Pros: Superb, almost 3D picture, contrast, and eye-popping color.
Cons: Awkward offset angle for ceiling mount; lousy lens cap.
The bottom line: This is certainly a hot contender in the 720p front projection segment.
I have owned an Optoma EP 719 XGA projector for about a year and find it an impressive unit for the price. However, when Optoma released the HD 70, a full 720p projector, for under $1000, I had to buy it. The projector is light, but substantially-constructed with a sturdy gloss white case. I was immediately impressed with the quality of the build.

I wasn’t too sure what to expect—after all, it had half the rated lumens of the 719 and offered a gain of about 33% in resolution on a 16:9 movie. I plugged it in, attached my HDMI DVD player, made some minor adjustments—and was amazed at the result. The HD 70 provides a bright, crisp, high-contrast and richly-colored image that was in every way measurably superior to the 719. Standard DVDs take on a 3-dimensional look; my wife even asked if I had bought a high-definition DVD player because the images looked so sharp. The beginning battle sequence of Star Wars III is simply breathtaking; the opening “dark” scenes of “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” take on a rich depth, with lots of hitherto unseen (on the 719) shadow detail available. I project on a 106” Grey Wolf screen.

The HD 70 achieves this by using some advanced technology—and it works, most of the time. The Image AI function boosts contrast to an astonishing 4000:1 by varying the light output of the projection lamp based on the scene displayed. This function really does deliver, although it can be a noticeable distraction at times. In the scene in Apollo 13 where Lovell is discussing the fire that killed his colleagues with his son, Image AI seemed to be a little “lost” and there was noticeable and almost constant adjustment to the lamp brightness. In most cases, however, the function performs admirably. Another major improvement is the 7-segment, 4x color wheel. If you’re susceptible to “rainbows” on DLP projectors, you’ll find that this setup pretty much eliminates the problem, even on scenes with stark black-and-white contrast.

One or two more problems come to mind—the offset of the projector (as with most Optomas) elevates the projected image at about 33 degrees from the horizontal. This works well for a “tabletop” installation, but anyone who wants to do a ceiling mounting might find this offset inconvenient. The zoom ratio on the lens is 1.1:1, giving very little flexibility in projector placement if you want to fill a screen. The lens cap is completely annoying; it is almost impossible to get it to fit in place. It is a rubbery plastic and pushing it onto the lens almost always defocuses the projector. Most of the time, it simply falls off, no matter how hard you try to stick it in place. Some people have complained that the whites “pop” too much on this projector and have covered the white segment of the color wheel to correct the problem. On the Grey Wolf, I see no problems at all with the white balance and I would strongly recommend that no one black out the white color wheel segment.

In conclusion—this unit represents superb value for money. At under $1000, this the the projector you’ve been waiting for if you want to step up to 720p front projection.