Mitsubishi HC9000D Home Cinema Projector – Review Summary Posted on July 26, 2011 By Art Feierman 1. Mitsubishi HC9000D Projector Review - Mitsubishi HC9000D Projector Overview2. Mitsubishi HC9000D Projector Review-2 - Mitsubishi HC9000D Projector Highlights - Specs for Mitsubishi HC9000D - Mitsubishi HC9000D Special Features3. Mitsubishi HC9000D Projector Review-3 - CFI - Smooth Motion 4. Mitsubishi HC9000D Projector – Physical Tour - Mitsubishi HC9000D Projector - Appearance - Mitsubishi HC9000D Control Panel - Input/Output5. Mitsubishi HC9000D Projector – Physical Tour-2 - Mitsubishi HC9000D Menus6. Mitsubishi HC9000D Projector – Physical Tour-3 - Mitsubishi HC9000D Remote Control7. Mitsubishi HC9000D Projector – Physical Tour-4 - Mitsubishi HC9000D Lens Throw - HC9000 Lens Shift - HC9000D Anamorphic Lens8. Mitsubishi HC9000D Projector – Image Quality - HC9000D "Out of the Box" Picture Quality - HC9000D Projector - Flesh Tones9. Mitsubishi HC9000D Projector – Image Quality-2 - HC9000D Black Levels & Shadow Detail 10. Mitsubishi HC9000D Projector – Image Quality-311. Mitsubishi HC9000D Projector – Image Quality-4 - Shadow Detail Performance - Mitsubishi HC9000D - Overall Color & Picture Quality12. Mitsubishi HC9000D Projector – Image Quality-5 - The bottom line, on overall picture quality: - Mitsubishi HC9000D Projector: Performance, HDTV and Sports - Bottom line for HDTV on the Mitsubishi HC9000D Home Theater Projector13. Mitsubishi HC9000D Projector – Performance - Mitsubishi HC9000D Brightness14. Mitsubishi HC9000D Projector – Performance-2 - Mitsubishi HC9000D Sharpness15. Mitsubishi HC9000D Projector – Performance-3 - Mitsubishi HC9000D: Bottom Line Sharpness - HC9000 Light Leakage - HC9000D Image Noise - Mitsubishi HC9000D Audible Noise16. Mitsubishi HC9000D Projector Calibration and Settings - Mitsubishi HC9000D Color Temperature - Mitsubishi HC9000D Basic Settings - Mitsubishi HC9000D Post Calibration Grayscale: User 3 (based on Cinema) - RGB Settings17. Mitsubishi HC9000D Projector – Competitors - HC9000D vs. Sony VPL-VW90ES - Mitsubishi HC9000D vs. Sharp XV-Z17000 - Mitsubishi HC9000D vs. JVC DLA-RS60 and DLA-RS50 - Mitsubishi HC9000D vs. Runco LS-5 18. Mitsubishi HC9000D Projector Warranty19. Mitsubishi HC9000D Home Cinema Projector – Review Summary - Mitsubishi HC9000D Projector - The Bottom Line20. Mitsubishi HC9000D Home Cinema Projector – Review Summary-2 - The Very Bottom Line on the HC9000D projector: - Mitsubishi HC9000D Projector: Pros, Cons, and Typical Capabilities - Mitsubishi HC9000D Projector: Pros - Mitsubishi HC9000D Projector: Cons21. Mitsubishi HC9000D Projector Specifications The Mitsubishi HC9000D receives our Hot Product award. Below, we’ll summarize many things mentioned in the preceding pages. Finally, a list of projector’s pros and cons and general capabilities. The short version: The Mitsubishi HC9000D is a great 2D projector with brighter 3D abilities relative to most of the competition. Mitsubishi HC9000D Projector - The Bottom LineClick to enlarge. SO close Things are heating up in the high quality plus 3D capability projector arena, with the addition of Mitsubishi’s HC9000D. And the HC9000 is priced in the low middle range, compared to the field of competition. Which we consider spanning from the JVC DLA-RS40 and Sharp XV-Z17000 (both under $5000), on the lower end, to the Sony VPL-VW90ES and JVC DLA-RS60 at the very top (at $10K, and $12K respectively). We believe that Mitsubishi’s use of a $5995 price likely well represents what the HC9000 will sell for. Click Image to Enlarge Before we get through, we’ll address the HC9000D for those only interested in 2D, and those wanting both 2D and 3D. There’re are currently up to about a half dozen projectors in our $3500 – $10K ($12K allowing for the JVC) range, that offer 3D as well as 2D, at 1080p, with a very high quality, Ultra High Contrast projector. This Mitsubishi HC9000D falls somewhere below the middle in terms of price, and of course, being surrounded, is never fun. Nonetheless, the HC9000D seems to be handling the competition fairly competently. The HC9000D calibrates very nicely, a conclusion drawn from all my hours of viewing it. I also did some side by side viewing two different JVC’s and an Epson UB and report color and skin tones at least as good as any of them! The iris of the HC9000D offers fixed or variable (dynamic) iris operation. The iris in dynamic mode was perhaps the only feature that gives me pause. Its smooth, but apparently very slow, and can be audible when it resets. I think I did hear it once (other than at start up and source changes, etc.) But to double check, I then put on the first 45 minutes of Hunt For Red October, with no sound on, and despite the very dark passages, and bright ones, I never heard a peep out of the iris. I do favor faster dynamic iris designs, by the time this iris gets fully adjusted on a drop to a quick dark scene, the scene is probably over. Best I can tell, it never fully adjusted down on that short segment in Casino Royale that I take the night train scene image from. The good news is that the projector has some very good black level performance, even without running the iris dynamically. (Yes, there are 3 manual settings – non-dynamic, as well as a custom mode for one of 18 steps). It may not match the more expensive JVC’s which are still the best at blacks, but the HC9000D pretty good even without dynamic iris, and better, with. Brightness: One reason the HC9000D is scoring big points with me, is its brightness. With 700 lumens in its best mode (we consider 500 about average) and 1000 lumens at its brightest (1005 measured), which we consider average, that still gives it a big advantage on most of the competition. Entry level quality projectors, are often brighter. For 2D plenty of lumens for a large screen, 130″ diagonal isn’t out of the question, although if you like sports with lights on, you’ll want a smaller (or higher gain) screen. 3D is the brightness issue if you are a 3D projector. The HC9000D doesn’t have as many lumens for 3D as I would like, but it is the brightest of all of the projectors of this group, so far. We haven’t gotten to the JVC RS40, and there will be some new competition soon, but it bests the Sony and the more expensive JVCs, as well as the Sharp, in overall brightness, and for 3D. 1. Mitsubishi HC9000D Projector Review - Mitsubishi HC9000D Projector Overview2. Mitsubishi HC9000D Projector Review-2 - Mitsubishi HC9000D Projector Highlights - Specs for Mitsubishi HC9000D - Mitsubishi HC9000D Special Features3. Mitsubishi HC9000D Projector Review-3 - CFI - Smooth Motion 4. Mitsubishi HC9000D Projector – Physical Tour - Mitsubishi HC9000D Projector - Appearance - Mitsubishi HC9000D Control Panel - Input/Output5. Mitsubishi HC9000D Projector – Physical Tour-2 - Mitsubishi HC9000D Menus6. Mitsubishi HC9000D Projector – Physical Tour-3 - Mitsubishi HC9000D Remote Control7. Mitsubishi HC9000D Projector – Physical Tour-4 - Mitsubishi HC9000D Lens Throw - HC9000 Lens Shift - HC9000D Anamorphic Lens8. Mitsubishi HC9000D Projector – Image Quality - HC9000D "Out of the Box" Picture Quality - HC9000D Projector - Flesh Tones9. Mitsubishi HC9000D Projector – Image Quality-2 - HC9000D Black Levels & Shadow Detail 10. Mitsubishi HC9000D Projector – Image Quality-311. Mitsubishi HC9000D Projector – Image Quality-4 - Shadow Detail Performance - Mitsubishi HC9000D - Overall Color & Picture Quality12. Mitsubishi HC9000D Projector – Image Quality-5 - The bottom line, on overall picture quality: - Mitsubishi HC9000D Projector: Performance, HDTV and Sports - Bottom line for HDTV on the Mitsubishi HC9000D Home Theater Projector13. Mitsubishi HC9000D Projector – Performance - Mitsubishi HC9000D Brightness14. Mitsubishi HC9000D Projector – Performance-2 - Mitsubishi HC9000D Sharpness15. Mitsubishi HC9000D Projector – Performance-3 - Mitsubishi HC9000D: Bottom Line Sharpness - HC9000 Light Leakage - HC9000D Image Noise - Mitsubishi HC9000D Audible Noise16. Mitsubishi HC9000D Projector Calibration and Settings - Mitsubishi HC9000D Color Temperature - Mitsubishi HC9000D Basic Settings - Mitsubishi HC9000D Post Calibration Grayscale: User 3 (based on Cinema) - RGB Settings17. Mitsubishi HC9000D Projector – Competitors - HC9000D vs. Sony VPL-VW90ES - Mitsubishi HC9000D vs. Sharp XV-Z17000 - Mitsubishi HC9000D vs. JVC DLA-RS60 and DLA-RS50 - Mitsubishi HC9000D vs. Runco LS-5 18. Mitsubishi HC9000D Projector Warranty19. Mitsubishi HC9000D Home Cinema Projector – Review Summary - Mitsubishi HC9000D Projector - The Bottom Line20. Mitsubishi HC9000D Home Cinema Projector – Review Summary-2 - The Very Bottom Line on the HC9000D projector: - Mitsubishi HC9000D Projector: Pros, Cons, and Typical Capabilities - Mitsubishi HC9000D Projector: Pros - Mitsubishi HC9000D Projector: Cons21. Mitsubishi HC9000D Projector Specifications Mitsubishi HC9000D Projector Warranty Mitsubishi HC9000D Home Cinema Projector – Review Summary-2