Optoma GT720

Value

The Canon LV-8310 costs about the same as the Optoma GT720 and has the same WXGA (1280 × 800) resolution. However, the Optoma posits itself as a “portable gaming” projector. However, most gaming systems are 1080i or 1080p, and the Optoma showed terrible problems with rescaling those resolutions, and it’s not really that light. On the other hand, the Canon doesn’t support 1080p at all. On the whole, the Optoma GT720 is more flexible for gamers, but the Canon might be the better pick for offices.

	Comparison Specifications
	Optoma GT720	Canon LV-8310
Price
Resolution	WXGA 1280 x 800 (16:10)	WXGA 1280 x 800 (16:10)
HD	Yes	Yes
3D Support	Yes	No

Blacks & Whites

The Optoma GT720 managed a slightly brighter performance than the Canon LV-8310. However, it suffered from more problems with tunnel contrast, which means that black levels vary widely depending on how much black is on the screen.

Color

The Optoma GT720 displayed more shadow detail, but lost some detail in the highlights. The Canon was smoother throughout the signal range.

Motion

The Canon LV-8310 was not quite as smooth in its motion performance as the Optoma GT720, but they both had about the same amount of artifacting.

Viewing Effects

The Optoma GT720 has a very short throw distance, and there’s no zoom lens to give you a little flexibility. The Canon LV-8310 has a 1.2x zoom and a longer throw.

Connectivity

The Canon trumps the Optoma GT720 with a VGA output and ethernet input. The Optoma GT720 has an HDMI, but it’s easy to adapt an HDMI input into the DVI port on the Canon.