Optoma EP739 DLP SVGA Video Projector
By: Optoma Average Rating: 4.5 Total Reviews: 8
More Information
 On: 2007-12-18
I bought this projector back in 2004... Having a home theater had always been a dream of mine, but I didnt want to fork out unreasonable amounts of money to do so... The main reason I chose this projector was for its lumen rating, and the fact that Best Buy sold it, so I was able to purchase it with my brothers employee discount for under 1000 dollars, keep in mind this was back in 2004...
At first, I was dissappointed... I ran a s-video cable straight from my AV Receiver (sony str-de1075) into the projector with dissapointing results... I tried everything, even svideo signal boosters, but the picture was mediocre at best... Then I bought a VGA HD cable for my xbox 360 and plugged it into the unit and was shocked, the picture quality was clearly sharper and much more defined...
This led me to believe that using component could possibly give me a decent picture... I bought a DVDO iScan video processor on ebay, and ran the prjector off that unit... I was pleased, the picture wasnt as clear as a CRT, but still very good for a SD signal, especially when watching DVD content...
When i really became pleased with this projector was when I bought a Samsung over the air HDTV tuner... I ran a 35 foot Monster HDMI cable thru my ceiling into the projector being fed by the HD tuner, and my jaws dropped... The picture was insanely bright, super sharp, and amazingly accurate in terms or color... This projector really shines when being fed by HD content, so I would encourage anything to invent in this unit if its purpose will be HD/BD/HD-DVD Content, you simply cannot get much better for the price... I am currently shooting it on a flat white wall, but have a Goo Paint Screen on the way, im confident that will make the picture stronger as well...
The bulb blew at about 2000 hours, a little dissappointing, but sometimes my theater room got really hot during the summer days (northern california) so i know that was not safe for the bulb... I got a decent deal from projector people, the bulb shipped overnight for 325 out the door, cant complain...
All in all, its a great projector... SD content is good with an appropiate signal processor, but HD is where it really shines....
On: 2007-12-02
The Optoma EP739 Has the best picture you can get for under $1300.00
I have owned this projector for a couple of months and it rocks!!! The Hi Def is amazing!!! Under $1900.00 in my total projection system and it compairs to a $5000.00 system. Ill stay with Optoma from now on.
 On: 2007-09-25
Jeez!
My bulb lasted 2540 hours not 5000 or even the low end 3000...
Now they want $314.00 for a replacement bulb???
The clarity has never been that great. Forget vivid or sharp...
If I had to do it over again I would spend some extra money and get real quality...
This is a low end projector...
On: 2007-09-24
Jeez!
My bulb lasted 2540 hours not 5000 or even the low end 3000...
Now they want $314.00 for a replacement bulb???
The clarity has never been that great. Forget vivid or sharp...
If I had to do it over again I would spend some extra money and get real quality...
This is a low end projector...
On: 2007-05-07
I am very happy with the performance of this projector and how clear you can see the screen even when you have the room lights on.
On: 2007-03-23
So, after months of searching for the right projector I decided on purchasing the EP739 for 6 reasons.
1) The Price, ($850) Thats hard to beat!
2) 720p, 1080i high definition picture. Ive already watched Superman Returns and Mission Impossible III in 720p and it looks incredible! I havent seen the 1080i picture yet, but I can only imagine!
3) 2,500 lumens for a nice bright image. I have an apartment with many windows which isnt ideal for a projector, but the EP739 does just fine. Close the blinds and turn off the lights and get ready for a killer picture!
4) The inputs. S-Video, Composite (RCA), VGA and DVI connections. Some of you may be confused about the VGA input and the DVI input. Dont be, because Im going to clear that up for you right now. First up, VGA is analog and DVI is digital. Thats the important thing to know. You can purchase a component adapter for the VGA input and a HDMI adapter for the DVI input. Cool huh? So dont shy away from purchasing this projector because it doesnt have component or HDMI connections. Its an easy fix!
5) 5,000 hours lamp life!!! In all of my searching for the perfect projector, I never came across another projector with 5,000 hours of lamp life. Eco mode will dim the picture a tad, but to be honest with you, it looks fine.
6) Small and quiet. Sure there is some fan noise but its not bad at all. A friend of mine has an older projector and while watching a movie, you had to crank the surround sound to wash out the fan noise. Not with the EP739. My projector sits 5 feet from my head, and I hardly know its there. And the size of this thing is small. Its hard to believe that such a small machine can produce a 25 foot picture!!!
$2,000 - $3,000 for a 42" plasma or $850 for a theater like picture... Thats a no brainer for me!!!
On: 2007-03-22
So, after months of searching for the right projector I decided on purchasing the EP739 for 6 reasons.
1) The Price, ($850) Thats hard to beat!
2) 720p, 1080i high definition picture. Ive already watched Superman Returns and Mission Impossible III in 720p and it looks incredible! I havent seen the 1080i picture yet, but I can only imagine!
3) 2,500 lumens for a nice bright image. I have an apartment with many windows which isnt ideal for a projector, but the EP739 does just fine. Close the blinds and turn off the lights and get ready for a killer picture!
4) The inputs. S-Video, Composite (RCA), VGA and DVI connections. Some of you may be confused about the VGA input and the DVI input. Dont be, because Im going to clear that up for you right now. First up, VGA is analog and DVI is digital. Thats the important thing to know. You can purchase a component adapter for the VGA input and a HDMI adapter for the DVI input. Cool huh? So dont shy away from purchasing this projector because it doesnt have component or HDMI connections. Its an easy fix!
5) 5,000 hours lamp life!!! In all of my searching for the perfect projector, I never came across another projector with 5,000 hours of lamp life. Eco mode will dim the picture a tad, but to be honest with you, it looks fine.
6) Small and quiet. Sure there is some fan noise but its not bad at all. A friend of mine has an older projector and while watching a movie, you had to crank the surround sound to wash out the fan noise. Not with the EP739. My projector sits 5 feet from my head, and I hardly know its there. And the size of this thing is small. Its hard to believe that such a small machine can produce a 25 foot picture!!!
$2,000 - $3,000 for a 42" plasma or $850 for a theater like picture... Thats a no brainer for me!!!
On: 2006-06-19
very bright and like the other reviewers have yet to see any rainbows after months of use. a ten foot screen is hard to beat and you really cannot go back to a regular TV after going this route. i am using a "goo" screen (painted on the wall) with very good results.
On: 2006-06-11
Excellent piece of kit. Great picture and when linked to a sound sytem plus a HUGE 7X 5 screen then this is better than the movies. Rainbows......... not yet, only problem seems to be finding a replacement bulb when present one goes POP.
On: 2005-11-14
Great 2000+ lumen projector for the cost. Great color/picture quality-HDTV even better. I use it as a home theater projector with a screen size of 96" (diagonal). Bright enough for a sunny day (may washed out if you have direct sunlight coming in the room).Great contrast. Some reviewers have mentioned rainbow effects -I have yet to see. I have being using projectors in my home theater for over 4 years and this is the best (bargain) projector I have used.
|
|
