Optoma MovieTime DV10 DLP Projector
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- Weight: 7.8 lb.
- HDTV Formats: 576i 720p 1080i 576p
- Contrast Ratio: 4000:1
- Type: DLP Projectors
- Form Factor: Portable
- Display Technology: DLP
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67
Great Projector for home or on the go!
Pros
Great image! Portability
Cons
Throws an image very high. Cost of replacement bulbs.
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
If you are looking for an inexpensive way to start enjoying a home theater, this may be it.
After living in our home for three years now I finally convinced my wife that we should experiment with putting together a home theater. Since she was basically opposed to the idea, my budget had to stay small (under $1000) and after a fair amount of research, I decided to order the DV-10 "Movietime" by Optoma.
I found a bundle deal on-line for the projector and a 106" roll-down screen for $999. This was perfect for my budget and so after a couple of days of waiting on delivery my new equipment arrived.
Out of the Box
What I received was:
- The DV-10 Projector
- Remote Control (with Batteries)
- Power cord
- Composite video cable
- Component to VGA input adaptor
- Padded carrying case
- User's manual
- Quick start setup sheet
I also received the Optoma Panavision Grey Wolf 106" projector screen but since that is technically a seperate item from the DV-10 which not everyone will purchase, I am excluding the details of that item from most of this review.
The projector took literally one minute to remove from the box and plug in before it was ready to use, projecting an image on my wall.
Navigating the remote was a bit unintuitive due to the controls for the projector being isolated to only the eight buttons located at the top of the remote instead of using the larger, more obvious buttons which are reserved for controlling the DVD player's functions. This caused me to have to consult the manual to find out how to clear the projector's setup menu from the screen.
Using nothing more than a flat, white wall as my screen, the DV-10 produced a very watchable image in my living room even with a bit of ambient light from the lamp I was using to consult the manual. However, as would be expected, the image was noticably improved by turning out the light and bringing the room to near total darkness.
The Movietime DV-10 is designed for use by people wanting to put the projector down on the table in front of them and has no options for being ceiling mounted. If you want a projector to be permanently mounted from your ceiling, then the DV-10 is not for you.
From my coffee table, the DV-10 threw an image about 98" diagonal on my wall at a distance of 10 feet. However, at that height and distance, the bottom of the image was about five feet up from the floor. To bring the image down to a more comfortable viewing position required either moving the projector down to floor level or using the leveling legs on the bottom of the DV-10 to raise the back of the projector to tilt the lens forward and bring the image down.
Tilting the projector in this manner creates an image which is somewhat distorted and requires the use of the Keystone Adjustment settings in order to bring the image back to what it should look like. Using the Keystone Adjustments will cost you a few pixels of resolution as the projector digitally compensates for the correction. I used both methods with my projector (placing it on the floor and tilting it at table height) and honestly didn't notice a difference in the image quality while using the Keystone corrections but some people may and should keep this in mind when looking at this projector.
Once you go into the projector menu, you will see that the DV-10 has a considerable number of options which can be adjusted by the user for optomizing image quality. There is even an "Image-AI" feature for people who wish to leave everything up to the processor in the DV-10 to determine the best contrast, sharpness, color saturation etc. While I prefer to manually adjust the image myself, the Image-AI feature did improve the picture quality of the DV-10 over the default settings straight from the box and may seriously appeal to people who don't care to tinker with every little setting in the user menus.
The Details
The Movietime DV-10 is marketed as an all in one, home theatre in a box with built in speakers and a DVD player.
Specifications are:
- 1000 ANSI Lumens
- 854 x 480 (480p) W-SVGA resolution
- Up to 4,000 - 1 contrast ratio
- 16 x 9 aspect ratio
- Expected Lamp Life 3000 Hours
- Warranty: Projector two years, DVD module one year, Lamp 90 days
The DV-10 is a single chip DLP projector with native resolution of 854 x 480 (16x9). This is an excellent resolution for viewing movies on DVD but falls far short of "True HD" for viewing off-air High Definition television broadcasts. While the DV-10 can accept HD input (1080i or 720p) from a seperate digital tuner, the image quality leaves a bit to be desired. Don't get me wrong, if all you have to compare this to is a standard definition television, then you will be impressed by the DV-10's display of HD content. However if you already own an HD television then I doubt you will want to use the DV-10 as a "High Definition" set other than for something like football parties where size can be more important than image quality.
One other issue with DLP projectors is that some people tend to see "rainbows" while viewing programming on these sets, especially in scenes with very sharp contrast (such as deep shadows in daylight). Neither I or my wife have ever noticed the "rainbow effect" but if you do or if you have never watched a program on a DLP system, then I suggest that you try to find a local retailer who has the DV-10 on display and spend a few minutes looking at the image it produces to determine if the "rainbow effect" will be a factor for you.
Audio
The DV-10 also has two built in, 5 watt speakers designed to provide sound from the internal DVD player. These speakers do an reasonable job for listeners sitting directly behind the projector but are not a substitute for having a decent 5.1 system setup in the room you will be watching films in. The DV-10 has an optical audio output for sending a digital signal to your stereo receiver. I did notice that the sound tended to "skip" for a couple of seconds after the image had been paused when being run through my digital receiver. While annoying, the audio interruption lasted only a couple of seconds before matching back up to the film.
Other things that you should know
One of the "special" features of the DV-10 over other projectors is it's portability. Since the DV-10 is a completely self-contained projector/DVD player/sound system it can be used almost anywhere you have a power outlet and a flat wall.
While my DV-10 spends the majority of it's time tucked into the bottom shelf of my coffee table, I have actually taken it out on occasion to view movies outdoors at parties and to great effect on Halloween throwing various holiday cartoons onto the garage door for the neighborhood kids.
The Optoma Movietime DV-10 Projector comes with a two year warranty on the projector and a one year warranty on the DVD module.
The lamp which comes in the DV-10, like most projectors, is rated to last 3000 hours. However this is just an estimate by he manufacturer and is in fact only warranted to work for for 90 days by Optoma. If the bulb should fail after the warranty period (and of course, some day it will) replacements cost approximately $300 per bulb.
To improve the life of your bulb, always allow the projector to completely power down after being turned off before unplugging the projector.
So far we have run our projector for 85 hours (according to the DV-10's user menu) in the 6 months since we bought it and have had no problems whatsoever with the DV-10.
Conclusions
The DV-10 produced a decent enough image when simply projected on my wall, using it's internal speakers to make a Home Theater convert out of my wife.
Once I upgraded the "screen" to the 106" Grey Wolf which came bundled with my projector and hooked the DV-10 up to my 5.1 audio system...
...she was simply amazed.
The projector's image quality improves significantly when combined with Optoma's Grey Wolf screen. The image becomes brighter, clearer and the colors and shadow detail improve considerably. If you decide to purchase the Movietime DV-10 I would suggest that you look for a retailer which is bundling this screen with the projector as the two seemed to be designed to go with one another.
Overall, I am very happy with my purchase and would recommend the DV-10 to anyone looking for a Home Theater on a budget (so long as you do not see "rainbows" from DLP systems)
-----------------------------------------------------------
Note: I originally published a version of this review in April of 2006 on this site. Epinions has since closed the original subject header and created a new area for posts regarding this model projector (due in part to a change of spelling in the item description by the manufacturer.) As such, I have deleted the original post, moved and updated this review to the (now) correct place. I am very sorry for any confusion this may cause.
I found a bundle deal on-line for the projector and a 106" roll-down screen for $999. This was perfect for my budget and so after a couple of days of waiting on delivery my new equipment arrived.
Out of the Box
What I received was:
- The DV-10 Projector
- Remote Control (with Batteries)
- Power cord
- Composite video cable
- Component to VGA input adaptor
- Padded carrying case
- User's manual
- Quick start setup sheet
I also received the Optoma Panavision Grey Wolf 106" projector screen but since that is technically a seperate item from the DV-10 which not everyone will purchase, I am excluding the details of that item from most of this review.
The projector took literally one minute to remove from the box and plug in before it was ready to use, projecting an image on my wall.
Navigating the remote was a bit unintuitive due to the controls for the projector being isolated to only the eight buttons located at the top of the remote instead of using the larger, more obvious buttons which are reserved for controlling the DVD player's functions. This caused me to have to consult the manual to find out how to clear the projector's setup menu from the screen.
Using nothing more than a flat, white wall as my screen, the DV-10 produced a very watchable image in my living room even with a bit of ambient light from the lamp I was using to consult the manual. However, as would be expected, the image was noticably improved by turning out the light and bringing the room to near total darkness.
The Movietime DV-10 is designed for use by people wanting to put the projector down on the table in front of them and has no options for being ceiling mounted. If you want a projector to be permanently mounted from your ceiling, then the DV-10 is not for you.
From my coffee table, the DV-10 threw an image about 98" diagonal on my wall at a distance of 10 feet. However, at that height and distance, the bottom of the image was about five feet up from the floor. To bring the image down to a more comfortable viewing position required either moving the projector down to floor level or using the leveling legs on the bottom of the DV-10 to raise the back of the projector to tilt the lens forward and bring the image down.
Tilting the projector in this manner creates an image which is somewhat distorted and requires the use of the Keystone Adjustment settings in order to bring the image back to what it should look like. Using the Keystone Adjustments will cost you a few pixels of resolution as the projector digitally compensates for the correction. I used both methods with my projector (placing it on the floor and tilting it at table height) and honestly didn't notice a difference in the image quality while using the Keystone corrections but some people may and should keep this in mind when looking at this projector.
Once you go into the projector menu, you will see that the DV-10 has a considerable number of options which can be adjusted by the user for optomizing image quality. There is even an "Image-AI" feature for people who wish to leave everything up to the processor in the DV-10 to determine the best contrast, sharpness, color saturation etc. While I prefer to manually adjust the image myself, the Image-AI feature did improve the picture quality of the DV-10 over the default settings straight from the box and may seriously appeal to people who don't care to tinker with every little setting in the user menus.
The Details
The Movietime DV-10 is marketed as an all in one, home theatre in a box with built in speakers and a DVD player.
Specifications are:
- 1000 ANSI Lumens
- 854 x 480 (480p) W-SVGA resolution
- Up to 4,000 - 1 contrast ratio
- 16 x 9 aspect ratio
- Expected Lamp Life 3000 Hours
- Warranty: Projector two years, DVD module one year, Lamp 90 days
The DV-10 is a single chip DLP projector with native resolution of 854 x 480 (16x9). This is an excellent resolution for viewing movies on DVD but falls far short of "True HD" for viewing off-air High Definition television broadcasts. While the DV-10 can accept HD input (1080i or 720p) from a seperate digital tuner, the image quality leaves a bit to be desired. Don't get me wrong, if all you have to compare this to is a standard definition television, then you will be impressed by the DV-10's display of HD content. However if you already own an HD television then I doubt you will want to use the DV-10 as a "High Definition" set other than for something like football parties where size can be more important than image quality.
One other issue with DLP projectors is that some people tend to see "rainbows" while viewing programming on these sets, especially in scenes with very sharp contrast (such as deep shadows in daylight). Neither I or my wife have ever noticed the "rainbow effect" but if you do or if you have never watched a program on a DLP system, then I suggest that you try to find a local retailer who has the DV-10 on display and spend a few minutes looking at the image it produces to determine if the "rainbow effect" will be a factor for you.
Audio
The DV-10 also has two built in, 5 watt speakers designed to provide sound from the internal DVD player. These speakers do an reasonable job for listeners sitting directly behind the projector but are not a substitute for having a decent 5.1 system setup in the room you will be watching films in. The DV-10 has an optical audio output for sending a digital signal to your stereo receiver. I did notice that the sound tended to "skip" for a couple of seconds after the image had been paused when being run through my digital receiver. While annoying, the audio interruption lasted only a couple of seconds before matching back up to the film.
Other things that you should know
One of the "special" features of the DV-10 over other projectors is it's portability. Since the DV-10 is a completely self-contained projector/DVD player/sound system it can be used almost anywhere you have a power outlet and a flat wall.
While my DV-10 spends the majority of it's time tucked into the bottom shelf of my coffee table, I have actually taken it out on occasion to view movies outdoors at parties and to great effect on Halloween throwing various holiday cartoons onto the garage door for the neighborhood kids.
The Optoma Movietime DV-10 Projector comes with a two year warranty on the projector and a one year warranty on the DVD module.
The lamp which comes in the DV-10, like most projectors, is rated to last 3000 hours. However this is just an estimate by he manufacturer and is in fact only warranted to work for for 90 days by Optoma. If the bulb should fail after the warranty period (and of course, some day it will) replacements cost approximately $300 per bulb.
To improve the life of your bulb, always allow the projector to completely power down after being turned off before unplugging the projector.
So far we have run our projector for 85 hours (according to the DV-10's user menu) in the 6 months since we bought it and have had no problems whatsoever with the DV-10.
Conclusions
The DV-10 produced a decent enough image when simply projected on my wall, using it's internal speakers to make a Home Theater convert out of my wife.
Once I upgraded the "screen" to the 106" Grey Wolf which came bundled with my projector and hooked the DV-10 up to my 5.1 audio system...
...she was simply amazed.
The projector's image quality improves significantly when combined with Optoma's Grey Wolf screen. The image becomes brighter, clearer and the colors and shadow detail improve considerably. If you decide to purchase the Movietime DV-10 I would suggest that you look for a retailer which is bundling this screen with the projector as the two seemed to be designed to go with one another.
Overall, I am very happy with my purchase and would recommend the DV-10 to anyone looking for a Home Theater on a budget (so long as you do not see "rainbows" from DLP systems)
-----------------------------------------------------------
Note: I originally published a version of this review in April of 2006 on this site. Epinions has since closed the original subject header and created a new area for posts regarding this model projector (due in part to a change of spelling in the item description by the manufacturer.) As such, I have deleted the original post, moved and updated this review to the (now) correct place. I am very sorry for any confusion this may cause.
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