Optoma HD25 review

For a projector that’s supposedly the king of 3D, though, we were surprised by its rather basic 3D menu options. You can change how the 3D appears on screen (though anything other than the auto or frame sequential settings hurt our eyes) and invert the 3D sync, but you can’t change the depth of field or alter the brightness. We also found the VESA 3D mode to be the most comfortable setting, as the DLP-Link 3D mode was a touch strong for us.

Menu issues aside, though, and the end result was some of the best 3D we’ve seen on a mid-range projector. Unlike most of its rivals, the HD25 comes with a pair of active shutter 3D glasses in the box, which would normally set you back around another £100 if you had to buy them separately. All you need to do is power up the glasses once you’ve connected the 3D emitter to the back of the projector. There was an inevitable loss of brightness when we turned on the glasses, but there was no evidence of crosstalk or flicker regardless of our viewing angle.

Running costs can be quite high, though, thanks to relatively expensive replacement lamps. At full brightness the lamp is rated to only last 3,500 hours, but switch to the ECO mode, which is fine for a darkened room, and the lamp is rated to last 6,000 hours. This means running costs are 10p and 6p per hour respectively.

At a price of just under £800, the Optoma HD25 would be a fantastic projector regardless of whether it came with 3D glasses or not, but the fact that it does really gives it an edge over its competitors. It also has a massive five-year colour warranty to help give peace of mind. It may not have the best 3D menu options we’ve ever seen, it’s still incredible value and it wins a deserved Best Buy award.