What do you guys think of the OPTOMA HD70?

Inspector Hammer! · 09-20-2007, 05:09 AM

It's time to retire the ol' Infocus SP 4805, mainly because my warranty expired and i've got a couple of blown mirrors on my DLP chip producing a slowly growing dark wedge on my screen and I don't like the idea of owning a projector without a warranty, and looked around online and found the Optoma HD70.

By all accounts it looks to be a solid projector for the price and I was looking to get a projector that had a naitive rez of at least 720p (can't afford a full-on 1080p just yet) because I plan to get into Blu-Ray come tax time so this seems to suit my requirements, but how is it in terms of performance and quality? How does Blu-Ray look on it?

My main concern isn't the color since DLP produces outstanding color, my main point of concern is black level, can this projector give me the great blacks that i'm used to from my 4805? I don't want to go back to the foggy blacks produced by my X1.

I've read a couple of reviews online but i'd like to get the opinions of HTF members because I trust this forum more than some random reviews found on the web.

Thanks.

Jim Mcc · 09-20-2007, 03:47 PM

I do not own the HD70, but I do own the Mits. HD1000, which is very similiar. Both have a white segment on the color wheel for extra brightness, which does not help the black level. I'm very happy with the HD1000, but if you're a big black level freak, you may not like the HD70. There's a long thread at Avsforum on the HD70 you should check out. The HD1000 is a huge upgrade from my X1.

Inspector Hammer! · 09-20-2007, 04:06 PM

Well, my problem is that I will only have 1,000 to spend on any projector I decide on and the Optoma sounds like it fills my requirments as far as features. I plan to wait until black Friday to get one in the hopes that I can steal it for a song when everyone has their big sales but i'm not going to count on that.

As for the black level, as long as it's comparible to the 4805 than that's fine, i'm really looking for either equal or better.

drobbins · 09-20-2007, 05:08 PM

I also started out with a 4805 and I upgraded to the HD70 this year. Unfortunately I could not do a side by side comparison. The 4805 is still in my old house and the HD70 is in my new theater. I also changed my DVD player and started using the HDMI input. Both were projected on a Screen Goo painted wall and calibrated with Avia. With that all in mind, the HD70 has the better picture. I did not notice any black level difference, but I did not specifically look for it either. The 720 resolution obviously gives a much sharper picture. The colors on the HD70 seem more accurate and brighter.
The only downside to the HD70 that I have is a strange issue. I use a harmony remote to turn everything on. Once it is all on, and I press another button, the projector goes to the 4:3 ratio. I know the issue is with the projector because I have taken the remote into the other room and pressed buttons and then back to the theater. Still the next button changes ratios.

Anyway the HD70 is a step up, and I bought it for the same reasons that your are thinking of and I am very happy with it.

Inspector Hammer! · 09-20-2007, 06:27 PM

Hmm, thanks, drobbins, your post is very encouraging, right now it looks like my next projector will be the Optoma HD70.

Plus I looked online and replacement lamps for the HD70 are $50.00 cheaper than the 4805 which are a whopping $350.00 a pop (and I mean pop literally, that's what damaged my mirrors)!

You stated that you upgraded for the same reason, do you mean you've got the same dark spot on your 4805 or that you wanted to get into BD?

**HTF Ads**

drobbins · 09-20-2007, 07:03 PM

No, The 4805 is still working fine

. I was referring to

Quote:

By all accounts it looks to be a solid projector for the price and I was looking to get a projector that had a naitive rez of at least 720p (can't afford a full-on 1080p just yet)

frogpond · 09-21-2007, 08:58 AM

Don't know if you have thought about LCD but the Sanyo Z5 is now down to around 1k at BH Photo/Video. Safe place to buy from and great prices!

Jesse Skeen · 09-22-2007, 11:02 PM

If any of the mirrors on a DLP chip go out, I assume you have to replace the entire chip if you don't want to replace the whole TV? How expensive is that?

Inspector Hammer! · 09-22-2007, 11:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jesse Skeen

If any of the mirrors on a DLP chip go out, I assume you have to replace the entire chip if you don't want to replace the whole TV? How expensive is that?

Yep, the whole chip has to be replaced and with no warranty it would cost me $160.00 to get it repaired. A far cry from 1K yes but as I said I don't feel comfortable owning a projector with no warranty because so much can happen to these things that it could get expensive really fast.

Let's say I pay to get it repaired and then I buy a new lamp for it, that's $350.00, then after about a month or two the color wheel starts to go bad, something i've had happen on two occasions with the X1. I was told that to repair a projector with a bad color wheel the entire engine would need to be replaced and that's essentially like replacing the engine of a car, expensive without a warranty so I would probably be better off getting a new one anyway.

With no warranty as a safety net it's potentially too costly to continue holding onto the 4805 at this point.

Chris, i'm a huge fan of DLP so I think i'll stick with that.