Optoma HD70 Vs. HD32... (1 Viewer)

Hey guys

I noticed that Costco is going to have the Optoma HD32 on sale Aug 6-19th.
It is going to be 1000$ Canadian with a free 92" Panoview screen.
I was looking at buying the Optoma HD70 but couldn't find it anywhere however I compaired specs between the both projectors and they are identical and they physically look identical.
I tried to find the HD32 on the Optoma website and its not even listed.

http://www.costco.ca/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=10298731&search=optoma&Sp=S&Mo=3&cm_re=1_enTop_Left_NavTop_search&lang=en-CA&Nr=P_CatalogName:BCCA&Ns=P_Price|0||P_SignDesc1&N=5000015&whse=BCCA&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntk=Text_Search&Dr=P_CatalogName:BCCA&Ne=5000000+4000000&D=optoma&Ntt=optoma&No=1&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Nty=1&topnav=&s=1
thats a link to the HD32

I know they both use the same lamp...
Anyone have any comments on if they are the same projector of if they are happy with owning a Optoma HD70/32 projector? All the reviews are positive so far..

The HD70 is a very popular projector with very good reviews. But I have no idea what the HD32 is.

Thats what i was saying to myself when i saw HD32... Its even more odd that its on neither the Canadian or American Optoma website...
But for 1000$ Canadian this seems to be the best bang for my buck considering the IN72 was quoted to me at 1500$ with no screen.

Greetings

Shares the same specs as the HD70 ...

Regards

So... what's the deal? I found this on eBay too, but can't find reviews for the 32. Why does this thing exist if it's the same as the 70?

Optoma makes projectors specifically for Costco and that's why they're not on the Optoma website. The HD6800 they sell is the same as the HD72. Do you have to buy from Costco for some reason. I own and highly recommend the Mits. HD1000. I think it's about $800 now. I paid $850 about 6 months ago.

I don't have to buy from Costco, however I've checked about.. 8 or 9 different stores. including Future Shop, Best Buy, and all the local electronics stores.
Future Shop/Best Buy do not seem to sell any projectors in my area, all the electronic stores only seem to carry Panasonic or Sharp Projectors.

I have never seen the HD1000 or even know where its sold other than online. I'd like to buy from a local retailer for peace of mind. Where did you get your HD1000 Jim?

I bought it online at Projectorpeople.com. They're a very highly regarded dealer.

Looks like I'll need a projector with lens shift anyway, so the Optoma is out for me.

I found a local place that sells the Mits HD1000U however it'll end up coming out to 370$ more than the Optoma HD70 plus the free screen it comes with. So I've settled it, the HD70 is going to be my projector i get.

Don't know if i'm supposed to but can anyone recommend component video cables for it? I just have a regular Panasonic Progressive Scan DVD player (S27) I heard that Walmart cables are pretty good for the price.

The best place is Monoprice.com. High quality cables at great prices.

You can get the Optoma HD70 at Dell.com for $700, offer is good until Aug. 2. A DIY screen is very easy and will be much better then the "freebie" you'll get and can be much larger.

Problem is a 92" in my current basement is all that will fit. I'm already not even sure on how placement is going to work when i get the projector. I might end up having to return it which is why i don't wanna do an online order through the american Dell site in case of possibly having to return the projector due to placement problems.

Also.. Can anyone tell me how long the AC cable is that comes with the projector? i'm just wondering if i'll have enough length to not use an extension.

I don't have my HD70 yet, (it's on-order) but you can get a 15' AC power cord from monoprice.com for like three bucks that I'm pretty sure will work. I use one now with my current projector.

Monoprice.com power cord

According to Optoma's Distance Calculator, for a 92" (Diagonal) screen, the projector needs to a minimum of 10.6 feet and a maximum of 12.7 feet away from the screen.

Optoma Distance Calculator

Are you going to to mount the projector on the ceiling? You could snake an electrical line,(and put in a box next to the projector mount), and a HDMI cable through the wall and ceiling for a custom installation. If your not handy you could have it done fairly cheap, around here an electrician would charge between $75.00 and $150.00 for the job. You can get a decent mounting bracket on ebay for around twenty dollars.

Mighty Mounts ebay store

Do a google search on "DIY Screen" for some really good how-to directions. Here's one I found helpful, although I used butt-joints and angle-brackets instead of mitered corners. I tried a manual pull-down screen but just hated it. Too many wrinkles and waves, something they don't talk about on the product info pages. That's why I ended up making my own, that and I'm a cheap bastard.

DIY SCREEN

Thanks alot for that info, very helpful.
The problem with the projector being mounted is the fact that it is a temporary setup until I move in just over a year. When I move into my new place its gonna have a dedicated room with no visible wires.
Current placement problem is the basement I am using the projector in has ducting work on the ceiling that is 3 feet wide with a 10" drop. Thats the main reason i cannot get a bigger than 92" screen.

I enclosed an OLD pic but will still show the problem i'm facing. Most likely I'm going to make a box for the projector to sit in thats open in the back for ventilation and access. How low is too low to the ground for the screen?

I'm not sure if anyone knows this.. but will my Pioneer 1014tx upconvert my dvd signal to a 720p? Not too sure how this works.. Just componenet into the receiver from the dvd player and component out to the projector?

That's entirely up to you! I like to have my screen high, to replicate the theater experience. Some people like to have the middle of the screen at (seated) eye level. One thing to remember is that your center channel speaker will have to go either below or above the screen, the former being easier as no shelf or wall bracket is necessary.

I'm not familiar with the Pioneer, sorry, can't help you there.

You say you're going to "make a box for the projector to sit in thats open in the back for ventilation and access." Where are you going to put the box? On the floor, on the ceiling, on the back wall, or on a table?

I'd like to do a ceiling mount and just angle it downwards and hopefully with keystone correction it will look pretty decent,

In that case, you should be fine. The mount I linked to will allow you a lot of vertical and horizontal movement, and as you suggest, using the electronic keystone will allow further correction. When projectors first became popular, many people made their own mounts, including boxes. If it is a WAF, then you have no choice. However, I think a mounting bracket is much easier and gives a cleaner look. You can use wire mold from Home Depot or Lowes, (or the Canadian equivalent), to hide the power cord and component cables on the ceiling and wall.

One of the best things about a DIY screen is that you can build it to fit perfectly onto your wall. Just make it the proper 16:9 dimensions. Use the Distance Calculator for that. For example, if, as you say, your max screen size that will fit is 92" diagonal, then the screen size should be approx. 81" x 46" You can use the zoom on the projector to fit the picture exactly to the screen.

This is not to scale, but I'd imagine it would look something like this.

Attachment 512

Hey guys,
Finally got the projector, did a rough setup with it last night and threw in the movie TMNT. Looked a bit grainy at first but once i played with a bit of the levels on it then it looked perfect to my eyes. I'm sitting closer than 1.5x and absolutly NO screen door to me for any of my friends.
The Panoview screen is the only thing i have a beef with, the retracting mechanism seems to not like to allow the screen to retract with ease.

Overall, VERY happy with the projector. Cannot wait to install it on the ceiling this weekend for a final fitting.
Thanks alot for the advice on this projector and help along the way , it completed my theater!!

hey mike Gee
I wanted to ask you how you're liking your HD70 ?
Are you using any kind of line doubler or scaler with your ? what cable do you use to connect to your scaler/ dvd player ?
where did you end up buying your ceiling bracket for yours ?
thanks for the reply!
Troy