Lamp Life and Replacement

Posted on October 10, 2013 By Art Feierman

Now this is interesting. With most projectors the low power mode (Whisper in the case of the IN72), feeds less wattage to the lamp, and therefore extends the life of the lamp). Not so with the IN76 projector according to the published specs. In fact the IN76 claims a 3000 hour lamp life regardless of which mode you are in. In speaking with InFocus they advised that users should get a (slightly) longer life using whisper mode, but declined to offer an official number, or even a guess.

The BenQ W100 is also rated 3000 lumens in full power, and 4000 in their economy mode, so, the two should have similar lamp lives. In the upcoming four projector shootout, well look at the claims for each model.

To actually replace the lamp, you must remove the supplied pedestal, or, if you have ceiling mounted the projector, you must remove the projector from the mount.

The need to unmount the projector, is definitely a negative. In this modern day and age, most home theater projectors no longer require unmounting. If you are just placing it on a table, taking off the pedestal is easy enough.

Projector Screen Recomendations

Always the toughest call. Since you can use full power (assuming the extra noise doesn’t bother you), all the time with no extra expense, the IN72 can handle a 110″ possiblydiagonal screen, however

I watched the projector on y 128″ Firehawk screen (high contrast, light gray), and on the Carada Brilliant White screen in my testing room (1.4 gain – brighter, but lower in contrast, and wider viewing angle. As with the similar, but higher resolution IN76 projector, I favored the light gray surface, although the image isn’t as bright. If you want to stick to Whisper mode, I wouldn’t suggest a light gray HC screen over 92 ” diagonal, but definitely for a screen of that size. For the typical viewer (who is going to be less critical), the extra brightness of the higher gain white screens will be appreciated. I mention the Carada as it is very affordable. Remember, the IN72 does exceptionally well on black levels for an entry level (or even a $2000 range home theater projector). Despite my preference for the HC light gray screens, I believe most users may prefer a screen like the Carada, with a 1.3 or 1.4 gain.

The IN72 should also work very well with a basic matte screen with gains of 1.0 or 1.1, they just won’t be quite as bright.

The image immediately below as been tossed in just as one more example of the IN72’s capabilities and ability to show detail in the textures, and to keep you from getting too bored reading my non-stop text.

I realize that this is an entry level projector and buyers won’t be wanting to spend big bucks on a screen. Still, a screen will serve you better than a wall. You should be able to buy pull down screens for under $200, in various sizes with gains in the .9 – 1.3 range from brands like Da-lite, Elite, Draper, etc. Fixed wall screens are generally better (perfectly flat), but do cost more, and start under $500 for an Elite, with aCarada, like the one I use,being not that much more.

Calibration

Projector manufacturers are getting better at shipping units that look great out of the box. I did not run a calibration on the IN72, but did measure the color temperature. At 80 IRE, my Avia Pro software and Optic One meter came up with 6338K and 6391 at 100 IRE. That’s very close to the ideal 6500 Kelvin, that projectors use to optimze for DVD movies. The very close initial measurements, combined with the inherently enjoyable color on flesh tones made me decide to leave well enough alone. Especially in light of the fact that I doubt more than a couple of percent of buyers will buy a calibration disk. I normally “lecture” readers on doing easy “end user” calibrations on their projectors, but, n the case of the IN72, I’ll spare you. This is one projector you can fully enjoy without breaking out a calibration disk.

Image Noise

DLP projectors are known to show some image noise in dark areas. Few notice, or care, but it is an area where LCD projectors have an advantage. The image noise on the InFocus, is very low. If you stand within a couple of feet of the screen you can see it in the dark areas. Under normal viewing distances, however, I do not consider this a problem at all, I watch more than 8 hours of movies, on the InFocus IN72 projector, and it never was an issue.

OK, that’s a wrap for this section, time for Warranty, and then the Summary.