Test in sight: Discovery of the Optoma UHZ55, a DLP Laser 4K XPR projector
Despite the holidays, the arrival of new projectors to test continues without a break. Today, it’s the turn of the brand new UHZ55 from Optoma to pass in front of my measurement probes in my test room.
This model succeeds the UHZ50, the test of which is already available on mondoprojos.fr. It relies on a mono laser source combined with a 0.47-inch DLP chip capable of providing up to 30,000 hours of laser life. Although it is advertised as offering full 4K UHD resolution, it is actually an XPR x4 emulation. It supports HDR and HLG with a brightness of 3,000 ANSI lumens. The specifications of the UHZ55 are almost identical to its predecessor, except for its color (white for the UHZ50 and black for the UHZ55). It is already marketed at a price of €1990.
The optical unit remains unchanged, offering a 1.3x zoom and a projection ratio of 1.21:1 to 1.59:1. It features manual zoom and focus, as well as +10% vertical lens shift.
Connectivity options are rich, including three HDMI 2.0 HDCP 2.2 ports. HDMI 1 supports eARC/ARC and Enhanced Gaming, while HDMI 2 is standard. HDMI 3 supports PureMotion frame interpolation but not HLG. Three USB 2.0 Type A ports are also available, with the first being for service and 5V/1.5A power supply. The other two allow multimedia content playback and file management.
Optoma UHZ55 rear
In addition to wired connections, a Wi-Fi dongle is included, supporting 2.4 and 5 GHz Wifi. Once connected, the UHZ55 offers a wide range of additional features such as Smart Home for control via Alexa, Creative Cast for screen mirroring and Optoma Marketplace to download apps like Prime Video, Netflix, etc. Although Optoma’s platform is based on Android, the selection of applications remains limited, so it is recommended to explore external solutions for this functionality.
Could this new model be an interesting choice for home cinema enthusiasts and gamers? Stay tuned for my next in-depth review, where I’ll dive into a detailed analysis of its capabilities and be sure to answer this question.