Click to see more photos of the 100-inch HDBV3100.

Review by Dennis Barker

Optoma's BigVizion is available in 80-inch, 90-inch, and 100-inch in-wall models. I had a chance to spend time with the 100-inch model. And, at $30,000, it's worth every penny.

Granted, a 100-inch TV is not for everybody. BigVizion was created for that person who truly wants the "big picture." Now, you ask who would buy it? First of all, anyone who is thinking about Panasonic's new 103-inch Plasma HDTV for one, but that display costs $70,000. It could also be the person who is planning on spending tens of thousands of dollars on a high-end video projector. However, front video projectors, while capable of producing some awe-inspiring images, can only be viewed in a darkened room and also require a scaler and screen -- both of which can add several thousands of dollars to the package.

BigVizion, on the other hand, is a complete system and can be viewed in all lighting situations. And, unlike either the plasma or front video projection high-definition displays, BigVizion is upgradeable. As the technology changes or chipsets are improved, it's a simple matter of replace chips in the scaler with new chips from Texas Instruments (TI). Upgrading chipsets will be a lot less costly than replacing components or display systems. This makes the BigVizion unique in its own right.

Installing the Optoma BigVizion

BigVizion uses the TI DarkChip3 DLP light engine with a 6-segment color wheel that produces images that have a pixel resolution of 1920 x 1080 or 1080p native. The screen on model HDBV3100 features a 16:9 aspect ratio, and measures 100-inches. There are different exterior frames, which can be changed or painted to suit different decors. Optoma claims that the contrast ratio is 10,000:1, but it was measured as approximately 5,800:1. Thanks to a 180-watt lamp, images were quite bright and punchy. The display uses a first surface glass mirror with honeycomb support backing for added stability, and an optical screen with 1.8 grain high contrast along with a fresnel lens.

The BigVizion system is modular, coming in three crates: the screen assembly, the assembled electronics (assembled and all on one rack), and the mirror. The pre-assembled electronics are comprised of the light engine and system controller, which are tethered together by an HDMI cable. The system controller houses the video scaler and processor along with all connectivity, which is quite versatile and well thought out. There are three HDMI inputs plus an additional one from an A/V receiver, two component video inputs, two S-Video inputs, and two composite video inputs. There's an HDMI output to the display, and also an HDMI output to an A/V receiver. There's also RS-232C connectivity, a 12v trigger, and an IR extension module.

Setting up the BigVizion requires help from a carpenter. You need to have your carpenter create the wall opening and space with 2 x 4s. The screen assembly is attached with screws within the space. It appears to be an easy installation, and the carpentry is the hardest part.

Once the screen assembly is in place, it's simply a matter for the installer to attach the shelf that houses all of the pre-assembled electronics, which are already bolted into place. From there, the installer puts the mirror in place, attaches the HDMI cables, and the source components such as an HD DVD player, Blu-ray disc player, a satellite system (DirecTV HD was used for this evaluation), and an A/V receiver. Obviously, you could hook-up all of the sources to the BigVizion or to the A/V receiver. Either way, the audio can be easily ported through the A/V receiver, or brought into the BigVizion via its very own HDMI port.

BigVizion: Great Picture in Bright Light

Going into this evaluation, I had a certain amount of trepidation about a rear projection set of this size. The more you blow images up, the more the imperfections of the picture become apparent. However, both the standard definition and high definition images looked exceptional. While some of the credit goes to TI's 1080p DLP chip, the Gennum VXP video processor also helped tremendously.

I used three primary video sources: the Toshiba HD-XA1 HD DVD player, the Samsung BD-P1000 Blu-ray disc player, and the DirecTV HD DVR set-top box. This gave me a broad palette of images from over-the-air, cable-type channels, HD channels (including HBO, Showtime, ESPN, and UniversalHD), and high-definition optical discs.

Besides watching content from various sources, test patterns were placed on the screen from Joe Kane's Digital Video Essentials and Silicon Optix's test disc to ascertain image quality in a more scientific manner. The various test patterns showed some slight imperfections in the picture, which could be corrected. As well, BigVizion does offer ISF calibration modes including pre-set Day and Night modes, which is very handy. Of course, the set can be calibrated by the installer or even the end-user.

The two best image sources were the HD DVD player and the DirecTV HD DVR. Sadly, Samsung's Blu-ray images from "House of Flying Daggers" and other Blu-ray titles were soft and did not pop. This problem is not with BigVizion, but with the Samsung BD player itself, and Samsung's choice of softening the image from its Gennum chipset.

Images from Toshiba's HD DVD on the other hand, looked terrific. Content viewed included: "The Phantom of the Opera," "Serenity," and "Unforgiven." Images were crystal clear. While there was some noise in the image, it was the content itself and not BigVizion generating them.

Turning to DirecTV, while the over-the-air standard definition image appeared soft, it was virtually free of any video noise. This says a lot for BigVizion's processing power. Cable channel fare at 480p looked quite good and free from visible artifacts. While movies on HBO and Showtime looked fine, I was impressed watching live HD coverage of the U.S. Open on DirecTV's UniversalHD channel. It was like I was sitting in the stands and watching the players up close and personal. More impressive, I was watching the Open in a bright room. Yes, I could turn off all of the lights and get that true home theater experience, but it was nice to watch content with the lights on. And, let's face it, no one wants to watch sporting events in a darkened room.

Upgrades Make HDBV3100 Future Proof

Optoma's $30,000 BigVizion is expensive, but it does fill a specific niche in the market. For the buyer who wants the "big picture" and has the bucks to spend, the HDBV3100 makes a lot of sense for several reasons. Image quality was superior from all sources, and images were bright, crisp, and robust in regular room lighting.

Here's another reason to think about the Optoma BigVizion to fill that big wall space: Unlike a very large plasma display, it's upgradeable. As better video processing chipsets comes along from Faroudja, DVDO, Gennum, or Silicon Optix, for example, they can be incorporated into the BigVizion. You can't do that with any other flat-screen display.

Finally, if 100 inches is just too big for your installation, Optoma also offers BigVizion in 80-inch (HDBV3080; $22,999), and 90-inch (HDBV3090; $24,999) versions.

Optoma BigVizion HDBV3100 Specs

• 100-inch screen
• 1920 x 1080p native screen resolution
• Rear projection TI DLP system with DarkChip 3
• 6-segment Color Wheel
• Gennum VXP 10-bit video processing
• Advanced De-Interlacing from 1080i to 1080p
• 180w Lamp
• 10,000:1 Contrast Ratio
• Optical 1.8 gain high contrast screen
• Fresnel lens
• 1st Surface glass mirror with honeycomb support
• 3 HDMI in + 1 HDMI (from AV receiver)
• 1 HDMI out + 1 HDMI out to AV receiver
• 4 component video inputs
• RS-232C for discrete IR remote control
• Supports ISF3C modes
• Paintable frame
• 750 lbs.
• MSRP: $29,999

Optoma Technology, Inc.
715 Sycamore Drive
Milpitas, CA 95035
408-383-3700
www.optomausa.com

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