Urgent Help Reqd : Epson 8350 vs Optoma HD20

[cmsajith]

I need your help to choose between

Epson 8350 : 79898/- (80K)
Optoma HD20 : 61551/- (61K)

*final prices from SYW including the 5% credit / debit card discount

I am mainly looking for the hands on experience regarding the Epson 8350 vs Optoma HD20. Is the extra spend on 8350 will be worth in real scenario .ie, considering the black levels/color reproduction/sharpness/lamp life/lamp cost etc. I will be watching in a no-light / zero watt bulb environment only with 115" Draper Luma Matt white screen.

Please put your comments. Need to take a quick decision.

 

[rshri]

Epson 8350.
Stay away from DLP bsed projectors if you can.

 

[mandeep]

Epson 8350.
Stay away from DLP bsed projectors if you can.

Can u please state the reasons why not to go for DLP PJ's, it may be helpful to all

 

[rana_kirti]

advantages for DLP HD20

- more film like picture
- smoother motion
- smaller size
- cheaper
- no major known complaints

disadvantages for DLP HD20

- some people prone to rainbows due to slower color wheel on dlp projectors.
- limited placement flexibility due to very less zoom range and fixed offset due to no lens shift.

advantages for LCD Epson 8350

- lens shift and high zoom make it very flexible for placements.
- excellent reviews
- better contrast & blacks than HD20
- can use 2.35:1 screen because of the high zoom available but the zoom is manual

disadvantages for Epson 8350

- some people just don't like the lcd film quality as dlp looks more natural.
- much bigger and heavier than hd20. lcd projectors are inherently bigger/heavier.

cheers

 

[rshri]

Can u please state the reasons why not to go for DLP PJ's, it may be helpful to all

1) Rainbow effects. Even if you are not susceptible to it, your family/friends may see it thus ruining the show for them. Some people who do not see it in initial months may start seeing it later and find it distracting.

2) Moving color-wheel may develop defects/noise.

3) Many People report headaches after viewing for a long period of time. I will not go into details but reason is that DLP picture is not "fully rendered" on screen, rather multi-colored DLP picture is an "illusion" created on human eyes.

 

[cmsajith]

Some of the reviews say that HD20's black is not so good, somewhat a grey kinda. Do you guys think whether it will be problem while watching in a completely dark room / a slightly lit (indirect lighting from ceiling)

Compared to the 8350, whether this difference is huge as I had read that the blacks in 8350 is also not commendable compared to others (not HD20).

Another issue I read about is the lamp life of HD20 and the higher replacement cost, compared to 8350 (because of the E-TORL lamp in 8350). Any comments?

I will be looking for a projection size of about 106" and what would be the PJ distance from the screen.

Does the rainbow pattern so distracting?

To be frank, Eventhough I am more or less decided on HD20 I am trying to find enough reasons to justify the extra amount for 8350 (almost 20K) and if its worth I will go for 8350.

 

[sud98]

Hi Sajith,

Why dont you check Santhol2's setup which is based on the HD20 and findout for yourself if its good enough for you?

 

[cmsajith]

Hi Sajith,

Why dont you check Santhol2's setup which is based on the HD20 and findout for yourself if its good enough for you?

I had been to his house several times and will definitely do a thorough check before the final decision. Needs Santhosh 's permission..

Is there anybody in bangalore who owns Epson 8350?

 

[Raghav]

I am using an Optoma HD20 with a screen size of 108". My room also has near zero lighting and the picture quality is very good.

The only thing to look out for is placement flexibility. The optoma will need the exact height from floor/ceiling anf not much movement in distance from screen. But once set, you do not need to move it and it works very well.

Size was a big factor in my choice also. LCD projectors are huge and heavy compared to HD20.

Raghav

Some of the reviews say that HD20's black is not so good, somewhat a grey kinda. Do you guys think whether it will be problem while watching in a completely dark room / a slightly lit (indirect lighting from ceiling)

Compared to the 8350, whether this difference is huge as I had read that the blacks in 8350 is also not commendable compared to others (not HD20).

Another issue I read about is the lamp life of HD20 and the higher replacement cost, compared to 8350 (because of the E-TORL lamp in 8350). Any comments?

I will be looking for a projection size of about 106" and what would be the PJ distance from the screen.

Does the rainbow pattern so distracting?

To be frank, Eventhough I am more or less decided on HD20 I am trying to find enough reasons to justify the extra amount for 8350 (almost 20K) and if its worth I will go for 8350.

 

[deepak12]

I was doing the exact same comparison a few months back, and finally got the HD20 because:
1. Small/Portable
2. Price difference is 25-30%, but not a very significant difference in PQ
3. Do not need filters, so less maintenance
4. Saw tons of positive reviews (123 reviews on google products, and rating of 4.5 I think)

I have been extremely happy with my purchase, and have not had any issues till now.

Also, if you need lot of flexibility in placement, then you may want to go with Epson, but if not, HD20 is a good choice, looking at the VFM

 

[cmsajith]

I was doing the exact same comparison a few months back, and finally got the HD20 because:
1. Small/Portable
2. Price difference is 25-30%, but not a very significant difference in PQ
3. Do not need filters, so less maintenance
4. Saw tons of positive reviews (123 reviews on google products, and rating of 4.5 I think)

I have been extremely happy with my purchase, and have not had any issues till now.

Also, if you need lot of flexibility in placement, then you may want to go with Epson, but if not, HD20 is a good choice, looking at the VFM

Had any chance to compare side by side? Here I am not able to find anybody with 8350.

My room size is 16x12. For getting a 106" (16:9) image, what should be the location of the PJ (HD20)? The bottom of the screen will be ~20" above the floor.

 

[Raghav]

I am assuming the projector is on the 12' feet wall.

The distance of projector from screen should be between 11'7" and 13'11". Ideally I would go for 13'11" as this will require no Zoom and gives you a scope to increase screen to 120" in future. Also Image quality is best without using zoom. So I suggest the longer distance.

For height of the projector. The bottom of the image will 8" above the lens of the projector. That means the lens of the projector should be only 12 inches above the floor. This might be a difficult option by itself. On the other hand if celing height is 102", it might be better to ceiling mount. Projector needs to be 20" (bottom of screen) + 54" (height of screen) + 8" = 82" from the floor or 102 - 82 = 20" from the ceiling.

You can check out this page Optoma HD20 Projection Calculator - Throw Distance and Screen Size

Raghav

Had any chance to compare side by side? Here I am not able to find anybody with 8350.

My room size is 16x12. For getting a 106" (16:9) image, what should be the location of the PJ (HD20)? The bottom of the screen will be ~20" above the floor.

 

[cmsajith]

Just wanted to update about one known issue with Epson 8350 : Premature Lamp Failure, orange streaks, dust blob. The frequent lamp failure issue was in 8100 also. In 8350 they are using the same lamp or from the same family.

Lot of people are facing this issue worlwide and recently as per one discussion in projectorcentral.com, Epson had told one member that because of the rate of premature failure they are extending the warranty to 2years (instead of 90 days) for the bulbs. They are investigating the issue. But the problem is that what will be the situation after 2 years. It seems that the bulbs are failing all of a sudden w/o any symptom and it happens in a very ventilated environment and very well maintained PJs w/ clean filters. Some had reported 3 or 5 failures in one year itself (even with the replacement bulb). I think its risky to take 8350 until unless the issue is sorted out.

Also a strange finding by a few of the people who had RMAed their Epson 8500. They got an 8500B with 8100 inside!!! Old wine in a new bottle...
Ref: http://www.projectorcentral.com/pro...Epsons-Remarkable-Lamp-Guarantee&entry_id=354

 

[muradasa7]

I recently saw the 8350 in action and was impressed. The early bulb failure is an issue but other than that its impressive. The HD20 is an amazing performer in itself with vivid colours. But placement has to be spot on. So as one member suggested, if placement isnt an issue go for the HD20. If u need flexibility in positioning its the 8350. So, based on this and the fact that the HD20 is really small and light weight, whereas the 8350 is solid and heavy, you take a decision.

All the best and happy viewing!

 

[vinay]

Projector

I think you should not consider HD20, you should go for newer models, as they are likely to have more features and better components etc.

With SYW, there are members at this forum and elsewhere who have complains so be careful with your steps. :sad:

It may not be a wise move to take a quick decision, anything in haste could spell trouble in some or the other form.

V.

I need your help to choose between

Epson 8350 : 79898/- (80K)
Optoma HD20 : 61551/- (61K)

*final prices from SYW including the 5% credit / debit card discount

Please put your comments. Need to take a quick decision.

 

[bps75]

I need your help to choose between

Epson 8350 : 79898/- (80K)
Optoma HD20 : 61551/- (61K)

*final prices from SYW including the 5% credit / debit card discount

I am mainly looking for the hands on experience regarding the Epson 8350 vs Optoma HD20. Is the extra spend on 8350 will be worth in real scenario .ie, considering the black levels/color reproduction/sharpness/lamp life/lamp cost etc. I will be watching in a no-light / zero watt bulb environment only with 115" Draper Luma Matt white screen.

Please put your comments. Need to take a quick decision.

Hi,
could you let me know from which dealer did u get these prices?
I would also like to buy a optoma HD20....
cheers,

 

[cmsajith]

Re: Projector

I think you should not consider HD20, you should go for newer models, as they are likely to have more features and better components etc.

With SYW, there are members at this forum and elsewhere who have complains so be careful with your steps. :sad:

It may not be a wise move to take a quick decision, anything in haste could spell trouble in some or the other form.

V.

I dont think there will be any huge change in the component quality, moreover HD20 and 8350 are using different technologies. I am more worried about the early bulb issue in 8350.

 

[cmsajith]

Hi,
could you let me know from which dealer did u get these prices?
I would also like to buy a optoma HD20....
cheers,

I got it from SYW. It seems B&H is giving a better price than them. If you are planning for HD20 we can ask for a further negotiation in the price.

 

[cmsajith]

I recently saw the 8350 in action and was impressed. The early bulb failure is an issue but other than that its impressive. The HD20 is an amazing performer in itself with vivid colours. But placement has to be spot on. So as one member suggested, if placement isnt an issue go for the HD20. If u need flexibility in positioning its the 8350. So, based on this and the fact that the HD20 is really small and light weight, whereas the 8350 is solid and heavy, you take a decision.

All the best and happy viewing!

Can you compare the PQ of HD20 vs 8350? Is 8350 worth the extra 20K comparing the PQ difference of HD20 and the bulb issue in 8350?

 

[vinay]

epson home cinema 8350 projector

The issue is not the different technologies. The point is why go for a much older model, it is always better to go for the newer models as they are most likely to have newer technology etc by which it will improve the projector over all. :licklips:

It is true that there is a issue with the bulb. In the first two months there was no problems, but since then around 10 times the projector light dropped by 50%, but it has always come back to normal within a minute or so. In view to this i will not recomend a 8350.

There are other members on this forum who are having this 8350, they too can throw some light.

V.

I dont think there will be any huge change in the component quality, moreover HD20 and 8350 are using different technologies. I am more worried about the early bulb issue in 8350.