# Optoma HD65



## Guest

Does anyone have an Optoma HD65? I am deciding between the HD65 or the Sharp 510? Any suggestions would be a help. New to the projector world.


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## Anthony

I'll give you a free "bump" to the top, but sadly I don't have any experience with these projectors.

Any reasons why you are limiting yourself to these two? Lumens, budget, have access to a great deal, brand preference, etc.?

There are a lot of great projectors out there between 1k and 3k right now. I just installed a Panasonic (1080p, forget the model) and I have a Sanyo Z4 and both are fantastic deals with great pictures.


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## chas

Matt...did you ever decide on anything?


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## Guest

I purchased the Optoma HD65., and I am amazed by the picture quality. I was surprised when I hooked it up to my PS3 and it does 1080P. In all the documents I read about the projector nothing said it could do 1080P. Also I turned a "bonus room" with three windows (33"x 59") with blinds on them and the project works great during the day. 

I would recommend this project to a friend. A 1080P DLP Projector for under $900. I will post pictures of the converted home theater later. 

Matt


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## chas

Thanks for the update...Looking forward to the pics!


> A 1080P DLP Projector for under $900.


Actually a 720P projector that downconverts the 1080P material...correct?


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## Guest

Yes, I just got this pj and was amazed by how bright and detail this little thing can project. It's a 720P pj so it down converts anything higher than 720P and displays it as such. I would think your image will improve slightly if you switch your source to the pj's native resolution so it does not have to do any down converting. Just my .02.


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## marcosreg

The HD65 is an amazing projector.
I am very happy with it.
Marcos


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## Rajesh

The optoma HD-65 is a native 720p projector . It can't deliver greater resolutions beyond its capability . What you see on the right corner of the screen is nothing but the input signal information from the PS-3. Any projector will do that.

If you hook up a HD-80 optoma you will be able to tell the difference yourself. You would find at least 100% more quality given the simple fact that the source and the display had same resolution.

regards
Rajesh


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## rburnett

I recently purchased this projector and I am very happy with it.. Great price.. there are reviews of it all over the internet.


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## Guest

I've had the HD65 for about 10 days now. One word: Awesome. I bought it online for $750 (lamp extra for $200). Best money I've ever spent.


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## Anthony

Excellent. Glad you like your purchase. And welcome to the Shack!


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## Prof.

Good to hear you're both happy with the projector..:T
The HD65 is also on my wish list at the moment..


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## Guest

I just saw the HD65 online for $549 (excluding lamp)!! If you are considering it, that's an out & out steal. The picture is absolutely amazing.


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## Prof.

The CHEAPEST price here at the moment is $1700.00!! AUD.


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## custard

i have owned the HD65 for almost a year and it is a wonderful projector.

i have just encountered my first problem with it. the bulb has blown after about 200hrs of use:sad2:

optoma have advised me that they will inspect the unit for faults but it looks like i am going to have to buy a new bulb.

what i am guilty of is recurrent usage over small periods due to my testing in the projector screen forum.

i'll keep you guys informed on what happens.


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## tcarcio

Hi Custy, I bought the HD 72 about a year or so ago and the bulb went after 300hrs. I called and they told me the same thing as they told you but when I got the PJ back it did the exact same thing and then I was told it needed a bulb. I was upset that the bulb only lasted such a short time and I could not get any satisfaction out of the CS rep I talked to. I asked to speak to the boss and after a ten minute conversation about it really being unreasonable to have a bulb blow so fast. Well it was worth it because he replaced the bulb for free and apologised for the problem. He charged me for a new bulb on my CC and after I sent the bad bulb back he gave me the credit back on the card. You should give it a shot because you might get it replaced like I did.


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## custard

thanks TC :T- i have not spoken to them yet about the inadequate life of the bulb. 
but if they do refuse me one when they check it i will ask to speak to the manager as you have done.


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## custard

just an update,

after two weeks of waiting since my projector was sent to optoma without any response, i decided to call them.

they told me that the lamp and lamp driver had been replaced under warranty repair and i should be receiving it in about a week.utstanding:


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## Prof.

Anyone else have premature lamp failure..or any other problems?
I'm considering buying one from a Canadian seller on Ebay..
Very reliable from all accounts, but not covered here with any warranty..


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## rburnett

I've been running mine for ~8 months or so with use of ~20 hrs per week with no issues. I bought mine through Amazon. I still love it... xbox360 COD WAW is what I've been playing a lot.


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## Prof.

Thanks...that's good to hear..

It seems that lot of guys in the UK are experiencing premature lamp failure, so maybe it's just the HD65's over there...


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## MonsterMaddness

I have an Optoma HD 70 that I bought off amazon two years ago and have had no problems what so ever. I have a friend that had a Hitachi (I forget what model) but it broke and when he took it to a service center, they said some kind of board split and it would be more expensive to fix then to just buy a new one. Now he's saving his money for an Optoma HD 80.


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## Prof.

Well I solved the problem with the possible premature lamp failure..
When I bought my HD65 I also bought a 3 year worldwide lamp insurance policy that covers me for 2 replacement lamp within that time period..:T


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## kwscott

Hey Guys, I'm new to this forum; I googled HD65 and came to find this site. I live in Calgary AB (CAN) and purchased an Optoma HD65 from Costco. I have had the projector for about 6 months now and LOVE IT! I have also had pre-mature lamp life problems myself. The first time it blew (that's right the first time...) I had the projector for approx. 2 months (maybe 180 hours +/-?) I couldn't believe it! And to make things worse I had bought it 92 days prior, which meant I couldn't return it to Costco with their 90 day return policy... I finally got around the Costco concierge joke and spoke with a rep at Optoma; they were fantastic! Some of the best customer service I have ever experienced. They fixed the projector and had it back to me with in 2 weeks. Then the unimaginable happened, the projector lamb blew with in 2 months again! I spoke with Optoma and have sent the projector in again. This time they gave me their UPS account number and paid for the shipping to their shop. It is there currently and I am hoping they will fix it for good this time. I have no idea what is going on, I keep the fan on the high altitude setting so it is going full blast all the time. I don't know if I just purchased a lemon or what, but I love this projector so I hope they can fix it for good this time. I'll keep you guys posted, and hopefully this won't keep the OP from buying it. It sounds like there are a lot of other guys on this forum who have had success with it.


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## Prof.

Sorry to hear of the problems you've been having with the HD65...but it seems like you're getting good service from optoma over there..

It seems to be a bit of hit and miss with this model, when it comes to lamp failure problems..
I've now got about 700hrs. on my lamp, and still going strong..

I actually bought mine as a factory refurb from an online store in Canada!..

One thing I keep hearing about with these problems is faulty exciter boards..which causes premature lamp failure..The OEM globes themselves aren't necessarily the cause of the failure..
Since you've gone through two globes already, I'm guessing that's what your problem is..

It might be worth your while to speak to Optoma about that..

Oh!..and by the way..Welcome to the Shack..


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## kwscott

Thanks Prof. I emailed Optoma today about the faulty exciter boards; I received a response with in 5 minutes (very impressive). The representative from Optoma told me they had replaced the lamp along with the lamp driver. Is the lamp driver the same thing as the exciter board? 
Either way, I am pretty happy; I sent it in on Friday last week, and she told me they would be shipping it back to me today.


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## Prof.

That is good service...:T
Glad to hear that it's on the way back to you..

Yes.. the exciter is part of the driver board..so if they've replaced the board, then you should be OK..


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