Optoma GameTime GT700 DLP Gaming Projector Review

With the Optoma GT700 delivers something that has been sought after by consumers for some time, a projector focused on gaming and home entertainment. The GT700 has high lamp power ( 2300 ANSI lumens) to project a bright image with a high contrast ratio of 2500:1 (full on/full off) even in bright ambient light conditions. With a short throw ratio the GT700 can project a 120 inch diagonal image from less than 6 feet. The twin 5W on-board speakers (near widescreen HDTV sizing) obviate the necessity to provide external speakers.

Optoma GT700 GameTime Gaming Projector

For optimum image quality one should try and match the native resolution of the projector with the native resolution of the gaming console. The Optoma GT700 has a WXGA (1,280 x 800) -720p native resolution which matches both the PS3 and Xbox. With scaling the GT700 will handle a UXGA (1600 x 1200) – 1080p maximum resolution. If one is trying to match up a Wii then a close GameTime sibling, the Optoma GT360 Game Time Projector is the obvious choice.

DLP Projector

The Optoma GT700 projection engine is based on a single 0.65 inch DC3 DMD DLP chip by Texas Instruments. This DLP chip has been used in many projectors and has proved only minimal susceptibility to producing rainbow effects.

A notable feature of the DC3 DMD chip is Brilliant Color which expands the colorspace for color reproduction by processing up to 6 colors rather than just the common red, green and blue (RGB). The brightness of this projector is no doubt due, in part, to the inherent efficient use of the light source by the DC3 DMD chip which translates to a 50 percent increase in brightness. Yet another benefit of BrilliantColor technology is more accurate rendering calculations from the use of floating point arithmetic which delivers less video noise, more accurate color reproduction and greater gradation (200 trillion color shades are possible).

The technical sophistication of DLP color reproduction was publicly acknowledged In February with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Board of Governors bestowing the 2009 Scientific and Engineering Award (Academy Plaque) to four individuals responsible for the color accuracy of Texas Instruments (TI) DLP Cinema projectors.

3D Ready – DLP Link

The Optoma GameTime GT700 uses the stereoscopic 3D effect of using two separate video streams with a slightly different perspective each synchronized to a different eye. The human brain is able to combine the two different perspective streams into a three dimensional video stream. Optoma have used Texas Instruments DLP Link technology to provide synchronization with the required (optional) active LCD shutter glasses.

A positive point about Optoma’s 3D choice is that it allows the choice of a range of compatible 3D glasses including offerings from RealD, XspanD, NVIDIA and DDD.

It is important to note that Optoma projectors cannot be used to display 3D TV broadcasts or 3D Blu-ray discs. Optoma projectors may support these applications in the future but will require additional hardware at extra cost.

As mentioned, the GT700 has a short throw ratio which is actually 0.72:1 (distance/width) which maximizes the image size achievable for room size. This ensures that as much of the visual field is covered as possible providing the immersive experience desired by gamers. The short through also helps achieve this by allowing players to sit closer to the screen without blocking the projection beam.

Vertical positioning of the projected image can varied up to 15 degrees above or below the horizontal plane with digital keystone correction. The superior lens shift is not available. Horizontal positioning without keystoning of the image requires the projector to be moved physically.

Expected lamp life is 5000/3000 hours (std/bright) which is at the leading edge of the market expectations. Corresponding noise levels for std/bright are 28dB/30dB which are reasonable – especially given the higher than usual noise levels associated with gaming.

The GT700 weighs 6.5 lbs (2.95 kg) which is just above what is usually referred to as portable. However, it does come with a backpack to make transporting it easier. Importantly for a projector which most likely will not be permanently installed, there is the rapid shutdown (cooling) capability.

Connectivity available with the GT700 is excellent and includes; HDMI, VGA, S-video, Composite, Stereo RCA, Audio-in, Stereo Audio-out and RS-232.

Computer resolution compatibility includes UXGA, SXGA+, WXGA, SXGA, VGA and SVGA. The GT700 has an overscan function to remove video encoding noise on the edge of video source. While tailored for gaming applications, the projector has numerous factory presets for other uses including; Presentation (PC input), Bright (Max brightness from a PC input), Cinema (home theater), Game, Blackboard (projecting onto a green blackboard, Classroom, User (user’s settings) and 3D.

The warranty for the projector is 1 year (limited parts and labor) and a standard 90 days for the projection lamp.