Optoma's 4K Dark Knight

You don't need HDR to bring out the best in this 4K projector, says Steve May

- Steve May

The 4K home cinema projector scene continues to intrigue. This compact Optoma model, aimed squarely at home theatre fans, will be of considerable interest to buyers who have previously shortlisted Sony's SXRD range, JVC's eShift offerings and Epson's 4K Enhancement models. It's the stablemate to Optoma's brighter, cheaper media-room UHD60 4K model, and a direct rival to Acer's UHD DLP beamer, the V7850.

Given how ruinously expensive early 4K projectors have been, this affordable HDR offering would seem a tempting proposition. But before you dig out £3,000, there are things to consider.

The Optoma UHD65 sports a stealth-black finish, clearly designed to melt from view in a dark theatre room. It's not a particularly large or heavy model either (less than 8kg), so should be relatively straightforward to ceiling-mount.

Hot air is vented to the front, with all inputs recessed to the rear. Here you'll find two HDMIs, but only one of these is 4K/HDCP 2.2 capable. There's also a VGA PC input and 3.5mm audio input, digital audio and analogue stereo outputs, plus a USB input – not for media playback, but to power HDMI dongles like Chromecast or Amazon Fire and Roku TV sticks.

An Ethernet LAN connection turns out to be for control purposes only. Supported protocols include AMX Discovery, Crestron, Extron, Telnet, HTTP and PJLink. Additionally, a 12V trigger can be used to sync the projector with an electric projection screen.

There's an integrated 4W sound system, which will do the job if you need a quick, casual hookup for a sports event or gaming session. Obviously, a proper multichannel setup is more appropriate for movie viewing.

Not afraid of the dark