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Category: Projectors

Texas Instruments unleashes new nHD DLP chipset, now with more pico

We didn’t think it could be done, but the fine folks at Texas Instruments have just unleashed a tiny, tiny beast in their all new DLP pico chipset. The nHD DLP chipset, as it’s known, boasts 640×360 resolution, a contrast ratio of “better than” 1,000:1, RGB LED wide color gamut (which should more faithfully reproduce colors), a new, and a lower powered processor. Overall, the package is 20 percent thinner and 50 percent lighter than the current generation DLP chipset. We hear the chipset should be available in the second quarter of 2010. The full press release is after the break.

Continue reading Texas Instruments unleashes new nHD DLP chipset, now with more pico

Texas Instruments unleashes new nHD DLP chipset, now with more pico originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Feb 2010 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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by Laura June on February 15, 2010
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Review: Vivitek H9080FD

Vivitek is the first manufacturer to release a lamp-free home cinema projector in the guise of the H9080FD – a feat made possible with the adoption of Luminus Devices’ PhlatLight technology – and it won’t be the last.

The unit utilises a module containing different-coloured LEDs (R, G and B) housed on individual chips to provide the light source. The resulting beam is then fed through Texas Instruments’ 1080p DMD chip to project images. Simple stuff really, but incredibly clever in practice.

It’s a system that yields several benefits. Unlike traditional single-chip DLP projectors , there’s no call for a colourwheel, so images do not suffer (however slight) with DLP’s colour-fringing rainbow effect.

LEDs also have an incredibly lengthy half-life. It’s claimed that the PhlatLight engine will still be going strong up to 20,000 hours from purchase. That’s 18-20 years if you watch one film a night, every single night of the week. Impressive. In all likelihood, you’ll never need to replace the light source during the life of the unit.

This makes LED tech particularly appealing for users in the corporate or educational markets. Compare that to the bulb in a JVC DLA-HD750, for example, which has a claimed 2,000 hour lamp life. By the same criteria, that’ll last just under two years, and a replacement costs around £250. So, to get the same longevity, you’ll need to spend around an extra £2,500 for a normal home cinema projector.

There is, however, a downside to this fledgling technology. Currently, LEDs are like the trendy kid in class; they’re popular, colourful, but none too bright. And so, this projector does have a Lumens deficiency compared to its rivals. In fact, in normal ambience (room lights switched on, for instance) you can’t really see anything from ten feet away.

The H9080FD is not a projector for anything less than a fully light-controlled room, and, unless you’re happy to watch EastEnders in a blacked-out environment, it’s not particularly designed for casual use. Nope, this is a good, old-fashioned, honest-to-garden home cinema projector and, in that sense, it is more than fit for purpose.

Vivitek h9080fd rear

FORWARD THINKING: The labels on the H9080FD’s connections are actually upside-down, so you can read them when it’s ceiling-mounted (click here for high-res version)

Also hidden within its chunky build is the same Gennum 9450 video processor found in the Planar PD8150. One of the more interesting features of this chipset is the option to manually change the refresh rate – seemingly without adding unnecessary artefacts. To be honest, you’ll probably never stray far from the ‘Auto’ frame rate mode, which matches the incoming signal, but tweakers and purists will be glad of its inclusion.

More important though, is this specific processor’s scaling and de-interlacing prowess. It does such a good job with upscaling standard-definition video that I advise you turn off any equivalent processing in the source.

It doesn’t make SD content look as good as HD images – that’s a fallacy perpetuated by Looney Toons – but it holds up very nicely indeed, even when blown up above 100 inches. Edge enhancement succeeds in this instance where it often fails in others, and the pictures retain a filmic quality even with noise reduction switched on.

High-definition video is staggeringly detailed on the H9080FD, and 24 frame footage moves like a female ice dancer. Indeed, I would argue that the pictures are worse at 90 per cent of cinema multiplexes. There’s also proof positive that an LED lighting system enhances colour saturation, especially when combined with TI’s DLP Brilliant Color system. The reds are simply breathtaking, even on the picture presets. Of course, you can also calibrate to your heart’s desire with an exhaustive set of tools.

I’m less enamoured by the contrast level, which is mainly dampened by the lack of true brightness. That said, black levels are good and the dynamic iris does a fair job without being too overt – it’s neither too loud nor too crazy in its lightening and darkening of scenes, so you’ll probably opt to keep it on.

My other quibble concerns the LED driver. Although the model makes a virtue of the whisper-quiet fans it utilises, there was still a faint buzzing sound on our review sample. This changes in pitch during certain sequences as the driver needs to increase the voltage depending on the brightness required. It transpires that this is an inherent issue with the technology itself and is not unique to this specific projector. And Vivitek has greatly lessened the effect by adding acoustic foam internally.

Tech trendsetter

So neither of its flaws are insurmountable, and its many unique properties make the H9080FD an interesting proposition. Unfortunately though, many may be put off by the cost to even give it an audition. As with any new-fangled technological breakthrough, there’s a premium attached, and ten grand may seem too much, regardless of its tasty light engine and superb longevity. It’s hard to argue otherwise too, especially considering most rivals are roughly half the price. However, there’s something exclusive about being a trendsetter.

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by Rik Henderson on August 21, 2009
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Review: Optoma GT-7000

Designed as a portable projection solution for gamers, the GT-7000 is well-specified enough to attract the attention of less demanding home cinema enthusiasts.

The major drawback is its 720p resolution, but let’s assume that if you’re projecting on a white wall or a sheet you’re unlikely to be picky about resolution.

The unit weighs around 2kg and comes with a set of folding 2.1 speakers. The speakers are punchy, though prone to distortion at high levels. They can’t be driven from the projector itself, which has no audio output – you connect them directly to the audio outputs of your console.

Connections are VGA, component, S-video and HDMI, plus a 12V trigger output. A selection of cables and adaptors are supplied.

The claimed 4,000:1 contrast ratio tested more like 200:1, and close inspection revealed the limitations of the resolution, but the quality was fine for gameplay.

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by Chris Jenkins on July 2, 2009
filed in Projectors

Review: Projectiondesign avielo optix

Projectiondesign, which hails from Fredrikstad, Norway, is a quality high-tech manufacturer perhaps best known in the professional arena, but with a raft of mid-to high-end projectors intended for domestic use.

It goes without saying that the avielo range (no capital A: that’s Scandinavians for you) is at the top end of its consumer offerings and is based on the architecture of its professional products, which are widely used in the movie-making process – including the post-production of Earth, which I ended up using as my main demo disc.

Projectiondesign’s products are designed by the same people who create Koenigsegg cars and (more importantly) with the same unsparing ethos. These are not warm words: I have toured the factory (projectiondesign and Koenigsegg) and spoken to the boffins in the backrooms, and I know how meticulous they are. The machines are hand-built in-house, and internally calibrated to D65, with internal settings (should you need them) squirrelled away in cold store at the factory.

The optix reviewed here (no capital O either…) is one of the five-strong avielo range, second only to a three-chip DLP beast dubbed the helios. It’s a single-chip model, using the latest high-contrast TI chipset, DarkChip 4, chosen over any of the LCD alternatives for various reasons, not the least of which is its inherent longevity.

The optix also takes an alternative approach to getting more light onto the screen, by using Projectiondesign’s proprietary DuArch architecture. This involves two 300W lamps and two colour wheels, and allows the lamps to be hot-swapped if one fails, and gives good performance even from a single lamp. The disadvantage of this tech is higher electricity consumption, and a more-than-usually-powerful fan cooling system, which though not noisy, is certainly not as quiet as some less well-endowed PJs.

Setup and go

RealColor is Projectiondesign’s implementation of an accurate colour management system for projectors. It allows reasonably simple calibration and setup to any desired white point and greyscale tracking, with a minimum amount of effort.

The RealColor software suite built into the unit’s firmware gives access to necessary colour management adjustments; light output and contrast can be further tweaked in other ways, too, in particular using a dual iris which eliminates the usual step ladder geometric problems that are part and parcel of conventional digital keystone correction.

As for the unit itself, it’s a bit of a looker, despite its hefty bulk. The optix is available in etruscan bronze (pictured here) or pearl white, and boasts some streamlined curves.

It’s worth having a shufti at the backside, too. The connections are unusual, in that there’s only a single HDMI input (the second digital option is DVI), and it’s joined by BNC jacks, as well as the usual analogue sockets. Twin 12V triggers, an RS232 control port and a USB jack (for firmware updates) are also present. Biggest talking point is the tiny LCD screen, which lets you keep track of picture adjustments, source and lamp modes.

In use

It’s not hyperbole to say I was bowled over by this model. The avielo optix is an astonishing projector, offering amazing detail and dynamics. Although small colour balance errors are not always obvious in practice, it was apparent from the beginning that the visual field was remarkably evenly-lit, and for reasons that are not entirely clear, there was less glare than experienced from other projectors. I have seen few others – if any – that can hold a candle to the optix in this respect. This beauty’s pictures are unusually easy on the eye.

Colour reproduction is extremely pure and accurate. The unit was set up using a Minolta colorimeter and delivered a best-in-class performance. Fidelity is first-rate. All the primary colours appeared rich and intense, and Earth, which is shot in a variety of surroundings, from the Arctic to the tropical rainforest, looked subtle and engaging even in very poorly-lit scenes.

Blacks hardly ever drifted into the undifferentiated greys that many projectors are so adept at generating, except in the case of poorly-engineered material received from a satellite dish where the fault clearly lay with the source material. DarkChip 4 delivers an inherently smooth image, free from unwanted pixel structure. It’s incredibly filmic.

For the record, I noted traces of what is commonly described as colour flashing or rainbow effect in areas of stark contrast. The causes of this effect are more complex than is often supposed, and there are multiple factors at play. The effect was more obvious in scenes with movement (that is, which require eye movement to track), and in scenes that included a lot of super-contrasty material. You’ll probably see it when your eyes are working overtime following the action. For most users, I would suggest that this is a non-issue in practice.

The other effect that I identified was a hint – and it was just a hint – of video noise in large, brightly-lit areas, in particularly action scenes, or those that were in motion. Pause the picture and the effect dissipates. Again this is a micro quibble, but I have no doubt that the observation is real.

I suspect it was related to the colour processing, and is perhaps made more obvious thanks to the unusually high inherent resolution of the projected image, which arises in part because the usual grid between rows and columns of pixels is effectively banished in this incarnation of TI’s DMD. Or it could be an anomaly of the Blu-ray used for the bulk of my viewing sessions. Significantly, the HCC Tech Lab team did not identify any noise issues when the model went for independent evaluation.

Best of breed

All this might suggest that projection technology has not yet been perfected, but in truth these are just pedantic observations that could diminish my appraisal when read in isolation. So let me quickly qualify by stating that this is an extremely fine DLP projector – probably amongst the best I have seen.

It’s images look natural, screen presence is considerable, blacks are pure, and the subtlety of tones across its spectrum is nothing less than exquisite. It’s a genuine challenger to the Reference throne currently occupied by SIM2’s Grand Cinema C3X1080, a similarly priced high-end DLP, albeit a three-chipper that is therefore free of the aforementioned rainbow effect.

Still, overall, this is a model I would love to own…

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by Alvin Gold on June 12, 2009
filed in Projectors

Review: Epson EH-TW5800

Earlier this year, Epson’s EHTW3800 scooped our Best Projector award in the under £3,000 category, and now comes its bigger brother, the formidable EH-TW5800. So has the PJ jungle got a new king?

First impressions are certainly good. This is a Full HD 1920 x 1080 flagship endowed with the brand’s latest technology.

It features flavour-of-the-month D7 panels, which sport a new high-temperature polysilicon TFT liquid crystal that boosts aperture ratios by 20 per cent over last season’s models. This improves luminance while using the same lamp. In the case of the TW5800, the claimed brightness is 1600 ANSI Lumens.

When it comes to picture processing, the PJ ropes in an HQV Reon VX chipset with 12bit drivers to increase colour accuracy and gradation.

The previous model’s 10bit driver was capable of controlling 1.1 billion colours; the 12bit doo-hicky can control 64 times that number – 68.7 billion, in fact, which should be just about enough for anyone. The new panel also quadruples the theoretical colour gradation levels from 1,024 to 4,096.

Epson eh-tw58000 projector frontGO LONG: This Epson can throw an image between 30 and 300 inches

The EH-TW5800 has a claimed dynamic contrast ratio of 75,000:1, resulting from a combination of a new E-TORL (Epson Twin Optimised Reflection Lamp), the D7 panels, and DeepBlack technology which prevents unwanted light from leaking through the LCDs. This is a huge improvement on the 18,000:1 contrast ratio claimed by the EH-TW3800, and we thought that was pretty good.

The full range of user adjustment parameters includes an ISF mode, so professional calibration can be achieved, and installation is aided by a flexible lens arrangement, which features optical zoom of 2.1x, vertical/horizontal adjustment of +/- 96 per cent and +/- 47 per cent. A third-party anamorphic lens can also be added for 2.35:1 projection without black bars or loss of resolution.

Hide the wires

Looks-wise, the 5800 is glossy and business-like; its boxy exterior has no real distinguishing features except the off-centre lens. Thoughtfully, though, a cable cover is provided so you can conceal the spaghetti once everything is plugged in.

Connections include twin HDMI v1.3a sockets, a D-Sub for PC input, an RS-232C controller and one 12V trigger to synchronise the projector up with a motorised screen.

Epson eh-tw58000 projector connections

HOOK ME UP: The Epson EH-TW58000’s twin HDMI inputs and component jack should cover most usage

I found installation a doddle, thanks to the flexible lens. Its focal length of 22.5-47.2mm gives screen sizes of between 30in and 300ins, typically 100in at a range of 2.98-6.36m, depending on the zoom setting.

Plug in and fire up with a Blu-ray source connected via HDMI, and the projector defaults to ‘HD’ picture preset, yet I was more impressed with the Silver Screen preset, which gives a close to ideal colour temperature of 6,493k. It should be your viewing preset of choice out-of-the-box.

Vivid Mode is for use in bright rooms (yes, I know that sounds an odd thing to say about a projector) and is painfully unwatchable in the dark – but it does emphasise how capable this projector’s 200W lamp is when it really has to compete with daylight.

The Cinema Filter system offers numerous further modes to select depending on the source material, ambient lighting conditions and type of screen being used.

The x.v.Colour mode expands the colour gamut to 115 per cent of normal, not of any real use unless you have compatible source material.

In normal operation the projector is fairly quiet, measuring around 22dB, but if you switch on the auto iris, the noise of the iris opening and closing is quite audible over quiet dialogue. So much so that I tried to avoid using it. Improving this should clearly be an imperative for Epson’s development engineers.

Monkey magic

I subjected the Epson to my usual selection of test discs, starting with Second Sight’s sublime Blu-ray release of Baraka.

I noted immense amounts of detail in the tribal costumes and monkey fur, extremely bright and stable colours, and a sharpness and depth, which was immediately impressive. The Epson’s frame interpolation feature, designed to suppress blurring between frames and deliver a more film-like image, does a good job of limiting smearing.

A DTS demo disc with a Behind Enemy Lines sequence that has been known to come across as a blurry mess with other projectors – the literal ‘fog of war’ – was here delivered with a confidence and solidity.

Needless to say, as a 3 x LCD design, the Epson is immune to the rainbow effects, which plague DLP projectors; but neither did it suffer from the chicken wire nonsense of yesteryear’s LCDs, delivering a solid-looking image with no suspicion of mesh.

Image-wise the TW5800 is gorgeous. Colour fidelity is rich and details and texture ping off the screen. Doubtless this is due to the combination of the D7 panel, HQV processor and Epson’s DeepBlack system.

In terms of picture delivery, I’d rate it as comparable to some of the other big hitters already out. The Sanyo PLV-Z3000, for instance, has the D7 panel, as does the Panasonic PT-AE3000; the Epson’s 1,600 Lumen brightness is equal to that of the Panasonic, too, although the Sanyo can only claim 1,200.

However, the Epson has a more rounded specification, which gives it the edge. Industry veteran Robert Sinden, now the distributor of high-end AV kit from Steinway Lyngdorf, favours this very Epson over more expensive projectors, recently telling us: “I’ve compared it with ultra-high end models costing many times more and it blows them out of the water.” It’s difficult to disagree.

Don’t ignore it!

Commercially, the excellence of its cheaper sibling, the EH-TW3800, may deprive this model of some attention; but that would be a pity, as it’s an impressive example of bleeding-edge LCD projection that demands to be auditioned.

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by Chris Jenkins on June 1, 2009
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Review: SIM2 Grand Cinema C3X 1080

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.

My love affair with the C3X 1080 was initially purely physical. Its stunning high-gloss finish and flirtatiously curvy lines are the viewing-room equivalent of a Porsche, or maybe even a Ferrari.

You can choose from any of four colours, ranging from the gun-metal grey standard through to a blazing red that again conjures up saucy images of esoteric automobiles.

Another remarkable thing about the C3X 1080’s design is how small it is. In fact, it’s the smallest Full HD three-chip DLP projector in the world.

We’ve seen three-chip DLP models before, but they offered only 720p resolution. 1920 x 1080 resolution is still rare in the world of three-chip DLP, even though it’s common on single-chip models.

Having a trio of chips is significant because it removes the need for a colour wheel, as the three primary colours are routed to their own chip. And not having a colour wheel means you eliminate DLP’s rainbow effect (where stripes of red, green, and blue flit around your peripheral vision and/or over bright parts of the picture) and reduce ‘fizzing’ noise over horizontal motion, a lesser problem to be sure.

Not having to suffer such artefacts means that you’re free to focus instead on DLP’s traditional strengths, such as deeper, more stable black levels, more vibrant and expressive colours, and cleaner, sharper, motion-handling. But there’s more than just extra micromirrors at play.

This PJ also has the single most extraordinary colour management system I’ve ever clapped eyes on. The unit has five sophisticated presets, some based on key video standards, joined by multiple white point presets, again based around well-known video standards – with D65 offering the best movie starting point.

The colour store

One interesting feature is a slot for storing your own colour presets. The projector’s internal architecture configuration lets it be directly controlled and manipulated by a sophisticated and exhaustive PC colour-calibration application – which in turn is designed to work with a high-spec colour meter.

Your specialised custom installer will thus be ready, willing and able to calibrate the hues of the C3X 1080 to within a hair’s breadth of measurable perfection. Which is precisely what happened during my audition.

Obviously, the C3X 1080 ships with a high level of colour accuracy. But hues can be affected by the reflecting and lighting characteristics of the viewing room and screen. So the C3X 1080’s sophisticated system lets installers correct any colour changes introduced by the environment more completely than any other PJ I’ve encountered.

Is that £23K price tag making sense yet? Maybe not. But there’s more. The DLP chipsets at the C3X 1080’s heart are the latest DarkChip 4 Texas Instruments specification, delivering a terrific level of contrast (claimed at 10,000:1).

It’s also astonishingly bright, courtesy of SIM2’s AlphaPath Light Engine technology, and carries 10bit video processing for enhanced de-interlacing and a wider, subtler colour range.

Finally, the SIM2 C3X 1080 can be bought with any of three different throw-ratio lens options, offers an extremely handy vertical-image shifting knob, supports multiple lamp output options, and even provides a selection of built-in test signals. Groovy.

Impressive out of its box

Even in its ‘from the box’ state the SIM2’s picture quality is absolutely stunning. But with every little tweak made through the colour management system, the picture becomes better.

Not surprisingly, the single most mesmerising thing about its post-calibration pictures is colour fidelity. I’ve never seen such a wide, vibrant and expressive, colour palette. It’s a real joy to use a projector that delivers the ‘true’ colour design of whatever film you care to watch.

For instance, the tough combination of tricky lighting conditions, low-lit skin tones and rich table and card colours during the poker sequences in Casino Royale on Blu-ray is rendered so perfectly that I thought I was sitting at the table alongside Bond.

The subtlety of its palette – together with the blistering resolution – also helps SIM2’s high-end PJ deliver immaculate, stripe-free blends that reinforce the unit’s prowess.

Visually, the model is a premium player. The C3X 1080 can deliver fabulous levels of fine detail and texture. During the 007 card game sequences, tell-tale signs of HD quality like facial pores, and the weave in suits, are all present and correct.

Subtle shadow details, that lesser projectors will hide behind overbearing blackness, tease with detail – causing 2K images to ping like those in a commercial cinema.

Wrapping up the C3X’s peerless performance is the complete stability and noiselessness of its HD pictures. As mentioned earlier, the three-chip system precludes the possibility of any of DLP’s usual ‘distractions’. On top of that, there were no processing artefacts I could see, no grain beyond what might exist in a source, and no forced edging.

If forced to pick a fault with the C3X 1080, I might argue that standard-definition pictures could perhaps be slightly better. The projector’s PixelWorks DNX video processing does a good job, but for £23K it would have been nice to talk about a more innovative solution.

But if a machine was ever built for higher definition, it’s SIM2’s C3X 1080. And the best way to sum up its majestic performance is to say that the only thing that stands between you and complete immersion in the movie is the screen the image is projected on. Which is pretty much the Holy Grail of any cinema.

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by John Archer on May 20, 2009
filed in Projectors