New Optoma HD8300 Full HD 3D Home Theater Projector

I wish I could tell you for sure, that there will be an Optoma HD8300 projector. I hope that this Optoma 3D home theater projector really will exist later this summer or fall. Truth is, I met with Optoma this morning, and they had nothing to say about it. That is, the word was that they have nothing to announce. I got not even an inkling about it from them.

The thing is, a fan of our site tipped me off, that word of an HD8300, including a fair amount of detail, has shown up on a couple of blogs and apparently at least one online forum. Before I repeat what I found on those blogs, about the Optoma HD8300 projector, I have to believe that there will be an HD8300 and it will be at least close to what I’ve read.

Why? Just too much detail on those two blogs (they are almost identically worded), for it to be completely made up. In fact, all the information below that I learned from those blogs, is about what you would expect in a press release announcing a new 3D projector. For that reason, give or take a spec or two, I fully expect this HD8300 if/when it comes out, to be pretty accurate. There was even a photo in one of the blogs, but that could be a photo of the existing 2D HD8200 (click for review), so that tells me nothing. BTW, same blogs also talk about an Optoma HD33, another new 3D projector, which I’ll cover in my next blog!

Optoma HD8300 3D Home Theater Projector:
(based on those blogs)

HD8300 brightness: 1300 lumens – a good start, as 3D projectors need to be brighter than 2D ones due to the significant perceived loss of brightness of 3D projectors (when running 3D).
Contrast: 30,000:1 That should yield some very respectable black level performance
Technology: Single chip DLP Darkchip 3
Processing: 10 bit – 1 Billion colors
3D Glasses: Active shutter (as are all single chip DLP 3D projectors currently out there), they (blogs) say Optoma will have new RF glasses for the projector
Screen compatibility: Does not need a 3D screen (my assumption), no single chip DLP 3D projectors need 3D screens

First shipment – Mid-July. My thoughts are that this is the most likely thing written, to be wrong. While most companies announce most home theater projectors in the US, at the CEDIA show, Optoma is one company that seems to launch projectors just about any time. If that is accurate, I’m wondering why Optoma has nothing to say. The general rule of thumb is get the word out early, and build up some buzz, so that there’s already demand when a projector first ships. We shall see.

Price Tag: Sorry, there was no price mentioned on those sites. My best guess, $4000 or up. The operative term is “or up”.

Remember so far, not one 1080p 3D home theater projector has a list price of less than $4495.

OK, that’s the story, for now, until I can get some verification from those silent types at Optoma.

Bottom line: Everyone expects a 1080p 3D projector from Optoma. Myself? Can’t wait to meet it. I’ll keep you posted as things become clearer.

BTW, the exception, to press releases having a decent amount of info is the incredibly short one line press announcement from Panasonic about their forthcoming 1080p 3D home theater projector. (Panasonic didn’t even provide a model number.)

Hang in there, this sure looks like the fall is going to be fun year for new home theater projectors 2D or 3D. That will be a great improvement over last fall, when the CEDIA show had few really new impressive models, mostly updated versions of existing ones. -art

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New Panasonic Home Theater Projector – From Infocomm

6/15/11 Update: Panasonic’s first 1080p 3D home theater projector, was just announced here at Infocomm.  The forthcoming 3D projector from Panasonic, will be shown at the CEDIA show in September, and will ship sometime after that, but before year end. They released little information beyond that, but visit Art’s home theater blog to learn all we know, and some speculation, or click here to read the Panasonic press release (one sentence long).  This Panasonic 3D home theater projector will eventually replace the PT-AE4000. -art

Greetings all,

Panasonic will have a new 3D ready home theater projector before the end of 2011. Figure that will be after the CEDIA show – which means after September.

This is exciting news. As many of you know, Panasonic has only been selling one home theater projector, the PT-AE4000, for the last year since they discontinued the lower cost PT-AX200U. The PT-AE4000 also happens to be almost two years old. Unlike others – they didn’t announce any new home theater projectors last year at CEDIA. For years Panasonic was the number one seller of home theater projectors in the US, but when you cut your product line in half, that’s got to cost you market share.

This new 3D Panasonic home theater projector doesn’t have a name yet. When Panasonic announced it the other day, they provided almost no info beyond that there will be one. In fact it was a single sentence announcement. I think Panasonic felt it important to let the world, and its fans know their still in the game! Panasonic also introduced a number of commercial projectors but that’s news for our other blog.

Pricing is totally unknown but, since they did say this projector would replace the PT-AE4000, I’ll speculate only this:

Panasonic may well be priced well below the other 1080p 3D projectors out there from Sharp, Sony, and JVC, all of which are at least $4495 (JVC), The Sharp is $4995 – that would be the already reviewed XV-Z17000 projector. The others are the $8000 JVC, the $12000 JVC, and the $10,000 Sony VPL-VW90ES.

Panasonic wouldn’t even tell me if it was 3LCD or something else. All previous Panasonic home theater projectors have been 3LCD. I’ve already seen some blog sites say it is, but, I’m pretty certain they didn’t hear that from Panasonic – so, call it a rumor.

Remember that the PT-AE4000 sells for under $2000. I figure it would therefore be unlikely that Panasonic would replace it with a projector costing twice as much or more.

So, if my guess is correct, it should price somewhere between $2000 ($2K is unlikely but, you never know), and $4000. My “best guess” based on no information but that “replacement” statement, that it is the forthcoming 3D home theater from Panasonic might price at $2995. I’ll be really impressed if I’m right (at the price and that I guessed it).

Now that would be truly exciting. Unfortunately we’ll almost certainly have to wait 3 months until CEDIA to find out.

Otherwise not much exciting news here at the show, for home theater (it’s a show for the commercial display industry (including projectors of course).

But I do have a few rumors to report about more home theater projectors, which I’ll write in separate blogs while flying back from Orlando to San Clemente (California) tomorrow evening. Stay tuned! -art

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