Planar PD8150 1080p DLP Home Theater Projector Review: Overview

Posted on October 23, 2008 by Art Feierman

The Planar PD8150 was awarded the Special Interest Award in our annual Home Projector Comparison Report -April 2010.

Specs Preview

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Planar PD8150 Specs
Price	7999
Technology	DLP
Native Resolution	1920x1080
Brightness (Manufacturer Claim)	1000
Contrast	15,000:1
Zoom Lens Ratio	1.30:1
Lens Shift	Yes
Lamp Life	4000 hours in Economy mode (low lamp), no published spec for full power (Standard) lamp mode
Weight	22 lbs
Warranty	2 years

This review of the PD8150 has just been posted. Some cleanup, and additional images and commentary will be added over the next week. Enjoy! -art

The Planar PD8150 is the top of the line single chip DLP projector from Planar. Planar itself is a relatively new player in projectors, a company founded only about four years ago. More recently, less than two years ago, they bought the high end home theater projector manufacturer Runco (which also owns the Vidikron high end brand). Oregon based, Planar has a number of former top folks from InFocus in their executive ranks. The Planar product line is sold primarily through local dealers. This is the second Planar we have reviewed.

Click to enlarge. SO close

We see the Planar PD8150 as a direct competitor to other local dealer only projector models such as the InFocus IN83, the Optoma HD81-LV, the JVC RS series home theater projectors, as well as entry level projectors from SIM2, Runco and Vidikron.

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Planar PD8150 Projector: Highlights

Click to enlarge. SO close
Very good out of the box color
Very good black level performance (has a dynamic iris "Dynamic Black", to help out)
Brighter than most in "best mode"
Below average brightness in "brightest mode"
Two HDMI 1.3 inputs, with support for 24/48fps, Deep Color...
Slightly more zoom range (compared to other DLP projectors, plus vertical and horizontal lens shift
More audible noise than most projectors (but typical for DLP projectors)
Optional, shorter throw zoom lens available
Sold only through local, trained, authorized dealers