To reduce the Rainbow Effect, a condition that makes DLP projectors unwatchable for some people, Optoma uses a 7-segment color wheel that spins at a speed of 6x making it one of the fastest in this range. A slew of brightness and display options provide a wide range of options for various viewing and lighting conditions. A total lack of lens shifting, a fixed throw angle, and a lens zoom of 1.2x limit the areas the projector can be installed while achieving the desired picture size and location.
One of the biggest complaints about the HD80 is the severe restrictions in installation. Due to its lens properties a picture of 100" requires the projected wall to sit a distance of 13.5 feet to 16.2 feet away from the projector itself. Furthermore, the fixed angle at an offset of 136% means a 100" picture is difficult to achieve in anything below a room with a 9 foot ceiling. At 136% offset a 100" image will be displayed 36 inches below the centerline of the projector's lens. Refer to the chart below (courtesy of Audioholics) to determine proper measurements.
Screen Size
Diagonal (inches) |
Size (Inches) |
Distance (Feet) |
|
width |
height |
wide |
tele |
| 70 |
61.0 |
34.3 |
9.4 |
11.3 |
| 80 |
69.7 |
39.2 |
10.8 |
12.9 |
| 90 |
78.4 |
44.1 |
12.1 |
14.5 |
| 100 |
87.2 |
49.0 |
13.5 |
16.1 |
| 106 |
95.9 |
53.9 |
14.8 |
17.7 |
| 120 |
104.6 |
58.8 |
16.1 |
19.3 |
The HD80 is powered by a 300 watt bulb, putting it at the top of its class for brightness output. There are two major consequences to this powerful bulb:
- higher power means more fan noise
- bulb costs more to replace - $450-$480 instead of the average $400
Three lamp modes are available; standard, Brite, and low. In standard mode the rated bulb life is 2000 hours. In low mode, brightness and contrast ratio are diminished, however lamp life increases to 3000 and the sound of the fan diminishes as well. Brightness can also be automatically adjusted using the Image AI feature that examines the content itself and modifies the brightness accordingly. Brightness can be further modified using the Iris, either in Auto Iris mode, or automatically in 16 discrete steps. The lamp is contained in a sealed fixture that eliminates all light leakage, and removes the need for an air filter to keep the lens clean.
Image processing including deinterlacing and downconverting is done through the included PixelWorks processor. The processor takes any source material such as 1080p/24 and standard definition content and converts it into the projector's native display format.
For more serious film aficionados the projector is capable of delivering an ultra-widescreen 2.35:1 picture through an extra adapter. This extra lens is sold by Optoma and costs an additional $2999.
