Mitsubishi HC7800D – Review Summary Posted on February 1, 2012 By Art Feierman 1. Mitsubishi HC7800D Home Theater Projector Review - Mitsubishi HC7800D Projector Overview2. Mitsubishi HC7800DW Special Features - Adding 3D to the HC7900DW - 3D Gaming with the Mitsubishi HC7900DW: Lag Times! - HC7900 and the Rainbow Effect - HC7900DW Lamp Life - 1.5:1 Zoom Lens3. Mitsubishi HC7800DW Special Features 2 - HC7900DW Projector - 3D Performance - Mitsubishi HC7900 Projector: 2D to 3D conversion - HC7900DW Creative Frame Interpolation - CFI - smooth motion4. Mitsubishi HC7800D Projector Highlights - Specs for Mitsubishi HC7800D - Mitsubishi HC7800D Special Features - 1.5:1 Zoom Lens 5. HC7800D Projector – 3D Performance - Mitsubishi HC7800 Projector: 2D to 3D conversion - HC7800D Creative Frame Interpolation - CFI - smooth motion6. Mitsubishi HC7800D Projector – Physical Tour - Mitsubishi HC7800D Projector - Appearance - HC7800D Control Panel - HC7800D Projector - Input/Output7. HC7800D Menus - Mitsubishi HC7800D Remote Control - Mitsubishi HC7800D Lens Throw - Mitsubishi HC7800 Lens Shift - Anamorphic Lens - Wide Screen8. Mitsubishi HC7800D Projector – Image Quality - Mitsubishi HC7800D Out of the Box Picture Quality - Mitsubishi HC7800D Projector - Flesh Tones9. Mitsubishi HC7800D Black Levels & Shadow Detail10. Shadow Detail Performance11. Shadow Detail Performance 2 - Black Level and Shadow Detail Performance: HC7800D Projector - Bottom Line - Mitsubishi HC7800D - Overall Color & Picture Quality12. Mitsubishi HC7800D Projector: Performance, HDTV and Sports - Mitsubishi HC7800D Projector: Bottom Line on HDTV and Sports13. Mitsubishi HC7800D Projector – Performance - Mitsubishi HC7800D Brightness - Lumen Output and Color Temp for various Picture modes at 100 IRE: - Post Calibration: User "best" mode (placed in User AV Memory 1) = 668 lumens - HC7800D Brightest Mode: - Effect of zoom on lumen output (A/V Memory mode): - Mitsubishi HC7800D Pre-Calibration Color temp, Cinema Mode:14. HC7800D Color Temp over IRE Range – Post calibration: User Mode15. Mitsubishi HC7800D Sharpness - Mitsubishi HC7800D: Bottom Line Sharpness - Light Leakage - Image Noise - Audible Noise16. Mitsubishi HC7800D Projector Calibration and Settings - Mitsubishi HC7800D Basic Settings - Mitsubishi HC7800D Post Calibration Grayscale: User Mode17. HC7800D User Mode AV1, Post Calibration - HC7800D RGB Settings18. Mitsubishi HC7800D Projector Screen Recommendations19. Mitsubishi HC7800D Projector – Warranty20. Mitsubishi HC7800D – Competitors - Mitsubishi HC7800D - Competitors - Mitsubishi HC7800D vs. Epson Pro Cinema 9700UB and Home 8700UB - Mitsubishi HC7800D vs. Sony VPL-VW90ES - HC7800D vs. Sharp XV-Z17000 - Mitsubishi HC7800D vs. Optoma HD8200 - Mitsubishi HC7800D vs. Runco LS5 - Mitsubishi HC7800D vs. PT-AE700021. Mitsubishi HC7800D – Review Summary - Mitsubishi HC7800D Projector - The Bottom Line - HC7800D Color and Overall Picture Quality22. Mitsubishi HC7800D Projector: Pros - Mitsubishi HC7800D Projector: Cons23. HC7800 Projector – Brightness for 2D viewing - HC7800 Projector - 3D Brightness: - The Very Bottom Line on the HC7800D projector: - Mitsubishi HC7800D Projector: Pros and Cons24. Mitsubishi HC7800D Projector Specifications Time to summarize much of the previous pages. For those of you who have read the entire review, no surprises. For the rest of you, this page should give you a pretty darn good idea of how the HC7800 projector performs, its greatest strengths, its most noticeable limitations, and hopefully, a good understanding as to whether this projector is for you. Enjoy! Mitsubishi HC7800D Projector - The Bottom LineI think of the HC7800D as a fine, small home theater projector that is best in a home theater-like environment, on a “smaller” sized screen. Now for you folks still watching on those tiny LCDTV’s and plasma TVs, when I say smaller, I’m thinking between about 80 inches diagonal and 100 inches diagonal. (In other words, compared to LCDTVs – not small, but rather “supersized”). The real strengths of the Mitsubishi HC7800D projector are the general 2D picture quality, sharpness, and about as clean looking 3D as I’ve seen. A little more about each: First, the HC7800D looks better, in terms of color accuracy, than most other projectors right out of the box. This is a point worthy of some additional conmment. This year, most projectors in the over $2000 range, are pretty good out of the box. That wasn’t really the case 3-4 years ago. It seems projector manufacturers are doing a much better job these days, in that, for those who don’t plan to have their projector calibrated, today’s projectors, overall, will provide better skin tones, and color in general, at least if you go to the trouble of using the “best mode” the projector has to offer. That said, the Mitsubishi HC7800D still does better, right out of the box, than most. True, there are a couple of others out there, better “out of the box” such as Epson’s Pro Cinema 6010, a direct competitor, in that it too is only sold by local installing dealers. That Epson has a THX mode which is downright excellent, for “out of the box”. On the other hand, the Epson 6010 costs more than this Mitsubishi, while the Home Cinema 5010, which costs less, lacks the THX mode. If you take your movies seriously, and want best color, we’d still recommend having the HC7800 calibrated. Failing that, try our settings. They should do better than the defaults. HC7800D Color and Overall Picture Quality Skin tones are excellent. Extremely believable, and a touch better than the Epson 5010, which we’re using as the reference in this case. (Because I have use long term of that Epson, so have been able to compare the Epson with a number of other projectors. I typically use my own JVC as reference when comparing much more expensive projectors.) Shadow detail is also first class. For a projector in the price range, my only real complaint is with black level performance. This projector does well enough, but is relatively “entry level” when compared to other “ultra-high contrast” projectors (those with superior black performance.) Still, the combination makes for a “great little projector”. Brightness of the Mitsubishi HC7800 projector isn’t a “problem” but it does limit the number of potential buyers of this projector. Let’s talk 2D first: 1. Mitsubishi HC7800D Home Theater Projector Review - Mitsubishi HC7800D Projector Overview2. Mitsubishi HC7800DW Special Features - Adding 3D to the HC7900DW - 3D Gaming with the Mitsubishi HC7900DW: Lag Times! - HC7900 and the Rainbow Effect - HC7900DW Lamp Life - 1.5:1 Zoom Lens3. Mitsubishi HC7800DW Special Features 2 - HC7900DW Projector - 3D Performance - Mitsubishi HC7900 Projector: 2D to 3D conversion - HC7900DW Creative Frame Interpolation - CFI - smooth motion4. Mitsubishi HC7800D Projector Highlights - Specs for Mitsubishi HC7800D - Mitsubishi HC7800D Special Features - 1.5:1 Zoom Lens 5. HC7800D Projector – 3D Performance - Mitsubishi HC7800 Projector: 2D to 3D conversion - HC7800D Creative Frame Interpolation - CFI - smooth motion6. Mitsubishi HC7800D Projector – Physical Tour - Mitsubishi HC7800D Projector - Appearance - HC7800D Control Panel - HC7800D Projector - Input/Output7. HC7800D Menus - Mitsubishi HC7800D Remote Control - Mitsubishi HC7800D Lens Throw - Mitsubishi HC7800 Lens Shift - Anamorphic Lens - Wide Screen8. Mitsubishi HC7800D Projector – Image Quality - Mitsubishi HC7800D Out of the Box Picture Quality - Mitsubishi HC7800D Projector - Flesh Tones9. Mitsubishi HC7800D Black Levels & Shadow Detail10. Shadow Detail Performance11. Shadow Detail Performance 2 - Black Level and Shadow Detail Performance: HC7800D Projector - Bottom Line - Mitsubishi HC7800D - Overall Color & Picture Quality12. Mitsubishi HC7800D Projector: Performance, HDTV and Sports - Mitsubishi HC7800D Projector: Bottom Line on HDTV and Sports13. Mitsubishi HC7800D Projector – Performance - Mitsubishi HC7800D Brightness - Lumen Output and Color Temp for various Picture modes at 100 IRE: - Post Calibration: User "best" mode (placed in User AV Memory 1) = 668 lumens - HC7800D Brightest Mode: - Effect of zoom on lumen output (A/V Memory mode): - Mitsubishi HC7800D Pre-Calibration Color temp, Cinema Mode:14. HC7800D Color Temp over IRE Range – Post calibration: User Mode15. Mitsubishi HC7800D Sharpness - Mitsubishi HC7800D: Bottom Line Sharpness - Light Leakage - Image Noise - Audible Noise16. Mitsubishi HC7800D Projector Calibration and Settings - Mitsubishi HC7800D Basic Settings - Mitsubishi HC7800D Post Calibration Grayscale: User Mode17. HC7800D User Mode AV1, Post Calibration - HC7800D RGB Settings18. Mitsubishi HC7800D Projector Screen Recommendations19. Mitsubishi HC7800D Projector – Warranty20. Mitsubishi HC7800D – Competitors - Mitsubishi HC7800D - Competitors - Mitsubishi HC7800D vs. Epson Pro Cinema 9700UB and Home 8700UB - Mitsubishi HC7800D vs. Sony VPL-VW90ES - HC7800D vs. Sharp XV-Z17000 - Mitsubishi HC7800D vs. Optoma HD8200 - Mitsubishi HC7800D vs. Runco LS5 - Mitsubishi HC7800D vs. PT-AE700021. Mitsubishi HC7800D – Review Summary - Mitsubishi HC7800D Projector - The Bottom Line - HC7800D Color and Overall Picture Quality22. Mitsubishi HC7800D Projector: Pros - Mitsubishi HC7800D Projector: Cons23. HC7800 Projector – Brightness for 2D viewing - HC7800 Projector - 3D Brightness: - The Very Bottom Line on the HC7800D projector: - Mitsubishi HC7800D Projector: Pros and Cons24. Mitsubishi HC7800D Projector Specifications Mitsubishi HC7800D – Competitors Mitsubishi HC7800D Projector: Pros