IN78 Viewing Evaluation and Conclusion
Viewing Evaluation – HDTV
We utilized a wide variety of sources to demonstrate the excellent blacks and rich colors of the IN78. With HDTV sources we tended to check out the scaling capabilities and whether the IN78 would have difficulty taking 1080i and resizing it for 720p. As with the benchmark testing we did - it scales wonderfully with no visible artifacting or blurring of the image.
HDTV: DiscoveryHD - American Chopper & Rides
First off the block was
1080i HDTV featuring a favorite show of mine, American Chopper, and a new show (for me) called Rides which shows off some incredibly
hot-rodded cars. What I like about these shows are the close-ups of mechanical
parts and machinery. You'll note dramatic gradients that swing into blacks and lots
of detail - whether it's hair, metal and leather surfaces, or the lines on a
face.
HDTV: DiscoveryHD - Insectia
Did someone mention detail (oh
yeah, I did). Insectia offered some
of the most saturated and detail-rich images I'd seen in a while - even for
DiscoveryHD. I know, I know, I'll say the same thing next month when a new
series emerges. That's how it is with this HD channel, however, they constantly
strive to outdo themselves, and like National Geographic's filmmakers - they
often succeed. I was particularly drawn in by the beetles, which they showed
extremely close-up and with enough detail to make you wonder if they didn't
recreate the scene with Pixar Animation Studios. While the initial sections
were extremely vibrant and vivid, a later section also delved into the
"life and times" of underwater insects. This segment of the show had
incredible displays of dark underwater areas where the blacks showed through
rich and deep.
HDTV: House and
Bones
It's good to include
"reference" materials in a review (and indeed we did some other
titles that aren't listed here). In this case, reference refers to something I frequently watch - not necessarily
a pristine piece of footage or source material. House and Bones are two
shows me and my lovely wife frequent on the HD DVR. The Scientific Atlanta 8300HD
DVR utilizes lossless compression when storing files to the hard drive, so you
get the same nasty, compressed transmission the cable company is sending down
the pipe. How reassuring, right? In either case, hair and skin detail was clean
on Bones and there was no breakup in
the shadows and gradients which abound in House.
Overall I was very pleased with the performance of the IN78.
HD DVD: The
Departed
We watched this Scorsese
film as part of an HD DVD review and it looked like we couldn't have asked for
a better display for it than the IN78. The InFocus projector allowed the
vibrant, almost oversaturated color to come through and, even though the output
was scaled from 1080i to 720p by the projector, edge detail was unfettered. I
would have to say that this movie was tons better to watch than to
"watch" (I may be alone in thinking that the plot was somewhat
predictable, though it was nice to see the all-star cast interact as they did.)
In any case it was beautiful.
DVD: Zoom -
Academy for Superheroes
This movie surprised me in
that it was fun without being too stupid. But then again, Tim Allen isn't Will
Ferrell and, though his parts are a bit predictable, he led this cast in a most
enjoyable film. This was a very "average" transfer. I didn't detect a
ton of edge enhancement or other nasties, but the picture was very soft overall
(and yes, I watched it before the HD
DVD of The Departed). If anything, it
showed me what the IN78 would do with typical standard definition material. I
shot this particular movie to the projector in 720p. Since the InFocus IN78 is
priced as a higher end 720p DLP model I figured there's a good chance the owner
will also have a decent source player.
Conclusion
As expected the IN78 performed admirably. The only question is whether it is worthy of the additional $1000 over the street price of an IN76. For now, we'd have to say that IN76 users should not feel too compelled to drop the extra cash on a new projector just yet. Those starting from scratch are going to find that the IN78 offers a nice "out of box" experience with little to no calibration necessary in order to get a rich picture with deep blacks and vivid color. Installers will like the ISF lockdown modes and presence of both RS-232 and a 12VDC trigger for motorized screen mechanisms. For that kind of peace of mind it may be worth the premium price tag affixed to this 720p projector.
InFocus IN78
MSRP: $3,499
InFocus
(888) 282-PLAY
About InFocus Corporation
InFocus® Corporation, the
worldwide leader in digital projection technology and solutions, enhances
thinking, learning and creativity in boardrooms, meeting rooms and classrooms
and delivers superior home entertainment experiences by vividly projecting and
displaying larger-than-life images from multiple sources including computers,
DVD players, and PDAs.
From the smallest and lightest mobile projectors and feature-packed meeting room products to the finest home entertainment solutions, InFocus has garnered industry acclaim for design, functionality and intuitive solutions for its InFocus®, InFocus ScreenPlay®, LiteShow® and ASKProxima™ products.
The Score Card
The scoring below is based on each piece of equipment doing the duty it is designed for. The numbers are weighed heavily with respect to the individual cost of each unit, thus giving a rating roughly equal to:
Performance × Price Factor/Value = Rating
Audioholics.com note: The ratings indicated below are based on subjective listening and objective testing of the product in question. The rating scale is based on performance/value ratio. If you notice better performing products in future reviews that have lower numbers in certain areas, be aware that the value factor is most likely the culprit. Other Audioholics reviewers may rate products solely based on performance, and each reviewer has his/her own system for ratings.
Audioholics Rating Scale
— Excellent
- — Very Good
- — Good
- — Fair
- — Poor
| Metric | Rating |
|---|---|
| Detail and Resolution | |
| Deinterlacing & Scaling | |
| Contrast and Black Levels | |
| Color Reproduction | |
| Noise Reduction | |
| Calibration Options | |
| Build Quality | |
| Ergonomics & Usability | |
| Ease of Setup | |
| Features | |
| Remote Control | |
| Fit and Finish | |
| Performance | |
| Value |  |
While everyone and their brother has put out 1080p models, they are busy upgrading their 720p lineup without a single 1080p model on the market. They continue to completely ignore the reality that many people are putting these projectors in their basement with 8 foot ceilings - often dropped to 7 feet due to ventilation or other unavoidable issues. So, while the image often reflects excellent quality, how much better, than... oh, the Optoma HD70, is this model?
With the Panasonic 1080p available for around $3K... how does this stack up?
I'm shocked that InFocus, which marvelled the world with their SP777 model seems to have forgotten what it means to be a step ahead of the competition and has simply fallen WELL behind the competition while completely ignoring the market and consumer expectations with this model.
Yes, their IN72 for under $800 is a great starting point projector... But then their stuff just seems to completely miss the target.
The lens offset is a HUGE item IMO that they tried to rationalize with me at CEDIA and just don't get. It simply doesn't matter if it is HARD to engineer a lens that can be placed at/near the top of the screen, it is something that just must be done.
The last item that bugs me, which I talked to them about was that the lens offset seems to indicate a tabletop setup preference, but their zoom range doesn't allow for close enough placement in a typical room with appropriate screen size. Grrrr... don't they have engineers who think of basic practical application???
Both LCD and LCoS are delivering incredible lens shift and zoom range, while DLP is delivering rainbows and high prices... For that type of money I would save for an extra few months to get the JVC DLA-RS1U which delivers 1080p, higher contrast, more zoom range, lens shift, and real world calibrated lumens. Otherwise, the Optoma HD70 seems to be about as good as this pprojector for a couple grand less!
