HDTV-compatible (720p) projector for under 1,000.00 US$

INTRO

Purchasing a device to watch movies and television is no easy thing these days. Plasma, LCD, Rear-Projection, CRT, or HD-Ready are only a few words to be confronted with. And when thinking about getting a big-screen, it does not make the decision any easier. It adds actually a couple of more words to the vocabulary, as projectors enter the stage, just in order to confuse the movie enthusiast even more.

As I got tired of watching DVD's and LD's on a sort of small big bulb TV I started looking at the big-screen plasma TVs. Needless to say, the larger the picture, the bigger the hole in my account would have been. Rear-Projection units are an alternative, even though these machines are huge and needy in terms of space. So I decided to purchase a projector in order to get a huge picture without spending more than 3,000.00 US$. Luckily prices for projectors are going down and even many of the low-priced devices already come with the technology to meet advanced expectations.

WHY THIS UNIT?

In the first place I was looking at the following units:

Infocus IN72 native resolution 854x480 pixel
Optoma HD70 native resolution 1280x720 pixel
Optoma HD72 native resolution 1280x768 pixel
Sanyo PLV-Z3 native resolution 1280x720 pixel

All of them come with HDMI, component, composite and S-video inputs.

Notably the Optoma HD70 is the first DLP (Digital Light Processing) projector with a native resolution of 1280x720 pixel (also called 720p) to go underneath the line of 1,000.00 US$. Therefore it offers big screen HDTV at a comparably low price.

The Infocus IN72 went out of my focus due to its lower resolution and a price pretty close to the Optoma HD70 (the IN72 looks very good, though). The Sanyo PLV-Z3 gets close to the HD70, but with a lower Image Brightness (800 ANSI vs. 1000 ANSI), a lower contrast ratio (2000:1 vs. 3000:1), and a price tag of about 1,300.00 US$. Which explains why the Optoma HD72 had to leave my list, as this unit runs around 1,500.00 US$. Plus, in terms of video performance the HD70 and HD72 are siblings. In case you are planning to give data presentations the HD72 might be the weapon of choice, though, as it offers a DVI input, too. The HD70 comes "only" with RS-232. On the other hand you have to keep in mind that DVI might be replaced by other standards in the not so far future (like UDI - Unified Display Interface). An important issue as the HD72 costs around 500 US$ more than the HD70.

TO CONSIDER IN GENERAL

As a very smooth and preferably white wall will do good as a projection surface, a real screen is something nice to add. This will raise the bar above 1,000.00 US$, but still keeps the investment under the sum needed for a plasma screen of a comparable size.

Besides that it makes sense to be able to install the unit underneath the ceiling, right in front of the screen. The unit offers horizontal and vertical correction, but due to my ability to place the unit on the perfect spot, I did not hassle with this feature.

Also to keep in mind is the fact that every projector has a limited lamp life. According to the manufacturer the lamp of this projector runs for about 2000 hours in normal or 3000 hours in economy mode. At a replacement price of about 400 US$ this equals about 0.20 US$/hour in normal or less than 0.15 US$/hour in economy mode.

VIDEO COMPATIBILITY

The native resolution of this projector is 1280x720 pixel. Overall in terms of video compatibility it offers the following standards, even though 1080i and 1080p will be scaled, which means a lack of quality:

HDTV (720p, 1080i, 1080p),
SDTV (480i/p, 576i)

NTSC (M/J, 3.58/4.43 MHz),
PAL (B,D,G,H,I,M,N),
SECAM (B, D, G, K, L)

SOUND

Most people would not consider running the sound through a projector. This is needless thinking with this unit anyway, as it comes without any loudspeaker(s).

Something to consider is the noise of the unit, though. The data sheet states 28dB, caused by the fan. This is some sort of a problem with all projectors, even though the level of this unit runs within a normal level. At least it did not distract guests or myself during watching movies. Some other brands hit the 30dB level and cost more than this unit.

DIMENSIONS

This unit can be run from a coffee table, even though my partner would never allow any cables running through the living or family room. Therefore it is a good idea to mount the unit to the ceiling. Unfortunately the ceiling mount is an optional accessory.

In terms of size (as well as weight) it fits on a coffee table, though.

Width 16"
Height 4.6"
Length 12.2"

Weight 5 lbs

PICTURE QUALITY

Comparing the quality of the picture is sort of difficult as I own no old projector. But having seen some plasma TV's at several stores I got to admit that I am very satisfied with my purchase. And the brightness level is good enough to have some ambient light on. Using this unit in a living room with no blinds or heavy curtains is no good idea, though. Mine is installed in a family room in the basement, which leaves me with great viewing experiences. Even video games are no problem.

CONNECTIVITY

The HD70 has HDMI, component, composite, s-video, and RS-232 inputs (one each).

ACCESSORIES

The HD70 comes with a wireless remote control as well as component, composite, and s-video cables. Batteries for the remote are included. Also it comes with a lens cap, manual and a power cord.

DESIGN

This unit will not win any design award. Actually the casing looks a little bit cheap, too. But when it is installed under the ceiling, all concerns are blown away.

RESULT

This is a very nice unit at a very competitive price.