Posted on February 21, 2006 By Art Feierman
Optoma’s HD72 home theater projector replaces their highly regarded H77. The HD72 has been built to compete directly against the latest crop of 720p resolution LCD and DLP home theater projectors. The older H77 was a feature laden model, but could not be brought down to the current sub- $2000 prices. Enter the HD72 projector with improved performance, a few less features and a highly competitive price.
Optoma has initially set the MAP (minimum advertised price) of the HD72 at $1999, whereas the H77 sold for close to $3000 at the end of its life.
The overall performance of the Optoma HD72 is excellent, however if I had to pick one aspect that best describes this projector, it would be Vibrant, Bright Colors.
Before we get started, I’ll comment on the competitive field of under $2000 (selling priced) home theater projectors. There are several, highly regarded LCD projectors (which tend to offer more features, notably zoom lenses with more range, and variable optical lens shift).
Some of the top rated LCD projecors with 720p resolution, include the Panasonic PT-AE900u, and the Sanyo PLV-Z4. There are other LCD projectors of this resolution, (that cost more), such as Epson’s Cinema 550 and Sony’s HS51A. On the DLP projector side, there is the recently upgraded BenQ PE7700. There is also Mitsubishi’s new HC3000 (which we have not yet obtained for review as of this writing). The HC3000 has been priced well above the sub $2000 projectors.
The Optoma HD72 picks up our Hot Product Award, just as several other projectors in this class have done previously. The projectors in this class are highly competitive, and our award indicates that this projector has features and performance that will make it the first choice for many potential buyers. You will find that there is really no one best projector out there for everyone. There are plenty of tradeoffs, in image quality, seating distance, cost of operation, projector positioning, and more.
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