The Optoma GT1090HDR is a short-throw 1080p HDR projector. Powered by a laser light source rated to last up to 25,000 hours, it can project a 120" screen from only 4'4" away or a 100" screen from 3'6". The projector comes with an Auto Keystone feature, so it's advertised to automatically correct for any geometry errors automatically. It has a wide selection of inputs but no built-in smart OS or wireless casting capability, so you'll need to connect an external streaming source. Finally, it's one of the few projectors still supporting 3D playback, but you'll have to buy 3D glasses separately to take advantage of that feature.
Our Verdict
The Optoma GT1090HDR is decent for watching movies. It gets decently bright; combined with its good contrast, it's a versatile choice for a variety of lighting levels. Sadly, colors don't get as bright as pure white, though, and it's not very accurate, so if you care about an accurate image, look elsewhere.
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Great format support including 3D.
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Good contrast.
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Poor color accuracy.
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Colors are significantly dimmer than pure white.
- 7.1 Movies
- Updated Sep 30, 2024: Mentioned the newly reviewed Samsung The Premiere LPU7D in the Projector Technology section of this review.
- Updated Aug 02, 2024: We've converted this review to Test Bench 0.9. We've overhauled our Contrast tests, as we now measure contrast at various average pixel levels (APL). You can see the full changelog here.
- Updated Feb 13, 2024: Review published.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Optoma GT1090HDR is part of Optoma's GT series of short-throw projectors, and it sits below the Optoma GT2000HDR and the Optoma GT2100HDR. There's also a newer variant of this projector, the Optoma GT1090HDRx, which performs the same but has a wider keystone correction range.
| Model | Light Source | Resolution | Keystone Correction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Optoma GT1090HDR | Laser | 1080p | +/- 30° vertical |
| Optoma GT1090HDRx | Laser | 1080p | +/- 40° vertical |
Compared To Other Projectors
The Optoma GT1090HDR is one of the better laser projectors on the market, but it's also very expensive for the performance. It has good connectivity and a wide range of extra features but delivers disappointing picture quality and poor color performance. If you care about image accuracy, a newer Ultra Short Throw (UST) projector like the Epson EpiqVision Ultra LS300 or even a long throw projector like the XGIMI HORIZON Ultra are better choices and cheaper.
Check out our recommendations for the best projectors and the best projectors for home. If you'd prefer a cheaper unit, look up the best cheap projectors instead.
The XGIMI HORIZON Ultra delivers much better picture quality than the Optoma GT1090HDR. The XGIMI is a long-throw projector, so you have to place it farther from the screen than the short throw Optoma. The XGIMI delivers much better picture quality, though, as colors are brighter and more accurate. The XGIMI also has a built-in smart interface, so you can stream your favorite content directly on the projector without needing an additional streaming device.
The Epson EpiqVision Ultra LS300 is much better than the Optoma GT1090HDR. The Epson is designed for use as an Ultra Short Throw projector, so it can be placed much closer to the screen, making it more convenient to set up. The Epson also handles colors much better, resulting in better accuracy and much brighter colors relative to pure white. Finally, the Epson has a built-in smart interface, so you can easily access your favorite streaming services directly on the projector without the need for an external streaming stick.
Test Results
The Optoma GT1090HDR isn't designed to be portable, as it's fairly heavy and not very compact. There's also no battery, and you must plug it in for it to function. There's a feature for auto keystone correction, but it doesn't work properly, and there's no auto-focus, so you have to adjust the geometry of the image manually every time you move the projector. It has built-in speakers, though, so you won't need to worry about connecting it to a soundbar if you move it.
The projector's light source is rated to last for 25,000 hours, so you'll likely never have to replace it. Although it accepts 4k signals from external sources, the actual projected image is only 1080p, and 4k content is downscaled to match this resolution. If you'd prefer a projector that can display a higher resolution image, consider the Samsung The Premiere LPU7D instead.
The average peak brightness of this projector is decent, but it's not very uniform, as the sides of the image are significantly dimmer than the center. Unfortunately, bright, saturated colors are significantly dimmer than pure white.
The Optoma GT1090HDR has good native contrast, leading to a pleasant viewing experience in a dark room.
Unfortunately, this projector has poor color accuracy out-of-the-box. The white balance is decent, and gamma is close to the 2.2 target, but there's too much blue in bright shades of gray. Colors are terrible, though, as almost no color is displayed accurately, and the overall color temperature is very warm.
Even after calibrating this projector, the overall color accuracy is still poor. After calibration, the white balance is much better, but the colors are still noticeably off.
The Optoma GT1090HDR has a good color gamut. It displays almost all of the Rec. 709 color space used in SDR content, but it can't display any of the wider Rec. 2020 colors beyond Rec. 709, so HDR content looks dull and muted.
There's a great selection of input and output ports. One of the HDMI ports supports MHL, so you can easily mirror your phone or tablet. The USB port is only for power delivery, so you can power a streaming stick without needing an extra USB adapter. Finally, there's a 3D Sync port and a 12v trigger port, which allows you to signal the screen to unfold when the projector powers on and inversely retract the screen when it's powered off.