Editor's Choice Award
Our Editor's Choice award goes to products that dramatically exceed expectations for performance, value, or cutting-edge design.
- Accurate out-of-box image quality
- Effective HDR and 3D playback
- Solid on-board audio system compatible with outboard subwoofer
- Excellent value
- Ineffective Aptoide-based web-streaming platform
Priced $500 less than its predecessor, Optoma's second-generation CinemaX P2 living room laser projector improves on the original while providing even greater value.
As we move into fall 2020, the UST living room projector landscape continues to evolve. Epson's long-awaited release of its LS500 in September ($4,999 with a 100-inch screen) was expected, but Hisense surprised us with a new, more affordable single-laser model for its Laser TV line that sells for $3,999, as did Samsung, with the announcement of two pending USTs including a single-laser model priced at $3,499 and a $6,499 tri-laser flagship.

Also unexpected was a new offering from Optoma, which successfully launched its CinemaX P1 last year to accolades that included our ProjectorCentral Editor's Choice Award. The CinemaX P2 we're reviewing here is a nearly identical replacement with some key differences I'll describe below. Critically, the biggest of those is a $3,299 street price—$500 less than its predecessor. The P2—like the P1—remains the next step up in the market from VAVA's entry-level $2,799 4K UST projector while carrying the same notable bump in performance. At its lower price, it represents an even better step-up value and stakes a solid claim against the new competition in its price range. Let's have a closer look.
Features
The P2's features are basically a repeat of what we described in our test report of the P1, but let's review them and delineate how the P2 departs. To begin, the high-tech, two-tone cabinet design—with its convex front grille—has a different color scheme. Gone is the jet black/dark gray two-tone for the case and grille, replaced by a white cabinet that matches much of the P1's competition. It's mated here with a light-gray grille. As with the P1 there is just one control on the unit—a power button—and some status LEDs visible on top. All other functions are handled through the compact brushed metal, backlit remote. This modest but efficient mini-wand operates via Bluetooth and has both a conventional navigation pad for menus and an air-mouse function that can be helpful with the built-in web browser and some streaming apps. Its integrated battery requires periodic charging via a USB cable.
Behind the grille is the same NuForce-developed stereo soundbar system found in the P1, with two 2-inch full range aluminum cone drivers and two 2.75-inch paper cone woofers, driven by a total of 40 watts of amplifier power. The woofers are housed in their own ported chambers to improve bass response from the small drivers. In our test of the P1, I found the overall sonics good, but bass noticeably less full and the sound less powerful and detailed than on the VAVA's excellent Harman Kardon-branded sound system. The saving grace with the P1, as well as the P2, is the ability to use the projector's analog audio output to drive a separate powered subwoofer. Adding one takes the audio performance to a whole new level in terms of overall tonal balance, volume/dynamic range, and sheer impact with both action soundtracks and music. I highly recommend putting aside a minimum $100 to $150 extra for a value-priced 10- or 12-inch subwoofer from Dayton Audio or Monoprice.

The same motorized lens optics with manual powered focus developed for the P1 is also found in the P2. The 0.25:1 throw ratio is not as short as on some competitors, which means you'll need more distance from the wall. Image size is specified at 85 to 120 inches diagonal in 16:9 aspect ratio, with throw distances from the back edge of the projector at 5.7 inches for an 85-inch image, 10.1 inches for a 100-inch image, and 14.5 inches out for a 120-inch image. Accounting for the projector's 14.5 inch depth and 5.25 inch height, filling a 100-inch screen puts the front edge of the projector at 25 inches out from the screen while resting on a platform approximately 15 inches below the bottom edge of the screen. (You can visit ProjectorCentral's Optoma CinemaX P2 Throw Calculator for different scenarios.)
Optoma has retained the extensive geometric correction tools found in the P1, as well as compatibility with the clever SmartFit iOS/Android app that uses your smartphone's camera to literally snap the image into place. If you don't mind activating the geometric correction circuitry, it greatly simplifies the tricky one-time maneuvering of the projector that accompanies set-up of any ultra-short-throw projector. On the other hand, you'll want to avoid geometric correction if possible to preserve the best image quality and fastest input lag for gaming. Optoma's new Gaming Mode (see below), virtually a requirement for any game play, defeats the geometric correction in any event.
As also reported for the P1, the combination of the UHD (3840x2160) resolution 0.47-inch DLP XPR micromirror chip, plus the excellent lens optics, results in an exceptionally sharp and detailed image for a UST, with very crisp pixel-level delineation from the center screen out close to the edges with only a slight loss of focus at the corners where it won't usually be noticed. I found my P2 sample to be as good or better in this regard than the P1.

The P2's 3,000 lumen rating for the laser light engine is also unchanged from the P1, and it shares the same 20,000-hour life to half-brightness at full power. Nonetheless, it's a misconception that a laser light engine delivers instant-on performance when you hit the power button. As with any modern TV, you still have to wait for the electronics boot up. With the P2, an Optoma splash screen comes up 18 seconds after hitting the power button, and if you've got a live source connected you'll be watching it in about 36 seconds from turn-on. Shut down is nearly instantaneous and you won't hear the cooling fans run for more than a few seconds after the screen goes dark.
As with the P1, the P2 generates light from a single blue laser that feeds a yellow phosphor wheel and a color wheel to generate the primary colors. In the P1, Optoma used an RGBYRGBY color wheel, adding yellow to the red, green, and blue primaries. This had the effect of stretching the projector's brightness to the full 3,000-lumen spec at the sacrifice of some color accuracy.
Optoma was able to retain the same 3,000 lumens in the P2 while using an RGBRGB color wheel, forgoing a white or yellow segment to boost the brightness. Without that segment, gamut is said to be extended and there's the potential for some colors to appear more saturated, more so when the DLP BrilliantColor control is set to its minimum.

Color gamut in the older P1 was not officially specified, but for our review I measured 79% of the DCI-P3 gamut that today's 4K content is mastered to, or 117% Rec.709. Color gamut for the P2 is specified at 120% Rec.709, and I measured essentially identical results to the P1, so just a percent or three short of the spec and within range of error of my instruments. But the main thing here is that the extension of gamut beyond Rec.709 is a benefit that is clearly visible in the accuracy and saturation of deep red objects, though not quite as obvious as with projectors that reach closer to the full DCI-P3 space.
Also visible is an improvement in rated dynamic contrast ratio from 1,500,000:1 in the P1 to 2,000,000:1 in the P2, made possible by enhancements to the projector's laser dimming scheme. As you'll see in my image quality observations, the improvement in black level is noticeable in dark room viewing.
Along with retention of the SmartFit app, the CinemaX P2 maintains the P1's list of other smart features, including on-board streaming apps from the Optoma Marketplace driven by the Android-based Aptoide platform, and compatibility with Alexa, Google Assistant, and IFTTT automation. Optoma's InfoWall app for customizing your own home screen is still available, though I still find its execution clumsy. There's a new TapCast app for Android and iOS mobile devices that was first added to the P1 in its latest firmware update over the summer and which works well for initiating screen mirroring and casting to the projector, as well as for casting whatever is being projected back to your mobile device.
Another new addition is inclusion of the FRAMED digital art platform. The projector's screen saver, when activated, is now a curated exhibit featuring a dozen rotating works of unique animated digital art by emerging artists.
Unfortunately, my marks for the Aptoide streaming platform remain low. I repeat: no one should purchase this or any projector integrating this platform (including models from Optoma, BenQ, ViewSonic, and VAVA), expecting it to provide the streaming benefits, ease of use, and performance of a name-brand smart TV or a Roku, Amazon Fire, or Apple TV streaming media player. The apps for the major services like Netflix and Amazon are unsophisticated and difficult to use —if they work at all—and some will deliver only standard-definition resolution to your 4K projector. Buy a 4K-resolution streaming dongle for $50.
Optoma took some heat from gamers with the P1 for having noticeably slow input lag, which we measured at 121.8 ms with a 4K UHD signal. The last firmware update for the P1 introduced a Gaming Mode to increase the internal refresh rate and bypass the geometric correction and PureMotion frame interpolation, thus reducing lag to a claimed 66 to 67 ms for both 1080p/60 and 4K/60 signals. This was carried into the P2, where I measured lag at 66.5 ms for 1080p/60 and 69.2 ms for 4K/60 with Gaming Mode on. While this is a vast improvement over the results without Gaming Mode, be advised it's still fairly high and suitable only for casual gaming.

Here's a rundown of the Optoma P2's key features at a glance:
- 3,000 lumens laser light source with 20,000 hour life (full) or 30,000 hour (Eco)
- 2,000,000:1 rated dynamic contrast ratio
- 120% Rec.709 rated color gamut, supports up to Rec.2020
- 0.47-inch 4K UHD resolution DLP XPR imaging chip
- Six-segment RGBRGB Color Wheel
- HDR10, HLG high dynamic range playback
- 3D playback
- 67.6ms (4K UHD, 60 Hz) / 67.1ms (1080p, 60Hz) rated input lag (SmartFIT and PureMotion disabled)
- 40W Dolby Digital 2.0 soundbar with 2 full range speakers and 2 woofers; subwoofer compatible
- Compact, rechargeable Bluetooth remote
- Integrated WiFi with Android-based Aptoide streaming platform; built in browser
- SmartFIT companion app with auto geometry correction system
- Smart+ technology with Alexa, Google Action & IFTTT integration
- FRAMED digital art screensaver
Performance
Color modes and Calibration. The P2 offers similar color modes as the P1, beginning with six for 1080p/SDR (standard dynamic range) content: Cinema (the out of box default), HDR Sim (for simulating an HDR effect with SDR), Game, Reference, Bright , and User (which starts out mimicking the Cinema mode). The Bright mode comes with the usual green bias that makes it unsuitable for most serious viewing, though the tint was modest enough that it might be helpful for casual daytime viewing in bright rooms with lots of windows. There are dedicated modes that activate for HDR10 or HLG high dynamic range content and for 3D. All the modes provide the same access to picture tuning controls that include both RGB Gain/Bias for grayscale and a full RGBCMY color management system to align the color points. There's also a laser brightness setting that can be adjusted from the default 100% Brightness setting down to 50% brightness in 5% increments, or switched into any of three graduated DynamicBlack settings that deepen the blacks on dark content.

Although side-by-side comparisons of like-named modes on the P1 and P2 revealed differences in the each projector's tuning, my pecking order remained the same as with the P1. Reference was the most color accurate but least bright mode out of the box, making it most suitable for serious dark-room movie viewing, even on my 100-inch 0.6 gain UST ALR screen. Cinema mode produced noticeably higher brightness for ambient light viewing with a modest sacrifice in color accuracy, and Game mode provided even more punch for high brightness but with much more saturated color and bluer whites that would be well-suited to games and animation but wiped out fine differences in caucasian skin tones in its default settings. I ended up using Reference and Cinema as my dark- and bright-room SDR modes, adjusting the Brightness (black level) and Color saturation controls as needed to insure the best contrast and skin tones.
I performed measurements on the P2 using Calman software from Portrait Displays, an Xrite i1Pro2 spectrophotometer, and a Murideo Six-G 4K/HDR signal generator. Out of the box, the Reference mode measured close to the industry-standard D65 color point but leaned a little red on its grayscale. Nonetheless, images took on an unexpected modest blue tint that proved to be the result of a well-oversatured and off-hue blue primary. Still, this mode calibrated well in the end and ultimately delivered a very neutral white and excellent color accuracy. With final settings I measured 16.1 foot-Lamberts off my 100-inch, 0.6 gain screen, which would translate to about 27 ft-L on a same size 1.0 gain screen.
The Cinema mode defaults looked fine for bright room viewing where both contrast and color accuracy are less mission-critical. Measurements showed a bluer/cooler color temperature for white—not surprising for its higher brightness—and the same blue color point that needed correction. It too, calibrated up nicely and delivered a great-looking image for moderate to high ambient light. As measured in the dark, it punched out 20.1 ft-L off my 0.6 gain, 100-incher (about 33 ft-L on a 1.0 gain screen).

The HDR mode looked excellent out of the box, minus a bit of oversaturation of caucasian faces on most content that was tamed with a few clicks down on the Color control, plus the usual content-dependent tuning of Brightness (black level), Contrast (peak white), and the four-position HDR Brightness setting. The HDR Brightness control, which is easily accessible by pressing and holding the Menu button to call up a small slide-out menu, can be set to Detail, Film, Standard, or Bright. Detail provides the dimmest image for the darkest titles and Bright is for the hottest titles or for adding the most punch to bright highlights in HDR titles with average brightness. For most HDR movies I found the Standard setting preferable to the default Film setting; it usually lent more visceral punch while maintaining good contrast and without pushing the whites into blooming and creating a loss of detail in the highlights.
Calibrating HDR on a projector with instrumentation and calibration software is always a challenge because of the low peak-white brightness compared with the flatpanels for which HDR (and the software) was designed—often around a tenth or less. So I wasn't suprised when a couple of attempts to calibrate the HDR mode resulted in a worse-looking image than what I started with. In the end I just left well enough alone and lived happily with the default HDR settings for grayscale and color points. In the default HDR settings, peak brightness measured 23.4 ft-L or 80 nits off the 0.6 gain ALR screen. This would translate to about 39 ft-L or 133 nits on a unity gain screen. Even on the ALR, it was more than enough for some very punchy and satisfying viewing in moderate to bright ambient light, though without much visible benefit from the nuance of HDR.
In side-by-side comparisons of the P2 to the P1, the P2 achieved a deeper native black that was obvious on dark content, though the projectors were a little more evenly matched with DynamicBlack activated. Beyond this, the key differences I saw were in the overall color balance in the default settings, where the P2 tended more toward a cooler blue in my preferred Reference and Cinema modes (perhaps a result of its oversaturated blue color point) and the P1 leaned warmer. Both projectors looked very good, though, and it was mainly in direct comparison that these differences became apparent. Most viewers would be happy watching either one. The P2's color balance and its whites, after calibration, were pretty much spot on. You can find my final settings in the Measurements section at the end of this review.
Note that when I initially reviewed the Optoma P1 with its earliest firmware release I found that most of the out-of-box picture modes, including the Reference and Cinema modes, were oversaturated and red-leaning on flesh tones. This was easily corrected by turning down Color saturation and pushing the Tint control toward green, resulting in a very good subjective image without the requirement for professional calibration. Those errors seem to have been massaged out in the most recent P1 firmware, and these modes in the P2, with its RGBRGB color wheel, did not require any Tint adjustments for flesh tones and only modest tweaks of Color saturation to accommodate different sources.
SDR Viewing. I often go back to the well-saturated Blu-ray transfer of Apollo 13 to check for the neutrality of whites and the authenticity of familiar colors. Following my calibration of the P2's Reference mode, the white spacesuits worn by the astronauts and the lab coats of the technicians in the clean room where they prepared for their flight were superbly neutral and bright, while the metallic red, blue, and orange fasteners on the spacesuits gleamed and popped nicely off the screen. Ditto for the pure white dress worn by astronaut Jim Lovell's wife to the sun-lit launchpad gallery; it was punchy and bright with no noticeable hint of pink or blue, and the red trim around the lapel of her jacket and deep red accent on her white handbag were striking. Green foliage around the launchpad and the familiar red, white, and blue of the famous NASA insignia all rang true.
I also observed that the rippled texture of the fabric of Mrs. Lovell's dress was easily visible through the projector's well-executed scaling and fine optics. Indeed, the cleanliness of images throughout the movie left a very positive impression of how well the P2 can resolve detail with well-photographed content, even when it's only in 1080p resolution (and with the menu's Sharpness control turned down from its default 10 to 3 to avoid obvious distortion). Details from the interiors of the various spacecraft, with their switches, displays, and warning lights were equally engaging.

Contrast was excellent on the bright and mixed-brightness scenes that make up much of this movie, and as noted above, the P2 showed improved black level compared to the P1 on the movie's few really dark scenes. A shot of a starfield and the tiny, distant moon demonstrated a solid-enough black of outer space to not be distractingly gray or take me out of the moment, and switching in DynamicBlack on this image and others like it greatly improved the low-black—though not without some sacrifice in color accuracy (see below).
Though I tend to be less sensitive to seeing rainbow artifacts than some viewers, I noticed perhaps only one or two on the screen in all of my hours of viewing the P2. That includes rewatching a couple of documentaries—one on Bob Dylan, the other on Frank Sinatra—featuring a lot of black-and-white footage that spawned many rainbows for me when viewed on another single-chip DLP projector I had on hand recently. Nonetheless, our usual advice applies: If you're sensitive to rainbows or don't know if you are, work with a retailer who will accept your return.
HDR Viewing. I sampled a lot of movies in HDR on the P2 and I'm happy to say that, in virtually all instances, I preferred the 4K/HDR versions to the 1080p Blu-ray. That's not always the case because of the limited or poorly executed tone-mapping on many projectors. But the P2's HDR rendering, optimized as needed with adjustments as described above, looked very good on all but the very brightest content. The best example I can cite of the latter is The Meg, a movie which leans so hot that I've yet to find a projector that isn't tripped up by it on the default HDR settings. On the film's brightest scenes shot on the open ocean, most projectors can't even be adjusted to deliver images that aren't blown out to some degree. But HDR movies this challenging are rare, and only the Spears & Munsil UHD HDR Benchmark, which offers a demanding HDR montage that can be set to play with peak brightness at various levels as high as 10,000 nits, is the only other disc currently in my collection that pushes a projector's limits this way. The P2 handled much of The Meg well, but struggled to provide a solid dark floor on its torture test scenes without also burying shadow detail and flattening the highlights. On the other hand, the projector handled some other atypically bright but less demanding titles, such as Aquaman, with better results.
I watched First Man, the Neil Armstrong biopic that tracks his military and NASA career up to his famous moon walk, in both 1080p SDR and 4K HDR. Many of the scenes are moody interior shots that are dark overall, and many other shots feature a mix of bright highlights—such as a white spaceship exterior or the sun-lit lunar surface—against the blackness of space. HDR on the P2 catapulted the highlights off the screen with gusto. The predominantly dark scenes exposed the projector's native black floor, but I found even this to be a reasonably acceptable gray, and the DynamicBlack1 setting for laser brightness noticeably deepened the blacks. Unfortunately, it also tended to add a subtle red tint to faces and to neutral whites and grays—the lunar surface, for example, took on a touch of pink that actually stole some edge off the specular highlights and dulled it, making it feel less dimensional and realistic. So despite the benefit to deep blacks I typically left DynamicBlack off and set the projector power to 100% Brightness. On the vast majority of images with mixed highlights and dark areas, Dynamic Black did little and wasn't missed.

Even for family-friendly animated fare, Trolls is a pedestrian and dull movie. But the HDR disc is a nice visual treat, and it showed off what the P2 can do with deeply saturated colors that run from purple to bright green to magenta to bright orange—and that's just the bodies of the living troll dolls themselves. Meanwhile, in 4K, the furry texture of the trolls' felt skin and the fine detail in their spiked hairdos exhibited wonderful dimensionality. Oh, and the well-recorded pop music soundtrack was a foot-stomping hoot played through the projector's integrated soundbar aided by my outboard sub.
3D Viewing. I found the default 3D mode on the P2 improved vs. the P1, with a slightly more neutral white but one that still leaned a smidge toward blue/cyan. I watched parts of Transformers: Age of Extinction and Pixels, two live action movies mixed with CGI. Both movies were sufficiently bright, saturated and punchy on their respective colorful robots or videogame villains, and reasonably color-accurate on real-life objects like fleshtones, green foliage, and the White House (in Pixels). Of course, there's only so much you can expect from 3D given the inherent limitations on brightness and the color shifting that takes place through the glasses, but the 3D mode on the P2 was more than acceptably bright and accurate, so 3D fans need not fear it. It also provides the same adjustments for grayscale and color calibration should you want to take that on.

Conclusion
In moving from the first-generation Cinemax P1 to the Gen-2 Cinemax P2, Optoma has made some modest but valuable performance and feature updates to an already great projector. Moreover, the company has lowered the price by $500 while sacrificing virtually nothing from the original model. While Optoma now has more competition in this price range than it had a year ago with the P1, the CinemaX P2 is an even more extraordinary value than the P1 when it was launched, and a projector well worthy of retaining the ProjectorCentral Editor's Choice honor bestowed on its predecessor.
Measurements
Brightness. Due to the extreme angle of light coming off the lens, measuring ANSI lumens for a UST projector with a handheld luminance meter facing into the lens yields the potential for errors caused by small misalignments of the meter. The results in our ANSI lumens chart, which shows maximum brightness in the Bright mode at 2,864 lumens (well within the 10% ANSI tolerance), should therefore be taken with some grains of salt.
Accompanying it below are direct measurements taken off my 100-inch, 0.6 gain Elite Aeon CLR UST ALR screen in a dark room showing the brightness in foot-Lamberts and the color temperature of white for each color mode in its default color temperature setting. With this more reliable technique, I determined that the 50% Brightness laser setting reduced the brightness in any mode by 50.1%, and the 75% Brightness setting reduced brightness in any mode by 76.6%.
Optoma CinemaX P2 ANSI Lumens
Picture Mode | 100% Brightness |
---|---|
Cinema | 1,747 |
HDR Sim | 1,990 |
Game | 1,995 |
Reference | 1,273 |
Bright | 2,864 |
User | 1,730 |
Optoma CinemaX P1 Brightness (Ft-L)*
Mode/Color Temp | Brightness Ft-L (0.6 gain) | Brightness Ft-L (1.0 gain) | Color Temp (K) |
---|---|---|---|
Cinema/Standard | 20.3 | 33.8 | 7,790 |
HDR Sim/Cool | 23.3 | 38.8 | 9,270 |
Game/Cool | 23.2 | 38.6 | 9,180 |
Reference/Standard | 14.6 | 24.3 | 6,020 |
Bright/Cold | 31.8 | 53.0 | 12,020 |
User/Standard | 20.7 | 34.5 | 7,730 |
HDR**/Standard | 20.8 | 34.7 | 7,690 |
* Ft-L and Color Temp measurements as taken off a 100-inch diagonal, 16:9, 0.6 gain screen with default projector settings. 1.0 gain brightness figures are calculated estimates. All modes default to 100% Brightness Mode for laser power.
** With Film HDR Brightness mode default.
Frame Interpolation. The CinemaX P2's PureMotion feature appears to be unchanged from what I reported in our review of the P1. There are three active settings besides Off that are labeled 1, 2, and 3 that are available in all modes. It was most effective for smoothing judder on camera pans but didn't do much to reduce the blurring of fast motion on my test clips used to check this. The number 1 setting introduced a modest but noticeable degree of soap opera video effect on 24p film-based content that did not increase noticeably at the higher settings, even though the judder-smoothing effect improved. I did occasionally use the PureMotion 1 setting in the HDR mode to add a touch of shimmer and extra realism, but I'm generally not a fan of introducing SOE to movies and usually left PureMotion in the Off position.
Input Lag. Lag measurements for the P2 were taken with its Gaming Mode turned on; this function is separate from the Game color mode and can be activated with any of the color modes. Flipping this on deactivates and grays out the PureMotion motion interpolation feature in the menus, defeats geometric correction, and speeds the internal refresh rate.
With Gaming Mode on, the lowest input lag measured with a 1080p/60fps signal was 66.5 ms in several color modes (including Game and Cinema). With a 4K/60fps signal in the same conditions, I measured 69.2 ms. The highest lag measured under any conditions was 286.1 ms with 4K/30 fps signals in the Game color mode with the Gaming Mode deactivated and the PureMotion frame interpolation control set to its maximum 3.
Fan Noise. I cited the CinemaX P1 in our review for its clever ventilation design, with two whisper fans on each side panel expelling air brought in from the rear of the projector. Nothing has changed, and the P2 remains remarkably quiet for a 3,000 lumen laser projector. As I reported for the P1, the noise component is a low-pitched hush that is barely audible from six feet in front of the projector. Noise is rated at 24 dB in lab test conditions; my SPL meter measured 33.5 dBA, which is close to the noise floor in my room. The fan was totally inaudible over any kind of soundtrack, and neither changing the picture mode to the brighter options nor adjusting the laser power setting seemed to have any effect. In High Altitude mode, the noise becomes noticeable if you're listening for it, but was exceptionally tame compared to the HA modes in most projectors and was still largely drowned out by any soundtrack.
Connections

- HDMI 2.0b (x3) with HDCP 2.2, one with ARC
- S/PDIF optical digital audio out (Toslink)
- Analog stereo audio out (3.5 mm)
- Bluetooth wireless in
- USB Type A 2.0 (4K media player)
- USB Type A 2.0 (media player, power)
- USB Type A (firmware and service)
- Ethernet (RJ-45)
Calibrated Settings
Calibrated image settings from any third-party do not account for the significant potential for sample-to-sample variation, nor the different screen sizes and materials, lighting, lamp usage, or other environmental factors that can affect image quality. Projectors should always be calibrated in the user's own space and tuned for the expected viewing conditions. However, the settings provided here may be a helpful starting point for some. Always record your current settings before making adjustments so you can return to them as desired. Refer to the Performance section of the review for some context for each calibration. As reported, subjective tweaks following calibration sometimes resulted in adjustments to Brightness (black level), Contrast (peak white), and Color saturation to yield the most pleasing results and effect the most natural fleshtones on different content.
The settings below were for a 100-inch diagonal, 16:9, 0.6 gain UST ALR screen with a dark, contrast-enhancing surface.
Dark-Room SDR
Display Mode: Reference
Brightness: -7
Contrast: 9
Sharpness: 3
Color: 0
Tint: 0
Gamma: Film
COLOR SETTINGS:
BrilliantColor: 1
Color Temp: Standard
Color Matching:
Red
H-5, S1, G-3
Green
H-16, S3, G-7
Blue
H-15, S2, G-5
Cyan
H-11, S-5, G-3
Yellow
H-12, S-5, G-4
Magenta
H-29, S-7, G7
White
Red Gain-6, Green Gain -6, Blue Gain -6
RGB Gain/Bias
Red Gain: 0
Green Gain: 0
Blue Gain: -1
Red Bias: 0
Green Bias: 0
Blue Bias: 1
Brightness Mode: Power 100%
PureMotion: Off
Bright-Room SDR
Display Mode: Cinema
Brightness: -14
Contrast: 14
Sharpness: 3
Color: 0
Tint: 0
Gamma: Film
COLOR SETTINGS:
BrilliantColor: 10
Color Temp: Standard
Color Matching:
Red
H-6, S1, G3
Green
H17, S0, G-4
Blue
H-17, S2, G0
Cyan
H-9, S-4, G3
Yellow
H-20, S-4, G2
Magenta
H-31, S-9, G8
White
Red Gain 0, Green Gain -5, Blue Gain -8
RGB Gain/Bias
Red Gain: 0
Green Gain: -1
Blue Gain: -4
Red Bias: -2
Green Bias: -1
Blue Bias: -1
Brightness Mode: Power 100%
PureMotion: Off
Dark-Room HDR
Display mode: HDR
Brightness: -2
Contrast: 11
Sharpness: 3
Color: 10
Tint: 0
Gamma: 2.4
COLOR SETTINGS:
BrilliantColor: 10
Color Temp: Standard
Color Matching:
Red
H0, S5, G20
Green
H0, S5, G20
Blue
H-10, S0, G15
Cyan
H22, S-4, G25
Yellow
H-31, S-5, G15
Magenta
H10, S-5, G20
White
Red Gain 0, Green Gain -4, Blue Gain -8
RGB Gain/Bias
Red Gain: 0
Green Gain: 0
Blue Gain: 0
Red Bias: 0
Green Bias: 0
Blue Bias: 0
Brightness Mode: Power 100%
PureMotion: Off
For more detailed specifications and connections, check out our Optoma CinemaX P2 projector page.
Any word on model name for EU/Europe?
The P1 is marketed as UHZ65UST is Europe.
As per some of my prior comments, it would be great for you to standardize the ambient light test conditions, or at least provide more measurable information so that we can compare to our locations that are limited to non-light controlled rooms.
Thanks much, Mike
I did not measure the ambient light, but by moderate light I mean lighting coming from the side and not directly washing on the screen; in my basement studio I have accent lighting off the left of the screen that is at knee height as well as some downlights well off the left; and also a small table lamp that sits on an end table alongside my viewing couch. The space is fairly well lit with this arrangement; you could sit and read something on the couch while viewing. The projector in its Cinema mode looked great in this environment -- very punchy to the point that no one would not think it was a normal TV.
By bright light I am referring to the overhead lights being on, which includes an overhead can light that sits just three feet in front of the middle of the screen and washes directly on it. It's an absolute torture test, probably equivalent to what most people would have in a family room that's open and connected to the kitchen while preparing dinner. In Cinema mode, the projector still looked plenty bright and the black level/constrast suffered only marginally with the ALR screen; it was noticeably more washed out with my 1.3 gain matte white screen.
- with any UST screen, but more so with a 120 inch, any slight movement or misalignment is greatly magnified. If you did not, you should start out making sure that your credenza or cabinet is level (use a bubble level) both left to right and front to back. Also, if your screen wall and the back of the projector are anything less than perfectly parallel to one another you'll run into some keystone issues that will have to be corrected.
- The SmartFit app and the manual geomatric correction is designed so that the image starts out wider than the screen edges; you then use these tools to pull the edges of the image in. You can't push the edges of the image out. So if you are able to place the projector so that the edges of the image exceed the screen, it's a simple matter to pull in the four corners or even some of the other mid points along the edges between the corners to perfectly align it. If SmartFit isn't working for you, you should skip it and just use the manual geometric correction function in the menu. The SmartFit app is not designed for incremental adjustments. If you do it right, and start out with the image outside the screen edge, it just snaps the image back inside the edges of the screen.
In a basement with 2 small Windows round a corner but with cream colored walls - is a grey screen or white screen recommended?
You guys used to compare projectors to others in the same price range. I would love to know how this compares to the Epson 5050 in multiple categories.
Yes I hear you, but technology changes. I'm sure many of us are wondering when, if ever, UST projectors will provide an image that is CLOSE ENOUGH to equivalently priced long throw projectors. Providing a sentence or two about a products applicability for various environments, as you did in your reply above would be very helpful. I'm hoping that some day we can do away with the more complex installment and placement requirements of long throw projectors. We might say that physics prevents this or that UST isn't the solution, but I can't believe that we will projectors hanging from ceilings in the home in 2050, other than for nostalgia purposes.
Thanks for the review! FYI, all my knowledge for projectors came from Projector Central when I got into projectors in 2015!
I am looking for an upgrade (from my 5 year Acer H5380BD lol). I am trying to decide between the Optoma CinemaX P2 or Epson 5050UB. I am not worried about short throw vs long throw, my top priority is picture quality and color accuracy (even though I do not know much about color calibration) to watch mainly films. I am also interested in 4K quality, HDR capabilities, and I enjoy watching 3D movies (I do find it too dark in my old Acer with the 3D glasses). I'm having a hard time figuring out between these two projectors based on specs alone! I've seen great reviews for each one but never one that compares them both. I know the black levels on the Epson is considered premium but I wonder how it compares with the blacks of the Optoma P2. On the other hand, Optoma has a True 4k vs Epson with native 1080p achieving 4k with pixel shifting (although all the new 4k specs are still confusing to me!). Rainbow effect never bothered me with my Acer which is DLP.
I would really appreciate your advice in regards to Optoma P2 vs the Epson 5050UB!
Thank you! Felipe
You will almost always get better picture quality out of a long-throw setup vs. a comparable UST. Top-end ALR screens for long-throw can generate black levels that simply cannot be matched by even the best ALR UST screens. This difference may shrink as technology advances, but at least for now, long-throw will give you the best picture.
The Cinemax achieves 4k via pixel shifting. It may list the 4k resolution as "native", but it is not a true 4k chip--just like virtually every other projector in this price segment. The .47 chips give the best "4k" display at the cheapest cost. The .66 chips (like the Samsung LSP9T) are a step up from this, but still use pixel shifting. "TRUE 4k" chips put the price point solidly in the 5-figure range for virtually any projector--as of yet.
I'm a P1 owner, and I swear by it. However, if maximum, bleeding-edge quality is what you are after, I wouldn't recommend any UST. UST is great for what it does best; replacing your existing flat-panel living-room TV without having to mount/plumb anything.
@David Rivera
In my opinion, a UST ALR screen will always be preferable for any UST--regardless of ambient light. This is because the projection angle of a UST tends to cast a LOT of bleed-over light onto the ceiling. By having a sawtooth-style ALR UST screen, this light wash can be cut down on dramatically, thus improving the overall picture AND reducing the ambient light generated by splash.
@John Chensey
I did not have these type of setup issues with my P1. I manually calibrated it. The feet were used to level it to eliminate any keystone issues. I projected a white image on the wall to get an accurate representation of the height I would need to hang my 110" screen. A small bit of tweaking/nudging later...and I have a picture that fills the screen and does not wash over the 1/2" frame. I concede this is probably considerably more involved than calibrating a long-throw, but overall it was about 15 minutes or less--after I'd already hung the screen. I could easily do it again.
@Gene
Based on specs alone, if the yet to be released LSP7T is worth the price premium over the Cinemax P2--then it would pretty much have to revolve entirely around smart-tv features. Because I do not see how the quality could significantly surpass the Cinemax.
@Tony
I'm not convinced that a .47 chip will perform 120hz at an acceptably low latency. I could be wrong. I would put dollars to doughnuts that a .66 chip would be a minimum for this purpose. And hang it up if you need 240hz in order to do 3D at 120hz 4k. But that's my $.02
@Gary Piazza
I actually find the integrated soundbar a nice way to convert 2.1 into 3.1 audio. And since a UST should be best thought of as more of a TV replacement, not a home theater projector, this makes it more aligned to the market segment who would traditionally be using a flat-panel and a soundbar--if they were not using a UST. To be fair though, the audio isn't what breaks the bank. You aren't going to move up $1500 in quality at the same price point...simply by dropping off a soundbar. $100? Maybe. But that's niggling when the next cheaper offering is $500 less and the next most expensive offering is $500 more. Only a more cramped market will justify more niche offerings like a UST without onboard audio.
@JGF
I have no idea what you are talking about. Long-throw has been the market for testing all breakthrough projector technologies for years. The UHZ65 is precisely the projector you lament would be released--and it PREDATED the Cinemax P1. And that's just one example. LG is releasing YET ANOTHER offering soon; the HU810P. Viewsonic LS700-4k. Etc, etc, etc. The market (read: competition) has NEVER had the combination of laser, 4k and UST---EVER--in this price point, prior to 2019. The Dell S718QL was IT--there was nothing else. Plenty of long-throw offerings that were laser and 4k though. You have nothing to complain about. Better still? Apart from the optics & packaging, the guts of a UST and a long throw of this type are fairly similar--meaning that it doesn't cost a manufacturer a whole lot to develop a long-throw variant of an existing UST offering.
Thank you! Felipe
Unless you only plan on using a projector (any projector) in a pitch-dark room, ALR screen will give you a better picture. Even then, because of reflected light from the projector itself, it will still probably be better with an ALR screen (eg, how a UST has a lot of "light wash" on the ceiling).
I'm also not familiar with long-throw ALR offerings in regards to pricing/size options. That will also vary based on the quality of the ALR (how many layers deep), type of screen (motorized, wall-tensioned, fixed-frame, self-tensioned, etc). Additional layers probably offer diminishing returns at some point--but that's relative to viewer taste.
IIRC, the "best of the best" is Black Diamond from Screen Innovations. I'm also pretty sure it's way outside your budget target.
Given your description of your current environment a UST would be a solid pick, especially for someone who is migrating from a flat-panel tv. For an existing projector setup (assuming the wiring is already plumbed) a UST may not be as compelling of an option.
I'm currently using an XY Screens PET Grid 110" ALR UST screen for my Cinemax P1. Cannot recommend it highly enough. I'm sure PET Crystal would be even better, but for the cost...it was hard to beat. XY doesn't have a footprint for sellers in the USA, so you'll have to contact their sales department directly if you source from them. I suspect, however, that XY is actually the company that produces (or has the closest ties to) the manufacturing of screen material for a large majority of the industry.
Keep in mind that setup will likely be a tad easier for a long-throw than it will be for a UST, as a UST is quite sensitive to even the most minute of adjustments. I manually was able to do it in about 15 minutes, but that may be far longer than it takes someone experienced to do on a long throw.
Are you aware of a ALR / UST rear projection screen? I would think that with the option for rear projection, that there would be screens available, but I am having a hard time to find one.
There are windows in my viewing room, and I can close them off, but don't want to have to be married to that all the time.
Thank you again.
To ansswer the question, as with a bulb, there will be diminished capacity once the half-life is reached, but I can't say how quickly they die out after that. I do know that although they age and lose some brightness ofer time, they stay much closer to their full brightnes for most of their rated life. So it may be that once they start going, they go fast. But I honestly don't know that information.
Can the onboard audio on the P2 be used exclusively as a center-channel speaker in a 7.1 system?
Maybe someone out there has an idea for how to do this and can share.
Can you recommend a screen manufacturer I can reach out to to discuss?
Thanks.
As for the Screen Goo painted screen -- assuming you could move the projector to a suitable position there's no reason you couldn't try it. But I assume it's intended to mimic a basic matte-white or gray screen, so it won't have the excellent ambient light rejecting properties of the UST ALR screen materials this projector is designed to best work with, especially for use in bright rooms...which is why most people lean toward one of these USTs. There are higher performing 4K long throw projectors for dark room use, most of them lamp based, at this price, notably the Epson 5050UB at $3,000. We do know of one long 4K throw laser home theater projector coming out shortly in this price range, the LG HU810A, which we expect to review next month.
That said, the Optoma P2 is a pretty respectable dark room projector that will also serve well for ambient light viewing, particularly if you mate it with a UST ALR screen (which you should absolutely account for in your budget). The Epson does have 2,600 lumens max to the Optoma's 3,000, which is still pretty bright for moderate ambient light, but won't have the same punch unless mated with an ALR screen. And keep in mind that you will encounter a couple of lamp replacements with the Epson to keep it tip top over the life of the projector, but none with the laser driven Optoma.
So my advice here is that if you plan to watch primarily in a dark room and consider yourself a purist or feel strongly about having a noticeably better image for movies, the 5050UB is the better choice. But, if you have real concerns about the aesthetics or installation effort involved with the Epson, or concerns about lamp replacements, or plan to do a fair amount of ambient light viewing, the P2 with a UST screen combo will still deliver an engaging, accurate image -- just not with the same dark room impact as the 5050UB (especially with HDR, where the Epson's more advanced HDR tone-mapping and 16-point HDR tone-mapping control really help zero in a great looking image.
I forgot say thank you for the calibration settings. I honestly wouldn't know where to begin without getting a professional calibrator. We just saw the Avatar Blu-ray using the Dark Room SDR settings and it looked phenomenal. We're watching Jesus of Nazareth, the miniseries, using the Bright Room SDR settings in a fairly bright room with sunlight seeping in from outside and while the dark scenes do look washed out, I don't think there's anything to be done in those cases except get black-out curtains. But as the direct sunlight moves away, it looks better and better.
Also, I tested the HDR settings on the first scenes in Superman and they look great! My only question is that the sharpness setting at 3 seems a little low, but maybe that's the way the director intended?
Regards, Timur
This all makes more sense when you see it in front of you. Our Epson LS500 Screen Build video shows the process.
https://www.projectorcentral.com/epson-ls500-screen-build.htm
Incidentally, if the screen you're using doesn't come with a thumbscrew for the bottom of the screen to hold it out from the wall (the way the Epson screens do), you may have to stick a piece of foam or something else behind the two bottom corners to make sure the screen hangs perfectly parallel to the wall and doesn't lean in on the bottom.
Ideally I think it would be best for two people to hold the screen while a third stands back and tells them how to made adjustments then marking the screen placement and mounting. I only include this in case others search here for the same answer.
Thanks again, I'm going to give it another try today
If it couldn't display .mkv files in 3D, it would not be the end of the world as I could convert them to some other format but it would be very inconvenient.
The only thing stopping me from getting the Epson in this case would be the format of 3D glasses. I have loads of dlp link ones (compatible with the Optoma?) but they would be useless with the Epson as it uses RF glasses.
SO, my question is if you had to choose between the LG HU85LA or the Optoma CinemaX P2, which would you get in terms of picture quality, color, contrast and and why? Especially now that the new retail price of the LG is $4,999, and even better in some street price scenarios.
Thanks again for your expert advice and service you provide to the community.
My questions, pardon me if already answered....
I have a HD367 ceiling mounted projector and wish to upgrade to the Optoma Cinemax P2. I have a 92" elite aeon white screen.
Will this screen work with the projector in dark room settings?
I am trying to figure out how many inches the projector must sit below the screen. I think it would be 11 inches below the screen for a 92 inch screen. Please correct me if I am wrong. Because of my studio 100 speakers and the width of the room. I cant lower my screen anymore than it is or the speakers will be in the way of the screen.
So the measurement from the bottom of the screen to the projector. Is this the the top of the projector to get the 11 inches difference or the the actual top of the lease of the projector?
Knowing this will allow me to buy a stand or bookcase to get the projector to the correct height.
Thx in advance
Regarding settings, if you read the review you'll see that our final calibrated settings for my preferred viewing modes are supplied in the appendix at the end.
The information you provide is incredible. Thank you for what you do. I'm looking to get a screen for my Optoma P2 to be used in a dedicated dark room and I'd like the screen to be 120". I'm looking at the Aeon CLR series. Is there a major difference between the CLR2 and CLR3 series? Is there a comparable screen you'd recommend? I'm trying to get the most out of my Optoma without breaking the bank and was hoping I could save some money since ambient light won't be a concern
Thanks in advance!
https://elitescreens.com/wp-content/uploads/CLR_ALR_Materials_Comp.pdf
Thanks for the review, I ended getting one and am liking it so far. I felt the audio was a bit flat and was curious how do I connect my Polk audio subwoofer to it. Is there a specific wire to connect the audio out to the LFE in?
2 questions:
1.) what are your suggestions for bright room HDR? 2.).Your Dark Room HDR calibrations do not include HDR picture settings for “Dynamic Range. What do you suggest?
Thanks in advance.
-David
If I'm remembering correctly, Dynamic range in these projectors refers to the digital video level range of the signal; 0-255 is the full range that's used for computer/PC signals, 16-235 is the video range normally mastered into movie and TV content. If you leave it on the Auto setting, which is usually recommended, it will default to 16-235 with most content. You can experiment with forcing the projector into the wide dynamic range setting, which could in some cases make things brighter if there is content in the program in that 236-255 range. But this may not always lead to a desirable result.
My second question is whether CinemaX P2 can project a larger size (e.g. 150") on a wall without blurring images.
The P2 does not have appropriate optics to project 150 inches without losing sharpness.
Also, keep in mind that an ALR UST screen is really essential to get decent blacks and contrast with any ambient light, not to mention preventing light spill onto the ceiling from the steep angle of the lens. I recommend a high grade lenticular ceiling-light-rejecting screen with a 0.5-0.6 gain like the Elite CLR (not CLR2 or CLR3, which are different gain and a lower grade and therefore sacrifice some black level and light rejection). This will add perhaps $1,000-$1,200 in cost for a 100-inch. There are some similar alternatives out there as well. If you go with a 120 inch, along with the higher cost of the screen you will be looking at having to move the projector further from the wall and placing it lower, to the point where by the time you make room for the larger screen you're also buying a new lowboy table or TV stand to put it on. You should temporarily tape out the dimensions of both sizes on your wall with some paint masking tape to get an idea of how each will look in your room from your seating area, and also calculate where the projector will need to sit for each size since these are all fixed lens projectors with no zoom.
Getting the screen hung straight horizontally and parallel to the wall (perhaps with some felt pads to push it out a touch at the bottom if needed) is a one time thing, as is the messing around with the projector to get the image nicely aligned without the use of keystone correction. Once it's done is done, and then you just get to sit back and enjoy...
As far as I know, there's no reason you can't run these projectors for 10-12 hours daily, many commercial laser projectors are designed for 24/7 operation. Just keep in mind that you have a 20,000 rated life on most of these projectors with no real path to replace the light source. With a 20,000 hour life, at 12 hours a day every day you're looking at 1,666 days, or about 4.5 years before you're looking at replacing the projector. But I wouldn't
The first thing to check is whether the projector has a Film Mode option and make sure it's turned on. This will usually activate a 3-2 pulldown sequence to match the original content to the projector's native frame rate. If that's off when it should be on, you may see more judder. Try that first without resorting to frame interpolation as described below.
The second thing to check is the frame interpolation feature on projectors that have it, which I gather is the Puremotion feature in the Optoma. Turning it ON (not off) for its lowest setting will hopefully solve some of the issues your seeing without introducing a noticeable amount of soap opera effect that robs the movie of its film-like look.
The game mode on the P2 may eliminate a variety of other processing to get the input lag down, perhaps more than just the frame interpolation and geo correction. But I have no specific info on that.