InFocus IN83 Darkchip4 1080p DLP Home Theater Projector Review: Overview

July 8, 2008 - Art Feierman

InFocus IN83 Projector: Cons

  • Limited placement flexibility due to lack of lens shift and limited, 1.2:1 zoom lens
  • Still uses their proprietary MD-1A connector (a DVI adapter is included), a regular DVI or HDMI would be preferred. (there is one standard HDMI port as well)
  • While black levels really are very good, even better black levels might make this hands down, the best projector in its class. It would be gret if the next generation sported a first class dynamic iris (in addition to the manual one)
  • Could use additional user savable settings

Click to Enlarge. So close.

The InFocus IN83 belongs on a very short list of the best under $10,000 1080p home theater projectors. When one considers the best of the competition, in terms of picture quality, the InFocus has the distinct advantage of being the brightest of the group.

 

Click Image to Enlarge

Mind you, it isn’t the brightest of all the 1080p projectors, the Optoma HD81-LV is brighter still, but it can’t match the naturalness of the IN83’s picture. It translates this way: If you want an especially bright projector with great color accuracy, a natural film-like picture, one with more than enough lumens to easily handle large screens, look no further. I’ll discuss my opions on how the IN83 stacks up with key competitors, lower on this page.

InFocus IN83 Projector: Pros, Cons, and Typical Capabilities

InFocus IN83 Projector: Pros

  • Extremely bright home theater projector, both in “best” and “brightest” modes
  • Outstanding color accuracy after calibration (in part thanks to starting with better color accuracy than most competitors, to start with)
  • ISF Certified
  • Darkchip4 DLP processor for superior contrast
  • Excellent shadow detail
  • Extremely sharp, crisp, image
  • Very good black levels but falls a little short of the best projectors in class
  • Digital image shift
  • Good color management tools, but not exceptional
  • Good user manual – better than most
  • Very good menu layout
  • Good remote control
  • Good warranty
  • HDMI 1.3 with support for Deep Color and 24fps
  • Supports 3rd party anamorphic lenses with appropriate aspect ratio
  • Nicely shaped look, piano black finish

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