Optoma HD33 review
Fantastic for 3D, but it’s otherwise a fairly average performer. There are better choices at this price
Specifications
1,920×1,080 resolution, 1,800 ANSI lumens, 122x380x313mm, 4.5kg
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The four preset picture modes are good starting points, but none of them made our test footage look its best. Thankfully, we could adjust the brightness, contrast, colour and sharpness, as well as Optoma’s Pure Engine, for noise reduction and motion smoothing.
2D footage looked slightly washed out at the default settings, but this was easily fixed with a few tweaks to the colours. Contrast wasn’t as good as we’d expected, particularly in darker scenes, and there was an unmistakable rainbow effect in places. It took some fighting with the manual lens to get images looking sharp: it moves slightly after you let go.
The HD33 doesn’t have an integrated receiver for its active shutter glasses; you have to connect the bundled external wireless emitter to the projector. It’s omnidirectional, unlike other projectors we’ve seen, so the supplied glasses had no trouble picking up a signal. 3D footage jumped off the screen in a way other projectors fail to match and, despite the 1,800-lumen lamp, the image remained bright and there was very little flicker from the lights in our test room.
Optoma’s high-end projectors carry serious gravitas, but the HD33 feels a little too stripped back to reach such a low price. The manual lens adjustment is less precise than we would like and 2D picture quality is nothing special. It’s a fine choice if 3D is your main priority but a better option is Epson’s cheaper EH-TW5900, which has equally immersive 3D but much better 2D image quality.
Details | |
---|---|
Price | £1,296 |
Details | www.optoma.co.uk |
Rating | **** |
Specifications | |
Projector technology | DLP |
Lamp brightness | 1,800 ANSI lumens |
Lamp life | 3,000 |
Lamp life in economy mode | 4,000 |
Contrast ratio | 4,000:1 |
Picture | |
Native resolution | 1,920×1,080 |
Max compressed resolution | 1,600×1,200 |
Aspect ratio | 16:9 |
Other aspect ratios | 16:10, 4:3, 5:4 |
Max diagonal at 7ft | 59in |
Throw ratio | 1.5:1 to 1.8:1 |
Optical zoom | 1.2x |
Projection distance | 1.5m to10m |
Mirror image | yes |
Invert image | yes |
Lens shift horizontal | 0% |
Lens shift vertical | 0% |
HD Ready | yes |
Special view modes | Cinema, Reference, Photo, Bright |
Inputs/Outputs | |
VGA input | yes |
DVI input | No |
Sound inputs | none |
Composite input | yes |
S-video input | no |
HDMI input | yes |
PAL support | yes |
SECAM support | yes |
NTSC support | yes |
Audio output | none |
Video output | VGA |
Others inputs/outputs | USB service port, RS232, DC 12V trigger |
Other | |
Noise (in normal use) | 30dB(A) |
Size | 122x380x313mm |
Weight | 4.5kg |
Internal speakers | none |
Extras | remote, cables (power) |
Remote special features | aspect ratio, colour mode, 3D mode, input select |
Power consumption standby | 1W |
Power consumption on | 246W |
Lamp | |
Lamp cost (inc VAT) | £190 |
Lamp supplier | www.projectorpoint.co.uk |
Lamp cost per hour of use | £0.06 |
Lamp cost per hour of use (economy) | £0.04 |
Buying Information | |
Price | £1,296 |
Supplier | http://www.projectorpoint.co.uk |
Details | www.optoma.co.uk |