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Optoma Projectors

Optoma PK301 Review

The PK301 is larger than my 3M Pro120 with greater resolution and a significantly brighter/sharper picture. I don’t notice any of the rainbow effects that are sometimes a nuisance on my 120. It throws a 32 inch diagonal 16×9 aspect picture from 4ft away which is bright enough to be enjoyed in most office lighting conditions (overhead florescent). The picture quality is very good and can certainly beat the quality of a regular TV. The built in speaker is good enough for my kids to watch cartoon while sitting just behind the projector.

The focus-ring in PK301 is great and makes it easy to get a tack-sharp picture. You can operate all the controls with your thumbs because they are centered on the top of the machine with the exception of the on/off button which is on the side. It accepts a camera tripod (not included), and I bought a mini-one to set on a desk/table top for when I connect to my netbook or something.

The battery is not enough. I get about 30-40 mins, but unlike many projectors, you can use the power cord while the projector is running for unlimited working time. My final verdict is still PK301 is excellent and highly recommended.

Optoma HD20 Review

 My Initial impressions of Optoma HD20 are very positive, based on about 10 hours of viewing & tweaking. A lot of bright running in low power mode. The high resolution (1920 X 1080) approaches that for a typical 2k digital cinema, so my 145″ diagonal screen, viewed from about 15 feet distance, provides a very pleasing movie experience.

HD20 is good looking, gloss-white finish. Low-noise fan on normal-bulb mode. 4000 hours lamp life on econo is greater then most projectors! Good enough to use in bright mode to use with lights turned on in the room. In the dark, it looks simply amazing! 1080p content looks very good. Blu-rays played from a PS3 (or other blu-ray player) look awesome.
Perfect for video games. HD20 works well with PS3 and 360 consoles. When using my PS3 with my TV I set the RGB color-spectrum to limited range in the display options on the PS3. On the TV, with the setting on full it would be far too dark and black out way too much shadow detail. On this projector you can turn on full-range and make use of the entire spectrum and it will give you better blacks and whites this way.

 There are lots of options for adjusting brightness, contrast, sharpness, etc. Everything you find on current HDTV’s seems to be a setting you can change in HD20.The Optoma features automatic shut-off which you can adjust.

 Auto-focus would have been a nice option had it been there. I find it very hard to believe you can buy this for under $1000.

Optoma GT700 Customer Reviews

1. My primary uses of Optoma GT700 include mostly Xbox 360 and PS3, although I do hook it up to my computer from time to time. Halo and COD: Black Ops are pretty legit, especially multiplayer.

I wouldn’t say that a bigger picture is an advantage in multiplayer, but it’s definitely nicer just to have and rub in my friends’ faces that I have a 10 foot screen. Movies are pretty awesome as well. ESPN3 on Xbox 360 is pretty cool, although your quality of video for live events is based on your internet connection.

2. I was originally looking at plasma TVs to hook up to a Playstation 3 and cable box to watch football and baseball games in HD. However, I was really impressed with a $2500 projector a friend had bought, but that was way out of my price bracket.

I saw the Optoma GT700 and thought for $650 I would get a projector that was a quarter as good, but for the same price as a 50 inch plasma screen. How wrong I was! This projector is almost as good as the top of the range models and makes even the largest plasma and LCD screens look poor.

Set up is easy, I was playing games and watching HD TV on a 12 foot wall within 20 minutes of opening the box. You are only restricted by the size of the wall you can project on. It works reasonably well in lit conditions, but really comes into its own in the dark, it’s just like being in the cinema, but the snacks are cheaper!

The only problem is that once you start watching TV on Optoma GT700 you won’t want to watch it on your tiny 52inch screen anymore. If you are looking for a TV for your basement, this is the one.