Another Amazing Projector!

What is It?
The HD70 is a new HD projector that breaks the resolution/cost barrier nicely.

Why Do I Want it?
I can't stress this enough: If you want home theatre and haven't seen one of these projectors set-up properly lately, you're in for a shock. You can have a 10 foot wide movie screen in your home with a picture that will look like a GIANT plasma screen or small theatre screen. If you can fully control the light in the room (make it dark) this unit is about 50 times nicer than ANY LCD or Plasma screen with their relatively small screens. I have a friend who recently spend 6K on a BIG LCD and when he saw what this 939,00 projector can do he nearly cried. Projectors are still sort of a secret. Many people just have no idea that these inexpensive units have gotten this good. A fellow who's a manager at a big box electronics store told me that they make more money selling sets and avoiding the slightly more complex projector issues, so there's not a big push to sell them there. But he agreed that if they set one up in the dark, it would devastate standard LCD and plasma sales. I agree.

Performance:
Mounted in my 16X22 home theatre room on the ceiling, I set seating distances at 13 & 18 feet. Previously I had a Infocus 4805 which is nearly have the resolution and that unit was awesome, but the 70 is even better, brighter and sharper. With my SVS subs, Revel speakers and proper setup we have a 126' image that looks 100% theatre like in it's presentation and my wife thinks it looks even sharper and more detailed. Our sound of course is far better than any theatre. If you want a theatre experience in the home, this is it.

The real cost:
Well, let's be honest. You won't walk out the door for a grand with a giant home theatre package. You'll need a projector mount, screen, cables, DVD player and a full home theatre system to really enjoy this, but it doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg. You can find a perfectly nice 106 inch screen for around 250 dollars and ebay has great model specific mounts for 35 dollars. Cables may cost another 30-100 dollars. Add a low end home theatre in a box and you might have a nice setup for under 2000.00. But remember that it will be far nicer than any LCD or Plasma (I've had all of them!).

Nitpicks:
Color and black levels are great on this unit, but do fall short of models that cost in the 5-10K range. That's to be expected. The unit looks okay, but is hardly state of the art in appearance. Noise levels are better than my older Infocus, but it's not "quiet" either. You'll certainly hear this unit unless you build a "hush box" as some folks do. Most people have no problem with the computer like fan noise, but this is an area for improvement.

Is this HI DEF?
720 is hi def, sort of middle of the road. But don't let that fool you. My older projector had much lower resolution and looked AMAZING. It's not all about the numbers, folks. It's about black levels and contrast. This is why the Infocus 4805 with it's low resolution looks better than some units costing much more with higher resolution. Seating distance also plays a big role here. My friend's older 1080 projector is generally stomped by the Infocus and Optoma and it's all due to black levels that create the "movie" image we equate with seeing a movie in the dark.

Well?
Well what? You can snicker at these projectors all you want. LCD and Plasma owners have one great advantage; they can watch their sets in a bright room. But if true home theatre is what you're after this is cat's pajamas. Nothing else comes close at ANY price except better projectors. For most people these units are a revelation. The first time I hooked up my little Infocus unit I was blown away....and now with the Optoma I still am. The Infocus is now used for outdoor movies in our yard! What a wonderful treat these projectors are for cinema fans....just buy one and see!

Capt RB