1080p Projector Comparison Report
August 2011 - Art Feierman, Editor
This year's report will be a good bit different than previous years' 1080p Home Theater Projector Comparison report. Fewer significantly new projectors than in recent years, and a number of them unavailable or not available to late in the year.
As a result, we've created a shorter report this year, with our home theater season ending with the review of the JVC DLA-HD250 and the Mitsubishi HC9000D projectors, recently published.
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1080p Home Theater Projector Overview
Again this year, we use the same pricing categories as the 2010 home theater projector report, three of them. In addition, all the 1080p 3D projectors we've reviewed were in the over $3500 price range. We did not feel any of them were sufficiently bright enough to be truly viable as 3D projectors, but consider 3D in this report.
We will start with a listing and quick summary of each projector considered in this report. Links will be provided to our specs page (with manufacturer data sheets) and of course to the individual reviews.
Gandalf, above, in Lord of the Rings, Viewsonic Pro8200 (sub-$1000)
Finally, we will add a limited number of direct comparisons between our favorite projectors within each class.
As I said last year, the recession scared the "heck" out of many manufacturers. I consider that responsible for the fewer all new home theater projectors and even the lack of significant upgraded models shown and released at or after CEDIA 2010 last September.
There are some interesting new projectors in this report, but not as many as we would like. Certainly we got to work with 4 different 3D capable projectors - one each from Sharp, Sony, JVC and Mitsubishi. First generation 3D 1080p home projectors turned out to do pretty nice job in terms of the 3D image quality, and all are at least very good 2D projectors.
The 2011 fall season should be rich in new projectors, so if you don't see the perfect projector for you here, the one you are waiting for may only be a month or three away.
We reviewed as many home theater projectors as we could, but still missed a few in the under $10,000 price range.
Below, Sony's VPL-VW90ES, Sony's flagship projector:
1080p Projector Categories by price:
Let's start by listing the projectors covered in this report, by their price classes. There are three over $10,000 projectors also covered. In most charts they are included with the $3500-$10,000 projectors
Home Theater Projectors: Street Price under $2000
| Projector | Projector image | Link to review | Technology | Link to specs |
| BenQ W1200 |  |
Click here | DLP | Click here |
| Epson HC8350 |  |
Click here | 3LCD | Click here |
| Mitsubishi HC4000 |  |
Click here | DLP | Click here |
| Optoma HD20 |  |
Click here | DLP | Click here |
| Panasonic PT-AE4000 |  |
Click here | 3LCD | Click here |
| Sanyo PLV-Z4000 |  |
Click here | 3LCD | Click here |
| Sanyo PLV-Z700 |  |
Click here | 3LCD | Click here |
| Viewsonic Pro8200 |  |
Click here | DLP | Click here |
| Vivitek H1080 |  |
Click here | DLP | Click here |
Home Theater Projectors: Street Price $2000-3500
| Projector | Projector image | Link to review | Technology | Link to specs |
BenQ W6000 |
 |
Click here | DLP | Click here |
| Epson HC8700UB |  |
Click here | 3LCD | Click here |
| JVC DLA-HD250 |  |
Click here | LCoS | Click here |
| LG CF181D |  |
Click here | LCoS | Click here |
| Mitsubishi HC6800 |  |
Click here | 3LCD | Click here |
| Sony VPL-Pro1 |  |
Click here | LCoS | Click here |
| Vivitek H5080 |  |
Click here | DLP | Click here |
Home Theater Projectors: Street Price $3500-10,000+
| Projector | Projector image | Link to review | Technology | Link to specs |
| JVC DLA-RS60 |  |
Click here | LCoS | Click here |
| LG CF3D |  |
Click here | LCoS | Click here |
| Mitsubishi HC9000D |  |
Click here | LCoS | Click here |
| Runco LS-5 |  |
Click here | DLP | Click here |
| Runco LS-10d |  |
Click here | 3chip DLP | Click here |
| Runco LS-7 |  |
Click here | 3chip DLP | Click here |
| Sharp XV-Z17000 |  |
Click here | DLP | Click here |
| Sony VPL-VW90ES |  |
Click here | LCoS | Click here |
1080p Projector Categories by price:
Picking the Winners - the best projectors in each price range:
There really is no, one best projector for everyone, not even in a particular price range. There are so many variables that each buyer must consider, in choosing the right projector for their viewing requirements. Our goal this year, is to help you quickly eliminate projectors that may be excellent values overall, but just won't work for you, for one reason or another.
There are many such reasons - limited brightness, placement flexibility, rainbow effect susceptability, fan noise, etc. We'll list many of these issues in the Competitors section, in charts, so that, for example, you need a really quiet projector, you can find a list that only shows you the quieter ones (or if it's simpler, a list of the ones to avoid because they are noisier).
Image above, from Casino Royale. The projector: BenQ W1200 ($1499)
My point is, that while one projector may be excellent at many things, it may be disqualified by you because of a specific requirement you have. As a result, there needs to be a choice of "best projectors" in this report, so people still have a usable recommendation even if one of our favorites won't work for them.
Due to the concept of "no one perfect projector", we will be giving out "Best In Class", and "Runner-Up" awards in each price category, and an occasional "Special Interest" Award. This means, perhaps 9-11 rewards out of roughly 30 projectors considered. Click here for a list of the winners!
Bottom line - it's still your job as the potential buyer, to consider some of the disqualifying attributes, immediately toss out those projectors from your consideration, and choose the best choice from the remaining ones. Your life will much simpler that way. Otherwise, you might find yourself really wanting a particular projector, get all exited about it, and then remember - oops it won't work for this reason or that..
1080P Home Projector Highlights
Below is a short paragraph highlighting key aspects of each projector considered for this review. They are organized by the our three price categories (Classes).
Below, HDTV image (DirecTV) shot using the JVC DLA-HD250
$2000 and under 1080p Home Theater Projectors
Sanyo PLV-Z700 projector:
The PLV-Z700 is another carry over projector from the previous year. Seems currently the pricing is down close to $1000, barely half of its original $1999 price. That makes the PLV-Z700 the least expensive 3LCD projector out there. It offers lots of placement flexibility, very much like the Epson Home Cinema 8350, and Panasonic PT-AE4000.
Brightness is below average in very best mode, and with up to 1300 lumens, brighter than average in its brightest - Dynamic mode. A Sanyo 3 year warranty (no replacement or loaner program) ties the Viewsonic for longest in this price class.
This Sanyo is reasonably sharp, shadow detail good, and overall, a very nice projector although its very old in the tooth, with our original review almost three years ago.
Mitsubishi HC4000 projector:
While hundreds of dollars more than the true entry level priced projectors in this class, Mitsubishi's HC4000, is definitely a step up in picture quality from home projectors costing as little as $799. For your extra few hundred (under $1200 is typical at this time), there's a lot of extra performance. What really separates the HC4000 from the competition, is the best black levels around from a low cost DLP projector that doesn't offer a dynamic iris. It holds its own with all the projectors in this class but the most expensive, the Panasonic. The HC4000 is nearly identical to the HC3800 which won a Runner-up Best In Class last year.
Placement flexibility is limited, as is typical of low cost single chip DLP's, certainly compared to the few 3LCD projectors under $2000.
Ultimately, though, it's the sharp, crisp picture, with extremely good color accuracy for the price, and good brightness, that makes this projector very popular with both enthusiasts and purists lacking significantly larger budgets.
Optoma HD20 projector:
Optoma's HD20 projector created a lot of fanfare when it shipped well over a year ago. It is still in the lineup as Optoma's least expensive 1080p projector. It streets around $900 or more. It was the first 1080p resolution projector to be launched with an under $1000 price. ($999, of course!). The value of the HD20 primarily comes from its price. You get 1080p resolution for a price that got you 720p two years ago. Black level performance is very entry level. There's a dynamic AI, but its behavior's a bit too noticeable, so we recommended this projector with the assumption that you don't use the AI. If its action doesn't bother you, leave it on, it's that simple. The Optoma HD20 projector, like two other under $1000 competitors, has both strengths and weaknesses. Of particular note, the HD20 has the fastest color wheel, to minimize the rainbow effect for those who are sensitive. The faster color wheel is no doubt part of why the HD20 is not quite as bright as the other two (Vivitek and BenQ).
Epson Home Cinema 8350 projector:
The Home Cinema 8350 is a slight upgrade from last year's Best-In-Class - Runner-Up winner. It's your solid "entry level 3LCD projector". It offers a dynamic iris, and black level performance only beat by the $600 more Panasonic in this class. It is very bright for a projector with very good blacks (better than the Vivitek and BenQ W1000 home entertainment projectors reviewed and considered last year, still current, but not listed in this report).
Panasonic PT-AE4000 Projector
The PT-AE4000 is old in the tooth. This is its 3rd year to be included in this report. It has to be. At under $2000, I can't think of any other projector that seriously challenges it. Its real competition is the Epson, who's $200 higher price puts it in the next class up.
The PT-AE4000 is still the most feature enabled projector anywhere near the price, with an interesting selection of features not found elsewhere. Fun for both the average consumer, the enthusiast and the purist.
An ultra high contrast projector competing with a number of less expensive projectors that can't match its black level performance, it has average brightness, great placement flexibility, its Lens Memory feature that lets you use CinemaScope shaped screens effortlessly, without the expense of an anamorphic lens.
It will be curious to see if Panasonic freshens it up as, say, a PT-AE5000, keeps it in the lineup as the PT-AE4000, or kills it off, now that they have announced their much pricier $3500 MSRP ($3000 MAP) PT-AE7000 with 3D capabilities and a lot more brightness.
BenQ W1200 Home Theater Projector
Here's a new projector for this report. BenQ's W1200 fits nicely between their very entry level, home entertainment W1000, and their W6000, a projector we have always considered a top value.
The W1200's performance splits the difference. Its black levels are still entry level, not as good as its most direct competition, the Mitsubishi HC4000. With the ability to put up to about 1400 lumens on the screen, it outpowers the HC4000 and also the Epson. A great family room choice, but not a serious enthusiast projector.
It offers some dynamic features, but no dynamic iris. As this goes to press we are awaiting a firmware upgrade to our review W1200 unit. The current one has a lot of lag time, detrimental to fast gaming. The new version should make the W1200 a projector excellent for serious gamers, if the lag times drop to what BenQ promises.
Viewsonic Pro8200 projector:
All new for this past year is Viewsonic's Pro8200. This $999 projector is the only new entry level projector considered this year. It is most impressive. With a faster color wheel than the Vivitek, it does well for a crossover projector. Best for family rooms, it's got more lumens than all but those two other entry level projectors with faster color wheels.
Overall, the Viewsonic seems to be the best of the under $1000 projectors at this time, thanks to the combination of brightness, very good color both in best and brightest modes, compared to its closest competition. Also it counts a 3 year warranty, and more placement flexibility than the other DLP's in this class. It's a real nice ride, for under $1000 US.
Sanyo PLV-Z4000 projector:
Sanyo did a firmware upgrade and launched the PLV-Z4000 out of the ashes of the essentially identical Z3000. There were some noticeable image quality improvements, although no significant changes. Of course a year has gone by, and the PLV-Z4000 has the benefit of improvements made during the Z3000's run, as well as what they could tweak for the Z4000 launch.
The PLV-Z4000 has a three year warranty, the only other besides the Viewsonic Pro8200. The Z4000 offers ultra high contrast level blacks, and lots of placement flexibility, but lives in the shadow of the Panasonic PT-AE4000 for about the same price.
$2000 - $3500 1080p Home Theater Projectors
Image from The Fifth Element - the projector: Epson Home Cinema 8700UB
BenQ W6000 projector:
The BenQ W6000 is back. An impressive DLP projector selling just above $2000, the BenQ W6000 projector is available both online and locally. The W6000 is one of a very few lower cost DLP projectors with lens shift. The W6000 offers pretty respectable placement flexiblity. The biggest strengths, however of the W6000 projector include its really impressive brightness, and some really good black level performance for a DLP projector in this price class. I consider the W6000 to be an ultra-high contrast projector. Mind you, it just makes the grade in terms of black, but, that's a nice grade to have.
For those who enjoy that DLP look, the W6000 remains one of the best values in this mid-price point, although it didn't fare as well in our awards this year, thanks mostly to Sony and JVC's under $3500 entries, which still cost far more.
Epson Home Cinema 8700UB:
It's generation four, for Epson ultra-high contrast projectors. The Epson Home Cinema 8700UB replaces the older 8500UB. Although the 8700UB pretty much looks like a virtually identical replacement, we did note one area of rather significant improvement. This year's 8700UB delivered excellent shadow detail (for the first time) as well as a slight improvement in its already "best in class" black level performance.
The UB Epson's have taken top honor in this price class three years in a row. Coming into this year's battle, the Home Cinema 8700UB, starts with the same strengths as in the past, touting above average brightness, great blacks, great color, lots of placement flexibility, and even an exceptional warranty. The improvements in shadow detail and blacks, plus its price point at the bottom of the price range make the 8700UB the one to beat.
Mitsubishi HC6800 projector:
Mitsubishi's 3LCD designed HC6800 is back for a second year. Distributed through local dealers only, this mid-priced projector, I've described as a classy projector. Exceptionally quiet, very good picture, but not quite up to some of the competition in terms of black levels. Brightness is good with almost 600 lumens in "best mode".
The image is unusually sharp for a 3 chip LCD or LCoS projector, especially in this price range, and it approaches the sharper DLPs. It's also a projector that will pamper you with power zoom, focus and lens shift. Combined with its 1.6:1 zoom you have the option of choosing a 2.35:1 screen instead of HDTV, for movies without letterboxing. Of course, you'll have to manually adjust the controls to go back and forth between aspect ratios, unlike the one touch of the Panasonic's Lens Memory.
JVC DLA-HD250 projector:
JVC launched the DLA-HD250, and the identical DLA-HD250Pro, as their first home theater projector to cost little enough to make the $3500 cut for this price class. At $2995 (and $2999 for the Pro), it's a third less than any previous entry from JVC. Great black levels without an iris is the major strength. Very good brightness - 758 lumens in calibrated "best mode", combines with a slightly below average "brightest mode", make this best as a movie projector. No CFI nor a lot of other features, the JVC has great placement flexibility and motorized lens features.
This is a purists projector rather than one for enthusiasts. The lack of some features found on the Epson's, Panasonic's and Sony's like CFI, tend to appeal to enthusiasts. The only downside for the purist, is the lack of a proper color management system, and the inability to calibrate it as well as many others. This takes a small toll in terms of skin tones oft having a touch of sunburn look we couldn't calibrate out. Still, I'm splitting hairs, color is very good overall.
Sony VPL-HW20a - the Sony Pro1 projector:
Pick which ever name you like. This is Sony's least expensive LCoS home theater projector and it's a very fine projector. It is nicely feature laden, with CFI, and many dynamic features. Brightness is over 750 in "best mode" after calibration, and just a few lumens short of our 1000 lumen average for "brightest mode" after improving color. That means it is a touch brighter than its closest competition, the JVC DLA-HD250. Black levels are really very good, but short of the JVC and the Epson. None of the others in this price class can best the Sony, though a couple are comparable.
The Sony can provide truly excellent color, though it really needs a calibration to get there.
Post calibration, it's comparable to the Epson's THX mode, which is to say, excellent color overall. Skin tone? Great! That's one area where it pulls away from the JVC. Overall, while lacking some of the Sony VPL-VW90ES' performance, this is the real value projector in the Sony line-up, and an excellent projector for under $3500!
$3500 - $10,000 Home Theater Projectors
InFocus projectors:
Note: Just an FYI. This is the first time InFocus has had no projector in our annual report. InFocus has exited the US market at this time, as far as home theater projectors go (concentrating on Education and Business markets), although I understand they have marketed at least one new home projector in the EU. That may well mean that InFocus will be back next year with a US entry or two. We shall see. As far as I know they will not be exhibiting at CEDIA in the US Sept 2011.
JVC DLA-RS40 projector:
Note: The RS40 is a must mention, even though were unable to obtain a review unit, of the JVC RS40, which is also sold as the DLA-X3. Unreviewed, it is not considered in this report for any awards, but it is mentioned as it relates to the less expensive DLA-HD250, and the top of the line RS60 (X9). Like the HD250, it has no color management system, or CFI. It is one of the brighter of the 3D capable projectors in this class. (None of which are truly bright enough for prime time.) Although not a match for the "best in class" blacks of their RS60, the RS40 should measure brighter. Expect very good color, but without a full management system. The DLA-RS40 is 3D capable. We didn't find the RS60 to be near bright enough for good 3D viewing, but this RS40 is supposed to be about half again as bright.
The RS40 is the replacement for last year's RS15.
JVC DLA-RS60 projector:
The DLA-RS60 is the first of the 3 over $10,000 projectors I've included in this section for this part of the report. They are not considered for awards for this class.
We never got to finish our RS60 review, having sent it back in to be checked out, after it measured shockingly low in brightness compared to claim, and to previous year's expectations (of claim vs. reality). As such, while I did get in plenty of viewing, we never did the usual shoot of screen images, or properly complete the review. The RS60 is exceptionally sharp, has the best black level performance I've ever seen, and is built from the best components from the identical RS50. Basically a projector built from the best parts.
The RS60 has 3D abilities, but, like with the others sporting 3D in this price range, not bright enough for my taste. In fact, it was the least bright. For those wanting a projector and plan to watch 3D on occasion, the Sony, Mitsubishi and Sharp offer brighter alternatives, and you'll need that.
Other than that, and that it's $2000 more than last year's RS35, it's excellent, but our measured brightness was below previous years models, so I'd recommend the older $10,000 RS35 over this RS60, unless you must try 3D. Of course you will shortly be able to by 3D 1080p projectors for under $2000, so, I'd rather own two, with one bright enough one, just for 3D, and still not spend more.
Runco LS5 projector:
Planar purchased Runco more than a year ago. the Runco LS5 is an upgraded decendent of the Planar PD8150 we liked in previous years. It's a solid single chip DLP projector though at this price, it's one of very few projectors to lack a feature like CFI (motion smoothing). An excellent projector for movie watching. For sports and other HD digital content, it offers an exceptionally sharp image.
This is a movie first projector for folks who just want to enjoy. It is designed for a dedicated theater, as it produces a better than average 648 lumens calibrated in "best mode", but it doesn't much brighter than that. Turn on their SatCo feature (dynamic - think like Brilliant Color), and the "brightest mode" made it to just shy of 800 lumens.
Runco projectors will be purchased by folks who want a painless experience - a well trained local dealer to do all the work, and a projector that just works well, seemlessly, that disappears from your radar. Runco's philosophy, it seems, is that projectors should be invisible, neither adding nor subtracting from the experience.
The same Runco owner, also expects superior post sales support and service as needed. It's all part of working with a true high end company. Not for bargain hunters, but one for those who just want to watch!
Sony VPL-VW90ES projector:
The VPL-VS90ES at $9995, is the most expensive projector that fits this class. It's loaded with features, including CFI, offers superb color, and for those who want to play with it, the Sony VPL-VW90ES is 3D capable. Like the other 3D capable LCoS projectors discussed in this report, it's a bit thin on lumens for 3D. That is, it's never going to be as bright as you'd really like, without a small, or a very high gain screen.
The VPL-VW90ES though is one of the brightest of the group, so like the Mitsubishi, it would be a particularly good choice if you expect to watch some 3D.
The real strength of the VW90ES is as a 2D projector, and general picture quality is what it does best. Colors are pretty much gorgeous, skin tones are excellent. As I said in the review, I might have said "best I've seen," had I not just finished reviewing a $27,000 Runco.
Special Features
"Ultra-high-contrast" projectors
We cooked up this phrase about 4 years ago, when a new breed of projectors started offering better overall black level performance. I started using it to describe the projectors that, one way or another, end up with black level performance meeting a subjective standard that I have defined as: Having contrast and black level performance that is at least a step up from the rest, but most importantly:
"It describes those projectors whose black level performance is so good, that very dark scenes (and some mixed scenes) are still sufficiently good, that other factors become increasingly more important."
That is, you reach a point, and might say something like: "The blacks are pretty darn good. I'd like them better still (of course). But, you know what? I would rather have a slightly sharper projector with these blacks, than a different projector this sharp, with better blacks. Or the trade-off might be color accuracy, brightness, etc. The point is, these projectors all have impressive black level performance, even if there is a good deal of difference between the best and least of them.
The point is there are now many such projectors - with excellent blacks, and they start under $2000.
It gets old using this expression, but, for years, better black levels have been the "holy grail" for home theater projectors. Truth is, all of these 1080p projectors have at least decent black level performance. And almost all over $3000 projectors qualify as ultra-high contrast.
Of note, only the top end JVC accomplishes truly great black level performance without resorting to using dynamic irises (a topic for another time). Epson, on the other hand, relies on a dynamic iris, but delivers blacker blacks than any other projector I've seen, anywhere near its price.
The point of this non-feature, but rather, level of performance discussion, is that once you get up to these projectors, blacks are starting to get very black. What that means is that when choosing between these projectors, you may still focus on getting the best black level performance, but the incremental improvement is now less important to many, than other abilities, such as lots of brightness, especially good skin tones, easy placement, better warranty and support.
Those projectors we define as being ultra high contrast include:
Under $2000: Panasonic PT-AE4000, Sanyo PLV-Z4000
$2000 - $3500: All but the Mitsubishi HC6800 and Vivitek H5080
$3500+: All projectors listed
Lens Shift
Lens shift is all about a projector's placement flexibility. Projectors with adjustable lens shift definitely provide more placement options. Since virtually everyone wants their projector setup, up high, rather than just putting it on a table, lens shift is needed to allow you to place a projector on a shelf (in the rear of your room), instead of restricting it to ceiling mounting. This is a huge plus for many owners. First, it puts the projector behind where most people sit (rather than overhead or just in from of the viewer), which helps in making the projector's fan noise less noticeable. The other advantage for most installations, is that running cabling is usually simpler, and less expensive than ceiling mounting. This is true for several reasons. In most homes, people are likely to have power readily accessible on most walls, on the other hand, most likely people will find that they don't have a power source in the ceiling. Running power to the ceiling to power the projector tends to be an additional, potentially significant expense. Further, if one has high ceilings getting cabling, as well as power, up there, becomes a lot more complicated than to a back wall.
Another disadvantage of not having adjustable lens shift, is that without it, the projector must be mounted at exactly the right height, instead of over a wide range. As it turns out, those projectors without adjustable lens shift, are designed to be mounted above the screen top. That offset is typically about 18 inches above the top of the screen surface for a 100" screen, and more or less, depending on the screen size. In more than a few cases, people with normal or low ceiling heights (8 foot or less) find they can't use a projector with that much offset. For those going with really large screens, say over 120 inch diagonal, you may need a ceiling height of 9 feet, or more. I receive more than a few emails from folks telling me they really had their heart set on this projector or that (without lens shift), but that they couldn't mount it high enough due to ceiling height.
All projectors with lens shift have vertical lens shift, while not all have horizontal lens shift. Vertical is the important one for most. Horizontal comes into play if you can't mount the projector with the lens centered relative to the center of the screen horizontally. Thus, horizontal lens shift can be important if there is a reason the projector must be mounted slightly to either side.
Adjustable vertical lens shift means you can mount the projector over a wide range of height relative to the top of the screen. Most typically, a projector with lens shift can be placed anywhere from a couple of feet above the top of the screen, all the way down to below the bottom (talk about flexible). A few projectors have less shift range, although all, to my knowledge, can at least be mounted as high as the top of the screen. I won't get into horizontal lens shift here (it's dealt with in the various reviews), but below is a short breakout of all the projectors as to whether they do, or do not have adjustable lens shift.
Most projectors today, except for the more entry level DLP projectors have at least vertical lens shift. All projectors in our mid and top classes have lens shift.
Creative Frame Interpolation
Creative Frame Interpolation (CFI) has been a hot topic around here for the last three years. Today, about half of the projectors in this report offer CFI.
Two years ago, only four projectors in the report offered CFI. Now just about all of the new top of the line models offer it, except for the Runco LS-5, and some lower priced ones as well. The least expensive CFI equipped projectors this year, are under $2000.
Above: HDTV image using the Sharp XV-Z17000 projector
While a few people are really enamoured with the idea of CFI, I like it to a point. I think it's great for most sports, and for some other content. With most CFI implementations, I don't like the effect on standard 24 fps film based movies. At its best, it does improve sports viewing, and improve slow panning, but at its worst, it creates visible artifacts, sometimes annoying ones. For you to consider: If a projector smooths out a fast action scene, the scene can become too tame. The director knows what the scene is going to look like without CFI, but if they saw the effect of CFI, they just might say "hmm, the action now seems muted." In other words, CFI may well damage the "director's intent." Only the Panasonic, of these projectors, can do anything with a normal movie shot at 24fps on film, and there are times when it is over the top. One tendency is to make film movies look more like "live digital video" or as some call it, "the soap opera effect."
On the other hand, if your projector offers CFI, no one says you have to use it for content when you don't like the effect.
This year I've seen a couple of CFI's that are virtually free of any of the live digital video look when viewing movies. The Mitsubishi HC9000D is my take on what a great CFI looks like, for movie viewing, if one wants to smooth out 24fps.
Dynamic Iris
The magic of dynamic irises have dramatically improved the overall quality of home theater projectors. We've reached the point where most of the under $10,000 home theater projectors now have a dynamic iris to affect black level performance. Only some of the least expensive projectors and a few of the most expensive, now lack a dynamic iris. In other words, it's a pretty standard feature at this point.
Let's explore the purpose and the effect of a dynamic iris, on the projected image, and your viewing experience.
Since projectors cannot actually produce black, only very dark grays (varying based on the projector's quality), intended blacks on the screen are actually that dark gray. A problem occurs when you are looking at a very dark scene. Without bright areas to cause your iris to close a bit, those blacks start looking mighty gray. When you have a dynamic iris working, on those very dark scenes it shuts down, blocking most of the light. That makes the blacks a lot darker, but slightly brighter areas still remain pretty bright. It's a real plus. If however, your dark scene has some very bright areas, if the iris is to close down a good bit, those whites and near whites are going to get darker too. That means a bright white in an otherwise dark scene, won't be as bright as white on a normal or bright scene. The point is, you are changing the way things are supposed to be.
That's all just fine. The best thing about dynamic irises, is that they are the most effective on those really dark scenes, when you most need blacks to be blacker. On other, mostly dark scenes that have some very bright areas, the eye is drawn to the light, so the blacker blacks are less critical.
The other aspect of dynamic irises that I discuss is the visibility of their action. If you are looking, it's not hard to spot their action. Of course they are idle - wide open, on bright and mostly bright scenes. When you get scene changes, though, from dark to light, or the other way around, the iris has to react to that - opening or closing. If they wait too long, they can be visible. In the case of one projector, after a change in scene brightness such as that, the iris takes seconds to react, then snaps open, or mostly closed very quickly. Very annoying. Some irises are relatively slow - they average out the change and can take a while perhaps even a second to complete an adjustment. That can cause a yo-yo type effect when scene brightness fades in and out every few seconds (happens a lot on movie credits like Superman, Star Wars, but in real content too.) One thing I look for in particular is when a scene consists of a conversation in a fairly dark room, say one with paneled walls. A person in a conversation, say wearing a bright shirt, who moves around while talking, may cause the iris to open and close slightly as the amount of brightness varies. That can make the scene come off looking like: you, watching a guy in a bright shirt talk - while someone off camera is playing with the light dimmer on the wall.
The viewing experience: Please keep in mind, it's my job to look into these things for you. So, while you realize that dynamic iris action can be visible, try to remember that with most of the irises on these projectors you will rarely notice their action - unless you are looking for it. I'll let you know which ones are those more likely to be bothersome. There are only a few with issues sufficient that I recommend turning the dynamic iris off.
I spend a lot of time watching movies with dynamic irises engaged. The bottom line: While there might be a occasional noticing of iris action, with most projectors that's a small price to pay for a significant improvement in black levels.
Anamorphic Lens support and Anamorphic Lens Emulation
First, a brief on what is an anamorphic lens, and why people are interested in it.
An anamorphic lens is a second lens, placed right in front of the projector. Its sole purpose is to stretch the image horizontally (make it wider), while leaving the vertical untouched. All home theater projectors today have 16:9 aspect ratios. That's a perfect match for HDTV content, but it is not as wide an image (relative to height) as most movies. Most movies are shot in Cinemascope - a ratio of 2.35:1 - over twice as wide as tall. When you view them on a standard home theater projector, the movie fills the screen horizontally, but leaves you with a black (ok, near black) letterbox, at the top and bottom of the screen (about 10% of the screen height for each). I'd say everyone would rather not have the letterboxing, but 99% of us get along with it just fine. Because not everything you will be watching is in Cinemascope, you still need to be able to go back to standard viewing for HDTV, movies in 16:9, and even old 4:3 (standard TV). To accomplish that, you need to move the anamorphic lens out of the way. For that reason, almost everyone going anamorphic, buys not only the lens, but a motorized sled to remove the lens from the light path when not needed.
The cost of an anamorphic lens and sled is typically $3000 - $6000 for projectors in this price range, in other words, often costs more than the projector. It also means unless you are buying one with one of the better/more expensive projectors, you are going to get a lot more bang for your buck skipping the lens, and buying a much better projector.
Of the projectors covered in this report, most do have internal support an anamorphic lens. That means you can buy the lens, etc., and it will work. That internal support consists of the correct aspect ratio for it all to look right. Any projector without that internal support, can still work with an anamorphic lens, but you'll need to buy an outboard processor, typically from $800 on up. If you really must have an anamorphic lens, buy a projector that supports one.
Projectors supporting anamorphic lenses start below $1500
Lens Memory - Anamorphic lens emulation:
Panasonic's PT-AE4000 offers support for an anamorphic lens, but it also has something else, which is the ability to "emulate" an anamorphic lens.
The PT-AE4000 doesn't need an anamorphic lens to put a Cinemascope image on a 2.35:1 screen with no letterboxing! This saves thousands of dollars, but has some trade-offs. Panasonic accomplishes this trick by allowing you (once set up) to touch a button to change the lens' zoom to fill that 2.35:1 screen. Press another button and it handles your 16:9 and 4:3 content by zooming out, so the image doesn't extend above or below your widescreen. The trick to making this work, is that you can save the two different zoom settings in a lens memory area.
The downsides are: That letterbox is still there, it's just not hitting the screen, it's above and below it. That shouldn't be a problem if your wall is dark, but if not, you will see the faint light - grays, above and below the screen. Also different from using a real anamorphic lens, is that the Panasonic projector still isn't using all its resolution for the image itself. With a "real" anamorphic lens and stretch, every pixel is in use, not just the about 80% that get used for the movie in this case. As a result, you are giving up a fair amount of brightness.
All that considered, it's a really nice feature that allows you to go "Cinemascope" without the big expense. I had expected to see a couple more projectors this year, offering a similar solution to the Panasonic "Lens Memory". Of course you can do the same trick with any 1080p projector with a lot of zoom range, but it is the combination of the ability to save the settings (thus "Lens memory") that makes it convenient. I'd hate to have to get up on a ladder to change the manual zoom lens on, perhaps an Epson, or LG projector, each time I want to go from a Cinemascope movie to HDTV, or other none 2.35:1 aspect ratio content.
With the Panasonic, remember, you need the projector's zoom to stop in two different positions. That effectively cuts down the distance range you can mount the projector, by about 50%. You need to see if you can work with the more limited placement flexibility required for Lens Memory.
I've been more and more enamored with the idea. I now have a 2.35:1 Stewart Studiotek 130 in my theater. I place projectors within their range, so that I can zoom for largest image and fill my screen's width, then for HDTV or 4:3, I zoom the other way, creating a smaller image that fits vertically.
HDMI 1.4a
HDMI 1.4a is the latest and greatest standard. What is particularly important about HDMI 1.4a, is it called for if you want to run Blu-ray 3D. Older 3D capable projectors (typically 720p) can now run Blu-ray 3D by virtue of several HDMI 1.4a 3D Converter boxes - we reviewed the Viewsonic VP3D1, but the real trick is to have HDMI 1.4a capable devices.
Above, Epson Home Cinema 8700UB filling a 128" diagonal 16:9 Stewart Firehawk G3 screen in a room with moderate (but controlled) ambient light.
ISF, THX Certification
OK, you've got a new home theater projector and you want to get the most out of it. Some of you are hard core enthusiasts, you'll tweak your projectors constantly trying to improve the picture. Many of you will do this with end user calibration discs, some of you even own light meters (the really hard-core), but many of us, to maximize the investment, will seek out a professional to calibrate their projector and often related other gear.
Today, you see many projectors now sporting an "ISF Certified" label. ISF (Imaging Science Foundation) is an organization of professional, certified calibrators. The projectors that bear that logo, have two things. 1. Sufficient color controls to allow a professional calibrator to do their job properly, and, 2. Two additional saved setting modes, password protected, for the calibrators (ISF Day, ISF Night).
THX is a name you are well familiar with from audio. Just over a year ago, they got into the certification game as well, with their own standards of performance. The first THX certified projectors were $30,000 and up. Today, in this report, we see the under $10,000 THX certified projectors, the JVC DLA-RS25 and RS35. For even less money, the Epson Home Cinema 8500UB, and the Pro 9500UB also are THX certified. At least in the case of the RS20, there is a THX mode pre-calibrated picture mode (and while not perfect, in my opinion), that preset mode is comparable to the best examples of "out of the box" color accuracy.
Sony Pro1 reproducing a digital image off of the DVE-HD test disc
Is it critical that a projector be ISF certified? No, not at all, there are fully excellent projectors that aren't. In fact, the lack of ISF certification is intentional with some manufacturers. Take Epson for example: Their Home Cinema projectors (6500UB and 6100) are not certified. Those projectors are sold online. To provide "extra value" for their Pro series (7500UB, 7100) which are almost identical, the Pros have ISF certification, while the Home series do not. Considering even the Home Series has 10 presets What is important, is that you realize that there are things you can do to get the most out of your projector, and one of those is to hire a calibrator, or a dealer who has or works with one.
While ISF certification pretty much guarantees a color management system for a calibrator to work with, THX certification indicates that you have a specific mode that is pre-calibrated - not the individual projector but based on the performance of the model. We have yet to see a THX mode in any projector with one, that didn't look great, and wasn't really close to the ideal 6500K grayscale.
Above, good contrast projector on the left (Epson 8350), and ultra-high contrast projector on the right - Epson Home Cinema 8700UB. The image is intentionally overexposed so you can see the dark shadow detail, and also the additional dynamic look, thanks to superior black level performance of the 8700UB.