 100 inch screen.
 
http://www.projectorcentral.com/home-theater-multimedia-projectors.htm

Seems to be the rule of thumb is this:
$1k for an entry level HT projector
$2.5k for a 'nice' HT projector

I've been rocking a http://www.projectorcentral.com/sony_hs20.htm since 2004. Next projector, I'm gonna go smaller on the screen (currently 118 inch) and higher on the lumens. Watching TV during the day is no fun :(

Oh and ask for quotes from dealers from that link I sent ya, you'll be pleasantly surprised at what kind of deal you can get.
 
Verge said:
EP's are business projectors.


It has a white segment in the color wheel, this is how it gets such a high lumens rating. With the white segment in at all, it will look horrible for anything other than powerpoint presentations with white text. It also has a yellow segment, which you might not be able to completely turn either off... regardless, both are bad for black levels and colors.

I would get an HD65 IMO, it's plenty bright for a 100 inch screen.
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it has a higher wattage bulb though, the projector is rated to use considerable more power then the hd65. are you sure 'horrible' is the way to describe what movies would be like?
 
Optoma is pretty low-end in general. Their HD73 and some of their 1080p machines aren't bad, but their cheap stuff, well, you get what you pay for.


Me? I have a Marantz VP12S4.
 
well, if i spring for another $400, i could get the HD73, but that's also nearly twice my initial budget..
 
I have an Epson 6100 1080p - 1800 lumens, I love it - cost a little over $2200 w/ 4 year warranty.. This is during the day with the blinds closed, about the same at night with the lights on easily visible but I wouldn't mind a little bit brighter.

Bottom line is, you get what you pay for (get a nice screen too)

IMG_0194.jpg
 
My machine may be 720p, but I'd take it over your Epson any day of the week. While not a total piece of crap by any means, that Epson is still low-end 1080p. (Low-end 1080p is still a lot better than low-end 720p and the cheap SVGA and XGA projectors around)

spacetrader, I didn't say you need to get the HD73. Best idea would be to look around and see what is "good enough" to you. Why buy a JVC RS20 if you'd be happy with a SVGA cheapie?

My last projector was an Optoma DX605, XGA DLP. I could never get the colors anywhere NEAR what they should be. I was completely floored by my Marantz when I first got it and hooked it up. I mean, WOW.

I'm not sure the HD73 is even worth its price these days.
 
dandragonrage said:
My machine may be 720p, but I'd take it over your Epson any day of the week. While not a total piece of crap by any means, that Epson is still low-end 1080p. (Low-end 1080p is still a lot better than low-end 720p and the cheap SVGA and XGA projectors around)

spacetrader, I didn't say you need to get the HD73. Best idea would be to look around and see what is "good enough" to you. Why buy a JVC RS20 if you'd be happy with a SVGA cheapie?
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I wish my camera wasn't a POS - it doesn't do the image justice at all
 
I'm familiar with the machine even without your pic.

Hm, I see Marantz VP8600s for cheap on Ebay without bulb. If they come with the bulb assembly, just burned out, then you could get a burner from www.diypro.us and replace it yourself at a cost of $90. So a total cost of under $700 or less. It's not a great projector these days (it's definitely below mine) but it's a good machine for that price.
 
dandragonrage said:
I'm familiar with the machine even without your pic.

Hm, I see Marantz VP8600s for cheap on Ebay without bulb. If they come with the bulb assembly, just burned out, then you could get a burner from www.diypro.us and replace it yourself at a cost of $90. So a total cost of under $700 or less. It's not a great projector these days (it's definitely below mine) but it's a good machine for that price.
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well - I guess we all can't be as good as you can we?
 
i appreciate your input, dandragonrage. that's sort of why i post here, im wondering if im doing the best i can for the $500-$800 range. and by that range, i mean refurb, average used price, with some sort of warranty.

i'll be fine with optoma's quality, im not looking for something great. from what i keep reading, the hd65 is always a bit better then mitsubishi's hc1500... so that's really why im eyeing the optomas.

i'll look into that marantz or whatever though, i have about two weeks before i buy so im still trying to decide.

edit-

i see the Marantz VP8600 is about half the lumens rated as the hd65... i would rather have a brighter image then a better picture, this will be in an upstairs living room with windows on 3 sides
 
spacetrader said:
i see the Marantz VP8600 is about half the lumens rated as the hd65... i would rather have a brighter image then a better picture, this will be in an upstairs living room with windows on 3 sides
Click to expand...

If you want a light canon then I'd look into Infocus

or Optoma HD71

Keep in mind that cheap projectors often don't put out near their rated light. Actually, none do when decently calibrated.
 
well, since im moving in a year, i think ill just go with the hd65 for now and save money. if i went with the hd71, it would cost at least $350 more, and that would also mean i would probably get an extended warranty on it... so all in all it would be basically twice the price. i would rather try out the cheapie and go from there.
 
spacetrader said:
it has a higher wattage bulb though, the projector is rated to use considerable more power then the hd65. are you sure 'horrible' is the way to describe what movies would be like?
Click to expand...


I can't comment on the higher wattage bulb, but here is why business projectors have so much more lumens.



HT projectors usually use a R/G/B/R/G/B color wheel(unless they have brilliant color, and this does vary)... That projector uses a R/G/B/W/Y. The white part is essentially clear. The others all filter out most of the visible spectrum. If you want to blas the lumens, just open up the white segment, and it filters out none of the light... BOOM, huge increas in lumens. Hence you see them rated 2500 lumens, because they have white segment on. Unfortunately, with this one, greys look flat and bland, and then whites are OVERPOWERING... there is no real gradient. Also unfortunately, DLP isn't perfect, so even if all the mirrors are pointing the wrong way... light still sneaks through. Usually this light is red, green, or blue... but with a white segment, 3x the light gets through there that you don't want... Not to mention a yellow segment, which will fire out yellow light you don't want either. This is terrible for black levels and contrast rations, not to mention trying to get proper color out of it will be a nightmare, and ultimately impossible.

Don't get a business projector for home theater... trust me. Having never owned a projector before, an HD65 will probably amaze you for a few years... then you can move up to something nicer.
 
Verge, thank you. that is the slap in the face i needed. hd65 it is then. im going from a 32" crt tv, so yeah, im sure the hd65 will be plenty awesome for now.

thanks to everyone. now to start setting up the room (cables buried in the walls, adding wall sconce lighting, making my own screen out of good material and steel gas pipe)
 
So i could have bought the HD65 for $629 shipped but i decided to wait a few weeks for the HD71 to arrive in stock. Some company in canada is promising shipment within a 'few weeks' and if i get tired of waiting i can get a full refund. i had to put the money up front, but it looks like they already sold half their stock they plan on getting over one night.

if it works out, it should be quite a bit nicer then the HD65. i shouldn't have to worry about brightness issues. one thing that was hard to see was their refurb HD806's for $1500 shipped.... i almost bit on that
 
Yes, I'd definitely take a 71 over a 65. A lot more light. Not all of us have bat caves! I plan to, and have slowly been building one (small, but it'll do). For now I have to deal with the living room upstairs...
 
well that's the thing, id rather sacrafice a little brightness to have it in my comfy living room rather then have a perfect picture down in a hole. i mean, if i had kids and a finished basement, it would be better to have it down there... but for me right now, my living room HTPC does everything, and i need a screen that can match it.

and it will probably work out well that the projector won't come for a few weeks. it will give me time to add wall sconce lighting, new paint, outlets and carpet. i just got new couches, so the finish product should be very homey.
 
Getting a ceiling mount? Monoprice carries a cheap one that would work well with Optomas since they're light. (My Marantz, OTOH, is HUEG and over 30 pounds - it takes up more than 4x the space my Optoma DX605 did)
 
maybe... i was going to just build a wooden box in the top corner, and sit the projector in there upside down. im not completely set on that though, if its a pretty looking projector and im able to hide the wires good enough i might just hang it....
 
I've noticed some optima's are prone to overheating... i make sure it has plenty of room to vent if you put it in a box.


Or keep your house cold like i do.
 
the box would be really simple. open on front and back, and just have keyed grooves in the mounting boards so the whole thing just slides in and rests there-

something like this dont laugh at my vista paint skills, of course i plan for the keyed tounge and grooves to fit snugly.
projector.jpg


ill just sit the projector upside down on some big rubber feet or something, and take that tray and slide it from the back into the grooves on the mount. that makes it easy to hang, no screws showing, makes it easy to pull the projector down, or get access to the back. it also pretty much leaves total ventilation around it too, but i can always add huge fan if i need to. oh yea, best part is i can build it for less then $5 :)
 
why? ill hang the screen first, then mount that contraption however it needs to be mounted. nothing will move once its set, so offset, keystone, none of it should be an issue....
 
You really don't want to use keystone. You should accomplish it only with offset/lens shift. I dunno how flexible the HD71 is - been a while since I've read reviews on it. But I do know that Optomas do not tend to be the most placement-friendly. The 71 isn't one of their super low-end machines, though, so it may be OK.

Keystone kills quality bigtime.
 
dandragonrage said:
You really don't want to use keystone.
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i dont think i will need to use it. once the screen is set, ill hold the projector where it needs to be with default settings. then, mount the mounts where that position is. nothing will ever move after that, i have full range of where i could put the projector, so i dont see why keystone or shift would be a problem.

i did get the screen today. $75 for 1.3 gain material- it seems a lot like a swimming pool liner- smells like it too, like vynil. it is claimed to be 100% lightproof and non-flammable. supposedly the same stuff da-lite uses.

its gigantic. like, i only have a 10x15' room, and this covers the entire 10' wall. either two things are going to happen- the projector can't be pushed back far enough to get the image to fill most of the screen... or the image is just going to be too damn big for sitting that close (~11' away after you count for the couch pushing you closer and the screen hanging off the wall a foot or so). and i dont mean too big as in you have to move your eyes around just to see everything, i mean too big for 720p.... but whatever happens ill be happy with it im sure..
 
You can cut your material down... not hard to make a screen, all you need is some lumber, a saw, and a staple gun.


10 feet diag. from 11 feet away might be too big, especially if you have good eyesight. Screen door will creep in pretty bad, oh well, you can always make material smaller... but not bigger.
 
Staple gun not needed. A stapler will do fine. Well, if you use softish wood, anyway. I used 1x2 pine.
 
it cant be fixed screen... i have to rig this up so it rolls up somehow. im thinking attatching gas pipe to both ends, and just have it on some sort of bearing up top. ill probably just reach up there and twist it to roll it up. im not exactly sure if this will work, but all i can do is try. im not spending $300+ on a screen when the projector only cost $800.
 
spacetrader said:
it cant be fixed screen... i have to rig this up so it rolls up somehow. im thinking attatching gas pipe to both ends, and just have it on some sort of bearing up top. ill probably just reach up there and twist it to roll it up. im not exactly sure if this will work, but all i can do is try. im not spending $300+ on a screen when the projector only cost $800.
Click to expand...


Buy your wife some flowers - 50 bucks
Take her to a nice dinner - 75 bucks
Have sex - Free(hopefully)
Building frame for fixed screen and having it approved by wife - 30 bucks


155 bucks, there ya go !!
 
lol yeah... thing is i have gone through numerous nights of trying to see how this screen will fit.... my only real option is to have it come down in front of two doorways, so a fixed screen really is not an option. it's ok if the doorways are blocked off while the projector is in use, ill leave enough room behind the screen to get to them if need be, but for during the day and any other time, the screen must be able to get put out of the way.

it sucks, i know, and rolling it up with my own contraption might not work (biggest worry is wrinkles) but like i said, i gotta try.
 
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