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  30 out of 32 members found this review helpful

  Bill_Peppas

  2022-10-12

  Based on its technical specifications, the Optoma UHD38x is mainly intended for gaming use, but also for movies/series/games in relatively bright conditions (semi-darkness, with low lighting). It is an "affordable" DLP projector with a classic lamp as its light source, which we all love (and have changed at least once in our projector). The UHD38x features a zoom lens, allowing us to project the desired inches (based on specifications) from different distances. However, this is the only convenience it provides for placement. It does not have vertical or horizontal lens shift, which means it must be placed at the appropriate height and width (center) to project within our viewing screen. Its offset is also small, further limiting its placement options. Due to its long throw, we will need to give it enough distance from our screen to open up a decent-sized frame. If we don't mount it on the ceiling, we will have to sit even further back, behind the projector, increasing our distance from the screen. Its lens is more of a long throw than normal. To open a 120" frame, we need a distance of at least 3.98m (with a maximum distance of 4.38m, +/- 5%). The native resolution of the DMD chip is 1080p, but with Pixel Shifting technology, it achieves UHD resolution convincingly. Its image is quite clear and impressive even from close distances. In addition to UHD resolution, the UHD38x supports another important feature for "4K" consoles and "4K Blu-ray" movies: HDR and HLG standards. It supports the increased dynamic range (High Dynamic Range) and wider color gamuts (BT.2020, UHDA-P3) for more vibrant and bright colors that will breathe new life into your gaming and possibly movies. It also supports 3D projection (at 1080p) for those remaining faithful to 3D projection. However, all of these require a lot of light, which the UHD38x likely has since according to its technical specifications, it has a light output of 4000 ANSI Lumens.

  As is customary for projectors in this price range, we do not find a dynamic iris that would help lower black levels in dark scenes without reducing the brightness of whites in bright scenes.

  In terms of image adjustments, it features the Wall Color Correction function, which adjusts the projection appropriately so that colors appear correct even if our wall is not white (it has correction for walls painted in: Light yellow, light green, light blue, pink, gray, blackboard). It has 9 factory image profiles, supports ISF calibration with 3 separate banks (ISF Day, ISF Night, ISF 3D) for separate adjustments depending on lighting conditions and content. For image correction, we have an almost complete menu, with CMS, 2-point Grayscale adjustment, options for Gamma, different subsets for HDR/HLG (with emphasis on brightness or preserving highlights), adjustment of HDR effect "intensity," and adjustment of "BrilliantColor" technology. A satisfactory number of adjustments for a professional calibrator to bring the Optoma UHD38x image as close to ideal as possible!
  • If it will be used for watching movies in complete darkness or a fairly dark room, depending on the screen size, using a matte white screen (>130") with a gain between 1.0 and 1.3 will provide us with sufficient brightness and help with HDR content if that is the most interesting feature for us, or preferably a "gray" type ALR (Ambient Light Rejecting) screen (<130") with a negative gain (0.6 - 0.8) to help give us a deeper black and better contrast, while also reducing the excessive light that the UHD38x has, simultaneously reducing reflections on our walls that, when illuminating the room, decrease the perceived contrast ratio.
  The best factory profiles are Cinema and Reference. Cinema is quite bright and useful for viewing in daylight (indoors, of course) or with artificial light in the room, while Reference is the closest to the standards for viewing SDR content in a dark or completely dark room. I used the Reference profile for ISF calibration. The UHD38x does not have the... "qualities" for proper representation of the HDR standard, as it cannot achieve the necessary brightness or color gamut where we lack brightness and color saturation (in addition to the error in hue). This should not surprise us, as in practice, very few projectors can satisfactorily (not even very well) reproduce this image standard, and those that can are projectors that cost €5000 and more... However, in low lighting, for games from modern gaming consoles, it can perform satisfactorily as long as we do not have high demands regarding accuracy in representation. For movies, it is better to collect SDR movies in your collection (either 1080p or the few that are released with SDR in 4K), and for HDR, use a device that can perform proper HDR to SDR tonemapping (such as a computer using the MadVR video renderer or a Panasonic Blu-ray player with the Tonemapping function, like the DP-UB820), so that you can enjoy them with accurate image, good colors, and as deep blacks as possible (while also extending the lamp's lifespan at the same time!).
  The biggest issue with the UHD38x is the color deviation that cannot be completely corrected, and as we correct it, there is a decrease in color saturation. The only color that comes close to ideal is yellow. Blue has a significant lack of saturation, while red is even more lacking in brightness. In many cases like this, it is preferred to sacrifice our goal of achieving 100% color saturation in order to achieve better accuracy in the values of 40%, 60%, and 80%, as most works have these saturation levels in their colors.
  As for black depth and contrast, the numbers achieved by the UHD38x are at best moderately good. It lags significantly behind similar-priced DLP & LCD projectors (especially Epson & BenQ) in both categories.
  If we want it exclusively for watching movies and series, we would say that it depends on the viewing conditions: if they vary between bright, semi-lit, and dark, then it's okay. However, there are more "value for money" solutions on the market at a similar cost.
  If we want it exclusively for movies and series in dark viewing conditions or even in complete darkness, we would say no, it's better to look for another solution.

  Translated from Greek · Show original

  • Image clarity
  • Brightness
  • Durability

  • Image Colors
  • Value for money

  • Noisy
  • Zoom

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