Optoma Technology GT2100HDR 4200-Lumen Full HD Short-Throw DLP Projector

Affordable Short Throw mixes well with 5K front projection

Application: Low budget theater production. Four projector design using 3 x 5K 3-LCD laser front projectors. Purchased because I needed RP 16' high by 9' wide for center screen with screen not more than 10 feet from upstage wall. GT2100HDR Projector was mounted portrait for taller than wide rear projection and seemed not as close to spec as I had hoped. Theoretically at least, the .5 lens should yield a 16' image about 8' away, but I needed to move the screen at least 10 feet away. Likely the spec is based on perfect projector placement, which isn't always practically possible. For those new to this kind of Short-Throw projector, be prepared to fiddle with it quite a bit to achieve the desired results. The light comes out at a much more severe angle than standard throw projectors, so for example, in portrait mode (projector mounted on its side) the optimal lens position is strangely not at all perpendicular to the screen surface. Perhaps it deserves a 5 star rating for value, but it seems like the .5 lens rating is inflated, so I'm sticking with 4 stars. But to more good news... I was worried about the low uniformity spec and what the stated 4200 lumens would yield in perceived brightness. For my graphic-centered projected theater set application, uniformity was acceptable and there was plenty of light to match the proximal 5K front projected screens (noting the advantage to the GT2100HDR of no competing theater light and a nice quality RP screen). In many instances, I dialed down the brightness of this DLP with my design software to blend with the lower perceived luminosity of the 5Ks (cutting through theater light front projecting on fabric screens). Jury is still out on lumen matching when I use this side by side with my other 5Ks when all are being front projected in a similar existing light environment on identical screen material. However, I have used a 5K in a very similar combined rear projected screen environment and my gut says the perceived brightness of the GT2100HDR projector is very similar to one of my 5Ks, which means the lumen rating is seemingly more likely under-reported vs. the typically lumen inflation. Perhaps that deserves 5 stars alone, given its price? Build quality seems not great but time will tell. Surprisingly light and small, which is good and bad. For me, pushes rating towared 4 stars vs. 5. NOTE FOR THOSE SHOOTING DLP RP SETS: This project also had both photographic and video documentation components, so I was concerned that the only DLP (GT2100HDR) projector as a center RP would be problematic (all the other projectors were 3-LCD lasers). As predicted, there were a number of photographic color banding aberrations (only with this DLP projector), sometimes at 1/125 and really bad at 1/200 or faster, according to the photographer's metadata analysis post shoot. I shot video using the 180 degree shutter rule to hopefully avoid light sync aberrations, using 1/60 shutter speed shooting 30p 4K (technically 29.97) and was pleased to not have any rolling or color banding show up in the video doc of the production. For single spinning wheel DLPs, that was a pleasant surprise! I thought I'd have to dial in an obscure shutter speed, as I have had to do in the past with out of spec LED theater lights that were problematic for clean video documentation. So all in all for a first use, just purchased review, with a stingy reviewer (me), a 4 star review reflects a purchase recommendation!