Optoma HD 73

[bronx1973]

Has anyone bought a Optoma HD 73. I am considering purchasing one for myself, but I have not found any reviews on it and would like to get some opinions before purchasing.
Has anyone read any reviews? Or have any personal experiences?

Thanks
Bronx1973

 

[Rob Babcock]

I haven't read any full blown reviews yet. My guess is that it's a good machine, based on my experiences with Optoma and the measured specs. Last I checked ProjectorPeople had one in their open-box section, with full warranty, and pretty cheap.

 

[bronx1973]

Looks good

It does look to have some great specs:
DarkChip3™ DLP technology
1100 lumens with a 6000:1 contrast ratio in ImageAI™ mode
HD compatibility 1080p
BrilliantColor™ technology
TrueVivid™ color enhancement
Wide angle zoom lens with throw ratio of 1.58-1.90:1
Light shield design and ultra-quiet operation
Dual digital HD connectivity (DVI-I and HDMI)
5x color wheel to give superior viewing

I am interested to hear what they say about the HD Compatibility 1080p.

 

[BMXTRIX]

It's a pretty standard 1280x768 projector as far as I can tell. It isn't bad, but it sits right around where many of the other 1280x768 projectors are for specifications. The addition of 1080p compatibility really means nothing unless 1080p is the native rate of the projector.

Looking at the specs:
http://www.projectorcentral.com/pdf/projector_spec_3443.pdf

I just would be hard pressed to pay much more for this projector than say the HD70... At a bit under $2K, it's not a bad price, but no lens shift... Any projector without lens shift is fine if you are very careful with your placement, but the second you have to use digital keystone correction you are messing around with your image quality.

Keep in mind: The 'average' 1280x768 (or 1280x720) projector is damn near phenomenal these days.

 

[Rob Babcock]

I'm sure the Dark Chip3 is going to do a lot better than the HD70 with regards to contrast & black level. Plus I suspect the HD73 will have better color accuracy thru all the inputs (vs 8 bit color on some inputs for the '70). I agree it's in the middle of a crowded pack and may not be a "great" value.

I really hope the Mitsubishi HC3100 will be sold in the US. Some early reviews make it sound like the PJ to beat under $3000.

 

[bronx1973]

Compared to the Mitsubishi 1000, Optoma HD73 seems to beat it in the specs at least with its Dark 3 and contrast. But is it worth a extra 1k more?

 

[BMXTRIX]

That's one of those 'your call' decisions. IMO, no, it wouldn't be worth it to get a 10% increase in overall performance for a 100% increase in price. Especially if you think you are going to like front projection which means you likely WILL want to upgrade the projector to 1080p in a year or two when it drops in price to $2K or so.

But, my opinion is not necessarily what your opinion is.