Optoma GT1080Darbe vs. GT1080HDR or EH412ST?

[Wonko]

Hi all - I’m in the building process of a new sim shed with a Uneekor QED, and I could use some advice on a projector. I purchased an Optoma GT1080Darbee (2018 model - 3000 lumens in short throw) on Amazon ($600), and a 13’ wide by 10’ high screen from DbGolf on this forum. By my math, a distance of 8’8” will mostly cover the screen in a 4:3 aspect ratio with this projector, and I will be hitting from about 9’ back from the screen. I don’t have my screen yet, but I’ve tested the projector on my blank wall by holding it at waist length, and the size looks about right.

I’m concerned that even in the dark the projector (3000 lumens) doesn’t appear very bright on my wall (admittedly, without a screen), and I’m wondering if the EH412ST or GT1080HDR will be brighter and better.

My questions are three-fold:

1.) Will the 4000 lumens from the EH412ST or the 3800 lumens from the GT1080HDR make a big difference?
2.) Do the EH412ST or the GT1080HDR have a zoom function or a vertical image adjustment that will make install easier?
3.) Does it matter if a projector doesn’t say “gaming projector”, and is designed for presentations, and what is the difference?

And, of course, is there a better choice that’s roughly the same price (under $1,000)? My projector would have to be placed no more than 13’ or 14’ back from the impact screen.

Thanks so much, all!

[frodaddy00]

The EH412ST does NOT have optical zoom. It is bright but no optical zoom means you have to put it exactly where it needs to go. It has a bit of vertical adjustment (up/down) but no horizontal (left/right).

Personally I would go for a projector with optical zoom otherwise mounting is a pain to fill your screen image to the edges. The only plus for EH412ST is the brightness which works pretty well with ambient/low light.

[Gambler]

I just got the gt1080hdr installed. It is a good picture, the brightness is excellent, barely any washout in a fully lit room. Again the only negative is the lack of optical zoom as well. Another question is if it is worth the extra 200$ over the gt1080darbee? I can't answer that because I don't have both, but up to this point It seems great.

As far as gaming projectors go, that is related to the input latency which is the delay from when you press a button to the time it registers on the screen. If you are doing video games on the projector, the low latency on the 1080hdr will make a huge difference vs one with a higher number. However, for movies and golf simulation, you won't notice any difference.

[Godfather]

Looking at the specs of the GT1080HDR and EH412ST, I don’t see any hardware differences other than the lumens. Even the bulb is the same so I’m not sure how the lumens are different.

I have the GT1080Darbee, but may upgrade to one of the newer two because I just can’t stop tinkering.

[wbond]

I’m with you, can’t ever stop tinkering with the setup.

[gene438]

guilty as well....my latest question with my setup is should I improve my projector brightness so that I can play in more ambient light which would improve the video I get from swing analysis cameras. My assumption is that my cameras will have less blurr in more light? Does that sound legit?

[mtr]

B&H Photo has the EH412st for $899 at the moment so just $100 more than the GT1080hdr.

[wbond]

The one thing i do love about the optoma is the vertical offset. Always nice to get the projector higher away from people.

[Bsk0827]

Any of the projectors have horizontal offset (if there is such a thing)?

[calebm1001]

There is such a thing. I had one on my older projector but it wasn’t short throw.

I haven’t seen any short throw through my research though. There are tons but the handful in the less expensive category don’t tend to have that option.

If you move up to $1k+ range, you may find an option that has it.

[Godfather]

GT1080HDR was $703 for a while. I was considering it, but now it is back to $799. :-/

[Wonko]

Hi all - I ended up going with the EH412St. It’s def brighter than the GT1080hdr, although the features are very similar IMO. It was pretty easy to setup, and it does have some digital zoom and vertical and horizontal offset (if that’s what you want to call it). In other words, there’s a setting that allows you to move the image left/right and up/down to fit your screen. I am really impressed so far.

[pwade3]

You mentioned the EH412ST is brighter then the GT1080hdr. In your originals post you said you purchased a Darbee. Did you also purchase a HDR also? Just wondering how you know its brighter then the GT1080hdr? I’m looking at both so just wondering.

[Wonko]

pwade3 Ya, I started with the darbee, then upgraded to the HDR before moving to EH412ST. Darbee and HDR were purchased through amazon, so return was no problem.

[pwade3]

Ahh, I see. That is one way to test them all. Was the EH that much brighter then the HDR? Only 200 lumens difference between the two.

[pwade3]

I called Optoma and talked to there tech department. The guy I talked to seemed really informative. He said that the EH412ST is a data projector ( I think someone else mentioned this) which is meant for spreadsheets and document use and its not meant for gaming or theatre use as its response times are slow. Said you would not see any noticeable difference in brightness between the HDR and EH as is only 200 Lumens difference. I’m ordering the HDR today and see what its like. If I don’t like it I will return it and move on. Hopefully I see a difference from my old 760A.

[Toml]

I'm new to this forum and am building my first golf sim in my basement of my new home. The golf pit has a 11'-2" ceiling height, and is 13'-8" from the back wall to the screen. I plan on hitting about 6'9" to 7' from the screen (SkyTrak system). I am looking at purchasing a Optoma GT1080Darbee, and I already purchased a 13'x10' preferred screen from Carl's on clearance. Based on projector central, mounting the projector 8'-8" distance from the screen should generally fill the screen at a 4:3 ratio (-19" offset).

My question is this:
Are there any concerns with image quality projecting at this size? There's not a lot of ambient light in the room, but Project Central's says the image brightness will be too low. Manufacture's spec says it's ok with low ambient light rooms. Trying to decide if I should be looking at an Optoma GT1080HDR instead. Or a different projector? I'm limited with how far back I can mount the projector, so I need a pretty short throw distance projector.

Electrical walk through is next week, so I need to set the location of the projector.

Any input is appreciated. Thanks!

[Jtangm04]

I recently got the optima gt1080hdr too and am awaiting shipment.

Main issue is to make sure you can position the projector perfectly since it doesn't have a lens shift. There is vertical keystone correction but that introduces video artifacts and decreases image quality.

I went to optoma's website and went through the user manual.

https://www.optoma.com/us/product/gt1080hdr/#

They have a page on distance from the screen and distance from the ceiling to make sure the image is centered.

Some projector mounts will have arm slot brackets that allow you to shift it a little bit in any direction to allow for a little bit more flexibility in installing the projector.

[pwade3]

I installed my GT1080HDR last week. I did not have enough ceiling height the correct offset as per calculations so I built a housing that would put the projector tight to the ceiling eliminating too much keystone correction. I do have a bit but I have been unable to see any degradation in picture quality when I remove the keystone correction. It might be my older eyes or its just hard to detect or maybe its just that i don’t have much keystone correction applied. I am though very happy with the projector and making the ceiling box for it made the adjustment of the project a lot easier then the previous bought projector bracket.

[Toml]

Admittedly, I'm struggling a little bit with the offset calculation. If Projector Central shows a -19 offset at 8'-8" throw distance for a ceiling mount, my understanding is that means the top of the image will be (19" + the mounting height + the distance between top of the projector to the center of the lens) below the ceiling. If this is correct, then the top of the image in my case will be approximately be 9' above the ground (assuming about a 5" mounting bracket and 2" from the top of the projector to the middle of the lens), so I won't be utilizing the top 1' of my screen.

Is my understanding correct? If so, should I be looking for a different projector with a smaller offset?

[Jtangm04]

Sounds like you have that correct. The distance from the bottom of the projector to the lens is 5.5 cm on pg 46 pg the manual + the offset + projection mount distance.

[Godfather]

I'm new to this forum and am building my first golf sim in my basement of my new home. The golf pit has a 11'-2" ceiling height, and is 13'-8" from the back wall to the screen. I plan on hitting about 6'9" to 7' from the screen (SkyTrak system). I am looking at purchasing a Optoma GT1080Darbee, and I already purchased a 13'x10' preferred screen from Carl's on clearance. Based on projector central, mounting the projector 8'-8" distance from the screen should generally fill the screen at a 4:3 ratio (-19" offset).

My question is this:
Are there any concerns with image quality projecting at this size? There's not a lot of ambient light in the room, but Project Central's says the image brightness will be too low. Manufacture's spec says it's ok with low ambient light rooms. Trying to decide if I should be looking at an Optoma GT1080HDR instead. Or a different projector? I'm limited with how far back I can mount the projector, so I need a pretty short throw distance projector.

Electrical walk through is next week, so I need to set the location of the projector.

Any input is appreciated. Thanks!

You’ll be fine. Here is the GT1080DARBEE: