InFocus Play Big IN76

The Short Form

$3,000 / 14.3 x 4.8 x 14.3 IN / 9.3 lbs / infocus.com / 888-282-7529

Plus

•Consistent grayscale •Excellent detail

Minus

•Awkward setup •Less-saturated color

Key Features

•1,280 x 720-pixel DLP Projector •Inputs 1 HDMI; 1 component-video; 1 S-video, 1 composite-video; 1 RGB/VGA/component-video (5xBNC), 1 RS-232C control •PRICE $2,000 ($3,000 List) Full Lab Results

The glossy black IN76's wind-tunnel-inspired case includes no visible vents; they're cleverly hidden behind gray oblong side panels. It eschews height-adjusting feet for a tilt-swivel base that I found awkward and imprecise to adjust, and no lens shift is onboard, although the zoom is relatively long. The non-backlit remote was a disappointment, but I quickly got used to navigating the simple menu system by touch. The InFocus Play Big IN76 was one of only two projectors in the group, along with the Optoma, to offer both HDMI and DVI digital video inputs.

CONTRAST The InFocus had no trouble reaching my target brightness, and its black level remained impressive despite the lack of a mechanical iris control - though its blacks weren't quite as deep as some of the other projectors'. That said, its powerful light output could easily drive screens larger than my 80-incher. The shadows in the ruined building that Lincoln and Jordan use as their hideaway after escaping the island had plenty of detail, although I couldn't quite make out as many cracks in the stones as on the Samsung.

COLOR Excellent grayscale tracking both before and after calibration - second only to the Samsung - laid the foundation for the IN76's solid color performance. As with several of the other projectors, the color of green looked slightly off - a highway sign, for example, looked a bit too pale and undersaturated - but I appreciated the projector's accurate flesh-tone rendition. During Lincoln's attempted seduction of Jordan, her skin looked suitably golden, if a bit less punchy than on the Samsung or the BenQ (due mostly to my having to turn down the color saturation slightly to achieve the most accurate hues).

DETAIL Unlike a few of the other DLPs, the InFocus Play Big IN76 nailed every resolution test pattern via both its component-video and its HDMI digital video inputs, with no artificial edge enhancement evident, and it showed stellar detail on both DVD and HDTV program material. I could almost read the bar code on the back of Lincoln's jumpsuit, and on SportsCenter clips from ESPN HD, the graphics and woodgrain of a basketball court looked razor-sharp. I did notice a few more rainbows than with, say, the Sharp or the Mitsubishi, however.