Optoma is expanding its 4K UHD home theater projector line by introducing the CinemaX D2 Series. Optoma says this is an upgrade from the previous Buy at Amazon , and the improvements are based on user feedback. The series includes the CinemaX D2, a 4K UHD ultra short throw laser home projector, and the CinemaX D2 Smart, which adds smart TV features courtesy of an included Android TV dongle.

Ultra short throw projectors are ideal for people with limited space in their room as they can cast an image on the screen from small distances. Traditional short throw projectors need at least four feet to eight feet of distance from the screen to be able to produce high-quality images, but not all rooms have this much area to spare.  That’s where ultra short throw projectors can help. The CinemaX D2 Series, for example, can cast up to 100-inch images from less than a foot away from the screen. If you increase the distance a bit more, you get up to 120-inch images. 

The CinemaX D2 Series features 3,000 lumens and a 1,800,000:1 contrast ratio, which, oddly, is a bit of a step down from their predecessor, the CinemaX P2 projector, which offers the same brightness, but with a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio. 

The biggest boost this series offers is an Enhanced Gaming Mode that claims “blur-free visuals and low lag” with the help of its 16ms response time in 4K at 60Hz and 4ms in 1080P at 240Hz. The 30,000-hour life span (same as its predecessor) seems to be slightly higher than other ultra short throw projectors in this price range as well. Both D2 models have three HDMI 2.0 inputs, instead of the P2’s double-HDMI 2.0 and single HDMI 1.4 inputs.

For the audio, the new series offers eARC (Enhanced Audio Return Channel) audio with support for Dolby Atmos passthrough for better sound.  An internal pair of speakers provide two-channel stereo with 10 watts apiece.

We’re not entirely sure that the CinemaX D2 Smart justifies its higher price over the base D2. The Smart model comes with Android TV features, but you have to use the included Hako dongle — a small external device with its own remote. But given that it’s not baked right into the D2 Smart, and that you can buy a Buy at Amazon for just $50, it’s not clear to us why you’d want to spend $200 more for the D2 Smart, when the D2 is effectively the same projector but without the dongle.