I've been playing with an actual production IN76 for the last week or so, and found enough differences in performance from the prototype I reviewed that we felt an update to this "First Look" article was definitely justified. Here is a brief rundown of the differences I found:

In my initial assessment, I stated that the IN76 had an overall "coarseness" to the image, with a picture that was a little grainy looking especially with dark scenes (this was most noticeable when compared to our reference SP7210). With the actual production unit, this is almost totally gone. Fill factor is still slightly less than projectors using the HD2+ chip, but the difference is almost invisible in actual use. At the right distance from the screen (again, a minimum of 1.5X the screen width for a 720p DLP projector like the IN76) the picture from the IN76 was smooth, clean, and colorful. When we played the new HD trailer for Pixar's Cars , the only comment we heard from the group helping us evaluate it was - "WOW" and that was repeated over and over again.

Of course, computer animation always looks good on just about any kind of display (this is why whatever happens to be Pixar's latest DVD release is always the demo of choice at CES, CEDIA, and in many dealer showrooms), so we played some live action HD content as well. The trailer for Akeelah and the Bee was a great test for shadow detail and contrast, and once again the picture looked tremendous, with great depth and dimensionality.

In fact, this is where we noticed how much of an improvement the IN76 was over the Screenplay 4805 we originally had in the same demo room. With every clip we showed, the IN76 impressed us with its smoothness and contrast, while in comparison the 4805 looked flat and the black levels were clearly lacking. For anyone wondering whether or not the IN76 is a worthwhile upgrade to the 4805, we can enthusiastically say yes. While there is a substantial increase in resolution going from 480p to 720p, the most obvious improvements were in contrast/black levels, brightness, and the audible noise level. Due to the boost in contrast, blacks appeared very deep - some of the best ever in an InFocus projector - and the picture just "popped." (For those a bit put off by the price tag of the IN76, keep in mind that the IN74EX has identical contrast and brightness specs to the IN76. While the resolution is lower - 1024 x 576 vs 1280 x 720 - keep in mind that the human eye perceives brightness and contrast well before it perceives resolution, so at $1000 less the IN74EX will offer many of the same performance upgrades as the IN76).

So, how would we compare the IN76 to the other 720p projectors in the InFocus lineup? Since we get this question all of the time, I feel it is worth addressing. The SP7205 and SP7210 are still about 15 - 20% brighter than the IN76, so they would still be the projectors of choice for screen sizes over 110" or rooms with high ambient light situations. Dithering noise in dark scenes is still less visible with the 7205 and 7210 due to the presence of the seven segment color wheel, but this picture artifact is only really obvious if you are very close to the screen. In terms of contrast, the IN76 can hold its own with the 7210 and actually beats out the 7205 by a small margin (of course, the 7205 is brighter and has richer greens, so that also factors in to the equation). My previous comments regarding the 7210 vs. the IN76 still stand, however - the 7210 still has a smoother, more saturated and refined image, but the performance difference is not quite as dramatic as it was previously.

Lastly, I wanted to get in a word about screen choice. Our most recent tests of the IN76 were done on two screens on opposite sides of the price spectrum - a 100" DNP SuperNova (one of the new "black" screens almost impervious to ambient light, at $3889 list one of the highest priced screens available) and a very inexpensive 106" Da-Lite Model B pulldown with High Contrast Matte White material. Choosing the right screen material for both the projector and the room you intend to put it in can be just as important as the projector choice itself. 'Light control' as it pertains to front projection does not just mean being able to pull down the shades and turn off the lights. A truly light controlled room is one where not only is there an absence of light, but one where the walls, ceiling, and furnishings are a dark color (optimally flat black, but in the real world that almost never happens). Putting any projector on a white screen in a room with white walls and ceiling will cause the picture to wash out almost as much as a room with lights on or window shades open. What happens is that the light from the projector bounces off the screen, then off the side walls, ceiling and floor, and then back on to the screen to wash out the picture. This is easily demonstrated - next time you are in a totally darkened home theater with light colored walls, notice how much the walls glow and are lit up by the light reflected off the screen. All of this "light pollution" comes back to wash out the image on the screen and destroy contrast and black levels. This is why we are such fans of screens like the Stewart FireHawk, DNP SuperNova and - to a lesser degree - the Da-Lite High Contrast Cinema Vision/HC Matte White. These are all screens that help maintain contrast levels in real world home theaters by rejecting room reflections and ambient light (by real world home theaters I mean rooms that do not have dark colored walls, ceilings, and furnishings).

When we compared the picture of the IN76 on the two materials, differences in the image were obvious when even the smallest amount of ambient light was added to the picture. In our totally light controlled demo room, with dark green walls and blackout shades, the two screen materials looked pretty comparable. The DNP looked a bit more dynamic due to its higher gain, but black levels were similar. As soon as we turned up the lights or opened the shades even the slightest bit, contrast started falling off rapidly on the Da-Lite material, with the blacks getting washed out almost immediately. The DNP held the black levels much better than the Da-Lite, as did the piece of Stewart FireHawk material we had on hand.

The point here is that many people judge projectors by their contrast ratios (as they should, as long as they take manufacturer claims with a large grain of salt), but unless you have the type of room or screen that can deliver those contrast ratios, the point almost becomes moot.

The bottom line here - if asked for a screen recommendation for the IN76, or any other projector - is that the actual environment in which you place the projector is going to be the determining factor in which screen is best for you. If you have a room with some ambient light or a room with light colored walls, ceiling, and furnishings, a screen like the Stewart FireHawk is going to deliver a much higher contrast picture than a typical white screen. On the other hand, if you have the perfect home theater room (in other words, a totally dark room with dark colored walls, ceiling, and furnishings) and you intend to watch in total darkness, a white screen may be the ideal choice.

Conclusion

The InFocus IN76 seems to have exactly the right features at exactly the right price point. It makes a great entry level high definition projector for someone who wants DLP technology and an excellent true 720p HD image without breaking the bank. In comparison with the LCD competition at the price point, we feel the DLP based IN76 to have a superior image in most regards plus what we have found to be a more reliable technology. While the picture of the IN76 is not quite as bright or as smooth as what can be found on higher end DLP projectors using the larger Dark Chip 2 or Dark Chip 3 DMDs (including Infocus' own SP-7205 or SP-7210), it is also considerably less expensive, sexy looking, and very quiet to boot! Since the unit we had to evaluate was a pre-production model, we look forward to taking another look at it when the actual production models start shipping. If we find any performance differences at that point, we will report on them here!

By John Schuermann of www.integrityhometheater.com

InFocus America
27700B SW Parkway Avenue
Wilsonville, OR, USA 97070-9215
800-660-0024
Fax: 503-685-8976