OPTOMA TECHNOLOGY GT1080Darbee 1080p 3000 Lumens 3D DLP Short Throw Gaming Projector, White

It is a decent performing Projector - but I am unhappy with the documentation that OPTOMA has on the web for this product. It mentions that it has a ZOOM ring to change the size of the Image - but after I purchased it and the installer installed it on the ceiling - we realized that there is no ZOOM ring and being that it is a Short Throw - the image was too big and wouldnt fit the screen. I returned it to AMAZON and have since purchased an EPSON 1060 -which fits well in my space (mounted on the ceiling) The OPTOMA is a little less noisy than the EPSON 1060 - but from an image quality - I couldnt tell much difference for my use in the Home Theatre room -for watching Movies, Streaming Sports and the kids playing Video games... I did call OPTOMA and they agreed that their documentation was confusing -because they make one Manual for multiple Products and hence the issue. I was able to return it to AMAON.

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Well, the projector _was_ great until, 93 days after delivery the lamp failed. We see a blinking red power light and a solid red lamp light--which seems to indicate an early lamp failure. Im pissed at this point because were literally just a few days outside of the 90 day lamp warranty. What crap. So now Ive got to spend a couple hundred bucks getting this thing fixed. Before the early lamp failure the image was bright, vivid, and clear. But theres no excuse for early lamp failure like this, especially since this is a known Optoma issue. Sigh. If my experience is typical for Optoma customers then I cannot recommend purchasing this projector. A relatively affordable price for an excellent projector is undercut if the lamps fail just outside of warranty, necessitating a couple hundred dollar repair.

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Setup I used the screen at about 10-11ft diameter and it was very easy to set up. Something to keep in mind for short throws is that if there are any waves in your wall theyll appear as distortions in the picture. There is no zoom so you have to move the device back and forth physically. I just used my light blue wall and the projector lets you adjust the colors based of predefined wall colors. Bright Spot I could sometimes tell that the picture was brighter in the center and lower side of the screen which was where the projector was sitting. Light diffuses as it travels so this is something to be aware of. The closer the projector perhaps the greater ratio that will be and more noticeable. Lets say if there were two lines of the subtitles on the screen you could see the lower was brighter and it was very apparent while viewing a test pattern. However this really wasnt that bad while watching a film unless I tried to see it. Visual Noise Noticed some visual noise in some darker tones and some skin tones. There is no noise-reduction feature on this projector. I felt that was rather distracting but my wife didnt really notice. Darbee Some of the faces were just incredibly detailed we really had to pause a few times to take it in. Can see every hair on a characters face. Bulb Flicker / Noise I noticed right away that on eco mode the picture would flicker constantly on a solid color making me use the bright mode. However this would still cause the picture to fluctuate lighter / darker every 30 seconds or so which was most noticeable in a very dark environment. Bright mode also increases the fan noise. Manufacturers should really take a cue from PC cases and use larger fans that move more air without noise. But I probably just received a bad bulb. The Remote This thing is ridiculously bright blue when you push anything. You will be blind for a second if you use it in the dark. Didnt come with batteries so youll need two triple As. Ultimately it was several fairly minor things, except the bulb, that just made me want to return it.

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This is the GT1080 with some firmware updates. I had the GT1080 (legacy model) for approximately 2 1/2 years, so I can easily do some comparisons between the Darbee model and the legacy model. From what I have seen, there is some improvements with the Darbee model, albeit I think they are minor. First, the noise associated with the Darbee model appears to be a few decibels lower than the 1080, but it is still noticeably noisy. Crank up the volume on the TV and the noise is not as noticeable. Second, Optoma increased the lumens from 2800 to 3000. Do the math and it is a 7% increase, which if I recall when I bought the legacy model 2 1/2 years ago the legacys model picture was as bright as the Darbee model, so I dont think there is much brightness improvement. Third, the menu screen has dramatically changed. The legacy models menu was difficult to navigate because I couldnt readily see what item was highlighted. The Darbee model corrected this deficiency, which in my opinion, is a "so what" because it does not impact the picture. Fourth, the Darbee model is supposed to be a more clear picture. I really cant see any credible improvement when I compare it to the legacy models picture over the first year or two. So with that said, why did I buy the Darbee model? My legacy models color wheel wore out after a mere 2+ years and I attempted to replace it. I managed to get a new one in, but it turned out to create much more noise than the original color wheel. So I gave up with the repair and bought the Darbee version. Also, the the ceiling mount and HDMI/power receptacles I put in 2 1/2 years ago seamlessly accommodated the Darbee model. I am crossing my fingers that I can get more than 2 1/2 years out of the Darbee model.

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Be aware that this projector has no ability to adjust the picture size based on the distance. To get it to fill your entire screen you have to actually physically place it the perfect distance from the screen. No easy feat if you are doing this with a ceiling mount. They should add a manual adjustment on the projector for this like their competitors so you can place the projector at a distance from the screen that is best for you and adjust the projector settings from there. Also based on the reviews I thought the picture quality would be amazing. It is just ok. A solid 1080 projector but not amazing by any means.

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The projector looks amazing while playing games. Im using it on drywall with metallic silver paint and the colors really pop. The fact that its a short throw projector makes it really easy to set up and get 150"+ projection. One issue Ive been having is that its haveing a small flickering issue after a few hours of use. Its more noticeable when projecting white and light colors. Have to turn it off and wait for it to cooldown.

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