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Mitsubishi HC7800D Projector – Image Quality

Posted on January 31, 2012 By Art Feierman

In a perfect world, our photos would perfectly reproduce the Mitsubishi HC7800D image on my screen. In the real world though, the HC7800D projector projects onto my Studiotek 130 screen. Those images are captured on a Canon 60D professional dSLR. Even so, there is always some minor color shift and other changes. From there, software (Photoshop), your browser, and your monitor, are also in the path, each adding some “color” to the image, changing it from the original HC7800D projected image. As a result, while the photos can give you a good idea of picture quality, overall, the accuracy of the color on your screen is not going to be accurate enough for really close comparisons of, say the HC7800D projector’s skin tones, compared to some other similarly good projector. Take our images, therefore, with a grain – or pound – of salt.

For all of that, I believe that the HC7800D images came out very well, in terms of representing the color the Mitsubishi HC7800D projector is capable of. I do detect a slight shift to red – or rather “salmon” kind of pink. The skin tones do look better “live” than on these images, at least when viewed on my MacBook Pro.

I repeat again, for the record: All home theater projectors, including the Mitsubishi HC7800D definitely look will look better live, than in even the best looking images here might suggest.

Mitsubishi HC7800D Out of the Box Picture Quality

Click to enlarge. SO close

Rather impressive!  Not only does the HC7800D have very good brightness right out of the box, combined with good color but its color quality comes very close to what many other projectors look like after they’ve been calibrated.  So kudos to Mitsubishi for starting this projector out with some pretty impressive looking color, even before you make an adjustment.

Click Image to Enlarge

Mitsubishi HC7800D Projector - Flesh Tones

Post calibration, the Mitsubishi 7800 D looks downright great on skin tones.  First of all it’s a classic DLP, with all that being a DLP home theater projector implies.  Many of us are big fans of the general picture characteristics of DLP. I try and describe that “dlp look” as having rich looking and saturated looking colors and especially so on the darker scenes.  Lots of “wow and pop” from DLP projectors, and the Mitsubishi HC7800D is no exception.  However we were talking about skin tones. Once Mike calibrated this projector, skin tones look pretty much right on.

Although our measurements show that the calibratred HC7800D ended up just a smidgeon to the warm side, (just a touch too much red relative to blues), the HC7800D did not exhibit what is sometimes called the “sunburned” look.

You know, that is when you’ve been out in the sun for about 20 minutes too long. The Mitsubishi’s skin tones look just fine.  Below you will find the usual images and some new ones that we like to show you to give you an idea of what skin tones can look like.  As usual we start with a couple of images from Lord of the Rings: Return of the King.

Below are our three James Bond images from Casino Royale. Each has a different lighting scenario, the first – full sunlight, the second image; indoor fluorescent, and finally, filtered sunlight in the third image. And as one would expect, that causes each image of James Bond – Daniel Craig – to have different looking skin tones. All look pretty good!

HC7800D Menus
Mitsubishi HC7800D Black Levels & Shadow Detail