HITACHI PJ-TX200 INFOCUS IN76 OPTOMA THEMESCENE HD72i PANASONIC PT-AE900 SONY VPL-HS60
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John Archer puts five projectors to the test that deliver true high-definition thrills without breaking the bank.
efore you all rush out to buy the latest LCD or plasma TV thats taken your HD-
obsessed fancy, spare a thought for video projectors. Great though some LCD
and plasma TVs are, can any of them deliver an HD picture up to 200in across?
Nope, they cant. And can any of them deliver even, say, a 70in picture without requiring you to remortgage your house? Again, no they cant. For the sort of true big-screen, home cinema thrills just described, video projectors are the only affordable option. In fact, theyre now more affordable than ever, with many
HD Ready projectors nding their way comfortably under the 2k price mark. To prove this point, over the following pages weve rounded ve HD Ready PJs that range in price from 1,700 to just 1,500. These big-screen superstars include DLP as well as LCD models, as Texas Instruments nally begins to ship HD Ready chipsets to PJ builders at affordable prices. In other words, as well as a shootout between ve different home cinema wannabes, theres also a classic technology war in the ofng. Let the battle commence.

HD Ready

2 Rumble

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Grouptest. HD Ready Projectors

HITACHI PJ-TX200

1,300 (approx) 000 www.hitachidigitalmedia.com Overall Rating
ts the joint cheapest projector in this grouptest, it claims a remarkable contrast ratio of 7000:1, and its
beautifully designed to boot. But is the
award-winning Hitachis LCD-based PJTX200 still a top performer?

Design and connections

Were always suckers for well-placed curves here at Home Cinema Choice especially when those curves are accessorised, as they are on Hitachis PJ-TX200, by an opulent high-gloss nish, extravagant grilles and an elegant colour scheme. The projectors connections are solid enough, featuring the de rigeur HDMI and component jacks for high-denition duties, plus a PC jack, the usual S-video/composite video stuff, and a 12V trigger jack.

Excellent

Distinguishing features
The TX200s LCD panels deliver a 1280 x 720 native resolution and, according to Hitachis specications, a contrast ratio of 7000:1. This is achieved via a dynamic iris system, whereby the projector continually assesses the content of the source image, and adjusts how much light the iris lets out accordingly. Note that while its not exactly a cheat
consisting of four ultra-low dispersion and aspherical lenses. This system allegedly delivers exceptional colour toning and ne detail, as well as, hopefully, reducing the appearance of the grid-like chicken wire effect witnessed on many lesser LCD projectors. Also worth a mention is an impressive selection of gamma and iris adjustments, together with 10-bit digital image processing delivering a claimed 1.07 billion colours. Whos counting, though?
The TX200s sharpness makes it arguably the nest PC machine here, too. Whats more, the TX200s sharpness is achieved even while its lens arrangement does a mostly excellent job of suppressing LCDs pixel grid structure. The downsides to the TX200 only become apparent in the company of the two excellent DLP models in this grouptest, as they both enjoy deeper, richer black level than even this Hitachi, as well as slightly more expansive, natural colour ranges. The only other general concern about the TX200 is that using the projectors Auto2 iris mode can cause the pictures brightness to leap about quite distractingly. So avoid it!

LAB REPORT

Colour Black Level Contrast Resolution

Average

method, this system means youll only get even close to the 7000:1 contrast ratio maximum by sacricing quite a bit of brightness during dark scenes. The lens arrangement Hitachi has used for the TX200 is a so-called Super ED array,

Performance

For me the TX200 is the nest affordable HD Ready LCD projector available. For starters, by LCD standards its black level really is outstanding. With the auto iris function active, dark scenes suffer far less with the greying over, atness and

SPECIFICATIONS

ITEM HD Ready Progressive Scan Composite S-video Component Video HDMI/DVI PC input SUPPORT

Conclusion

Theres no doubt that the TX200 is one of the nest LCD HD Ready projectors this side of 2k, and well worth considering if you want a machine thats as accomplished with PCs as it is movies. Nice one Hitachi
DETAILS All the key specs are handled Compatible with 480p and 720p 1 phono input 1 input 1 input 1 HDMI 1 D-Sub
lack of detail common to LCD projectors. Colours, meanwhile, also outstrip practically every other LCD projector weve seen. They combine the extreme vibrancy and brightness common to LCD with a naturalism and subtlety of tone thats anything but common to LCD. LCD can usually be depended on for providing plenty of sharpness and ne detailing, and the TX200 certainly doesnt disappoint. The clarity and texture evident in a Sky HD broadcast, for example, is done exceptional justice by the TX200, as every last detail is resolved without serious accompanying dot crawl or grain.
Resolution: 1280 x 720 Brightness: 1200ANSI Lumens (claimed); Contrast: 7000:1 (claimed) Dimensions: 340(w) x 113(h) x 298(d)mm; Weight: 4.7kg Also featuring Super ED lens system; Dual digital iris; Whisper mode (under 24dB); Gamma settings; Multi-stage iris control; digital keystone correction; x4 magnification; 30in-300in image; F=1.7-2.4; RS 232 port; 12V trigger jack
Simple, sleek and slender: Hitachis remote is a crowd-pleaser AUGUST 2006

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Tried&Tested.

INFOCUS IN76

1,700 (approx) www.csesolutions.co.uk Overall Rating
hile LCD HD Ready projectors costing under 2K have been around for a while now, DLP HD
Ready projectors are only just nding their me wonder how much early budget HD Ready DLP projectors, like the InFocus

sub-2k feet. Which cant help but make
IN76 here, have had to sacrice to get down and dirty with their LCD rivals.
The IN76s glossy black-and-silver look is wonderfully slick. In fact, aside from perhaps being a touch large, its as pretty a projector as youll see in this price bracket. It is well connected, too. Alongside an HDMI jack, you get an ultraexible M1-DA socket you can use via an adaptor for attaching yes! a second digital source. Or a PC (with a USB onboard), a component video source, a Scart. pretty much anything, really. A dedicated set of component jacks, a 12V trigger and an S-video input round off an impressive array. include from-the-box colour calibration to the cinematically accurate 6,500K
standard, and an auto-calibrating six-segment colour wheel. Image tweaks available to the user include skintone correction, white peaking adjustment, noise reduction, and offset/ gain adjustments for the red, green and blue elements of the picture. Its worth adding that setting the IN76 up is helped both by a rotating, tilting joint between the projectors main body and its desktop foot, and by a really logical and backlit! remote. HD footage really makes the IN76 sing. It resolves outstanding amounts of HDs ne detail and texture. Budget DLP commonly struggles versus LCD in this regard, but the IN76 looks every bit as sharp as our LCD contenders. The IN76s colours, meanwhile, are radiantly vibrant and, more importantly, superbly natural in terms of both their tone

Excellent Good

to pay for the general excellence of its video images.
If youre looking for an inexpensive HD DLP projector that comfortably outperforms its price tag, then this Infocus offering is certainly the projector for you
is that it inevitably suffers occasionally with DLPs rainbow effect. But even this is actually suppressed better than usual for the sub-2K market, and seems like a puny price
The IN76 uses a 1280 x 720 DLP chipset, promising a healthy 3000:1 contrast ratio and video-optimised brightness of 1000 ANSI Lumens. Remarkably the IN76 can handle 1080p HD sources as well as 720p and 1080i, thanks to its use of a Pixelworks DNX 10-bit scaler. Other key specications
It took all of, ooh, a minute for the IN76s performance to demolish my worries over whether a sub-2,000 DLP model can really deliver the picture goods. There are so many good things going on its hard for me to know where to start. Black level is outstanding for this price point, reaching deeper and holding on to more shadow detail than I could possibly have hoped for. In doing so it makes the extravagant contrast claims of the LCD models in this grouptest seem very suspect indeed. The IN76s pictures are also remarkably free of noise. And, for once, Im not just talking about HD in this respect, as the IN76 also does a
ITEM HD Ready Progressive Scan Composite S-video Component Video HDMI/DVI PC input SUPPORT DETAILS Yes, plus 1080p compatible Compatible with 480p, 576 and 720p 1 phono input 1 input 1 dedicated input, 2nd input also available via M1-DA 1 HDMI, 1 M1-DA for 2nd HDMI/DVI Via M1-DA

Classy and backlit, this remote combines looks with practicality AUGUST 2006
terrically clean job of scaling standarddenition too.
Resolution: 1280 x 720 Brightness: 1000ANSI Lumens (claimed); Contrast: 3000:1 (claimed) Dimensions: 360(w) x 360(d) x 120(h)mm; Weight: 4.5kg Also featuring Pixelworks 10-bit scaling; multi-angle table mount; keystone correction; gamma presets; three user setting memory slots; white peaking adjustment; overscan; flesh tone correction; film mode; colour space/ temperature/control adjustments; noise reduction system

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The only tick in the negative column
and the subtlety of their blends.

OPTOMA THEMESCENE HD72i

1,500 (approx) 800 www.themescene.tv Overall Rating
t just 1,500 Optomas cheapest HD Ready DLP projector
Themescene H72i is not only the
yet, but also the rst DLP model able to directly battle its LCD rivals on their own price ground. But can it emerge from that battle victorious? video jacks. There are S-video and composite video ports, and, most impressive of all, an RGB Scart (via an adaptor), making it one of the few projectors to offer this output. The DVI jack can be also used for connection to a PC. a feature called Image AI, which reduces the brightness of the lamp if it detects a lot of darkness in the incoming signal. The projector also claims a healthy maximum brightness of 1300 Lumens, and employs Faroudja DCDi processing for smoother motion, better scaling and contoured edges free of jaggedness. Also included is Optomas TrueVivid technology for subtly enhancing the pictures detail and colour response. Then theres Texas Instruments BrilliantColour system for souping up the vibrancy of colours without damaging their tone, while colour is provided by a 7-segment, four-speed colour wheel. Elsewhere can be found a series of source-based image presets, RGB gain and bias adjustments, degamma presets, and both horizontal and vertical keystone natural range than any of the LCD options, while also looking for the most part vivid and involving. Also impressive is the lack of noise in the picture. This includes general noise like grain and detail moiring, but also, more impressively, DLP-specic issues like dotting over dark parts of the picture and zzing over horizontal motion. In an ideal world, though, the picture would perhaps follow the lead of the Hitachi and InFocus models in looking a touch sharper, especially where HD is concerned. Finally, I found myself slightly more aware of DLPs rainbow effect than I was with the rival InFocus model.
The HD72i feels lightweight, especially the focus adjustment ring. But at least its glossy white nish and elegant lines make it look more opulently built than it really is. Connections are good, thanks to the provision of HDMI and DVI digital video options, and a dedicated set of component

Considering how cheap it is, theres a lot of impressive technology under the hood. Interestingly, the chipset at its heart is
1280 x 768 with a 16:10 aspect ratio, which is better suited to PC use and can be used to increase the image size. There is also a 16:9 option. Optoma claims a
contrast ratio of 5000:1 though it should be noted that this is only achieved using
Although not quite as impressive as the InFocus IN76, Optomas ThemeScene HD72i redeems itself by being at least 200 cheaper. Consider it a good value and highly versatile high-denition projector proposition
DETAILS All the key specs are hit Compatible with 480p, 576p and 720p 1 phono input 1 input 1 input 1 HDMI, 1 DVI Via DVI
adjustments. Despite all this apparent exibility, I didnt nd the HD72i the easiest projector to set up.
The HD72is pictures betray few if any signs of the projectors budget price tag. Especially convincing for 1,500 are its black levels, which while perhaps not quite as convincingly profound as those of the InFocus IN76 certainly teach the same-priced LCD models in our grouptest a thing or two. I also enjoyed the HD72is colour delity, which displays a wider and more subtly
Resolution: 1280 x 768 Brightness: 1300ANSI Lumens (claimed); Contrast: 5000:1 (claimed) Dimensions: 347(w) x 246(d) x 95 (h)mm; Weight: 3.1kg Also featuring Faroudja DCDi and TrueLife; BrilliantColor; 4-speed, 7-segment colour wheel; 27dB noise output; Image AI auto brightness adjust; vertical and horizontal keystone; vertical/horizontal image shift; RGB gain/bias adjust; noise reduction; vertical and horizontal edge enhancement
Looks the part but doesnt harmonise with the onscreen menus AUGUST 2006

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PANASONIC PT-AE900
1,500 (approx) www.panasonic.co.uk Overall Rating
DLP projectors into the professional market. Its current model is the PT-AE900.
anasonic has been a long-standing champion of LCD technology for home video, even while it sold
The AE900s looks are decidedly underwhelming. Particularly uninspiring is the nish, but I was also unmoved by the plain colour scheme and rather standard sculpting. If you were hoping to add a dash of glamour to your coffee table, this isnt the projector for you. Connections get the job done. HDMI and component jacks satisfy the connectivity part of the HD Ready specications, and theyre joined by a PC input and a Scart socket. Yes, a Scart socket. Why more projector makers dont include Scarts is beyond me. So, well done Panasonic! automatically reduces the amount of light let through the lens during darker scenes. On hand to tackle LCDs visible pixel grid structure is a revamped version of Panasonics tried and tested Smooth Screen technology. This uses a double refraction crystal/prism arrangement to reduce the gaps between pixels while making lines thinner and brighter. Theres also an innovative Cinema Colour Management system which allows you to adjust over a billion colours, and an inspired setup arrangement whereby you can shift the picture up, down, left or right using a joystick on the projectors front. Black levels are good too, going way deeper than most LCD models, including the more expensive Sony HS60. This helps give dark scenes a fair sense of scale. However, while good, Panasonics AE900 is found fractionally wanting in one or two areas by the extremely high standards of some of its rivals. For instance, the black levels of the DLP models, and the Hitachi LCD, are deeper

Overall, theres a lot to like about Panasonics PT-AE900. Its a hugely accomplished projector that will serve anyone that buys it superbly for gaming and movies alike. That its marginally outgunned by some of its rivals in this group test says more about the quality of the competition than it does about the limitations of the AE900
Panasonics AE900s LCD system offers a 1280 x 720 native resolution, and serves up impressive contrast and brightness claims of 5500:1 and 1100 ANSI Lumens respectively. As with the Hitachi and Sony LCD offerings reviewed elsewhere in this grouptest, this contrast is achieved thanks to a dynamic iris, which analyses the incoming picture and
Pictures from the InFocus, Sony and Hitachi projectors also look slightly sharper, perhaps because of the Panasonics otherwise excellent Smooth Screen system.
Panasonics AE900 can be added to the growing list of projectors in this grouptest that delivers a really impressive picture performance. Without doubt the strongest weapon in the Panasonic arsenal is its colour response. In terms of sheer vibrancy, in fact, the AE900 is arguably the best of our ve contenders. Whats more, the brightness and richness of the colours even holds good during darker scenes, and the tone is generally unusually natural by LCD (though not DLP) standards. Panasonics Smooth Screen system, meanwhile, does a good job of removing
ITEM HD Ready Progressive Scan Composite S-video Component Video HDMI/DVI PC input SUPPORT DETAILS Yes, plus 1080p compatible Compatible with 480p and 720p 1 phono input 1 input 1 input 1 HDMI 1 D-Sub
The remote is backlit and capable of learning other handset commands AUGUST 2006
all evidence of the LCD grid. In fact, noise in general is well suppressed.
Resolution: 1280 x 720 Brightness: 1100ANSI Lumens (claimed); Contrast: 5500:1 (claimed) Dimensions: 335(w) x 104(h) x 270(d)mm; Weight: 3.6kg Also featuring Smooth screen technology; cinema colour management; dynamic iris control; gamma adjustment; R, G and B adjustment; +/- 30 degree keystone adjustment; learning, universal remote with LCD and backlight; manual lens shift via joystick

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detailing.
and more replete with subtle shadow

SONY VPL-HS60

1,700 (approx) www.sony.co.uk Overall Rating
s the most expensive LCD entrant in our group test, Sonys VPL-HS60 has several points to prove: is it
really better than its cheaper LCD rivals,
and is it at least as good as the same-price InFocus IN76?
The HS60 isnt particularly attractive its too conservative for that. But its certainly well built and extremely serious looking. Which bodes well for the quality of its innards. Connectivity is fair, including an HDMI input, component video inputs, and a PC jack. But a second digital jack wouldnt have gone amiss given that its rival DLP models in this group test manage to include such connectivity. native resolution of 1280 x 720, while Sony claims its optical arrangement rather remarkably produces a contrast ratio of 10000:1 by far the highest such gure boasted in this grouptest. Bear in mind, though, that you only get anywhere near the 10000:1 gure by using an automatic iris control system that looks for dark
contrast plummets from the claimed ratio of 10000:1 to between 1700:1 and 2300:1. Other tricks found in the projectors menus include further manual iris control functions, black level adjustments, gamma correction, and a Real Colour Processor that lets you adjust colours with exceptional subtlety.
However, the HS60 trips up on few points. First and worst, with the picture optimised for contrast, the brightness is reduced so much that the picture looks muted. Also, during bright scenes we became slightly more aware of the pixel structure of the picture than we did on any of the other projectors in this grouptest, especially when something bright moved across the screen. For the record, neither the Sony VPL-HS60s colour tone nor its black levels are as impressive as those of the other contenders in this grouptest.
The HS60s LCD 3-LCD chipset delivers a
scenes and automatically reduces the brightness of the bulb when it spots them. In other words, you can only get the best contrast by sacricing potentially considerable brightness. Sony itself admits that without the Auto Iris system on, the projectors
There are a number of aspects of the VPL-HS60s performance that are truly outstanding. Before I even get to its pictures Im happy to report that it runs so quietly that you can scarcely hear it. I was also quickly awestruck by the
Theres certainly nothing actually bad about Sonys VPL-H60. Indeed, its well built and feature-laden. But in my opinion its performance isnt quite good enough to justify its relatively high cost

DETAILS All the key specs are hit Compatible with 480p and 720p 1 phono input 1 phono input 1 input 1 HDMI 1 VGA
phenomenal sharpness of its picture. In fact, in this respect Id say its probably the best projector in this entire grouptest. Especially given that this sharpness is delivered alongside completely natural, jaggie-free edges, and without generating scarcely a trace of pixel- or colour-noise. Black level is good by general LCD model standards, showing much less greyness than previous generations. Theres a decent amount of shadow detail in dark areas too, helping pictures enjoy a tangible sense of scale and depth.
Resolution: 1280 x 720 Brightness: 1200ANSI Lumens (claimed); Contrast: 10000:1 (claimed) Dimensions: 348(w) x 360(d) x 135(h)mm; Weight: 5.6kg Also featuring Also featuring: Auto iris system, Real Colour Processing. 40-200in picture, horizontal shift; noise reduction, 3D gamma correction, vertical keystone correction, Cinema Black Pro processing, 100in image from 3.9-4.5m; 1.6x zoom lens; 23.0db fan noise
Comfortable, well laid out and as solidly built as the projector AUGUST 2006

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CONCLUSION
rewarding home cinema experience. However, although theres not always much in it, some of our projectors are still denitely better than others. For instance, overall we have to say we found the Sony the least attractive proposition of the ve. Its a beautifully built machine, but one or two aspects of its performance feel a touch outdated compared with the other four machines which ultimately makes its price tag look steep. In fourth place is Panasonics AE900. It seems harsh to have to place such an accomplished machine so low down our league table, but theres no avoiding the fact that good though it is, three other projectors are even better. In joint second rests Hitachis PJ-TX200. This is unquestionably the nest HD Ready LCD projector weve reviewed to date, and is perhaps the best projector here if youre looking for a PJ for PC as well as movie use. For pure movie magic its rivalled by Optomas Themescene H72i. Aside from some imsiness in its build quality, its hard to comprehend quite how Optoma has managed to squeeze so much cinematic ability in for a price tag of just 1500. These two are only kept off the top spot by the appearance of something truly special: the InFocus IN76. This looks great, performs stunningly well, and is laden with userfriendly features galore. In fact, everything about this PJ suggests that it should cost way more than it does. The nal thing to say here is that there seems to be a denite victor in technological terms from this grouptest. First and second place go to the two DLP models, with the LCD models occupying the bottom three slots. It looks like LCD is once again going to have to up its game if it wants to usurp DLP as the movie projection format of choice.

The picture says it all.

Theres one word we could use to sum up this grouptest as a whole: wow. It really is
remarkable how much quality is now available at the budget-end of the HD Ready PJ market, to the extent that any of our ve contenders is capable of delivering a deeply

RATINGS

Brightness
1. InFocus IN76 TX-50PV500

1,700 (approx)

.a home cinema designed, installed, and calibrated for another happy client.

Panasonic

Plasma & LCD Specialists
Highs: Price, design, pictures, operating system Lows: Traces of rainbow effect

Clarity

Features

Overall 1,500 (approx)

2. Optoma Themescene H72i
Highs: Price, picture mostly, connectivity Lows: Traces of rainbow effect, slight softness
Brightness 2. Hitachi PJ-TX200
CEDIA Pounds have been established for nearly 60 years as a family business, now in its third generation. We have the expertise, knowledge, and resources to help put a smile on your face when you watch a film in your own home cinema.

CERTIFIED RETAILER

Highs: Design, sharpness, brightness, price Lows: Black level bettered by DLP, best contrast only achieved at expense of brightness
Whether its a discreet plasma based system in the lounge or a full-blown dedicated room, like the one shown, with THX sound and ISF calibrated picture..we can help.

4. Panasonic PT-AE900

Highs: Exceptional colours, decent price, good black levels, no noise, Scart socket Lows: Picture is fractionally soft, black level outgunned by rivals
Brightness 5. Sony VPL-HS60

Overall 1,700 (approx)

Highs: Build quality, black level, sharpness and detail Lows: Bit pricey, picture could be brighter, occasional visible pixel structure

Overall

Home Cinema Choice Installer of the Year 2002, 2004, 2006
266-270 High Street, Ponders End, Enfield EN3 4HD Tel: 3000
www.poundstv.co.uk hello@poundstv.co.uk

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On test

DLP projector Approx price: 1,700

InFocus IN76

InFocus may have lost the Screenplay name, but its certainly gained a whole lot of new respect from John Archer
onsidering it was once one of the most prolic brands in the video-projection world, InFocus hasnt produced anything new for a worryingly long time. So its almost with trepidation that we approach the companys long-awaited IN76. Will it prove that InFocus has lost none of the touch thats made it one of the projection worlds stars, or will it prove that theyve lost ground on more regular rivals? The rst thing to note about the IN76 is that its lost the Screenplay sub-name InFocus previously used to distinguish its AV projectors from its multimedia range. The second thing to note is that the clunky looks
Heading around to the projectors rear we nd a very healthy set of connections, including an HDMI jack and an M1-DA multi-format interface that can with the right adaptors take everything from a digital DVI feed through a PC signal to component video or USB sources. So potentially you can connect two digital sources simultaneously. Alongside this key duo theres a separate, dedicated set of component video inputs, a 12V trigger jack, an S-video input, and a 9-pin control port. At the IN76s DLP heart, meanwhile, beats a DarkChip2, 1280 x 720-resolution DMD panel.
In its quest for affordable projection excellence, the IN76 sets the benchmark
of the Screenplay range have been replaced you might almost say banished by one of the most extravagantly stylish designs in the projector rmament. Out are the boring old colour schemes and bland styling; in is a vision in highgloss black and silver, with more curves and angles than the Sydney Opera House. In other words, its something your coffee table will actually be proud to bear. Whats more, the design isnt just style for styles sake, as the foot the projector rests on connects to the projector via a ball joint that lets you turn and angle the projector all over the place, so that its easier to get the picture correctly aligned. This makes the projector HD Ready, and seriously well specied for something costing 1,700. For while HD Ready LCD projectors under 2k are reasonably common, DLP models are still a denite rarity. InFocus claims to have eked a contrast ratio of over 3,000:1 out of the IN76s optical engine, together with a video-optimised brightness of 1,000 ANSI Lumens. Assuming theyre reasonably accurate, both these gures again read very well in the context of the 1,700 price. The video scaling engine driving the projectors DMD is a Pixelworks DNX 10-bit affair and, remarkably, its capable of handling 1080p source material as well as the usual
PAL/NTSC/720p/1080i suspects. So far as were aware, the IN76 is the UKs rst sub-2k 1080p handling DLP projector. Elsewhere among the innards, theres an auto-calibrating, sixsegment colour wheel, while the projectors colour tone has been individually hand calibrated at the factory to the video-optimised 65k colour point, meaning that you can enjoy perfect video colouring straight from the box. Which is nice. Heading for the projectors onscreen menus via the attractive, backlit and thoughtfully laid-out remote control, we uncover reams of tweaks for adventurous users to play with. Highlights include a series of gamma presets, a white peaking adjustment, overscanning, eshtone correction, noise reduction, colour space/temperature correction, and gain and offset tweaks for the red, green and blue image components. With so many options available to you, its nice to nd that InFocus has included three User Preset memory slots. But even more important is the fact that for all the IN76s sophistication, even a novice should have the projector up and running in almost any room in under ve minutes.

Details

FEATURES
Type: Panel shape: Resolution: HD Ready: DLP 16:x 720 Yes (will even take 1080p) Quoted contrast ratio: 3,000:1 Quoted brightness: 1,000 ANSI Lumens Throw ratio: 1.52-1.92 (distance/ width) Supported video formats: NTSC, PAL, SECAM, EDTV, HDTV & RGB HDTV (720p, 1035i, 1080i, 1080p) Dimensions: 360(w) x 360(d) x 120(h)mm Weight: 4.5kg Other features: Pixelworks 10-bit scaling; multi-angle table mount; keystone correction; gamma presets; three user setting memory slots; white peaking adjustment; overscan; esh tone correction; lm mode; colour space/temperature/ control adjustments; noise reduction

performance

So far weve really struggled to nd anything bad to say about the fantastic IN76. And, pleasingly this trend continues into its picture performance. With knobs on. By the standards of any HD Ready DLP projector the IN76s pictures are good; by the standards of one

HDMI input

InFocus has nally got around to including a dedicated HDMI jack

MI input

The M1-DA jack is exceptionally exible, able to take everything from a PC to a second digital source

S-video

The S-video input is actually more worthwhile than on most projectors thanks to the quality of the IN76s scaling

SOCKETS

HDMI input; M1-DA jack (for DVI, USB, component, PC etc via adaptors); S-video input; trigger jack; Service jack; composite video input

CONTACT

www.csesolutions.co.uk
076 I What Video and High-Denition TV Issue I 309

WHV309.infocus 076

31/5/06 2:18:14 pm

Also Consider >>

LG AN110W Fair to middling HD Ready DLP performer, turned into something really interesting by its vertical wall-mounting design Reviewed: Issue 306
HITACHI PJ-TX200 Uses LCD technology so the contrast isnt as consistent, but its good value at 1,500 Reviewed: Issue 303
Say hello to a new, curvier InFocus home cinema projector
DLP projector HD Ready 1,280 x 720 native resolution 3,000:1 claimed contrast ratio Pixelworks video processing costing just 1,700, theyre so good its almost beyond a joke. Especially outstanding is the lack of video noise, be it grain, dot crawl, moiring over ne details, or even the twin DLP nasties of the rainbow effect and dotting over motion.

This absence of noise is down to two key factors, it seems to us: the simple quality of the IN76s optical arrangement, and the quality of the Pixelworks scaling system. For more proof of just how exceptional this scaling is for a 1,700 product, try feeding in a standard-denition Sky Digital feed via the S-video port. If any sub-2k HD projector has ever done as good a job of upscaling such a signal, we havent seen it. Also hugely impressive are the IN76s black levels. We have seen even darker black levels on more expensive projectors admittedly, but theres certainly nothing better in its price class. Whats more, rather than looking empty and over-dominant as dark areas often do on cheap projectors, the IN76s dark bits are superbly stuffed to the gunnels with the sort of shadow details and greyscale subtleties that really bring a movie to threedimensional life. Want even more good news? Then
how about the IN76s colour tone? In terms of both saturation and naturalism of tone, the IN76s colour handling is streets ahead of the pack in its own class, and actually only marginally less vibrant than many projectors costing twice as much. It probably wont surprise you given the quality of the scaling engine mentioned earlier, that the IN76 completes its quest for affordable projection excellence with a superb ne detail performance. Again the IN76 sets the benchmark for its class, as no other sub-2k DLP projector does such an immaculate job of rendering all the lovely extra detail in a high-denition movie transfer. So is there anything bad to say about the IN76? Well, weve already hinted that more expensive projectors can delve even deeper with black levels and serve up slightly richer colours. Also, although occurrences of it are rare, the rainbow effect can occasionally be seen if you look close enough. But all were really doing here is arguing that you could do better if you spend a bare minimum of a grand more. Taken as it really should be, in the context of its 1700 price ticket, the IN76 is actually pretty much awless
Lovely to look at, backlit and impressively uncomplicated, this is how projector remotes ought to be

Looks Layout Labelling

Ratings

WHATS GOOD

Picture; design; price; connectivity

WHATS BAD

Occasional rainbowing
Picture Features Ease of use Value

VERDICT

One of the cheapest HD Ready DLP projectors around, but also one of the best
Issue 309 I What Video and High-Denition TV I 077