Product: Optoma MovieTime Digital DVD Projector
Link: www.Optomausa.com
Price: Varies, $799.99–999.99

The Optoma MovieTime Digital DVD Projector is an interesting product combining a consumer level DLP projector with a DVD player, trying to fill a niche consumer market for those looking for a simple all-in-one home entertainment system. No cables are required with this ultra-portable entertainment system, in addition to the built in DVD player, the Optoma comes equipped with integrated speakers.

Portability is a big advantage with this unit, the ability to take it and get up and running virtually anywhere in under two minutes is a huge benefit. Weighing only 7.8 lbs, the units included carrying case means you can pick up and go whenever you want with ease. One disadvantage for those content with leaving the projector in room, is the lack of support for wall/ceiling mount. Having the projector on a stand right next to you might become somewhat of an annoyance.

Don’t get too excited about the built in DVD player, especially if you’re on the leading edge of technology. The system has a native resolution of only 854 x 480 (480p) which means you won’t be seeing any high definition coming out of this system (The system also supports SXGA+ 1400 x 1050). Even more disappointing about the built-in DVD player was its terrible and unpredictable support for burned discs. Putting all ethical and legal issues of pirating aside, and assuming that the only burned discs you plan to watch are backups of DVDs you own or home videos recorded on a DVD, the built-in DVD player was passable at best. Some DVDs would spin-up in the player but fail to load, while others worked perfectly. I had no problem with commercially produced DVDs, all of which loaded perfectly. While system’s DVD player supports other formats (MP3, WMA, JPEG, Audio CD, DVD, VCD) I found similar playback issues with some VCD discs. Five years ago it was acceptable when my DVD player didn’t work with some brands of blank media, today however, there is no reason a DVD player should not be compatible with 99% of the available blank media out there today.

Computer connectivity ultimately led to to even more disappointing results. My first attempts to connect my MacBook Pro to the projector gave me weird results. At first, the machine would indicate “no signal” even though it was recognized and configurable on the Mac. After a quick restart, the desktop would flicker on the projector for about half a second before reverting back to the “no signal” screen again. Finally, I turned to the Optoma website to investigate further what I had assumed was surely a simple oversight on my part. However, this was not the case. Buried in the seperate product F.A.Q. section, I found my answer, albeit brief and non-descriptive:

Q: My DV10 will not display the output from my MAC laptop. I checked the cable and output with a monitor. Is there something else I can try?
A: Some models of Apple Laptops and Desktops may be incompatible with the DV10 input. You may need to use a different Optoma projector model to display the image desired.

The unit itself is fairly easy to use and set up. It comes with a remote as well as some necessary video cables, however it does not come with a VGA cable for computer connectivity; a big let-down. You can completely navigate the non-user-friendly projector menus with the built-in buttons on the projector itself, or using the remote, which works to control both the projector and built-in DVD player.

The price of the projector varies, in some places it sells for as low as $799.99, while at other retailers it sells for $999.99 with a screen. The overall value is fair, considering the price of projectors has come down quite a lot in recent years and considering it uses what can now be considered out-dated technology. If you’re looking for a cheap, portable projector, with fair quality and convenience, you should take a look at the Optoma MovieTime, however, be prepared for some frustrations and don’t expect to use your latest HD or BluRay DVDs.

2halfstars






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