Optoma EP739

The Optoma EP739 is a DLP (Digital Light Processing) business projector that can also be used in a home entertainment environment. The unit is quite chunky but, at 2.4kg, it isn't too much of a hassle to move from place to place.

Included on the projector are analogue D-sub, S-video, composite RCA and DVI connectors, though only the composite and D-sub cables are supplied. These produce good quality results, but during our tests the EP739 occasionally lost the analogue signal.

We found using a digital connection far more reliable. Picture quality was very good, with no sign of colour splitting, and excellent representation of different tones.

Our review model coped well with everything from ordinary text and image-based presentations to movie playback and there are four preset modes (PC, movie, game and sRGB) designed to coax the best picture from different applications.

The EP739 is very easy to use, with a logical menu structure and an infrared remote control. Home users will be pleased to hear that it isn't particularly noisy, but its chassis can get rather hot with prolonged use.

The projector has an optional short-throw lens (£150), designed to provide a bigger picture in a smaller space. This is a useful feature, since it lets you have quite a large picture without having to position the projector far away from the wall or screen.

On the whole the EP739 is a great projector and at £1,052 provides excellent value for money, particularly for the business user. At this price it may also be attractive to home users, but we wouldn't recommend it unless you have a fairly large room, as it is extremely bright.