The Optoma HD142X projector is an upper mid-range offering from Optoma aimed at a specific audience–seeking a decent option that has full support for 3D Blu-rays that doesn’t entirely break the bank, without skimping too much on image quality. It’s a bog-standard 1080p projector that stands out for its 3D support, though it’s in a very competitive price bracket; it’s one of the best 3D projectors for the price it goes for.
Why We Like It – Optoma HD142X
The Optoma HD142X is a great home theater projector boasting a full HD resolution, support for 3D Blu-ray players, and solid image quality at a decent price. It’s difficult to go wrong with it for the price it goes for, even if it’s missing a few nice features such as HDR.
- Support for 3D blu-ray players
- Decently bright
- High contrast ratio
- Lack of HDR is disappointing at this price point
Performance/Resolution Etc.
Coming in at 1080p, the Optoma HD142X is pretty standard for the price; 4K is uncommon below higher price points occupied by projectors such as the BenQ TK800 4K, while anything sub-1080p at around $500–let alone $1000–is solidly not meant for media consumption.
Overall image quality is fine; input lag isn’t too high, brightness is good enough for most rooms, and color quality is decent. It does suffer from the rainbow effect, but this will only affect a very small percentage of users, as most aren’t sensitive to it. If you’re sensitive to the rainbow effect, the Epson Home Cinema 2040 3D 1080p 3LCD Projector employs 3LCD technology, which mitigates the rainbow effect.
Brightness/Lumens
Similar to the Optoma HD143X, the Optoma HD142X has 3,000 lumens, which is pleasantly bright for dark and dim rooms. As with all projectors, the image will appear washed-out and dim in rooms with bright ambient lighting, but it won’t be an issue in most use cases.
Adjustability/Viewing Angle
Adjustability is overall decent on the Optoma HD142X, similar to the Optoma HD142X 3D DLP projector. Yet, it could be better for the price; it lacks lens shift which is unfortunate, but it at least features keystone correction. Port selection is very solid–2 HDMI ports are present, alongside a mobile-specific MHL v1.2 port and audio jacks. DisplayPort would have been nice to see at this price point for use with PCs, but it lacks features that would make use of a DisplayPort cable anyways
Durability
For its price point, durability is alright on the Optoma HD142X. It’s a DLP projector so lamp life is on the shorter side, but laser technology is very uncommon until you hit much higher price points. It admittedly sits in a bit of an awkward boat where it’s not too far off from a laser projector in terms of price, but you’re still looking at a good $200-300 price increase if you want something good, which isn’t insignificant. Either way, for realistic use longevity, won’t be an issue; it should last several years of use, and it has no major build quality or longevity issues.
Value
Value isn’t especially a strong point of the Optoma HD142X. The Epson Home Cinema 3700 Full HD 1080p 3LCD Projector is about $200 cheaper while offering better contrast and better inputs (2x HDMI, composite, and for some reason, VGA), though it doesn’t get as bright–it comes in at only 2200 lumens unlike the Goodee Projector at 4000 lumens. It’s not a terrible value proposition–its brightness makes it an appealing pick regardless–but value-minded buyers have better options.
Optoma HD142X Wrap-up
The Optoma HD142X is a bit of an awkward product. It sits in a weird spot in which similar options exist below its price point, while much better options boasting features such as higher resolutions or HDR exist at a price point not much higher than this goes for. Its price point is sandwiched awkwardly between the value sector and the high-end sector, but it manages to hold its own remarkably well nevertheless.
