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

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Bright! Sharp! SUPER short throw! Great price for a high quality piece of equipment. I did a lot of searching and comparing specs before deciding on this projector. I am primarily using it outside, with a 220" screen, and it sits about 9 away from the wall. I live in a city, so there is a decent amount of ambient light, but the picture was clear and bright at 8:30 in July, before the sun had set completely. By 9:30, it was like watching a movie in a nice theater. We watched a BluRay movie, and everyone was blown away by the quality. Easy setup, basically plug in, adjust the lens, and keystone, and youre good to go. I had never heard of DarbeeVision before this product, but after reading a bit about it and some customer reviews, I decided it was worth the extra $100. As I understand it, Darbees main product is a little box that upgrades your TVs picture quality, and that sells for about $250, so it feels like a good deal to have that tech in this projector for $100 more than the version without it.

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This is my first projector, and I cant believe I waited this long to take the plunge. It fit a very specific usage requirement: It needed to be ceiling mounted in front of a fan that I wasnt willing to move, leaving only about 4 feet between projector and screen. That yielded about an 80 - 84 inch picture depending on how I positioned the projector on the mount. Once set up, the picture was big, bright, and sharp. In bright daylight, its a tad on the dim side, but in a slightly or completely darkened room, Id say it rivals any modern 1080p television in picture quality. My wife was sufficiently wowed, and immediately preferred watching TV and movies in the "projector room" as opposed to the main living room. It really is a game changer - perfect for viewing parties with groups, amazing with video games. Fan noise can be a slight distraction, especially if you have Dynamic Black mode on, which adjusts bulb brightness in real time and thus, the fan gets louder and quieter with it. Cranking up the volume alleviates that problem. Speaking of sound, if youre using this for media, external speakers are a requirement. At max volume the built in speakers are still quiet, and low quality. Thats typical for projectors, just something to keep in mind if youre pricing things out. I have it hooked up to a home theater system via HDMI. And now, some notes about the setup. As stated this was my first projector, and I learned several things by trial and error: Number one - positioning is extremely important if you are using a screen. If mounting on a ceiling like I did, it will take some experimentation. The distance from lens to screen is the sole factor to determine your image size. The projector has an image shift feature that lets you tweak the image up, down, left, and right by a few inches, plus a zoom and an edge mask adjustment, but none of these can physically change where the projector is casting its light. For example, if you find that the image isnt quite reaching the right edge of your screen, adjusting the image shift to the right only moves it in from the LEFT side, cutting off picture on the right. If you want the image to be straight and square and fill the whole screen without spilling over, the mounting position needs to be just so, the correct distance from the screen with the lens directly in the center (horizontally centered, not vertically). Fortunately, the universal mount I purchased allows me to move the bracket around as its attached to the projector, without needing to move the mounting hardware thats screwed into the ceiling. Doing some calculations with the .49 throw ratio is a good place to start when determining distance. From there, I had to make a few attempts at positioning the bracket just right to get the image centered exactly to the borders of my screen. One suggestion if you find yourself doing what I did: use a home theater test pattern, not the projectors built in grid. When the grid is enabled, the only adjustment you can do is keystone (vertical tilt). I just used a test pattern on a Disney blu-ray to do this. Finally, a note on screens. I am using an 80" manual retractable screen, which the manufacturer recommends NOT using with short throw projectors because slight screen waves cause image distortion. Unfortunately the retractable screen was a condition of my installation of a projector, so that the room didnt have to become a "TV room" permanently. Sure enough, there is a slight ripple on the lower right corner of my screen that causes very slight distortion thats only really noticeable when the image pans side to side. I can live with it, but if youre a stickler, you will want to use a static mounted screen, or no screen at all.

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This is definitely one of my best purchases in the past year. Ive never owned a projector before, but I wanted something for watching movies and gaming from my pc and PS4 and this projector is perfect for both. The projector has multiple modes, including one specifically for gaming. In all of the modes, the picture is super bright and crisp (from darbee enhancement). Game mode: With 16ms of latency, this isnt as fast as a gaming monitor but definitely one of the fastest projectors/tv setups for gaming. Color and brightness are not compromised in this faster response mode for the projector. Short throw: Im amazed at the size of the screen this projector is able to make just over a couple of feet away. I bought a fixed projector screen of 100" to use with this projector, and I actually had to use the zoom out feature on the projector to make the size small enough to fit the screen from a bit over 4 feet away. Location: Currently, I have my projector sitting on a shelf under an ottoman bench so that the projector isnt out in the middle of the floor and so that my HDMI input cord from my computer can be tucked away nicely below the couch. I was worried I would have to have dangling cords out in the middle of the room, but since the projector is so small and can zoom out (decrease image size for throw distance) I was able to use this setup. Noise/heat: Projectors can get quite hot. I had to make sure to keep the projector in a spot with good airflow. However, the cooling fan is pretty quiet and I cant even hear it when I turn on surround sound. Setup: Super easy to setup. Unbox it, put the batteries in the remote, plug the projector in, plug your computer/gaming system in, and turn the projector on. Then find the optimal spot for your projector based off of how large you want the screen to be (size chart in owners manual) and adjust the keystone and focus. Even if you mess with the other settings in the menu screen, this setup should take a maximum of 20 minutes. Portability: Once you setup the projector the first time and figure out where it needs to be, you could easily pack the projector away and keep it out only when you need it. I also have a VR headset and I was worried about buying a TV and running into it with the headset on. With a projector, I can easily store the projector before turning the room into an open space for VR. Overall: I definitely recommend this product if you have limited space and want to use it for gaming/movies.

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Primary games played: Rocket League (PC) Overwatch (PC), Street Fighter V (local, PS4), BlazBlue (local, PS4), Tales of Berseria (PS4). Netflix (PS4) Setup: My projector is set up via wired HDMI connection on top of a coffee table. It’s slightly less than 4 feet away from the screen and provides a very nice ~84 inch image. As with any expensive projector, you’ll want a screen. Initially I had it projecting on a textured wall as I was waiting for my screen to arrive. The image was good, but not great. After my screen arrived, the image immediately became excellent. Response times: I keep the projector in Game Mode for all my games at all times. While you can purchase an Optoma adapter of some sort for wireless HDMI, it will negatively impact response time. This is true for all wireless HDMI adapters and is especially true if you live in an apartment or high-interference location. That being said, I personally cannot notice any lag with any of my games. This includes my two current fighting games that I play, SFV and BB Central Fiction. I’ve played on some prior screens where I would miss combos and have to adjust. However, I play identically on this projector as compared to my Samsung UE590 monitor which boasts a 1ms response time. Do note that I’m not a pro and my perception quite possibly cannot notice the 15ms difference. Image: Excellent. In Game Mode, the image is consistently dazzling at this price range. It’s no 4k, but I was impressed by how good it looked compared to my prior plasma circa 2008, and to my current Samsung monitor. Slightly different images, colors, tones, etc. But overall 5/5. I’m not actually sure of the bulb life in Game Mode though. The description says a random number between 5000-10,000 hours? Brightness: With a large amount of ambient light, you can still see the image pretty well, as expected of 3000 lumens. But as with every projector, remove the ambient light. As a side note, stay away from Economy mode. I attempted to use it with Netflix with no ambient light. It’s dim, washed out, and subtly flickers nonstop. Noise: In Game Mode, the image is at its best and the fan does kick in. But even in a silent room, the projector’s speaker on volume 1 still overpowers the fan noise, which is good. In other modes, like economy, the fan is barely audible. But don’t use economy mode. Sound: It’s there in case you need it. And it can get pretty loud with absolutely zero bass. I primarily use headphones so I can’t comment too much here. Problems: I did have to return my first projector for two reasons: 1) The focus was inconsistent across the screen. It would only focus one part of the screen at a time. If the left and center was in focus, then the right was blurry. If the right and center was clear, then the left would be blurry. 2) the top of the image was bowed. While the left, right, and bottom was perfectly aligned, the top middle of the image would display about 2 inches above the screen, and the left and right top edges would display about 1 inch below the screen, using an 84-inch screen. Fortunately, Amazon exchanged it for another identical unit. The focus was fixed, but the top bowing still exists to a near-negligible extent. My screen has black velvet (absorbs light) around the edges, so it’s not noticeable unless you’re looking for it. Heat: It does put out a decent amount, but not as much as my plasma TV. Gaming duration: I’ve played a max of 7 hours in a row with no issues. Just make sure to set the sleep timer to something longer. Once the sleep timer countdown comes on, I can’t figure out a way to tell the projector to cancel it without turning off the projector and turning it back on. Overall: Absolutely.

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This is my second projector. My old projector, purchased new in 2005, was a long throw, and I had it permanently mounted in the ceiling about 10 feet away from a 100 inch screen. I wanted my new projector to be a short throw to allow me to use a portable screen in my basement, garage, and backyard deck. I ended up building an adjustable projector stand on rollers from an old office chair. Im now able to properly adjust the test grid on the screen each and every time, no matter where it is. As for the projector itself, this is one of the best short throw projector out there for under $800. My 4K TV has spoiled me, but this projector comes pretty close. I like how I can tweak the image settings for the different modes, and assign one each for the basement, garage, and backyard.

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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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Great projector overall. For everyday news/sports and other tv stuff that doesnt really matter if you can see a perfectly pristine picture like a tv, this projector shines even with a room lit up all the way and the lights positioned around 5 feet in front of it. In the dark, the projector is AMAZING, it takes some personal tuning while though the presets are ok, tuning individual colors help makes things pop the way the best tvs could. THE ONKY NEGATIVE THING: And the reason it got 4/5 The Darbee setting casts a shadow to text on screen, the higher you turn it up, the worse it gets. Yes you can see some "pop" to the image quality with it on, its nominal at best. My recommendation, keep darbee off, tweak contrast, color, color matching, etc. and youll get the best picture this projector can offer. It may be as good to look at the earlier/cheaper model that doesnt have darbee, because in the end it just felt gimmicky. But if you want the extra lumens to make this a living room daily driver and low latency, those are perfectly reasonable reasons to choose this model over the last, even if darbee is not. Otherwise, everything Ive thrown at this projector it handles beautifully and there isnt no comparison to watching a movie in pitch black, with a 110" screen and the settings tweaked to the best potential, you wont be disappointed

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EDIT: To the manufacturers reply, flicker is occuring only in ECO mode, its happening on stable white backgrounds like the amazon webpage... its not normal 15days: it ran good for first few days, now the lamp flickers, I will be returning this. I am using eco mode throughout, as per quick search around the Web, optoma wants you to ship it to them rather than sending you the replacement parts. Stick to Epson/benq, this is not ready for primetime Try googling for "optoma lamp flicker problems"

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