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optoma ep 1690 projector

post #1 of 17
9/20/10 at 9:27am
Thread Starter 

thoughts on this projector for h/t use....i picked this up at a sale for ten bucks, no remote/cables/new lamp needed.

 

2061 hrs on the lamp,  got a 10ft wide image on the wall, which after being used to the plasma image i have, i liked the idea of the size, and it looked like a good dvd quality/ sometimes hi def ish picture.

 

taking into account , the entire lounge has white walls  , mirrors everywhere, needless to say the room lit up like a lighthouse, but i could live with the pic i saw just for the size alone.

 

1080i via the dvi/hdmi cable i picked up.

 

with a new lamp various prices on ebay, i would think this is a pretty acceptable image displayed,

 

for the price, i probally shouldnt care right ?, i cannot afford a 1080p all the bells and whistles.....so am i missing much with this one ...being that it appears to be suited for office/presentaions but is hd ready ...

 

also any recomendations for locating lamps at reasonable cost, and why ones better than the other...gonna be used for movies , maybe 6hrs a week

 

thankyou

 

 


Edited by f1nuts - 9/20/10 at 1:21pm
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post #2 of 17
9/20/10 at 7:32pm

You may have only paid $10 for it, but you'll have to spend a lot more to be able to use it. You'll have to buy a remote for it, or you won't be able to set it up properly or calibrate it. Add in the bulb and you're probably spending $350-$400. Plus you'll still have a projector with 2061 hours on it. I would rather buy a BRAND NEW 720p projector for $600-$700 like the Optoma HD66 or Acer 5360. And they're both 3D ready(for whatever that's worth).

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post #3 of 17
9/20/10 at 8:44pm
Thread Starter 

thanks,

got the control of unit covered, just the bulb cost.....which seems to vary greatly..its still way under half of new unit....and a dip into the projector world...

 

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post #4 of 17
9/20/10 at 11:54pm

Be very careful buying a new bulb. Make sure it's an original equipment bulb, not a knockoff. The ones that are much cheaper are knockoffs.

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post #5 of 17
9/21/10 at 6:27am
Thread Starter 

yes i read that.....

 

does anyone have a link for  original bulb/lamp  replacement ?...also i tried looking for  answer to filter cleaning...but do not see  a removable filter....does this model have a filter ?

 

thanks

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post #6 of 17
9/21/10 at 3:42pm
Thread Starter 

anyone bought from this seller...seems to be original bulb....experienced people , please give me your opinion....thanks

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200326997513&ssPageName=STRK:MESINDXX:IT

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post #7 of 17
9/22/10 at 1:15pm

 

Quote:
 

Be very careful buying a new bulb. Make sure it's an original equipment bulb, not a knockoff. The ones that are much cheaper are knockoffs.

 

you also want to buy with the mounting assembly.

 

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post #8 of 17
9/23/10 at 6:20am
Thread Starter 

thankyou

 

i have the mounting cage, so found a bulb as above for the cage and projector model....philips lamp . appreciate opinions as to if it appears to be  original and not a knock off .....

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post #9 of 17
9/23/10 at 5:49pm

I don't think you can buy an "original" bulb without the housing. That must be a knockoff.

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post #10 of 17
9/23/10 at 6:59pm
Thread Starter 

are knock offs just not gonna last as long....or is there more to it than that?.....

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post #11 of 17
9/24/10 at 4:18pm

From what I've read they don't last as long, and are not as bright as they should be.

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post #12 of 17
9/25/10 at 10:09am
Thread Starter 

being as i got the unit at a steal basically, i went ahead and bought the mentioned one at the link above.

heres my thought...

 

i really want a h/t projection room, i have a great room for it....and ok it may not last long, or be as bright, but it will sure give me an idea of what i could be looking at a later date., certainly as far as size of image , and i can then re-decorate the room , seating , test color for the projected image on wall ( no screen )

 

and of course i can post my amateur review of it .( and the possible failure time ! )....thanks for your input above

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post #13 of 17
10/13/10 at 10:05am
Thread Starter 

ok i am about 10 days in with the new non branded bulb , and i have to say alls good !.

 

i have a picture of about 106 inches or so, and the apparent 1080i pic produced by this  unit is pretty close to what i had seen from my plasma...

 

of course not quite as crisp for want of a better word ( as i am pretty much maxed out as far as distance to screen etc ), but i would certainly say that i am really pleased i made the jump to a projector.

 

as far as knock off bulbs not being as bright, well after plasma pic, this bulb is producing a fantastic pic, i have  setting for contrast,brightness etc  fairly low, and find i do not need to increase in anyway to improve the image..

 

so  10 movies in !.....i would be happy to buy a new lamp once a yr at that price opposed to 4 times that for a brand bulb...

 

simple swap out, i will only use for movies, so hope  it continues to  work for the near future.

 

certainly if it goes  out, or the pre owned projector takes a dump, then i am only out of pocket one hundred forty five bucks, and thats with the  steal of projector  included....

 

hope that helps anyone choosing to go with a cheaper alternative to new brand bulb, ...i am very happy !

 

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post #14 of 17
10/13/10 at 3:12pm

After you replaced the bulb, did you re-calibrate the projector? Hopefully, you're not setting the contrast and brightness by eye.

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post #15 of 17
10/18/10 at 9:40pm
Thread Starter 

sorry for the late reply,

 

no , not yet,

 

i had my  plasma done when first bought, and to be honest the pic didnt look any better to me,  maybe someone could recommend a vegas  expert .

 

just to add the lamp is working great still,  movie every night , if anything i would say the pic looks its best 5 mins after intial turn on, i could be wrong there ,  eyes adjusted to darker room maybe.....but the bottom line is , if it looks this good, then i want a 1080p calibrated professionally projector - which i cannot afford ....so pleased indeed so far i am

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post #16 of 17
10/19/10 at 12:51am

Just calibrate it with a calibration disc or THX Optimizer, especially contrast and brightness. Then check the color, tint and sharpness.

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post #17 of 17
11/2/10 at 6:20am

the THX Optimizer patterns are a great starting point!!

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