Mitsubishi HC7900DW Projector – Physical Tour

I think the HC7900DW might be cute, but it’s not a work of art.  Still, cute may very well help out with the “partner” factor”  (formerly the “wife factor” but that phrase is now apparently politically incorrect). There is no question that a projector’s physical appearance, at least outside of a dedicated home theater, is a topic that can cause angst.

The most obvious feature in the front is the recessed 1.5 to 1 zoom lens which has a lot of placement flexibility compared to many other DLP projectors.  Overall 1.5 to 1 zoom is about average for home theater projectors although many of the LCD and LCoS models stretch out to 2 to 1.  All considered, 1.5 to 1 zoom is pretty good, however the big news is that the H7900DW also has vertical lens shift.

Combining the zoom’s range and lens shift, makes for really good placement flexibility.  You’ll also find an IR sensor for the remote control on the front, and down below – two adjustable front feet.

Move to the rear of the Mitsubishi HC7900DW, and you will find all of the inputs and connectors.  The back panel itself is pretty standard with just a couple of surprises.  As you would expect, there are two HDMI inputs (both 1.4a, to support Blu-ray 3D), and also your standard red, green and blue RCA jacks for a component video input.

Also present, is a standard HD15 connector best known as the computer monitor connector, that will allow you to hook up your PC to this Mitsubishi home theater projector.  What is interesting about the HD15 is that it serves multiple purposes.  It can be used as an analog computer input as intended, or as a second component video input, and finally it can also be used for composite video, which is normally found on most projectors as a separate RCA jack color coded yellow.  In this case, all three capabilities are rolled up into one jack but it also means you can only choose one of those three input types.  The HC7900DW also has a serial port for command and control and next to it, a networking port which could be used for firmware changes and other purposes.

Finally on the far right is the 12-volt trigger.  As many of you know, that can be used to cause a motorized screen that is properly equipped to rise and come down as the projector is powered off and powered back on.  It can also be used for other purposes, howeve,r that is the most common one.

That covers it for the back and all the connectors, with the exception of course of the power receptacle and there’s also a Kensington life lock for security.  All considered, the HC7900 is typically equipped.  They’ve saved a few jacks here or there, but they have plenty of inputs you are very unlikely to find yourself coming up short.  Also worthy of note, is the venting, none of which is in the back, which means that the HC7900 conceivably can be placed on a rear shelf.  That works out great for a lot of folks. I myself have spent many years with projectors on rear shelves, including the last few years.  With only a 1.5 to1 zoom ratio, however many people will not be able to place the projector far enough back to find a rear shelf unless they have a particularly large screen.  Since this projector isn’t really built for huge screens, that means the HC7900 in a rear shelf environment, is probably going to be working something between an 80 and 100-inch screen in a room that is not especially deep.  Consider shelf mounting –  if it makes sense in your room.