If you’re looking for cinematic-style visuals in the comfort of your living room but don’t have £20,000 or so lying around to buy one of Samsung’s new 130-inch Micro RGB TVs, Optoma’s newest 4K shiner might be a tempting alternative.
The company, which claims to be the #1 home projector brand in the Americas, has just announced its latest model, called the UHZ36, and it has some seriously impressive specs.
Featuring an all-new DuraCore laser phosphor light source, the Optoma UHZ36 is designed to pump out pictures bright enough to watch even when the lights are switched on and the curtains pulled open during daytime hours. It boasts 3,500 ISO lumens brightness, and it can throw up a truly massive picture measuring up to 300-inches diagonally in glorious 4K resolution, thanks to its impressive 1.21 - 1.59:1 throw ratio.
As the company says, there’s “no wall too small” and “no screen too big” for this beast, and it’s an impressive piece of kit. There’s automatic horizontal and vertical keystone correction baked in, and a 1.3-times zoom that ensures the utmost flexibility in terms of where you place it. It packs Optoma’s PureEngine visual enhancement software, which helps to improve the colour, luminance, detail and contrast of the pictures it throws up.
You should also see lots of detail in those shadowy scenes and bright spots thanks to the Optoma UHZ36’s 1,500,000:1 dynamic contrast, and it supports HDR content. Filmmaker Mode is also an option for movie buffs who want to view their favourite flicks as the creator intended, with accurate temperature, colour, contrast and motion.
The Optoma UHZ36 is also a pretty capable platform for casual gaming thanks to its 60Hz refresh rate, though that might not be enough for the most serious console gamers, unless having a massive screen takes priority, of course. For sound, there’s an integrated 15-watt speaker, which should be loud enough. But for truly atmospheric, room-shaking surround sound, you’ll probably want to hook up a few external speakers, which is possible thanks to its HDMI 2.0 ports with support for ARC.
Overall, it’s big enough and bright enough to replace your living room TV with a truly massive picture, and its price tag is an extremely pleasant surprise. It’s on sale in the U.S. from today through Amazon or B&H Photo, and will set you back a very reasonable $1,299 (around £965).
"Optoma's market leadership in true 4K UHD and DLP technology is a testament to its commitment to meeting the needs of consumers and providing immersive experiences," said Optoma's Maria Repole. "Our new UHZ36 delivers on our promise to produce a high-quality projector with impressive performance, functionality and stunning visuals, offering users larger-than-life cinematic and sporting experiences."
