Summary: What grabbed my attention with this projector is that it is a WXGA (720P) projector for well under $1,000. What stunned me is the quality of the image this projector projects. I am a novice at projector technology, in fact, this is my first experience. But I remember going to board meetings and presentations and the presentations always appeared to be washed out, even under low light. This projector delivers a great image, even when light is introduced in the room.
Though is main purpose is for the board room, this projectors is good for home theater as well. Again, I must state that I have limited experience with projectors, and I have no idea how amazing a top-of-the-line projector might be; I do have a top-of-the-line LCoS TV and a very nice plasma TV. They give me great joy for both TV and movies. I must say though, when the lights are dim, I ask myself, "why didn't I go with a projector in the first place?"
I guess that answers my own question. The TV's are just fine when the lights are on, and though this projector works very well with lights on, it still isn't the same. Also, the bulbs tend to have a life span of 2,000 - 4,000 hours comapred to 6,000 on my LCoS TV. At $300/pop, it can be a bit more expensive long term.
One other thing of note, all of the inputs on this projector work very, very well. There is a difference in the image quality between the HDMI input and the Composite and S-video inputs, but it is so slight, whereas there is a very noticiable difference when these are used with a TV.
The projector supports the following inputs:
USB
S-Video
Composite
VGA/SCART
HDMI
and a 1/8" audio input.
There is not audio out, and the HDMI cable does not deliver sound to the built-in speaker. I must say that you will not want to use the built in speaker as it cannot keep up with the sound from the fans. The fan sounds are not at all annoying though.
The projector includes a Kensington security lock.
Inside the box, you will receive a nifty remote control. power cord, USB Type A to B, an RCA Video cable, VGA Computer cable, carrying case and, of course, the projector. Optoma also includes a manual on disc.
The only drawback I have with the projector is that the zoom lens is virtually worthless. It doesn't really zoom in or out to make the image any better. Because of this, the image size is completely dependant on the projector's location from the screen.
The Optoma EP1691 projector uses Dark Chip 2 DLP technology. Though this may seem outdated to those "in the know", it would have been considered top-of-the-line about 4 years ago. It is a 6-segment 2x color wheel. I do not see any rainbow effect from this projector, though I may not be susceptible to it either.
This projector does not have mounting holes and therefore, a cage must built if that is your preferred view.
Again, I must say that I really do like this project even with it's limitations. I only have to take a laptop, 3 lb projector, and screen to meetings instead of an LCD TV. I can bring it home on weekends and enjoy an outdoor movie with my family as well. I can't ask for anything more.
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