Focus on Gaming

OPTOMA BOASTS of being both the top 4K UHD projector brand globally and the number one Digital Light Processing (DLP) brand in the United States for 2022, citing the PMA Research Worldwide Projector Census, making the company no stranger to the world of projected light.

- Michael Hamilton

Hopes for continuing that streak and contributing to this year's DLP tally is the Optoma UHD35STX, a short throw design that when operational, does not fit the mold for projector placement, at least in the traditional consumer sense. So where and how does Optoma anticipate the UHD35STX will slot into the marketplace? I have a hunch...

THROWING LIGHT AROUND

Currently, a growing and widely accepted trend positions Ultra Short Throw projectors directly below a specialized screen (ideally) and by design aims the lens upward at a sharply raked angle, scarcely more than a foot from the wall. This makes for a (relatively) simple installation, consolidating wiring to a localized minimum. In long throw guise, and what is considered a traditional projector, the image is pitched from across the room, often twenty feet or deeper, with the lens perpendicular to the screen.

Unless pre-planned during construction, one caveat is high-voltage wiring is seldom available unused in ceilings or high on walls, making the task of supplying power and signal cabling to a long throw projector far more cumbersome for the unambitious. The UHD35STX, and its unusual, specified throw ratio of 0.5.1, poses a different challenge if a "clean" permanent room arrangement is desired installation-wise.

DESIGN, FEATURES, AND CONNECTION OPTIONS

Somewhat diminutive in stature at 12.4" x 10.63" x 4.65" (W x D x H) and conveniently portable with a weight of only 7.72 lbs., the UHD35STX is neither over nor under-styled, perhaps simply described as utilitarian. A (mostly) gloss white is the only available color, always a minor criticism of mine when a unit will remain prominently in the line of sight when operational, to annoyingly reflect screen content from its casing.