Optoma HD70 Review |
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Reviewed: 21 May 2007
Design
With a high gloss white finish and grey trim on the sides and rear, the Optima HD70 certainly looks the part. Its not quite as space age as some of the more aggressively styled projectors out there but neither is it as bland as some of the overly square units either. With curves in all the right places, the HD70 will appeal to those who want a stylish piece of kit that is not too radically styled. radical.
Features
The processing heart of the Optoma HD70 is DarkChip2™ DLP® Technology by Texas Instruments which has been designed to enhance projector contrast and optimize colour uniformity. DarkChip2 supports BrilliantColor technology which adjusts the gamma settings of the HD70. In addition, TrueVivid technology enhances image quality by increasing the depth of field and TrueVision deinterlacing technology eliminates jagged edges.
Resolution: 1280 x 720 Brightness: 1000 ANSI Lumens Contrast: 4,000:1 Noise Level: 28/30 dB (STD/Bright mode) Dimensions: 236(w) x 105(h) x 277(d)mm Weight: 2.5kg OTHER FEATURES: ImageAI, BrilliantColour. CONNECTIONS: HDMI, Scart (via adapter), Component, Composite, S-video, PC input.
The Optoma HD70 sports a standard array of connections including HDMI, Scart (via adapter), Composite, Component and VGA for hooking up a PC.
Similar to a "dynamic iris" system we have seen on other projectors, the HD70 incorporates 'Image AI' which improves contrast levels by adjusting the lamp output according to the degree of luminance measured at the input source. In a nutshell, black levels are adjusted on a frame by frame basis to suit the scene.
If we hadn't been convinced at this point that the Optoma HD70 will punch above its weight, then a quadspeed, seven-segment colour wheel drives home the point, ensuring that the performance of this unit will have no hint of the rainbow effect. (appearing usually when a bright moving object moves against a very dark background).
Through the projectors menu system a choice of Preset modes are available which include: Cinema (for home theatre), Bright, TV, Photo (best for colour reproduction) and User.
The HD70 projector's 1.2:1 zoom lens allows a certain amount of flexibility. but it does not have an adjustable lens shift (typical for DLP projectors).
Performance
We were immediately impressed with the Optima's Black Level performance. Subtle detailing with darker film scenes is the outstanding capability of this unit, with impressive graduation from lighter to the darkest scenes.
Equally impressive is the HD70's almost entirely noise-free pictures. This is a class leading feature, and contributes to a thoroughly engaging viewing experience. High Definition (HD) DVD's are a joy to watch with a sharpness and clarity only seen on much higher priced projectors.
Not so good is the Optima HD70's colour reproduction, with occasional lack of subtlety of graduation between colours. Skin tones immediately show the flaws of this unit, with visible 'blocks' of colour in some situations. 8-bit processing is clearly not meaty enough to handle this aspect of picture processing. In defence of the HD70, the colour problems are not blatantly obvious, and overall saturation and accuracy is good.
Where the Optoma HD70 stands out against the budget crowd is its flexibility. It is more than capable of handling some ambient light whereas its similarly priced counterparts will struggle. This makes the HD70 ideal for occasional use for TV or Gaming for example.
At around 28db, the Optima HD70 is fairly quiet, but with ImageAI operational, the noise rises by a good 5-6 decibels. If you're after a quiet life, then the HD70 may not be the projector for you. Remember that DLP projectors are typically noisier than their LCD competitors.
Conclusion
At around £700 the Optima HD70 is a very capable projector. For a better performing unit, you will need to spend twice as much as this which makes the HD70 remarkable value, and an ideal first foray into the world of home cinema projection.
