Reddit mentions of Optoma HD20, HD (1080p), 1700 ANSI Lumens, Home Theater Projector (Old Version)

A couple details:

Components:

I read QUITE a few reviews and this series was very highly rated at a reasonable price. Ended up getting many of them on refurb, open box, or otherwise for a great discount.

R/L Floor Speakers: Polk Audio TSi400

Center channel: Polk Audio CS20

R/L surround: Polk Audio TSi200

R/L rear in-ceiling: Polk Audio RC80i

Subwoofer: Polk Audio PSW505

Receiver: Harman Kardon AVR-3650

Projector: Optoma HD20

Screen: Elite Screens Sable, 100" CineWhite

Blu-Ray player: Pansonic DMP-BDT220

Remote: Logitech Harmony One RF (no line of sight needed)

Total of all electronic components with wiring and such came to around $5,000.

All lumber used for coffers is 1x finger jointed poplar. Used 1x8 ripped to dimension for verticals, 1x10 for horizontals. Sizes were dimensioned based upon the depth of the gimbal lights above the columns and the width of the column capitals.

Base and casement trim is also FJP, crown molding was MDF due to the major cost difference. Doors are Western solid cores, knobs by Emtek.

All speaker wires are 12 gauge UL rated for in-wall usage. All other cables and connectors are from Monoprice as well.

110v wiring is all 12/2 with 15A receptacles.

Gimbal lights from Lowes, wall sconces are Minka Lavery.

Total for all building materials came to around $2,000 (much of it in the coffered ceiling materials).

The project took around 2 months to complete from start to finish, of working on it after work each day. I'd estimate that there was about 100 hours in the ceiling construction, a great deal of that in paint work.

The columns/trim/doors/coffers are all done in a BM satin, which is the lightest shade of brown. The walls are of the same swatch, only one color darker, and in flat (to prevent light reflection from the bright projector). The ceiling is one color darker on the same swatch, also in flat. The vertical insides of the coffers behind the crown was also painted with the ceiling color to make the crown stand out more. The dark colors were all chosen to minimize any reflection from the screen.

Now that the room has a closet and an egress window, it can technically be counted as a 4th bedroom in my house when it comes time to sell.

I used to think projectors had mediocre quality, and that was very much the case years ago, but now all I see is the future. If you take your visual media experiences seriously, this is the next level. I did the research, and Optoma's HD20 is superb quality at a great price. Unless you find issue with movies in a theater, you will not find issue with anything you see on a home projector, because they look better. You will not be disappointed by the deep blacks. Sure, they could be darker, but it's really nitpicking when you see the clarity of this thing. You will want to host movie nights every night.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B002G0CWSU?sp=1

1080p projectors have really come down in price. When your bulbs die and you're looking at $200 lamps, it might be a good time to upgrade.

Optoma HD20 - $830

Great 1080p projector.

It's above the price range (assuming OP meant <$500) but I have the Optoma HD20 in my home theater room on a 120" screen and it looks great! It doesn't have built in speakers but projector speakers rarely are good. Accepts your standard VGA plug or 2 HDMI inputs if your video card has that as an output. Also, allows for component and composite connection if you have other sources that use that.

I have the Optima HD20 and a 120" screen for about 6 months and it is fantastic. Amazon sells the projector for US $900.

The bigger your fronts the less your system will rely on the subwoofer to carry the low end. I would always advise that someone go with bigger front speakers. So consequently you need to match it with the CS2 center.

Yes, with the listening position in the center of a 20' room the extra rear channels will help fill the room out. Just make sure your side channels don't point directly at the viewers.

The wood paneling if properly mounted so it doesn't rattle should be fine if it is real wood and not a compressed composite. If there is any looseness you might have to fasten some screws through the center of the panels. Also make sure when mounting the speakers to the wall you go through the panels and into whatever is behind them.

Why go with the HD33 and not just the HD20? It is an older model but all the 33 adds over it is 100 lumens (1800 vs 1700) and 3D capability which is NOT a big enough selling point for most and certainly not worth a $600 Price difference (That isn't even factoring in the price of the glasses!)

You didn't list any subwoofer in this so let me recommend the Bic America F12 If you want an Assault on your senses that will help greatly to that effect.

You can see a side by side comparison [here](http://www.projectorcentral.com/parts_compare.cfm?add=5039&add=7265_. You can read the reviews on Amazon here. The HD20 is no longer in production and depending on when it was originally purchased, it may be out of warranty. If you do buy your buddy's HD20, we'd recommend picking up an extra lamp to ensure you don't lose precious movie time when the lamp burns out.

You can also read reviews on Amazon.

Let us know if you have any more questions about the HD20. We're here to help :)

For those contemplating buying a Full HD projector, I would recommend Optoma HD20, very nice price for the quality. I bought it around a year ago, couldn't be happier. However I haven't done much research since then so there might be newer 1080p models.