Optoma H27 review

Apparently, not all DLPs are built the same. On paper, the H27 seems almost identical to others. But the proof of the pudding is in the eating and we certainly enjoyed gorging on this tasty projector, particularly when watching movies - something it does incredibly well.

The widescreen DLP unit is 854x480 but it has a 4x colour wheel that works to eliminate any rainbow effect. Meanwhile it has an impressive 2,500:1 contrast ratio with 850 lumens output brightness. There's also an excellent remote control unit and an easy-to-use, comprehensive menu system - far clearer than many others we've looked at.

With its widescreen panel, this is obviously set up to be a film projector. However, when used with a Mac, results are far sharper than other film-oriented products. In use, the H27 is quiet - whisper quiet in low-power mode.

Film quality is excellent, with pure dark colours and very little noise. One possible quibble is that this is a rather long-throw projector, which means it has to be further away from the screen to get a bigger picture - if you're thinking of buying this model, it would be a good idea to measure your living room first to make sure you can fit it all in!

There are no real surprises when it comes to the pricing of the H27: slap bang in the middle of the £700-£800 mark is what you expect for this specification.

The Optoma's picture is pleasing, giving excellent, vibrant colours, though there's slight saturation at the brighter end of the spectrum.

Although the H27 is usable with a Mac, the scaling means you won't get the best out of your presentations compared to the results you'll get from other units, and that alone is what lets the Optoma down.