The Optoma GT1080 Darbee is our 2018 test winner in the short-distance category Beamer.

Whether for an exciting home cinema experience or the ultimate gaming experience, the Optoma GT 1080 Darbee offers all the important properties and features you need for your home. The short-distance projector can score particularly well in small rooms. At a distance of less than one meter from the screen, it can project an image up to 100 inches in size. This is with Full-HD razor-sharp and offers good contrast and color values ​​thanks to the built-in Optoma technologies. In addition, the projector is well made and has a modern control panel on board.

First insight

The Optoma GT 1080 Darbee comes in a stylish white case. With its dimensions of 31,5 x 22,4 x 11,4 cm and its low weight of less than 3 kg, the projector is compact and portable. If there is a spontaneous film round with friends, it can be easily packed into the right bag and taken with you.
The Optoma can be set up without problems as well as on the blanket to be attached. The projector offers a suitable mounting option for ceiling mounting. The Optoma GT1080 Darbee has rubberized and height-adjustable feet for easy installation and optimal support. It can also be protected against theft with a corresponding Kensington lock.

Hardware & Connections

The Darbee Visual Presence technology ensures an even sharper and more real picture. Especially in the home cinema area, this point speaks for itself. In addition, thanks to the Optoma Amazing Color technology, the colors are displayed in the Rec.709 color scheme, which is over 1 billion colors. This makes the image look even more saturated. A strong and deep black is made possible by the Dynamic Black Technology.
The projector creates a brightness of up to 3000 ANSI lumens and the contrast ratio is 28.000 to 1. The projector reproduces Full HD without any problems and enables the reproduction of 3D content. To fully enjoy 3D, you also need a 3D Blu-Ray Player or another 3D-capable playback device together with suitable 3D glasses.

The GT1080 Darbee doesn't have an optical zoom, which isn't a big deal, since the image can be reduced or enlarged by simply moving the projector. The digital zoom, on the other hand, is not recommended, as it further degrades the image every time you zoom in.
No matter whether you want to project the image from your console, your Blu-Ray player or your laptop or smartphone on the wall, the Optoma GT1080 Darbee offers enough connection options. In addition to two HDMI ports that support both 3D and MHL 1.2, there is a USB-A and a USB-mini-B Connection on board. With the help of MHL, documents and presentations can be played back easily from mobile devices. It is also possible to play back photos and videos.
In addition, there is a 3D sync port, a 12 Volt output and a 3,5 mm jack audio output. On now long outdated VGA and DVIinterfaces, however, were omitted. The connections are all on the left side of the case. Unfortunately, wireless transmission via W-LAN is only possible with a separately available WHD200 adapter.

Service

The projector can be controlled both via the control panel, which is located directly on the projector, and via the associated remote control. All operating options are clearly labeled on this. The buttons also light up, which makes operation in the dark particularly pleasant.
Commissioning the GT1080 Darbee is very easy. Once the projector is connected to the power supply, connected devices are automatically recognized and the corresponding image is displayed after a short time.

The short-throw projector can deliver an image of up to 100 inches from a distance of less than one meter. This makes the Optoma GT1080 Darbee particularly attractive in the home cinema area in a confined space.

display modes

With its 5 adjustable display modes, you can set it up optimally for every situation and time of day. Individual adjustment and storage of the contrast and color values ​​is also possible. The GT1080 Darbee starts with the “VIVID” display mode by default. This offers a high level of brightness, but poorer contrasts and somewhat blurry dark tones.

In cinema mode, the full power of the GT1080 Darbee then comes to light. Razor-sharp full HD image with both high-contrast and strong colors. An excellent depth of field can also be seen. In Eco mode, the projector not only saves electricity, but also offers an even quieter and more pleasant fan volume. The fan can hardly be heard at normal film and television volume.
For gamers, the "Enhanced Gaming Mode" is also on board, which reduces the response time from 33ms to under 18ms. So you get the ultimate gaming experience on the screen. Of course, compared to PC gaming monitors, the response time can't really keep up. But if you're a console gamer, you won't notice much of a difference. Plus, the big picture on the screen is just stunning. The sharpness settings are increased in gaming mode, so textures are displayed with particularly high detail.

Furthermore, the GT1080 Darbee has an integrated Loudspeakers, of a balanced and adequately noisy Klang allows. Of course it is also possible to use external audio devices such as a HIFI to connect the system to the existing 3,5 mm jack.
Additional features of the GT1080 Darbee are ISF Modes to save day and night settings, Quick Resume to switch back on quickly if the device is suddenly switched off and the automatic switch-off function to save energy when not in use.

Pro Contra

Pro:

• excellent color and contrast values
• large picture from a short distance
• sharp picture (Full HD)
• very good processing quality
• handy design/light weight
• comparatively quiet fan
• Extensive setting options (5 modes)

cons:

• W-Lan connection only possible via retrofittable adapter
• VGA and DVI interfaces are missing
• no optical zoom

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Optoma GT1080 Darbee is an excellent projector that scores particularly well in small rooms. Together with the Optoma technologies, it delivers a damn sharp image with strong and high-contrast colors. With its comparatively low weight and compact dimensions, it is handy enough and can be transported in your pocket without any problems. In addition to the breathtaking cinema mode for the best picture, the “enhanced gaming mode” stands out. With response times of less than 18ms, the projector knows how to shine and gets the best gaming experience out of every game. What bothered us a bit is that an extra adapter is required to use the Optoma GT1080 Darbee wirelessly via W-Lan. Nevertheless, you can live without the wireless feature, since the projector offers enough alternative connection options. All in all, we are impressed by the overall package and the flexibility between cinema and gaming mode. And that's why the Optoma GT1080 Derbee became our test winner 2018 in the field of short-throw projectors.