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Optoma H30 by Leo - Jan 13, 2005
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| SVGA (800x600), 800 ANSI Lumens, 4.6 lbs, $1,499 (MSRP) |
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| Personal Experience |
| I am from Toronto, Canada. This is my first PJ. I extensively researched the subject and obtained few demos at dealers. The selection was not as wide as one would hope, especially in the economy segment. My primary program source is SD satellite TV besides the odd DVD. Based on 480i compatibility, native 4:3 format, DLP technology, advanced color wheel application and several good reviews from various sources I was ready to buy the H30. However I need to see and touch what I buy. To obtain a demo was not easy. The presentation was very convincing, so I bought off the demo unit (40 hours on the clock) for a reasonable price, about two and a half months ago. The initial setup was a breeze, using SVHS connection, a little end table 11 feet from a well used Dalite Classic glassbead screen. The picture quality was incredibly good depending on the given TV channel/show/movie. I could not leave my chair for hours. There are lots of different adjustments possible but hard to do it on a constantly changing picture, but you will find what is most pleasing to your eyes. Ambient light is not an issue unless it is a very bright morning since my dedicated home theater is in a basement. Some residual light from the next room or thru window shades are tolerable. The projectable formats are flexible enough, to meet the formats of most sources. Family and friends were impressed. After a couple of weeks I moved the unit out of the way to its final location under the ceiling. The honeymoon was over after 260 hours on the clock, by end of December. The unit refused to turn on, from one day to the other. The blinking indicator LEDs never matched the patterns described in the Owner’s Manual, leaving me in darkness about the reason of the breakdown. To obtain a fast and courteous service was not a problem as its location is about 20 miles from my residence. Therefore luckily the mailing of the unit back and forth was not involved. The service operator assured me, that they replaced the lamp and that was the only problem. When I asked if he used a new lamp, his answer was not convincing. When I checked at home the clock was set back to 190 hours. This replacement lamp was free because the original broke down within 90 days from the purchase. Now I wonder what is the warranty on the replaced lamp. So we are back in business for now. The entertainment is just as good as before. But I think Optoma needs to work on the quality aspects. Long term reliability is a key issue in home electronics. Regards, Leo. |
| Problems |
| VERY early lamp breakdown. |
