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back to article Optoma HD20 budget full HD projector

Billed as the first 1080p projector available for under £900, Optoma has taken a no-frills approach to cram maximum HD goodness into its HD20 home cinema projector. Compact at 324 x 234 x 97mm, it houses a full HD 1080p DLP device to satisfy film buffs and big screen HD gamers. Optoma HD20 Back to basics: Optoma's HD20 The …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Boffin

    Sounds Like your Player is not upto scratch!

    For instance, watching BBC Planet Earth in HD is typically jaw-dropping, but some of those slow pans across the forest canopy weren’t quite as smooth as they would have been after some decent processing.

    Sounds Like its your player not processing the 1080 image fast enough, sounds like it needs a faster processor! (this would probably not be noticeable with a 720 projector. or a small pixel 1080 display.) I would doubt its the diplay device that is in control of the image rate...

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    1. seanj
      Reply Icon

      Re: Sounds Like your Player is not upto scratch!

      Agree here, switch your player to 1080p/24 and you should get less judder.

      I have the HD20, and couldn't be happier with it. Star Trek in 1080p on an 8' x 4' screen? What could possibly be wrong with that?!

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  2. Bob H
    Badgers

    Rainbow effect

    I am very sensitive to the rainbow effect, to the point that I have put away my projector and I am using a much smaller LCD instead.

    It might not be wall sized but it was a damn sight cheaper than a 3 chip projector!

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    1. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Anonymous Coward

      Rainbow Effect

      There are 3 Chip LCD projectors out there that completely eliminate the rainbow effect.

      Check out models from Sanyo, which were very competitively priced. I recall one model selling for around £800 a few years ago.

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  3. Anonymous Coward
    Alert

    3D is coming

    With 3D tech coming in 2010 its a bit daft to buy a projector now.

    From reports it seems like a 120Hz refresh rate and one or two other little bits are going to be needed - but until someone like Sony releases more detail, updates the PS3 firmware and everything gets moving - nobody is quite sure what will be compatible. DLP looks to be a requirement though.

    Rather than dropping a grand on this now, wait a few month and likely the 3D certified products will cost the same.

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  4. Natalie Gritpants

    DLP and interlacing

    Does this or any other projector handle interlaced material by projecting an interlaced display? Or do they de-interlace it and project a progressive picture?

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  5. Natalie Gritpants
    Thumb Down

    Re: interlacing

    Oh good grief, I just found wobulation on wikipedia. Instead up wobbling a 1920x540 image up and down to get a nice 1080i50 display TI in it's wisdom have a 960x1080 wobbled side to side to give the worst of all worlds. Nice square chip, shame about the picture for all the 1080i material that's going to be broadcast

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  6. J. Cook Silver badge
    Go

    Optoma's a decent brand...

    I purchased one of their 720p projectors after doing scads of research, (the HD65 specifically) and it has not disappointed me at all.

    Thought I should mention that.

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    1. seanj
      Reply Icon
      Thumb Up

      Decent brand - good service.

      I'd just like to add to that...

      If you buy a "Themescene" branded projector from Optoma (HD65, HD70, HD20), it comes with a 3 year hot-swap warranty. If it breaks down, they will take it away for repair, and (apparently!) provide you with a "loaner" for the duration. I've only heard good things about Optoma warranties, and this is why I opted for the HD20 over the £100 cheaper HD200x, which for all intents and purposes is exactly the same hardware (despite any advertised differences in contrast ratio or brightness), in a black casing.

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  7. Christian Berger

    1080 lines _and_ sequencial colour

    What were they thinking? Sequencial colour is only good for static images because of the rainbow effect. So it's only good for business presentations. However 1080 lines is no resolution for such presentations.

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  8. James Hughes 1

    Why are these things so expensive.

    HDMI 1080p decode chips are cheap, so it's either the bulb or the thing that makes the image? Where is the cost?

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  9. Peter Kay

    Chocolate teapot

    Anyone that buys a DLP projector that's subject to the rainbow effect (i.e. most of them, other than 3 chip versions) is either a friendless misanthrope or needs their head feeling.

    What's the point of a projector where your friends can't see it properly? Spend a bit more and get a decent projector.

    The 4x colour wheel on the Optoma /should/ reduce the rainbow affect, but obviously it appears in practice this is not true.

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  10. stu 4
    Boffin

    toshiba

    I've got a 6 colour wheel toshiba 720p job. I have to say I do get the rainbow thing a little bit, but only if you flick your eyes from side to side - i.e. only if trying to see it. otherwise I don't notice it. I much prefer DLP to LCD even with that... and anyhoo I got mine for 140 squid from ebay.

    Processing wise - arn't most folk using them via PCs anyway ? Mine is rigged up to my acer one, playing 720p content via coreavc - smooth as a babies ar$e. and upscaling is done very nicely thanks to mediaplayer classic home cinema edition. oh.. and a PS3 obviously :0)

    I suppose if you are still one of those weirdoze that watches whatever is broadcast into your house, then you need to care, but surely the reg readership have no broadcast receiving sheep in 2009 ???

    stu

    stu

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