HD70 out for repair

[John Holmes]

Well, I guess my holidays are starting on an interesting foot. My HD70 projector is acting up. As well as my xbox 360. But this thread is about my projector.

I'm seeing color burst on the screen. Like the colors are phasing. I can see each color of the colorwheel, one after the other.

It is still under warranty (2 yr) so, no problems there. And Optoma, was very quick to authorize the repair. I told them the problem over the phone. In less than 5 minutes, they said everything was a go. From there, I just had to fax in the RMA form and proof of purchase. Next day I had the RMA #.

The only bad part of this deal (besides being without my unit), I had to pay for shipping and insurance oneway.

I have a little over 1400 hrs on the unit.

[George Bellefontaine]

That sucks, John, after having gone through problems with my new Benq I can understand your pain. One thing I liked about the Benq W10000 warranty was the fact they paid shipping both ways during repairs or replacement in the first year. But I will have to pay like you in year 2 and 3 if ( God forbid ) I need service in the future.

[John Holmes]

I like your deal better, George! But, my projector was 1/3 the cost of yours. At least I still have my 56" RPTV to view. So I guess I can't complain.

[draganm]

hmmm bummer, wish I could pitch in and add to this thread but my 1996 marquee 8500 CRT with 7k hours is still running perfectly. :P Watched NEXT on HD-DVD last night, it was on OK movie but the pic and audio was fantastic.
On a side note, what do you guys plan to do if your DLP's break outside the warranty? I remember seeing the JVC RS1 and being just blown away by the 2.35:1 CIH and 450 calibrated lums but the thought in the back of my mind was "what happens if it breaks after 2 years?"?

[John Holmes]

Thanks for the CRT razz, draganm!

Actually, I was considering this exact point, when I chose the HD70. I figure, most issues tend to rear their head within the first year or two. Since I knew this would be a tie over, until 1080p prices are within my reach, I'm not too worried.

Now, I cannot nor will I try to speak for George. But, if I would have sprung for a unit the level that George has or above, I'd expect the mfg to go the extra mile to keep me happy.

And by this I mean, meeting me at some reasonable point within the repair cost. If not taking care of the full repair. This of course is, if it happened just outside of the warranty. If it's well outside that warranty, like any other consumer, I guess I suck it up.

[George Bellefontaine]

Since 1990/91 , I've owned a Zenith crt, a Sharp lcd projector, a Sony lcd projector, an NEC HT1000 dlp projector, a Yamaha lcd projector and finally a Benq dlp projector. With the exception of some bad luck with the new Benq, the only other PJ I had trouble with was the Sony. After less than 3 months the optical block had to be replaced due to an overheating situation that caused the red lcd panel to break. And that was because of a faulty part that was eliminated in subsequent models. The old Sharp is being used for games by my grandson and it has never had any problems. I sold the old Sony and I understand it is still running. The crt was given to another son and it is still running. My Nec dlp is now used in another room whenever I want to watch sports on a big picture projected on the wall, and it is 6 years old and still going strong. The Yamaha shares my HT with the Benq and it is primarily a backup PJ. So, like John said, if electronics are going to act up, it usually happens early on and then work for ages after that, so I'm not really concerned with problems after the warranty expires. By then projectors will be so cheap it just won't make sense to pay for repairs. Hell, it's almost that way now.

[Dean McManis]

hmmm bummer, wish I could pitch in and add to this thread but my 1996 marquee 8500 CRT with 7k hours is still running perfectly. :P Watched NEXT on HD-DVD last night, it was on OK movie but the pic and audio was fantastic.
On a side note, what do you guys plan to do if your DLP's break outside the warranty? I remember seeing the JVC RS1 and being just blown away by the 2.35:1 CIH and 450 calibrated lums but the thought in the back of my mind was "what happens if it breaks after 2 years?"?

That's not really a strong position to come from being a CRT supporter.
I have had less problems with my digital projectors than I had with my CRT displays.

I owned a Toshiba 50" RPTV (CRT) and even though the original repairs were covered under warranty (2 times) it had problems again just after the 1 year warranty went out and it cost me $1800 to fix.

In contrast, I owned a Sony LCD RPTV and put over 10,000 hours on the original bulb and ended up selling it for more than I bough the display for.

Granted, that's not a standard scenario, but when I bought my used Electrohome front projector one of the control boards died and if it hadn't been under warranty it would have cost $1600 for the replacement board, plus labor to fix.

I just bought a nice looking 720p projector for $600, and in two years (or less) I'm betting that I'll be able to buy a 1080p model to replace it if something breaks (which I don't expect). :T

Digital projectors are like most other consumer electronics. If you do encounter problems, they usually come up within the first few weeks of operation, and certainly within the first few months which is covered under warranty.

There are enough technical advances and price drops in digital projectors that many owners will actually upgrade and replace them before they would ever have any problems. Plus their relatively simple designs make them less prone to problems overall than more complex and expensive electronics products. 8)

[John Holmes]

HD70 repair update

Got my projector back yesterday. They replaced the PCBA Photo Sensor Board. They also updated the firmware to C.0.6 from C.0.4.

Either way, just checked it with satellite via componant last night. The picture looks a little sharper than when it was new. I'll check DVD via HDMI this evening.

[George Bellefontaine]

Great to hear the good news, John. My Benq replacement is working great, too.

[John Holmes]

Thanks, George! And I'm glad yours is working well also.

Used the HDMI output last night. Worked like a charm. So, I'm back to video bliss!

[Dean McManis]

Great news for both of you! It seems that Christmas has come early this year for you two.

Enjoy.

[John Holmes]

Thank you, Sir!

[George Bellefontaine]

Great news for both of you! It seems that Christmas has come early this year for you two.

Enjoy.

Yeah, Dean, I was even tempted to go the hi-def disc route for Christmas as both standalone Bluray and H DVD players are being offered pretty darn cheaply, but I'm waiting to see how the new Samsung dual player works. If it has too many glitches, I will opt for two standalone players and an HDMI switch