Optoma UHD50
Affordable 4K projection, DLP-style
LET’S GET ONE THING straight, with 4K clarity: The UHD50, one of Optoma’s latest range of 4K-capable projectors, isn’t a native UHD model. It’s a 4K pixel shifter. That means it uses a 1080p DLP chip, and “shifts” the image at high speed to create a full UHD pixel grid.
But there’s pixel shifting, then there’s pixel shifting. Optoma claims its take on it is superior. Or rather, it’s the pixelshifting tech from Texas Instruments, known as XPR, that’s superior to its main competitor, that of LCD projectors.
The idea is fairly straightforward to grasp: Project an image, then shift it slightly, and project it again with updated pixel data, but do it so fast the human eye perceives the result as a single, unified image. In really simple terms, you can think of LCD pixel-shift projectors as bumping the image once diagonally.
Pixel-shifting 4K LCD projectors thus offer double the truly addressable pixels of a 1080p model. Of course, full 4K is four times the pixels of 1080p, so you’re only getting half the detail. With TI’s XPR pixel shifting, the 1080p image is moved right, then down, then left, delivering fully four times the pixels of 1080p. This all happens fast enough to be imperceptible. In practice, the projector runs at 240Hz, and thus delivers 4K at an effective refresh rate of 60Hz. It’ll also run as a native 1080p projector at up to 120Hz.
The big question is whether this approach delivers what it promises, namely a true 4K experience. Subjectively, the answer is no. We’re pretty familiar with the LCD approach to 4K pixel-shift technology, and this DLP take is only a marginal improvement. It remains obvious enough when observing, for instance, smaller-point fonts in Windows that you’re not experiencing full 4K.
That impression is a lot less obvious with high-quality 4K video content, which looks far sharper and more detailed than the 1080p alternative. But so does a pixelshift LCD projector. The fact remains, though, if you want a true 4K experience, there’s no substitute for a native 4K projector. The only problem is that native 4K requires relative megabucks, while you can snag this beamer for $1,200.
Of course, the UHD50 is not the only pixel-shifting projector, so the question of whether you should buy it comes down to its broader capabilities and performance, which are mixed. We’re not blown away by the quality of the UHD50’s optics. For starters, the lens shift is limited to the vertical axis. That’s compounded by slight imperfections in image geometry, in our sample unit at least, which make attaining a perfect setup elusive.
This projector also suffers from a “light border” around the projected image. It’s substantial in size rather than intensity, and only a minor distraction, but unwelcome all the same. Elsewhere, in SDR mode, contrast is good rather than spectacular. Still, for this reviewer, who is sensitive to the rainbow effect associated with DLP projectors, the good news is that there’s little of that in evidence. Another upside involves gaming. Along with 4K at 60Hz and 1080p at 120Hz, it looks great in game at an interpolated 1440p.
Less impressive is the UHD50’s HDR implementation. Like a lot of so-called HDR PC monitors, better to think of this as a projector that can process an HDR signal rather than one that can do full justice to HDR content. The UHD50 doesn’t dramatically move the game on—it’s a decent all-around projector, and we’d take it over a 1080p model, but it doesn’t achieve the holy grail of a full 4K experience on the cheap. –JEREMY LAIRD
VERDICT 7 Optoma UHD50
OSCAR WINNER A big step up in detail versus 1080p; good for gaming.
GOLDEN RASPBERRY Still not true 4K; some image quality issues.
$1,199, www.optoma.com