Customer Reviews

Optoma EP721 SVGA 2200-Lumens DLP Multimedia Data Projector

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I recently purchased a new Optoma EP721 projector on the recommendation of a colleague. It was very light weight and easily carried to my lectures. My colleague had given his Optoma projector to his son and purchase another brand projector to replace it. He found the other projector was twice the weight and did not notice any discernible difference in the images, so he purchased another Optoma projector. In the first test-run at a venue, I was extremely impressed with the brightness of the 2200-Lumens lamp, which was perfect for my presentations. The lecture venue was large enough to seat 60 guests for a luncheon.

I had read in other reviews that the yellow colors were not as bright as with some other brands. While I found this to be true, it was minimal and not obvious to the audience. The wonderful feature about digital presentations, is that one can compensate for color during the editing process of the images using software, such as Photoshop.

The set-up process was easily accomplished after I reviewed the instructions. After one try, I was confident that I could rely upon the Optoma projector integrated with my MAC laptop. Lastly, the Optoma EP 721 was extremely favorably priced and was about half the cost of the competition. As an example of my satisfaction with this projector, I purchased a second one for the organization that I chaired.

I purchased two of these items about 2 years ago. After about 6 months of heavy use, the low light bulb warning came on. A year and a half later the bulbs are still working in both of these projectors, and I turned the "low light bulb warning life" off in the menu. Bulbs are expensive, lets hope this lasts another year. The picture quality is excellent, especially with my XBOX 360 and the HD cables, which makes my games look like a tech demo. I would recomend this product.

I've had this for a little over a week now. I have been playing Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360, and watching the NBA Playoff in high-definition. What I do not understand is how this is advertised as being SVGA, but when I swtich between standard and high-definition programming the difference is HUGE. While watching the Cavaliers play on a projeted image of, say, 60 inches on my bedroom wall, it absolutely looks like high definition. I use a HDMI to DVI cable from my Comcast cable box to the EP721.
In my living room, I have been playing games like Street Fighter 4 and Gears of War 2 on a projected image of about 82" on my wall. Again, it looks high def to me. I even watched Transformers HD-DVD and it looks awesome! I use the Xbox 360 VGA cable to the projector, and actually have the Monster Cable version on the way, and I'm hoping it makes a difference. Oh, and I put it on 1320 (i think) by 768 setting, widescreen and extended, and the projector handles this.
Why not a five star rating?
Well, it seems to me that the colors seem a little washed-out or faded. I initially ran the bulb on bright mode and the colors turned way up, and it looked AWESOME, but in certain scenes in the Transformers movie, faces would look "digitized" and so did the water. I then switched the bulb to standard, since it barely looked dimmer and plus it saves the bubl's life. I then used the "movie" setting for the colors, and although it looks good, it still needs some tweaking to get the colors right, which I haven't tried yet.
So, all in all I think this is a great projector especially for its small size. I personally got it for about $315 shipped from a reputable online auction site (ahem) and it had only been used for an hour and came without the remote control which I honestly could care less about. If the colors were easier to fix or if it had better preset options I would definitely gve it a 5. Oh, and another small gripe is that it doesn't have a regular (yellow) video input.
Like I said, it's hard to tell if this is actually high-def or not! But for the price I don't think you can find anything better!

The Optoma 721 is easy to hook up and easy to operate. I use it for fairtax presentations and find I can set the projector in the back of a room and still get great resolution.

We got this projector for hooking up to a laptop for giving presentations at the office. We wanted a projector that is small, light, quiet and easy to use. The Optoma EP721 has certainly lived up to all that. We've never even had to use the menu on the projector much less read the instruction manual (which comes on a CD). We've used both the regular monitor input and the DVI input from several different laptops and the Optoma has qickly searched and found the proper input source and we were on our way with the presentations. The images are sharp, clear and bright even with the room lights up all the way. And its so quiet that with the lens cap on nobody noticed it was still on.

The only negative is that strangely yellow is not displayed, making some colors appear odd. Not a big deal for most Powerpoint shows, but sometimes it matters. We were trying to review some mockups for a new web page design and the odd rendering of orange (it looked like a muddy brown) was a problem. We had to huddle around our web designer's Mac to get a true look at the color. Conversely, the blues and greens, including very subtle shading and gradations, were rendered extremely well and quite accurately. We haven't tried the projector with a video source yet but it seems like the deficit in yellow may be an issue for some movies.

To sum up, its an excellent office projector and a great value for the money. I'd recommend it for most situations, but the yellow problem prvents it from getting 5 stars. Just be aware of that if you intend to use it for things that require exact color reproduction.

My specific requirement was a projector that could provide a DVI input from my laptop docking station which has both a DVI-D digital only signal output and a VGA port. My primary monitor is a 20" flat panel screen and my secondary monitor is a 17" flat panel the first connected via DVI and the second connected via a standard VGA port and cable.

I did not want to have to remove my computer from the docking station or change the display setup to set the primary monitor as the VGA display just to use the projector. So to avoid this I needed a DVI-I or DVI-D connection on the projector. That by virtue of the DVI interface also provides a better picture as the signal no longer needs to be converted between digital and analog VGA output. When not docked I use a standard VGA port and cable as the laptop itself does not provide DVI output.

This projector is the best I could find at the price that provides DVI-I input, is lightweight, has remote with laser, supports all the resolutions and other features I might need.

I have learned more than I ever should need to know about DVI connectors, cables and supported signals. There are DVI-A (analog only), DVI-D (digital only), DVI-I (digital & analog) connectors and cables with two types of digital signals being supported. There are both single and dual types with dual providing greater resolution capability. what is supported depends upon the type of connector or cable used and the support provided by the device. This can easily get confusing with some five or more, different connectors and pin-outs.

I like this unit, it provides a clean clear crisp picture at 220 Lumens. It is lightweight just over 4lbs. It has keystone correction, full remote with laser and supports a wide range of resolutions with support for a variety of video input connections including regular VGA as well as digital with DVI-I support. I really like the soft flexible rubber lense cap and the compact carrying cable with space for all the cables you may need to have with you when on the road.

I had previously tried a 3M MPRO110 PICO projector which was not really usable even for my meager needs and then a fabulous TOSHIBA TDP-SP1U DLP Mobile Projector but it lacked the digital input support I needed. Despite that the warranty on the Optoma EP721 Projector is only one year compared to the Toshiba, it delivers all the features and functionality I need in a portable unit. Truly outstanding and a quality unit for the money.

this projector has worked really well for me. I use it for outdoor movies, and have no complaints. When using other projectors it always took a long time to figure out how to get the picture to the projector. this one just comes on right away. the picture is great, really clear, and it is exactly what I thought I was getting.

This unit has a nice strong light source; it works well with my netboook, and comes with a nice, durable carrying case, and while it is not a pocket model (they are not as powerful - at least not yet) it is not too large. Comes with power cord, USB connection (which allows you to use the remote - which also has a laser pointer - to advance slides) and video connection. Picture is clear and bright, and easily visible in most types of lighting. It does run fairly hot, so be careful, and while I would like it smaller still, that doesn't seem to be the state of the art at present.

I bought this projector based upon the reviews posted, and was not disappointed. I have used it in several key meetings and have not had any trouble at all. The projector is easy to use. I would recommend it.

Update, October 13, 2010-well, I've used this heavily for two years now, and it has never given me any trouble. The image works in most lighting situations and the machine connects easily to both PC and Mac laptops. I would buy it again if it ever needed to be replaced. Troublefree.

really nice projector in a small package. Good and bright. Comes with everything you need including a nice case. Can't be beat for the price.