Optoma CinemaX P1 4K UHD/HDR Short Throw Laser Projector (1 Viewer)

[JSHeacock]

For the uninformed (me): what happens when your AVR reads a Dolby Vision source and sends that signal on to a projector like this one that doesn't support DV? Does it just display the source material in a UHD format it can process or does it not display an image at all (like, getting an error message)?

 

[Adamsatl]

I can tell you how I set mine up. First I set the projector on the stand sitting level and moved it around until the image on the wall measured 59" tall. (the height of a 120" 16:9 image) Then I measured the distance from the floor to the top of the image. Marked the top of the image with masking tape. From there I marked the location of the brackets for the screen. Hung the screen, then moved the projector around and made small adjustments to the feet until it filled the screen. My screen has a 1/2" bezel, so that was my margin for error. I didn't have to use any geometry correction. It took a while though. As you know small adjustments can make a large difference.
If you try this method, I would first make sure any geometry correction is disabled. Good luck, I know it can be frustrating.

That looks great!!! I have it dialed in pretty nice right now, but I made the mistake of hanging the screen first. I may need to take it down and re-evaluate screen placement. My main problem is that I have a 2 1/2 inch bezel around the screen and the screen sits back about 3/4 of an inch so I get a small shadow at the bottom of the screen where the laser hits the bezel. It's not very noticeable but I notice it. There is a shadow of about a 1/8th of an inch at the bottom. It doesn't really bother me that much.

It's supposed to rain this weekend so I may go spend some quality time in the shop and build a stand. All in all I'm really happy with the picture so far. I have to say that I was disappointed with the lack of fine tuning. I'd like to slide the whole picture down an inch. I can do it by just mounting the screen an inch higher but I was really hoping for a better fine tuning option with the projector settings.

Thanks again for all the help and suggestions. When I get it setup with the new stand I'll have to post some pictures.

 

[Matt Miller]

That looks great!!! I have it dialed in pretty nice right now, but I made the mistake of hanging the screen first. I may need to take it down and re-evaluate screen placement. My main problem is that I have a 2 1/2 inch bezel around the screen and the screen sits back about 3/4 of an inch so I get a small shadow at the bottom of the screen where the laser hits the bezel. It's not very noticeable but I notice it. There is a shadow of about a 1/8th of an inch at the bottom. It doesn't really bother me that much.

It's supposed to rain this weekend so I may go spend some quality time in the shop and build a stand. All in all I'm really happy with the picture so far. I have to say that I was disappointed with the lack of fine tuning. I'd like to slide the whole picture down an inch. I can do it by just mounting the screen an inch higher but I was really hoping for a better fine tuning option with the projector settings.

Thanks again for all the help and suggestions. When I get it setup with the new stand I'll have to post some pictures.

Sounds good. I think we're all learning as we go with these new UST projectors.

 

[Bryan^H]

UST LASER 4K!!...This may be my next projector this year yet. I'm gong to have to drop down 22" for the max screen size of 120", but 120" is still huge. I think I can, I think I can.

 

[Robert_Zohn]

Actually, LG's HU85LA can deliver a larger than 120" 16x9 image by moving the projector back.

At our store demo launch we had two HU85LAs set-up. One in our main showroom with a 100" SI UST ALR Zero Edge screen and one HU85LA was set-up in our dedicated theater demo room where the image we displayed size was 128"

 

[Bryan^H]

The projectoreviews piece for the P1 got delayed.
Very disappointed, as their deep review is much needed for this single laser projector.

LG is just a couple $thousand out of my range, as I need to purchase a new ALR screen also. And they are not cheap.

 

[Robert_Zohn]

Optoma, and I believe all dealers are sold out till end of November - early December.

We have our store demo P1 left from our last allocation and no more till ^ what I listed above.

 

[Valheru]

Hello guys. I’m new to the forum and was hoping to get some expert advice. I’m having a really difficult time deciding between this Optoma and the Vava. My room is pitch dark and I’ll initially be using a big white wall till I get a screen. The 3D is a huge plus.

Also should mention that I don’t have any audio equipment. I will prob do that in the future but I want the projector to have great sound too. Not sure if the P1 or the Vava is better from an audio standpoint

really appreciate any help / guidance that anyone can offer

Thanks,

Steve

 

[Matt Miller]

Hello guys. I’m new to the forum and was hoping to get some expert advice. I’m having a really difficult time deciding between this Optoma and the Vava. My room is pitch dark and I’ll initially be using a big white wall till I get a screen. The 3D is a huge plus.

Also should mention that I don’t have any audio equipment. I will prob do that in the future but I want the projector to have great sound too. Not sure if the P1 or the Vava is better from an audio standpoint

really appreciate any help / guidance that anyone can offer

Thanks,

Steve

I have a P1. I haven't tested out a Vava, but a few things to consider.
Optoma is a long time projector manufacturer. Vava is a new company.
The P1 has a 3 year warranty, the Vava has 1 year.
The P1 only recommends screens up to 120". The Vava is supposed to go up to 150".
The P1 is nearly silent. I've read that the Vava has much louder fans and some have coil whine.
I've seen a review that said the P1's image quality was slightly better. Maybe due to all glass lenses.
I've read several times that the software upgrade on the Vava's doesn't work. Not sure about that.
The P1 is several hundred dollars more and out of stock everywhere. I read that Optoma is raising prices on all their products due to tariffs here in the States. So the price is kind of an unknown. It may be possible to backorder one at the old price?
The Vava is readily available with some discounts.
I know either projector will display a fantastic image for you though.

Forgot to mention the P1's speakers sound better than I expected.

 

[Valheru]

Hey Matt,

Thanks for taking the time to help me with this decision. I just ordered the P1 I watched some more YouTube reviews and the one guy specifically mentioned how loud the Vava is. That would be really annoying... He also was saying that he has to constantly fiddle with the brightness and other video settings for each different movie he watches - sounds like a pain in the arse

Have you watched anything in 3D yet? I'm going to pick up some glasses but I need to find ones that fit over regular glasses... Some people complain about the active shutter glasses but based on my limited experience, the 3D effect is much better with active than passive

Anyway, thanks again. I'll let you know when I get it

Steve

 

[Bryan^H]

Next year....

 

[Matt Miller]

Hey Matt,

Thanks for taking the time to help me with this decision. I just ordered the P1 I watched some more YouTube reviews and the one guy specifically mentioned how loud the Vava is. That would be really annoying... He also was saying that he has to constantly fiddle with the brightness and other video settings for each different movie he watches - sounds like a pain in the arse

Have you watched anything in 3D yet? I'm going to pick up some glasses but I need to find ones that fit over regular glasses... Some people complain about the active shutter glasses but based on my limited experience, the 3D effect is much better with active than passive

Anyway, thanks again. I'll let you know when I get it

Steve

Sounds good. Haven't tried any 3D yet. Hope they get the second batch of P1's soon, so you don't have wait like we did for the first batch.

 

[Valheru]

Yeah, it's hard to get one of these things! I ordered from HD Vision Works who said they have them in stock and then told me they're on back order. I just ordered one from another place (also on back order) so we'll see when I actually get it. Other problem is the price is going up everywhere like you said to $3,799 and higher.

I still think this will be a better choice for me than the Vava. That noise issue would have driven me crazy and they told me that they're "planning on adding 3D" in February.

Thanks - Steve

 

[Valheru]

Hey, so it turns out that there are companies selling used and refurbished projectors as new, and HD Vision Works is on that list: https://www.optoma.com/us/unauthorized-dealers-list/ Might be canceling that order - the dude sounded kind of shady on the phone

There are still some companies selling @ $3,299 but they're all on backorder. Any chance anyone knows anything about this company? Thanks!

Projectorscreen.com

 

[Matt Miller]

Hey, so it turns out that there are companies selling used and refurbished projectors as new, and HD Vision Works is on that list: https://www.optoma.com/us/unauthorized-dealers-list/ Might be canceling that order - the dude sounded kind of shady on the phone

There are still some companies selling @ $3,299 but they're all on backorder. Any chance anyone knows anything about this company? Thanks!

Projectorscreen.com

Yep, I bought mine from Projectorscreen.com. I dealt with a guy named Brian Gluck. They're in New Jersey. Good customer service. They're an authorized dealer.

 

[Valheru]

Yep, I bought mine from Projectorscreen.com. I dealt with a guy named Brian Gluck. They're in New Jersey. Good customer service. They're an authorized dealer.

*whew* Thanks Matt, that’s great to know. Hoping they can ship in the next few weeks but even if it ends up being January... been waiting years to get a 4k projector ever since my old Epson 1080p projector died after about 4,000 hours

 

[Matt Miller]

*whew* Thanks Matt, that’s great to know. Hoping they can ship in the next few weeks but even if it ends up being January... been waiting years to get a 4k projector ever since my old Epson 1080p projector died after about 4,000 hours

Projectorscreen.com shows that it's expected to be in stock 12/16. Optoma has a promotion that gives a $200 gift card for the first 200 reviews posted on their site or Amazon. I got mine a few days ago. I looked, only 105 reviews have been submitted. Maybe you'll be able to get in on that.

 

[Bryan^H]

What is Amazon doing charging $4,400 for this (not 3rd party seller, direct through Amazon).

Are they crazy, or greedy?

 

[Matt Miller]

What is Amazon doing charging $4,400 for this (not 3rd party seller, direct through Amazon).

Are they crazy, or greedy?

Not sure about Amazons pricing, but it looks like the new price for the P1 will be $3799. I'm glad I bought mine in Sep. After the $200 review rebate I paid $3100.

 

[Valheru]

Hey Matt, the P1 came in right before Christmas... I am BLOWN AWAY... 2160p / HDR looks stunning, even on a white wall. The sound bar also puts out some serious sound...

I was watching Star Wars Mandalorian last night on my Nvidia Shield and it was super bad@ss... Superman (1978) and Wrath of Khan looke wicked and so does Planet Earth 2 in 2160p/HDR. You were right about it being quiet - I can't hear the thing at all.

The only "complaint" i have (if you'd even call it that) is the difficulty getting the shape of the screen configured. I do love the "green grid" warp calibration feature, and to be fair I'm not 100% sure that the surface of the wooden bench is parallel to the ground and that the wall is perpendicular to it

One pleasant surprise was that (especially when watching HDR...) I don't have to monkey around with any settings to get what I consider to be an incredible image. It automatically detects the HDR video and it just looks great. The simulated HDR is also pretty impressive, although certainly not as good as "real" HDR

Projector Screen is maybe one of the best companies I've ever ordered from. Norah and Brian Gluck were giving me constant updates on when the thing would ship and all that good stuff. Brian just sent me a list of 3d glasses to choose from... Going to order a pair today, I'll let you know how it goes

Thanks again,
Steve