Optoma’s UHD30 is a 4K projector with HDR compatibility and spectacular mild output. Detail is nearly as good as you’d anticipate from 4K on an enormous display screen, with each wrinkle in each face greater than life. This projector additionally does a superb job creating correct colours, with inexperienced grass and blue skies way more reasonable than many inexpensive projectors. So far, so good, however a few points make it robust to advocate spending further to get this projector’s further pixels.
Like4K resolutionAccurate colorBlisteringly brilliant
Don’t LikeBanding and noise with HDRMediocre distinction ratio
First off the UHD30 has a mediocre distinction ratio, which is way lower than the most effective sub-$1,000 projectors like my Editors’ Choice BenQ HT2050A. Its picture lacks the punch you’d hope for given the remainder of its efficiency. There’s additionally noticeable banding with HDR video, which is not a deal-breaker however does detract from the general image high quality.Does the UHD30 look good? Yes. The actual query is whether or not it appears to be like ok to be price the additional cash over the HT2050A. To that I’d say no. Don’t get me flawed, the 4K decision is superior, however past that the HT2050A appears to be like very related, provides related brightness, and has higher distinction.
If you are a real 4K junkie and need an ultrabright projector with correct colours, the UHD30 suits that invoice. After all, screens 100 inches and bigger is precisely what 4K decision is for. That mentioned, it is not the most effective worth. You can spend far much less with the HT2050A and nonetheless get a superb picture, only a barely softer one — a distinction you in all probability would not discover until you noticed them side-by-side.
Basic specsNative decision: 3,840×2,160 pixelsHDR-compatible: Yes4K-compatible: Yes3D-compatible: YesLumens spec: 3,400 ANSIZoom: Manual (1.1)Lens shift: NoneLamp life (Bright mode): 4,000 hoursThe UHD30’s greatest declare to fame is that 4K decision. On a 100-inch display screen you may see each texture, wrinkle, hair and whisker. Side-by-side with a 1080p projector, quadrupling the pixels is sort of apparent. As you may examine beneath, that does not make the UHD30 a shoe-in for a picture-quality win.There’s additionally HDR compatibility, however like all projectors, this comes with an enormous asterisk. No shopper projector can precisely reproduce HDR as a result of they lack the brightness and dynamic vary delivered by TV show applied sciences like full-array native dimming and OLED. For projectors, the HDR sign have to be transformed to be used on a show with far decrease dynamic vary. Optoma did a reasonably good job with this conversion on the HD28HDR ($649 at Amazon) I reviewed earlier, however, as you may additionally examine beneath, not on the UHD30.
The UHD30 is nearly obscenely brilliant. Even on the dimmer Eco mode, it is brighter than many projectors I’ve reviewed. Since all projectors get dimmer over time as their lamps age, this brightness out of the field is total a superb factor. It additionally permits for an exceptionally giant display screen, if that is your factor.
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Like most DLP-based projectors this dimension, there is not any lens shift. The zoom vary can be pretty mediocre, at 1.1x. This means you do not have a lot vary wherein to position or mount the projector for a given display screen dimension.Lamp life is a claimed 4,000 hours in its brightest mode. Dial it again to Eco, which is what you may in all probability use more often than not, that goes as much as 10,000. The Dynamic Black mode, which varies the lamp energy primarily based on the brightness of the content material, will increase this additional to 15,000 hours. I observed the brightness ramping up and down whereas watching, nonetheless. It’s not overly distracting and I did not thoughts it, however I do know some folks discover and are aggravated by it.
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Connectivity and convenienceHDMI inputs: HDMI 2.0 (1), HDMI 1.4 (1)PC enter: Analog RGBUSB port: 1 (1.5-amp energy)Audio enter and output: 3.5mm in (1), and out (1)Digital audio output: Optical (1)LAN port: No12-volt set off: YesRS-232 distant port: YesMHL: YesDistant: BacklitIf you propose on utilizing this projector with HDR content material, there’s technically just one enter. Not an enormous deal as I’d assume most individuals utilizing this may have some type of dwelling theater setup, and will probably be working all their sources by way of an AV receiver that passes them alongside to the projector.The USB enter is highly effective sufficient to run a streaming stick if that is the way you wish to go, and there is a 10-watt speaker built-in for sound. Not probably the most excellent option to watch a film, however actually potential. There’s additionally a 3.5mm audio output to hook up with an exterior speaker.The distant is backlit, and in true Optoma style, brilliant sufficient for use as a flashlight or to high up your suntan.
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Picture high quality comparisonsThe HT2050A is just not 4K, and is half the worth of the Optoma, but it surely’s our present choose for greatest projector. I figured it could be attention-grabbing to see the way it fares towards a 4K projector at twice its value. The 3550i is a direct competitor to the Optoma each in value and determination, which I have never but absolutely reviewed. For my comparability I linked the 2 4K projectors through a Monoprice 1×4 4K HDR distribution amplifier, and linked the HT2050A to its personal streaming stick. This setup is critical as a result of distribution amplifiers (“splitters”) do not change resolutions, so a single supply would ship the bottom widespread denominator (1080p) to all three. I then considered all of them on a 102-inch 1.0-gain display screen.
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At first look, these three projectors seemed fairly related. All create a brilliant picture with correct shade. Upon nearer inspection, nonetheless, the 2 4K projectors are noticeably extra detailed. One impact is that folks look, properly, older. Wrinkles are extra apparent, as are particular person hairs, whiskers and particularly textures in materials. The HT2050A, not less than side-by-side on an enormous display screen, appears to be like nearly tender compared.Both the Optoma and the HT2050A are very brilliant, far brighter than the 3550i. That projector does not look dim by itself, however it’s noticeably dimmer in comparison with the opposite two. Being in a position to produce that a lot mild, whereas nonetheless having correct colours, is nice. Many projectors sacrifice shade accuracy for mild output, and the result’s a far much less pleasing picture. So grass appears to be like like grass, tomatoes seem like tomatoes, and so forth. Contrast ratio, nonetheless, is the place the 4K projectors come up quick. The black ranges on the UHD30 are so brilliant you possibly can hardly name them black, extra of a lightweight grey, even when the Dynamic Black characteristic and Dynamic lamp modes are engaged. The picture does not look washed out, but it surely has far much less punch than the equally brilliant HT2050A.
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I measured a distinction ratio of round 859:1 on the UHD30. To put it in perspective that is about what I measured with Optoma’s personal HD28HDR, which prices lower than half the worth. The 2050A measures greater than twice that. Overall, and particularly when it comes to distinction, the HT2050A holds its personal towards projectors which might be twice its value and 4 instances its decision. While the distinction ratio is disappointing in that it is so-so, HDR efficiency was flat-out poor. No inexpensive dwelling theater projector can actually show HDR content material. They’re all too dim, and lack the distinction ratio of one thing like OLED, or native dimming, to offset this. So all projectors that settle for HDR should course of the HDR in a means that compresses down the excessive dynamic vary to a normal-looking normal dynamic vary. While the Optoma HD28HDR did this processing fairly properly, oddly the corporate’s dearer UHD30 does not. Regardless of HDR mode, there was noticeable banding and noise in any brilliant gradations, nearly wanting like a price range flat-panel TV circa 2004. Additionally, there was lots of random noise within the shadows. From a video purist perspective, this could possibly be a dealbreaker. However, since there’s little actual profit to utilizing HDR on a projector anyway, you possibly can at all times simply flip it off within the menu and never have to fret about this in any respect.
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ConclusionThere’s loads to love in regards to the UHD30. Exceptionally brilliant photographs with correct colours are the constructing blocks of an excellent projector. The 4K decision, particularly with the dearth of movement blur afforded by the UHD30’s DLP mild engine, is sort of welcome. It makes 1080p projectors look tender compared. Where the UHD30 stumbles is in facets of image high quality that do not make headlines or spec sheets. The banding with HDR, and the grainy noise within the shadows, detract from an in any other case nice picture.
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Measurement notesI spent far longer adjusting the settings of the UHD30 than I did with any projector I’ve reviewed. Most projectors are set-it-and-forget-it, however the UHD30 wanted changes typically on a per-movie or per-show foundation. Keep that distant useful.Because of this, I am unable to even let you know what settings I used to get the best-looking image, as I needed to change them relying on the precise content material I used to be watching. Generally talking, Cinema mode was a superb start line, and Dynamic Black considerably helped masks the projector’s mediocre black degree. Detail HDR setting often seemed the most effective, minimizing the banding seen with HDR content material. In some instances this mode was dim, so Bright seemed higher. Switching between them typically required adjusting the brightness and, surprisingly, the gamma settings as properly.You can keep away from the additional noise and hassles with HDR by turning it off. Just be sure you restart your content material (again to the present’s menu, then resume) so that you get the non-HDR feed.
The D65 shade temperature mode was barely heat throughout the grayscale vary, however pretty shut, by no means greater than 500 kelvin off, and often lower than 250. With that shade temperature and with correct colours, the UHD30 I measured roughly 1,634 lumens which is successfully tied with the brightest projector I’ve measured, but it surely does so with extra correct shade than that projector.Overall colours are fairly correct, for a projector on this value vary anyway. Red, inexperienced and blue are all just about spot on, although blue may be very barely undersaturated. Cyan and yellow are additionally correct, although magenta is a barely undersaturated and considerably crimson.Contrast ratio is pretty midpack for a projector, coming in at a mean of 859:1. For comparability, the BenQ HT2050A is 2,094:1 whereas the $600 Optoma HD28HDR is principally the identical because the UHD30 at 716:1. The Dynamic Black mode, which varies the lamp brightness relying on the content material, produces a dynamic distinction ratio of 1,396:1.Geek Box
Test
Result
Score
Black luminance (0%)
0.2
Poor
Peak white luminance (100%)
179.9
Good
Derived lumens
1620
Good
Avg. grayscale error (10-100%)
6,198
Poor
Dark grey error (20%)
6,012
Poor
Bright grey error (70%)
6238
Poor
Avg. shade error
11.743
Poor
Red error
3.799
Average
Green error
16.196
Poor
Blue error
5.965
Average
Cyan error
23.039
Poor
Magenta error
7.459
Poor
Yellow error
14.001
Poor
Avg. saturations error
3.48
Average
Avg. shade checker error
4.3
Average
Input lag (Game mode)
28
Good