CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

fefrank · Joined: 10 Jun 2012 Posts: 83

Yesterday night I wrote an email to epson's costumer service saying how unhappy I am with the 8350 unit I have at the moment. I've exchage this projector 6 times in a 1 year and 4 month period. I've been buying epson projectors since I started my home theater back in 2002. I told them that because of this experience I will probably not buy an epson projector ever again. Today a very polite costumer service representative called me and offered to upgrade my projector to a brand new Epson 5010. I was astonished! Shocked

. It's this a dream? I said to myself, It's this a joke?. And he replied: We really apppreciate your business with us and we will like to show that appreciation by upgrading you to one of our best projectors. I hope that this will sufice. We are so sorry for the difficulties you have encountered with this unit, and I hope that this unit will deliver everything that you need without issues.

I have to say that 10 years buying epson has been great. I've never had a bad experience with Epson and I've owned 3 in the last 10 years. Even though the Epson 8350 unit really has problems and is not the sharpest knife in the box, Epson's costumer service and appreciation has blown me away. I will recommend Epson to anyone that plans on buying a digital projector. In my experience they won't let you down. And they really take care of their costumers. I will give you feedback on my new 5010 unit once it arrives. I am very sure that it would be a game changer and hope that Epson figures out the problems with the 8350 unit.

km987654

draganm · Joined: 08 Mar 2006 Posts: 8990 Location: Colorado

I really like their printers, but I wouldn't hang one in my home theater Mr. Green

**AnalogRocks** · Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 2:58 am Post subject:

**Curt Palme** · Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 3:15 am Post subject:

I have to say fefrank, you sure flipped your tune from your previous post about the projector. Smile

I agree, this was beyond the typical level of customer service, but it doesn't change that they've cranked out a model that was complete crap. Maybe it had a core engineering problem and that's why Epson dished out free units without question, who knows.

One thing's for sure, you handled your letter to them the correct way. I read a while back that had you phrased the letter 'I WON'T be buying another Epson product', that they probably wouldn't have sent you a replacement unit, since they'd assume that they'd already lost you as a customer. Since you said ' I PROBABLY won't be buying another Epson, they had a chance to redeem themselves.

So good for you, but I'd hold out a final opinion when you see how long this one lasts.

Just my $.02

Phoenixed · Joined: 13 Oct 2011 Posts: 514 Location: The mitten

fefrank · Joined: 10 Jun 2012 Posts: 83

fefrank · Joined: 10 Jun 2012 Posts: 83

Epson has been good for me. But not this last time. On the other hand I hav an epson movie mate 25, that's still working since 2002 with more than 10,000 hours on the unit. Of course I've had to change the bulb like 5 times but it's still working properly. Then I had an epson powerlite 75 and that thing had to be sold because of financial problems. Then attempeted to go panasonic and the unit I bought was DOA so not much luck there. Same thing with Optoma HD20 attempting to go 1080p for the first time, DOA!. So then I decided to go back to epson so pretty much, epson has not been bad considering all the problems other people say they are having. I am still dissapointed with epson but very happy that hey are sending me a 5010 unit which is 3D and boast of a contrast ratio of 200,000:1<--- ( All lies).
Let's see when the unit gets here. Maybe I'll sell it and buy G90. Wink

**Curt Palme** · Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 8:34 pm Post subject:

I don't think your 'multiple projector' story is unique.

Digital owners change projectors because they have to.
CRT owners change projectors because they want to.

Very Happy

ecrabb · Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 9:16 pm Post subject:

There's some truth here, but there's also some hyperbole. The vast majority of digital owners also change projectors because they want to. I know many, many more people that have had digitals for years (and use them daily) than I do people that have had busted machines.

Everybody I know either still has the same digital they had 3-4 years ago, or if they don't, it's because they simply upgraded to something better - the same sh*t we do/did with CRT projectors. Ooohhhh, my 7" ES machine is fine, but an 8" EM/LC machine be better... Ooohhhh.... My 8" EM/LC machine is nice, but a 9" is better. Ooohhh, my 1209 is nice, but a 909 is better. Unless you have a G90, 909, or 9500 Ultra, most are "jonesin'" for an upgrade.

There's no question that new machines aren't made like they used to be. OTOH, they don't cost the same as a car, they don't sound like a rack full of server fans, and they don't weigh 200 pounds or take a couple of big guys and most of a day to hang properly.

My RS45 cost nearly 1/10th of what the G70 I replaced it with would have cost if I'd bought it new. The JVC is superior in every way but three: Absolute black (on/off), extreme film-like image, and parts/repairability. If those three things are important, and nothing else is, then CRT is the only option. If you care about other things, like ANSI contrast, size, noise, ease-of-use, screen size, brightness, placement flexibility, house resale, then digital is not only a viable option, but a very good one.

Pros and cons, people. Pros and cons.

SC

Spanky Ham · Joined: 22 Mar 2006 Posts: 5643 Location: Comedy Central

Like Crabb said, I haven't known a lot of people with problem digitals. My best friend got a bum RS-45 last year and AVS replaced it right away. The replacement was fine and has been silent humming along ever since. That is the only one I can think of right off hand.

**Curt Palme** · Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2012 6:24 am Post subject:

Oh I was just goofing around. Sure, there's piles of good working digitals out there, and by all means, the older units weren't as small and didn't run nearly as hot as the later ones do. I still say 2-5 years or 2-3 bulb lives is the typical life of anything digital bought new today. The high end JVCs and Sonys might be the exception.

WanMan · Joined: 19 Mar 2006 Posts: 10273

Curt, that 2-5 years can be said about a lot of things. $2K refrigerators and clothes washers, $50K cars. None of the CRT manufacturers planed for consumer grade, but if they had do you really think they would have been built like a tank? Doubtful. So comparing something expected to get 250K miles in a couple of years to something get 30K is not really comparative.

**Curt Palme** · Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2012 1:09 pm Post subject:

Not gonna argue this one again.. Smile

**kal** · Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2012 2:17 pm Post subject:

It's interesting to read comments over at AVS from digital owners upgrading. I swear most of them actually have zero interest in movies and are simply in it to have the latest and greatest.

Case in point: I'm shocked at how common it is for people to sell their digital projectors in late summer when new models are announced (but not yet available) so that they can try and recoup as much as possible as they want to upgrade to the newer model once it becomes available.

They're without a projector for a good portion of the year (4-5 months) as they wait for the new model to become available. I just don't get it. Yes, you won't get as much for last year's model if a newer version is on the market, but who says you always have to have the latest and greatest? 6 months ago they were ecstatic with their projector. Now because something that is (maybe) 5-10% better is out their projector is crap and has to be replaced?

Kal

TheVerge · Joined: 19 Jul 2009 Posts: 928

Bunch of Epson owners with exploding bulbs would disagree.

Spanky Ham · Joined: 22 Mar 2006 Posts: 5643 Location: Comedy Central

nettwerkjohn · Posted: Fri Dec 14, 2012 5:05 am Post subject:

ruby still going strong. 6 years old, never missed a beat. on its 2nd bulb - did approx 2500 on the previous...

first projector that wife and i "didn't see". we only see the movie now. but i'll probably replace it with a jvc when its due for its next bulb...

**kal** · Posted: Fri Dec 14, 2012 2:35 pm Post subject:

fefrank · Joined: 10 Jun 2012 Posts: 83

Well my 5010 got here yesterday while I was at work. Got home and opened up the package. The projector is beautifull, a nice piece of electronic to go in my small living room/theater. Once on the picture was outstanding. Incredible blacks even without the iris, super sharp picture after playing with the convergence alignment feature which was very similar to the barco's 1208's in terms of alignment software. No pixels that I could see on a 110'' screen very clean picture. awesome colors for an out of the box setup. The 3D was purely amazing and breathtaking, I watched hubble on 3D and I thought I was traveling through space literally. Other features like 2d to 3d conversion, and frame interpolation, and super resolution are totally useless for us purists because it takes away from the natural film like picture integrating artifacts and a sense of fake motion to video content.

But.... Here is the catch!. Its got a geometry problem. I will try to post pictures later, but on the uper right side of the screen there is a dip of about half and inch degree, and on bottom right aswell, so the screen pictured is not square. Is very slight but Is enough to bother the crap out of me when watching 1:78:1 material. I can't see it on 2:35:1 because of the unused space on top and bottom, and blacks are good enought to not see the bars. My wife says it doesn't bother her but it bugs me a little too much. So the bottom line is that I am kind of dissapointed with the quality issues I've been having. I am sick and tired of trading defective material from epson. This time I will ask for them to fix it in their facility here in salt lake. My warraty doesn't end until april maybe I could live with it for a month or so and take to their repairing facility.

Bottom line. Epson has great costumer service. The best service you will ever get in any company. But if you want quality go JVC or Sony, you can even go panasonic and probably not get as many issues. If you want to get away from headaches, do not go for an epson. Like I said I love their costumer support! They are more than great! they are literally awesome but they seriously have a bad quality problem with their products.