Optoma UHZ66 review: a bright but basic 4K laser projector
Optoma UHZ66 4K Laser Projector: One-Minute Review
The Optoma UHZ66 is a pretty solid update to the company’s line of projectors. It delivers a bright 4K image with solid contrast, and is capable of dropping down to 1080p and running at 240Hz for smooth gaming, but it doesn’t break the mold in any particular way. It may have a nice color, but it doesn’t match the competition Nut N1S Supreme Edition.
HDR viewing on the Optoma UHZ66 leaves a lot to be desired, and its bland design doesn’t sit well with you. The best 4K projectors Just like vertical lens shift BenQ X3100i include. Factor in the lack of an onboard smart TV system for streaming, a bottom-mounted remote control, and weak built-in speakers, and you get a system that doesn’t offer much value beyond picture quality.
The Optoma UHZ66 really needs to do more to win our hearts. It has a decent picture, but pictures are all it has, and even at its recent price of about $2,000, a good picture simply isn’t enough.
Optoma UHZ66 4K laser projector review: Price and release date
- Release date: October 2023
- Price: $1,999 (approximately £1,637 / AU$3,230)
The Optoma UHZ66 has been on the market for some time, launching in late 2023. At launch, it retailed for $2,999 (approximately £2,935, AU$4,460), but street pricing has since dropped significantly. At the time of writing, it sells for $1,999 (around £1,637 / AU$3,230) and has fluctuated between $1,800 and $2,300 for much of the past year. At $2,999, it’s an instant pass for us, but at $1,999, it offers a slightly more competitive value.
Optoma UHZ66 4K laser projector review: Specs
| Supported screen sizes: | 26-303 inches |
| Brightness (specified): | 4,000 lumens |
| HDR support: | HDR10, HLG |
| Optical technology: | ALPD laser, DLP |
| Smart TV: | That |
| connect: | 2 HDMI 2.0 (1 with eARC), 3.5mm audio out, USB-A, RS-232, RJ-45 Ethernet |
| aspect: | 4.5 10.8 x 8.5 inches (HxWxD) |
| weight: | 6.6 pounds |
Optoma UHZ66 4K laser projector review: Design and features
- Design is bland compared to recent competitors
- Limited optical adjustments
- Need additional home theater equipment
The Optoma UHZ66 is not one of the projectors that have made a splash recently, like the JMGO N1S Ultimate or any of XGIMI’s. Instead, it’s a classic white plastic tile that would look as at home in an office as it does in a home theater. The front of the projector is a flat piece of white plastic with a large lens protruding from it. The sides are fully ventilated with grilles, and there’s an additional grille at the rear for more airflow.
On the top of the Optoma UHZ66, you’ll find buttons that allow you to navigate the controls if you can’t find the remote, which is easy to do considering the remote’s size. The top also includes a small slot for access to the zoom dial. This dial gives the UHZ66 an adjustable throw ratio, although you won’t get quite a long throw anyway. The minimum ratio is 1.4:1. While the optical zoom is useful, the Optoma UHZ66 unfortunately lacks vertical lens shift. I found that placing it on the mantle at the back of the room was too high to use at all, and too low to flip over for use. The most ideal setup is probably to be mounted on the ceiling over a long distance.
The Optoma UHZ66 sits on three small rubber feet that allow for some angle and tilt adjustments to help you align your projection with the wall. There are also mounting holes to mount the UHZ66 on the ceiling.
On the back of the projector, you’ll find a few ports. You get two HDMI 2.0 inputs, one with eARC, a USB port, a 3.5mm audio output, and RJ-45 and RS-232 ports. Given that the projector only has one speaker, an optical audio output would also provide more options and compatibility with different home theater setups, given that HDMI eARC has length limitations and the 3.5mm port cannot carry surround sound signals. .
The remote control that comes with the UHZ66 isn’t much use. It’s a small, flat thing, about the size of a few credit cards. It has three columns of buttons with no way to physically differentiate them, which makes navigation a pain. It also doesn’t have a backlight, so it’s difficult to see in the dark conditions of a home theater. It gets the job done, but it has a long way to go before becoming user-friendly. It at least provides quick access to some of the more important settings, such as input selection, picture mode, and keystone controls.
- Design and functionality score: 2.5/5
Optoma UHZ66 4K laser projector review: image quality
- Bright, high-contrast 4K picture
- Low latency, especially in 240Hz mode
- System freezes during settings adjustment and signal switching
Let’s start with the good. The Optoma UHZ66 delivers reasonably bright images, and exceptionally sharp images can be obtained easily with the focus dial. 4K images go a long way in terms of the size the projector is ready to display. The contrast achieved by the projector is also commendable. Many projectors struggle with elevated black levels, but the UHZ66 can darken blacks to quite low levels.
While the UHZ66 may be bright, it doesn’t seem to want to reach rated brightness. Instead of the rated 4,000 lumens, it’s closer to 2,200 lumens, requiring even cooler color temperature settings to achieve that. With the default warm color, it drops to 2100 lumens. I fiddled with a bunch of settings to see if I couldn’t figure out which ones could hit Optoma’s lofty 4,000-lumen mark, but none quite hit the mark.
Running the projector at its brightest setting requires selecting a cooler color temperature, which causes the fan to kick in. They can be quite noisy if you get close to them, although they won’t be harsh or loud in larger rooms. Different settings also don’t require the fan to run at high speed, such as dimmer reference mode.
The UHZ66’s color output is impressive. In my testing experience, ALPD laser projectors don’t always have the most impressive color gamut coverage, but the UHZ66 can work on projects like Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. But there’s a problem: With HDR enabled, it doesn’t seem to want to display its full color gamut. When HDR is on, everything becomes quite soft. This is pretty much the opposite of what you’d expect from HDR content, so if you like a vibrant look, it’s best to set your source device to SDR output. Now, movies and TV look pretty good in this context, but they just lack some of the pop that they deserve.
Trying to find the ideal settings on the Optoma UHZ66 can be a real headache. The projector offers plenty of settings for adjusting the image, but navigating the menus is tedious due to the remote. Even just changing the volume on the Optoma UHZ66 puts enough demands on the processor to cause the image to stutter. When switching image modes or main settings, it may occur that the projector goes off and comes back on after a few seconds. This happens not only when you change settings yourself, but also when you watch content and then return to the menu.
The Optoma UHZ66’s ability to switch between 4K 60Hz and 1080p 240Hz modes is a boon for gamers. In game mode, lag is minimal. Input lag at 60Hz is difficult to detect on the UHZ66, and almost unnoticeable in 240Hz mode. DLP projection systems are also quite fast, offering fast pixel response times to avoid ghosting.
The UHZ66’s single speaker sounds closed and pretty bad. It’s nowhere near loud enough to match the image you get from the UHZ66, and really shouldn’t be relied upon for anything.
- Image quality rating: 3.5/5
Optoma UHZ66 4K Laser Projector Review: Value
- Price has limited practicality
- Requires streaming device and external speakers
The Optoma UHZ66 is just one part of a home theater setup. although it Do Speakers are included, which don’t match the projector’s cinema capabilities. The lack of an onboard smart TV system also means that no matter what setup you have, you’ll need a source device. While it does have some nice extras, such as a 240Hz mode, it still largely fills just one role. It would provide more value if it had more flexibility, such as adjustable lens shift or hardware keystone correction. But the reality is that leaving out so much is quite expensive, especially when competing projectors don’t make such omissions.
| property | notes | grade |
|---|---|---|
| Design and features | Vertical lens shift goes a long way to making the UHZ66 more versatile, is it too much to ask for some automatic image correction from a projector at this price? | 2.5/5 |
| Image quality performance | Bright, sharp, and colorful pictures with solid gaming performance, but the HDR functionality leaves something to be desired. | 3.5/5 |
| value | The UHZ66 doesn’t have an exciting enough picture to make up for the many features it lacks. | 2.5/5 |
Should I buy the Optoma UHZ66 4K laser projector?
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Also considering…
| Header Cell – Column 0 | Optoma UHZ66 | BenQ X3100i | BenQ X300G | Nut N1S Supreme Edition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| price: | $1,999 | $2,399 USD | $1,799 | $2,499 USD |
| Supported screen sizes: | 26 to 303 inches | 60 to 200 inches | 30 to 150 inches | 60 to 180 inches |
| Brightness (specified): | 4,000 lumens | 3,300 lumens | 2,000 lumens | 3,000 lumens |
| HDR support | HDR10, HLG | HDR10, HLG | HDR10, HLG | HDR10, HLG |
| Optical technology: | Laser, DLP | 4LED, DLP | LED DLP | RGB laser, DLP |
| Smart TV: | That | Android TV | Android TV | Google TV |
| connect: | 2 HDMI 2.0 (1 with eARC), 3.5mm audio | 3x HDMI 2.0 (1 with eARC), S/PDIF, 3.5mm audio | 2x HDMI 2.0 (1 with eARC), USB-C | 2 HDMI 2.1 (1 with eARC), 3.5mm Audio |
How I tested the Optoma UHZ66 4K laser projector
- Test it at home in a variety of real-world viewing conditions
- Present presentations in a variety of media and formats
- Over the past five years I have tested many projectors and monitors
I tested the Optoma UHZ66 under real-world conditions at home. It faces ambient light from numerous windows, room lighting, and ambient noise that both the projector and speaker system must overcome. Projector on bare white wall and Akia screenCineWhite screen. It offers streaming content, HDR and non-HDR, and PC gameplay.
My testing evaluates the projector’s performance, price, and competition against other models that my TechRadar colleagues and I have tested.
I’ve been testing projectors since 2021, and monitors for even longer.
First review: January 2024
