Infocus IN76

By Tony Davey

August 2006

Infocus IN76 DLP projector. $6499.

InFocus IN76 and remote (Click for larger image)

InFocus IN76 (click for larger image)

Top of the projector (Click for larger image)

Connections on the InFocus IN76 (click for larger image)

If you have been watching the home theatre projector scene for any length of time, then you’ll be familiar with the Infocus line of projectors. Starting with their Screenplay range a few years ago, they quickly developed a reputation for producing stunning home theatre pictures at modest prices.

As consumers are becoming more aware of front projection in their home theatres and as they get a taste for it, they want better, brighter, darker (oxymoron?), cheaper and stylish as not to not intrude into the ambience of the room.

Infocus have recognised this calling and totally redesigned the look of their home theatre projectors. Gone are the dull grey briefcase looking boxes, in is a sexy black curved casing. They have a total new line of projectors, from the base IN72 (858x480 pixels) to the IN74 (1024x576 pixels) through to the IN76 (1280x720 pixels).

Lies, damned lies and spec sheets

With a contrast rating of 3000:1 and 1000 ansi-lumens brightness on the spec sheets, the figures (at face value) don’t appear to be up with some of the cheaper LCD competition. But don’t be fooled – Infocus publish “video optimised” ratings, meaning that those are the performance levels you can expect when the projector is calibrated for home theatre.

In effect, the IN76 is significantly brighter than other machines with similar published lumens such as my AE700. The 3000:1 contrast ratio is below the rated 5500:1-6000:1 from the Panasonic PT-AE900, Sony HS60 and Epson TW-600. but, again, the IN76 is video optimised, this can have a significant effect on real, rather than rated, contrast. For example, the IN76 easily beats my AE700 in terms of black level, shadow detail and depth of image.

A different class

I tested the IN76 with a variety of material, from standard definition live DVDs (The Fifth Element, Lord of the Rings:The Fellowship of The Ring and Meet the Fockers) to animation (The Incredibles) and even some high definition trailers and gaming through my Xbox360. In all instances, the IN76 showed it is in a different class than my current projector.

The Fifth Element was the reviewers “disc of choice” for quite a while, and the IN76 really helped show why. The colours are just superb, from the opening scenes in the Egyptian desert, to the outrageously bright fluro wardrobe, the colours are bright and vivid. Of course, The Fifth Element is deliberately filmed this way, but the IN76 was equally adept at handling more natural colours like the green forest of Shire and the natural skin tones of Frodo’s face in the early scenes of LOTR:FOTR.

Black levels are good, very good for digital projection. I would best describe them as “city night time” where its dark but there is a hint of luminescence to them. Black images on a screen look very black (car tyres, black cars, black suits etc) but give it a totally blackened out image and there is still that “not quite black” look (night time scenes from LOTR for example).

High def

Being a 1280 x 720 resolution projector, high definition is where it is at its best. Unfortunately for us in New Zealand, this is mostly limited to some short trailers that are freely downloadable via the interweb. Still, the trailers through my Xbox360 were very impressive. MI3 and Xmen 3 trailers were stunning, with an incredibly vibrant picture that leapt off the screen, stunning colours and detail levels that easily surpass good DVDs.

At $6499 the IN76 has a tough time marketing itself against the cheaper LCD competition. What the IN76 however has going for it is a fantastically bright, punchy image that has tremendous depth, with image quality ranging from very good (standard definition DVD) to stunning (Hi-Def trailers) and a level of sharpness and clarity that is sharp as a pin but still doesn’t look fake.

Is it a perfect projector? Of course not, that doesn’t exist yet. The noise level from the projector is a little louder than I am used to (easily drowned out by the sounds from a movie, but noticeable in quieter scenes) and I noticed some colour flashes in high contrast scenes (the rainbow effect). Were either of these problematic enough to be a deal breaker? For me, no!

It wasn’t that long ago that 720P DLP projectors were hugely expensive. Competition, technology maturity and development have helped bring the price of great performing technology into the realms of us mere mortals. Even at $6499, the IN76 a a bargain and strongly recommended.

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