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

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Finishing my basement and this will end up there displaying in a 100" fixed projector screen. In the meantime, we watched it on my wall and hooked it up via HDMI to my Roku 4. -Great color. -Excellent picture quality -Bright even with some ambient light. -Super short throw (had it on cedar chest 4 from wall and it was ~110-112" diagonally at that distance. Can go much bigger). -Quiet operation. -Easy setup (connected Roku, entered language setting and projector location setting as requested, easy keystoning adjustment, and it automatically found my connected device and began displaying it). -Volume in built-in speakers is soft and difficult to hear with 5 children in the room but I never was expecting to use them as a permanent solution (and neither should you...though you could if it was quiet in your house). -Finally, it comes with a carrying case! Though likely not important to some, this kind of detail (i.e., having a case that fits the device perfectly) is really the icing on the cake for me. Wiel done Optoma! I just got it, so my review is subject to edits as time passes, but thus far I am very pleased.

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This projector is amazing. Super easy to setup. I was hesitant on a projector since I have only ever bought tvs. I think this projector has a picture that matches or even exceeds my 4K set I purchased recently! Difference is Im viewing on a much larger screen that the tv could ever give. It works great for movies, and is outstanding for games. Im a huge gamer, I play a variety of consoles and everything I have thrown at this projector it handles like a champ. NES, SNES, N64, GameCube, PS1, PS3, PS4, Sega Genesis, Sega Saturn, Sega Dreamcast, Nintendo Switch, all work great. I have all of my legacy consoles running directly through an XRGB Mini which then goes into the HDMI port of the Optoma GT1080Darbee. A complete dream setup, I hardly leave my bedroom lately. If I had anything negative to say, the speakers are not very impressive. They are loud for my bedroom, but for a dedicated theatre room you will want to invest in a surround sound system or a soundbar. NO PROJECTOR is going to give you hi fi level sound from the projector speakers itself, its not feasible or realistic, so thats really nothing to count against this projector. Im projecting on a bare wall for now, no screen, still looks AMAZING! The input lag for gaming on this display is unrivaled. The image size was more adjustable and flexible than I imagine, exceeded my expectations in that regard as well. Darbee mode, if your gaming on a legacy console (something old school), its not going to make any noticeable visual difference, but thats because there is only so much detail present to begin with. When in Darbee mode for something modern however such as PS4 or Nintendo Switch, the difference is VERY APPARENT! Darbee mode adds a considerable amount of detail to the picture that is easy to distinguish. Overall, I would say this is the best item I have spent money on possibly ever. The definition of a game changer. Expensive, but worth every damn penny! If I can upgrade my review later I will post some pics.

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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 is overall nice but some features cause issues. Good + Picture is nice 1080p. 4k on projector screen does not make a big difference so I wanted to stay with 1080p. + I read elsewhere that short throw projectors does not work as well using acoustic transparent screen - I saw no issues, the picture looks sharp. + I am not using its speakers. The sound does come out of it but I am using my receiver to support the 7.1 setup. + Added to harmony hub remote, and it can turn the projector on/off with the rest of the system. + HDMI CEC does turn the receiver on/off when the projector is turned on/off but I am not using this feature. + 3D works well. + You cant hear the fan over the sound of your home theater system. Bad - I right and left of the screen can be adjusted with image shift, keystone correction, etc but not the top or bottom. I found it very hard to mount the projector to form a straight rectangle. I got it just right, some image still spills on my black screen border so you cant really see it. I tried for like 2 days adjusting/moving the projector on the celling which 12 holes to fill now (not a big deal if I could get it right). It looks decent but right side of the picture is still slightly smaller from the left side. Adjusting it more was making one side not fill the whole screen. You cant see it always but its more visible on images where there are horizontal lines/black bars on top/bottom. Those settings to adjust the top and bottom would have made this job much easier. - Adding on to the above the 3D picture disables all image adjustments like keystone correction. I did not know about this before and as soon as I started watching a 3D movie, the image spills outside my screen. Maybe 3D is the same for other projectors too but a warning in instructions would have been nice. Overall I like it and I will keep it but I have to put one in the friends house I might look at a different projector - even sacrificing the "short-throw" aspect of it which might be causing some of the issues mentioned above.

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Works for both Microsoft Wireless Dongle & Surface Pro. And also with Apple TV/ iPad combo. Many image/brightness options. Can also zoom in/out from remote. Eco brightness mode is less noisy then Full, and yet brightness only reduces about 10-15%. Zero rainbow effects even with action scenes in moves. Darbee (sharpening algorithm) is helpful to bring out detail in videos and pictures. However for text/business presentations and graphs, it makes little difference, although clearly does sharpen text. Finally, its super easy to use. Didnt read manual, yet got it running within 2 min of opening box. Its also portable and light for speakers on the move. EG: Can use it to show colorful MindMaps to your audience. In overall, this exceed prior expectations. It performs "too well in every department, and after 1 week of projector-research, glad this one was choosen - especially because its one of least noisy portable projectors available at 3000lumens. As for its 10-W sound speaker? Not its strong point. Zero bass. Even iPad sound is 3x better in every department, if not equally loud. Hence if sound is priority, resort to external speakers. If just showing business videos/clips, then internal projector speaker is perfectly suffice as its fidelity is clear for sounding speech. Bought it on Amazon, and shipped to Australia. One of those decisions with 0% regret.

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This projector met all my expectations - crystal clear, bright picture, and brilliant color. The fact that it sits only 4 feet from my 100-inch screen means the picture is very bright, so I can watch TV programs and sports with the room lights on, and I run it in eco mode. The Darbee technology makes a definite improvement in picture quality. The contrast seems very good based on my observations. The fan is very quiet, but I do run it in eco mode almost all the time, to maximize lamp life, as the lamps for this device are fairly expensive. There is no zoom feature - the distance from the screen must be used to set picture size. The only video inputs are 2 HDMI sockets, so legacy equipment can not be used without some type of adapter. It would be hard to beat the performance of this projector at this price point. My only dislikes are that I cannot hook up my VGA laptop directly and that the projector case is white - I prefer black, but did not find that to be available.

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I bought this along with a portable projector screen to watch movies and TV in my small living room. I bought this projector because the short throw makes it easier to place in a small space, as well as the positive reviews. I also dont have space on the wall behind my couch to place a projector, so I needed something that could go in front of the couch instead. I can set this projector up right in front of my ottoman a few inches off the floor, and it projects a 100" screen thats about 8.5 from my eyes. This means the projector is not visible at all while watching from the couch. It works perfectly in my space. The difference between the GT1080 and the GT1080 Darbee models is that the Darbee model adds video post-processing that makes some details hidden by shadows a little more clear. Its most noticeable in facial details. For example, without Darbee a persons face might look fairly smooth, while enabling Darbee brings out more variances in complexion and details like wrinkles. It makes the image look like a slightly higher definition than 1080p. For the $100 extra its a nice addition, but its definitely not necessary.

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HAVE JUST RECEIVED THE OPTOMA GT 1080DARBEE PROJECTOR. I WAS AMAZED HOW LARGE AND CLEAR THE IMAGE CAN GET. FROM 15 AWAY IT COVERED AN ENTIRE WALL. FROM ABOUT 3 FEET AWAY, THE SHORT THROW PROJECTION GAVE A VERY CLEAR ~ 90" DIAGONAL PICTURE. I AM WAIING FOR AN OUTDOOR SCREEN TO ARRIVE TO TEST IT BEFORE FOOTBALL SEASON STARTS. I HAVE HAD A NUMBER OF HDTVS AND IM PRETTY SURPRISED BY HOW LARGE AND CLEAR THE PICTURE IS. FOR TESTING PURPOSES, I USED AN APPLETV AS THE SOURCE. NO ISSUES!

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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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