Optoma HD20

Value

So you like Optoma, but you don’t know which projector to buy, the HD20 or the HD66. Clearly, the HD66 is cheaper, but what’s the trade-off? Well, we’ve done all the work for you. Overall, the HD66 is brighter, but had much worse color performance. the 720p resolution is also significantly less sharp than the 1080p resolution of the HD66. If seeing movies and games in their native resolution and intended (more or less) colors is important to you, you’ll want to step up to the HD20.

	Comparison Specifications
	Optoma HD20	Optoma HD66
Price
Resolution	1080p 1920 x 1080 (16:9)	720p 1280 x 720 (16:9)
HD	Yes	Yes
3D Support	No	Yes

Blacks & Whites

Depending on the mode, the Optoma HD66 is capable of getting a little or a lot brighter than the Optoma HD20. A bright picture matters if you plan on projecting in anything other than a very dark room. The Optoma HD20 cannot compete with a daylit room, but the Optoma HD66 is a little better for that purpose.

Color

The Optoma HD66’s color performance is not impressive, but not the worst we’ve seen. The color temperature was consistent, but the RGB color curves indicated that the projector has trouble displaying highlights and shadows, particularly in the red channel.

Motion

Both the Optoma HD66 and Optoma HD20 are DLP projectors, and thus produce the rainbow effect when displaying certain types of patterns. This can bother some people a lot, so you should steer clear if you count yourself in that camp.

Viewing Effects

The Optoma HD20 has a 1.2x zoom lens while the Optoma HD66 has a 1.1x zoom lens. That gives you a little flexibility when positioning the projector. Be aware, though, that the Optoma HD20 requires a fair amount of distance from the screen.

Connectivity

The Optoma HD20 has one additional HDMI, but lacks the HD66’s S-video, VGA output, and audio ports.