Optoma UHZ65 vs Upgraded UHZ65 (THEO-Z65) - Wide Color Gamut Comparison

[@Alan-megan]

That upgraded UHZ65 (THEO-Z65) is stunning 👍👍👍👍

[@jcrockoo7]

Finally you pair this amazing projector with a Cinemascope screen! About time! You need to show more widescreen footage with the upgraded UHZ65.

[@tedbollinger3306]

Glad you caught that, thank you for the feedback, we will try to show more of that in the future.

[@jcrockoo7]

@@tedbollinger3306 cool, I can't wait to see it!

[@markkaupas8921]

I noticed some loss of detail in some of the darker areas at 10:33 the animals crossing the lake are missing on the right. Sometimes the sky looks violet 1:39 mark. I am watching on a 4K monitor set to HDR. The setting on the video says the video is in 4k. Is the sky violet or is it just the signal and my monitor?

[@tedbollinger3306]

It is not your monitor or signal (at least for the most part) it is the recording. It always amazes me how what we see with our eyes and what is captured is somewhat different. When we are trying to expose with a camera two images with different levels of brightness (we loose about 30% with the mods) we try and balance the exposure between the two. Unfortunately some of the less bright image details do not show well on the camera but our eyes which can see both simultaneously almost perfect can. The sky is slightly different in person but not violet just a different shade of blue. We think it must be the individual colorimetry of the camera sensor that does that but we are not 100% sure. In either case when seen in person the modified UHZ65 (now will be called TheoZ65 I think) has the more detailed and wide color gamut image.

[@lissetsuarez4790]

Hi! First of all, I would like to congratulate you on all the amazing technical videos that you make. Very professional! I have a question, how can I identify the upgrade UHZ65, if the two projectors look the same on the outside?

[@Tvspecialists]

We add two 'Theo' decals to the UHZ65 if they've been modified by us (and we're the only ones that can do it), but other than that, unless taking a look at the inside of the unit and/or comparing side-by-side, it'd be difficult to tell.

[@madosa.customs]

Just amazing! Would love to see a comparison between your upgraded version and the upcoming BenQ X12000H when it's released. Now that Hisense has introduced their new Laser UST projector with a triple laser, do you think Optoma will come out with a successor of the UHZ65 that has a triple laser? Without the color wheel their shouldn't be any loss after calibration in light?!

[@tedbollinger3306]

The X12000H will probably be in a different price range but yes, it will be interesting to see if they have improved their blacks. I just saw the Hisense here at CES and although only a UST projector it will be interesting to see the pricing as well. It could have been the screen they were using but seem to show some laser speckle but hard to evaluate in bright conditions.

[@stumlad]

I watched this using my LG OLED with built in youtube app.. since the app has 4K HDR support, I used that... Inside of settings, there is a toggle called "stats for nerds"... and within that it said the color space of this video is BT 709. Now it's either 1 of a few things.. either 1) the LG YT app doesn't truly support HDR, 2) the video was uploaded and converted to BT709 by youtube , 3) the video was recorded with BT709 by accident or 4) for whatever reason the LG app is not letting me view it in HDR . Edit: Apparently the KZbin app on my LG does not support HDR. I'll have to re-watch it with a 3rd party device I guess...ugh!

[@tedbollinger3306]

The video was not editied in HDR dynamic range but it was recorded and editing in wide color gamut as the two are related but not the same thing. We used the standard "Aces" workflow with the Bt2020 gamut. You should be able to see some of most of the differences (most OLED dislays are between 65%-75% BT2020) unless the KZbin compression reduced it to REC709 which is always possible.

[@stumlad]

@@tedbollinger3306 The video is definitely only showing up in BT709 color. I ran KZbin from my Roku Premiere and verified that other videos were using BT2020 color (there is a youtube 4k hdr channel, I just went to one of the videos and verified it's BT2020). I then switched to this video and it was only BT709. I'm curious if there's a special thing that needs to be done when you upload it for KZbin to maintain the bt2020 color. I'm curious if they somehow require HDR in order to keep a video at BT2020?

[@tedbollinger3306]

@@stumlad Thank you for verifying this as we did suspect that might be the case. We did the render at 32 bit which supports the wide color however unless it is also rendered in HDR I am afraid that KZbin reduces to REC709. We are looking into a re-render in full HDR BT2020 color space so it should be a much better (depending on whay the KZbin compression does) comparison for wide gamut. Thank you again as I think they are looking for the HDR metadata to triger their better compression that preserves the wide color gamut.

[@brianbrewer2485]

I have an amazing LG OLED with very few hours on it. I noticed the upgraded always seems to have too much color, the original uhz65 looks natural and more accurate to me on my oled set to any setting i have and I tried them all throughout the entire video. I could not find the term POP in any tech manual for a standard to judge any settings though, but it sounds cool. The late great MJ, that dude was the king of pop for sure, he could really pop though. Im not so sure about the pop here though. It looks to me that the original settings look great in clouds, skys, smoky shots, dark shots, but there are some spots in the video the upgraded looks good, just the pure black, and some range increase in the green was there, but if you just fine tune and calibrate the stock, it looks good, and anyway, after you watch a movie for the first 10 minutes you stop seeing all those fine differences anyway, same goes for sound too. You will overload if you try to sit for 2 hours always camparing whats best while watching an entire movie, not easily done if even possible. I like the original settings and I can always turn down the brightness, and the contrast up a tad. Dont wash out your clouds though, they are the best test for contrast, all the detail in clouds, thats where you notice proper contrast settings. I plan to buy the UHZ65LV. I wonder what was changed to upgrade, what eclectronic component was swapped out?

[@alitalia76]

Ted, question, I just recently put this projector in my showroom and ran spectracal on it. I fixed contrast, brightness and got most of the colors dialed in using the RGB gain/bias, but I noticed that magenta and blue were off quite a bit, green was far extended, but yellow, red, cyan and white was spot on. I had to use CMS to bring in magenta and blue closer but never could get it perfect. I saw from your REC 709 screen shot on your website that you had the same issue. It almost looks identical. I noticed after your upgrade you got magenta and blue much closer to being dialed in. Does installing this filter help with that? Are you enabling any pure engine or brilliant color settings?

[@tedbollinger3306]

Normally you would use RGB gain and bias to set your white point at D65 and get your greyscale linear. If you use RGB gain/bias to set colors you may end up with non-linear greyscale so you may want to double check it. Once whitepoint and greyscale is optimized then you would set your color points with CMS. Yes, without the filter the UHZ65 will usually hit about 97 to 98% of REC 709. With the upgrade and filter we do hit 100% of REC709 and actually end up with slightly deeper reds and greens. It will work with or without pure color and brillant color on. Usually Reference has them off and all other modes have them on to some extend.

[@crow1994-bl]

Great review. With the limited vertical lens shift, can I place the projector dead center projected towards the screen?

[@tedbollinger3306]

No, not with this projector, it can only work above or below the screen and ideally about equal to the top or bottom.

[@bonjourq]

Did you add lens memory to the upgraded version ?

[@tedbollinger3306]

No, lens memory would require a motorized lens, however, there is a digital memory setting for 16:9 vs 2.35:1 so if you use your 16:9 at HD frequencies it is possible to automatically or manually use the menu selection to do both 16: 9 and 2.35:1 without touching the projector or lens using the built in scaling engine which still gives more pixels than HD needs. The projector distance must be exact.

[@garyl5128]

Is the colour filter added internally and is it a permanent fixture? Reminds me of how we used to add FL-Day filters externally to UHP lamped projectors to improve black levels and gain more contrast because you could increase the green and blue when recalibrating. This is a great mod IMHO, especially given the amount of lumens you start with. Did you measure the on/off contrast before and after and has that increased too, or are we just seeing a reduced (improved) black level due to the filter simply dimming the image. Thanks

[@tedbollinger3306]

The color filter is added internally in the light path and that is why we had to submit to Optoma for their approval to maintain the warranty. The contrast is also improved and we hope to have those figures in the upcoming blog with high res images at our website at tvspecialists.com.

[@garyl5128]

Thanks Ted. Will you be revealing the details of the mod or will you be keeping it as your own IP? Things like colour filter colour and light path location for example. An external filter and recalibration would be a hobbyists dream mod if it could get close to what you have achieved.

[@tedbollinger3306]

@@garyl5128 Probably not all the details but keep in mind that up to this point most of the cinema filters were designed for lamp based projectors and the filters for this laser projector is very different due to the laser light system. I do like your idea of maybe making a lower cost version without the calibration as the filter needs to be installed internally and in order to keep the warranty needed to be approved by Optoma.

[@MrMadeinthe80s]

What exactly did you do to achieve this? Ive been looking at replacing my UHD65 with this just for the added pop and brightness. Looks awesome!

[@Tvspecialists]

Here is the link to the press release, it gives more detail about how it was achieved: www.tvspecialists.com/new-upgraded-uhz65-4k-laser-projector/

[@abdull1154]

Hi Ted nice video as always. Is there a future upgraded UHD50 version? It realy is dissapointing on black levels to me compared to my previous projector which was Infocus IN83 (very good black)

[@moveezy5591]

Are you guys still upgrading this projector I can buy a used one from a friend and would like for you guys to upgrade it

[@Tvspecialists]

Yes, we can still upgrade it, if you're interested. You can find the upgrade only on our website at www.tvspecialists.com/product/lite-upgrade-for-uhz65-projector/

[@eubikedude]

Is there any easy way to get a unit modded in Europe? What kind of price does a mod cost (versus buying already modded)? Thanks.

[@Tvspecialists]

Currently no. Due to our contract with Optoma USA, we cannot ship or sell projectors outside of the US. Currently, the only way to do this is to purchase it with a US credit card and billing address that we can ship to within the United States - then you'd have to arrange for it to be shipped outside of the US. Because of this, if you were to arrange one to be bought and shipped outside of the US, if there was a warranty issue, it would have to be sent back to to the US division of Optoma to have it repaired or replaced. We've also been asked if we can modify other international versions of the projector, such as the EU version. Currently, this modification has only been approved by Optoma USA, it has not been approved by other divisions of Optoma, so we currently would not be able to guarantee that the warranty would still be honored. We are aware there are many outside of the US who are wanting this upgrade and we are in discussions with Optoma. But, at this point, we do not know if shipping our US-modified UHZ65 outside of the US, or modifying an international version is a possibility. The US pricing can be found on our website: Modified UHZ65: bit.ly/2Fmufxg Upgrading an existing UHZ65 (US only): bit.ly/2CWVIEp

[@bluecollarhero]

Like many, I've seen these compro vids a few times now and started to wonder. The prommise of darker blacks and wider color (rec 2020) is something we all would like to see. Very much so for a DLP we can afford. But we only had their word on it. And while the videos looked promising, I was worried that the HK-effect wouldn't be ehough to make up for the loss of max lumans and possible lost detail from black crush. Well I took a chance and ordered a Theo Z65 anyways. WOW I'm very much impressed. I've spent the last week playing around with it and love everything I'm seeing. Haven't figured out everything yet and trying not to move too far away from TVSpro's custom cal too much (needed for the rec 2020 filter). Just finshed watching "Lucy" a popular movie for screenshot comparos. Have to say I made the right choice in ordering this projector. All my fears are put to rest. I will be keeping this awesome machine and highly recommend others check it out! 10/10

[@Tvspecialists]

We're so glad you're happy with it!!

[@tedbollinger3306]

Glad you are enjoying it. We just finished up shooting our next projector comparison with the JVC NX7, the Epson 6050UB and the TheoZ65 and you will understand more why you were impressed. We were even impressed, we knew the Theo Z65 was good but we had not realized how good it really is! The JVC is good but has poor scaling of Bluray and HD and the Epson is just not full 4K yet and they are lamp based. Yes, we love our little Theo Z65 and so glad you do as well.

[@carlvonfuckwits2934]

@@tedbollinger3306 Can you do the same with the Optoma ZK507?? If so I want to do that so I can have more lumen output.

[@tedbollinger3306]

We are currently evaluating as there are those applications that need the higher lumens. The ZK507 drops to about 3,500 lumens after its better color settings and the filter. If that is of interest to you please call Ted or Mike at 801 485-5757 (TVS Pro) and discuss further.

[@1wwwandrey]

Please review Optoma UHZ65LV

[@mikebpiper]

We are in the process of evaluating the UHZ65LV , we've modified one and are doing some tests and comparisons, but preliminary tests have shown good possibilities for applications where you need more brightness, however the black levels are definitely not as good as the Theo-Z65.... Stay tuned!

[@Quetzalcoatl0]

Is the video uploaded with HDR ? I don't have an HDR screen, but i friend does, so i might be able to watch this video at his place.

[@tedbollinger3306]

The video was shot in log but not graded to HDR, however, any HDR display should have better color gamut than most non HDR displays so you should be able to see more differences, You might also view it on your phone as if it is fairly recent it might have a better color gamut as some now approach DCI P3 color.

[@Quetzalcoatl0]

@@tedbollinger3306 I have a Asus PG348q it has 100% sRGB. I see the differences i was just wondering if the video itself was exported with HDR to HDR display can benefit from it. ^_^

[@tedbollinger3306]

This version is not HDR but graded in "Aces BT2020" however KZbin may re-compress the files so we are looking into releasing an HDR version.

[@samlachance1]

@@tedbollinger3306 I tried watching this video on a quantum dot TV (KS8000), and when I activated the "stats for nerds" overlay in the youtube app, the color space was listed as Rec709. When I play an HDR video with the same app, the color space shows up as BT2020. So basically, even if your camera doesn't have enough stops of dynamic range for proper HDR, you may need to upload it in HDR, just so that youtube doesn't strip out the wide gamut.

[@tedbollinger3306]

Yes, you are correct, thank you, and even though we did capture wide gamut at 30 bit encode, KZbin recompresses it to 8 bits per color (24 bit total). We are working on an HDR version with the HDR metadata tag for our next encode comparison.

[@bastiencatil2509]

Hi ! Impressive job ! Have you plan to do that with the uzh65lv ? It would be awesome with a large color gamut, better blacks and 5000 lumens !

[@tedbollinger3306]

Yes, possibly. We are working with Optoma to see if this will make sense.

[@segaboy128]

This is awesome! 80% of bt2020! How does this compare to the new sony vw295es and vw695es bt2020 %s? Thanks! Is a uhd60 about 40-50% bt2020?

[@tedbollinger3306]

The Sony VPL-VW295ES and the VPL-VW695ES are both rated by Sony at 127% of REC709 color space. That equates to about 64-67% of BT2020. The UHD60 is about 57% of BT2020. The only projector in the Sony line is the VPL-VW5000ES that approaches the 72-75% of BT2020 as Sony rates it at 139% pf REC 709. We have personally tested the VPL-VW295ES and is is just slightly better than REC709 in it's widest color mode which confirms Sony's claims.

[@segaboy128]

Incredible! Thank u!

[@renechristiansen645]

Can you test the optoma uhz65lv

[@Tvspecialists]

We've changed our focus more to professional video conferencing and display systems, so we probably won't be doing any more side by side comparisons with home theater projectors. However, you may be interested in what we wrote about it in our blog: www.tvsproslc.com/blog/optomas-uhz65lv-the-possibility-of-a-theo-version/

[@dk4wncp]

Really impressive, in-depth video.

[@phila1367]

how can I get this done in Australia

[@Tvspecialists]

Unfortunately, right now, the only way to get this done is to have someone in the United States with a valid/verified US credit card or Paypal account with matching billing address, purchase it and then ship it to you. We can only ship to the verified addresses on the accounts. And we are only authorized, by Optoma, to ship and sell within the United States.

[@iamdmc]

@@Tvspecialists cost?

[@cptairwolf]

Tells us we need an HDR display to see the color gamut changes... records the video in SDR lol.

[@lucien2333]

hello , have you got upgrade optoma uhz65LV ?? ;)

[@Tvspecialists]

We are evaluating the UHZ65LV currently. It is a bit different, so we're not positive, yet, that we will be offering an upgraded version of it. But once we've made a decision we'll make a post!

[@lucien2333]

@@Tvspecialists thanks for taking the time to respond. I can't wait to see if you can improve it and if it will be possible to find a solution to send it to us in France. Sincerely Yoann

[@fbr4801]

Great review 👍, could you make a review on the New Optoma UHZ65LV please ?

[@Tvspecialists]

We're currently getting a demo and are going to be playing with it. We're not yet positive if we're going to do a comparison on it - but looks promising!

[@JeffG02]

Would love to see this too, along with a Theo version!

[@Tvspecialists]

We're still looking at this. We do have the UHZ65LV - - and so far it seems a bit different than the UHZ65. If we end up doing a comparison - it might take longer due to the COVID-19 and some travel restrictions (Ted isn't in Salt Lake City at the moment).

[@bhushanjadhav1523]

Thank you for amazing videos...can you please do a comparison video with dell 4k laser projector?

[@tedbollinger3306]

Unfortunately, Dell does not sell through dealers, so we do not have access to this model, however, there are detailed reviews on line and it is an option for school or business applications but the lack color accuracy and of good blacks keep it from being a good home theater projector from most reviews I have seen on it.

[@Ailil007]

Are you planning on applying this mod to other DLP Laser projectors? The upcoming Benq LK990 with 6000 lumens could be the perfect candidate. I can only imagine what could be achieved with its high quality lens resolving 93lp/pmm, 6000 lumens and all the benefits of the filter and mod you guys are installing(80% bt2020, better contrast)... I would absolutely Love to have one of those

[@tedbollinger3306]

It is a possibility, right now we are trying to keep up with the demand of the upgraded UHZ65 but it would be nice to have a very bright options for those who need the extra brightness. The challenge we have seen so far with the BenQ's is the black levels and from what I can read so far on this one it is for "Sports Bars and classrooms" so not sure how good it blacks will be. If not we do know of other laser projectors coming out in late 2019 that should allow us to add the filter. Most manufactures do not want any changes to their projectors as they will not honor the warranty, but Optoma has officially approved this one.

[@truhunk1]

The upgraded color is slightly better, but it seems to loose a bit of shadow detail.

[@tedbollinger3306]

When viewing in person the difference is actually very dramatic. If you look closely at the actual color gamut tests it will give you an idea of the real improvement as if goes from 57% of BT 2020 to over 80%.of BT 2020.

[@rndystubbs1]

Agreed, I noticed it too.

[@vhilai]

Website sucks btw when click via link on KZbin app on ios. It will flicker up like scrolling intermittently. Just an FYI

[@MattDweal]

If the mod covers 80% of rec 2020, does it mean that it covers 100% of DCI P3?

[@Tvspecialists]

It is about 95- 96% of DCI P3, however the greens, cyans, and blues are beyond P4. The NX7 and Epson 6050 are about 71-72% of REC 2020

[@richardknott2021]

Not enough contrast in upgraded to my eyes.. I like a sharper picture that the standard has..

[@leonkirkpatrick2110]

THE 3D WORKS ON THIS PROJECTOR,BUT DOES NOT WORK IN HDMI2 PORT, YOU MUST CONNECT YOUR 3D BLU-RAY PLAYER TO HDMI 1 PORT FOR 3D TO WORK,AM USING TWO BLU-RAY PLAYER,ONE CONNECT TO HDMI2 FOR 4K AND THE 3D BLU-RAY TO HDMI1 FOR 3D.,IT WORKS.

[@Tvspecialists]

Yes. However, the original projector without the firmware upgrade did/does not support 3D.

[@George-hj4xg]

Well, those two are not adjusted the same at all, regardless of what you say or think. I've seen the uhz65 many times on the same screen and no idea why you think its adjusted the same as the so called new version. I'm not saying there is no difference but its not like you are showing that is for sure. Obvious higher brightness level on the your regular model, not higher actual black levels. Colors aren't correct also on the new model you are showing. Messy video no matter how you try to convince anyone different.

[@MrMadeinthe80s]

How do you know the colors arent correct on the new model? Have you seen it in person? This is just a youtube video. No matter what screen you are watching on its still compressed and likely not showing true detail.

[@tedbollinger3306]

Please refer to the section where we use the calibration software to show the actual color gamut readings as that allows you to see comparison without any monitor and or capture differences.We'll also publish more detailed comparison info and end user comments soon at tvspecialists.com.

[@MugheesMohiuddin]

excellent video