Projector Reviews

• $4,500
• 1920x1080 three-chip LCD
• Key Connections: HDMI and DVI inputs, rest TBD

I've only been living with the new Optoma HD81 DLP projector for a little over a week, but it's already becoming obvious that new 1080p projectors selling for more than the Optoma's $7,000 price are likely to have a difficult time in the market. Even the sub-$7,000 price category is destined to be a battleground. There have already been announcements from Sony (SXRD), Mitsubishi (LCD), Panasonic (LCD), Sanyo (LCD), and BenQ (DLP) of new 1080p projectors priced lower, and in some cases considerably lower, than the Optoma. We expect to see more, and perhaps a lot more, such models at the 2006 CEDIA Expo in Denver later this week. We'll be reporting on them, and other new developments, in daily reports from the show floor. Stay tuned.

• $2,999
• 1280x720 single-chip DarkChip2 DLP
• Key Connections: One HDMI input and one DVI-HDCP input, one component input

• $6K
• 1920x1080 single-chip DarkChip3 DLP
• Key Connections: TBD

I love surprises. Ok, that's a lie. I hate surprises. How is giving me an attack of tachycardia (learned that one on House) anyone's idea of a good time. But, in the HT world, surprises are usually good. Take this $3,000 projector, for instance. By all accounts, it should be an average performing mid-to-low-priced HD projector. Then you look at the contrast-ratio measurement and see it's better than every other projector we've ever reviewed. Surprise!

Like any type of product, toward the end of its run, you tend to find the most advanced, best examples. Years of development culminate in the last few models in a category. Take, for example, the few high-end CRTs on the market. They're some of the best. DVD players are currently cheaper and, in many cases, better than models we saw just a few years ago. Then there's the high-end 720p DLP projector. With 1080p here in the form of Sony's VPL-VW100, and 1080p DLP on the horizon, the real question is, should you spend the money on a high-end projector that is only 720p? Well, I can't say for sure across the board, but, in this case, I can say most assuredly, yes.

When I think of home theater video projectors Hitachi isn't the first brand that comes to mind. Hitachi is probably better known for microwaves, compact music systems, and other mass-market consumer electronics. When Tom Norton offered me the HDPJ52 LCD projector for review I wasn't expecting very much. Simply put, every LCD projector I've reviewed in the past has been fatally flawed by poor color, inadequate black levels, and less than optimal resolution. Why should Hitachi do any better with LCD projectors than other manufacturers? What I neglected to consider is that Hitachi not only makes its own LCD panels and most other major components, they have been manufacturing business and presentation projectors for years. I packed my preconceptions into a large box and put it in the garage. With a newly open mind I unpacked the Hitachi HDPJ52. Welcome to the bright new world of 21st century LCD projectors.