3D Projector Reviews

Full-On/Full-Off Contrast Ratio: 1,461:1

The above measurement was taken on an Elite 101-inch-wide screen (specified gain 1.1). The full-on/full-off contrast ratio was derived from a measured peak white level of 16.07 foot-lamberts and a black level of 0.011 ft-L (Natural picture mode, Iris1 in high contrast, Iris2 off, and Eco+Quiet off, high lamp mode). With Eco+Quiet on (low lamp mode) but the other settings the same, the peak white level on this screen dropped to 8.3 ft-L. In 3D (Dynamic picture mode, Bright Boost off), Iris1 in high brightness, Iris2 off, Eco+Quiet off (high lamp mode), the peak white level dropped to 4.84 ft-L.

On a 78-inch Stewart StudioTek 130 screen (gain 1.3), in 2D, the peak white level measured 14.23 ft-L and the black level 0.01 ft-L for a full-on/full-off contrast of 1,423:1 (Natural picture code, Iris in high contrast, Iris2 off, and Eco+Quiet on, low lamp mode).

Before Calibration, the Natural Picture Mode (2D) produced poor results, with the color tracking showing a pronounced excess of blue. But calibration (always recommended, but particularly so for projectors where the result also depends on the screen) brought that into line, apart from a loss of red at the very top end. The final Delta E values never exceeded 2.62 (anything below 3.0 indicates excellent color tracking). However, the color gamut (see the white triangle on the CIE chart at left) is seriously skewed from the standard (the black triangle)—and in about the same way for both 2D and 3D in the picture modes used (other modes were tested but fared no better). The brightness levels of the primaries (the third dimension of color, not visible on the chart) were also off, with green and blue too high and red too low. But in our experience (and fortunately in this case), human vision tends to be more sensitive to white balance/color tracking than it is to a poor color gamut.

Short of a generator with appropriate 3D test patterns (which neither we nor most calibrators yet have) or a Blu-ray test disc with 3D patterns (not yet available, though they are being developed), the only way to calibrate a display in 3D is by using 2D test patterns and a 2D-to-3D conversion mode, with the active 3D glasses operating and secured in front of the metering device. The Sharp lacks such a mode, so we used a Panasonic Blu-ray player with its own 2D-to-3D conversion. Calibrating a display in 3D remains, in short, something of a kludge at present. In any event, when measured this way, the Sharp’s 3D color tracking was respectable out of the box and slightly better after calibration.—TJN