9 out of 9 people found this review helpful.
Awesome for "Movies in the Pool"
Date of Review: Aug 22, 2009
The Bottom Line: Amazing detail at 1080i/720p for an extremely low price. Better than $3000 projectors I've seen in showrooms. Zooms nicely, easy to focus. Great widescreen presentation
Thinking about the HD71? Read on...
I have had the Optoma HD70 projector for about 3 1/2 years now and find nothing wrong with it. I know that sounds pessimistic. But, as a full-time trainer I've been underwhelmed by Optoma's performance in the board room.
However, the HD70 has been a true delight. We bought a 12' blowup screen and every summer (and the summers are 9 months long here in Phoenix) I'm putting up the projector for "Movies in the Pool" night as well as others.
The quality has been amazing. Even with the composite connection (you know, the single yellow RCA connector).
I've used my laptop's to play DVD's, a Sony DVD player and found the quality to be just fine using only our 7"portable DVD player. Really. I was quite surprised (it was kind of a pain to have to hook up the DVD player or Laptop) and happy.
But I haven't even mentioned the best part, Blu-Ray. Oh man, this thing is SWEET! No, it doesn't do 1080*P*, only 1080i. Still, you will notice a marked difference at 780p. Even with regular DVD's! Not "quite" the performance of 1080p with Blu-Ray, but still a fantastic picture. Action is crisp, clear and not blurry. Details using an 'up-conversion" (most bluray players can do this with DVD's nowadays) are amazingly detailed.
I do not see any 'rainbow effect". However, you *may* be one of the few individuals that may. You should look up what it is (only with DLP products) and look at the projector in a showroom before purchasing or have a good return policy just in case.
I normally have this mounted in my SoHo (Single Office Home Office) and use is ONLY for Movies. I have several largescreen TV's for that kind of viewing. I read the manual and discovered that it would work from about 7' to 13'4". Which is right about the limit for it to zoom out to my 102" pull down screen (I got a smokin' deal at Costco - $1100 for BOTH screen and projector).
However, for the outdoor projection, I've found it to work up to about 16'-18' away on the 12' blowup screen (I'm estimating here - but it's pretty accurate). even sitting 30 feet away it's like being at the drive-in.
It's so good, I'm thinking about putting it out front in the driveway and having a neighborhood "sit-in" movie night. Hmmm...
My advice:
- If you cannot obtain the HD70, you might try the HD71. It actually has the 1080p for FULL HD (using HDMI cable, of course).
- Insure that whatever you purchase can zoom AND like the HD70, shift the picture up or down.
I am perfectly happy with 720p since I only have the component (Red, Green, Blue coaxial wires) connection running from the media center through the ceiling to the projector. If I had HDMI, I would definitely get the HD71 since 1080p requires HDMI and you can ONLY get 720p with the component wires.
Conclusion:
I've used hundreds of different projectors over the last 17 years as a Master Instructor and Trainer, giving presentations to over 98,000 people all around the country. I am VERY picky about visual quality and this, the HD70 get's all "fives" from me.
**Now, I mentioned the HD71 earlier in this review. Based on my experience with THIS, the HD70, I would not hesitate to purchase the HD71 if the HD70 were no longer available. Indeed, if full 1080p is important to you (and you have the ability to connect with HDMI) I would heartily recommend you purchase THAT (the HD71) instead.
