Optoma UHZ78LV review

If you’ve got a few thousand pounds or dollars to spend on a premium projector for a dedicated home cinema room, you’re spoiled for choice.

The go-to recommendation is the native 4K Sony VPL-XW5000ES, but the BenQ W5850 and Epson EH-QB1000 are both strong, five-star alternatives.

But what if viewing in a bright room is important to you, either because your viewing room isn’t fully light-controlled, or simply because you enjoy some daytime movie, sports or gaming action?

In that case, you want a super-bright projector that can punch through the ambient light – and that’s where the Optoma UHZ78LV comes in.

While the aforementioned Sony, BenQ and Epson have claimed peak brightness levels of 2000, 2700 and 3300 lumens, respectively, Optoma is claiming a monstrous 5000 lumens for its new flagship model.

So is it a great bright-room projector? And can it also deliver an impeccable dark-room movie night?

Price

Those lumens don’t come cheap: the launch price of the Optoma UHZ78LV is a hefty £5999. That converts to $8100 in the US (where the projector isn’t due to be sold) and $11,300 in Australia (where pricing is still to be confirmed).

The benchmark at this level, the Sony VPL-XW5000ES, also launched for £5999 / $5998 / AU$9990, but thanks to heavy discounting, it can now be bought for significantly less: ‘just’ £4399 in the UK at the time of writing.

The BenQ W5850 and Epson EH-QB1000 launched for £4599 / $4999 / AU$8499 and £4799 / $7999 / AU$11,900, and both still command roughly those prices.

All of that, of course, means that the Optoma is really going to have to go some to justify its much higher price.

Design

The Optoma is a fairly utilitarian-looking projector. Its blocky, functional chassis looks serious and premium, but it’s not stylish in the way of the rivals mentioned above. That’s slightly ironic, given that this is designed to be used more often in everyday living spaces than most.

That said, aesthetics matter less here than they do with a TV. Many buyers will ceiling-mount the Optoma or otherwise position it out of sight, and in that context, its understated design is unlikely to be a dealbreaker.

And, in fact, the chunky styling disguises a relatively compact form. It’s smaller than you might expect for a projector with this brightness and noticeably more compact than the Sony VPL-XW5000ES. At 11.5kg, it’s also lighter than the Sony, which helps make installation that little bit easier.

The supplied remote is functional rather than elegant. It’s quite button-heavy, which can feel a little overwhelming at first, but it is sensibly laid out, and the central navigation/enter button is easy to locate by feel in a dark room. Jabbing that button (or any other, for that matter) activates the backlight, making further operation easy during movie nights.

Features

Specs-wise, the Optoma is something of a powerhouse – and much of that comes down to its triple RGB laser light source. This is still relatively rare at this level and gives the projector an on-paper advantage in both brightness and colour volume.

As flagged right at the start, that brightness is the headline figure: a claimed 5000 lumens. That’s a huge number for a home cinema projector, and it underpins the Optoma’s aim of delivering a punchy, watchable image even in rooms with significant ambient light.

The projector uses a single-chip DLP system with pixel shifting to deliver a 4K image. This approach rapidly shifts the image on screen to create the full 8.3 million pixels required for Ultra HD, and it is recognised by the Consumer Technology Association as meeting the criteria for 4K.

In practice, it’s a technology that can produce impressively sharp and detailed images – as this projector demonstrates – but it doesn’t typically deliver quite the same level of natural crispness and fine detail as a native 4K system such as that used by the Sony VPL-XW5000ES.

Optoma claims coverage of 98 per cent of the DCI-P3 colour space and 96 per cent of BT.2020, and crucially, this wide colour performance is achieved without the need for a brightness-sapping filter.

HDR support is comprehensive. The Optoma handles Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR10 and HLG, and that Dolby Vision support is particularly noteworthy, as it remains rare among projectors and proves, as we’ll get to, a genuine strength in use.

Connectivity is solid, too. There are three HDMI inputs – two HDMI 2.0 and one HDMI 2.1 – all of which support eARC/ARC. The HDMI 2.1 socket allows for 4K/120Hz gaming, which is backed up by a pair of low-latency modes.

Engaging Low Latency mode disables features such as PureMotion and PureLight, while Ultra Low Latency goes further, also switching off image adjustments including aspect ratio, digital zoom and geometric correction. Using our Leo Bodnar input lag tester (at 60Hz), we measured input lag at 34.9ms in Low Latency mode, and a very respectable 18.1ms in Ultra Low Latency.

When it comes to installation, the Optoma is pleasingly flexible. It offers motorised zoom, focus and lens shift, along with a 1.6x zoom and a 1.25:1–2:1 throw ratio, making it relatively easy to position in a variety of room layouts.

The PureEngine Ultra processing suite provides a range of enhancement options, covering elements such as colour, contrast and motion. As we’ll explain further down, these features are best used sparingly, but it’s good to have the flexibility there.

Noise levels are impressively low, too. Optoma claims a maximum of 28dB, and in practice, the projector remains quiet and unobtrusive, even in its brightest modes. In most real-world scenarios, it will be effectively inaudible once your content starts playing.

Finally, the laser light source is rated for up to 30,000 hours of use, meaning there’s no need to worry about lamp replacements over the lifetime of the projector.

Picture

The Optoma makes an immediate impression with its sheer intensity. This is a seriously bright projector, and it uses that brightness to deliver a picture that’s bold, vibrant and consistently engaging – particularly in rooms that aren’t fully light-controlled.

Where many projectors start to look fairly washed out with ambient light in play, the Optoma is more than capable of punching through, maintaining strong colours and striking highlights that make it well-suited to everyday TV, sport and gaming, as well as movie nights.

That sense of dynamism is one of its defining traits. High-contrast scenes are delivered with real impact, with bright elements such as street lights, explosions and reflections cutting through darker backdrops with convincing force.

There’s also a pleasing sense of depth to large-scale images, giving action sequences and wide shots a tangible, almost three-dimensional quality. The battle for DC in our Civil War 4K Blu-ray, for example, looks particularly arresting, with blazing highlights and deep shadows combining to create a properly cinematic sense of scale.

Clarity is another strength. The Optoma produces a crisp, detailed image with plenty of fine texture on show, even in its more restrained modes. Skin textures, environmental detail and subtle lighting effects are all rendered cleanly, contributing to an image that feels sharp without immediately tipping into artificiality. Back to Civil War, you can clearly make out the sweat glistening on faces in harsh sunlight, while the dusty, sun-bleached landscapes retain plenty of fine detail.

In HDR, there are three main presets: HDR, Filmmaker Mode and IMAX Enhanced. Interestingly, their default settings are closer than you might expect, with the biggest differences coming from their colour tuning.

HDR is the most immediately striking, delivering maximum brightness and vibrancy, while Filmmaker Mode reins things in for a more balanced and controlled look. IMAX Enhanced goes further, offering a darker, slightly softer presentation that can initially seem subdued but proves surprisingly effective once your eyes adjust. It’s this mode that we settle on for HDR viewing in a dark room.

Even in its most restrained settings, though, the Optoma tends to favour a more expressive palette than strict neutrality. Colours are rich and often very appealing, but there’s a consistent sense of them being just a touch more saturated than they perhaps should be.

Skin tones in particular can carry a little extra warmth, which adds vibrancy but doesn’t always feel entirely authentic – something that’s noticeable in Blade Runner 2049, for example, where Luv’s typically porcelain complexion takes on a slightly warmer hue than expected in certain scenes.

That slightly over-enthusiastic approach extends to the overall balance. In a fully darkened room, the Optoma can feel just a fraction overcooked, even when dialled back. It’s not harsh or unpleasant – far from it – but there’s a sense that it’s always pushing for impact rather than settling into a completely natural, effortless delivery.

Switch to Dolby Vision, though, and things tighten up noticeably.

With Dolby Vision Dark selected, the Optoma adopts a more subtle and subdued colour balance, along with a more considered approach to contrast that better suits dark-room viewing.

Dolby Vision Bright adds a little extra punch without tipping things over the edge, and ends up being our preferred mode overall – even in a fully dark environment. Dolby Vision Cinema is the better option for use with ambient light, though you will want to disable the motion processing that’s enabled by default.

In these modes, the Optoma hits a sweet spot that proves slightly elusive elsewhere. It’s dynamic but balanced, punchy but controlled, and sharp without looking over-etched.

Even so, the Sony VPL-XW5000ES remains more flawlessly natural, particularly in the way it delivers fine detail, but the Optoma is a hugely enjoyable watch at its best.

Black levels and contrast are handled well, especially with the DynamicBlack system engaged. This adds useful depth to darker scenes while preserving highlight intensity, resulting in a picture that remains lively and engaging. Shadow detail is generally solid, and the projector avoids the kind of flatness that can affect less powerful models in mixed lighting conditions.

With SDR content, however, that balancing act becomes a little trickier. Cinema mode is overly bright and vivid for an authentic dark-room experience – though it works well with some ambient light – while Reference looks a bit cool and even slightly green.

With some tweaking, better results are possible: dropping Power to around 70 per cent, reducing Colour to 0 and disabling the PureEngine processing features produces a very enjoyable image.

Even then, though, there’s a lingering sense that the Optoma can’t quite resist leaning into the ol’ razzle-dazzle, with our Blu-ray of Logan taking on a sheen and vivaciousness that doesn’t entirely align with its gritty creative intent.

One trade-off for the Optoma’s single-chip DLP design is the presence of rainbow artefacts. These aren’t constant, but they do appear from time to time, particularly in high-contrast scenes where bright highlights sit against dark backgrounds.

In rare moments, they can become noticeable enough to distract, and more sensitive viewers will want to take this into account – for instance, bright light sources against dark skies can occasionally trigger fleeting flashes of colour.

Motion is handled well overall, though there are occasional hints of processing even with the motion processing features disabled. This can result in fleeting moments where movement looks slightly smoothed or less natural than expected. The effect is subtle and rare, but it does crop up often enough to be worth noting.

The PureEngine processing options, in general, are best used sparingly. Features such as PureColor and PureMotion tend to push the image too far, introducing an unnatural look. PureContrast can be useful in brighter rooms, though, where a little extra punch helps the image cut through ambient light.

Ultimately, the Optoma is a hugely engaging and versatile performer, particularly in rooms with some level of ambient light, where its brightness and colour vibrancy really come into their own. In a fully dark, dedicated cinema environment, it’s still very enjoyable, but its slightly heightened, more expressive presentation means it prioritises spectacle over absolute authenticity.

Verdict

The Optoma UHZ78LV is a projector with a very clear identity. It delivers a level of brightness and colour vibrancy that few rivals can match, and that makes it a superb choice for rooms where ambient light is part of the equation.

In those conditions, it’s hugely impressive. It produces a bold, dynamic and consistently engaging image that retains its punch where many projectors start to look flat or washed out.

Crucially, it also has a trump card in the form of Dolby Vision. With the right content, the Optoma finds a level of balance and authenticity that elevates it beyond its standard HDR performance, combining punch with control in a very satisfying way.

However, that performance isn’t consistent across all formats. With HDR10 and SDR content, the Optoma’s tendency towards vibrancy and impact can tip into slight exaggeration. This is most obvious in a fully dark room, where we argue that picture quality matters most.

It’s here that more traditional, dark-room home cinema-first projectors still have the edge. The Sony VPL-XW5000ES, in particular, delivers a more natural, balanced and ultimately more authentic image, with greater subtlety, more convincing motion and superior native 4K sharpness.

That leaves the Optoma as something of a specialist – but a very appealing one. It’s not the most faithful projector at this level, but it is one of the most flexible and, in the right environment, one of the most enjoyable.

So, if your priority is the most accurate performance in a fully dark home cinema, there are more accomplished alternatives. But if your viewing takes place in a room with at least some ambient light, or you want a projector that can double as a bright, punchy all-rounder for TV, sport and gaming, the Optoma UHZ78LV is an excellent choice.

SCORES

• Picture 4
• Design 4
• Features 5

MORE:

Read our review of the Sony VPL-XW5000ES

Also consider the BenQ W5850

Read our Epson EH-QB1000 review

Best projectors: budget, 4K and ultra-short-throw