DLP Projectors

When in 1962, in his book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, epistemologist Thomas Kuhn coined the phrase ‘paradigm shift’ to describe a change in basic assumptions within a ruling scientific theory, we’re not sure he had video projectors in mind (and no, we didn’t know what an epistemologist was either).

But this bit of Doctor Who-type jargon is the term Optoma is using to describe the Themescene HD82, a mid-priced projector designed to deliver a truly cinematic experience. So can it live up to its billing?

First published in Home Cinema Choice 173

You can also download the pdf here

There’s no doubt that most of us would think twice before throwing £23,000 down on SIM2’s Grand Cinema C3X 1080 projector. After all, a similar amount of cash could buy you a pretty flash sports car, or a nippy little motorboat to swank around the UK’s coastal resorts.

While these traditional status-symbol buys promise undeniable fun,  after the week or so I’ve just spent with the C3X 1080, it’s fair to say that my car- and boat-buying plans are now well and truly on hold. This is a very spectacular projector indeed...

First published in Home Cinema Choice 169

You can also download the pdf here

DLP tech has traditionally struggled to deliver Full HD projectors at affordable prices, but that changes today with the InFocus IN80 sporting a 1920 x 1080 HD resolution for just £1,300, undercutting the majority of Full HD LCD models.

It sports the same sculpted bodywork as higher-level InFocus projectors like the IN82 and IN83, and the usual InFocus flexible ‘foot’ mount, that lets you tip or rotate the unit to your heart’s content.

Its vital statistics look tasty at this price: twin digital video inputs; a claimed contrast of 7,500:1 via a manually adjustable iris; a maximum brightness of 1300 ANSI Lumens; PixelWorks’ DNX video processing engine and Texas Instruments’ Brilliant Colour wizardry; and ISF calibration capability...

First published in Home Cinema Choice 163

You can also download the pdf here

First reviewed in HCC 162.

Rating 3/5

Price: £412

First reviewed in HCC 160

Rating 4/5

Price: £1,400

First reviewed in HCC 161

Rating 4/5

Price: £3,500

While undoubted value for money, I found Planar’s first wave of UK projectors – the extremely affordable PD7010 and PD7060 – a little more ‘downmarket’ than expected. After all, the US brand is keen to establish itself in the UK via the custom installation market, where usually only premium kit gets a look in. With the PD8150, though, the company has raised the performance bar.

The PD8150 is a single-chip, Full HD DLP projector with a trio of image boosting processes: Texas Instruments’ DynamicBlack and BrilliantColor systems, and Unishape Lamp technology.  read more »