Optoma UHD50x VS Epson Home Cinema 3800 Gaming Test

[@viperdriver89]

Really appreciate this video and thank you for responding to the questions here in detail. I've decided to go for the Optoma UHD50x. Would also highly appreciate showing us more videos of other games and movies.

[@nicktrapani4933]

Good to hear! Enjoy the extra sharpness and check your firmware for version 5. Users have reported the colors were better out of the box and more natural. I ended up returning my 50x ultimately as I liked the extra contrast from the Epson as opposed to the extra resolution of the Optoma. The only other videos I have are the rest in my profile :( You got a good machine though! Think of it this way: IPS monitor VS AMOLED monitor UHD50x is the slightly sharper but less colors and contrast IPS type Epson is the reverse. Slightly less sharp but more color and contrast like AMOLED They're both really good machines. I would put the BenQ HT3550 in the same comparison round if I had bought all 3 at once.

[@viperdriver89]

@@nicktrapani4933 Thank you very much for your feedback Nick. Much appreciated. Shall share my views with you once my home theater is done. Will also keep an eye out on the version 5. Have a nice day!

[@TheChefComic]

@@viperdriver89 Hello how do you like it so far?

[@KOrnhOliO1]

@@nicktrapani4933 But, the HT3550 doesn't have close to as low of lag, correct? Please give your full opinion.... Thanks! :)

[@kensingtonwick]

I have a 3800 and to me your Optima looks much sharper. Wish I could have both. Can you do a comparison on HDR and SDR movies? This would make me very happy😃

[@nissaysama7848]

dlp projector are way sharper than 3-lcd

[@xXSinForLifeXx]

@@nissaysama7848 yeah but 3lcd have better contrast and brightness depends which u like.

[@nissaysama7848]

@@xXSinForLifeXx I prefer 3lcd panel that's why I own a epson 3800.

[@jdukay6355]

Great video, great comparison, great that you put them together side by side in real time. You deserve more views and credit

[@concernedcitizen2187]

To me, with the optoma on the left ,the white snow looked like white snow. The epson looks like it has a odd sepia tint to it. Is that just how the camera perceived it

[@nicktrapani4933]

It's how the camera perceived it plus the HDR effect. Red Dead II has a stock "film grain" filter which does like you said, give the sepia appearance. The game is supposed to be that way and you can turn it off (just turns off HDR altogether tho). The Optoma was not picking up the HDR strongly, but then again after I returned mine they released an update which i hear did improve these colors. So while the snow looks more white, it's because the whole image is blue shifted (notice in the shade the snow is blue) again should be corrected with the firmware patch. What isnt corrected and the community is still waiting on: 1. Split screen issue with brilliantcolor (guys with early ht3550s probably familiar with this glitch) 2. Game mode in 4k60 only delivers 25ms lag with the xpr shifter off, meaning not 4k 3. A brand name AVR that outputs 1080p @120/240hz I'd say if the price gets reasonable on the 50x, give it a chance. You should read some of the owner's cautions from AVS forums, like dont expect this things contrast to be even 2 orders of magnitude close to the 500,000:1 contrast claimed online. The native contrast is something like 500:1 and theres only bulb dimming, no iris from my understanding to even help improve that much. It's for gaming, so bright scenes fast motion and sharpness are its strong points. I wont say its superior to the epson but if you're a DLP guy and lag is important, this should be on your radar

[@DarkLord666SK]

@@nicktrapani4933 rdr2 has the worst fake hdr ever... better try horizon zero dawn for example

[@MorganaRavenheart]

I have an Epson Home Cinema 3700, and it's got a great picture. I don't like DLP due to rainbow effect, so I'm looking at upgrading to the 3800.

[@bliglum]

Agreed, I have an older Optoma HD25 and the rainbow effect in dark scenes with bright highlights is horribly distracting. But Epson 3LCD projectors are FauxK, nowhere near native resolution. Hoping Epson can deliver a true native 4K 3LCD model soon.

[@strobe9]

@@bliglum The thing about fauxK vs 4K is that it is mostly psychological. You will not be able to tell the difference even from 10ft on a 120". What you WILL notice is contrast so if you did a side by side of real 4K with decent blacks against fauxK with awesome blacks, you will prefer the fauxK.

[@bliglum]

@@strobe9 I disagree with your resolution diff being mostly psychological assertion.. With TV's that is often the case, because the size relative to viewing distance is usually too great to even tell the difference between 1080p and 4K.. But with the huge screen size of projectors, that's where native 4K can truly be appreciated! However, you're right that a higher contrast, more colorful 'fauxK' would look undeniably better than a true 4K with a low-contrast, washed out picture. But that's somewhat beside the point.. And I say, why not both?? I'll pass on the compromise, and wait for the full-fat 2160p goodness.

[@philliplanfre347]

Awesome compact projector!

[@nicktrapani4933]

Hey if you like compact projectors with high power like this, check out my versus video with the epson to the AAXA 4k1, especially if it's still up for sale. Looks like both right now and it's dirt cheap. If you don't need HDR and you don't mind loud fans or can replace them with noctua or something quiet, that'd be the unit to get. Its color and light intensity for a compact unit blew me away. The controls are very clunky though. I'd take a peek at high intensity DLP LED either way, particularly if you do not suffer from RBE or rainbows (which LED helps with)

[@aaronappicelli9334]

You should make another video just like this with a FPS game.Also a game that the main color is not white. Love the video.

[@theredon2]

Great video the epson is on the way. It’s just hard because on Best Buy they requiere restock fee so you get stock with what you get. What kind of screen are you using? I have a silver screen. And what do you think with movies? Thanks!

[@nicktrapani4933]

I understand that my friend. I ordered my Epson first too and had to rush order the Optoma machine to make sure I was in my original return window (even for a short period of time). The Epson was from Best Buy too and I would have been in a similar situation with restocking, especially had I gone over my time limit. Amazon was willing to refund me so I think I learned a valuable lesson over Best Buy with that one. I would not make a habit with either btw... lol sure you know that though. For screens, I am currently using a painted/sanded wall. I did a lot of homework on paints and reflectivity and found that Home Depot sells a Behr Interior Satin Enamel - Medium Base - #7754 which is what I'm using until I find a 150" screen. Your silver/gray is really ideal for this setup. Having a pure white as I researched online is tougher to handle but also accepted for competitive comparisons You'll sacrifice a tiny amount of light compared to my white wall but your contrast should improve with the silver ALR material Movies you cannot beat this machine for. Try the new star wars movie in UHD and watch it (if you're a star wars fan). The HDR colors really pop and you find this is an important mechanism in movies nowadays to "convey emotion" The scene where *spoiler alert* Billy Dee Williams (Lando Calrissian) pops on the screen after being silent for 30 some odd years left me speechless. He had aged and had wisdom spots like Morgan Freeman and the movie said exactly that to my eyes--- the science guy who built the falcon is here to save the day. Get some good movies because you really are in for a treat. The other machine I watched the same movie and Lando came out literally dark orange like he had fake tan on. It didn't convey the emotion. It just left me there looking at a black dude with orange skin and a machine that left me confused about a movie and I didn't enjoy it. It's so hard to convey that to someone. I got the colors fixed to where the movie is OK but not spectacular so again that's why I say Optoma is more for the person who wants specifically latest gaming tech and would prioritize that over movies.

[@theredon2]

Nick Trapani I appreciate the response yes I’m fan of Star Wars before this epson I tried the BenQ TK800m and it was bright and color where good but for me they look kinda fake. The BenQ supposed to be for sports but I didn’t like it at all sometimes it looks like the players where in front of a green screen

[@nicktrapani4933]

@@theredon2 Ok if you "saw the fake colors" then you are going to like the Epson machine. The TK850 is highly similar to Optoma in color wheel and image E shift technology... just has better lag then the TK850. The thing you had was called an "RGBWRGBW" wheel, the W meaning white strip. Think of it like crest teeth whitening but for projectors. The white strip makes more light output but bleaches the colors, so the "fake colors" are the machine compensating by creating more vibrant values. Kinda wild how they do it but I was like you on the fake color thing.

[@theredon2]

Also I couldn’t handle the rainbow effect

[@theredon2]

Nick Trapani I got the 3800 today and I loving it right out of the box looks really good I guess it will improve once I start playing around with the settings. Setting the screen up it’s really easy. The only downside is the fan it’s a bit loud.

[@moinshaikh8211]

Hi nick, I was planning to buy the Optoma but i stumbled across some negative reviews and i am on the fence. Please elaborate on what you meant by enhanced gaming mode reduces resolition. This will be my first projector purchase please help me make a decision. Usage: 50 percent movies and shows in 4 k; 50 percent console gaming (Have a dedicated gaming set up with monitors - will use projector only for ps4 pro and ps5 when it comes out) Can control the light almost completely I want smooth 4k @ 60 hz with HDR for gaming on console. i want a decent to great cinema experience. What is the input lag on the Epson @ 4K 60 I will be proecting @ 108" screen... Please advise

[@nicktrapani4933]

Hey dude! So what myself and many others seem to have collectively observed was that the enhanced gaming mode reduced the resolution to 1080p regardless of the input or other settings. With the mode off, the projector produces a lag of ~45ms that we had verified by users on AVSforums using a leo bodnar lag tester. With the mode on, what we had found out again... community effort... was that the pixel structure would be no greater than 1920*1080 because the pixel shifter is disabled. Someone even posted pictures with a ruler to measure it. Basically long story short is there is no way to get that 25ms of lag in 4k60. It's blistering fast for 1080p no doubt there, but don't get your hopes up for the lag numbers. DLP might not be able to do it and that could be the bigger story right now. Now the Epson, that does seem to get everything done with about 26ms of lag. I have never had that problem in PS4 gaming where the controller didn't click right up with the screen, you know? I would say this, if you need need the faster 1080p settings, than do go for the Optoma, it's built for the gaming. If you can find that 3800 at the same price as a UHD50x, spring for the 3800. If you are cool with the throw ratio that the UHD30 has though, it's cheaper and it's the same optics otherwise... just something to throw in the mix also the lower contrast level epson 3200 which would be more in line with real world contrast of the UHD50x/UHD30. Epsons are also just a touch less sharp so if you're doing day to day computer monitor use consider DLP still.

[@moinshaikh8211]

@@nicktrapani4933 Thank you for taking the time to reply to me... I am trying to hook up a demo to see if that sharpness makes a meaningful difference to me.

[@Legionere]

Did you ever experience focus issues on the Epson. I’ve read several complaints.

[@nicktrapani4933]

Yes but only when using image shift to the extreme. If it was centered or relatively centered in the room, I didn't see enough to cause distortion... It was only when you used maybe 75% or more of the ability to shift the image. The other thing I learned is called focus drift. You are supposed to focus the projector only when it is warm and been operating for 30min+ or so. The lenses have elements that can warm up and cool down so make sure the whole rig is ready to go when focusing.

[@natraz]

You said enhanced gaming was off for the Optoma. What was the settings for both units then? Do you think you could show Call Of Duty:Warzone? It is free if you don't want to purchase Modern Combat. Thanks so much for creating and taking the time to produce. I like how you put the controller to show lag.

[@nicktrapani4933]

Extremely good question. The Epson is best left in "bright cinema" mode. Activate Epson dynamic iris and set image processing to "fast" The Optoma best in "cinema" which also is default. Also enable "dynamic black" as it helps your black levels. They have a sharpness setting 1-3, leave it on 2 to avoid artifacting Check AVS forums if you are interested in either. I am obviously opinionated in my speech but in the interest of fairness, I'm going to go ahead and post "tinkered" or "calibrated" settings that will help either do some neutralizing on image quality. Bottom line both great machines, I have a few more vids left though my opinions on the next in terms of color accuracy again eventually drove me in the direction of the Epson.

[@GJP1105]

Awesome. Thank you!

[@tea.earlgrey-hot]

Imma buy one of these B4 Cyberpunk 2077 release...

[@nicktrapani4933]

I just found out they delayed this for windows. Was so excited! Check out the PX747 too for gaming. It's a pretty good deal for the money if you go the DLP route. Main thing is you find something that handles colors and contrast well, as well as low input lag. I'll probably post some videos whenever CDprojektred decides they are going to release this game LOL

[@iggy-pg6gq]

Lol. So how bout that Cyberpunk.....🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@cleitonanjos9457]

Good night friend, what is the difference between the uhd50x optoma and the uhd506

[@nicktrapani4933]

Good question, I believe the UHD506 in your country is the updated version, the UHD42 in my region. This is an all around improved machine with greater light output and makes the claims for lag on gaming. Would recommend this model over the UHD50X if DLP is on your mind.

[@TheChefComic]

Hello how is it for movies?

[@alainpoirier3441]

The Epson looks wached out and purple tint optoma looks way better to me.

[@nicktrapani4933]

That is a really good observation but what you'll find in real life is that pure white is more red-shifted than you think. Not that the Optoma is a bad unit, it's just more geared towards "data" than "movies" and to make the colors accurate, loses a lot of lumens. Optoma came up with some more updated models, the UHD38 and UHD42 which address a lot of the issues found in the UHD50X. They also came out with a new high quality laser model, the UHZ50 which aims for the same but with increased longevity... So there's a lot of new and attractive options coming from Optoma right now.

[@6688oo]

Please please please make another vedio with more colors and compare the contrast.

[@jcasetnl]

In a full light controlled room, which of these is quieter at typical viewing brightness levels for movies and games?

[@peaceboy7534]

Very good video, please make more

[@sofastithertz]

Hey I saw your color improvement settings from AVS , Color Temperature: D65 Color Gamut: Native Enter "CMS" Sub Menu Scroll to "Yellow" for color Adjust X offset to +10 Adjust Y offset to -12 Scroll to "Blue" for color Adjust X offset to -6 Adjust Y offset to +5 Adjust intensity to +20 I dont see an intensity setting, did you mean Brightness per color, that's the only option? You also mentioned a sharpness thats only 1-3 I don't see that setting either, main sharpness goes way higher than just 1-3, there is an ultradetail setting with 1-3? I need any help you can provide to get better colors!! Thanks

[@kumar-dw1xe]

can you give me the avs forum setting link

[@joeallen4587]

Great review, and is that a Rat Pack picture on the wall? A man of culture I see. 👍🏿

[@NH-fi9jv]

Optoma with DLP has been blowing everything in its price range away. Optoma has been good to me. Great video.

[@strobe9]

Rainbows are terrible

[@bliglum]

@@strobe9 ^ This.. I've had an Optoma for years, which has served me well! Reliable little projector... Which makes me tempted by the new DLP's, thanks to TRUE 4K, vs Epson's half-way pixel shift solution... But the rainbow effect has always bothered me a bit. Epson needs a TRUE 4K 3LCD!

[@casasdacaixa]

What is the cable hdmi? 2.0 or 2.1 18gbps or 48gbps?

[@donlano2962]

Which is best for movies?

[@nicktrapani4933]

Epson by a long shot. The Viewsonic that I put against the Epson is acceptable but not excellent by any means. The 50x is very gaming-centric

[@h77-n3l]

Appreciate if you could please see if it supports 120hz refresh rate on PC (or any other refresh rate above 60hz)? To do that on Windows 10, head to Settings > System > Display > Advanced Display Settings > Display Adapter Properties. Click the “Monitor” tab, choose your monitor’s advertised refresh rate from the “Screen Refresh Rate” list, and click “OK”

[@nicktrapani4933]

The Epson does frame interpolation in 1080p but you're not going to get more than 60hz in 4k. The UHD50x I have tried and it works but there are some quibbles that I'll go over. First off you need to make sure you have a direct connection to your projector from whatever you're driving the signal with. Most AVRs right now will not pass those super high frequencies through but if you do have one and do your homework, make sure it's in "passthrough" mode. Beyond that, the >60hz modes IE the 120 and 240hz modes do work but they are 1080p only. I do not know why this got marketed bad but if you set your expectations straight with that... it's not a bad projector at all.

[@h77-n3l]

​@@nicktrapani4933 ​ thanks for the quick reply Nick! Yes, apologies for not clarifying, I meant 120hz at 1080p (not 4k). Just so I understood you correctly, the Epson (which what I'm interested in, not the Optoma) does support 120hz+ at 1080p?

[@Harvestfn]

Great review! Thanks for the help. Btw, what game is that?

[@andersfaldt3856]

Red Dead redemption 2

[@sanctred]

Omg if you have not played rd2 you’re in for a treat

[@heismiracle]

@@andersfaldt3856 thanks

[@Esphaeron]

The Optoma UHD50x is the same as the Optoma UHD42 in Europe right ? It's just another name for it ?

[@nicktrapani4933]

Yes. It has now been succeeded too by the UHD35 and UHD38 here in the states. The new model has a chip which actually gets the proper lag I hear.

[@Audi1Pete]

Could you do an input lag test with a pc with vsync off? this would give a better idea of input lag I've always found my ps4 and my xbox feels laggy with gamepad inputs, compared to my pc with vsync off.

[@skidrow-black]

Can you do a movie comparison

[@14DimensionEnterprise]

so which wins?

[@nicktrapani4933]

IMO the Epson 3800 in general due to the superior native contrast although the Optoma has some finer qualities like sharpness. Native contrast unfortunately is not a number any of the MFGs seem to share. I highly recommend you guys who are new to projectors to check this article out about native vs dynamic. Understand how mfgs test different numbers, helps empower us as consumers. www.projectorcentral.com/projector-contrast-ratio.htm Here's the catch in late July... The Epson 3800 is now hard to find and is also $700 USD more than the 50x. The MFGs seem to have worked it out. The Epson 3200 has a native contrast close to the UHD50x and they are close in price on Amazon now. That squares the game back to step 1. Movies over games... go Epson 3200. Games over movies? Go UHD50x. They both have a solid place now.

[@14DimensionEnterprise]

@@nicktrapani4933 I am doing game more but will go epson 3200... 3lcd is more superior than DLP I think... and I saw UHD50x gaming today at store, but different with ads, not so imporessive, and color saturation looks so low and seems like water-exhausted colors.

[@nicktrapani4933]

@@14DimensionEnterprise Good choice. I'm a fan of the punchier colors too, plus the 3200 still has the electronic iris, which helps drastically increase contrast. The 50x can be made to look good, but you will find yourself "shifting gears" more to get there. Also, you still get the 23ms lag at full rez, so you're not dealing with Optoma's gaming mode problem either.

[@lechkuzminski6373]

@@14DimensionEnterprise how can it be superior it doesn't even have 4k certification and no motion processing in 4k.

[@14DimensionEnterprise]

@@lechkuzminski6373 Just see and judge yourself. I did with my eye. 3LCD wins. No matter what DLP party says, human eye knows which one is better.

[@rexbk09]

Awesome work!

[@DarkLord666SK]

0:13 looks like the tree is 3d :D

[@dereksewkumar07]

" The Optoma has very good black-levels .. On l.c.d projectors you do get good colour but it's a little washed out!! d 🤕💜🇪🇺🗺

[@ejau10]

How is the rainbow effect on the optoma uhd50?

[@nicktrapani4933]

None actually! Not to my eye. That I think may be one of the advantages of the W segment DLP engine and also having 2 sets of RGB, so RGBWRGBW as a segmented color wheel.

[@Neurochrom]

@@nicktrapani4933 What are those artifacts on 3:17 then?

[@nicktrapani4933]

@@Neurochrom Good point and that could be the camera's framerate picking it up. You can see it a little in the video but to the human eye, it was not apparent. That can vary from person to person of course, but I find that it's much more apparent on my PX747 My viewsonic has a 6 segment wheel instead of the 8 in the 50x so my theory is the colors must progress more slowly I hope that makes sense, I can't see it but it doesn't mean there isn't a possibility but having more segments in the wheel seems to help reduce it on the eye.

[@Neurochrom]

​ @Nick Trapani Thank you for the reply. If you will shoot further videos, and could throw in a clip shot with another camera for comparison it would be awesome. BTW - can you get HDR with 1080p and 120 on the Optoma? Anyway thank you again for the great comparison and replying to all the comments. You have a really cool setup.

[@aaroncross8063]

very interesting. I thought the UHD50 looked more realistic with the epson looking soft and washed out color.

[@nicktrapani4933]

It all depends on the size of screen. I would say that

[@vladvlad7254]

100-120" для оптомы вполе отлично по картинке

[@toshibavoodoo]

great thanks!!!!!

[@HarshvardhanVarma]

Bro why did u not use a 240 HZ input signal?

[@nicktrapani4933]

Because the Optoma does not do more than 1080p for the 240hz mode unfortunately.

[@tea.earlgrey-hot]

so you think the Epson is better?

[@nicktrapani4933]

That or the Viewsonic. I'm really liking the PX747's value proposition. I got mine at microcenter for $999 which putting that against the Epson for $1500 makes the competition stiff between those two.

[@heismiracle]

What's the name of the game please help me with that

[@tswyguy]

Great video and idea of blocking

[@Chitore]

optoma lacks colors saturation. love epson more colorful. wtf ihad them mixed up. lol

[@pedritococos8041]

300 inch 16/9 in mt?

[@nicktrapani4933]

It's about 150in at about 12ft. It is 16:9 though... the 5050ub has some cooler motorized lens options if you're looking at multiple aspects. You'd need a lot more throw distance for either (maybe 25ft) and a dark room for a 300inch image. Don't get me wrong it might be possible, but ask some of the experts on AVSforums how you'd go about projecting an image that size.

[@pedritococos8041]

@@nicktrapani4933 150 for 1500usd its nice. Ty friend

[@salehkambijo1849]

Why the epson does not projector good white??

[@nicktrapani4933]

It actually does although this is not a good representation. As I've mentioned multiple times before, Red Dead Redemption features a sepia filter which should add a grainy, sand like hue to the picture. The DLP is not picking up the subtleties in contrast and instead displaying pure white. In other words, it is not replicating the HDR effect.

[@salehkambijo1849]

@@nicktrapani4933 Thank you very And How is it with the black level??

[@nicktrapani4933]

@@salehkambijo1849 Very good and easy to tune. DLP is not known for great black levels and the darkest shade will either be dark and sacrifice whitest whites, or more likely be crushed gray but with good white. It can be tuned with DLP but they go for sharpness while 3LCD (Epson) goes for contrast, which we know mostly as black levels.

[@kadar201]

Optoma 1500$ vs epson 700$ that's all the difference

[@nicktrapani4933]

They were both $1500USD when I bought them. Also, the Epson is winning here because it is faithfully reproducing RDRII's "cinematic mode" which gives the game a sepia tint. Turning it off on the Epson would give a picture closer to the one on the left without HDR present (though both are on since they are through a splitter here) I also posted another video playing MS flight simulator in HDR on the Epson which that game does not have the sepia effect.

[@futvnyc]

Ps4 isn't running that game at 4k the xbox is doing 4k

[@nicktrapani4933]

It's a PS4 Pro, so you're wrong in telling me I'm wrong.

[@bleb87]

That isnt input lag thats red dead 😅