By David Ponce

Optoma isn’t the first company to offer a 1080p projector in the sub $1,000 range since Vivitek is already there with their H1080FD. But a little competition never hurt anyone, and now Optoma is entering the market with the HD20, with an MSRP of $999. It’s not quite dime-a-dozen territory, but $1k for an HD projector hits a psychological sweet spot. So how are specs?

Well, this DLP projector has two HDMI inputs, 1,700 lumens, a 4000:1 contrast ratio and a bulb life of 4,000 or 3,000 hours depending on whether you watch your stuff in “standard” or “bright” mode. It operates at a native 1080p resolution (1920 by 1080 pixels), and will scale most other video and computer formats including: UXGA, WXGA, SXGA+, SXGA, XGA, SVGA, VGA resized, VESA, PC and Macintosh.

We’re not sure when it’ll hit shelves, but Optoma’s already signed distribution deals with Amazon.com, Beach Camera, Best Buy, B&H Photo Video, CDW, Fry’s Electronics, J&R, Micro Center and others.

VIA [ Fayerwayer ]