Video Projectors

Summary
The InFocus' measured resolution was among the best we have seen, and is reflected in the superior sharpness of its images.

Its color, in the 6500K setting of the Color Temperature control, was much more accurate out of the box than most displays we have tested.

The contrast ratio was respectable, though not trend-setting, and there was virtually no overscan (in the Off setting of the Overscan control).

Details

Resolution
The IN82 performed as well in my multiburst resolution tests as any projector I have yet tested, at any price. Better, in fact, than most. In HDMI, the luminance and color resolution were both exceptional, with the luminance response virtually flawless at the maximum burst frequency of 37.1MHz. The response held up just as well at 720p (though because of the scaling involved a one pixel line at this resolution will never be as crisply defined as from a 1080i source).

In component, the 1080i response was superb to 18.5MHz, but more rolled off (though still clearly visible) and a bit noisy at 37.1MHz. 720p, component was fine as well, and without noise at 37.1MHz.

The projector's response to 480i and 480p inputs, HDMI and component, was essentially as good as is possible, with little or no loss of resolution at their highest frequencies (13.5MHz for 480p, 6.75MHz for 480i).

Color
Out of the box, the 6500K setting of the color temperature control was remarkably accurate (Fig.1). After calibration, it looks quite similar (Fig.2). And although the RGB results out of the box are much better than we usually see (Fig.3), the After results (Fig.4) are even better. Translation: If the color temperature is 6500K across the board, that's only half of the job. If the red, green, and blue readings in Fig.4 are also precisely overlaid at the 100% mark across the full brightness range, that indicates we are at the desired D6500 white point. (6500K is a line on the CIE color chart; D6500 is a specific point on that line).

Fig.1

Fig.2

Fig.3

Fig.4

Fig.5 shows the color space defined by the projector's REC709 setting (within the white triangle). Fig.6 shows the color space enclosed when we switch the IN82's Color Gamut control to the Maximum setting. Since both are off somewhat from the desired space (the triangle outlined in black) by about the same amount (though in different respects), it's really a judgment call as to which is the best one to use. I gravitated to REC709. In practice, the visible difference between the two settings was quite subtle. The BrilliantColor feature does not change the color points.

Fig.5

Fig.6

Contrast
With the settings shown above, and 43 hours on the lamp, I measured a peak contrast ratio of 2,766:1 (19.36 foot-Lamberts peak white, 0.007fl video black) on my 1.3-gain, 16:9, 78-inch wide, Stewart Studiotek 130 screen.

As noted in the review, the control positions shown in the Settings section, above, leaves a lot of reserve light output. If you need a bigger screen, or need to increase the light output to compensate for lamp wear, it's there. With the iris wide open and the lamp on High Power, I measured 58.4fL(!) on my relatively small screen (44.3fL with the iris open and High Power off). Though this high output severely compromised the black level, it will drop to a more respectable value with a larger screen.

Overscan
The IN82 is a rarity: a projector that has absolutely zero overscan on all sides, over HDMI or component, at any resolution, when its overscan control is set to Off. Yes, there was one exception: the right side of the screen, in 480i, component, measured 0.5% overscan!

With Overscan set to the Zoom setting, the overscan on all sides measured a consistent 1.5%, as did the cropping on all sides with the control set to Crop.