Home Theater Projectors

Jul 28, 2010 12:00 PM, By Bennett Liles

Brighter pictures, quiet cooling, and high-tech color tweaks pack the silver screen to go home.

JVC DLA-RS35

A top performer among D-ILA home theater projectors, the DLA-RS35 from JVC produces a native contrast ratio of 70,000:1 and has a motorized 2X zoom lens with 16-step aperture and an HQV Reon-VX video processor. The unit can be tweaked using screen adjustment mode and its color management features, and it includes 120Hz Clear Motion Drive. The unit is very quiet at only 19dB, and it offers a motorized lens cover. Native resolution is 1920x1080, and the video inputs include two HDMI, component, S-Video, and composite.

LG Electronics CF3D

The new CF3D projector from LG Electronics offers a brightness rating of 2500 ANSI lumens with a contrast ratio of 7000:1. For smooth motion, it provides a total TruMotion refresh rate of 120Hz. Dual Engine and 3D Auto Picture Calibration further enhance images, while onscreen color banding is reduced with HDMI upscaling. The unit includes two HDMI 1.3 inputs and a USB port, and images are displayed in full HD 1080p (1920x1080) resolution. Availability is expected in August.

Marantz VP-15S1

Building on the die-cast aluminum chassis of the VP-121 series, Marantz has added fully sealed, all-glass optics from Konica Minolta and new filters in the 9000 RPM color wheel to produce crisp, sharp pictures on the VP-15S1 1-chip DLP projector. Other features include two lens options, a mechanical lens shift to allow above-screen mounting, and remote-controlled operation on RS-232. Input capability includes component, composite, S-Video, RGB, and two HDMI 1.3 connections, and power consumption is below 350W. The VP-15S1 can project a 1080p image from 70in. to 250in. measured diagonally.

Mitsubishi HC6800

The 1500-maximum-lumen Mitsubishi HC6800 LCD projector provides a typical contrast ratio of 30,000:1 with auto iris operation. The projector has a screen resolution of 1920x1080 and an image up to 300in. diagonal using a 1.6:1 powered zoom. It employs a Reon-VX chip with 10-bit calculation to upconvert DVD and other signals to the unit’s native resolution. Video signals can include PC video on a 15-pin D-sub, HDMI 1.3, composite, component, and S-Video. There is ±15-step vertical keystone correction and a 9-pin D-sub RS-232 connector for connecting the projector to control systems. The 250W power consumption drops to 7W in standby mode, and the whole unit weighs 16.5lbs. The 2:3 pulldown and 24p direct output ensure smooth Blu-ray films with accurate reproduction, and a motorized horizontal and vertical lens shift allows the HC6800 to custom fit a wide array of home theater designs.