Upgrade to Optoma HD70! High Definition Projector!

For years I had the Optoma H30 projector, and I was nothing but pleased with it. There is nothing like watching movies on a 105" screen in your living room. The only downside to owning a projector is that the bulb is only good for 2000-3000 hours (depending on if you use bright or economy mode). When my bulb life was at an end, I had a choice of spending $400.00 on a new bulb (and waiting for a month to get it) or using that money towards a newer Optoma. At the time I bought this projector it was under $1,000.00, and now I have even seen it as cheap as $800.00. I had been pleased with Optoma, and upgrading would be simple, so I decided to make the jump from the H30 to the Optoma HD70.

Installation

Installing your Optoma HD70 projector is a breeze. Unplug your H30 and disconnect the inputs. Unscrew your H30 from its ceiling mount. Plug in the HD70 and connect the inputs to the HD70 that you just disconnected from your H30. Now unscrew the ceiling mount plate from the H30 and screw it to the bottom of the HD70. (Ceiling mounted projectors are mounted upside down). The three screws will line up exactly, there is no new hardware necessary. Lift the projector up, and rescrew the projector plate (that you just attached to the HD70) to the ceiling mount. Turn the projector on, the image should appear on your Da-Lite Cinamavision 105" movie screen. You will have to adjust slightly because the projector lens on the HD70 is on the opposite side of the projector that the lens was on the H30. However the throw ratio and offset are the same, so you should be able to line up your image exactly the same as the H30. Use the zoom, focus, keystone and adjustment features to get the picture exact. Viola! You are done!

You didn't Have the H30 Mounted to your ceiling?

Oh, well your installation may be harder. Purchase a ceiling mount and hire someone to install it.

Differences from the H30 to the HD70

The differences between the two are subtle but noticeable. The H30 was actually an Enhanced Definition projector with a resolution of 480progressive, although Hi Def programing still looked awesome. The HD70 is a true 720 progressive scan projector. The H30's native picture was 4:3, the native picture of the HD70 is 16:9. Frankly both projector have settings for letterbox, 4:3 or 16:9.

Did I notice? Yes, the picture is a bit brighter, and seems somewhat smoother. You can also sit closer to the screen before noticing the pixels. I really didn't notice the pixels on the older H30 unless I was standing within 5 feet of the screen, but obviously with 720p the pixels are even smaller and harder to detect. High Definition programming from the cable company pops out even more than it did on the H30.

Input possibilities are greater as well. The H30 and the HD70 both had composite inputs, VGA input and S Video input. The H30 had component video inputs via a VGA adapter, the HD70 has separate component video inputs. (Component video inputs use 3 separate cables for the video image and can carry high definition signals).

HDMI Of most interest to me however is the fact that the HD70 has an HDMI input so all the newer digital sources can be used with this projector. Blu Ray, HD-DVD, the new X Box 360 and Playstation 3 use HDMI outs for the best picture. Most "upconverting" DVD players also rely on an HDMI input for their upconversion. I don't have one of those yet, but the option is there.

VGA Input For those of you who don't know, the VGA input allows you to plug your computer into this projector. The projector is light enough that you could use this as a business presentation projector hooked up to your latest Powerpoint presentation on your laptop. At home, you can surf the web in your living room, and watch those YouTube videos on the big screen! Okay, perhaps that is not a benefit, but you can also watch the new Netflix on Demand movies over your computer on a movie screen, and those DO look good. The difference in resolution from the H30 to the HD70 is very noticeable on computer displays. The only drawback I had using my H30 as a computer display was that small type didn't clearly display, and had a slightly fuzzy look to it. Not so with the HD70, even tiny typefaces are sharp and readable.

The Remote I also was pleased that the remote for the HD70 lights up whenever you press any button. I always had to fumble with the H30 remote, because when we'd watch movies, the room was dark, and I couldn't see the buttons well. A light up remote was a great idea for the HD70, and much appreciated.

Sound

Fan noise is even quieter on the HD70 than the H30, and I never had complaints about that projector. You really don't even notice this is running.

Picture Quality

This is where the HD70 really shines (literally, that's how projectors work, they shine the image onto your screen). Incredible! I mean keep in mind I was perfectly stunned with the picture on the H30 for all sources except standard definition television, but this one is even brighter and smoother for both DVDs and High Definition cable programing. Watching Pixar'sCars for example on the HBO HD channel you could just reach out and touch the shininess on Lightnin' McQueen's car. Movies take on an almost three dimensional look. The bright colors of animated films especially really pop off the screen.

Size Matters

Another thing that makes projectors such a nice investment for home theater is the sheer size of the image. If you think watching the game on your 60" wide screen television is fantastic, wait 'til you see the game on a 105" screen! I could just reach out and smack the Yankees on a screen that big. In wide screen that is five feet high by eight feet wide.

Keep it Dark?

A projector does have its best image when the room is dark, but I was surprised that this model is bright enough so that you still get a good picture with some ambient light in the room. I mean if the room is full of sunlight in the afternoon, no, but evening light through windows or small lights on in the room won't affect picture quality. Nevertheless, you will get the best results when the room is kept dark.

Menu Items

The remote lets you do a number of things with the projector. Keep in mind, if you mount the projector you need the remote, but even if it is table mounted, most functions are accessible only via the remote.

You can select the source from the sources you have plugged in, although the projector will automatically detect if you only have one source going in. You can select the proper aspect ratio 16:9, Letterbox or 4:3. You can adjust the image in terms of brightness contrast, tint and color. You can save up to 5 settings for Film, Video, PC, and 2 other settings to optomize the picture no matter what the source. You can see how much life remains on the bulb. When you first set up the projector, you use the remote to make minor cornerstone and image adjustments to match the image to the screen.

Summary

This is a great projector at a great price. If you love movies, sports, video games, surfing the web or HD cable programming on the big screen, you can't beat a home cinema projector at this price.