Best in Class – Under $1000 Price Performance Home Entertainment: Optoma UHL55

The Optoma UHL55 follows in the footsteps of the UHD51A, which was Optoma’s very first smart projector. Like the UHD51A, the UHL55 has Alexa and Google Assistant integrated into the projector itself. When Optoma announced the UHL55 almost a year ago, the suggested price was $1,499. At a glance, that made it a very interesting solid-state home entertainment projector, at a price point currently being dominated by entry level 4K UHD projectors that are lamp based.

I am not sure when they did, but the UHL55 is now just $999, and that price drop is a game changer – making it a clear winner for our Price Performance Award in the Under $1000 Entry-Level Class. Dave was most impressed when reviewing this projector, noting that it does really nice skin tones, has plenty of brightness, and some hefty sound for a projector with built-in speakers.

This projector is feature-laden. It has compatibility with Alexa and the Google Assistant for a number of advanced controls, such as on/off, volume level, input selection, the Media player playback, image mode changes and more. The UHL55 has an Android OS with a 4K UHD media player, integrated smart TV apps (an improvement over the UHD51A), and downloadable content from the Optoma Marketplace App Store, which they are always improving.

It has Dynamic Black to help with those really dark scenes in movies. This projector has four HDR10 picture modes to choose from, for that extra “pop and wow” factor, as we like to call it. The Optoma UHL55 also features the BT.2020 expanded color space, Dynamic Black to increase the black level performance, as well as other features to enhance the picture – UltraDetail and PureColor – and PureMotion (CFI) for sports viewing. Whether you’re an avid movie aficionado, TV binge-watcher, or sports fanatic, the Optoma UHL55 has you covered.

The Optoma UHL55 also has an onboard media player that is compatible with both 4K content and HDR. It can play both 1080p and 4K UHD + HDR files. You can also play audio files and show images, so you can set the media player up to loop a playlist of photos during a party. Its lightweight, portable nature, combined with the ability to play HD and 4K UHD video files means you can take this projector out for a movie night in the yard. It has wireless capabilities, as well as 3D compatibility.