Optoma X316 Product Review – An Affordable 3D Projector

 

Agreed, the Optoma X316 is not the best-looking projector in the market today. But does it provide a good bang for the buck? Read on to find out. The device is great on price and the specifications are impressive as well. Optoma is known to produce powerful high brightness projectors and this device is no different. With 3200 lumens of color brightness, the device is strong enough to be used in areas with low-to-mid ambient light. It also supports full 3D videos and games which provide an immersive entertainment experience.

Optoma X316 Specifications

The Optoma X316 is a versatile projector that is as good at presenting content as it is displaying video or playing games. The projector owes its superiority to the following features:

Brilliant Color Technology: The X316 uses a DLP chip which brings you several benefits. First of all, Brilliant Color technology is integrated into all DLP projectors. Basically, Brilliant Color describes an advanced 6-color processing technology that ensures that the images displayed are vibrant and color-rich. Besides great video, this is the same technology responsible for the projector’s great readability; charts and ppt presentations will be crystal clear for users who’d mainly like an office projector.

Low Power Consumption: The projector comes with a “Rapid Off” button which allows the device to power up in less than 10 seconds and also power down within a similar timespan. With Rapid Off, you will not only save energy but also time. Another way to save power is to use the different display modes at your disposal. For example, if you are presenting in a dark room, you can use the eco-mode to display images at a lower brightness to save power.

Multiple Connectivity Options: This is an increasingly important feature for projectors these days because of the several different types of video source inputs that people have their hands on. At the very least, you would want a projector that can connect via HDMI, VGA and USB. The Optoma X316 has all three along with wireless capability that will come in handy when you want to connect to phones or tablets.

 

PROS

• Amazing lamp life of up to 10000 hours, rare for devices in sub $400 price range. (another example, Acer p1173).
• Can support wireless connectivity ( via VGA dongle)
• Sturdy build quality

CONS

• Streaming HD videos require cables, wireless does not support high-resolution videos.
• Average looker.

Overall Impression

 

Size and Design

The X316 is a compact and lightweight projector weighing only 5.5 pounds. It also comes with a carry bag from some online sellers. The device provides all the connectivity options an average user might need. You can hook this projector up with your laptop, DVD, or Blu-Ray and they will all work seamlessly well. Surprisingly, the projector also has an RCA audio output which you can use to connect to your speaker or home theater system.

 

Performance

This is an entry-level 3D projector and is cheaper than its competitors by a long margin. The projector allows you to watch movies, play games, and even give office presentations. In order to get out of the device in terms of 3D performance, it is advised to go with a higher spectrum XGA version because it provides sharper 3D images. The lower-end WXGA and SVGA versions will get the job done but some users complained of below-par performance and “3D ghosting” on some scenes. This could have something to do with how the devices were set up because most users were happy with the 3D aspect of the device.

 

Price

The Optoma X316 functions very well for its price. Most users who purchased the device were happy with it’s build quality and overall performance. It is relatively inexpensive and lies on the more affordable end of the projectors market. So unless you have some specific brand or installation requirements, there is no reason to pay a higher price and give this gem of a device a miss.

Final Verdict

The projector comes in three variations, SVGA/WXGA/XGA. The SVGA version is the cheapest of the lot while the XGA version is the most expensive. The difference between these versions is that the SVGA version has a native resolution of 800 x 600 while the XGA version has a higher standard resolution of 1028 x 768. Overall, we can say that this device is great for the price and if the image resolution of 800 x 600 is not a deal-breaking factor for you, then this is likely to be the best projector in the $300 range. It also features on our list of the best 3D projectors for a small budget. However, if you’d like to have a higher resolution projector and don’t wish for it to make a hole in your pocket, then we suggest going for the XGA version.