Mitsubishi HC1600 Home Theater Projector Review: Image Quality - 3

Posted on October 1, 2013 by Art Feierman

In this re-entry photo, just one comparison, This time the Panasonic Optoma HD65 again, since it is the most direct competition.

Panasonic Optoma HD65

Next is the casino image at night from Bond's Casino Royale.

Again, we have seriously overexposed these images. The images you see below are all from the same projector with a normal exposure, but when you click on each, you will get the larger, overexposed image. Look for shadow details in the roof, and the trees. the Mitsubishi, again, really pulls out all the details for you to see.

Mitsubishi HC1600 projector:

Optoma HD65:

Epson Home Cinema 720:

Some of you may be wondering why I haven't included any comparison images from the competing Sanyo PLV-Z5. The explanation is simple, almost all our images for the last 18 months have been from Blu-ray disc. The Sanyo Z5, is actually a two year old projector, as Sanyo did not replace it last fall. As a result, simply stated, I haven't had my hands on a Z5 for almost two years, and therefore none of the same images. Generally, I would give the Sanyo the edge on black levels, and the Mitsubishi the advantage in terms of shadow detail.

Click on the thumbnail for a larger, overexposed image. You'll find this image in almost all projector reviews. You can easily make out details in all the dark areas - the shed on the right, the plants along the bottom, and also in the wood in the structure on the left.

Click Image to Enlarge

Mitsubishi HC1600 Projector: Sharpness

The Mitsubishi HC1600 does a great job on sharpness. Very sharp images is almost a Mitsubishi trademark, compared to most of the competition, and the 720p resolution HC1600 is no exception. While no 720p projector will provide as detailed an image as even the softest 1080p projector, when fed a 1080p source, the Mitsubishi comes across as sharp, even on my largest screen - 128" diagonal, even sitting reasonably close (less than 12 feet).

I've got two sets of comparison images for you, the first is a close up of the DTS logo and text from their demo disc. The second is a closeup of a computer monitor from the movie Space Cowboys (both are from Blu-ray disc, 1080p resolution).

Top Left: Mitsubishi HC1600, Top Center: Panasonic PT-AX200U, and Top Right: the Optoma HD65. The second row has the Epson Home Cinema 720 on the left, the Optoma HD71 in the center, and for a change of pace, the Epson MovieMate 72, the only 720p all-in-one projector (with built in speakers, amp, and DVD player). The complete MovieMate 72, sells for a few more than the HC1600.