Projector Reviews

Black: 0.002
White: 13.77

Full-On/Full-Off Contrast Ratio: 6,885:1

Unless indicated otherwise, all the measurements here were taken in User 1 memory with the Dynamic Iris engaged at its lowest setting of On, using an HDMI input, with the set adjusted for the most accurate picture in a darkened room. The screen was a 92-inch-wide Stewart Filmscreen StudioTek 130 G3, which is substantially larger than the 78-inch-wide StudioTek 130 that Tom Norton uses for his projector measurements.The H9080FD’s contrast ratio was measured with the projector set up conservatively to avoid clipping of head room and toe room. The black pedestal was set correctly, and it showed the entire range above white with the Contrast set at just 62. When I turned off the Dynamic Iris, the contrast ratio decreased to 1,736:1, which indicates that the Dynamic Iris system operates at a multiple of about 4x at its lowest On setting. I didn’t measure the other Dynamic Iris settings. They produce so many distracting artifacts that I don’t consider them usable with program material. Note again that I am calling this feature a dynamic iris because Vivitek’s onscreen menu and user manual do. This feature does not involve an iris; it dynamically adjusts the current that drives the LEDs.

I wouldn’t recommend that you use a screen much larger than the 92-inch-wide Stewart StudioTek 130 G3 (1.3-gain) that I use, nor would I use a lower-gain screen. The only options for goosing the light output are to either raise the Contrast control and clip some head room or engage BrilliantColor. (I didn’t test BrilliantColor, but based on prior experience, it could adversely affect color performance.) You could possibly use Brilliant-Color and the HSG color management to achieve a brighter picture and accurate colors, but the bottom line is that, while this projector has very respectable light output, it’s not exactly a torch.

Before:

After:

The gray-scale tracking was as tightly aligned to the D65 standard across the brightness range as I’ve yet seen from a projector. A Delta E number below 3 or 4 indicates deviations that will be invisible to the eye. The Vivitek’s Delta E numbers tracked well below a value of 1 across the entire brightness range, which is as close to perfect as I’ve seen. I calibrated it right after I received the second unit and checked up on it occasionally. It didn’t drift even a smidge. The Vivi- tek’s Color Gamut performance goes from good to great when the HSG color management system is engaged. As our chart shows, it’s spot on in color space. The luminance values (which aren’t reflected here) are just as accurate. There’s a lot to love in the Vivitek’s color performance.—SCB