Projector Reviews

Full-On/Full-Off Contrast Ratio: 11,287:1

The measurements here were made using CalMAN measurement software from Portrait Displays (www.portrait.com), together with a Photo Research PR-650 color meter, Minolta LS-100 luminance meter and a Murideo/AVPro (Fresco Six-G) test pattern generator.

Pre-calibration measurements were made with the HC 3800's Cinema picture mode active. Post-calibration measurements were made in the same mode. All measurements were made with the projector positioned 14 feet from a 92-inch diagonal, 1.1 gain Stewart Filmscreen Cima screen.

The projector's full-on/full-off SDR contrast ratio was achieved with the Cinema Picture mode, Eco Power mode, and High Speed Auto Iris settings active. With this combination, black measured 0.004 ft-L and peak white 45.15 ft-L for a contrast ratio of 11,287:1. The projector's native (Auto Iris off) contrast ratio with the same preset and Power mode active was 1,372:1.

Before calibration, the default color temperature preset in Cinema Picture mode displayed a reddish bias, with the Delta E averaging out to 4.2. After calibration, that number improved to 1.4 with a high of 2.2 at 50 percent brightness. (Delta E is a figure of merit indicating how close the color comes to the standards, either D65 for the white point or the color coordinates for each of the primary and secondary colors that define the color gamut under test. Values below 3 are generally unnoticeable.)

With the default settings active in Cinema Picture mode, the Delta E of the HC 3800's measured color points averaged out to 5.8. Using the projector's color management system controls, I was able to improve color point accuracy to an average Delta E of 2.2. Coverage of the DCI-P3 color gamut topped out at 78.2 percent.

Post-calibration, gamma closely tracked a 2.2 target for most of the range with the -1 Gamma preset selected, with the highest deviation being 2.4 at 90 IRE. In HDR10 mode with the Medium Power mode and TK HDR brightness selected, peak white output measured 213 nits +/- 5 nits regardless of the size of the measured white window. Picture uniformity was excellent: white full-field test patterns showed minimal brightness drops between the center and edges of the screen, and no color shifts. Our suite of video processing tests revealed average performance, with the Epson tripping up only on an HD 2:2 pulldown pattern.

Input lag with a 1080p source measured 28ms, making the HC 3800 a very good projector option for high-def gaming. —A.G.