Going PJ

[mid_gen]

So the LG 55B8 just hit my <1000 EUR price point for an upgrade....but I started measuring up my space. For reference, here's my current LG 42".



I sit 10-12 feet away, and playing modern games has become an issue (can't read the text), so I've been having to stick a chair in the middle of the room to game.

Anyway, I measured up the LG55, and well, it will make a mess of the aesthetics, just dominate that part of the room...but it's also not big enough to actually solve the issue of not being to view things comfortably from the sofa.

So having already spent the money in my head, I started looking around at what other options I had in terms of projectors. Off to the right is a full height glass balcony entrance the full length of the wall, with no curtains.....fortunately it's east facing, so no sun after midday. The west side (left) has mechanical shutters that do a pretty solid job of cutting out the light.

In the end I went for the Optoma UHD300X. It's a lens-shift 4k, 2200 lumens model. I was considering a brighter, 1080p model, but for the same price I thought I'd see what a 4K HDR pj can offer.

The plan is to remove the TV entirely, and mount the PJ on the ceiling above. Not sure on screen option, I'll see how it looks on the wall first.

Arrives tonight, then all the cables and mounting bracket later

 

[mid_gen]

Arrived last night, gave it a quick blast, first some AC Odyssey from the One X. Very impressed with the resolution and surprised how good the HDR looks compared to non-HDR...really gives the image a lot of punch and contrast.

Unfortunately cables haven't arrived yet, so this is as far as I could get it from the wall.

Watched GoT after on Sky Ticket (non-HDR). I notice the rainbow effect quite a lot, but GoT is pretty much a worst case scenario, lots of very dark scenes with very bright candle-lights. Think I can live with it.

 

[mid_gen]

Buy bigger speakers and a sub also.

Don't need em, quality stereo audio that doesn't irritate the neighbours is my priority, and the Quads are excellent, more than capable of filling the room. PJ is mostly for gaming and sports, and I prefer headphones for gaming anyway.

I've got a full B&W 5.1 system sat in boxes in the loft

 

[mid_gen]

Not bad in full sunlight, quite playable. This is the worst case scenario, morning direct sunlight into the room. Left side has shutters to block the afternoon sun so evening gaming time will always much better.

 

[mid_gen]

You're missing sub 50hz bass.

I'm really not

I have a B&W subwoofer and surround setup in the loft that is perfectly capable of rattling the windows, but the stereo setup is more practical and easier to live with. I listen to more stereo audio (CD/vinyl/radio) than I watch video content.

 

[mid_gen]

Hum, as a TV replacement I would have gone for something brighter. I mean especially at that size and your viewing distance I'm not sure what 4k is giving you here. Still, I do agree with Tom, once you're up and running that will be really nice and hidden / slick looking setup

We're not huge TV watchers, certainly not during the day. Perhaps the odd bit of sport, but it's still plenty watchable even when it's very bright.

Watched Our Planet on Netflix last night...even the other half that is never impressed with technology gave a reluctant expression of amazement at the detail in an image that size

Got all the cables and mount now, will put it up over the weekend.

 

[mid_gen]

I upgraded to a UHD300X from a HD25E last week.

Also had a UHD51A to compare against.

The 300X seems a great price/performance level and there wasn’t really any visual difference between that and the 51A (not that you'd expect tho really as they use the same DLP chip).

What's the noise like on your 300X? Got mine mounted on the ceiling now, and the buzz from the pixel shifter is a little irritating. Seen some stuff online saying it can be recalibrated...

 

[mid_gen]

Mine doesn’t buzz, it’s actually surprisingly quiet compared to my old Optoma.

The UHD51A that I tested had a very obvious buzzing noise, so I guess they vary quite a lot.

I also read something along those lines but think in the end you’d need to exchange it for another if it’s that noticeable.

Hrm, I can't decide whether the noise is annoying enough to warrant sending it back, or what is normal. It's definitely an audible buzzing noise, sounds like a misbalanced wheel or something. Only noticeable in very quiet moments though.

 

[mid_gen]

Oh well, just boxed it for a return. The borderline acceptable buzz developed into a loud intermittent rattling noise. Back to my 42" LCD for a while

 

[mid_gen]

Well, it's come back from the service center, they just shipped it straight back to me saying the noise is normal. I put it back up on the ceiling mount, and immediately it started rattling again. It's definitely not normal, sounds like a fan bearing is loose or something.

Contacted Amazon to return it for a refund...although the return option is gone now I've done a repair through Amazon.

 

[mid_gen]

Amazon won't take it back because it's not outside their 30 day guarantee Knew I should have just returned it.

Guess it's going back for repair....again...

@pioneer2000 can you confirm this noise isn't normal?

 

[mid_gen]

If funds allow, could you order another from Amazon and then compare to this one? Then return the worst?

Can't return this one anymore.

Been watching the last few days and the loud noise is fairly intermittent....happens for maybe 5-10 minutes every few hours. Not sure I can be arsed with sending it back and forth to the service center until it happens for them and they fix it, guess I'll just live with it and send it back if it gets any worse.

Can't fault the projector otherwise, watching Our Planet in 4k is just incredible.

 

[mid_gen]

Yeah, i more meant the sneaky. See if the new one is better then arrange a return for that one but stick the older one in the new box

Not particularly ethical but given you're bought both from Amazon it's less of a **** move

Ah, could be an idea

As it is, I've just had to box it up and send back to the service center. The rattling started up with a vengeance last night, even the gf said it sounds knackered.

I've put some repro notes printed out in the box. It is intermittent, they need to put it on a ceiling mount and wait an hour or more before it happens.

If it comes back without a fix again I'm going to be super ******....should have just returned it within the 30 days

 

[mid_gen]

They're returning it again without a fix

Going to try and get Amazon to replace it....pretty unimpressed tbh...

Edit : OK Amazon were really helpful, replacement unit is on it's way Hopefully this one is quiet!

 

[mid_gen]

Got the replacement unit today...glad I went through the hassle, this one's virtually silent Happy days!

 

[mid_gen]

Second bonus, the rainbow effect is barely noticable, even when you're looking for it. I guess the pixel shifter was miscalibrated or something

 

[mid_gen]

Rabbit approved. Although he loses his **** if you watch a nature documentary and birds fly across the screen

 

[mid_gen]

Likely to be moving soon so I'll sort a proper screen setup and route the cabling properly then. It's actually pretty dark in the room and the phone has pushed levels all over the places so it looks weird.

Only problem with a massive screen is the lines show up how wonky the building itself is, the chimney flue isn't even close to vertical