InFocus IN83 Darkchip4 Home Theater Projector Review: Image Quality 4

Shadow Detail Performance

Of the first two images above, note that the exposures are almost identical (about as close as it gets), and colors are similar - although the Epson is more saturated (as noted - it relates to camera settings, in this case, not the actual screen image). Of particular note, however, is that this dark scene - with no really bright areas, is ideal for projectors with dynamic irises like the Epson. You can see that the blacks of the shades are blacker on the Epson. The difference is very slight, but an accurate reflection of the performance of the two projectors. In scenes with lots of bright mixed with lots of dark, the IN83 seems to have the slightest advantage over the Epson, but in all dark scenes, the Epson does a slightly better job. That said, you can also see that the InFocus is doing a slightly better job on shadow details - note the faint vertical lines of the shades, just to the right of Clint's hand. The Epson's handling of them fades completely by the top of the screen, while the InFocus has no problem at all.

The JVC below (the projector I own) does a great job on shadow detail, and even better on black. This image, however is a bit darker than the Epson or InFocus IN83, so the camera picks up less details in dark areas. (You can detect the difference in brightness of the images by looking at the top of Clint's palm). With the JVC, there is still some skin tone, while they are blown out by the camera's limitations on the InFocus image.