Wootalyzer's Pricing Post! - The price of today's woot item is saved here for future reference
------------------------------------------------------------
Optoma HD 1080p Home Theater Projector
$649.99 + $5 Shipping
Condition: Refurbished

*DISCLAIMER* Wootalyzer! is in no way affiliated with Woot!, and this post may not always be here!

I wonder if squaretrade offers a warranty on the bulb, 30 days is not a long time at all. Anyone have an idea on replacement bulb costs?

I'm putting a down payment on my first house this week. I can't.. be.. buying.. this...

Must... RESIST..

We, the Hitchhikers is a lumen and how many of those things do you really need?

infiniteammo wrote:I'm putting a down payment on my first house this week. I can't.. be.. buying.. this...

Must... RESIST..

Congrats

Very good reviews on Google. 5.5 out of 6 stars from 188 reviews.

And new prices range from about $950-$1050.

EDIT:
Hmmmm ... the above link seems to be for the HD20, which has identical specs to this HD180, as well as an identical look.

Purchased one on these on sellout woot. I used it for less than 10 hours and stopped working. Sent for warranty service... came back DOA. Back for service again... Wish I would have bought new. Saved a few bucks, but I may never enjoy my home theater again.

I have been through 3 of these. Couldnt get the HDMI to work right. Kept glitching out on me, even after multiple HMDI cables.

If it's anything like the Optoma HD66, it'll look amazing.
Cheaper DLP tech is awesome.

The only thing I'm somewhat concerned with is the 1700 lumens vs my HD66's 2500 lumen.
You'd want at least 15 feet of space as well.

The replacement bulbs seem to run somewhere in the $230 - $270 range.

CLICK HERE

felix123 wrote:We, the Hitchhikers is a lumen and how many of those things do you really need?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lumen_%28unit%29

felix123 wrote:We, the Hitchhikers is a lumen and how many of those things do you really need?

It's a unit for measuring how much light something puts out. How many do you need? Depends on how bright the environment you want to run the projector in is, and how big you want the projected image to be on the wall/screen. I can't give you a specific answer, but someone who has more experience with this sort of projector will, I hope, speak up.

So funny...I literally just stopped playing L.A. Noire on my Optoma 1080p projector(PS3 version) to check the Woot.

I bought one of these last time Woot offered them and have had a blast with it.
Picture is crisp and colors look great!

Being a Vice cop is even more fun on an 11-foot screen.

felix123 wrote:We, the Hitchhikers is a lumen and how many of those things do you really need?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lumen_(unit)

The more lumens the less darkness is required to see the projection.

This is an HD180 no an HD20.

Real reviews: http://www.amazon.com/Optoma-HD180-1080p-Theater-Projector/dp/B003Y06L1A/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1306646362&sr=1-1

Notice there is one from woot too... wasn't happy with it.

pblgov wrote:I wonder if squaretrade offers a warranty on the bulb, 30 days is not a long time at all. Anyone have an idea on replacement bulb costs?

Most lamp warrantys are 6 months/500 hours. The new warranty is actually a year on this model.

The official lamp looks to be $250. I've owned 2 projectors. Trust me, you don't want to get crappy lamps. They are dimmer, last much shorter time periods, and often have color issues, when compared to the OEM lamps.

Also, don't shop for a "bulb". A replacement lamp for a projector is a "lamp", and includes the entire housing, with bulb inside. Some people will sell just the bulb, but you don't want that, either.

If you don't like the thought of spending $250 every couple years on lamps, then maybe a nice 40" LCD would work for you. This is part of the deal when you upgrade to a projector.

I hardly ever have anything to say about products these days, but I can vouch for this projector. I have this unit mounted on the ceiling in my basement and it is fantastic. 1700 lumens provides just the right brightness when the room is filled with sunlight, while not being overly bright during the night hours. I have the unit mounted 14 feet back from the wall and the image is over 130" diagonally. On low brightness the bulb has lasted 3500 hours and is still going strong. Quality is superb, even when projecting on a blank (or in my case, a slightly brown) wall. A projector screen isn't necessary for an excellent picture IMO. I replaced the bulb a few years ago for the fairly cheap price of $180. Changing the bulb was quick and easy. Can't say enough about this projector -- Especially at this price. I payed almost 3 times the price for this unit years ago.

felix123 wrote:We, the Hitchhikers is a lumen and how many of those things do you really need?

Lumen is a measurement of perceived brightness by the human eye. It's all very technical and kinda beyond my knowledge, but here is the Wikipedia article, if you're interested. The number of lumens you'd need depend on various factors, i.e. darkness of the room, size of the picture, viewing distance, projection surface, personal preference, etc. From the reviews I've read, this projector gives out enough light for an excellent picture.

This product description made me giggle. I sang along to the song and everything. I won't be buying the projector, but thanks for the laugh!

I really wish I had the money right now. Give me a month Woot! My roommate had this Optoma projector at my last apartment and it was phenomenal. HUGE screen, audio was output to receiver/surround, and it was just gorgeous. You could almost make football players your size on screen. Darker room is better and definitely speakers are needed but it is worth it. Woot, I'm begging you to just "accidentally" ship me one. We share a birthday, COME ON! (trademark Gob Bluth).


PS - I don't care about spec comparisons, results mean everything, and I could look at all the stats and whatever but the end result is the image was great and it projected on a white painted wall at about 7 feet across in HD. It was great.

felix123 wrote:We, the Hitchhikers is a lumen and how many of those things do you really need?

As a point of reference, you might to pull out a lightbulb (incandescent, fluorescent or compact fluorescent) and look at its lumen output (stamped on the bulb itself or the package). Use that to estimate how 1700 lumens would look. For example, a 23 watt compact fluorescent bulb generally outputs about 1500–1600 lumens. That makes for a pretty bright picture.

pblgov wrote:I wonder if squaretrade offers a warranty on the bulb, 30 days is not a long time at all. Anyone have an idea on replacement bulb costs?

This is the best deal you're going to find on a lamp for this projector:

Optoma RPLMNT LAMP HD20 HD200X TX615 TX612 EX612 EX615
$179.95 with free shipping.

It's the original Optima replacement lamp, not a cheap knockoff. It's worth picking one up at that price even if you don't need it.

To see how big and how bright the image will be from the projector, check out this calculator. It will tell you if the screen will be to dim for how big an image you make:

http://www.projectorcentral.com/Optoma-HD180-projection-calculator-pro.htm

stevesds wrote:So funny...I literally just stopped playing L.A. Noire on my Optoma 1080p projector(PS3 version) to check the Woot.

I bought one of these last time Woot offered them and have had a blast with it.
Picture is crisp and colors look great!

Being a Vice cop is even more fun on an 11-foot screen.

Playing LA Noire or any first person shoot 'em game in life size would be too intense for my heart to take. Especially in surround sound.

My last two home theater projectors have been Optoma's. My current Optoma HD70 is still chugging along nicely even though the bulb is way past its expected life. Optoma's have continued to be at the top of the 'bang for the buck' for home theater projects in the past 5 years. I would be a little worried about a 30 day bulb warranty, but otherwise I would have no problem purchasing another Optoma.

I got this projector last time and IT IS THE MOST AMAZING THING THAT I HAVE EVER BOUGHT. I have been through 4 projectors in the $600 range and this one KILLS them all. You can't get much better than this for under $1000. I put it up in my brother's theater room (while I was living with him) and now that I am moving out, he cannot live without it and has to get one. Lucky it came up today. I can't say enough about it. BRIGHT BRIGHT BRIGHT. Quiet. Beautiful colors. Crisp and clean. Smooth motion. Doesn't burn too hot. It just doesn't get better!

I bought this the last time it was on Woot. I read alot about projectors AFTERwards, and still don't regret buying it. I bought a jamestown screen off ebay and have 110" picture for less than 900 bucks. Anyone who comes over can't believe the picture for the price.

jejones3141 wrote:It's a unit for measuring how much light something puts out. How many do you need? Depends on how bright the environment you want to run the projector in is, and how big you want the projected image to be on the wall/screen. I can't give you a specific answer, but someone who has more experience with this sort of projector will, I hope, speak up.

As with most published statistics on products the numbers are a bit tricky and often a published contrast ratio at 1000 lumens will end up at 500 lumens when a review site like projector central does their own real world measurements. Furthermore, projectors with better contrast ratio will often appear brighter than a projector that has bit more lumens but a lower contrast ratio.

According to Projector Review.com here are the actual Lumens for the comparable HD20 projector:

Cinema = 695 lumens @ 6327K
Bright = 996 lumens @ 7339K
Photo = 683 lumens @ 8148K
Reference = 747 lumens @ 6212K
User = 747 lumens @ 6248K

Despite all the factors which may come into play, here is an article which gives estimates of how many lumens you need depending on the lighting conditions in your room and screen size.

theguruguys wrote:My last two home theater projectors have been Optoma's. My current Optoma HD70 is still chugging along nicely even though the bulb is way past its expected life. Optoma's have continued to be at the top of the 'bang for the buck' for home theater projects in the past 5 years. I would be a little worried about a 30 day bulb warranty, but otherwise I would have no problem purchasing another Optoma.

Yeah, my reluctance to purchase any sort of projection-based TV, including DLP rear projection models, is due to bulb life. My guess is that LED models will be available within two years, given the how incredibly bright current CREE LEDs already are. I assume that they'll find some way to focus several high intensity LEDs into one intense beam. It'll probably still burn quite a bit of electricity but bulb life will increase significantly.

buffaloed wrote: It's worth picking one up at that price even if you don't need it.

Actually, it may be a poor idea to buy a lamp when you don't need it, if your plan is to just stick it on a shelf like a regular light bulb. The warranty will run out before you install it, and if it is a lemon you are out a fair amount of cash.

The workaround would be to install the new lamp, run it for the warranty period to make sure it won't crap out fast, and then switch back to the old one. It's not a great workaround, though.

Most OEM lamps should be fine if they make it a couple hundred hours, that's why the warranty is usually 500.

In addition to bulb life, my other qualm about a home theater projector is the need for a clear wall. You won't find much of that in a NYC apartment. And no, a portable screen is not a realistic option.

Here's a link to a professional and unbiased review of this projector (http://www.projectorreviews.com/optoma/hd20/index.php). While the model number of the projector reviewed is different the specs are virtually the same (slightly different resolution). I suspect the Woot offering is an "exclusive" model that was produced for a specific reseller.
If you're serious about buying this projector, this is a worthwhile read. You'll know exactly what to expect.

buffaloed wrote:This is the best deal you're going to find on a lamp for this projector:

Optoma RPLMNT LAMP HD20 HD200X TX615 TX612 EX612 EX615
$179.95 with free shipping.

It's the original Optima replacement lamp, not a cheap knockoff. It's worth picking one up at that price even if you don't need it.

Actually you can get a bulb without the case for around $110, I've seen them as low as $90. Of course you will need a bit of electrical skills to install the bulb in the new case.

With the case they start at $168 currently on ebay.

I purchased one of these last time they were on woot off, decent image, but blacks are milky and lacking depth. However adding a ND filter in front of the lens really helps to fix that issue and firm up the contrast levels...

Google 'DLP rainbow artifacts' before making the plunge. Some people don't see them, but for those who do it can be pretty bad, up to and including headaches.

Picked one of these up from Amazon about a year ago. I have been pleased with the picture. What did not please me was the short bulb life. My projector is ceiling mounted (so it doesn't get knocked around, which can shorten life), it never gets left on, I always let it go through proper cool-down before it gets turned back on, and I've never used the bright setting. The bulb is rated for 4000 hours; I got 869. Even brand new, Optoma only warranties the bulb for 30 days. Do the math (30 days * 24 hours/day = 720 hours), so it seems they don't have much faith in them either. Of course, this projector also has one of the cheapest replacement bulbs (which was a factor in my purchase decision). Maybe I just got a bad bulb, but either way I wouldn't let it scare you off from this. It still is a great projector.

About 4 years ago I bought a Panasonic AE900U projector for about $1600 with the idea to use it for world of warcraft on a big screen, but never got a screen or hooked up.

Now I'm looking at this, and bet it's a lot better, isn't it?

I have a question about projectors I rarely see asked; how small of a "screen size" can I get through using this? I move a lot and rarely know what to expect as far as room sizes.

Is this warping thing any good or is it a piece of god damn Battlefield Earth (2000)?