With the recent AVS deal announced for the InFocus 777, I thought people might be interested in some numbers I got for a recent 333 calibration. The performance of the 777 should be very similar, except it will have a much better CR, due to the fact that it uses the DC3 chip.

Light output and Contrast
1552 lumens. This produced 23 fL on a 133" .8 gain screen. For on/off CR I got 1428:1. I wasn't able to get the sensor close enough to the ceiling mounted projector for a reliable ANSI contrast reading. The gamma was a very flat 2.2 from 50 IRE and up and was 2.1-2.0 below that.

Color Performance
From 20-90 IRE the post-calibration grayscale was excellent, exhibiting a slight reddish bump only at 50 IRE. At 100 IRE, the lamp started to run out of red.

http://home.comcast.net/~tlhuffman/333_rgb.gif

http://home.comcast.net/~tlhuffman/333_rgb_after.gif

The primary and secondary color points were excellent. Only red showed any meaningful deviation trending towards orange. This is the best native color performance I've ever seen. It usually requires a CMS to achieve this.

http://home.comcast.net/~tlhuffman/333_color.gif

http://home.comcast.net/~tlhuffman/cie-after1.jpg

The color decoder was good. Only blue was out of spec.
R: -3.2%
G: -1.1%
B: + 11.1%

Sharpness and convergence
Because this is a 3-chip 720p design, I was concerned that sharpness might suffer. It did not. A crosshatch pattern revealed almost no chromatic aberration at the edges of the screen. Within a foot or two of the screen I could make out perhaps 1/2 pixel of color fringing of green and red. However, it was so slight that it was practically invisible even up close.

The 1280x720 resolution did not compromise sharpness at all. In fact, to my eyes the benefit of 1080p resolution is not increased sharpness, but increased smoothness. The projector was fed a 720p signal from an external processor, so I could not evaluate the 333's processing.

Subjective Impressions

The 333 produces a very appealing image. The relatively high black level did not obviously compromise the program material I saw. In fact, the combination of color accuracy, high light output (even for this large, low-gain screen), and very good optics yielded an image with a lot of depth, punch, and clarity. The color was rich and deep without being exaggerated.

I liked what I saw a lot. If anyone is considering the InFocus 777 I would highly recommend it. I am tempted.

Tom

The 333 was using Kodak firmware rather than Infocus - the cyanish whites was likely done to boost the lumens for it's target application (cinema preshows). This does not happen on Infocus firmware - it is typically flatline to 100%. It is easy to dial out - cut contrast or RGB gains - but you take the lumens hit.

I think this is a review of the DC3 version of the SP777...it has 2x the contrast of the 333 and is more like 1200-1300 lumens...Red primary is also more on target. It is a good time to be in on the 720P closeouts of high end PJ - that is for sure - let those with inferior calibrated 1080P bemoan the fact that your pic is better than theirs!

http://hometheatermag.com/frontprojectors/1105infocus/

"
Overall Rating: 93
If you have the means, there should be little to dissuade you from getting a 777. Its light output is extraordinary, the color points are nearly perfect, and everything else is damn-near excellent. This is how you make a projector.
"

Going to a local AVS meet with Infocus engineers - IN82 vs. SP777 - should be fun!

Tom

The 333 was using Kodak firmware rather than Infocus - the cyanish whites was likely done to boost the lumens for it's target application (cinema preshows). This does not happen on Infocus firmware - it is typically flatline to 100%. It is easy to dial out - cut contrast or RGB gains - but you take the lumens hit.

I think this is a review of the DC3 version of the SP777...it has 2x the contrast of the 333 and is more like 1200-1300 lumens...Red primary is also more on target It is a good time to be in on the 720P closeouts of high end PJ - that is for sure - let those with inferior calibrated 1080P bemoan the fact that your pic is better than theirs!

http://hometheatermag.com/frontprojectors/1105infocus/

Going to a local AVS meet with Infocus engineers - IN82 vs. SP777 - should be fun!

Kevin, given that I too am tempted to bite on the 777 closeout any feedback/thoughts that you could provide would be much appreciated.

TIA.

For a SP7210 replacement? Maybe I have a better idea on IN82 vs SP777 tomorrow! But obvious differences 3-chip 720P vs. 1-chip w/ iris and 1080P. I would expect the same factory calibration quality.

Looks good Tom. Helps illustrate the different things that go into an image, not just one or 2 specs.

How good is the corner to corner focus? Does the focus motor have fine control? this is often underestimated as part of overall PQ along with optics. Thanks in advance.

PS Whats the current MSRP on those babys?

coldmachine

see the sticky thread for AVS - they are doing a one month closeout - pre CEDIA thing. You know pricing is verboten in these threads. If I recall the MSRP lifetime was $8K from $10K from $15K from $30K

coldmachine

see the sticky thread for AVS - they are doing a one month closeout - pre CEDIA thing. You know pricing is verboten in these threads. If I recall the MSRP lifetime was $8K from $10K from $15K from $30K


I meant MSRP...ooops. Post edited. Thanks for the info.:D

How good is the corner to corner focus? Does the focus motor have fine control?Excellent. Yes, it seemed to.

If I had the means right now it would be a no-brainer. That's a lot of projector for the money.

Thanks for the review/numbers Tom. I'm debating if it's time to upgrade my IN76 and the 777 is on my list of possibilities.

The CR+Brightness concerns me a bit though. That's the one compliant I have about my 76, is the black level, and I've measured similar contrast off my 76, but with a much lower brightness (~1000 hours). So I'm looking for much higher CR at the same brightness in my next PJ.

Going to a local AVS meet with Infocus engineers - IN82 vs. SP777 - should be fun!

Some guys have all the fun. Be sure to let us know how it goes! I'm eager to hear some impressions on 82 vs 777, especially with the dramatic differences in specs.

The CR+Brightness concerns me a bit though. That's the one compliant I have about my 76, is the black level, and I've measured similar contrast off my 76, but with a much lower brightness (~1000 hours). So I'm looking for much higher CR at the same brightness in my next PJ.The 777 should have 3000:1 CR or maybe a little better. The SIM2 C3X gets about 3800:1 and the 777 is competitive with that.

For a SP7210 replacement? Maybe I have a better idea on IN82 vs SP777 tomorrow! But obvious differences 3-chip 720P vs. 1-chip w/ iris and 1080P. I would expect the same factory calibration quality.

Exactly -- as a repalcement to my SP7210 that has served me well. As you will be seeing the IN82 vs 777 side-by-side I would be most interested in your opinion bearing in mind that my application includes:

- 92" diagonal Stewart FireHawk
- 15' to 16' from screen to seating area
- Lumagen RadianceXD video processor
- Room has light control but NOT completely darkness, but very close
- Utilization is 50% / 50% movies/HDTV where HDTV usually, because others are in the room for football and the like, is viewed with some ambient light.

Appreciate your thoughts...

The 777 should have 3000:1 CR or maybe a little better. The SIM2 C3X gets about 3800:1 and the 777 is competitive with that.

True "unfortunately" they're also at least twice as bright as my 76, which means absolute black level would be about the same. And like I've said, black level is really my only complaint with my 76.

Now kraz, I know I can ND filter any of these down, but (going off specs), I'd have a hard time justifying equal or more cost for a 720p machine of lower contrast vs a 1080p machine of higher contrast, especially when I have no need of the added brightness, and by the time I do, will be looking for a new machine. If the 82 can actually hit over 6000:1 at a brightness equivalent to my 76, that would be as close to ideal for me as anything I've seen on the horizon.

Now of course, I'm still open to the idea of 3 chip "magic", and I'm sure they are better, but I've learned over time that most comparisions/descriptions on this forum make differences seem much larger than they actually are.

If you need to stop it down for your install - then the IN82 remote motorized iris is better than ND2 because it improves your contrast yet you can crank it up when you need to. As to which has the better contrast in reality at full blast - hard to say since our hosts SP777 had faded to dimmer than the new lamp IN82 - and had no light control so contrast was useless! Also one should take into account install issues - the SP777 is a monstrous beast with motorized lens - IN82 design echoes it like a litte brother but has manual lens. The IN82 has the latest Infocus firmware with ISFccc and color gamut controls. OTOH SP777 represents the pinnacle of Infocus at the high end - being it was originally a $30K statement piece.

If you need to stop it down for your install - then the IN82 remote motorized iris is better than ND2 because it improves your contrast yet you can crank it up when you need to.

Yeah, that had occured to me.

As to which has the better contrast in reality at full blast - hard to say since our hosts SP777 had faded to dimmer than the new lamp IN82 - and had no light control so contrast was useless!

That's a shame :(

Also one should take into account install issues - the SP777 is a monstrous beast with motorized lens - IN82 design echoes it like a litte brother but has manual lens.

Yeah, I'd pondered that one myself.

The IN82 has the latest Infocus firmware with ISFccc and color gamut controls. OTOH SP777 represents the pinnacle of Infocus at the high end - being it was originally a $30K statement piece.

Of course we all know this industry, technology and performance increases rapidly, what was a statement piece 2 years ago may be "meh" today :) (not saying the 777 is "meh", you get the idea though).

And then of course there's the $2500 MSRP disparity between the 82 and the 777....

Wow, the 777 sure is tempting for my 139" wide screen...:)

The longish throw and shelf mounting (motorized vertical shift) for my ISCO III are also a couple of pluses in my particular installation. I was very tempted by the IN82, but it just won't work in my 7' high room which unfortunately has a 10" beam going across the center, effectively blocking me from using the angles to account for the offset. The 777 won't have that problem!
The color decoder was good. Only blue was out of spec.
I wonder if the decoder on the 777 is more accurate. Even if it is the same, I can always use the mislabeled RGB "saturation" controls on the C2 to correct any minor deviations.

Thanks, Tom...You keep tempting me with these options...:)

The 777 should have 3000:1 CR or maybe a little better. The SIM2 C3X gets about 3800:1 and the 777 is competitive with that.
FWIW, I flew out to CO about a year an a half ago to see the C3X and 777. We measured them damn close on CR. If you can find the archived thread it might have the measurments. Search for my userid a +777 +C3X. I got a 777 cause at the time it was $4k less for my particular circumstance.

Re optics, I know manufacturers don't mean anything necessairly but the 777 lenses ar made by Minolta, I have a spare and it's written all over the inside. My edge to edge focus is very good.

Re power focus. It is pretty granular. I've never had any trouble zeroing in on "right". Also has power offests, left, right, up and down. They could use a little more granularity, but I've never had any issue with them. A waste of motors mostly, I'd have preferred manual there since I only use it once really.

re a screen smaller than 110" diag: You'll need ND2's If your screen is that small, I'd go with the 82. This puppy is a light cannon, outstanding color and optics, but with no ND filter, I'd say it's best for a 135"+. I am very happy with mine and the ND2 though. I can pull it if the bulb dims. If it had an iris, man I think it would be bad to the bone.

Overall I preferred the C3X, but performance wise they were visually and measured very close. My 777 was dead on out of the box on calibration. Coming from the completely hosed Optoma's prior, I was thrilled.


YMMV. HTH, Scott

Here's that thread. It is an interesting read.

http://archive2.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=589990

That's the one that started it. Lot of good commentary in it, but this is the one with the meat of the comparison (also linked via the other thread):

http://archive2.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6499660&&#post6499660

That thread greatly enfluenced my buying decision. Shortly after that thread appeared, I had an opportunity to buy a C3X and I jumped on it; a decision I have never regretted. I think these high end 720p 3 chippers hold up extremely well even in today's 1080p-dominated market, given a compatible seating location.