# Mourning The Loss of My Epson 1080UB



## z-man99 (Jan 20, 2012)

Last week while watching the opening scenes of the new E.T. blu ray the screen suddenly clicked to blue with a "Auto Iris Error" message in the middle. The Epson authorized repair man initially thought he could just replace the iris assembly and the CF motor but after doing so wasn't able to eliminate the error screen. So now the estimate is $1200 for a new optical engine and main board replacement. Or in other words, time for a new projector!

Epson customer service enrolled me in a "loyalty club" which entitles me to a hundred bucks off an 8350 or a 3010 but nothing on their newer or higher end models. They also offered to throw in an extra bulb if I buy a new projector from them. I know it's out of warranty and a new bulb is better than a kick in the head but I was hoping they'd agree that 800 hours isn't an acceptable lifespan for a $2800 projector and do a little more. No traction with Glaiza or Jerrold, the two customer service reps I spoke with.

The 1080ub looked really nice on my 120" 16:9 Centerstage XD screen. If you aren't familiar with this model, it's an earlier version of the 8500ub or 8700ub, sharing it's ability to pulls some pretty high contrast ratios. 75% movies, 15%TV, 10%games. 100% light controlled dedicated theater with black ceiling and carpet. Ceiling mounted projector about 15ft back. I really appreciated the 1080UB's black levels so whatever I buy next I don't want to go backwards on that measurement. Not much need for a motorized lens and I'm not planning to go away from 16:9 anytime soon. I left it set on an adjusted 'theater 1" setting which runs about 500 lumens, so I don't need a light cannon. I think my boys might appreciate 3d but it's not the priority here. Sometimes motion blur was distracting on it but I'm not sure if anything out there can do much better.

So... any suggestions? Would you go back to Epson if you were in my shoes? I'm pondering a refurbed 8700ub but I'm not super excited about giving the same manufacturer another pile of my hard earned cash. This isn't a great time for me to go overboard financially (hence the refurb idea) so I'm looking for bang-for-the-buck here.


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

Sorry to hear about the projector. :sad:

Do you have a budget in mind?


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## Wardsweb (Apr 2, 2010)

Bro that really bites. I'm with you on looking to a different manufacturer. I put my money with companies that support their equipment, and by doing so, support me. There are a lot of options these days.


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## z-man99 (Jan 20, 2012)

ALMFamily said:


> Sorry to hear about the projector. :sad:
> 
> Do you have a budget in mind?


Thanks for the condolences. There's a hole in my, uhm, ceiling right now :hissyfit:

I'd like to spend less than 2k, but I don't want to go backwards on performance, especially on black levels and general 2d movie performance.


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## robsong (Apr 3, 2010)

Look at the Epson 3020 and 5020 for better blacks but it will cost more. Maybe a refurbished 8700 from Visualapex.


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## z-man99 (Jan 20, 2012)

I'm sure many people are happy with Epson projectors. Perhaps I ended up with a bad one. But now I'm facing a $1200 repair on a projector that should have provided 5-10 times as many hours without issues other than bulb replacements. The more I think about this the less I feel inclined to buy the same brand. I'm thinkin' JVC for a replacement. I gather they have some issues with their bulbs but at least they're offering free replacements.


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## Zeitgeist (Apr 4, 2009)

Ouch. That stinks.

I know there are a number of happy Epson owners, but a failure like that sure would have be second guessing buying from the same mfg.


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

I Think Epson is doing you a disservice by not giving you a better trade up incentive, $100 and a new bulb is more a "dont let the door hit you on the way out" kind of thing. I would have a look at JVC, Sony or even Panasonic.


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## Dale Rasco (Apr 11, 2009)

What Tony said! Panasonic and JVC are bith good and I really like my BenQ as well. I have the same type of issue with Samsung. A lot of people I know love their displays but one bad experience back in 2008 and I still have no interest in considering their display options.


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

I second the Panasonic suggestion - I have the AE7000 and really like it's PQ (I snapped a couple photos - in my build thread page 59). 

That said, I have also read many good things about JVC and Sony - I honestly think you would be pleased with any of those 3.


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## z-man99 (Jan 20, 2012)

Joe-
Those screen shots look supurb. Nice job documenting your theater build, too. I wish I had taken more pictures, espicially at the beginning stages when it was all concrete and bare studs. 

Judging by your screen shots, it looks like you are getting the deep blacks that a high contrast ratio ought to provide. I'm about to pull the trigger on a JVC right now. Whatever it ends up being I'm going to make sure I'm provided with at least 2 years of warranty!


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