Epson Home Cinema 8500UB Projector – Image Quality 6

Posted on October 22, 2009 By Art Feierman

W6000 DarkKnight silhouette large 1

W6000 DarkKnight silhouette large 2

W6000 DarkKnight silhouette large 3

Another example of the dynamic iris, at work: With almost all projectors (JVC excepted, as they manage great black levels without a dynamic iris), the iris a key to excellent black levels. I figure this is as good a time to comment on the iris’s impact on viewing.

Below are two images from the beginning of one of the Star Trek movies (The Wrath of Kahn) shot at the exact same exposure! Notice how much brighter the background is on the first image, as the iris is forced to open for the bright credit. (Both images are intentionally overexposed.)

A few frames before, without the credit, the scene is just stars, and the iris closes down a good amount. You must concede, the difference is significant. Of course, when you have bright areas on an image, you are a little less likely to notice the blacks, but in a case like this, you can easily notice the difference as the iris opens and closes each time a credit appears over the star field.