Cinetron HD700 Projector Summary - 2

Posted on October 8, 2013 by Art Feierman

Cinetron HD700 Projector: Pros

Good color, out of the box, and even better once calibrated
Very good skin tones
One of the brightest projectors around in "best" picture mode
Extremely good dark shadow detail
Very nice CMS (color management system)
Two HDMI 1.3b inputs, full support for 24 fps, Deep Color, CEC, etc.
Good layout on the remote control, and a good backlight with easily readable buttons

Good, but not exceptional placement flexibility - should be rear shelf mountable by those who desire, in most room setups
The image has punch - brightness plus "wow" factor is impressive
Support for an anamorphic lens and sled
Very good menu system
If you like that macho, yet clean, industrial look the Cinetron is for you. It's a black tank that looks like it means business.

Slightly below average brightness in "brightest" mode, with about 960 lumens
Whites are a touch cool (not bad) after calibration
Remote control has very limited range
Lacks CFI (creative frame interpolation) often referred to as "smooth motion"
At this point, in the battle for value, the Cinetron's lamp life is "average" but, several competitors are offering much longer life lamps saving significant dollars over time
Some slight uneveness of the background with a shift toward red to the right - just barely detectable on dark scenes if you are looking for it. But, this is a pre-production Cinetron, and that's a common problem with pre-production projectors. Tolerances are typically tighter on production projectors.
Slight (but acceptable) pixel misalignment (typical of virtually all LCoS and 3LCD projectors)
Commercial look and feel (on the other hand, it feels indestructable compared to the competition).

Just average lamp life - 2000 hours in High lamp power, 3000 in eco-mode
Warranty
Average sharpness for a 1080p projector - this can be improved slightly, with the detail enhancement control, without creating significant sharpening artifacts. "all things in moderation"
Documentation (I'm still waiting to see a projector that really does provide good explanations of all the menu functions). Not bad, but I've got a pre-production downloaded version, still missing diagrams, grammar issues, so hard to say how really good the final will be
The picture above from the new Star Trek movie, I think represents an excellent photo to illustrate what the Cinetron's picture is all about. You see for all my whining and quibbling, the projector definitely has the ability to "knock your socks off".Always remember, the projectors always look a lot better than our photos.