Vivitek H1080FD Projector – Image Quality 3

Bottom Line for Overall Picture Quality and Color Handling:

All considered, the H1080FD is very respectable in picture quality. That said, the direct competition, the Optoma HD20, as well as the more expensive Mitsubishi and Epson Home Cinema 8100, all have better overall picture quality. While color and shadow detail are good, black levels are not.

The big tradeoff is brightness, and those extra lumens go a long way in terms of providing an image with a lot of bang.

I tend to get a bit jaded, in that it's not easy to go from watching my usual JVC or Epson projectors, and then switching to a basic performance $999 projector.

As I write this evening, though, I've got Bourne Ultimatum running on the Vivitek, and, you know what? It looks pretty good. The picture quality won't stand up well to a close inspection from a critical eye. That said, the overall bright image not only will please those just wanting a good large image, but will wow'em with all those lumens.

We'll finish our look at comparative images of entry level 1080p projectors with the crew image from Space Cowboys. First is the Vivitek H1080FD, followed by the Optoma, then the Epson Home Cinema 8100, followed by the Sharp XV-Z15000: