Theo-Z65 Lite Wide Color Gamut Projector

No Longer Available

$5,399.00

DLP (DMD Laser Phosphor)
Up to 2200 Lumens
True 4K UHD (3840×2160)
Over 80% of REC 2020
Display modes REC709, DCI P3, and BT2020
PureChrome^TM Cinema Filter
3D Support
20.5 lbs

SKU: THEO-Z65LITE Categories: Home Theater Systems, Home Theater Projector Tags: THEO-Z65, theo-z65 lite, ugraded uhz65, UHZ65, uhz65 upgrade

Description
Additional information

Read our press release on the Lower-Cost Theo-Z65 Lite upgrade:
Introducing the New Theo-Z65 Lite 4K Projector With Wide Color Gamut

Read our blog post on comparing the original Optoma UHZ65 and the Upgraded UHZ65¹

See the comparison on YouTube:

Additional blog post comparisons and YouTube Videos:
JVC DLA-NX7 vs Epson Pro Cinema 6050UB vs TVS Pro Theo-Z65
JVC DLA-NX7 vs TVS Pro Theo-Z65 Lite with Kris Deering

This projector is worth every penny.

I love this projector. The 4K content looks like it is suppose to. Blue-ray looks incredible. The colors are so strong and pronounced, yet not overpowering or unnatural. A blue jacket looks like a blue jacket, not a bluish jacket. All the subtle variations of green are now as clear as day. The colors of the lawn, watered or dying, evergreens vs rhododendrons, ect. But the most impressive is how this projector now upgrades streaming and cable picture. It could almost make a case for not buying 4K disks anymore (almost that is). Sports are brilliant even on a sunny day with 7 windows around me. The skin tones are so natural, no tints of orange or green.

This projector is worth every penny.

For reference in the past I have used other Optoma's (liked them), Epson's and Sony's. This is by far the best hands down. Rainbowing effect is little to none.

Mark C.

Looked better than being at the theaters!

We set up projector earlier and previewed a 4K movie... Divergent... And the video was outstanding.... The colors did pop right out and picture was sharp and clear.... Also on streaming 4k Star Wars movie on Disney plus, The Force Awakens... and The Mandalorian... In beautiful Dolby Amos!!! Looked better than being at the theaters!

Johnny P.

I am tickled by current performance

The image color and contrast were excellent. The HDR picture without a doubt is better than before. There is a vibrancy to the picture and contrast improvement that is very satisfactory. Reds are particularly vibrant to me. Videos that are not HDR are better calibrated as well though I didn't spend much time there. In essence, what Ted Bollinger states in the YouTube video is my experience. I have not noticed a loss of image brightness but then again, my theater room is very dark....all I can say is wow... Out of the park home run...The demo video on YouTube doesn't really give it justice as compared to actual viewing of the projector in your own environment.

Joe B.

I have watched a few movies in 4K/ HDR format and have been blown away with the color pop!

I am very happy with the picture quality of UHD 4K format as well as the HDX upscaling . Colors are amazing and have a beautiful pop. They are very close to my LG C7 OLED 65" which I am using in reference to [the upgraded] UHZ65¹. Blacks are good for this price point and I can say this is very good for a DLP projector. Overall, I give this projector a high rate for color, picture quality and the fact that it is maintenance free. I was just little bit afraid about "Rainbow effect" but with this unit it is very minimal.

Victor U. - Schaumburg, IL

The colors and brightness - I'm very pleased!

It makes my Panasonic plasma look very dull. Also, I'm very impressed with watching regular Blu-ray discs - looks very good!

Luis C. - Indian Orchard, MA

Utilizing a newly developed PureChrome cinema filter and optical modifications, the THEO-Z65 reaches new heights of color and black level performance. The laser light engine provides outstanding brightness and stable color over long periods of time and without the usual drop off of light output like conventional lamp-based projectors.

Available as a new modified projector, or as a retro modification to existing UHZ65 projectors.
Vastly improved wide color gamut, up to 80% of BT2020 for dramatically vibrant images.
Each projector is configured with settings for REC709, DCI P3, and BT2020.
Improved black level performance for deeper low level blacks and more dramatic contrast.
Improved color sharpness and reduced chromatic aberrations through the lens.
Native 4K UHD 3840 X 2160 pixels delivered to the screen for fine details and excellent sharpness.
Improved HDR performance.
Electronic presets and image processing to support widescreen 2.4:1 aspect with or without an extra lens.
Switchable PureMotion technology eliminates noise and motion blur for sports and live action content.
HDMI 2.0 and HDCP 2.2 deliver a full 18Gbps for the best 4K UHD video bandwidth and image quality.

Please retain original packaging for any future warranty or servicing needs, as it better protects the projector.

FAQs

How is this 'Upgrade' being achieved?

As mentioned in our press release, a custom-engineered PureChrome©* ultra-efficient cinema filter is being added. Additionally, our engineers make other optical modifications (such as reducing the amount of reflected light inside the light engine). Each projector is, further, being individually configured for settings or REC709, DCI P3, and BT2020.*PureChrome © TVS Pro 2018

Does it still come with Optoma’s 3 year warranty?

Optoma USA has approved this modification and the warranty for UHZ65's bought in the USA are still valid. Please notify us of any failures first.

Can you modify an international version and/or will you ship internationally?

Currently, with our Optoma contract, we are not authorized to sell or ship projectors outside of the US - even though Optoma representatives from around the world are aware of our modification.

Unfortunately, we are only authorized by Optoma USA to perform these modifications. If we were to do these modifications on one purchased outside of the US, we cannot, at this time, guarantee that the projector would still be covered under warranty.

We understand there is international demand, and we apologize for the inconvenience.

Are there partners outside of the US that can perform this modification?

As mentioned above, we are only authorized by Optoma USA to perform these modifications on projectors bought from Optoma USA. If these modifications were performed on a projector purchased outside of the US, we cannot, at this time, guarantee that the projector would still be covered under warranty.

Although Optoma USA has approved this modification they will not make them, nor will the international divisions make them either.

In addition, it is not just a simple custom-made filter installation that we've had made for the projector. There are additional optical modifications (such as reducing the amount of reflected light inside the light engine) that have to be done to each projector by a highly skilled technician. On top of that, custom calibration and configuration has to be done to effectively to reach 80% BT2020. Each Theo-Z65 projector takes over 5 hours to modify (The Theo-Z65 Lite takes much less time); it's very time consuming. It is not something that can easily and quickly be done.

Why does it take so long to get the upgraded projector or have an existing projector upgraded?

It is not simply an addition of a filter. There are additional optical modifications (such as reducing the amount of reflected light inside the light engine) that have to be done to each projector. On top of that, custom calibration has to be done to effectively reach 80% BT2020. As word has gotten out, demand for the upgrade has also risen.

Fortunately, due to improved filters and a new process, we now are able to make the upgrades quicker than they have taken in the past.

If the modified UHZ65 is able to produce up to 80% of the REC2020 Color gamut why did Optoma choose to produce theirs with only REC709 color?

Two main reasons: cost and brightness. To add a custom-tuned cinema filter for this projector would add considerably cost and would place the projector outside of their target price point. The wide color gamut also reduces the overall brightness and Optoma chose to hit their 3,000 lumen output with the UHZ65.In addition, Hollywood is currently grading content to P3 inside of BT2020. With our background and experience in the motion picture industry (we are a Red Camera, Sony CineAlta, and Canon Cinema dealer) we knew about and have been shooting in very wide color gamut (even beyond BT2020) for at least the last 8 years. We also knew that most current displays cannot even do 100% of P3 color. When we measured and saw what color beyond P3 looks like we wanted to share that with other enthusiasts of ultra wide color – even though it is outside of normal calibration and what the director is currently limited to with P3 inside of BT2020 (whether or not they want wider color).

Why do other manufacturers choose to limit their color gamut on their 4K projectors?

If it is a lamp-based projector it is much more difficult (not realistic with most current filter designs) to get much beyond the 60% to 65% of REC2020. Other 4K laser projectors could achieve this, but so far, we’ve seen no other laser light source 4K projectors that have achieved this that we could find for less than $35,000.In addition, Hollywood is currently grading content to P3 inside of BT2020. With our background and experience in the motion picture industry (we are a Red Camera, Sony CineAlta, and Canon Cinema dealer) we knew about and have been shooting in very wide color gamut (even beyond BT2020) for at least the last 8 years. We also knew that most current displays cannot even do 100% of P3 color. When we measured and saw what color beyond P3 looks like we wanted to share that with other enthusiasts of ultra wide color – even though it is outside of normal calibration and what the director is currently limited to with P3 inside of BT2020 (whether or not they want wider color).

Will the modified UHZ65 be bright enough for my screen?

Most likely yes, unless it is over 150” and you have lights on in the room. It also depends on the type of screen, the color mode selected, the color of the walls etc. If you want to watch the projector with some lights on then we would suggest keeping the screen to less than 120”. The best HDR experience will be in a dark theater-like environment with screens less than 140” and a screen gain of .8 to 1.3. A standard white matt screen is a gain of 1.0. .

How accurate is the calibration?

It is as accurate as is possible using a balance between technically correct and a reasonable amount of brightness. Each projector comes with an information sheet for optimizing the user’s preference for brightest or most accurate in each color mode for REC709, DCIP3, or REC2020.

Most projectors have a brightness rating that is really unusable because the image is too yellow or green, is that the case with this projector?

No, the brightest setting “Bright” on the this projector is still very usable and only the trained eye will notice the slight differences in color accuracy and white balance.

If the “Bright” mode is not as accurate as the other modes when would you use it?

The “Bright” mode is used with some lights on like in a sports gathering or for very large screens over 150” and up to 180”.

Since most projectors that use cinema filters are lamp based and start with 1,500 to 1,900 lumens and end up with less than 1,000 lumens with their filter engaged, how is the modified UHZ65 different?

Since the modified UHZ65 starts with 3,000 lumens we are able to achieve a very good balance of wide color and good brightness of up to a usable 2,400 lumens for the Theo-Z65 and 2,200 lumens for the THeo-Z65 Lite. The HDR mode with wide color (up to 80% of REC2020) will typically reach a brightness of 1,600 to 1,800 lumens. Lamp based projectors rarely reach past 65% of REC2020 with their best color mode and rarely reach past 1,200 lumens.

Why do some who have seen the modified version think it is as bright or brighter than the unmodified UHZ65?

It is largely due to the Helmholtz-Kohlrausch effect which states that pure color is perceived as being brighter.

There are now two versions of the upgrade: The Theo-Z65 and the Theo-Z65 Lite. What is the difference?

Quick Version: The Theo-Z65 Lite is 200 lumens less in brightness, is calibrated to 4 settings instead of 12, costs less, and takes less time to calibrate and ship out.We've made a video to help explain: