Projectors are becoming increasingly popular as the display solutions of choice for home entertainment centers, and this is the reason why more and more manufacturers are coming out with devices that target this specific market segment. And that's exactly the case with Optoma's HD8000 model, released back in the second half of 2007, a device that achieves quite a good balance between the set of features and functions it provides and the price tag it's available at.



Thus, the HD8000 is an 1080p projector that features Texas Instruments' 0.95-inch 1080p DMD DLP technology, which allows it to generate images with resolutions of up to 1920 x 1080 pixels, 10,000:1 contrast ratio and sizes of up to 300 inches (7.6 meters).



Being on the subject of image characteristics, it's also worth noting the fact that the HD8000 can be equipped with an anamorphic lens, which allows the device to attain an 2.35:1 aspect ratio (compared to the native 16:9 obtained without the respective lens). The device can project images at some pretty OK distances (4.92 to 32.8 feet - 1.5 to 10 m ) and generates a total of 1300 ANSI lumens with the help of the 300W UHP lamp (3000 hours lamp life).



Additionally, it's also quite important to note that the fact that the projector also provides a few very important image processing-related features, namely motion adaptive 480i, 576i and 1080i de-interlacing, advanced 3D comb filter, advanced noise reduction and sharpening. Furthermore, it also offers a few color management functions, namely user definable gamma and user-definable mode for different input and resolution. The projector also incorporates a 16-step iris system, as well as a 6 x 7 segment color wheel.



The device comes packed with a full-range of connectivity options, including HDMI, DVI (with HDCP), S-Video, Composite and Component video interfaces, as well as a RS-232 control interface. Furthermore, for security purposes, the device has also been equipped with a Kensington lock port.



Optoma's HD8000 can be purchased for around 3,200 US dollars, which is a rather fitting price, taking into account the features and specs this thing has to offer.