Projector Reviews

We tested the InFocus before it went to Fred Manteghian for his report; the AccuPel we now use for several tests. particularly resoluttion, was not yet available when we ran these measurements. Using our Leader HD generator, 720p showed a crisp, full-resolution luminance response. The generator's sharpness pattern showed excellent definition from corner to corner. There is no sharpness adjustment with a DVI signal, however, and on three different DVD players the projector added a trace of artificial enhancement that could not be dialed-out. The component connection did not have this enhancement.

Although FM was happy with the projector's black level and shadow detail, I measured a post-calibration peak contrast ratio of 1044:1 (29.22 Foot-Lamberts peak on a 100% white field, 0.028fL video black) on my 78-inch wide Stewart Studiotek 130 screen (the same screen size and material that FM uses). This is well below both the specification and the 2000:1 to 3000:1 that are now common to many (admittedly far less bright) single chip DLP designs.

Overscan at the M1-DA input measured at or below 1% on all sides.

The red, green, and blue color points, while not precisely aligned with either the NTSC or high definition standards, were closer than we usually see with digital projectors. Green, in particular, while a little more yelllow-green than normal, was at least not located in the deep-green area where it's often incorrectly placed.

The color temperature measurements are shown in the chart. As FM correctly noted, the 6500K gray scale setting is quite uniform, and only slightly below the 6500K standard. It's also very close to a true D6500, though just a little plus red. After calibration, the gray scale tracked about as close to D6500 across the board as any projector we have measured. For the more technically inclined, the InFocus' post-calibration x,y coordinates (on the CIE chart) were both within 0.002 of the correct points at all brightness levels from 30IRE to 100IRE save one (the y coordinate was off by -0.004 at 35IRE—still an excellent result). –TJN