Optoma DV10 MovieTime Home Theater DLP Projector With Built-In DVD Player
By: Optoma Average Rating: 4.5 Total Reviews: 59
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 On: 2008-06-30
I was looking forward to purchasing and owning the product, but after I completed the transaction I was told it was not available. The only comment I received was "The product is no longer available." I have one question: why sell something if its "not available"? I was very disappointed indeed!
 On: 2008-06-18
I have not had a single regret about buying this projector... and given how expensive it is, that is certainly remarkable. I have had it for about a year, and it was my first projector. When I first used it, I was just astonished. Many people I know have bought these gigantic plasma screens, which can have a very pretty picture, but also become the sole focal point of their apartments. Seriously, they convert their whole living spaces into a shrine to their tv watching! This projector, on the other hand, can give me just as big and beautiful of a picture as a plasma screen, but it slips away under my bed when Im done with it!
One con- one of my friends mentioned it isnt a great idea to have the DVD player attached to the projector, since if something goes wrong with that, then the projector will be ruined too... But this doesnt really seem all that bothersome to me. Actually, one of the very best features of this projector is that it has the DVD player built right in. Literally, it takes thirty seconds to set up. Just plug it in!
Another con is that it really does produce a lot of heat. Count on it. If you have a teensy apartment, like I do, then this could be bothersome. Of course, I dont notice that at all anymore, so maybe it was just when the projector was new.
Some comments when I was researching projectors said that this produced a burning smell when they used it. It definitely did make somewhat of a smell when I first got it, but this went away within about two or three uses. It does not produce any odor whatsoever now.
The rest is all positive! It comes with a pretty nice carry case, so you really can take it anywhere. Although, it would be nice if they didnt write their logo in big print across the case, since I dont really need to be advertising to everyone on the subway that Im carrying something valuable... but still! it is light, and even a child could set it up. The picture is beautiful, and I can make it stretch across my whole wall. Its really, in truly, like being at the movies! I have found the volume to be more than adequate, but I suppose if you were going to use it outside, you might want to attach speakers. I have never turned it to full volume though, since it really does get plenty loud. Its a really great, quality product, and I cant be more pleased!
On: 2008-03-10
i reviewed alot of projectors before buying this one.
i must say it was worth the wait.
what a marvelous projector. amazing clarity far better than the sony.
i think optoma is the leader in projectors and this one proves the point.
i am a researcher before i make any purchase.
the reviews on this home theatre cannot explain how magnificent it is.
all i can say is that it is perfect for some one who wants a decent home theatre solution i his home. sure the optoma 72 has better video qualityand i am sure the 1080p projestors are great to but the best thing about the movie time is that it is all in one,.
having a dvd and speakers in the device is so great.you can only appreciate it when you start using this projector.
it is literally plug and play.
yes it has to be kept rather low as it projects to high on the wall. but that can be overcome by raising the back of the projector so that it projects acrately on the wall. no need for a screen. you can never get teh same feeling as the screens are never big enough.
i must mention that the sound though not very loud is amazing.
it gives a fantastic surround effect and really makes the movie come alive. you really dodnt need anything else.
if you have a good woofer to attach that would be perfect. the woofer they supply is crappy and makes a lot of background noise.
On: 2008-03-09
I bought this last November. Since then, Ive watched a wide variety of movies on it. Everything from B&W oldies to the latest films. The effect is incredible. Its like owning your own movie theater.
Im surprised more people arent using these things instead of buying big-screen TVs. The Optoma is light, small, portable, very easy to use, and gives wonderful picture and sound. A big TV has a way of "becoming" the room. With this, when youre done with it, you can just put it away. The only fault it has is that (unlike a big TV) you need a darkened room to view the picture. If that isnt a problem, this might be for you.
I dont own a movie screen. I project my image onto a white wall. The image I get is about 14 feet wide. With older films, the picture almost stretches from floor to ceiling.
Few gadgets have really changed my life, this one has. It has rekindled my love for great movies. I can see details and sense the power in the images that Ive missed on TVs.
On: 2007-12-19
Ive had mine for over a year now, and have even given one as a gift. The only thing wrong with the whole product is that abysmal instruction book. The whole writing team must have been on a bender when they cobbled that thing together.
Luckily you hardly need it.
I bought an inexpensive screen that came in the usual metal housing. I stripped the housing off, and hung the screen itself on a nail, upside down, from the pull-down handle. this is only good if you want your screen always up. Since I use the Optoma so often, that works for me.
An alternate to foamcore is a sheet of white styrene. This stuff is inexpensive and available from your Sign Supplies store. It has a transluscency that pops the colors nicely.
Since the price has dropped so dramatically on this one, it gives even more value.
 On: 2007-11-22
Im a soldier in Iraq and I am living in a 13" x 14" trailer room. Since its nearly impossible to get a television out here larger than 21, I ordered this little baby. It throws a pretty nice picture across to the other wall where I put up the Optomo 84 white matte screen that I bought. Although I dont have enough room to get the largest size screen this thing can throw, I get about 60 on the wall and the picture is pretty darned good with the screen. Against the naked wall its trash though, so make sure you get a screen.
The only cons that I have is that this unit is made strictly for table top use. The projection throws the angle up at almost a 60 degree angle. This was a problem for me, because I wanted to have it sit on a bookshelf and project straight out to the screen, like a movie theater setup. Right now, I have the back-end of the unit propped up with a book and the unit is pointing down toward the ground at a ridiculous angle so that the projection will go straight forward. So if you are looking to ceiling mount or sit it up high on a shelf, it gonna be pretty ugly. But hey, it does the trick for me way out here in the desert. In my case, who cares how it looks as long as it works. Also the remote control layout is pretty lame because the tilt controls are lined up with the volume control so if you accidentally mistake them, you will have the on-screen tilt function sitting there for about 20 seconds. That gets annoying, but other than that this is a great unit.
On: 2007-10-07
Bought this Optoma DV10 from Circuit city back in May 2007 that came along with free 92-inch screen and subwoofer. Without a doubt I will recommend this product to anyone who knows how to enjoy advanced technology and this one is the perfect one. With the attached subwoofer and 92 inch screen by default it make my home feel at movie theater and quality and clarity of picture is great. My 5 stars to this product. Now all I have to do is buy a spare lamp for future purposes, THE END!!
On: 2007-09-10
Pros: Easy to use. Very portable and not bulky. Great remote included. Great picture.
Cons: Speakers are not loud enough so we had to make sure and buy external speakers and an amp to get the sound better for us.
On: 2007-08-30
Weve had the Movietime for over a year and still love it. The convenience is great. We dont have a seperate AV room and we dont want to set up a bunch of audio video gear in our living room, so when we want to watch videos we just plop down the Optoma and point it a the wall. Huge image, excellent color and sharpness. The sound is adequate. For us its the perfect solution and well worth the dough.
On: 2007-08-06
Have previous version, gave this unit to my sisters family (2 girls - 12 & 14). Brother-in-law, sister & family love theirs. Use it for movie nights while floating in their pool (patching the sound through pool speakers). Picture big and clear while placed safely away from water.
Have used mine in backyard, living room, and for presentations to groups where previously used multiple video screens. Easy to use, more than enough inputs, remote control. While screen gives best picture, it does alright on a wall or sheet.
Only problem, it doesnt make popcorn!
On: 2007-08-05
When i was shopping for a projector i was looking to spend 2 gran for a good quality picture, when i saw the dv10 i got an idea. the price was low and would allow me to buy other things to go with it. i bought this projector and a 4 year warranty for under 700, then a a cinemate bose sound system, and a ps3. all for under my budget. i was so excited i build a dark room in my garage for under 500. wood, dry wall, carpet and boom your done. my total was about 2400. love the movies game and sound.
people are left breathless, and keep coming back and of course with free lamp replacements from my warranty...KEEP THEM COMING BACK FOR MORE....
 On: 2007-05-12
this is a good starter projector. good for movie nights or anything in the dark but if you want to watch in the daytime, forget it. it not very bright. you gotta love the built in dvd player tho. one problem i have had with this unit is that when you use the remote to shut of the unit you have to push the power button and then it will ask you if you want to power off the unit then you have to push it again and the screen turns off, but two times now i have walked away on that and came back later to find that the thing is still on, sitting there for hours running burning up my lamp, i was very mad.all in all i am pretty happy with it. its my first projector and its great to have a huge screen. ill keep this for a while and probly upgrade to a brighter one later so i can watch in the daytime without putting sheets over the windows.
On: 2007-05-02
My father teaches a course on weekends and he needed the right package to show dvds to his students while being portable. This was the solution. Its great because theres only one power cord to plug in to get it to work. Everything needed to get started right off the bat is basically in one package. Had my dad bought it all separately he wouldve bought 1 dvd player 1 projector and a pair of speakers all of which have to be plugged into a surge outlet and all the wires connecting them all together.. it wouldve been hell. Instead he has this nice all in one which effectively puts it all together. A very good buy for this case.
On: 2007-05-01
This is a great projector. The quality of the image is stellar. The onboard speakers are small but adequate for most people, but youre really missing out on the full movie-going experience without surround sound! Many people realize that you cannot mute the onboard speakers while external speakers are connected to the DV10. This CAN be achieved if you use the optical audio out. So, if want to mute the onboard speakers to get external audio (from surround speakers or headphones) while muting the onboard speakers heres the set up Im using to achieve that:
-Bought an inexpensive Sony receiver (model STR-DG510)
-Bought an inexpensive 6 optical cable
-Bought JBL Surround Cinema Speakers (SCS200.5)
-Connected the optical cable to one of the optical inputs on the receiver.
-Connected my speakers to the receiver according to directions.
-Set my receivers input setting to "Video 2" (this will vary depending on your connection and receiver).
-Using the DV10s remote, I pressed "Setup", navigated to "Audio Setup", selected "SPDIF OUT", and set that to "RAW".
My DV10s onboard speakers went silent but I was now getting fantastic 5.1 Dolby Digital sound through my external speakers! Connecting my headphones to the receiver means late night movies without waking the neighbors :-)
On: 2007-04-20
i am pleased with the projector so far. i i am using it on the wall at a distance of about 10 feet that gives me a 100 inch wide screen. colors are good sound is okay. i am running it though my hp laptop with windows media center edition. i have a tv tuner card with cable tv hooked up so this is my tv. i also play pc games with it which are awesome. love the carry bag that comes with it. great product/price
On: 2007-03-13
This Optoma beats out all the other "all in one" projectors handily in all of the online reviews. After purchasing it I can see why. The picture is fantastic. If your main use for this projector will be standard definition DVDs then its a great buy. It is priced similarly to low end 720P high definition projectors though, so do your research.
That said this is one nice projector. The image is great and the speakers are OK. It does have digital output for surround sound if you have a receiver that can do that.
One limitation is the short throw length, meaning the picture gets large very quickly in relation to how close it is to the screen. It also projects very high. Both of these together mean that if you want to place it at the back of a room the image will be too high and too large, unless your room is under 10 ft. in that direction. If you have a smaller room this is actually better than most other projectors.
Do an online search for "projector calculator" to find info on this.
Mine did have a bad smell for a couple of weeks, then it went away.
The built in DVD player does a great job with the signal to be projected. This is very important, as well as saving you money on a higher end DVD player. I bought a projector that is considered to be the best 480P (standard DVD) available and regretted it. The Optoma was much better because my external DVD player, even though hooked up digitally through HDMI, was producing a much inferior image to the Optoma. I sold the other projector and kept the DV10.
If you can live with a projector being less than 9 feet or so from the screen, probably being in front of you, it is very nice. Awesome for DVDs. I own a HD Plasma and will not watch movies on it with this around.
I didnt think standard DVDs could look this good.
On: 2007-03-08
This projector works as advertised. The incorporated DVD player and sound system make it easy to watch widescreen movies without running cables all over the place, and it comes with a cloth carrying case so you can take it to a friends. Ours sits on the floor under the coffee table about 80" from the screen. The machine is designed to project up about 13 degrees above horizontal, so it makes a widescreen picture about 70" wide with the lower edge about 4 feet off the floor. We use a 6-foot wide screen we bought at a commercial photo shop for $150. Our eye-to-screen distance is about 11 feet. I think 13 would be ideal.
The picture quality, both color and focus, is excellent, limited only by the inherent resolution of DVDs. You do need a dark room, so unless you have heavy curtains, daytime viewing is poor. The sound depends somewhat on the quality of the DVD soundtrack. A few are only marginally loud enough even with the volume set at maximum. Others give beautiful sound that has the lively action similar to a 5-speaker system. The sound of the projector cooling fan is audible in quiet moments, but you tend to tune it out pretty quickly.
The instruction booklet covers the basics but is a little skimpy when it comes to hooking up to external sources or sound systems. The remote unit works by reflecting off the screen to a receiver on the front of the unit. Two annoying behaviors are 1) if you use the "Format" button (to shift from 16:9 to 4:3 for instance), the on-screen menu continues to show for a minute or longer, right in the middle of the picture, with no way to cancel it until it finally times out on its own. (You cant always tell before you start viewing a DVD whether its widescreen or not, so there you are with the movie running and the stupid menu planted in the middle of your picture even after youve fixed the format.) And 2), whenever you change the volume, the on-screen volume level display shows up. It can be distracting in a dramatic quiet scene. There should be a way to disable the level display. Who needs to "see" the volume level?
Overall, were very pleased with the projector. For a small group in not too big a room, it works quite well -- and our relatives are envious. For viewing by more than a few people I think youd want to add an external sound system.
On: 2007-02-21
I love watching movies and this is an awesome projector with an outstanding image quality. Obviously, like everything else in life it does not fit everybodys needs. Let me explain.
We dont have a spare room in our house that can be used as a dedicated theater. So, ceiling mount and fixed screen is out of the question. Also, I do not have dedicated audio speakers. Portability without compromising on image quality was critical for me. I had three options: Optoma, DV10, Epson Moviemate and tape a cyberhome dvd player to a regular projector. I chose Optoma DV10 for its image quality.
This thing is very portable. I plug it in, pop in a dvd and project it on a wall in our family room. Even without a screen, the image quality is outstanding. Some days when we feel like it, I carry it upstairs (its like carrying a laptop) and project it on a wall in the bedroom. You get the point.
We use the built-in speakers and a sub-woofer. Not ideal, but works until I get a better speaker system. For tiny 5 watt speakers, they are actually quite good. You SHOULD listen to it before making a decision either way. Reviews dont really help much in this regard.
Overall, if portability and picture quality are decision variables for you, this is a great projector. If you have a spare room that can be a dedicated theater, this is probably not for you.
On: 2007-02-14
We are very excited about this projector. right off the box ! anyone looking into hd tvs should consider this - the image is as big as we could ever want it to be - and with an HD TV feed - picture is crazy !
On: 2007-01-28
I have owned this projector for almost a year and a half.
Lets start with the PROs:
Its a projector. It projects. I am using it on a 9.5ft screen in my bedroom.
Thats about it for that section.
Now onto the CONs:
Within a month, the DVD player stopped recognizing any type of media placed in it (DVD, DVD-R, CD). It does not load. Being that I own an alternate DVD-player, I just hooked that one up and ignored the problem, hoping that that would be the end of my difficulties (as shipping back to the company for repair comes out of my pocket, eventhough its under warranty, and not having a "television" to watch for that period wasnt beneficial).
Next issue came to a head about 8 months after purchase when turning it on one day, the motor ran very loudly (a noise-level you have to speak almost in a yell when sitting beside the person with which you are conversing). The color also seemed to be off (reds appear a muddy brown, image is much darker without variating tones, i.e. naturally high contrast). This more than takes the thrill out of watching bloody horror flix.
The only source that has a reduced buzz is when using it as a computer monitor, but this still is very loud, especially on start-up. Since then, this is the only way I watch my movies, through the DVD-ROM on my computer projecting a horrible image on the wall.
My computer speakers also provide much better sound than the built-in system speakers, which is very necessary to use in order to hear anything over the loud buzzing (If you close your eyes, you would think it was a chainsaw)
The picture itself is also very dim. I have two narrow windows in my room, both with mini-blinds and a curtain, yet it is still difficult in the daytime to watch anything that isnt a bright cartoon. (Back to my love of horror movies, this causes a dilemma)
Finally after saving up enough money to purchase a replacement, I am having an Epson Powerlight 76c shipped to me. Hopefully this projector will last longer than the Optoma.
I HIGHLY recommend researching other projectors before buying this one. Just because it has a built in DVD-player, dont let that win you over. Its just as easy to hook-up an external DVD-player to a better projector.
I purchased this with the 9.5ft screen on the home shopping network for 2200$. Talk about PRICEY! Next time I wont be so hasty to purchase anything. This is a piece of junk. Try the Epson Powerlight 96c. I have researched and read many good things about this projector. It costs less, AND the lumens is 2000, 1000 more than the Optoma, meaning that you can watch dark movies during the day. Hook up your own Cheap $20 DVD-player. I guarantee you that even the cheapest of DVD-players will last longer than this systems built-in one. Go for quality not cheap hooks.
On: 2007-01-25
I bought this projector several months ago, so Ive had a chance to get used to it and can share all that with other Amazon customers.
The Good:
If you dont know much or anything about home theater, and you dont want to learn about what 1080i, 720p, 480p and all the other techno mumbo-jumbo means, you can hardly go by buying this product. Out of the box, the unit seemed pretty darn good. I played a little with brightness and contrast to make the blacks look a little blacker. Overall, the images are very good. This is a 480p projector, so although you can pipe-in high-def programming, you WILL NOT get true high-definition video displayed on your wall or your movie screen. That said, the images are still going to look very good, crisp and clear. For most people, the 480p native resolution shouldnt be a deal-breaker.
The convenience is really excellent. Optoma did right by packing everything in a handy, sturdy tote (but dont drop the bag, as the cushioning is minimal). Tote it easily to a friends house or set it up outside to have outdoor movie night -- thats what we do, and its been a great hit with our friends and their kids. Its as easy as plugging it in, turning it on, popping in a DVD and hitting Play. My wife and I set it up on our bed (I put the projector on top of a cookie sheet) and we watch movies in comfortably in bed now, so our young kids dont hear the movie audio.
Its very affordable. If you find you really arent going to use a projector very often, youre out hundreds of dollars, not thousands.
The Bad:
The built-in speakers are adequate for a bedroom, but in a larger setting they arent too good. Outside, you MUST use extra amplification -- I hook up the projector to a boom box, and even with the volume turned up on the projector AND the boombox, the audio output is just passable. Obviously, youre not going to get much bass from these speakers. But then, this is a highly portable unit, so thats the trade-off.
Some projector settings dont appear to be retained after I turn it off and unplug it. For instance, I always have to manually turn off the Brite Mode (economizes the lamp life) -- the project doesnt retain this setting. Other settings are retained, though, like Brightness and Contrast. Its a little nettlesome to have to bother changing the Brite Mode setting each time.
When I use the projector hooked up to my laptop, the character output isnt that great. This could be a projector setting issue (my problem), but you wont get great results without tweaking the projector, if thats even possible. Itd be fine for Powerpoint slides, but you wouldnt want to look at spreadsheet data in a 12-point font using this set-up.
The Ugly:
The only ugly thing is that the light output is so dim, you really have to use this projector in a dark or almost-dark room. Forget about using it in the daytime, even indoors with the shades drawn -- its just too dim to cast an acceptable brightness and color level. The image will be too washed out to be enjoyed. But as long as you can control your environment (or conform to it by watching movies outdoors only at night), then this will be a great solution.
So, I recommend this unit. I wish it had better speakers (5 watt speakers is better than average projectors, but they still leave a lot to be desired). I wish it cast a brighter image. But living under those constraints isnt too bad for the money I paid. Im glad I bought it, and we use it just about every week now.
On: 2007-01-22
The Optoma Movie Time Projector is awesome. The calrity and size of the image is simply amazing, no distortion at all. I hooked this up through composite video cable to one of my digital cable the HD feed (1080i) is as clear as any of our HD-LCDs.
We display the projector output image on a wall an the picture is perfect. I installed the 106" screen out on my porch and can enjoy movies out there for 3 seasons, or simply use the wall in my family room (about 15 wide) either is great. Since the built-in DVD player is pure digitial and the HD feed from the cable box is digital... they are both beautiful!
My kids play their PS2 using the projector on the wall 15 wide and it is simply awesome. At first my wife gave me a hard time about spending the $$$s, but even she was impressed with how clear and crisp images are and that when she looked at the cost of a large DLP projection box, she realizes that we paid less than half and can take it with us...
If you are looking to create a home theater then definitely consider buying this unit.
On: 2007-01-21
I didnt expect this projector to look this good for the price and features. But coupled with the Da-Lite 106-inch screen, this looks fantastic. Also, the fact that it has built-in speakers is not typical for this sort of projector. They are plenty loud for a mid-sized room.
Im just surprised how great this looks. And its so easy to operate. No regrets here on this purchase.
On: 2007-01-16
I did lots and lots of research of projectors before decided to buy this one and I could not be more pleased. I set this up in my room and projected it on a white wall and it looks amazing. Do not waste your money buying a $2000 flatscreen TV when this projector is at such a cheap price. The speakers on this are decent but if youre looking for surround sound then you deffinately need to buy speakers. The overall picture is amazing, you will not be disappointed with this projector!
On: 2006-12-13
I stumbled on this projector while doing other shopping and decided to give it a try given all the great reviews - I could not have been more pleased - I am projecting a 125" image on a textured white wall and while it helps to do so in a darkened room, it is a gorgeous picture. The only negative is the "screen door" effect if you get up close but I suspect that is a common problem with all DLP projectors. At 12-15 you cannot see this. I am using the component (HD) hookups and getting an excellent picture thru the VGA adapter (which I was skeptical of but its fine!) and I honestly dont bother with the DVD player in my "home mode" since I have a 33 cable for component I just hook it up to my Sony Dream Home Theatre and use its DVD player - vs running an optical audio cable, and it works great. Even have it wired up for VHS using the video cable (my component wire came with 3 component wires and two sound wires which I dont need, so I use one for VCR video feed and it worked great. Took a couple of hours to figure out all the cabling to get everything in sync but it works great now.
My wife, who was even more skeptical of my purchase and thought I was wasting my money, said, after seeing it for the first time and watching a 10 wide movie "Bob, you did good!" And from my wife that is the ultimate compliment. She loves to go watch movies in the rec room now - and before we used to watch them on the 60" Sony LCD HDTV, which is nice but hey, its not 125" diagonal, is it? 4+x the picture. We are investing in room darkening roman shades to insure daytime viewings but even on a sunny day its fairly adequate except during very dark scenes.
Sound quality of the 5 watt speakers is not bad but no comparison to 5.1, so while the DVD player and speakers make this projector highly portable (and we will take it to our vacation home for the summer!) I find it a great value for the buck! Even went on sale a week after I bought it and Amazon credited me back the $50 savings!
I also was able to upgrade the rebate bright white screen (92") to 120" Grey Wolf II upgrade screen for the difference in retail, fair enough. But that takes 8 weeks.
All in all a 4+ - and a "best buy!" Ive got my Christmas present early!
On: 2006-12-11
Worked beautifully right out of the box - no need to fool with cabling or arcane adjustments! This projector didnt require a large room to project a big picture - this short throw feature is important for those of us who live in an apartment or townhouse. The sound with built in speakers was much better than I anticipated, and my white living room wall was more than adequate as a screen. Do plan, though, to darken the room before watching your movies.
On: 2006-12-03
Im one of the Black Friday owners - and I have to say, this was hands down the best $450 ever spent. I havent gotten the screen yet, but it looks great even projected against my GREEN living room walls. Go figure.
On: 2006-12-02
I was able to play a movie right out of the box without reading instructions. The picture quality is very good in a dark room but I got this for watching movies at night, not for general TV use. I love the fact that I can view a movie in any of the 7 rooms at my home.
It is light enough for me to move and carry without effort. I could not move a flat panel because they are too heavy for me. I did not want to spend the price for a high quality HD flat panel (in the scale of this projectors display) while the prices are coming down and technology is improving.
And best of all there is no display screen to dust! Also, I have a wall of windows in the family room and no one will see a large flat panel on my wall and think about breaking in to steal it.
It does emit a slight odor but I do not notice it unless I leave the room and come back in. It seems that now after several hours of use there is much less odor. I have a good sense of smell but this odor is not bothering me.
It does put out heat which is good in the winter, but I live in AZ so in the summer the heat will not be helpful. The fan humming is noticeable but I forget all about it after a few minutes and it is not annoying at all to me. I have had to keep the volume level at the highest for all the movies I have played to get the sound level to where I want it. That may be because I am using it in a very large, tall space. I can see that I will need to get my sound system installed if I want more volume.
I am very happy and would highly recommend this for the price $800-$900. I find it a GREAT bargain at this price. I dont even need the screen, but I will use it if it improves picture quality.
On: 2006-12-02
[...]After getting up at 3 to get in line on Black Friday morning and grabbing one, I got home right about when it was getting light out and pulled it out and projected Dust to Glory on my wall (that is textured) with light coming in the room and it looked awesome. Only had it a few feet from the wall but it projected a huge image. I felt like it was xmas! sound is average, would rather have it hooked up to my surround sound system. Ultra portable. I also hooked up my PS2 and played some lifesize Tiger Woods golf which was awesome.
The way the hdtv works is there is an adapter that comes with it that turns the VGA input into component inputs. not true 1080i hidef, but is still better than standard.
[...]
On: 2006-11-30
Its pretty funny, I was reading the persons review before this one and I thought I was having an out of body experience because it sounds exactly like my story! We also stood in line at Circuit City during Black Friday and through all the madness, we were able to get one of the very few in stock for $450 (You cant pass up a deal like that). My daughter also came down from upstairs after we had hooked it up on the wall and she her jaw just dropped and she was speechless for about 3 min...priceless:) I cant say enough about the image, it is truly incredible! The colors are so vibrant and the picture is so clear. I HIGHLY recommend this projector and I also look forward to the campouts and BBQs to come with this baby! Everyone wants to have a movie night at our house now! 5 big stars!
 On: 2006-11-30
I have had the projector for 6 months now.
Pros:
- All-in-one, Video, sound, DVD player.
- Comes with bag to carry around
- Perfect for small screens in DARK environment.
Cons:
- DVD that you burnt yourself for backup (with recompression) dont play well. Even movies with low re-compression have problems, which shows by broken portions of some frames.
- The worst through is the sound problem with self-burnt DVDs. Sometimes, even on low recompression DVDs, the sound is 1 to 2 seconds early. Which makes it a nightmare to watch those movies.
- Image quality is average. If you place the projector more than 10ft away from the screen, then the image is not as bright.
- The projector generates quite some noise, which the sound of the movie may generally cover, but not always.
- VGA input didnt work with my Powerbook G4, even though the powerbook actually recognized the projector as well as its native definition.
In general, im on the average for this projector. 2.5/5 would be my rating.
On: 2006-11-28
I just bought this projector after researching it for a while. I stumbled upon it at Circuit City Black Friday sale for $450 after MIR. Cant beat the price, lucked out and found the only available unit in a 100 Mile radius.
I brought it home, pointed it to a blank wall, voila excellent quality image. My toddler son came to the room and with an astonished look on his face asked me whether I took the wall down and put in a huge TV there. Priceless!!
Well, next day I tested it on a screen at a friends dedicated home theater room. He has everything high end. This projector performed atleast as well if not better than his $2500 projector. The image just pops at you. The colors are deep and saturated, blacks are extremely black. The picture is crystal clear with lot of depth.
The Image quality, in my opinion, is far better than some the more expensive projectors. And offcourse, you cant beat the portability.
Cant wait till next summer for a back yard barbecue and movie with friends.
One question to other users... is it possible to fix BriteMode at OFF in ImageAI mode?
On: 2006-08-19
I have been interested in upgrading to a larger screen for many years, but reluctant due to high pricing, reliability, competing technologies (LCD, projector, DLP, plasma, tube, etc.) and space concerns. Ive had my eye on a projector-based solution for a while, but they too were on the pricy side. Along comes the Optoma DV10.
Wow! The picture quality is stunning even at sizes beyond 12 feet. The sound output, 5.1 surround, optically feeds into my home theater sound system with a single cable to complete the home theater experience. This unit, originally priced around $1500.00, is now a steal at ~$900.00 and in most cases comes with a rebate that entitles you to a free projector screen and subwoofer. The unit itself is elegant, quiet and easy to operate. One of the most rewarding purchases Ive made in a while.
On: 2006-05-23
-I bought the DV10 recently as a supplement to my current setup - Phillips 42 HDTV and the OPPO upconverting DVD player, The DV10 did not perform as well as I had anticipated and I quickly noticed the difference in image quality. Both the DVD and HDTV display performance for the DV10 paled in comparison to the Phillips and OPPO setup.
-See the DV10 outputs at 480p whereas my Phillips is 720p/1080i ---huge difference! The HD content was a huge reduction in image quality to what Im used to and the DVD video output was pathetic compared to the superior OPPO DVD player.
-I guess its ok as a niche product. However, if youre used to true HDTV and have experienced the visional joys of an upconverting DVD player, then I strongly recommend not buying this product. Luckily, I was able to return the product for a full refund. Also, be weary of the lamp replacement cost.
On: 2006-05-08
I had been looking at DLP projectors for a while, but hesitated to make a purchase because of my unfamiliarity with the technology and the cost of higher end projectors ($5000+). I decided to purchase the MovieTime because it allowed me to dip my toe in the projector pool at a very low price. Shopping around I paid $865, and this included a free 92" screen (a $200 value).
When the MovieTime arrived I simply set it on the floor, plugged it in, popped in a DVD, and had a 113" movie screen on my white wall. The picture quality was far better than I imagined, especially considering the price. The unit was quiet, and I didnt notice any burning plastic smell that other reviews have mentioned. The speakers are small and certainly dont provide a rib-rattling theater-like experience, but they are much better than I anticipated, easily filling a 12 x 14 room. MovieTime works best in a completely dark room, but the picture is acceptable on cloudy days as well.
After a few weeks I am extremely satisfied with this purchase. I am an old movie buff and it is a thrill to see these films on a large screen. My only complaints about the system are the lack of a backlit remote (hard to operate in the dark), and a few occurences of the audio and video getting out of sync after pausing a DVD (this was corrected by stopping the DVD and restarting it). Also, it would be nice if the product manual did a better job of explaining all of the various picture settings and options.
Overall, the picture quality, portability, and relatively low price make this an amazing value. Highly recommended.
On: 2006-05-06
This projector is awesome. I was truly amazed at the quality of the picture. You really get a feeling of watching a movie in the theater. Just awesome. The remote could be better - takes a while to get used to it. Just Buy it. Btw, this is my first projector - so cant compare with anything else.
On: 2006-05-01
Impressive little projector for the money. Only real complaint is with the power cord. It is cheap and made with a soft rubber compound that tends to lose the connection if the power cord is moved around. Replace it with a better power cord to avoid this problem.
When using the stereo output (ie, RCA mini-jack) rather than the optical audio out, youll likely find that the output volume is way too low to feed a stereo reciever. The output jack seems to be at high impedance levels. Therefore, if your receiver has a Phono input, use it instead of a CD or Tape input. This will give you much stronger audio with a stereo receiver. I was also getting some 60 Hz hum when using the stereo output to my stereo receiver, but solved it with a RadioShack "Ground Loop Isolator" ($17).
If you want a cheap screen, trying using Foam Core. It can be purchased in 8x4 sheets from most picture framing stores and make a pretty decent screen for well under $20. Optoma has also been offering coupons for a free Graywolf 92" screen. Search around on the web to see if they still offer it.
On: 2006-04-06
Ive never bought a projector before. I finally decided to "take the plunge" and buy either a nice TV or a projector. For a variety of reasons, I liked the idea of a projector better, so I did my research.
The Optoma DV10 caught my eye, as it seemed like a great projector for a neophyte in home theater at a very good price. Researching and reading reviews of the projectors in the same general price range convinced me that the DV10 was the way to go.
I received my projector yesterday, and I can say I am impressed. It didnt take me very long to find a place for it, eventually putting it on a cart about 4 high behind the couch. The keystone correction handled it well, but I had to use some CD cases to get the projector to point downward at a sharp enough angle. I threw the image onto a blank wall and ran the projector through the paces
It took some fiddling to get the picture to look the way I wanted it to, with the right levels of brightness and color, but I was able to figure out the controls fairly quickly.
On DVDs that were transfers of older movies or TV shows, the quality is very inconsistent on the DVD and the projector picks up every tiny flaw and makes it very obvious. I am sure there is a way to compensate for this, but I dont know enough about the projector to know for certain how. It will take some trial and error to really pin down what does what and how to make every dvd look its best.
On newer movies and DVDs, however, the picture is nothing short of awesome. Its amazing to see a 92" image in your living room. The sound on the projector isnt bad for what it is, but I was able to just plug it into my old component system and play it through my stereo speakers just fine. I am sure when my surround sound system arrives next week, it will be even better!
The lamp is sufficiently bright for a dimly lit room, but if a room has good natural light, the image can look a bit dark, and with the Bright mode turned on, it still looks a bit dim and washed out around the edges. Im going to have to buy some heavy curtains for the living room windows. I think once I put my 92" greywolf screen up on the wall that it might help define the edges a bit better, too. In a dimly lit or dark room, the lamp is very bright. Scenes where there is a flash of light on the screen are astonishingly bright. Colors are very good, with deep blacks and good temperature. I had to actually tone the colors down a bit, as the reds and greens were almost unnaturally bright. A few small setting changes later and it was very nice.
I have noticed a little bit of a "screen door" effect, but I think its partially because I was looking for it. I didnt notice it at all, until I went very close to the image, and after that I now can see it all the time if I look for it. If I forget to look, its fine. Ive not noticed any "rainbow effect".
I briefly tried to use it with my laptop to display my desktop, and it worked OK except that fonts were hard to read. I am sure I probably need to change a setting either on the laptop or the projector to get the right picture (I only tried for about 5 minutes to make it look good), but otherwise it was very good. Graphics displayed with breathtaking depth and clarity.
Overall, I would say that this projector is the best available at this pricepoint. The manual isnt very helpful and there is a definite learning curve on navigating the menus and settings. However, as my first purchase into the realm of home theater, I dont think I could have possibly have done better. I feel safe in recommending this projector to others interested in home theater on a budget.
On: 2006-03-09
The picture this projector makes is very good, it does suffer slightly from the rainbow effect common with single chip DLP projectors. I wish the sound would play a little louder.
When I bought this projector it was priced at $1499.00, two weeks after I got it the price dropped to $1299.00. I thought well ok I guess I can live with that - prices do drop on electronic equipment all the time. Now the price is $999.00, come on OPTOMA, you really stuck it to early adopters.
Id recommend this projector to anyone once the price drops to $699.00, should be in the next several weeks.
On: 2006-03-06
My first and only review at Amazon. Why? Because I want to spread the word on this amazing gadget. The more consumers buying it, the better the technology gets recognized and priced for mass consumption. Everyone will be happy (except for theatre owners!). It seems its a little known fact that front projection is as close as you can get to a movie theatre experience without leaving your favorite couch, yet a lot argue which is better, plasma or lcd tv. Well, save your space of those bulky contraptions. With this baby, you can CHOOSE how big the display is, just move the unit farther or closer. Can you do that with your TV? I didnt think so. This is the coolest cat!
On: 2006-02-27
I was skeptical at first, reading all of these positive Amazon reviews, but then I went ahead and bought one. I was not let down.
First off, everything is relative. And everything positive about the Optoma DV10 is relative to its very low price. There are certainly more expensive machines with better resolution and/or higher lumens. And you can certainly get high resolution and brightness and no interference from ambient light with a conventional plasma or LCD flat-screen. But at this price, you really cant go wrong.
Within fifteen minutes of opening the box, you can throw a six foot or wider movie on your wall. It will take you more time to set up the screen than to set up the Optoma DV10. The controls on the remote are a bit tricky, but you get used to it. The image is bright and clear. The sound is mediocre, but what do you expect in such a small machine? If you truly are interested in big-screen movie-watching, youve already got auxiliary speakers in mind.
It is truly a sit-back, cinematic experience. Within the context of what we like to do--watch wide-screen DVD movies at night--this is perfect for us. But if your aim is to watch Regis with sun streaming through the windows, this may not be for you. Even if what you really want is that 60 inch-plus plasma, this product is a perfect stop-gap for the next several years until prices come down to reasonable levels.
On: 2006-02-03
I purchased this unit to watch DVDs in the evening or night with the family and to escape paying $50 to the local theater to watch 20 minutes of previews and commercials.
1. Ease of Installation 5 / 5
Remove from box and set on coffee table. Plug into standard wall outlet and power on. Less than 5 minutes.
2. Ease of Use 5 / 5
Press Power button and OPEN button. Insert DVD and close DVD door. Manually focus lens. Lower lights. DONE!
3. Quality of Picture 5 / 5
As good as the theater, better than my neighbors 60" Sony. The unit is 9 away from the wall and throws up a 85" image - plenty large for us sitting 16 back. We are just using the wall and the image is great.
4. Quality of Sound TBD
Waiting for sub-woofer to arrive. The small built-in speakers sound great. My neighbors have 50", 60" and a screen with 5.1 sound systems that sound great. This unit only sounds good, but I dont find I pay that much attention to the sound once the picture starts. I have Polk Audio for my stereo to show I have apprectation for quality sound.
Quick Performance / Cost Ratio
60" Sony with great 5.1 speakers at $7,500 compared to 85" plus with good speakers at $1,300. I am more than pleased with the sound the DV-10 throws out. Plus no contractor to come in and run wires.
CONS:
I wish the remote were backlit. Now I have a reason to use my maglite.
NB: no noxious odors! Some slight initial odor the first few minutes, but no more than I have experienced with any other projector.
On: 2006-01-10
I am about 60 days into owning this unit. As another reviewer commented, it will make a funny smell for about the first 50 hours. Once you get past that, its a wonderful device. The picture is bright and colorful. The experience is unmatched by any TV.
On: 2006-01-01
Bought the item for the kids new years. The purchase was made without even
seeing the quality of image and going on reviews. I went to a store that had
projectors that were on display. The images were great and the prices ranged
from 3000 to 10000. This machine comes pretty close and the price,come
on. This is a great entry level machine. With an extended warranty you are
laughing and you are now your own movie house.
I have not noticed any smell and the image looks great even on a
bed sheet. Just thought about summer time movies at night
at the cottage under the stars.
On: 2005-12-27
I ordered the Optoma DVD Projector for my husband for Christmas, and we are thrilled with the product! We literally opened up the package, plugged it in, and were watching a DVD in just a couple of minutes. The picture quality is amazing, the built in speakers emit great sound, and it is compact and easy to transport, unbelievable. It absolutely lives up to my expectations, and I would recommend it completely. Fantastic!!!
On: 2005-12-21
Id agree with most of the positive comments previously posted about this unit regarding image quality and convenience of use. Cant say I had any "smell" issues. Overall, the unit is very impressive. The problem I encountered is that the DVD player died after about twelve hours of use. Disappointing. Seller took it back without a whimper and I was impressed enough to get a replacement unit rather than a refund. Well see how the new unit holds up.
On: 2005-12-16
Overall I like it but not ecstatic and too pricey for the level of quality. Some things should have been easily corrected with a decent focus group review. Up and out of the box and watching a 6 ft wide movie on a bare wall within a couple of minutes - nice. Good clear picture for that large size and the bare wall but not amazing picture if you are used to or expecting HDTV level pics. On a movie like StarWars I can make out the squares of the DLP like rectangular pixels at this large size. Sound is ok but disappointing, even with a supplemental base speaker attached I had it almost near max and it is about as loud as medium volume from my tv...defintely meant to connect to sound system speakers but watchable without. Housing and pieces feel and look a little flimsy and cheap like they will soon break - specifically the DVD door and legs but overall it feels like I could easily break it. Thin plastic of almost an 80s era CD player aesthetic. This cheap feel also extends to the carrying bag that came with it which is the quality of a typical free thin black nylon bag, not that Ill be carrying it around since it feels fragile. The smell mentioned by others was light and to me was typical of new electronics, not as bad as others mentioned. However, the large GreyWolf screen that came with it stank of cheap glue for a couple of days but that was remedied as I had to send it back because it was nonfunctional right out of the box and would not roll back up. Overall I like it but it feels like an $800 level of satisfaction not $1300. Get some speakers, but picture is good enough that you may not need a screen.
On: 2005-12-01
Ive had this for about a week now and I really like the picture quality. Ive watched Star Wars III, Shreck, Mr & Mrs Smith, Matrix and Batman Begins. All of them seemed to be fine with me and my wife. I dont like how low I have to put this thing for it to project on to the screen that came with the unit. Works best on the floor or a short coffee table or other types of stands. I noticed the odor, badly for the first two days, so did my wife, after 3 or 4 days I didnt notice it anymore. However, the strong odor I was smelling was coming from the screen that came with this, the 93" graywolf. I left it down for 2 days and it aired out and the smell is gone. If I didnt walk by the screen and notice the smell coming from it I wouldve still thought the smell was coming from the projector. The smell is now gone and the picture quality has been great. The speakers are ok, however I am running the optic audio out to my home theater system. This would be perfect if I could ceiling mount it or at least mount it or place it more than 24" off of the floor.
On: 2005-11-28
Within 10 minutes of opening the box I had a 10 feet perfect image of `Shrek` projected.
This is a beautiful projector with fantastic image clarity and colour saturation. Movies were made for large screen presentation and films like Polar Express, Bridge on the River Kwai, Sound of Music, Great Excape, Titanic lose impact when shown on television.
The Movietime has a native format of 16:9 which is ideal for most movies and HDTV. Of course many films have different formats like 235:1, 240:1 and 255:1 (King and I) and the classics movies were mostly shot in almost square 4:3.
The DV10 handles them all fantastically. You can watch any format in 16:9 and it will scale the picture to fit. If you want to see the movie in its theatrical ratio you can switch it whilst in play in a second.
This is a very easy to use projector with a superb visible menu which takes only minutes to master.
The picture is superb out of the box and it does exactly what it claims to do.
Where can you see a large 35mm quality cinema like projection of films like Casablanca these days. At last the Marx Bros, Laurel and Hardy or Buster Keaton `come to life` again.
Wide screen epics like Ben Hur, Braveheart of Spartacus (I have a 65mm transfer which is no less than spectacular on this machine).
With ImageAI or Cinema Mode it seems to analyse the image as it plays to give the most fantastic picture. This projector really loves movies!
Using the DLP system (which tends to be the best for movies) the picture quality is astounding meaning that a 10` wide movie can be watched at a much closer range which really immerses the viewer. Obviously different machines, but DLP is the type of projector being installed in digital theatres now.
Even the two stereo speakers pack a good enough punch but for the true cinema sound experience hook it up to a surround sound system.
In order to produce such an image the lamp is hot and has a small odour as any projector would (even film)which personally, I did not notice. There is an O2 filter which deals with that and you will not even notice the cooling fan.
Overall I have nothing but praise for this machine. It is an excellent value, superb quality DVD projector - in fact so good it will soon pay for itself as I will hardly be visiting the local multiplex any more!
UPDATE 12/12/2005
Now a couple of weeks has passed and the projector has been in use everyday it has handled every kind of movie I have thrown at it magnificently.
Because the projector is matched to the onboard DVD player digitally each pixel is matched. Using best quality DVD transfers the quality appears equal to film and in some cases like Disney`s restored Snow White it is better. The colours explode off the screen.
Optoma recommends their Panoview Greywolf 92" diagonal screen which is an easily wall or ceiling mounted and gives an excellent picture.
For special screening I use a Harkness Hall (screen manufacturers since the advent of sound films) matt white which is around 136" diagonal and the picture quality/contrast and colours are literally stunning.
Watching Polar Express was almost like a roller coaster.
One final point about the lamp `smell`. This is as another reviewer stated because it is a new lamp. The odour (which is not poisenous) goes after a few hours use.
I have not listed any bad points as I have not found any.
FINAL UPDATE 20.12.2005
I can only comment that for those who have encountered any problems with this may have a bad unit. A good test has been `Steamboat Bill Jnr` with Buster Keaton using a good transfer to DVD of an almost 80 year old film.
The Image AI works wonders on these classic films compared to television. Whilst the transfer is excellent on TV it is enhanced on this machine. For instance in this film when Buster sends a telegram to his father stating he is visiting some fo the words are not visible on a tv set, however when projected in its theatrical 4:3 mode the whole telegram can be read. In other scenes more image is visible than on any TV.
I have projected a 64 square feet image of `It`s a wonderful life` which looks stunning.
I rest my case
IMPORTANT ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
It is now February 5th 2007 and the projector still performs as new. I am still on the first lamp and it has never disappointed in any respect. It is so easy to use that we take it with us when we are staying away as even projected on a it wall gives a much more exciting and larger picture than even a plasma tv. Being a film fanatic and collector also of 16mm film prints I am very fussy about getting the best images on screen. Would I buy another Optoma model? Absolutely!
On: 2005-11-22
First off I wanted to say to the people complaining about the smell, I smell it too but what is causing the smell is the "lamp bulb." Reason is because it is new and needs to I guess what you would call it is "get warmed up" and then it should go away after a while when it has been used. Right now I do smell it and I have been using it for a few hours since I just got it Monday evening. The smell will be noticable every time you get a new "lamp bulb" so get used to it. Now back to this wonderful product, I love it and I have not even put up my 106" screen yet. I am projecting images on a white wall right now and still looks great.
It was very easy to set up and movies, video games, even digital cable looked pretty good, not that great, but decent enough. This product made me feel like I was in a movie theater and I have to say that the built in speakers are not that bad at all..I still would recommend getting a 5.1 surround sound to go with it. I dont know what else I can say about this product, it is a all in one product that just fit what I was looking for and love it. Be warned though that the "lamp bulb" will die on you after about 2,000-3,000 hours and it will cost you roughly $300+. It will give you a warning as to when the bulb is going to go out so you have time to get a new one to replace the old one. So in my opinion that is the only thing I dont like about projectors but this product as given me my moneys worth so far and would highly recommend it to anyone that can afford it.
On: 2005-10-26
I agree with the previous reviewer. Optoma should recall this projector and correct the the melting plastic smell problem. Ita especially worrisome because unlike other home theater projectors, the DV10 is designed to sit right in front of you, and its impossible to avoid the fumes. If not for this serious flaw I would have rated it 5 stars.
"Now if they would only get it RIGHT! The cooling fans throw hot air out both sides, and this air is POISONOUS. After a few minutes the whole room smells like melting plastic - really BAD. Come on folks, this cant be that hard to fix. I had one for a week and returned it because it was impossible to breathe. What a heartbreak - such a fine projector with such a dumb flaw. I wrote to Optoma (optoma.com) about it, but if you and others write as well, maybe theyll listen and fix an otherwise excellent projector."
On: 2005-10-23
What a great combo DVD projector! Clear and bright image up to 10 feet wide in a small room, using only a white sheet. Put the projector on the floor and it throws the image up to the screen - no need to raise the projector like old slide projectors. Put in a DVD and it starts automatically. Remote full of buttons - lots of options. Aim it at the screen and the beam bounces to the projectors sensor - clever! Its quiet.
Now if they would only get it RIGHT! The cooling fans throw hot air out both sides, and this air is POISONOUS. After a few minutes the whole room smells like melting plastic - really BAD. Come on folks, this cant be that hard to fix. I had one for a week and returned it because it was impossible to breathe. What a heartbreak - such a fine projector with such a dumb flaw. I wrote to Optoma (optoma.com) about it, but if you and others write as well, maybe theyll listen and fix an otherwise excellent projector.
On: 2005-10-20
Im generally very happy with this product. There is one problem: when I tried to connect the projector to my Mac Powerbook, it did not recognize it. Optoma Tech Support has confirmed this, said theyre working on a solution, and will send me a replacement when they solve it.
On: 2005-10-17
I am very happy with this unit. Mine came bundled with a portable 80-inch 16x9 screen -- but any good screen will do. You could even project the picture on a blank white wall. I basically took it out of the box, set it on a little footstool, plugged it in, and popped in a DVD -- "Kingdom of Heaven" (a widescreen epic that should be seen on a big screen), and the Optoma Movietime projected a really excellent picture. The definition, color and clarity are excellent -- no adjustments were necessary on my part. The controls on the remote are pretty standard. If you want to be able to show the occasional big screen movie, but you dont want to have an expensive, monster-size, rear projection or plasma unit permanantely sitting in your living room, you should really consider a projector. This unit is particularly nice, because it has DVD player and speakers built in. The sound is pretty good, about like an average TV, but I wanted more, so I was able to plug in my little Panasonic boom box using a standard 1/8-inch bayonet-type output jack to two RCA inputs into my boom box -- and the added sound was outstanding. The picture I projected took up the entire 80-inch screen, but I would imagine you could get an even larger image, if you needed one. One drawback with a projected image is the fact that you really should have a darkened room, so it works best at night. And, I hear that replacement lamps are expensive, although this units lamps supposedly lasts for 2,000 to 3,000 hours. I really like the fact that this unit is portable and can be put away after use. This unit does not have a TV tuner, but you can input composite video or S-video input. I was able to project cable TV channels and video tapes using a Magnavox VCR. I am not set up for HDTV (although this unit is HDTV capable), but who needs it? I thought the widescreen image that came from a standard DVD was just as good as in a movie theater. I recommend this projector, and suggest people consider this as an alternative to widescreen TVs that cost three or four times as much.
p.s. (added 12/03/05) As for the "odor" controversy -- this is really a non-issue as far as Im concerned. Yes, I noticed a little bit of a "new electronic component" smell the first couple of times I used it, but I assumed that this was caused by the new lamp "burning in." I never consided this a problem, as as I thought, the odor went away. For goodness sake, who cares? I remember four decades ago when I was a kid watching 8mm home movies on a Keystone projector, and there was a little bit of this type of odor when the lamp got hot. So what? GET OVER IT. If you are unable to deal with this "problem" may I suggest you purchase a 60-inch plasma for $8,000 to $10,000, and then you will be happy. As for me, Ill enjoy an 80-inch or larger projected image this projector give me for a fraction of the cost.
Also, I agree with the reviewer that complained that its necessary to have the unit practically on the floor in order to get the image to project on an average screen. There ought to be a better adjustment capability. This unit has two screw adjustable feet in the back, and a single adjustable pedastal on the front, but theres not enough adjustment available. You may need to add some object underneath, like cardboard or something, to level it to your taste. I find a very short footstool (about 12 inches high) works OK for me.
On: 2005-09-29
Strengths: Handsome space age design as well as top functionality.
Weaknesses: That it wasnt invented sooner and that it isnt in stores yet.
Summary: (Edited September 15th by booley) We have had several days to try out the exciting new Optoma Movietime Video Projector and have even visited a few friends at home. From a picture size of six feet to over fifteen feet, the quality was fantastic. A thrill was showing the fifteen foot image on the white wall above a fireplace in a room with a vaulted ceiling. Just plugging the projector into the wall outlet and putting it on a chair turned the room into a true home theater. The built in sound system and speakers were more than enough for enjoyment. I also feel that the built in DVD player adds to the exceptional picture quality because there are not wired or analog connections to introduce loss...you get direct digital perfection.
The contrast (deep blacks) on this machine are as good as any I have ever seen. The color saturation (rich reds, blues, etc) is so intense that colors literally sparkle like they do on Plasma screens much smaller.
The sharpness is excellent. You can even place this machine on the floor and still have proper viewing area height. They have designed the lens so that you dont have to be far back to get big pictures. For example, only six feet back will produce a six foot picture. Worried about having to have a darkened room? That will always give the best picture, but this unit has so much brightness (even on the bulb saving mode!) that you can enjoy video with normal brightness in the room. This was not possible with low light output projectors of the past. And it is whisper quiet, so you dont hear it running. The user menus are very straightforward and easy to navigate. Right out of the box, without any tweaking or adjustments we had a GREAT picture and perfect performance. The only thing I havent figured out is how to automatically turn off the subtitles on DVDs. I can do this with the flick of a switch, but I may call Optoma on that question.
Another great experience was plugging in the cable TV box. High definition quality without paying high definition prices. And then connecting our camcorder into it...DVD quality pictures that we had just taken at the Media Super Sunday and at area restaurants singing and enjoying Annas birthday. Even the dark scenes look good because this projector has a special circuit (new technology) to boost contrast in dark scenes.
Did I tell you about the beautiful carrying case included? It is padded for protection, very rugged, and looks embroidered with big "MOVIETIME" logo printed in. It will hold everything you need including remote, power cable, instruction manual, and accessory plugs. Has a velcro strip to secure projector from moving inside.
The projector has so many nice controls on the topside that you can forget the remote control and still do most functions.
Does this sound like they have thought of everything? Well, they HAVE. And read the effusive professional and user reviews on this machine and read the few user opinions here and you will know that Optoma also thought of just about everything when designing the machine that will change the scope of home theater.
We just tested the machine in our basement on our old crank down beaded screen. We got a fourteen foot (!) wide picture with the full eight foot height from floor to ceiling. Thrilling, as we watched "The Aviator" and were totally immersed in the screen experience. Sharp, vivid, and engulfing with the projector sitting on the floor. We did add a cheapie Radio Shack subwoofer/surround sound unit (on sale for half price at 49.95) to add the deep bass needed for the Dolby Digital Sound.
If you have been thinking of buying a new TV or getting into home theater....think no longer. This unit has only been out a month, but I have researched every available professional article, every post written on forums about audio-visual by users, and all are raving about this great new machine. It has a full warranty for two years and is backed up with excellent customer service.
To see this machine pictured from every angle and a lot more information about it, go to:
User Supplied Web Link
Note that this is an Australian web site, so pay no attention to the high prices quoted.
Finally, here are my first thoughts on this machine, after removing it from the box:
Weighing only seven pounds and taking up less space than a portable typewriter, this machine is revolutionary and will add new meaning to my new pet phrase "Have Projector Will Travel".
THE MIND BLOWING OPTOMA MOVIETIME DV 10 PROJECTOR!
My wife had to tell me to calm down after I unpacked the Optoma Movietime DV 10 that just arrived. I was acting like an excited kid, and why not with all that was hitting my eyes...like a beautiful shipping box with crystal clear photos and information, a very impressive and useful carrying case, and the actual machine-which looked smaller than I had imagined and a real eye catcher like a neat foreign car. A fine looking and versatile remote control, an easy to read user manual and other accessories rounded out the package.
I placed it on the coffee table near my Sharp XV-Z900 that sits at the rear of the room (now in its third year of use and on a second bulb), plugged it in and pressed the on button. I knew immediately from the Optoma start graphic that I was in for a treat. You simply pop a DVD into the top lid and close and it starts playing without any command. I began with Toy Story 2. Vivid and crystal clear. Then an old Sinatra favorite film, "Pal Joey" which looked nicer than I remembered. Then the Jerry Lewis "Nutty Professor" that has reds, blues and purples in the opening scene that are so intense that your eyes feel like your mouth does when eating a great piece of pepperoni pizza.
BUT the exciting test was "Lost In Space", because this is where the finer picture qualities were evident. I was quite used to seeing this on my Sharp, as it was my favorite demo for sound and action when people came to see our home theater set up. I was not prepared for what followed and I started jumping around (Anna said "calm down" two more times...but she was jumping up and down by then herself!). The gray frame bars I saw in the past were dark black and almost imperceptible on my Stewart Grayhawk 8 foot diagonal screen (BTW, the projector was only eight feet from the screen and filled it!). The jet blacks in outer space were awesome and the intensity and color of the sharp, noise free images were nothing less than exciting. Even the sound was damn good (no subwoofer hooked up yet) considering it was coming out of two small stereo speakers built into the Movietime. I had the video set to "Game", which is one of five pre-set choices and that seemed to give the most punch. I noticed that the brightness was only about forty percent up on this setting and it was plenty bright. I raised the picture to shine on our white plaster ceiling and believe it or not that looked even better.
I am sitting here still in my bathrobe and have much more testing and comparing to do and will report again. In the meantime, I say "look out" to the other projector manufacturers. This Optoma beauty is going to raise the bar for home theater and portable home theater tremendously!
PS. A sexy feature I liked is how the volume drops and then SLOWLY comes back up when you make any adjustments on the machine.
PPS. These sell for around $1,500.00...far less than most rear projection TVs and far superior. The folks at Best Buy and Circuit City wont point you in the direction of this projectors and others like it because their profit margin is very low on these.
For the technically minded, some important specs:
Uses the latest Texas Instruments DLP chip, the Dark Chip2
Contrast Ratio: 4000 to 1
ANSI Brightness: 1000 lumens
Lamp Life (200 watt bulb): 3000 hours in econo mode
Aspect Ratio: 16 x 9 native
Resolution: SVGA (854 x 480)
Speakers: Two five watt stereo
Color Wheel: 7 segment (including white); 4x speed
Noise level: 27db
Image size: 48 to 359 inches
Dimensions: 14.5 x 4.6 x 10.7
Weight: 7.8 lbs.
Warranty: 3 years
On: 2005-09-27
I recently decided to upgrade from my 42" inch HDTV Samsung to the Optoma Movie Time Projector, and I have to tell you I am a changed man. The clarity and size of the image is amazing, no distortion at all. The picture is as good if not better than my 42" incher. Unreal! After getting the projector I displayed the image on my wall since I hadnt received the screen, I put Siderman in the DVD player and even on the wall the picture was perfect. After getting the 9 or 10 foot wide screen the following day the picture was even better, I was amazed considering the screen is dark grey in color. I now have the best of both worlds, a projector that produces 9 foot wide movies in pure digitial, and a 42 incher in the corner of the same room. Picture in Picture the old way!
As to the rainbow affect that you hear of with DLP, well I havent experienced it yet and neither have my friends that I invited over a couple of days later. We played XBOX, PS2 and watched movies for about 8 hours, crazy. My wife wasnt to happy about some 30 year old men jumping around like kids all day but even she was impressed with the crisp images produced. A definite buy for anyone looking to upgrade to an entertainment heaven, a movie theatre within your house.
On: 2005-09-09
The Optoma DV10, for just under $1500 gives a visually stunning picture (combined with an Panoview Greywolf 1.8 gain screen), is easy to use, highly portable and has 2 good (5 watt speakers). If you want a projector that can do it all this one is for you. Straight out of the box the picture quality was excellent when connected to an HD digital cable box via a component cable to the VGA connector using the supplied VGA adapter. DVD movies are displayed with great picture quality and no possible distortion because the DVD player is already digitally connected to the projector. This projector is for someone that needs an all-in-one solution that truly does it all and for a reasonable price. For 480p resolution and native 16:9 display, this projector is awesome. The speakers are a nice feature but if you have a true home theater system then its better run the sound through that system. I have not tried the optional Optoma subwoofer but many reviews say that it adds realism. The Optoma DV10 blows away the Hewlett Packard and Radio Shack all-in-one units. The DV10 has better picture quality, is easier to use and is priced just about the same. Bottom line - all home theater solutions should be this easy and this good. The Optoma DV10 is a winner!
On: 2005-09-02
Regarding the previous negative review, I would be pissed too if the lamp blew that early on, but that can happen to any projector. Just like any electronics, there can always be a dud. I understand their frustration, but this is a 1st class projector.
The lamp life is actually 3000 hrs in economode, and the projector is extremely bright for watching DVDs in this mode even on a 110 inch screen. The lamp life is probably rated a little bit longer than the average projector.
A positive for indoor viewing, is this projector has a very short throw which is great for smaller rooms with big screens. A negative is it would be difficult to ceiling mount, so this is really just a coffee table or floor projector. But its primary function is portability.
The portability and "Wow" factor for showing movies outdoors is great. Imagine your neighbors faces when you have a 7 ft wide movie on the side of your house. The built in speakers are suprisingly good for their size. This is a great projector for taking on a vacation where you have lots of downtime to catch up on movies.
Another major plus, is the built in DVD player allows for a digital to digital display of the video which would require an HDMI or DVI connection on an ordinary projector. So no need to spend $50-$100 on a cable.
Compared to many higher end business projectors, the contrast is quite good and brightness is great. For the money this projector is a bargain, especially if the DVD player holds up for a few years.
It even comes with a nice carrying case and decent remote.
First impression is 5 stars.
On: 2005-08-16
I bought this projector about a week ago. Two days into using it, the "lamp indicator light" comes on and the projector shuts off. Itll come back on a few minutes later...only to die again. I contacted Optoma about this situation and was informed that I need to ship the entire unit back to them at MY COST in order to receive a replacement lamp. That means I have to wait for it to get there, wait for them to replace the lamp, wait for it to arrive back. After spending $1500 on this thing I think I should receive a bit better service.
Dont think youll be spared the same treatment, either. Even if you receive one without a faulty lamp...the life of the bulb is only about 70 hours or something. When yours goes out, youll have to ship it back in for replacement too. I definitely regret my purchase.
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