Customer Reviews

Optoma HD81 1080p DLP High Definition Home Theater Projector

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I bought this projector and scaler back in March 2007. I had it just over 3 months when it developed a problem. It was coming up with a lamp error although it was still putting out light. Even though Optoma originally told me that it was a lamp problem, it was not. I had to send it in to Malpitas, CA to have it fixed. I had to pay for shipping (because it was days older than it's poor 3 month full warranty) and insurance. I received it back and it worked but had a "fuzzy" inside now that created an abberation when projected. Through many air blowings I finally dislodged the "fuzzy".

The picture quality is amazing and the scaler does a great job. The 2 separate components work well and minimize wires and cords. I am very happy with this product when it works.

Although the projector had just been fixed in July 2007 and it is now February 2008 (as of this writing) I am having another problem. I have had a few that I have been able to remedy on my own. The picture sometimes will go black after changing a video source and I must re- punch the video source to get it back. However, the projector now turns on with everything working well. I see the Optoma logo then get the "processing" message and even see my DishNet main screen. Then the screen goes blank and the projector get a blinking red flashing error message which means a lamp failure. It can't be a lamp failure when it gets a picture, can it? It came up as a lamp failure in July when the problem happenned before and it wasn't a lamp problem then either.

What is going on? Does Optoma only give a 3 month full warranty on this because it knows it is an inferior product in terms of reliability?

I would hesitate to purchase this product. Maybe this is unfair, but I've had a Toshiba TV for 20 years without ANY incident and a Panasonic plasma for 3 years without incident. But this projector has already had 2 major incidents within a year. Yikes!

The image from this HD81 projector from a 1080p source is stunning and with so much details. The 720p/1080i images are likewise very detailed and incredible. The connectivity is just so flexible and convenient due to the outboard scaler unit. Speaking of scaler, it's a like a high end scaler capable of de-interlacing 480i materials flawlessly. Even my old laserdisc is looking good with this projector.

There's some noise from the fan but it is not enough to be distracting.

The only problem I had was after about 200 hours, I started to see two white pixels on my screen. Later I found out that this is the dreaded stuck pixel but known as a stuck mirror for DLP units. Fortunately, my unit is still on warranty and I just sent mine for repair to Optoma after obtaining an RMA.

I would have given this product a five star if only there was no issue with the stuck dlp mirrors.

I purchased this unit in August of 2007. It produces an outstanding picture when it works, but has been returned to CA for repair twice - both times resulting in multiple weeks without the unit.

The unit overheats in the cabinet we had built for it (we have had extra fans installed, special air conditioning and still can't close the front of the cabinet) and shuts down.

Twice we have had major failures - where the unit will come on briefly, then shut down with error codes that can't be fixed by the end user. Twice we have had to send the unit back to CA and both times the process to get Optoma to accept the unit was time consuming and arduous. The first time they even "rejected" the return - sending it back to us un-opened and un-repaired because they said it was not an authorized repair - even though the RMA (their number for authorized returns) was printed in huge block letters on the outside of the box.

I am going to have to go to the expense of replacing this unit with a more reliable projector.

If you buy this series of projector from Optoma (or any Optoma projector for that matter based on my internet search of similar projector problems), you must be aware of the problems listed in the reviews posted here. I am currently experiencing similar problems that have already been described in prior reviews. My barely 3 year old projector has a great picture and looks great on my 100" screen when it works, however it is currently not working. The projector lamp has logged ~1400 hours (should get at least 2000) and the projector now shuts down after ~2-3 minutes of operation. After shutdown, the error lights indicate a lamp failure, but this is not clear as the lamp will work for the few minutes before shutdown. More confusing is that I was told two different things from Optoma technical service. A phone rep told me it was MOST likely a lamp failure. Another rep, via email, told me it was most likely NOT a lamp failure, but would require shipping the unit in for service. This is where I'm at now, waiting several days for the company hired to perform service to provide me with an RMA number. As described in the other review, this is an arduous process that requires a phone call, multiple emails and days of waiting--all without my projector working at the start of football season!! Again, search the internet, these are not unique problems with these projectors----BUYER BEWARE!!

I bought ours about a year ago. We enjoy watching movies in HD and this projector delivers stunning results. We have created quite a complicated set up, with dvd player, multi media computer, dvico tvix streamer, home theater receiver and hdtv tuner connected, with all this working both on the tv screen and on the projector. The one problem we had was that right after 2 months the remote simply stopped working, and I was never able to get another one. My dealer in the USA said he shipped me one, but it never arrived. I tried to obtain one from Optoma Europe (I live in the Netherlands), they never bothered to answer my email request. So I bought a universal remote that seems to do the job quite well for much less than the original would have cost.

We also bought a couple of prisms that strech the image from 16:9 to cinemascope. (The projector has a cinemascope zoom mode, eliminatng the black bars at the top and bottem of the image). This is the ultimate theater experience! One thing I particularly like about this projector is its throw ratio. It seems to be made for my living room. It is put in a rather low cabinet under the tv, and projects to the other wall at about 7 meters distance I get a cinemascope image of about 4 meters wide at the right height. Perfect! And I never have the rainbow problems I had with previous DPL projectors. I would buy this projector again.