You don’t need to spend a fortune to get a reliable projector. Optoma is one of the most popular projector brands, and their W400LVe is one of the most affordable options in their catalog. While the picture quality is lower than you’ll get from other Optoma projectors, its portable, user-friendly design and powerful lamp can make it a smart buy for businesses, schools, or anyone who makes large group presentations. Let’s break down the full details with this Optoma W400LVe review. (>>> Check on Amazon)
Optoma W400LVe Review of Main Specs:
| Optoma W400LVe | |
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| Resolution | 1280x800 |
| Contrast | 25,000:1 |
| Brightness (Lumens) | 4,000 ANSI |
| Throw Distance | 3.6' - 32.9' |
| Screen size | 30" - 301" |
| Speakers | 10.0 Watts Mono |
| Today's Best Price | BHPhotoVideo.com |
Space and Setup
The Optoma W400LVe is the ideal projector for bright spaces. It uses a 203-watt Metal Halide bulb with a brightness of 4,000 lumens, which is bright enough to compete even with natural daytime light. This makes it perfect for conference rooms, event venues, places of worship, and other large, well-lit spaces.
The key word there is large. The Optoma W400LVe can produce an image as large as 300”, but will need more than 30 feet between the screen and lens to do so. For a more standard 100” screen, you’ll still need around 12 feet, so it’s not a great choice for smaller spaces.
Along with this long throw distance, the limited image setup features on the W400LVe can make it a hassle to use in some spaces. It does have a wide 40° vertical keystone correction to support ceiling or table-top installations, but it doesn’t have any horizontal keystone correction or image shift options and the zoom is limited (1.1x). This means you’ll need to be precise with your projector and screen placement.
On the plus side, the Optoma W400LVe is more flexible when it comes to content sources and devices. Along with an HDMI input, it has RCA and VGA connectivity, letting it work with desktop computers, camcorders, or older A/V equipment like DVD players or VCRs.
Pros
- Portable design
- Bright enough for indoor or outdoor use
- Crisp contrast with vivid, accurate colors
- Good output from built-in speaker
- HDMI, RCA, USB, and VGA inputs
- Excellent value
Cons
- Long throw distance and limited image alignment options
- Low video resolution
Professional and Classroom Use
The design of the Optoma W400LVe is ideal for professional and educational uses. Along with the bright lamp and broad connectivity mentioned above, it’s durable and portable. It weighs less than 7 pounds and is fewer than 4 inches tall, small enough to carry in a messenger bag or backpack.
Something else that’s handy about the W400LVe is that you won’t need to bring an external speaker. It has a 10-watt speaker built in, with enough volume to reach everyone in a medium-sized room. The sound quality admittedly isn’t exceptional, but it’s clear enough in the mid-range for dialogue or narration.
In terms of the image, the W400LVe uses Optoma’s Brilliant Color Technology, and covers the Rec.709 color spectrum that’s the HDTV standard. It also has a high image contrast, keeping on-screen text sharp at all screen sizes and giving good definition to graphics and images.
Home Theater Performance
The Optoma W400LVe can play 3D movies and HD content. Unfortunately, it only has a native WXGA resolution (1280X800), so whatever you watch on it will be downgraded to this standard resolution. This means movies and shows will look fuzzier and less detailed, despite the strong image contrast we mentioned above.
The speakers and connectivity are also potential issues for home theater uses. The speaker just doesn’t have the low-end power for sound effects or soundtracks. The rear panel, meanwhile, only has one of each style of input, with no wireless connectivity options. That can be an issue in modern home theater set-ups with multiple content sources since the majority of today’s devices connect through HDMI.
If you’re on a tight budget, and video resolution isn’t your primary concern, the Optoma W400LVe can function in a home theater setting, and it’s a low-cost option for those who need a bright projector. However, you can find full HD projectors with more modern connectivity in a similar price range, and for most home theater users there are better options.
Optoma W400LVe Review In Summary
If you want to recreate the movie theater experience at home, the Optoma W400LVe probably isn’t the best projector for the job (>>> Find on BHPhotoVideo.com). On the other hand, its bright lamp, compact build, and versatile connectivity are its main strengths, all things you need in professional settings—and the low price doesn’t hurt, either. Deciding whether the W400LVe is a smart buy really comes down to how you plan to use the projector. We hope this review has helped you make that decision!