EP749 Basic Setup and Inputs

The Optoma EP749 is primarily designed to be a multimedia data projector. However, it functions well as a home theater projector and one in which you can play video games on. For the price, this projector is a powerhouse. Being a budget-minded model, this Optoma EP749 is no sidekick, it really performs well in multiple applications… including its primary function as an outstanding data projector.

Things I really liked about this projector:

• Price: While there are other projectors on the market that may perform better than this one at higher price points. For the money, this one is a cut above.

• Remote Control: Although the remote for this projector is small and simple in design, it still gives the user a great deal of control over the projector with a wide range allowed to use the remote from many directions around it.

• Image Control: This projector provides a great deal of control over the image it casts onto a screen. Giving the user the ability to truly tailor the image to a specific need with regards to brightness and color control for the room or space it’s being used.

Optoma EP749 Basic Setup & First Impressions

In this particular review I went with a desktop setup configuration and began with the mindset that I would at least initially, use the projector in much the same way the average consumer who might purchase this projector would. I started with it table mounted without a screen and began my testing with it pointed directly at a blank white wall.

I plugged it in, connected it via VGA cable and an S-Video cable and got started. From here I wasn’t terribly concerned with throw distance measurements, screen type, screen and projector height or anything very technical. I wanted to work with it from a consumer “plug and play” perspective to start with. Later in my review I’ll get into more of the high level technical aspects of this projector.

Initially I connected a Dell Inspiron laptop computer to the EP749 to see how well it performed with PC graphics and processing. Once connected and the laptop was powered up, the projector automatically set itself to a default resolution and displayed the desktop image. I changed the setting using my laptop's screen resolution under Desktop Properties > Settings so that I could match the native resolution of the projector. Once the setting was adjusted the image just popped right off the screen (wall). At this point I had made no adjustments to color control or any other image control and it actually didn’t look too bad projected right onto a blank white wall.

From there I loaded a Power Point presentation from my laptop that was heavy with graphics and color. The Optoma EP749 performed quite well with this presentation. Showing animated graphics and high resolution images projected onto a blank white wall, with virtually no adjustment to the image at all. I did however need to adjust the front “foot” to raise the image a little and also used the rear adjustable “feet” to control the pitch of the image to get it straight and better centered.

After running through the various slides of the presentation, I booted up Internet Explorer to see how well it would do with an Internet browser running and flipped through some web pages with full motion video clips in them. I visited: www.cnn.com and clicked on a video story to view it through the projector. I did not have to make any adjustments to the projector or my laptop settings for the projector to automatically adapt to the proper screen resoluton, it was automatic and I liked it… a lot. I also visited www.youtube.com as well as www.abc.com to see more video clips. The projector reacted the same way with each internet video clip that I loaded and played.

It was then time to bring in the screen and get serious about running the projector through its paces. The screen I used for this review was a Da-Lite Deluxe Insta-Theater 80” screen. This screen was a great match for reviewing this particular Optoma projector. The Da-Lite Deluxe Insta-Theater screen is portable and comes in its own travel case. Installation is extremely easy, needing only to unlock the case, turn the “feet” out for support and pull up on the handle. It’s really just that simple.

Now that the screen was set up and in place, it was time to consider the connection options on the Optoma EP749. The input options available are: DVI-D, VGA (x2), S-Video and Composite.

The other connections available on the Optoma EP749 are: Audio In and Audio Out, VGA Out and an RS-232 control.

For the rest of this review I utilized the DVI-D, VGA and S-Video connections. I did not use either audio function or the Composite video connection, nor did I use the RS-232 or VGA Out options either. As mentioned earlier in this article, this review was intended to come from more of an average consumer perspective rather than a highly technical one.