Tech Review: Optoma HD143X Projector

Optoma very kindly sent over the HD143X Projector for me to check out and I have to say, I was very impressed. It is a smaller size and a lower price than many other projectors and gives a lovely crisp image.

As with all Optoma projectors, it is extremely easy to set up. Plug it in. Connect your media player of choice (ensuring that is connected to the relevant sound system) and that is basically it. You will have to sort out the focus using the large ring around the lens, but that is very simple to do. Then you can mess around with the various image settings to get it absolutely perfect for your viewing pleasure, but you can basically start watching something in a few minutes of taking it out of the box.

It is a smaller unit than many other projectors – 316 x 244 x 108mm – and it weighs 2.75kg (full specifications are at the bottom of this review).

This one gives full 1080p HD and also has full 3D, but I did not test out that latter option as I am not really a fan of that and also do not have the glasses to go with it. It has a brightness of 3,000 lumens. That is slightly lower than some of the more expensive projectors, but it gave a perfectly clear image during the day and night. You can also go through the various settings to suit the lighting in the room.

That is another thing that has always impressed with the Optoma projectors. The menu system is very intuitive and you can quickly change many different settings to get the optimum performance from the projector. You can also save your calibrated day and night mode settings. It also allows you to move the image up and down, left and right so you can place the projector where you want it and then move the image on the screen or wall to fit. It also has settings that allow you to input the colour of the wall so it can take that into account as well.

I tried the project in my bedroom, which as a white wall, and got a great picture. I could also alter the screen size to fit between a bookcase and the door. When I tried it out in the living room I used a stand up screen and had no problem with the setup.

As this is an entry level projector, it doesn’t have as many input  / output option as some of the higher end projectors.

However, it has just what you need. I had no problem connecting a Blu-ray player and a PS4 console to it. You could also attach a HDMI dongle like the Google Chromecast™, Amazon Fire TV or Apple TV™.

When watching films it had great contrast, with very dark blacks, giving a clear crisp image with edge to edge focus. There was also virtually no rainbow artifacts, which was great. The rainbow effect is a visual artifact possible on many single-chip DLP projectors. Because there is only one image chip, colour is created sequentially. In other words, all the red in an image is flashed on screen, then all the green, then all the blue.

When playing video games it also performed extremely well. Colours popped and there was no noticeable lag. It does have a gaming mode, which the blurb says, “optimises your projector for lightning response times, maximum contrast and vivid colours to capture every detail – leaving you time to focus on winning.”

I played a few different games using that mode and it looked and played great.

The projector has an integrated speaker. Like most projector speakers, it doesn’t give the best sound, so it is always worth playing sound through a surround sound system or soundbar. However, if you are moving the projector to a different room or taking it round to a friends house then at least you have the option if nothing else is available.

There is some fan noise, especially when on Bright mode, but it was barely noticeable when watching films and playing games and dropped considerably when running the projector in Eco mode.

Due to the price and size of the unit, I would have to say that this is an excellent projector. Great value for money and  one to seriously consider getting if you have been thinking about trying one out.