DLA-HD250 Out of the Box Picture Quality

Very good, yet, can be much improved! Oh, it’s true, put on Cinema 1 and most folks will just go wow. Those of us looking for pretty accurate color, and a higher level of performance though will definitely appreciate a calibration. Unlike the more expensive JVC projectors, the HD250 does not have a pre-calibrated THX mode. So, drop in our calibration settings, or better yet, get thee to a calibrator. as the HD250 out of the box can definitely be improved.

Flesh Tones

With our calibration giving us a much more accurate, and more consistent color temperature, the skin tones of the HD250 are looking pretty good. The there is a touch extra red, in skin tones, that likely would be correctable if the HD250 had a full color management system like the DLA-RS50/RS60/X7/X9. While the reds are a touch pushed, it does tend to give skin tones a vibrant look. Before you perfectionists panic, though, consider that these reds seem extremely tame compared to what most folks look at their LCDTVs. Not the dark vibrant, which I associate with the DLP “look and feel” but more of a mid and bright range vibrance. In this regard, it is more vibrant than even the more expensive JVCs, which can seem a touch “dark” overall, by comparison (give or take a gamma adjustment.) Those blacker blacks add that slightly “darkish look” element to the pricier JVCs, which is just killer on dark scenes, but the HD250 has a “lighter” feel on most other scenes.

The point here, is that correct skin tones vary, depending on the lighting. You can expect significantly different looking skin tones, when switching from bright sunlight, to nighttime, fluorescent lighting, incandescent lighting, or even lighting in the shade, or a cloudy day. Consider these three images, the first in direct sunlight, the second is a scene with fluorescent lighting, and the third, a sunny day, but Bond is sitting in the shade – indirect lighting.

DLA-HD250 Out of the Box Picture Quality

Flesh Tones

With our calibration giving us a much more accurate, and more consistent color temperature, the skin tones of the HD250 are looking pretty good. The there is a touch extra red, in skin tones, that likely would be correctable if the HD250 had a full color management system like the DLA-RS50/RS60/X7/X9. While the reds are a touch pushed, it does tend to give skin tones a vibrant look. Before you perfectionists panic, though, consider that these reds seem extremely tame compared to what most folks look at their LCDTVs. Not the dark vibrant, which I associate with the DLP “look and feel” but more of a mid and bright range vibrance. In this regard, it is more vibrant than even the more expensive JVCs, which can seem a touch “dark” overall, by comparison (give or take a gamma adjustment.) Those blacker blacks add that slightly “darkish look” element to the pricier JVCs, which is just killer on dark scenes, but the HD250 has a “lighter” feel on most other scenes.

Next are our usual three images of Daniel Craig, as Bond, in Casino Royale, under different lighting conditions. (These were all taken with the RS25 projector.)

The point here, is that correct skin tones vary, depending on the lighting. You can expect significantly different looking skin tones, when switching from bright sunlight, to nighttime, fluorescent lighting, incandescent lighting, or even lighting in the shade, or a cloudy day. Consider these three images, the first in direct sunlight, the second is a scene with fluorescent lighting, and the third, a sunny day, but Bond is sitting in the shade – indirect lighting.

For a quick comparison, the image above, is the HD250, and below, the old RS15. In reality most of the difference you see is likely due to my upgrading my dSLR from an Olympus E-Volt 510, to the Canon 60D which is definitely more accurate.

More skin tone images for your consideration:

Ah, Scarlett Johansson, above, from Iron Man 2.

Above, Morgan Freeman in Red. “Indoor” lighting.

See what I mean about “vibrant”? Above, Karl Urban in Red.