Mitsubishi HC6800 - Physical Tour

Posted on May 28, 2010 by Art Feierman

Mitsubishi HC6800 Appearance

True, most folks are far more concerned (and should be) with the quality of the image, than with the styling of the projector. That said, it doesn't hurt for a projector to be somewhat good looking, and the HC6800 certainly is that. It's got nice lines, and is finished in black.

Looking at the HC6800 projector facing the front, the zoom lens is mounted off center to the right. There is also an infra-red sensor for the HC6800 remote control on the lower left (hard to spot). Below are two, screw thread style, adjustable front feet.

The lens is a large looking, 1.6:1 affair with power "everything": Zoom - Focus - Lens shift.

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Moving to the top of the HC6800, there's nothing to look at but the curves of the molded case. From the back, just below the top, you'll see the two indicator lights (Power and Status) on the back center edge. This is due to the control panel being hidden behind a hinged door on the top that lifts from the back. The control panel will be discussed immediately below.

The inputs and outputs are located in the back, but are nicely recessed, and the projector comes with a cable cover, to help hide cabling. More on the inputs and outputs below.

The fan intake and exhaust are on the sides. Also, the left side (looking from the front) has the lamp door, to change out the lamp, and that means you don't have to unmount a ceiling mounted HC6800 to change it. My best guess is that more than half the home theater projectors still have to be unmounted because their lamp doors are on the bottom, where they get hidden by the ceiling mount.

Control Panel

The control panel is the usual affair. The larger power button (once for "on", press twice for "off"), is on the left. There is the typical four navigation arrow keys in a diamond configuration, with the Enter button in the center. In the upper right is the Lens Shift button, and a button that toggles between power zoom and power focus controls is in the lower right. The Menu button is on the bottom left.

The Mitsubishi HC6800 projector control panel.

Most buttons take on a different function when not in the menu system. The Up arrow button doubles for Auto Position (for computer signals). The left button switches between the HDMI and computer inputs, and the Video button is the right arrow key, it switches between standard video sources. This is a pretty classic control panel with good functionality. Of course, you'll be relying primarily, or completely, on the Mitsubishi's remote control.