Projector Reviews

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At the Home Entertainment Show this past June, the Home Theater staff put together the HTGamer Gaming Pavilion. The purpose was twofold. Not only did it give expo attendees a place to rest their weary feet for a spell, the pavilion allowed them time to relax and experience gaming on three different home theater systems. The first image these lucky attendees set their eyes on as they entered the room was a small rebel force attempting to break through the tyrannical Empire's lines of storm troopers in Star Wars: Battlefront II. An Alienware Aurora 7500 high-performance PC fed the image to the InFocus Play Big IN76 DLP projector and onto a Stewart GrayHawk screen. Even in a less-than-optimal convention environment, the IN76 produced an awe-inspiring image. But how would it perform in a theater?

• $19,995 (22,995 with optional long throw lens)
• 1920x1080 single-chip DarkChip3 DLP
• Key Connections: Dual HDMI and component inputs, one RGB/PC on 15-pin DSUB

• $15K
• 1920x1080 single-chip DarkChip3 DLP
• Key Connections: Dual HDMI and component inputs

• $3,499
• 1280x768 single-chip DarkChip2 DLP
• Key Connections: One HDMI input, two component video inputs, one RGB/PC on 15-pin DSUB

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.

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