This is my first projector, and I can't believe I waited this long to take the plunge. It fit a very specific usage requirement: It needed to be ceiling mounted in front of a fan that I wasn't willing to move, leaving only about 4 feet between projector and screen. That yielded about an 80 - 84 inch picture depending on how I positioned the projector on the mount.
Once set up, the picture was big, bright, and sharp. In bright daylight, it's a tad on the dim side, but in a slightly or completely darkened room, I'd say it rivals any modern 1080p television in picture quality. My wife was sufficiently wowed, and immediately preferred watching TV and movies in the "projector room" as opposed to the main living room. It really is a game changer - perfect for viewing parties with groups, amazing with video games. Fan noise can be a slight distraction, especially if you have Dynamic Black mode on, which adjusts bulb brightness in real time and thus, the fan gets louder and quieter with it. Cranking up the volume alleviates that problem.
Speaking of sound, if you're using this for media, external speakers are a requirement. At max volume the built in speakers are still quiet, and low quality. That's typical for projectors, just something to keep in mind if you're pricing things out. I have it hooked up to a home theater system via HDMI.
And now, some notes about the setup. As stated this was my first projector, and I learned several things by trial and error:
Number one - positioning is extremely important if you are using a screen. If mounting on a ceiling like I did, it will take some experimentation. The distance from lens to screen is the sole factor to determine your image size. The projector has an image shift feature that lets you tweak the image up, down, left, and right by a few inches, plus a zoom and an edge mask adjustment, but none of these can physically change where the projector is casting its light. For example, if you find that the image isn't quite reaching the right edge of your screen, adjusting the image shift to the right only moves it in from the LEFT side, cutting off picture on the right. If you want the image to be straight and square and fill the whole screen without spilling over, the mounting position needs to be just so, the correct distance from the screen with the lens directly in the center (horizontally centered, not vertically).
Fortunately, the universal mount I purchased allows me to move the bracket around as it's attached to the projector, without needing to move the mounting hardware that's screwed into the ceiling. Doing some calculations with the .49 throw ratio is a good place to start when determining distance. From there, I had to make a few attempts at positioning the bracket just right to get the image centered exactly to the borders of my screen.
One suggestion if you find yourself doing what I did: use a home theater test pattern, not the projector's built in grid. When the grid is enabled, the only adjustment you can do is keystone (vertical tilt). I just used a test pattern on a Disney blu-ray to do this.
Finally, a note on screens. I am using an 80" manual retractable screen, which the manufacturer recommends NOT using with short throw projectors because slight screen waves cause image distortion. Unfortunately the retractable screen was a condition of my installation of a projector, so that the room didn't have to become a "TV room" permanently. Sure enough, there is a slight ripple on the lower right corner of my screen that causes very slight distortion that's only really noticeable when the image pans side to side. I can live with it, but if you're a stickler, you will want to use a static mounted screen, or no screen at all.
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This Item  Optoma GT1080Darbee Short Throw Projector for Gaming, Movies and Sports, 3000 Lumens, Low Input Lag of 16ms, 3D, Darbee Technology for Sharper Image |  | ![[Auto Focus/4K Support] Projector with WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2, YABER Pro V9 600 ANSI Native 1080P Outdoor Movie Projector, Auto 6D Keystone & 50% Zoom, Home Theater Projector for Phone/TV Stick/PC](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51t7VdmUtsL._AC_.jpg) |  |  |  | |
| Price | — | -23% $999.00 List: $1,299.00 | -19% $289.99 List: $359.99 | -6% $1,599.00 List: $1,699.00 | -31% $549.00 List: $799.00 | $699.00 |
| Delivery | — | Get it as soon as Thursday, May 2 | Get it as soon as Thursday, May 2 | Get it May 3 - 6 | Get it May 3 - 6 | — |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
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| Sold By | — | Amazon.com | WhyOne | Adorama | Adorama | PCNation |
| hardware interface | hdmi | hdmi, usb, 3 5 mm audio | usb2.0, hdmi, vga | hdmi, hdmi, usb2.0 a | hdmi | vga, hdmi |
| display resolution | 1920 x 1200 | 1920 x 1080 | 4K | 3840 x 2160 | 1920 x 1080 | 1920 x 1200 |
| brightness | 3000 | 3500 | — | 3000 | 3800 | — |
| native resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1920 x 1080 | 1920 x 1080 | 3840 x 2160 | 1920 x 1080 | 1920 x 1080 |
| image contrast ratio | 30000:1 | 300,000:1 | 20000:1 | 10000:1 | 15000:1 | 10000:1 |
| max throw distance | 11 feet | 10 meters | 22.9 feet | 21.5 feet | 5 feet | 1.5 feet |
From the manufacturer
Other Features:
- USB Power
- 2x10 Watt Speakers
- Wireless Presentation (HDCast Pro)
- Screening Mirror (HDCast Pro)
- 1.07 Billion Displayable Colors
Short Throw Gaming Like You've Never Experienced
- DarbeeVision Image Processor
- sRGB display profile
- 28,000:1 contrast ratio
- Enhanced Gaming Mode
- Full 3D
- 100" image from less than 4 feet away
- 8000-hour lamp life
Key Features
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Big, Brilliant VisualsFull HD 1080p resolution, 3000 lumens, and a 28,000:1 contrast ratio deliver amazing, brilliant colors and crystal clear images which translate to spectacular gaming visuals. |
One of the Best-in-Class Response TimeEnhanced Gaming Mode provides a best-in-class rapid response time of 16ms keeping you in the game and ahead of your competitors. |
Energy Efficient Lamp-lifeThe GT1080Darbee offers energy saving features that enable high performance and low maintenance with 8000 hours of lamp life. |
Darbee Image EnhancementThe GT1080Darbee’s next generation DarbeeVision Image Processor enhances images for extraordinary levels of detail, depth, lighting, and object separation. |
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sRGB Display ProfilesRGB display profile dazzles with REC.709b color accuracy. Its support for the sRGB color space profile enables rich, accurate color based on primaries of the REC.709b HDTV specification when used with a PC, Mac, or any sRGB-compatible source. |
Full 3DThe GT1080Darbee supports all HDMI 1.4a mandatory 3D formats, enabling display of true 3D content from almost any 3D source, including 3D Blu-ray players, 3D broadcast, and latest generation game consoles. |
Deep, Rich BlacksThe GT1080Darbee’s impressive 28,000:1 contrast ratio creates amazing black levels for a realistic experience with video games of all types. |
100” Image from 4’ AwayThe GT1080Darbee’s .49 throw ratio is perfect for gamers and movie enthusiasts with limited space. This home entertainment powerhouse can create a 100” image from less than 4 feet from the projection surface. |
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| GT1080Darbee DLP Projector | HD27 DLP Projector | HD142X DLP Projector | |
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| Customer Reviews |
520
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317
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1,016
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| Price | — | — | $960.22 |
| Lumens | 3000 | 3200 | 3000 |
| Native Resolution | 1080p 1920x1080 | 1080p 1920x1080 | 1080p 1920x1080 |
| DarbeeVision | Yes | No | No |
| Inputs | 2 xHDMI, Audio-Out, 12v Trigger, USB Power | 2 xHDMI, Audio-Out, 12v Trigger, USB Power | 2 xHDMI, Audio-Out, 12v Trigger, USB Power |
| MHL | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| REC.709 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Contrast Ratio | 28000:1 | 25000:1 | 23000:1 |
| Throw Ratio | .49 | 1.48 - 1.62:1 | 1.48 - 1.62:1 |
| Advanced Gaming Mode | Yes | No | No |
| Lamp Life (Hours) | 5000/6000/8000 | 5000/6000/8000 | 5000/6000/8000 |
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Customer Review: Natural lighting VS No lighting
Brianna
Reviews with images
5 stars, read my review why.
Great value for money, takes about 5 mins to setup into the right position. Easy to focus. The focus is ok , middle of the screen is very sharp, the edges are a little less sharp is looking at one detail.I have used it for about 20 hours and am very happy with the product.The project sits on a coffee table about 1.5 metres back and projects a 126" screen roughly.Menu is easy to navigate and the remote is user friendly. Out of the box the picture is good just make sure you select your wall colour in the options.when not in Eco mode the fan is a bit noisy but I don't hear it over the movie.Darbee is amazing, makes the picture quality so much better to watch.I have connect it to the PC and played some games on it, no good for fps as the screen is just too big but with expole games is brilliant ,eg gta and portal.I research many projectors before hand and am glad I went with the optoma darbee.For a 1080p project you cannot go wrong with this one.I have added some photos of 1080p images but the uploaded photos look no where near as good as what the projector outputs!!
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2017
Style: 3000 LumensPattern: ProjectorVerified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2017
Style: 3000 LumensPattern: ProjectorVerified Purchase
Top reviews from other countries
Amazonian
Best purchase this year!
Reviewed in Canada on September 30, 2019Style: 3000 LumensPattern: ProjectorVerified Purchase
Amazonian
Reviewed in Canada on September 30, 2019
Minor light leakage at the top (ceiling mount -unit upside down), as my unit is near a bulkhead where the image is beneath it I have minor light leakage on the vertical section of the bulkhead. Very minor not something that lessens the experience.
Boarder around the picture - very dull but noticeable boarder around the picture which is a known downfall of DLP, but again nothing that ruins the experience and correctable with a black felt boarder.
Fan Noise- Bright mode (standard) the fan ramps up a bit more and can be heard when nothing is being watched or played. I’m in Eco mode with brightness up a bit and it’s pretty quiet. My seating is about 10’ behind the projector, I hear a very minor hum while nothing is playing.
Sound - you need an external sound setup, that’s a given.
Ports - I’m using one HDMI port with a switcher for other devices. Has
2 HDMI ports and powered USB which I haven’t used.
Picture Adjustments - keystone, horizontal and vertical and focus all very helpful on getting this setup.
Blacks - again on a light grey Behr matte wall, the blacks are black and the colours are stunning.
Over all I’m very satisfied with this projector and will defiantly recommend to a gamer and movie watcher you won’t regret this purchase.
(Movie - Toy Story 4 1080p)
Images in this review
Amazon Customer NZ
Great game/cinema picture and easy to use
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 8, 2018Style: 3000 LumensPattern: ProjectorVerified Purchase
Rishabh M.
Five Stars
Reviewed in India on May 24, 2018Style: 3000 LumensPattern: ProjectorVerified Purchase
Zaher
I love this!!
Reviewed in Canada on January 29, 2018Style: 3000 LumensPattern: ProjectorVerified Purchase
Zaher
Reviewed in Canada on January 29, 2018
Images in this review
Daredevil007
A gamers dream ?
Reviewed in Canada on August 8, 2019Style: 3000 LumensPattern: ProjectorVerified Purchase
