Optoma GT720 Gaming Projector Review
July 19, 2011 | 
Author I will admit, coming from the Epson 8700UB I was a bit underwhelmed. I then got over the fact of trying to compare this $699 projector to a $2,000+ projector, and was ready to judge it for what it really is; a great entry level gaming projector. As Pete posted in his review (with pictures), there was no lag experienced while playing. During my time with the Optoma GT720 I played the following games:
Half-Life 2: Deathmatch (PC)
Bioshock (PC)
F.E.A.R. (PC)
Mario Kart (Wii)
Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)
Pete is a console gamer, so I put most of my time into the PC gaming aspect. I put in a few hours of gaming, and a quick comparison of The Mist on Blu-ray. I watched The Mist on my Epson 8700UB the night before, and I wanted to see how the GT720 would hold up. The comparison of the $699 projector vs. a $2,000+ projector was not a good one, especially when it comes to a movie with a lot of dark scenes like The Mist. I would also check out Art’s review on the GT720, since he concentrates on the actual movie, and television viewing aspects.
As far as gaming, it was plenty bright; a tad brighter than my 8700UB set to its brightest mode. I have a decent sized 120″ screen, and the GT720 had no issues lighting up the entire thing, and then some. My setup is in my livingroom, and ambient light is an issue during the day. I played half of the time during the day, and half of the time at night. All of my game play was with the projector in the “GAME” setting. The projector handled ambient light very well, other than the black level performance. The black levels were pretty bad to begin with, but even worse with ambient light. Other than the black levels, the projector performed very well with moderate ambient light.
As stated previously, no lag whatsoever…very impressive. Overall it is a very good projector for gaming. I was gaming on my HTPC, which is not the most up-to-date computer. The resolution is not exactly the best for computer gaming on such a large screen, and a bit of a letdown. However, the Wii looked a lot better on the Optoma, than on my Epson. Displaying a 480p image on a 1080p projector is always a bit of a bummer. It made the Wii game play on the Optoma a much more pleasurable experience.
The thing I loved about the Optoma was the portability. The Optoma comes with a backpack, which makes it great for taking it to a friend’s house, especially for console gaming. You can set this thing up on a coffee table within a couple of minutes and throw the image on a bare wall. It even has a built-in speaker; the sound quality isn’t the best, but it’s better than nothing! It would also be great for small LAN parties – if you’re not a geek, go look it up, lol. If you want to set this up in a permanent location, then the setup would be a little more difficult, as the Optoma has no lens shift capabilities, or zoom.
If you own a Wii, Kinect (Xbox 360), or PS3 Move, the short throw is a HUGE plus with a front projector. I have my 8700UB placed on a bookshelf, and the projector is mounted at about 8′. Whenever we use the Wii I have to stand off to the side, so that I am careful not to walk into the light path of the projector. Having the short throw means the projector can be set-up in front of you, so you will never walk in front of the light path while bowling, boxing, exercising, or playing tennis on your Wii/Kinect/Move. For console gaming with motion sensor controls, getting a projector with short throw is a no brainer.
I am not sensitive to rainbows, so I did not notice them throughout my time with the GT720. That will vary from one person to the next. If rainbows are an issue for you, then you may want to look into a comparable LCD projector. DLP’s are better overall for gaming and sports viewing (fast action). You will experience some lag with an LCD projector as well, some more than others. If you are really sensitive to rainbows, then this DLP may not be an option.
In all of my reviews I will go over the good, the bad, and the ugly. This is my final verdict on the Optoma GT720:
The Good:
No lag
Great shadow detail
Very bright
Awesome portability
Easy to set-up (when used as a portable)
Built in speaker
Short throw (great for console systems using motion controls)
The Bad:
It’s white (I say the same thing about my 8700UB)
The colors while gaming never seemed quite “right”
The remote is very basic, and has a cheap feel to it
No lens shift is a negative, but keep in mind this is an entry level DLP projector
The Ugly:
Black levels (if you can even call them black)
No zoom lens
Short throw (a negative for those looking to use this as a home theater projector on the cheap)
Conclusion:
If this were my first projector, the Optoma would have blown me away. So, don’t let my negatives scare you off too much, I am a bit jaded. If you are looking to get into front projection on a budget, and want something that handles gaming very well, then this is your projector. It does a respectable job on movies as well; and 480p cable/satellite programming will look much better on this, than a 1080p projector. I can honestly say that is where a 720p projector beats out a 1080p projector any day, on standard definition programming.
Now, since I am very “frugal”, I will offer the following advice: If you can grab this for about $600, then I would say jump on it. Optoma has the GT750 coming out soon. So if you have a budget near $799 I would wait for Art’s review on ProjectorReviews.com of the GT750 before making a final decision. The GT750 might be worth the extra $200, and then some; we’ll just have to wait and see.
Well, that is the end of my first review. I tried to keep it simple, I did not have a whole lot of time with the Optoma, but got in as much game play as possible. I will include pictures in future reviews as necessary. Time was short with this projector, so I was not able to get any photos this time around. I figured that the ProjectorReviews.com review, as well as Pete’s review would have enough to keep you busy. If you have any suggestions for review content, or just have a question, feel free to leave a comment and I will get back to you.
In the upcoming weeks I am going to provide you with some of the best deals and shopping sites online. My main blogging goal is to get you the best possible gaming products and electronics for the best possible price, without sacrificing customer service. I am also attending the San Diego Comic-Con, and I hope to get a lot of great photos. Hopefully there is some interesting gaming news there this year as well. If not there is always a good time to be had at Comic-Con. The pictures will be entertaining nonetheless. Stay classy, San Diego. =)
- Scott a.k.a. Ebenezer Stooge
Posted in
[...] UPDATE: Scott has posted his first review of the Optoma GT720 gaming projector on his blog! Check it out! [...]
Hi,
I was wondering if it would make a difference if a had a better graphics card in my HTPC than my GT430 with this Optoma. I was told that with a 720p projector, I would not get a big difference if I chose something other than my GT430. Then, I was told that I should have got the GT460 instead. I know it makes a difference on a monitor, but does it make a difference with a projector?
Hi Brandon,
First off, thanks for reading my review. The card you has is perfectly fine for a HTPC, it is very well reviewed (pending brand). The key thing for a HTPC is that the fans are quiet, and the video card does not draw a ton of power. If you plan on gaming a lot on your HTPC, then I would have said the 460 would have been a better investment. In gaming a higher end card will make a big difference, you probably wouldn’t even notice a difference when using it strictly for a HTPC. I would say software is more important than getting a better video card. Your card is capable of HD video, 3D, and has an HDMI output. That’s pretty much all you need. I have Total Media Theater software, and I love it. What are you using for playback?
~Ebenezer
For play back, i use power10dvd. I don’t get as good as picture as i hoped. Sometimes 3D and blu rays can look grainy on my JVC RS40. For regular files, I use my GT720 and it doesn’t bother me. I’m going to try out the total media theater.
Do you mean regular video files (non-HD) on the GT720? Do all Blu-ray discs look grainy on the RS40, or just some? Do you have both projectors hooked up in the same room? If you have hooked up both projectors to the same PC (same input) and get different results, then I don’t think it would be an issue with the PC.
Not all blu rays, but I tried the pc directly to the RS40 and it was much better. It was my receiver giving me the problem. I’m going to upgrade to a 460 video card for better gaming performance. I was going to get a more high end card, but if I will not notice a difference through the HTPC, I might as well save the money
You are putting the 460 in your desktop? I would definitely invest in a better card for your gaming machine. If all your using the HTPC for is movies, and playing back movies files, I would stick with what you have. Maybe take that money and invest a little more into the GPU for your gaming rig.
Hello, I have a pt-l500u panasonic 1280p native projector that is own it’s last dying leg after many years of great service.. : 0) I see great things for this projector for gaming and can find it at a good price level now.. The problem is how well does it hold up?? I have seen where there are many broken gt720′s being listed or the pixels are stuck with many white dots on them.. I am really between the hd66 and the gt720 and know the differences of the two as far as set ups and what I will be doing with them and the benefits of one to the other.. But would like to know moreso if one has a tendency to last longer than the other.. I mean even the people that right these great reviews on many forums did so with little time on the projector And most ppl state having problems after 6 months of use to a year.. I mean if you can only get a year out of it.. I don’t care how great of a projector it is.. Also considering an acer of about the same spec’s to possibly consider.. Basically good price range with spec’s close to these and lasting longer than a year is what I am looking for..
Honestly, has anyone with this projector even go the supposed 4,000 to 5,000 hours on the bulb yet without sending it in for repair? Message me if you have.. Thanks..
You are right, I can’t speak to the longevity of these projectors as we have them for such a short period of time. It seems you have done your homework though. It benefits to visit forums like AVS and see if there are any major issues with the projectors. You have to keep in mind there will be more people complaining than praising though. You just have to sort through the minor complaints and see if there are any major concerns.
I can only speak to the longevity of the projectors I have owned, which was an Infocus IN72, Planar PD7130, Epson 6500UB and Epson 8700UB. I never had an issue with any of those projectors, though the Epson 6500UB did burn through the bulbs rather quickly. I think I had a faulty projector, which Epson replaced with the 8700UB. I have had zero issues with the 8700UB.
Thanks for messaging back.. Just want to make a wise decision about the hd66 or the gt720, And I have experience with a led only and loved it.. Not sure about the rainbows yet for I have never seen a dlp in action before.. Just after seeing so many people that sell the gt720 on ebay as for parts or dead pixels, I started to do more research.. I had found tiger direct or best buy , one of the two for selling newly refurbished for $299 with the carry bag and everything.But was sold out.. Imagine that.. : 0) Then found a fella that had bought 6 of them and 5 were sent in for repair the first year.. It’s a very bright projector that does a lot of things right for the money but maybe pushing the technology for what was put in it and causing a high failure rate… Guessing a heat issue possibly without any filters.. But again don’t know for sure..Also several comments about dealing with customer service was bad with optoma as well.. Stating that they would try to get out of the effected products by stating ” you must have been using it for more than the 6 hrs a day that is clearly stated in the warranty…Seen that on several sites now actually.. Well Again, thanks for messaging back so quickly… If I get one and after all the uuuuhhhhsss and aaaahhhs are done, Well see how well it does over it’s life expectancy..
It really depends on your budget. If your budget is $300-$400, then honestly you are taking a chance either way. The odds are you will get a used, or refurbished for that price, unless you score an amazing deal. If gaming is your main objective, then DLP is the way to go. LCD experiences more lag than DLP. Also, if you are a sports fan DLP is a better choice. I am not into sports, and I do most of my gaming on a computer monitor, so LCD works great for me. I mainly use it for Blu-ray and HDTV. Depending on the retailer, Squaretrade might offer a warranty. You may want to check that out as well, if it’s cheap enough. If this is your first projector, odds are you’ll be blown away with either of those.
Also, there’s the Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 705HD available for about $600 brand new, not sure if that’s in your budget. Here’s a link to the review:
http://www.projectorreviews.com/epson/home-cinema-705hd/index.php
Let me know what you end up with, and how you like it!
Well I can deal with the gt720 with the throw distance if I had to but These rooms in my house are like 28X17 feet with 11′ ceilings.. I have two screens already built in my house .. One being a 109″ and the other not used very often being a little larger and down to the floor.. 109″ is about 3 feet from off the ground, actually right above the chair rail in my old house.. Amazing how the screen placement changes the feel of a game.. I pc game and xbox 360.. I have a modded wii with many many games but really don’t think it will see any projector time… Stays in the living room connected to a 53″ sony.. I could use the gt720 with it’s no adjustments but would prefer to have it set farther back closer to how I have my 500U set at this time.. Again, not new to projectors, just to DLP’s.. I will mostly be gaming on it and watching kid movies, pixar etc. on it.. Which would you go with.. I would loved to be awwww’ed at times like I use to be with this former projector.. So would you pick the gt720 the hd66 or the epson 705 ? All are about the same price range.. $450 two dlp’s and one LCD , remember gaming mainly in mind and I am finicky… I will play with the remote for an hour ever before letting it down to enjoy a game or movie at times… I try to get every bit of perfection out of it if I can… This will be my last posting here.. But looking forward to your answer.. And maybe the benefits in your opinion for even specs on the dlp and lcd.. Thanks again.. Shawn
If you are mainly online gaming, then I would definitely recommend a DLP. If you are a casual gamer, and don’t usually do online gaming then it does not matter as much. There are drawbacks to the Optoma projectors though, such as a shorter warranty and mediocre customer service. I have only spent time with the GT720, so I can’t comment on the HD66. The short throw GT720 can be a bit of a drawback, unless you plan on moving it from room to room, or traveling with it. I have heard good things about the HD66, but the GT720 is overall better reviewed and is newer.
The Epson 705HD does have a two year warranty, and Epson has the best customer service there is. If you are used to LCD, then the Epson is a great option as well. It seems like LCD has worked for you so far. Epson has treated me right as far as all of my warranty concerns, and well exceeded my expectations. I may be a bit biased, but based on my experience Epson has the best customer service I have EVER dealt with. If reliability is a big concern to you, then Epson may be the best choice for you. They stand behind their products.