Optoma is probably better known for affordability than outright performance. This is why projectors such as Optoma’s HD33 at $1,499 retail have been their bread and butter for years – surpassed only by their educational and business offerings. So it begs the question, what is a value-oriented brand like Optoma thinking by releasing a performance driven front projector such as the HD8300 reviewed here? After spending a few weeks with it in my own home, my question to Optoma would be: Why haven’t you pushed your performance line of products harder?
Retailing for $4,499 (with street prices even lower still) the HD8300 isn’t cheap, but considering it goes toe-to-toe with Sony’s SXRD, JVC’s D-ILA and even SIM2′s and Digital Projection’s (DPI) higher-end offerings, it’s not unobtainable either. While Sony and JVC’s projectors aren’t DLP-based like the HD8300, they generally cost more and when compared against other DLP offerings from SIM2 and DPI, the HD8300 is positively affordable. So what does the HD8300′s nearly $4,500 asking price get you?
Read the full review at hometheaterreview.com.
