Laser PJ made for your media room

Optoma's conventional 4K projector might lack the allure of its UST siblings, but a laser engine, flexible setup and punchy performance mean it's still a bright buy, says Steve May

- Steve May

WE’VE SEEN PROJECTORS adopt a variety of form factors of late, from UST models to Samsung’s novel portable Freestyle. Optoma's UHZ50 is a more traditional beamer, but it’s no less exciting.

A 4K DLP laser model with HDR support, it's both compact enough to be brought out for movie or gaming sessions (it boasts a 240Hz 1080p gaming mode), and smart enough for a permanent ceiling installation in a living room. At £2,699 it's definitely not a budget model, and its build quality is commensurately high.

Game of throws Specifications are on point, and include some niceties that rival UST beamers ignore. One of these, obviously, is the projector's 1.3x optical zoom. This, plus focus, is manually operated via a standard dial and lever combo, and combined with the UHZ50's lens gives a 1.21-1.59:1 throw ratio. A 100-in diagonal image can be projected from a distance between 2.6m and 3.5m approx.

The rear-panel connections bank is well stocked, and includes three HDMI ports, one of which is eARC/ARC enabled, plus optical digital and 3.5mm analogue audio outputs. For system builders who want to sync the projector to an electric screen, there’s also a 12V trigger, as well as RS-232. The UHZ50 works with Google Assistant, offering voice control if required, plus supports IFTTT (If This Then That), which uses applets to trigger events – so you might programme the projector to power on when you dim lighting.

An Ethernet port provides a wired network connection, but the unit is also bundled with a Wi-fi dongle, which occupies one of two user-accessible USB slots on the rear. You can also take advantage of USB power to drive an HDMI media streaming stick, such as an Amazon Fire TV device or Roku model.