As nice as it is to transform your living room into a personal movie theater, digital projectors come with one major drawback: You need to turn off the lights and draw the curtains if you want to see a sharp picture with rich colors. Optoma, however, wants to change all that.
The Taiwanese electronics company has just unveiled the UHZ50 laser projector. The new device’s laser light source, the brands says, produces an image so bright that you’ll be able to watch anything you want no matter the time of day or if the lights are on.
The projector uses Optoma’s proprietary DuraCore laser technology and Texas Instruments’s DLP technology to produce a pristine 4K UHD (3,840 x 2,160 pixels) image that can range in diagonal size from 34.1 inches to an impossible 302.4 inches, the latter of which is likely larger than most walls in most homes. The projector offers a brightness rating of 3,000 ANSI lumens and a contrast ratio of 2,500,000:1. It’s these specs that let you see the projected image without having to make any adjustments to the room’s lighting.
Optoma UHZ50 4K laser projector Optoma
Optoma says the UHZ50’s will be able to produce lifelike cinematic hues thanks to HDR10 and HLG support and 100 percent of the Rec.709 and DCI-P3 wide color gamut. To ensure this, the projector has a unique Wall Color setting that will sense the color of the wall or screen you’re using and adjust the image accordingly.
Other features include two-built in 10-watt speakers, ports galore (HDMI, USB, S/PDIF and a 3.5-mm audio jack are all represented) and 5-Ghz WiFi when you want to cast a video from another device, just in case you’ve watched everything on your favorite streaming service. The projector also offers an enhanced gaming mode with a refresh rate up to 240 Hz, so you don’t have to worry about any slowdown while you play.
Optoma
The UHZ50 laser projector is available for $2,799, and it should last a long time, according to the brand. Optoma says the laser is good for 30,000 hours of viewing time. That’s more than three years of viewing—if you never turned it off.
