Optoma - UHD38

This is great. I purchased a UHD38 in October of 2021 and although I do like it, I am considering an upgrade. I have been seeing a lot about the XGIMI HORIZON 20 Max. I am not sure though because this will be in a completely black room so it might be 'too bright'. What did you decide to go with?

The Optoma UHD38x might be a good match for your needs. Should be enough in your budget to get a lower end fixed frame screen (I recommend looking at EliteScreens) if you don't already have one. A properly flat screen makes a huge difference.

I've been using Optoma UHD38 and it went great without issues for about 3 years, at 3½ it needed work/replacement.  It does the 4k60/1080p240hz at 16ms/4ms that gaming projectors do, and it is very bright so great contrast and color.  I was looking for a replacement and even after 4 years nothing gets close to the brightness, so it will win on specs. I don't have the money to do a side by side comparison but for me it was worth the $1 a day at $1,200. Reviews are a mixed bag on getting a reliable unit, and mine only lasted 5,200 hours, but if I can get 3 years out of it I'm happy at the cost of ownership. I'm hoping there will actually be better by then.

I don't know if you'll get a good gaming one under $700. When I researched heavily was 4 years ago and I got an Optoma UHD38 for $1,200. I've loved it but now it's starting to malfunction. People say they are crap, but mine lasted this long and that's under $1/day, but maybe I was lucky getting a good unit. I'm trying to research again and here are the things to look out for: 1) input lag. This is necessary to have low for gaming. The best I've found is 4ms for 1080p240hz and 16ms for 4k60hz. You probably won't get this under 700$.  2) brightness. Mine had 4,000 lumens which meant I could play with the window open or a light on. i would still black out the room if I wanted to be super immersed though. Most cheaper sets are maybe 3,000 lumens and I think you'll need a dark space. 3) contrast ratio. Too low will look like crap. Mine had like 1,000,000 to 1. most are much lower. I don't think it was actually that high on screen at once though, it would lower the lamp on darker scenes to kind of fake HDR which was honestly lame marketing. 4) marketing. 4k might mean it accepts 4k signal, not that it actually shows 2160x3840 pixels or whatever 4k actually is. Hdr might mean it accepts the input, not that it shows an hdr image. Read carefully. 5) warranty. This is very important. I would get an extended warranty and consider that you are paying for it to last only as long as you have full coverage. Do the math. Mine ended up being under $1/day, which is fine with me. Trying to find a replacement is a pain though. More research, and just the parts to fix mine are like $800.

I was originally dead set on an LS12000 to replace my olderEpson - but ended up w an 83" LG OLED to do my 4K@120hz gaming behind my motorized 144". This ended up relaxing the PJ requirements so that could be a cheaper Optoma UHD38 that satisfied my HDR content watching at the bigger size.

All with 4k output capabilities: ACER H6815P (2023) - optical sound output (2 hdmi connections (but not ARC or EARC). ~647€ ACER H6 H6830BD 3D-beamer - Optical and ARC output, 1 other HDMI channel. ~930€ Optoma UHD38x - optical sound output, 2 hdmi connections (neither ARC or EARC) ~ 800€ BenQ TK700 - HDMI-ARC and regular HDMI, no optical. ~1000€

If u lose 4k and go all the way with 1080p for gaming this will be ur options: 2025/26 BenQ X3100i 1080p @ 240Hz 4.2ms €2.339 2024 ViewSonic LX700-4K 1080p @ 240Hz 4.2ms €1.399 2023 Optoma UHD38x 1080p @ 240Hz 4.2ms €1.019 2022 Acer Predator GD711 1080p @ 240Hz 4.2ms €1.100 2021 BenQ TK700STi 1080p @ 240Hz 4.2ms €1.249 2021 ViewSonic PX748-4K 1080p @ 240Hz 4.2ms €999 2020 BenQ TH685i 1080p @ 120Hz 8.3ms €650 (Refurb) 2019 Optoma UHD42 1080p @ 240Hz 4.2ms €800 (Used)

I got the optoma 4k gaming projector. I think its awesome.

https://preview.redd.it/l5vtie9yajbf1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b731a1a4d615a926af96b2ff69e3420501fb0b09 Ive been happy with this projector for the past few years. Ps5/switch/movies usage. Had a uhd optoma before it which i wouldnt recommend

Yes absolutely. I'm in the projector game only for three days... Beginning with an Xgimi Halo+ (1080p) nearly instantly to an Optoma UHD. The difference is night and day. I sit 3 meters away from a 2,66m width screen. But even a 4K projector doesn't come close to my 75inch TV in sharpness. Edit: and yes i know the Optoma is only pixel shift. But it's way sharper than the Xgimi 1080p.

Have you considered buying used or refurbished? I got a nice 4k optoma for like $400