November 5, 2024

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Optoma GT2100HDR Projector Review: Throw Is Short, Price Is High

Optoma GT2100HDR Projector Review: Throw Is Short, Price Is High

On paper, the Optoma GT2100HDR projector has a lot going for it: it’s HDR compatible, has a laser light source and — thanks to an external power supply — it’s nicely compact. The Optoma is a short-throw model too, so it can sit several feet from a wall or screen and still project a huge image. 

In practice, however, the GT2100HDR is a bit of a mixed bag. The image quality has potential, but HDR issues sabotage what could be great performance. Also, for the price, there are 4K projectors that offer better detail, though they’re not short throw designs.

Like


  • Decent performance (mostly)

  • Can fit in small rooms

Don’t like


  • Significant HDR issues

  • No zoom or lens shift

  • 1080p

If the price was better, the Optoma’s shortcomings could be overlooked. As it stands, it’s more expensive than many of our favorite 1080p projectors, and doesn’t offer the performance of  like-priced 4K models. A premium is certainly expected for a short throw PJ but given the GT2100HDR’s issues, that additional cost is quite steep. 

Short specs

  • Resolution: 1,080p 
  • HDR-compatible: Yes
  • 4K-compatible: Yes
  • 3D-compatible: Yes
  • Lumens spec: 4,200
  • Zoom: No
  • Lens shift: No
  • Laser life: 30,000 hours

Optoma GT2100HDR at an angle Optoma GT2100HDR at an angle

The Optoma GT2100HDR is a short-throw 1080p projector.

Geoffrey Morrison/CNET

The GT2100HDR is a 1080p short throw projector. This is not the same as the widely-marketed ultra-short throw projectors which can sit just a few inches from the screen. Short throw (not “ultra”) sit slightly farther away from the screen but still much closer than traditional “regular” throw projectors. In the case of the GT2100HDR, that means it needs to sit roughly 43 inches from the screen or wall to create a 100-inch image. Its upwards throw means it has to be roughly 7 inches below (or above) the screen as well. While only 1080p, you can send it a 4K HDR image, though as I’ll discuss below, HDR itself is a bit of an issue. 

There’s no zoom or lens shift, so if you want a larger or smaller image you need to move it farther or closer to the screen. You’ll need to sit the projector at the right height, and flat, otherwise you’ll get some significant keystone issues (the image isn’t rectangular but trapezoidal). This is true with any projector, but more so with short throws. 

The lumen claims are a bit… optimistic. In its most accurate mode, I measured approximately 1168 lumens. In its less accurate, and rather green, Bright mode, I got 2420. So I’m not sure how Optoma claims 4200. All projector manufacturers claim higher brightness ratings than they produce in the real world and given the differences in measurement techniques and modes, this isn’t a surprise. However, this discrepancy is one of the largest I’ve seen in a long time. To be clear, the GT2100HDR is quite bright and within the brightness range of similarly-priced projectors, but it is not “4200 lumens” bright.

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There’s no zoom on the Optoma GT2100HDR, just this dial for focus.

Geoffrey Morrison/CNET

Contrast ratio is another oddity. Technically I measured an average of approximately 1187:1. This would put it higher than the vast majority of projectors in this price range. However, this is largely due to some undefeatable brightness ramping of the laser light source. So, for instance, with a full black image the laser dims making the image darker. This is similar to how an iris works on some projectors. This is dynamic contrast and not the “native” we usually measure. I was able to get a measurement closer to actuality by leaving the picture menu active and blocking its brightness from being seen by my testing gear. With this method I measured 692:1. That too isn’t entirely accurate, so my guestimate (based on its performance in the two measurements), is that’s between those two and a little closer to the higher one. Again, this is quite decent for a projector in this price range, despite the light source shenanigans. For comparison, the Xgimi Horizon Ultra is basically the same price and has a contrast ratio of 316:1. The slightly cheaper BenQ TK860i has a 551:1 contrast ratio.

Connections

  • HDMI inputs: 2
  • USB port: 1 (1.5A)
  • Audio output: Headphone output
  • Control: Ethernet, RS-232
  • Remote: Not backlit

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Two HDMI connections, USB with 1.5A of power, plus a 3.5mm analog audio output and RS-232 and Ethernet for control.

Geoffrey Morrison/CNET

The GT2100HDR has an old-school suite of connections, including RS-232 and Ethernet for control purposes. There are two HDMI inputs and a USB output which should have enough power to drive a streaming stick. There’s no streaming interface built-in, which is fine in my book, though some competitors do offer it.

The tiny remote is smaller than a credit card, with identical-feeling buttons. At least it has an input button, unlike some oddballs I can name.

Picture quality comparisons

BenQ HT2060

Xgimi Horizon Ultra

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Lit by lasers!

Geoffrey Morrison/CNET

We haven’t reviewed many short throw projectors recently, so instead I chose two projectors that offer a good comparison to the GT2100HDR. The BenQ HT2060 is one of our favorite projectors. It’s 1080p, like the Optoma, with great color and contrast. It’s roughly 35% less expensive but is not a short throw nor does it claim to be as bright. The other is the Xgimi Horizon Ultra. At $1,700 it’s a little more expensive than the Optoma but has a motorized zoom, a great-looking chassis and Google TV. Like the Optoma, it has a laser light source. I connected them to a Monoprice 1×4 distribution amplifier and viewed them side-by-side on a 102-inch 1.0-gain screen.

Before we get to the testing, though, I need to talk about HDR. HDR content is commonplace now. Most streaming services offer it, most movies have it and even cheap TVs have at least some level of HDR-compatibility. The problem with projectors is that none of them have the contrast ratio or brightness to do anything with HDR content. The majority of displays have some ability to convert the HDR image into something watchable within the display’s limitations. All HDR-compatible projectors do this to some extent, and many do it pretty well. Others struggle. Despite having “HDR” in its model name, the Optoma falls into the latter category. No matter what settings I used, the image was washed out and desaturated. What became even more frustrating is if I turned off the HDR in the source, and then the image looked great. So for the following comparisons, I only used standard dynamic range content since enabling HDR the Optoma would make it dead last in every way. Ok, on to the tests.

The first thing I noticed in comparisons were the differences in contrast ratio. There was the Optoma and the BenQ… and then there was the Xgimi. Letterbox bars on the Xgimi were noticeably, and significantly, grayer than either the BenQ or Optoma. On darker scenes the Optoma looked very washed out, while the other two had a richer image with more apparent depth. The Optoma’s dynamic lamp didn’t affect the image much positively or negatively in this case since I could pause a scene and compare the black bars during scenes with different brightness levels. There was no clear winner in this test between the BenQ and Optoma, as they were both good and fairly close. Perhaps a slight edge for the BenQ. The Xgimi, however, was far behind. 

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Top-down on the Optoma GT2100HDR.

Geoffrey Morrison/CNET

In terms of brightness, that flipped the roster a bit. Both the Optoma and Xgimi were very bright projectors, though the Xgimi was a little brighter. In their accurate modes, the Horizon Ultra was about 10-15% brighter than the Optoma, though subjectively it seemed even brighter than that since it was so washed out. The BenQ was a little behind both of them, though by no means dim.

Color-wise, the BenQ looked the most natural in terms of skin tones, grass, the blue of water and sky and so on. The Xgimi was a little less accurate but not too much so. The Optoma was definitely the least accurate. No colors were overtly bad, and on its own it would seem fine, but compared to the more accurate BenQ it was just a bit off.

Image detail was best on the Xgimi but no surprise there since it’s 4K. Wrinkles, hair, textures of fabrics, all were more apparent on the Xgimi. While a lot is made about resolution, the reality is it’s just one aspect of image quality. The difference, even with huge images, isn’t as massive as, say, the contrast ratio. 

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The tiny remote for the Optoma GT2100HDR.

Geoffrey Morrison/CNET

So with SDR content, the Optoma had similar brightness to the Xgimi and contrast similar to the BenQ, even though its color was not quite as good as either. That’s a good mix of attributes, and when you consider it can fit in a lot of rooms that neither of those projectors can thanks to its shorter throw it’s almost an easy recommendation. However, it just can’t do HDR. If you don’t mind disabling HDR in your source(s), and in fairness no projector can really do that much with HDR anyway, the GT2100HDR is a strong option. If this is your only display I suppose the lack of HDR isn’t a huge deal, but it is disappointing especially when “HDR” is literally in the name.

In short(throw)

I like the idea of short throw projectors. They certainly can offer the biggest of images even in small or narrow spaces. Not everyone has a huge living room, after all. The optics of any decent projector are complex and with short-throw models the elements are physically larger. Logically that can make them more expensive. So I’m willing to give Optoma the benefit of the doubt for the steeper pricing of the GT2100HDR. Not only does it have the short-throw optics, but it also has a laser light source. More and more projectors have these, but they’re still quite new compared to the tried-and-true (and soon to be EU-banned) UHP lamps. 

I test and measure projectors, obviously, but I also live with them. I don’t own a TV, I just use whatever I’m testing for a few weeks. The Xgimi Horizon Ultra, which I was using before this Optoma, felt like it came from a different universe compared to the GT2100HDR. The Xgimi is only slightly more expensive, yet has a zoom, a modern case, a retractable lens cover and Google TV built in. The projector absolutely has its own problems, and isn’t short throw, but it’s rather shocking how much more you can get for similar money to the Optoma. 

The Optoma does a lot of things well but stumbles with one aspect that maybe doesn’t matter? I know from testing that projectors don’t do much with HDR, but when that compatibility is claimed and it’s basically not usable, that’s not a good look. I’d hate to think someone buys this, fires up a movie with HDR and thinks… this is it? It probably hurts Optoma too given the high likelihood of returns. If you are looking for a short throw projector, and you don’t mind leaving HDR off… I’d still wait until the GT2100HDR was on sale before I’d consider it.


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