IN78 Advanced Setup and Calibration

Setting up the projector wasn't the easiest experience I've ever had, but only because I kept looking for some hidden menu somewhere that I had missed. It turns out that once I set White and Black levels (Contrast and Brightness) selected Color Temperature and Gamma settings I was just about through with my choices. Speaking of Color Temperature, I found the initial measurements of Color to be somewhat off when the projector was in Film mode and I took a reading at 80IRE:

• '6500K' setting yielded a reading of 5160K on the ColorFacts system
• '7500K' setting yielded a reading of 5940K on the ColorFacts system
• '9300K' setting yielded a reading of 7160K on the ColorFacts system
• 'Native' setting yielded a reading of 5600K on the ColorFacts system

This is odd because the literature associated with the IN78 claims that it is calibrated to D65 color standards. Either my bulb was off, or they certainly weren't referring to Film mode (or any other mode I could see for that matter). I also was unable to get the IN78 to pass blacker than black. None of the settings seemed to matter. Moving on, I went with 7500K as my default setting and began calibration. Since I had done a factory reset I have to assume this will likely be the best starting position for anyone else running this projector as well.

Note about White Peaking: I'd recommend keeping White Peaking off. While it will get you brighter whites, it does so at the expense of crushing the top end of your gamma curve. The end result is that you lose resolution in the brighter images. This is only a good setting for a day time mode in conjunction with High Power where you absolutely want the best possible output from the projector. White peaking is also odd in that it is a range from 0 to 100, however there are only 8 steps above zero: 0, 13, 25, 38, 50, 63, 75, 88, and 100.

Contrast ratio came in at 822:1 when running film mode (White Peaking off) and 941:1 when running with white peaking maxed out. You will get a third result if you turn on High Power mode, however I didn't run this test (this mode is not about contrast and more about maximum light output.)

Calibrating the InFocus Play Big IN78

We utilized datacolor’s ColorFacts Professional 6.0 software to do our calibrations and measure the color, contrast and grayscale response of the IN78. Starting positions were a bit off what we expect to see in a high-end projector, but calibration proved successful for the most part as we quickly dialed in the HD81 to approach ISF levels. For the ‘before’ measurements, Auto Iris was engaged and the settings were configured for best film response in a light-controlled room.

I was surprised that the initial calibration of this projector wasn't better. My review sample was not brand new and some of the effects might have been due to a replacement lamp issue (the lamp showed no hours on it according to the unit). With the premium dollar and ISF-focused settings I would like to see InFocus place more emphasis on shipping future units that are a bit more calibrated out of the box.

Audioholics/HQV Bench Testing Summary of Test Results

Perfect Score is 130

IN78 Benchmark total score: 80/100 (Excellent. Feel free to use this projector for scaling, deinterlacing and noise reduction - just ease up on the NR to avoid trails)

Comments on HQV Testing

What really impressed me about the IN78 was its scaling ability. Regardless of what Overscan or stretch mode the projector was in, the resolution pattern held its definition well and never seemed to fuzz out or blur. The next most impressive item was its noise reduction. It has fantastic noise reduction - until an item moved across the screen… but still, most projectors I review don't even bother with noise reduction or have bogus controls that don't do much of anything. The IN78 will squash noise, but be sure to keep it around 30 to avoid trails. Even at '50' trails were tolerable, though once you start to look for them you'll see them everywhere.

The Moving Zone Plate tests did as expected, with the 2-3 pattern looking good up to the maximum speed of the test. Vertical, diagonal, and circular tests did equally well. I was able to really notice trails on this projector (during high speed motion of objects with fixed edges) and I'm not sure if I was simply more aware of it this go around, or the color wheel timing played a part. The 2-2 Zone Plates nearly instantly fell to pieces as is typically the case in our testing of most projectors. This is a brutal test.

The Rainbow Dither test again showed a proclivity for trails, however the color gradients of the individual circles never experienced posturization or loss of their smoothness. The Rainbow Effect was very visible on this pattern, as any crisp white on black pattern tends to be, but I didn't notice the effect to be pronounced until the eyes darted around. Rainbows didn't appear if the action or motion on screen was followed. Deviate or jump around the screen and you are liable to see them (if you have this cursed ability).