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What follows is an edited version of an even longer report I typed up on the plane as I was heading home to Colorado Springs from CEDIA. I was hoping to keep the impressions fresh in my mind.
Here goes:
WHAT I SAW AT CEDIA
INFOCUS
Infocus was the line I was most excited by – not only did they have several excellent projectors at all price points, they also seemed to have the best “bang for the buckâ€when it came to features for the dollar.
SCREENPLAY 7205
Previewed at the show was the new Screenplay 7205, the eventual replacement for the 7200 that we should see in January or February of 2004. Essentially a 7200 with the new Mustang hd2 + chip, this projector boasted excellent black levels, contrast and brightness. How did it compare to the 7200? It bested the 7200 in a few areas – first of all, there is a new dark green segment in the color wheel (also added by several other manufacturers of HD2+ products) that adds detail and helps to reduce noise in dark scenes. This was evident when Infocus demoed several very dark scenes from COURAGE UNDER FIRE – not only were they detailed and noise free, the blacks appeared to be deeper than what the 7200 is capable of. Secondly, because of the “dimple fix†employed in the new Texas Instrument DLP chips, brightness and contrast are improved as well. Infocus now claims a 2200:1 contrast ratio (compared to 1400:1 for the 7200) and a 1100 lumen brightness output (versus 1000 on the 7200). Keep this in mind for those of you desiring a large screen – Infocus is practically the only projector that throws a true 1100 lumen output in the HD2 projector camp, therefore one of the only HD2 DLP projectors that will properly illuminate a greater than 100†screen! While several other manufacturers showed projectors that displayed deeper blacks than Infocus it was ALWAYS at the expense of brightness. Marantz showed a projector that I was very impressed with, but it was considerably dimmer than the Screenplay 7205 (600 or 700 lumens). This is fine if you choose a
smaller screen, but it was instructive that Marantz chose a 100" screen to demo what their projector is capable of.
SCREENPLAY 5700
I continue to be amazed by this projector. I had opportunity to view this again and think it is an excellent unit for the under $5000 price point, bright, punchy and colorful.
NEW 3 CHIP DLP
Also shown by Infocus was a prototype for a new high end 3 chip DLP model that should list out in the $20,000 to $30,000 area. Three chip DLP models have considerably better bit depth to display colors, higher brightness, and better contrast. The unit on display looked great, but was still just a prototype. The main differences I noticed were in color and brightness, plus the total absence of rainbows. We should see this projector in February or March.
NEC
NEC was there with the HT-1000 and a new rear projector that is designed to be mounted in-wall (!). The HT-1000 looked great, as always, and I finally got to see the anamorphic lens they designed for the unit. It’s a large metal case that slides over the front of the projector and hinges out of the way when you are watching 4:3 material.
HT-1100
One of the disappointments of the show was that the new NEC HT-1100 is just going to be an updated HT-1000 and NOT a 16:9 High Definition piece. Pretty much everyone was expecting that the HT-1100 was going to be NEC’s foray into the Mustang HD2 camp, but NEC stated that they wanted to stay with what was already working for them. This strikes me as an overly conservative stance to take, but NEC certainly has a winner with the HT-1000. We won’t have pricing, specs or availability on the HT-1100 until after Christmas, but it looks to be almost identical to the HT-1000.
OPTOMA
THE H76 WAS THERE AND LOOKING GOOD!
Optoma made an impressive showing at CEDIA as well. While I didn’t get to see the H-56 in action, by all accounts it is pretty much a clone of the NEC HT-1000 in terms of specs and performance.
That brings us to the H76, a unit that has been the subject of several bizarre rumors over the last few months. Despite numerous reports that the unit would not be shipping due to numerous problems, it was there in all its glory at CEDIA! I spent quite a while looking at it, since it offers a lot for its price point. I must say that I was impressed – colors looked good, rainbows were almost non-existent, and it seemed plenty bright on the 110†screen they had it playing on. It was also one of the quietest projectors I’ve ever heard (or didn’t hear!). H76 is a very large projector that is also very heavy. The size of the unit is due to the extra space needed to quiet the fan and color wheel noises. The only real negative was that it seemed slightly soft – it didn’t have the razor sharp look of the Screenplay 7205. Still, some people might find that preferable as it can be more pleasing to the eye. It also could have been that the projector wasn’t focused properly. Still, several people commented on it. Another possible negative is the limited connectivity – if I remember right, there were only four inputs on the back, one each S-video, composite, component, and DVI.
DWIN
Dwin had one of the weakest presentations at the show - the rep demoing the piece defined "low energy/enthusiasm." On the positive side, DWIN has a great idea separating the inputs from the projector, putting them all in a separate box than can be placed with your other a/v components. On the negative side, I saw more rainbows with this projector than with any other unit at the show. Performance in all other areas was good but nothing exemplary. Still, other than the rainbows, I couldn’t find much to complain about. Solid, but nothing special.
This is instructive, don't you think? I read another's opinion on this board stating that they saw the least amount of rainbows with this projector, where my friend and I immediately looked at each other and said "rainbows!" the moment we walked out of the booth. To me, this just proves the subjectivity of all of this, that you should evaluate these products for yourself. Also, the SAVING SILVERMAN clip was HiDef, NOT DVD. The fact that it was mistaken for DVD bolsters my impression that this projector is not up to many of the others I saw.
SHARP
This was by far the most disappointing presentation I saw at CEDIA! The Sharp XVZ12000, their flagship, looked overly processed and “smeary†to me. It just plain didn’t look , well, (if you’ll excuse the pun) sharp! The picture looked dim and lacked detail, IMO. I polled several others and they all felt the same way. In fact, we were all very surprised, since Sharp has always been a leader in this field. I can’t help but think that the XVZ12000 was just not properly calibrated. The other explanation is that the dullness of the image was due to their running their projector in “hi-contrast†mode, which I confirmed by asking the manufacturer rep demoing the unit. Yes, they are claiming a 5000:1 contrast ratio with this unit, but it seems to be at the expense of every other aspect of the picture!
Even worse was the XVZ200, their new projector using the TI Matterhorn chip (1024 x 576 resolution, just like the Screenplay 5700). In this case, the picture was once again dim but also very grainy and noisy. This was just the opposite of the 12000, which was dim but overly smooth and lacking in detail. I can honestly say that the Screenplay 5700 “blew away†the XVZ200 for a Matterhorn projector, and I am not fond of such hyperbolic statements.
Perplexing.
MARANTZ
This was the HD2+ projector I was most fond of after the Screenplay 7205. I liked the image detail, colors, punch, and deep blacks of this projector. Yes, it was very dim compared to the 7205, but it looked great on the 100†screen they displayed it on (because of this dimness, I would only suggest it for screen sizes 100†or smaller and if you can totally darken the room). Still, this projector lists out at over $12,000, so it ought to look great!
A good, but pricey, piece.
SONY
I finally got to see the highly touted Sony SXRD projector after waiting 3 days just to get into the demo theater! I must say it was worth the wait. I don’t think I am exaggerating when I say that it was the best presentation I have ever seen outside of an IMAX theater. It was that good. The deck was stacked a bit, since they were showing 1080p video, but who can blame them? After all, the SXRD projector is rated at a full 1920 x 1080 resolution.
The image was absolutely stunning – extremely bright, sharp, and detailed, with absolutely NO screen door effect even sitting right in front of a huge screen. Again, I am not given to hyperbolic comments, but I was amazed by the picture. Of course, the Sony SXRD projector will be selling for close to $30,000 PLUS lens! Still, an outstanding unit.
I saw this on the last day of the show, and they were only playing HiDef material. I gather from reading other comments on this board that DVD didn't look all that hot, but I can only go by what I saw. The colors looked extremely natural, mainly due to the Xenon bulb if I were to guess.
YAMAHA
I got to take a peek at the Yamaha DPX1000 the last day I was there, but didn’t get to spend much time with it. It looked like a competent performer, but I couldn’t tell too much from the mediocre looking DVD being displayed. To top that off, there was no one around to change the source to something a little more impressive, like High Def, for example.
STUDIO EXPERIENCE
Unfortunately Studio Experience did not have a 50HD to display at the show (that is the Mustang HD2 projector that can be placed 45 degrees off center and still deliver a properly aligned image), but they did have a 20HD that looked great at the Stewart Filmscreen booth. Stewart was using it to show how well the Firehawk screen rejects ambient light (very well!) and the 20HD was simply showing still frames of flowers, insects, and such. Kind of hard to get a good feel for how well it does video, but the image was plenty bright and the colors were extremely vivid.
JVC
JVC was mainly showing their DILA projectors at a separate suite in one of adjoining hotels, but I ran out of time before I got to see their presentation (too bad, from all the comments posted here!). Fortunately, Cinelight had a side by side comparison of the JVC DLA-SX21 and the Screenplay 5700. If you are not familiar with the JVC model, this is the piece that Jerry Bruckheimer has in his house and is now personally endorsing in a series of ads for JVC. DILA looks extremely smooth with almost no discernable screen door effect, even when you put your nose right up to the screen. Compared to the 5700, the JVC did indeed look smooth, but muted. Blacks were more of a dark grey and the image obviously had less contrast than the 5700. To most people coming in the room the 5700’s image was more striking, since it was brighter and punchier. Closer examination reveals that the JVC has considerably higher resolution, resulting in more detail and MUCH less screen door effect. Still, the JVC lists out at $11,000 and takes more tweaking to set up properly. Hats off to Cinelight for being the ONLY booth at CEDIA where you could compare two projectors side by side.
BENQ
BenQ was a no show at CEDIA. They were being roundly bashed by the other manufacturers (one rep stated that BenQ stood for “Bad Engineering, No Quality), but it may be they are just mad at BenQ for coming out with a cheap HD2 Projector that is giving them some serious competition.
SAMSUNG
I did get to spend an hour with Joe Kane looking at the new Samsung HD2 projector, another impressive piece that is a tweaker/engineer’s dream. While the image looked a little washed out to me (and, for some reason, the blacks were not very deep at all), there was no denying how detailed and colorful an image it put out. Joe Kane has some very definite ideas of what makes up a good picture, and if his philosophies appeal to you, this is a projector to check out. He obviously places accuracy in color as his ultimate objective and is willing to sacrifice other picture performance aspects to get it.
MANUFACTURERS I WANTED TO CHECK OUT BUT RAN OUT OF TIME
SIM
RUNCO
FINAL THOUGHTS
What gets me is that most is that there were more similarities in performance between projectors than there were differences. When it comes to DLP products, they all use the same Texas Instruments chips as their starting points. It’s all in how they implement it. Some, like Infocus, go for brightness and large screen sizes. Others, like Marantz and NEC, go for percieved higher contrast and deeper blacks. It all comes down to personal preference, like so many things in life.
A couple of comments about black level/contrast – first of all, black level is always going to be the cumulative result of several different factors that influence the picture. First is lumen output, the actual light output of the projector measured at the screen. The higher the lumens, the brighter the picture and the less deep the black area of the picture will appear. Obviously, the opposite is also true – pick a projector with lower light output and you will have deeper blacks, but at the expense of brightness. This is such a simple cause and effect that it seems too elemental to be true, but it is. It’s not as if some manufacturer has a secret formula that gives them both high brightness and inky blacks, it’s all a matter of compromises – you must always sacrifice one to achieve the other. This is all based on conversations that I had with several manufacturers and one VERY long conversation I had with one of the main engineers at Texas Instruments – if you want deep blacks, it’s going to be at the expense of brightness and vice versa. The exact same formula works in regard to contrast – contrast ratio is also at the expense of brightness, and is also a specification that is exaggerated by MANY manufacturers. Fact is, there is no absolute standard for measuring contrast ratio, and projector manufacturers often make outrageous claims. For example, Sharp claims a 5000:1 contrast ratio for the new Sharp XVZ12000. After talking to Texas Instruments, I discovered that that spec was obtained in a lab after adjusting the projector to obtain the very best contrast at the expense of every other picture parameter. Yes, 5000:1 contrast could be obtained, but the result was a picture so dim it was practically unwatchable.
The other factor affecting brightness and contrast perception is screen size and material. You want deeper blacks? Buy a bigger screen! Asking a projector to throw 1100 lumens onto a larger area will reduce the overall brightness on the screen, and presto! Deeper blacks are the result. Another way to do it is to buy a screen made of grey material or of a lower gain. I walked away from CEDIA with a much better understanding of the different manufacturers and screen materials than I had walking in.
I bring all of this up to hopefully clear up some of the voodoo that seems to go into specifications that manufacturers claim. It’s a numbers game, so take them with a grain of salt. If it looks good, it is good. My advice has always been take a look for yourself and ignore the specs. Judge these products by your own perceptions. My high regard for Infocus is based on several factors – honesty in reporting their specs, bang for the buck, and the fact that they design their projectors to look good in your home, not just in a test lab. In the real world, people do want screens larger than 100†and do have ambient light hitting the screen. In both of these circumstances the extra brightness really comes in handy!
Lastly, I’d like to say that this doesn’t mean that I think that Infocus makes the very best projector for every circumstance. In fact, if you have a totally light controlled room, a screen 100†or smaller, and a desire for the very deepest blacks out there, a Sharp, NEC or Marantz is probably the projector for you. My only goal here is to put things in their proper perspective.
Be very wary of statements like “the Sharp blows away the NEC, “ or “the Optoma was a piece of crap!†Sometimes they are true (and I’d like to believe that they are when I make them!), but you should always look for yourself. It’s amazing how bad a product can be made to sound if the retailer you are talking to doesn’t carry it. One of the frustrating things at the show is that we could so rarely compare performance side by side! Different demo clips and improperly calibrated projectors could probably account for most of the differences I saw.
I have tried here to set down what are (obviously) my subjective first impressions filtered through my knowledge of this technology. I have only offered an opinion when I felt that I was seeing through to the true performance of a projector after removing all of the CEDIA floor variables. Most projectors when properly set up will give you an excellent picture, and the differences between them always reflect the choice of compromises made by their designers.
Congratulations to all that made it to the end of my long and hopefully not to tedious report!
JOHN
What follows is an edited version of an even longer report I typed up on the plane as I was heading home to Colorado Springs from CEDIA. I was hoping to keep the impressions fresh in my mind.
Here goes:
WHAT I SAW AT CEDIA
INFOCUS
Infocus was the line I was most excited by – not only did they have several excellent projectors at all price points, they also seemed to have the best “bang for the buckâ€when it came to features for the dollar.
SCREENPLAY 7205
Previewed at the show was the new Screenplay 7205, the eventual replacement for the 7200 that we should see in January or February of 2004. Essentially a 7200 with the new Mustang hd2 + chip, this projector boasted excellent black levels, contrast and brightness. How did it compare to the 7200? It bested the 7200 in a few areas – first of all, there is a new dark green segment in the color wheel (also added by several other manufacturers of HD2+ products) that adds detail and helps to reduce noise in dark scenes. This was evident when Infocus demoed several very dark scenes from COURAGE UNDER FIRE – not only were they detailed and noise free, the blacks appeared to be deeper than what the 7200 is capable of. Secondly, because of the “dimple fix†employed in the new Texas Instrument DLP chips, brightness and contrast are improved as well. Infocus now claims a 2200:1 contrast ratio (compared to 1400:1 for the 7200) and a 1100 lumen brightness output (versus 1000 on the 7200). Keep this in mind for those of you desiring a large screen – Infocus is practically the only projector that throws a true 1100 lumen output in the HD2 projector camp, therefore one of the only HD2 DLP projectors that will properly illuminate a greater than 100†screen! While several other manufacturers showed projectors that displayed deeper blacks than Infocus it was ALWAYS at the expense of brightness. Marantz showed a projector that I was very impressed with, but it was considerably dimmer than the Screenplay 7205 (600 or 700 lumens). This is fine if you choose a
smaller screen, but it was instructive that Marantz chose a 100" screen to demo what their projector is capable of.
SCREENPLAY 5700
I continue to be amazed by this projector. I had opportunity to view this again and think it is an excellent unit for the under $5000 price point, bright, punchy and colorful.
NEW 3 CHIP DLP
Also shown by Infocus was a prototype for a new high end 3 chip DLP model that should list out in the $20,000 to $30,000 area. Three chip DLP models have considerably better bit depth to display colors, higher brightness, and better contrast. The unit on display looked great, but was still just a prototype. The main differences I noticed were in color and brightness, plus the total absence of rainbows. We should see this projector in February or March.
NEC
NEC was there with the HT-1000 and a new rear projector that is designed to be mounted in-wall (!). The HT-1000 looked great, as always, and I finally got to see the anamorphic lens they designed for the unit. It’s a large metal case that slides over the front of the projector and hinges out of the way when you are watching 4:3 material.
HT-1100
One of the disappointments of the show was that the new NEC HT-1100 is just going to be an updated HT-1000 and NOT a 16:9 High Definition piece. Pretty much everyone was expecting that the HT-1100 was going to be NEC’s foray into the Mustang HD2 camp, but NEC stated that they wanted to stay with what was already working for them. This strikes me as an overly conservative stance to take, but NEC certainly has a winner with the HT-1000. We won’t have pricing, specs or availability on the HT-1100 until after Christmas, but it looks to be almost identical to the HT-1000.
OPTOMA
THE H76 WAS THERE AND LOOKING GOOD!
Optoma made an impressive showing at CEDIA as well. While I didn’t get to see the H-56 in action, by all accounts it is pretty much a clone of the NEC HT-1000 in terms of specs and performance.
That brings us to the H76, a unit that has been the subject of several bizarre rumors over the last few months. Despite numerous reports that the unit would not be shipping due to numerous problems, it was there in all its glory at CEDIA! I spent quite a while looking at it, since it offers a lot for its price point. I must say that I was impressed – colors looked good, rainbows were almost non-existent, and it seemed plenty bright on the 110†screen they had it playing on. It was also one of the quietest projectors I’ve ever heard (or didn’t hear!). H76 is a very large projector that is also very heavy. The size of the unit is due to the extra space needed to quiet the fan and color wheel noises. The only real negative was that it seemed slightly soft – it didn’t have the razor sharp look of the Screenplay 7205. Still, some people might find that preferable as it can be more pleasing to the eye. It also could have been that the projector wasn’t focused properly. Still, several people commented on it. Another possible negative is the limited connectivity – if I remember right, there were only four inputs on the back, one each S-video, composite, component, and DVI.
DWIN
Dwin had one of the weakest presentations at the show - the rep demoing the piece defined "low energy/enthusiasm." On the positive side, DWIN has a great idea separating the inputs from the projector, putting them all in a separate box than can be placed with your other a/v components. On the negative side, I saw more rainbows with this projector than with any other unit at the show. Performance in all other areas was good but nothing exemplary. Still, other than the rainbows, I couldn’t find much to complain about. Solid, but nothing special.
This is instructive, don't you think? I read another's opinion on this board stating that they saw the least amount of rainbows with this projector, where my friend and I immediately looked at each other and said "rainbows!" the moment we walked out of the booth. To me, this just proves the subjectivity of all of this, that you should evaluate these products for yourself. Also, the SAVING SILVERMAN clip was HiDef, NOT DVD. The fact that it was mistaken for DVD bolsters my impression that this projector is not up to many of the others I saw.
SHARP
This was by far the most disappointing presentation I saw at CEDIA! The Sharp XVZ12000, their flagship, looked overly processed and “smeary†to me. It just plain didn’t look , well, (if you’ll excuse the pun) sharp! The picture looked dim and lacked detail, IMO. I polled several others and they all felt the same way. In fact, we were all very surprised, since Sharp has always been a leader in this field. I can’t help but think that the XVZ12000 was just not properly calibrated. The other explanation is that the dullness of the image was due to their running their projector in “hi-contrast†mode, which I confirmed by asking the manufacturer rep demoing the unit. Yes, they are claiming a 5000:1 contrast ratio with this unit, but it seems to be at the expense of every other aspect of the picture!
Even worse was the XVZ200, their new projector using the TI Matterhorn chip (1024 x 576 resolution, just like the Screenplay 5700). In this case, the picture was once again dim but also very grainy and noisy. This was just the opposite of the 12000, which was dim but overly smooth and lacking in detail. I can honestly say that the Screenplay 5700 “blew away†the XVZ200 for a Matterhorn projector, and I am not fond of such hyperbolic statements.
Perplexing.
MARANTZ
This was the HD2+ projector I was most fond of after the Screenplay 7205. I liked the image detail, colors, punch, and deep blacks of this projector. Yes, it was very dim compared to the 7205, but it looked great on the 100†screen they displayed it on (because of this dimness, I would only suggest it for screen sizes 100†or smaller and if you can totally darken the room). Still, this projector lists out at over $12,000, so it ought to look great!
A good, but pricey, piece.
SONY
I finally got to see the highly touted Sony SXRD projector after waiting 3 days just to get into the demo theater! I must say it was worth the wait. I don’t think I am exaggerating when I say that it was the best presentation I have ever seen outside of an IMAX theater. It was that good. The deck was stacked a bit, since they were showing 1080p video, but who can blame them? After all, the SXRD projector is rated at a full 1920 x 1080 resolution.
The image was absolutely stunning – extremely bright, sharp, and detailed, with absolutely NO screen door effect even sitting right in front of a huge screen. Again, I am not given to hyperbolic comments, but I was amazed by the picture. Of course, the Sony SXRD projector will be selling for close to $30,000 PLUS lens! Still, an outstanding unit.
I saw this on the last day of the show, and they were only playing HiDef material. I gather from reading other comments on this board that DVD didn't look all that hot, but I can only go by what I saw. The colors looked extremely natural, mainly due to the Xenon bulb if I were to guess.
YAMAHA
I got to take a peek at the Yamaha DPX1000 the last day I was there, but didn’t get to spend much time with it. It looked like a competent performer, but I couldn’t tell too much from the mediocre looking DVD being displayed. To top that off, there was no one around to change the source to something a little more impressive, like High Def, for example.
STUDIO EXPERIENCE
Unfortunately Studio Experience did not have a 50HD to display at the show (that is the Mustang HD2 projector that can be placed 45 degrees off center and still deliver a properly aligned image), but they did have a 20HD that looked great at the Stewart Filmscreen booth. Stewart was using it to show how well the Firehawk screen rejects ambient light (very well!) and the 20HD was simply showing still frames of flowers, insects, and such. Kind of hard to get a good feel for how well it does video, but the image was plenty bright and the colors were extremely vivid.
JVC
JVC was mainly showing their DILA projectors at a separate suite in one of adjoining hotels, but I ran out of time before I got to see their presentation (too bad, from all the comments posted here!). Fortunately, Cinelight had a side by side comparison of the JVC DLA-SX21 and the Screenplay 5700. If you are not familiar with the JVC model, this is the piece that Jerry Bruckheimer has in his house and is now personally endorsing in a series of ads for JVC. DILA looks extremely smooth with almost no discernable screen door effect, even when you put your nose right up to the screen. Compared to the 5700, the JVC did indeed look smooth, but muted. Blacks were more of a dark grey and the image obviously had less contrast than the 5700. To most people coming in the room the 5700’s image was more striking, since it was brighter and punchier. Closer examination reveals that the JVC has considerably higher resolution, resulting in more detail and MUCH less screen door effect. Still, the JVC lists out at $11,000 and takes more tweaking to set up properly. Hats off to Cinelight for being the ONLY booth at CEDIA where you could compare two projectors side by side.
BENQ
BenQ was a no show at CEDIA. They were being roundly bashed by the other manufacturers (one rep stated that BenQ stood for “Bad Engineering, No Quality), but it may be they are just mad at BenQ for coming out with a cheap HD2 Projector that is giving them some serious competition.
SAMSUNG
I did get to spend an hour with Joe Kane looking at the new Samsung HD2 projector, another impressive piece that is a tweaker/engineer’s dream. While the image looked a little washed out to me (and, for some reason, the blacks were not very deep at all), there was no denying how detailed and colorful an image it put out. Joe Kane has some very definite ideas of what makes up a good picture, and if his philosophies appeal to you, this is a projector to check out. He obviously places accuracy in color as his ultimate objective and is willing to sacrifice other picture performance aspects to get it.
MANUFACTURERS I WANTED TO CHECK OUT BUT RAN OUT OF TIME
SIM
RUNCO
FINAL THOUGHTS
What gets me is that most is that there were more similarities in performance between projectors than there were differences. When it comes to DLP products, they all use the same Texas Instruments chips as their starting points. It’s all in how they implement it. Some, like Infocus, go for brightness and large screen sizes. Others, like Marantz and NEC, go for percieved higher contrast and deeper blacks. It all comes down to personal preference, like so many things in life.
A couple of comments about black level/contrast – first of all, black level is always going to be the cumulative result of several different factors that influence the picture. First is lumen output, the actual light output of the projector measured at the screen. The higher the lumens, the brighter the picture and the less deep the black area of the picture will appear. Obviously, the opposite is also true – pick a projector with lower light output and you will have deeper blacks, but at the expense of brightness. This is such a simple cause and effect that it seems too elemental to be true, but it is. It’s not as if some manufacturer has a secret formula that gives them both high brightness and inky blacks, it’s all a matter of compromises – you must always sacrifice one to achieve the other. This is all based on conversations that I had with several manufacturers and one VERY long conversation I had with one of the main engineers at Texas Instruments – if you want deep blacks, it’s going to be at the expense of brightness and vice versa. The exact same formula works in regard to contrast – contrast ratio is also at the expense of brightness, and is also a specification that is exaggerated by MANY manufacturers. Fact is, there is no absolute standard for measuring contrast ratio, and projector manufacturers often make outrageous claims. For example, Sharp claims a 5000:1 contrast ratio for the new Sharp XVZ12000. After talking to Texas Instruments, I discovered that that spec was obtained in a lab after adjusting the projector to obtain the very best contrast at the expense of every other picture parameter. Yes, 5000:1 contrast could be obtained, but the result was a picture so dim it was practically unwatchable.
The other factor affecting brightness and contrast perception is screen size and material. You want deeper blacks? Buy a bigger screen! Asking a projector to throw 1100 lumens onto a larger area will reduce the overall brightness on the screen, and presto! Deeper blacks are the result. Another way to do it is to buy a screen made of grey material or of a lower gain. I walked away from CEDIA with a much better understanding of the different manufacturers and screen materials than I had walking in.
I bring all of this up to hopefully clear up some of the voodoo that seems to go into specifications that manufacturers claim. It’s a numbers game, so take them with a grain of salt. If it looks good, it is good. My advice has always been take a look for yourself and ignore the specs. Judge these products by your own perceptions. My high regard for Infocus is based on several factors – honesty in reporting their specs, bang for the buck, and the fact that they design their projectors to look good in your home, not just in a test lab. In the real world, people do want screens larger than 100†and do have ambient light hitting the screen. In both of these circumstances the extra brightness really comes in handy!
Lastly, I’d like to say that this doesn’t mean that I think that Infocus makes the very best projector for every circumstance. In fact, if you have a totally light controlled room, a screen 100†or smaller, and a desire for the very deepest blacks out there, a Sharp, NEC or Marantz is probably the projector for you. My only goal here is to put things in their proper perspective.
Be very wary of statements like “the Sharp blows away the NEC, “ or “the Optoma was a piece of crap!†Sometimes they are true (and I’d like to believe that they are when I make them!), but you should always look for yourself. It’s amazing how bad a product can be made to sound if the retailer you are talking to doesn’t carry it. One of the frustrating things at the show is that we could so rarely compare performance side by side! Different demo clips and improperly calibrated projectors could probably account for most of the differences I saw.
I have tried here to set down what are (obviously) my subjective first impressions filtered through my knowledge of this technology. I have only offered an opinion when I felt that I was seeing through to the true performance of a projector after removing all of the CEDIA floor variables. Most projectors when properly set up will give you an excellent picture, and the differences between them always reflect the choice of compromises made by their designers.
Congratulations to all that made it to the end of my long and hopefully not to tedious report!
JOHN
