HD80 Setup and Installation

We reviewed the Optoma HD80's big brother, the HD81, back in March of 2007. It rated fairly well, but wasn't exactly a bargain product due to having a retail price tag that rivaled that of a compact car. Sure, it had outboard Gennum VXP processing and some creature features that made it cool, but 1080p became the defacto standard later that year and prices were dropping like the local mob rat sporting a pair of cement galoshes. As the HD80 hits the scene it has a lot of competition, but it joins a welcome crowd of under-$3000 projectors that output 1080p/24/60 and handle such features as 12-bit Deep Color and the related aspects of HDMI 1.3.

Basic Setup and Installation

Setup was interesting. We typically throw from about 11 to 11.5 feet away from a 100-inch Stewart Filmscreen Studiotek 130 Luxus Deluxe Screenwall. Guess what – not gonna happen. To hit a 100-inch screen, the Optoma HD80 requires at least 13.5 feet of throw. It only has a 1.2x zoom lens, so you're really going to need some decent room to make sure you can fill a larger screen. This isn't bad – it just needs to be noted as you plan your install. In our case, we ended up with an 84-inch diagonal screen and that worked well for our evaluation purposes. OK, here's where the other shoe drops: the Optoma HD80 has a 136% vertical screen offset. That means that if you have a 60-inch tall screen, you'll need to mount the projector 21.6-inches above it (or below it). If you're going for ceiling mounting, that means that you'll require over 9-foot ceilings just to have a 100-inch diagonal screen that sits 30-inches off the ground! In my opinion there is really no excuse for this and Optoma needs to start heeding its customers and providing lower offsets (or an expensive vertical lens shift). A 36% offset basically rules out anyone with 8-foot ceilings from practically using this projector, unless they intend to angle it downward or engage keystoning (which we definitely do not recommend unless you have no other option).

An anamorphic lens is available as an option for the HD80, but you're looking at $6000 for the motorized BX-AL133 that Optoma sells and recommends as an accessory. That's tough to swallow, but 2.35:1 screens are amazing and that (or a third party product) is about the only way you'll get it.

Note: You will not need to replace the filter on this projector as the light engine is sealed. This also results in a nice, tight enclosure that doesn't leak any light into the room.

Take a look at the throw chart:

Throw Chart for Distancing the Projector from a 16:9 Projection Screen

Connections

Taking a look at the rear of the HD80, you'll quickly find that all the inputs and features you're likely to need or want are there. Dual HDMI inputs as well as component and DVI-I mean that only the most ridiculous configurations are going to have trouble piping signals into this display. A 12V trigger output and RS-232C port means that custom installers have the tools they need to integrate this projector into more complex control systems. The only port missing from the HD80 is an HD15 (RGB) port for PC use and the DVI-I takes care of that since it supports analogue VGA-style signals through its input. This is one well-equipped projector.