MT700 Projector woes

Well, I am without my Toshiba MT700 front projector this week. I just Fed Ex'd my unit to Topps (Toshiba's Repair Vendor) last friday due to a bad HDMI connection. I had this problem a month ago but just trying a different HDMI cable and then going back to my old one seemed to have made the problem go away. A month later, with no change or movement to the projector, the picture went out and I would see a lime colored bar / stripe projected onto my screen every few seconds. I tried another HDMI cable just to be sure it was not my original cable. A little wiggle on the HDMI connection with the new cable would only mometarily bring the picture back.

Also from the forums, there is also a good number of bulbs burning out prematurely on the MT700 as well as it's twin, BenQ PE7700. BenQ has indicated that they had a initial batch of bad bulbs from it's OEM. Some speculate the ballast system (the component that powers the bulb) could be at fault. With bulbs only having a 90 day warranty and at $400 a pop to replace, it's defnitely nothing to sneeze at. However I have read that due to the known bulb issue, BenQ is replacing original bulbs that have past the 90 day warranty at no charge. I don't know yet if Toshiba will do the same. What is more troubling is that Toshiba has exited the home theater projector business but will still honor the two year warranty.

With all the troubles above I did experience buyer's remorse for a few days. After all I did spend a lot of time researching the MT700. It was not new technology but it was one of the first production unit that rolled off the line. And of course it is not uncommon for early production units to have bugs.

If I had to do it all over again today I would likely pick the reputable Optoma H77 or the H78DC3 but at the time I bought my Toshiba MT700, the Optoma H77 was $1500 more. Today the H77 is ~$500 more and the newer model H78DC3 is ~$1500 more.

The upside is that Toshiba has covered all the overnight shipping expenses to and fro. I have also read a number of MT700 owners experiencing quick Service...with total repair time including air shipping being one week. I hope to have that kind of luck!

Yes, good asian restaurants actually do exist down here

You will have absolutely no problem finding a hearty steakhouse or a good Mexican dive in this area. But if you're in the mood for decent asian food it can get a little tricky...not needle-in-a-haystack-tricky but they are just not as abundant as say..the bay area. There are a number of decent Thai places around here and a pretty nice Vietnamese restaurant nearby us. There is a great Chinese-Korean restaurant about 15 min away. Haven't been to the Indian or Japanese restaurants around here but Viks knows a few good ones. It took a while but Viks and I have finally found a really good authentic Korean Restaurant. We use to drive an hour to places like BCD Tofu house to get decent Korean but now no more! The place is pretty non-descript, the food is fantastic and the service is top notch. The only minus is that it's in area where I personally would be afraid to walk through at night. And for dessert? I'm not so much into Pearl tea but there is a Lollicup very close to us.

Edwin and Loretta's wedding

Post ceremony luncheon. I guess this was decoration since no one ate them. Too bad I am watching my carbs...

A picture from Edwin + Loretta's wedding from last Sat (9/10) at Lakeside Presbyterian Church. Congratulations again Ed + Loretta!

CEDIA EXPO 2005 (no I didn't go)

When it comes to consumer electronics it's typically viewed as a waiting game. The longer you wait, the more prices fall, and technology always gets better. But I also think timing matters w/ respect to your personal situation...finding that balance between enjoying now/near future vs never enjoying cause you're always waiting . Then there's also the questions that I always ask myself to minimize my own buyer's remorse and influences the timing of when and what I buy -> "If I buy this now, how long will it be before prices plunge?" and "If I hold out for just a bit longer, is there something just around the corner that offers a much better value?" The answers to these questions can often be inferred in consumer electronics shows like CEDIA. While I am a consumer electronics freak (mostly home theater), I don't really make it a point to go to electonics shows like CEDIA or CES for two main reasons: 1) Internet forums and media cover it pretty well 2) What one would see during those shows are often times not truly representative of what the final product will be . All rambling aside, if you've been wanting an HD display but holding out due to price, it looks very much like a heavy push by the MFG'ers for 1080p in the various forms (DLP, LCD, LCOS, Sony's LCOS variant : SXRD) and y'all know that means some nice price reduction on the 720P sets. Even 50" plasma sets (1366 x 768) at your local Costco are now becoming very price competitive to DLP sets ($2699). Here is great summary article on this years CEDIA with some nice pictures.

1/N Heuristic

Finally got off my lazy arse to implement our new plan. It is currently "1/N Heuristic" which is just the fancy academic term for dividing your assets equally into specific investment funds. Others would call this the "couch potato" or "lazy man's" portofolio.

Domestic
VTSMX Total Stock Market (Wilshire 5000) 14.3%
VFINX S&P 500 Index 14.3%
VEXMX Extended Market Index (Wilshire 4500 Mid-/Small-Cap) 14.3%
VISGX Small-Cap Growth Index (S&P Small-Cap 600/Barra Growth) 14.3%

Foreign
VEIEX Emerging Markets Stock Index (MSCI-EMG Free) 14.3%
VEURX European Stock Index MSCI-EUR 14.3%

Fixed Income
VIPSX TIPS: Inflation-Protected Securities 14.3%
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Total 100%




The long term plan is to further diversify by adding VISVX (S&P Small-Cap 600/Barra Value), VPACX (Pacific Stock Index MSCI-PAC), VWEHX (High-Yield Corporate Bonds), and VUSTX (Long-Term Treasury Bonds) and then optimize to arrive at something like this,



Domestic
VTSMX Total Stock Market (Wilshire 5000) 5%
VFINX S&P 500 Index 15%
VEXMX Extended Market Index (Wilshire 4500 Mid-/Small-Cap) 10%
VISGX Small-Cap Growth Index (S&P Small-Cap 600/Barra Growth) 5%
VISVX S&P Small-Cap 600/Barra Value 5%

Foreign
VEIEX Emerging Markets MSCI-EMG Free 15%
VPACX Pacific Stock Index MSCI-PAC 5%
VEURX European Stock Index MSCI-EUR 10%

Fixed Income
VIPSX TIPS: Inflation-Protected Securities 10%
VWEHX High-Yield Corporate Bonds 10%
VUSTX Long-Term Treasury Bonds 10%
------ ----
Total 100%


I have a penchant for Vanguard funds based on their no load funds & low costs. While ETFs are "hot" these days, our personal strategy is to dollar cost average which offsets the benefits of ETFs.


Disclaimer: The above is not intended as advice to anyone. Everyone has their own unique circumstances, biases, etc. But I really would like to exchange investment views from other people. And if you have been putting off your own plan (like I did for a long time), I hope this gives you a bit of a nudge. That is why I posted this. No, it wasn't for self adulation or to make myself feel smart.