scooty809's Full Review: Optoma EP1691 DLP Projector
At Christmas, a local store had a Black Friday sale on the Sharper Image Wonderwall for $99. I thought I'd gamble and try one. Well, I gambled and lost. It was truly junk. However, I liked the idea of owning a projector. I thought it would make for some summertime fun, throwing up a big sheet and watching movies at night. At the same time, I didn't want to spend a ton of money.
After six months of research and treading several on-line forums, asking a multitude of questions, and bidding on multiple auctions for used equipment, I stumbled upon a refurbished Optoma EP1691.
It met all of my specifications, 2500 lumens, necessary for less than perfect lighting conditions, an HDMI input, and a decent 2500:1 contrast ratio. Not quite home theater on the contrast ratio, but I wasn't looking for a high priced home theater projector.
When I received the projector I wasn't exactly sure what to expect, because it was refurbished. I was very happy that everything was included and very well packaged. Included in the box was a carrying case, of course, the projector wrapped in bubble wrap, the power cord, USB cable, RCA Video cable, a VGA computer cable, and the manual on CD.
I couldn't wait to try it out, so I did. Upon starting it up you see the Optoma logo. Then a huge blue screen appeared on the wall. The first thing I tried was the HDMI input. I connected our Sony camcorder via the HDMI connection and was absolutely floored. The image was so rich against a white sheet I hung up in the basement. I was watching my son's football game larger than life. I could not believe what I was seeing. Now, you have to understand that we also have a 50" LCos TV and 50" Plasma . I'm looking at this 100" image wondering, why did we buy those TVs? It was remarkable. However, there was no sound coming from the projector. I assumed that there would be sound as HDMI carries both video and sound. Not in this case. After an e-mail to Optoma, who responed quite quickly I must add, I was informed that a separate audio connection is neccesary in order to have sound from the projector, HDMI or otherwise.
Having been awed by what I had seen, I attached our DISH via S-Video, to the projector. Again, I couldn't believe how amazing the picture was, even with S-Video. Not quite as clear as HDMI, but it was truly great. I tried our DVD player with an HDMI cable, and the picture shrunk to about 1/3 the size. I thought there was a problem, but then I realized that I had the resize the image to a full 16:9, the projector didn't do this on its' own. It automatically sets itself to the native resolution, so a 480p input would be smaller than a 1080i input.
I connected a laptop via the VGA cable and again, to me, just as good as the HDMI connection. We watched "Spongebob Squarepants: The Movie" a couple of times as the kids couldn't get enough, but neither could I.
The Optoma EP1691 allows for the following inputs: USB S-Video Composite VGA/SCART HDMI and a 1/8" audio input.
There are no outputs on this projector. It also features a Kensington lock for security purposes.
The remote works very well, I have read of some people having difficulty using the remote, but I don't see it, though the buttons may be small. The remote also has a laser pointer, perfect a business presentation.
Another item I found to be very cool is the ability to freeze the screen and zoom in. Very helpful when you want to get close up. The Keystone correction is easy to use as well for squaring the image.
The Optoma EP1691 projector uses Dark Chip 2 DLP technology. Though this may seem outdated to those "in the know", but it would have been considered top-of-the-line about 4 years ago. It is a 6-segment 2x color wheel. I do not see any rainbow effect from this projector, though I may not be susceptible to it either.
For business use, I am so happy to have this. For presentations, I used to have to lug around a 32" LCD TV, and a computer. Now I carry this 3 lb projector, a laptop, and a portable screen, and my audience is amazed.
One final decision I made in selection is the bulb life and the cost of replacing it. Bulb life is expected to be 3,000 hours, and the replacement cost is around $250.00. Very important to me.
When turning off the projector, it shuts down in about 15 seconds. Much shorter than most. I will say this projector needs proper ventilation, as it does run hot.
With its native format being WXGA, I believe for the money, you will have a difficult time, at this time, finding a better projector than this.
Weighs 6.3 pounds and features a new top-loading lamp replacement Elegant design and ultra-portable 3.2 pounds Features Texas Instruments¿ DLP Tech...More at Amazon
With its high brightness level and a native 16:9 aspect ratio, the Optoma EP1691 easily matches up with today’s widescreen laptops.More at BuyDig.com
With its high brightness level and a native 16:9 aspect ratio, the Optoma EP1691 easily matches up with today’s widescreen laptops.More at Beach Camera.com
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