Pros: Good value, Limited 3D capabilities, Great picture quality for
price, Good color
Cons: Blacks acceptable but not impressive, D for computer games only, 3D requires powerful computer, Restricted placement options
The most recent projector from Optoma, the HD66, is a squashed, economical 720p DLP home theater projector. Its 2500 lumens of brightness are perfect for games or sports, and its 4000:1 contrast ratio gives high-contrast images plenty of pop. Besides, it is 3D Ready, which provides you with some insurance against the gathering storm of 3D that's just over the horizon. If you are not into 3D, you don’t have to worry; the HD66 is a great 2D home theater projector as well, available at an affordable price.
The Optoma HD66 is a small, powerful, adaptable home theater
projector that's great for movies, video games, or HD sports. Its
pre-calibrated picture modes optimize brightness, which is great for use in
high ambient light but not ideal for cinema. A little fine-tuning of the
picture controls gets you a dynamic, vibrant picture that's perfect for movies.
720p 3D support adds a bit of future-proofing and allows for the use of 3D PC
games, if you have a computer powerful enough to handle them. All in all, the HD66
offers an exceptional value for those on a budget who want a bright home
theater projector that is great for movies, video games, and for additional
types of computer-based projection as well.
The HD66 is a brilliant little package, rated at 2500 lumens
maximum. Now, the HD66 is marketed as a 720p projector, since that is the
maximum resolution at which it can display 3D content. However, it has a
1280x800 DLP chip, so not only can it display native HD 720p, but it can also
display computer signals in 1024x768 and 1280x800 without compression as well.
It will display HD 1920x1080p/60 in compressed form. It cannot display 24p
natively, but it is sometimes difficult to tell the difference between 60p and
24p even on native 1080p projectors.
Bright mode is the projector's brightest setting, as the
name implies. As is typical of high lumen output modes, it is biased towards
green, and color accuracy is not as good as in other modes. It is suitable for
HD sports and video gaming in a room where you'd like to keep the lighting
turned up.
The HD66's 4000:1 contrast ratio doesn't sound like much.
When we first began watching a movie in its factory preset modes, it was still
disappointing. Blacks were not deep enough, appearing more gray than black,
though shadow detail was good. But after calibration, the picture improved by
leaps and bounds. You can lower brightness on the HD66 significantly from
factory presets without losing shadow detail, and the result is a deeper black
level, well-defined shadow detail, and a more three-dimensional image.
In its preset calibrations, color on the HD66 is only fair.
In the brighter modes, such as Presentation and Bright, colors lack proper
saturation and accuracy is as normal for these modes. Movie mode is better,
since the greenish bias is not present, but saturation still needs a boost.
However, after some adjustments by the user, the HD66 has bright, vibrant,
well-balanced color that is perfectly suitable for home theater use.
The big story about the HD66 is not that it is another
inexpensive 720p projector, but that it is a 720p 3D projector. The HD66 is
capable of displaying 1280x720 content at 120 frames per second, which equates
to 60 frames per second per eye. You will need a 3D signal source, such as a
computer with a powerful graphics card, and one pair of active shutter glasses
compatible with DLP Link for each viewer. Keep in mind that the fact that a
projector is capable of showing 3D does not mean that it will be compatible
with all 3D signal sources in the future. But if you are in the market for an
inexpensive home theater projector and want to have the 3D experience, the HD66
will give you just that.
Whatever projector you my use, there is always a dramatic
drop in lumen output when using 3D content. For example, the HD66 produces 1979
lumens in Bright mode. Once you turn on 3D mode, lumen output drops to 660.
This is the maximum lumen output possible in 3D mode, since no matter what mode
you are using, the HD66 ignores your settings after making the switch.
The HD66 is a great home theater projector once it has been
tuned up, but the picture controls absolutely need to be tweaked to get
the best video image out of it. Also the HD66 shows a level of image noise
comparable to that of other low-cost home theater projectors such as the Optoma HD20 and Vivitek H1080FD. Noise is most visible in solid-colored areas of
medium saturation, such as a cloudy sky. It shows up primarily in video or film
content, while data images appear more stable, the HD66 has a 1.1x manual zoom
lens and no lens shift, which is typical of inexpensive DLP home theater
projectors.
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