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The HD27 is a cracking 1080p projector, made all the more desirable by its affordable price tag.
If you want a movie projector that will work well with Blu-ray and HD TV services, or simply want to fill your field of vision with hi-res games, then you won't be disappointed … as long as you use it with a separate sound system.
We liked
The Optoma HD27 is an extremely capable budget HD projector. 1080p images are sharp and colourful, and it's bright enough to be used in rooms with moderate ambient light – so no Batcave required. It's small enough to hide away if you don't want to ceiling mount or accommodate on a shelving unit.
We disliked
The HD27 may boast excellent colour, but it struggles to deliver deep blacks. One consequence of this is a loss of shadow detail and a general greyness to night/space scenes. The loud onboard sound system may seem a bonus, but the quality of audio is poor.
Final verdict
Midway though the Movie of the Week, you'll struggle to remember that the HD27 is a cut-price beamer – its images have genuine cinematic appeal. It's also tremendous as a gaming display. Hook up a PS4 or Xbox One, find a big white wall large and giant screen theatrics can be yours. While you can get better performing projectors, you'll pay significantly more and will probably struggle to match the convenient form factor. The HD27 may not represent the leading edge of tech, but it is at the cutting-edge of fun.
