1) I still get to see outside movies, but I don’t always have to do the setup and tear down.
2) I get to look at the cool new gear he purchased.
I own the Optoma HD141X, it was my first big boy projector. I feel like I got pretty lucky with it, because it was exactly what I wanted as a great price and I have recommended it again and again. You can read my review here.
The thing is the HD141X really isn’t available for purchase anymore. The good news is the folks at Optoma have redesigned it, upgrading it to the [easyazon_link identifier=”B01HQCF6R6″ locale=”US” tag=”backyardmov05-20″]HD142X[/easyazon_link], which is also getting rave reviews.
Like the Optoma HD141X, the projector is budget friendly, light weight, 3000 Lumens (which helps you start your movie a little earlier), 3D compatible, and DLP. While watching the movie, I couldn’t tell any difference in quality between the 141 and the hd142x, it had the same great colors, crispness, and black that I have come to love.
Optoma HD142X top view
The biggest differences between the 141 and HD142X are appearance and some added features to make the 142 more compatible with different devices. This isn’t to say the 141 isn’t compatible, but Optoma has taken steps to make sure the colors displayed on the 142 are more representative of what you might expect to see on a traditional monitor.
The other big change is that Optoma claims to have extended the life span of the bulb on the 142 by about 25% to 8000 hours on Eco Mode. Honestly, I only use my projector for outside movies, I have had it for 3 years and I doubt it has much more than 125 hours or so I don’t know how much of a selling point this would be for me.
I read a lot of reviews and there were only two trends that I saw. The first were complaints that the projector runs a little hot, which I will concur with but since I use mine for outside movies, this isn’t a big issue for me.
The other issue was the dreaded rainbow effect. DLP projectors use a color wheel that spins rapidly and projects the different colors on the screen. For some people, artifacting can occur, causing them to see the last color that was projected, plus the current color. The result is a rainbow effect. It is more thoroughly described here. I have had hundreds of people through my house to watch movies and I have yet to have a person complain to me about the rainbow effect. If you read forums, you leave with the sense that this issue is far more common than I think it really is. That being said, for those that have it, it is a really big deal.
A word of caution: While looking at Amazon for info on this projector I saw there were a lot of resellers offering killer prices. Reading the reviews, a lot of these are scammers, so be sure to buy from someone with a lot of reviews or take the safest route and purchase from Amazon as the seller.
All in all, I think this projector is a nice addition to the product line and a perfect for someone who is looking to get into outdoor movies without breaking the bank.
PROS:
3000 Lumens
Lightweight
Sleek Design
Improved interface with different devices
3D capable
Expanded Bulb Life
CONS:
Runs as a little warm
As a DLP, it is susceptible to the Rainbow effect
[easyazon_infoblock align=”none” identifier=”B01HQCF6R6″ locale=”US” tag=”backyardmov05-20″]
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