Optoma HD143X Home Theater Projector Review - Hardware 1

Posted on December 5, 2018 by Nikki Zelinger

Optoma HD143X Home Theater Projector Review – Hardware: Overview, Inputs and Connectors, Lens

Overview

The front of the Optoma HD143X houses the 1.1:1 zoom lens.

The right side of the projector has the cool air intake vent.

And the left side has the hot air exhaust vent.

A simple inputs and connectors panel lives on the back.

The top of the projector has the zoom controls and the control panel.

❮ ❯

The Optoma HD143X is compact, measuring just 12.5” wide, 9.75” deep, and 4.25” tall. Its small footprint and weight of only 6.75 lbs makes it portable enough to take in a carry on, pack up in a backpack, or simply move from room to room. It can be placed on a high rear shelf or ceiling mounted.

The projector does have a generous vertical keystone correction of +40 degrees to aid in installation/setup, but remember – keystone correction degrades the quality of the image, so it’s best to get the image as close to rectangular as possible when setting up, before correcting with keystone.

The front of the HD143X houses the lens with its manual focus ring and an IR Remote Sensor for the included remote control, as well as the hot air exhaust vent that wraps around to the left side and an easily adjustable front foot to control the elevation of the projected image. On the right side of the projector are the cool air intake vents.

The manual zoom control is located on the top of the projector, recessed and behind the lens. To its left, when looking at the front of the projector, is the lamp cover. Toward the back and behind the zoom control is the control panel, which has a typical configuration. The back of the projector has the inputs and connectors panel.

Inputs and Connectors

The Optoma HD143X has a simple inputs and connectors panel, and I mean simple. Just two HDMI ports, as is typical of home entertainment and even of higher end home theater projectors, one of which is for MHL (streaming). To their right is a single USB Type-B port that allows you to connect a mouse to the projector. There is also a 3D SYNC Out for linking 3D glasses, next to two eighth inch inputs. There is the 12-volt trigger for wired remote control, and an Audio Out for connecting external speakers.

Lens

The Optoma HD143X has a 1.1:1 zoom lens, with the focus ring located on the front.

The lens cap fits over the lens rather than over the focus ring, so the projector doesn't fall out of focus when placing and removing the lens cap.

The zoom controls are on the top of the projector, behind the lens.

❮ ❯

This Optoma is equipped with a modest 1.1:1 zoom ratio manual focus/zoom lens. This doesn’t provide a lot of placement flexibility, but it does give a bit more than a fixed lens, such as what is seen on your typical pocket projector (the HD143X is similarly priced to pocket projectors). Use the throw distance chart below to determine how far away from the projector should be setup to fill the full size of your screen.

Optoma HD143X Home Theater Projector Review – Hardware: Overview, Inputs and Connectors, Lens

Overview

The front of the Optoma HD143X houses the 1.1:1 zoom lens.

The right side of the projector has the cool air intake vent.

And the left side has the hot air exhaust vent.

A simple inputs and connectors panel lives on the back.

The top of the projector has the zoom controls and the control panel.

❮ ❯

The Optoma HD143X is compact, measuring just 12.5” wide, 9.75” deep, and 4.25” tall. Its small footprint and weight of only 6.75 lbs makes it portable enough to take in a carry on, pack up in a backpack, or simply move from room to room. It can be placed on a high rear shelf or ceiling mounted.

The projector does have a generous vertical keystone correction of +40 degrees to aid in installation/setup, but remember – keystone correction degrades the quality of the image, so it’s best to get the image as close to rectangular as possible when setting up, before correcting with keystone.

The front of the HD143X houses the lens with its manual focus ring and an IR Remote Sensor for the included remote control, as well as the hot air exhaust vent that wraps around to the left side and an easily adjustable front foot to control the elevation of the projected image. On the right side of the projector are the cool air intake vents.

The manual zoom control is located on the top of the projector, recessed and behind the lens. To its left, when looking at the front of the projector, is the lamp cover. Toward the back and behind the zoom control is the control panel, which has a typical configuration. The back of the projector has the inputs and connectors panel.

Inputs and Connectors

The Optoma HD143X has a simple inputs and connectors panel, and I mean simple. Just two HDMI ports, as is typical of home entertainment and even of higher end home theater projectors, one of which is for MHL (streaming). To their right is a single USB Type-B port that allows you to connect a mouse to the projector. There is also a 3D SYNC Out for linking 3D glasses, next to two eighth inch inputs. There is the 12-volt trigger for wired remote control, and an Audio Out for connecting external speakers.

Lens

The Optoma HD143X has a 1.1:1 zoom lens, with the focus ring located on the front.

The lens cap fits over the lens rather than over the focus ring, so the projector doesn't fall out of focus when placing and removing the lens cap.

The zoom controls are on the top of the projector, behind the lens.

❮ ❯

This Optoma is equipped with a modest 1.1:1 zoom ratio manual focus/zoom lens. This doesn’t provide a lot of placement flexibility, but it does give a bit more than a fixed lens, such as what is seen on your typical pocket projector (the HD143X is similarly priced to pocket projectors). Use the throw distance chart below to determine how far away from the projector should be setup to fill the full size of your screen.