Why buy a HD TV?! (Optoma HD700X)

Member Name: mattman101

Product:	Optoma HD700X
Date:	25/05/09 (333 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Amazing picture quality, great in most light conditions.

Disadvantages: Fan can be a little noisy when lamp is set to 'bright'.

A HD projector for £440? Surely it can't be that great, right? That's what I thought when I first started looking at this projector. It seemed mad to think that I could have a HD screen anything up to around 100" for that amount of money. Although I read a lot of positive reviews I wasn't prepared for how great this projector actually is. For £440 Optoma have created something amazing. A HD picture, bigger than any TV you can buy and just as good quality.

I've had the projector set up for about a week now and, to be honest, didn't really have the money to buy it at the time, so I was very hesitant about what the quality would be like. I set the projector about 3 meters back from a screen just over 60 inches and away we go. From that distance it projects an image 60 inches approx (although this is adjustable) in full 1080p high definition. I've also bought a Sony BDP-S350 Blu-ray player to accompany the projector. So... what does it look like?

The Positives -

I can't tell you how amazing the picture is from the Sony Blu-ray player. The image is sharp, bright and ... well amazing. It's like watching a movie in the cinema, it's incredible. I've already watched quite a few films on there, but so far the most impressive seem to be Wall-E, Batman: The Dark Knight and I Am Legend. It's hard to believe how an image so crisp and clear can be projected by a projector that cost me less than £500.

There are so many options available between both the Blu-ray player and projector, as to the picture settings, that anyone can set it up as to be just right for them. The projector also displays very well in lighter conditions. I've turned the light on my ceiling (between the projector and screen) right up and the image is still clear. This projector just proves how far technology has come in the past few years.

The Negatives -

As I have a large DVD collection, I'll obviously want to view some of them (up-scaled) on my projector. However, there is a considerable difference between viewing a Blu-ray on this projector and an up-scaled DVD. While the quality is still very good, it doesn't compare in any way with the image thrown out from a Blu-ray. This may be an issue worth considering. Also, the projector fan (when the lamp is turned onto the 'bright' setting) can be a little noisy. Although, I have the projector above my head and the fan hasn't been a problem for me.

Overall -

This projector proves there are alternatives to buying a very expensive 50" HD TV. In my opinion, this projector makes the viewing experience more pleasurable than watching a film on TV. For me, this is now the only way t watch a movie. For the price and quality of picture, you just can't go wrong.

As PC world are usually out of stock due to demand, I'd recommend projectorpoint.co.uk. The projector costs 457.70 and the people there are very helpful with any queries you have. They also sell projector screens for very reasonable prices. Their cheapest are the Sapphire range - I have one of these and the quality of screen is excellent. Bear in mind though, these screens are heavy. I bought mine from projector point and, with the screen, it cost me just over 500. Note: they do try to price match. Although they told me they couldn't price match PC World, they did give me free delivery!

Summary: After this, you couldn't go back to watching films on a regular TV. Cheaper and bigger than a HDTV.

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