Optoma PJ says 'bring on the wall'

This second-gen ultra-short-throw PJ doesn't match its predecessor, but still appeals to Steve May

- Steve May

AV INFO

PRODUCT: UHD DLP ultrashort-throw projector

POSITION: Above the 1080p laser-based HZ40UST

PEERS: Viewsonic X10-4K; Epson EHLS500W/B

Optoma is back with a new iteration of its ultra-short-throw living room-friendly projector. The CinemaX P2, unlike the original CinemaX P1, aka UHZ65UST, comes in a fresh white livery and offers a £300 saving on its predecessor. However, a cursory glance at the spec reveals there are changes beneath the hood that suggest a somewhat denuded performance.

How so? Perhaps most importantly, brightness is diminished by 500 Lumens, and contrast downgraded from a suggested 2,500,000:1 to 2,000,000:1. The colour gamut has also shrunk in the wash. Optoma claims 85 per cent of DCI-P3 for the P2, compared to 87 per cent on the P1.

One upshot of these revisions is that this model is now closer to the considerably cheaper Viewsonic X10-4K [HCC #299]. It’s also at a spec-sheet disadvantage against the brighter but similarly priced Epson EH-LS500 [HCC #309].

So is this moderated UST projector now too much of a compromise to warrant the saving? Or has Optoma actually found the right balance between performance and price? Time to dim the lights...

Like Ps in a pod