Optoma HD66

Noise (8.04)

Like most projectors, the HD66 uses a fan to circulate air through the projector to keep it cool. This fan is a little noisier than most: we measured it at an average of 44.9 decibels with the light in Bright mode, and 44 in standard. The noise is loudest at the front, because the exit fan that pushes the air is right behind the front grille.

Heat

This air cooling means that the projector outputs a lot of hot air: we measured the temperature of the air exiting the projector at a toasty 44 degrees Fahrenheit (around 6.6 degrees Celsius) hotter than the air going into the projector with the lamp in both the standard and bright mode (although the air temperature doesn’t differ between the two, the fan runs quieter and displaces less air, so it is using less energy). That means that it is outputting a lot of heat, so you’ll need to make sure that the AC is running if you are using it in a small room.

Power Consumption (7.49)

The HD66 uses a fairly small amount of juice for a projector: we measured the power draw at about 235 watts, which would translate into a running cost of about $45 a year if you watch 5 hours of TV a day.

Changing the mode the HD66 is running in didn’t make a lot of difference to the power draw: we measured the power draw in the Presentation, bright and Movie modes at about 235 watts. The only way to reduce this was to use the standard lamp mode instead of the default bright mode, the power draw drops to about 207 watts, with an estimated running cost of about $40.

Mode	Average Watts	Cost per Year
Presentation	234	$45.56
Bright	233	$45.56
Movie	235	$45.56
Bright (Standard Lamp Mode)	207	$40.29

Power Consumption (modes)

Lamp Life

Optoma claims a lifespan of up to 4000 hours for the lamp in standard mode, and 3000 hours in the bright mode. A new lamp will cost about $180.

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