 ProjectorCentral Reviews |
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Is SVGA enough for good video? - Apr 12, 2001
NEC MultiSync VT540 - Apr 1, 2001
Home theater projectors -- InFocus LP340 - Mar 11, 2001
New Home Theater Projectors Appear at CES - Jan 8, 2001
| ProjectorCentral User Opinions |
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| User Reviews |
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Scott McArthur - Nov 1, 2001
| Application: |
Home Theater |
| What I Like: |
Great price
Very bright
Great picture |
| Suggestions: |
What I don't like:
No remote control power on
The fan is loud (not unbearable though)
Runs hot
Bulb problems (see below) |
| Comments: |
I have had this projector for about a year now. Over all it is a great deal for about $3000. My biggest complaint about the bulbs. Durring the course of the year I have had the bulb explode on me 3 times. The first two were under warranty. InFocus is GREAT with their customer service. The first time the bulb broke(after having the projector for a month and a half), I had a bulb sent to me FedEx next day for free. The second time (about 2 months later) they felt that the problem may be with the projector. They sent me a new projector over night, had me package my old projector in the new box and had FedEx pick it up from my apartment (all at no cost to me again). The only thing that I did not like about this was that they sent me a refurbished projector, but it seemed to work fine. Finally, about 6 months later (last night in fact) the bulb broke again. This time I expect that I will have to pay for it (about $300 around the net). :(
Also, the fan makes quite a bit of noise. While watching a movie it is not a problem except durring extended quiet stretches. I have contemplated building a box around it, but it already runs so hot that I believe adequit ventelation will make the box pointless...
I know that all of this sounds bad, but truthfully it is a great projector. I have been very pleased with it, although I do plan for my next projector to be a Runco (in a year or so). |
brian vella - Aug 4, 2001
| Application: |
home theater |
| What I Like: |
easy to use fanastic picture value for money |
| Comments: |
I'm disappointed with the light or shadow reflecting from the grill or lens. Is there a way of fixing this problem? If so please e mail me a solution at brian_vella@hotmail.com as this is the only downfall I have encounter
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Tom Lewis - Aug 3, 2001
| Application: |
Laptop presentation/DVD home theater |
| What I Like: |
Color, brightness, and clarity are incredible. Price was right also; I got it from Costco online for $2500 even. |
| Suggestions: |
I'm having a problem that I wonder if anybody else has encountered/heard of. Connected to my computer, the video display is great. Connected to my DVD player via my audio/video receiver, I get horizontal lines that drift slowly upward from the bottom of the screen. This happens whether I use the composite video input or the S-video input port. Has anybody else seen this? Let me know at tom@thomaslewis.com if you've got a fix. Thanks. |
Michael - Jun 15, 2001
| Application: |
Movies |
| What I Like: |
Follow up: I found this about the rainbow effect.
. If you were very close to the screen and moved your eyes from one corner to the other quickly, a strange rainbow effect from the spinning colour wheel became visible. But this isn’t a serious flaw, and the effect disappears when the screen is viewed from further back.
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| Comments: |
. If you were very close to the screen and moved your eyes from one corner to the other quickly, a strange rainbow effect from the spinning colour wheel became visible. But this isn’t a serious flaw, and the effect disappears when the screen is viewed from further back.
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Michael - Jun 15, 2001
| Application: |
Movies |
| What I Like: |
I bought the Toshiba version from Costco online and with express shipment ($10 more) I got ie the next day!! Amazing picture. I haven't purchased a screen yet, and may not. I show the movies on a wall and I love it every time. The blacks are so deep and rich and the picture just couldn't be better for the price (or twice the price). |
| Suggestions: |
I looked around alot and looked at LCD's like the sharp and they were not even close. |
| Comments: |
I do see the rainbow effect when my eyes dart around from time to time. You won't see it if you are just looking at the movie. At least I don't And it's very subtle. That is the ONLY complaint.
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Steve Deyer - Apr 27, 2001
| Application: |
Presentations |
| What I Like: |
Easy setup, great on screen menu controls, crisp and clean images even far away with lights on, great tech-support |
| Suggestions: |
Couple of small problems in the first few weeks that could have easily been solved if put in the troubleshooting guide. The problems seemed to have happened with a lot of people. |
| Comments: |
Problem #1 - set computer and projector to the same resolution or you will see lines flowing across the screen.
Problem #2 - played with the projector first day, let it sit for about two weeks then went to turn it on again and nothing. Friendly tech-support told me to take out the lamp, shake it, tap on the plastic frame, then return it and it should work. It did. I asked if this was a common problem - yes it was only when the lamp had less than twenty hours on it. Not a big deal and I definitely would still recommend this projector highly. |
Toby - Apr 6, 2001
| Application: |
Watching DVD's |
| What I Like: |
This is more of a question than a review...although the picture is pleasing, etc. In the anamorphic mode ( 16 x 9 enhanced) the projector does not seem to unsqueeze the image as much as it should. I have tried this with 3 different DVD players ( all set to enhanced mode with anamorphic DVD's) , the people still seem a bit tall and skinny. This was confirmed with the THX Otimode disc where the circle still appeared as an oval shape. This problem has never been mentioned in the reviews. |
Liz W. - Mar 30, 2001
| Application: |
Home Theater |
| What I Like: |
Bought this projector about six months ago and hooked it up to a Pioneer Elite Digital receiver. The display of Toy Story 2 (DVD) on my DaLite Cosmopolitan screen is incredible. The color is so bright and rich. I demo'd the highly-touted $6,999 Sony VHT model before purchasing the InFocus, and could'nt justify spending twice the price for a native 16:9 format. |
| Suggestions: |
The primary suggestion I have for InFocus for future models, would be to aim the exhaust fan to the front of the unit. If you are sitting behind the machine, the lamp glares through the fan grill right into your eyes. Despite the manufacturer's recommendation of not placing anything within two feet behind the unit, I do keep a small black metal picture frame about 1 foot behind the grill and it blocks the light without overheating. I notice that when the light is blocked this way, the rainbow effect mentioned in other reviews seems to lessen. |
| Comments: |
I would be curious to know if any of you have a light bleed that displays around your room during projection. If my room is completely dark, there is a bit of a halo that displays around my 4:3 screen. You can see it on the ceiling above the screen and a few feet to the right of the screen. I haven't pursued this of yet (too busy watching films to send it to InFocus for examination!) Perhaps it simply needs an adjustment. If you have a similar issue, please email me at liznyny@aol.com |
Peter Parchment - Mar 23, 2001
| Application: |
Home theatre |
| What I Like: |
the picture quality is absolutely fantastic |
| Suggestions: |
try before you buy |
| Comments: |
unfortunately i am very susceptible to the rainbow effect and can see it in very scene,
on Dvd i completely gutted by this and will have to return to vendor as i cannot watch it like this
the picture was phenomenol if any one has a suggestion let me know ASAP |
Frank Steele - Mar 11, 2001
| Application: |
Home theater and Business |
| What I Like: |
I love everything about this projector. I bought the Boxlight CD-455m, which is the same projector under a different label, and only $2790 direct. I like the fact that on a 80" Dalite Deluxe Insta-Theater screen my picture is better than ANY rear projection unit ever made and about 1/2 the price of the best ones. |
| Suggestions: |
Don't buy a DVDO Iscan Plus line doubler, the piucture looks fine without it and it may not work with the projector. |
| Comments: |
I cannot believe people go out and spend $3500+ on a rear screen projector like a Mitsubishi. Sure they look good, but they are puny. The largest they make is 70" and costs $10,000. I put together my system for under $3500 ($2800 projector and a $450 80" screen). Plus I can take mine anywhere. I took it to my brother-in-law's house for the Super Bowl and it was a huge hit. Plus I can go even bigger. The local Ultimate Electronics Store is still selling the $5000 and $10000 Sharp pieces of junk because they don't want the consumer to know that there is a cheaper alternative to the 50 different big screens in the back that looks better. |
Kevin Ray - Mar 1, 2001
| Application: |
Home Theater |
| What I Like: |
The color, the size, the brightness, the clarity, and most of all the price. |
| Suggestions: |
Whatever front projector you are interested in, I would highly recomend calling Adam McCourt, at studio expierience. His # is 800-667-6147, ext. 267. He is great, answered all my questions, thier return policy is great, and I had one small issue with my particular projector, and it was handled within a matter of 2-3 days. The service that they offered, not to metion the best price I could find, makes these guys worth checking into. |
| Comments: |
The projector is beautiful. Absolutely the best buy around. I looked into every projector between $3000 - $6300 and after test driving this one, I couldn't justify spending any more money on any of the others --- even the LP350, which I also test drove, and I couldn't justify even $1300 more on that one. The picture quality of the LP340 (Boxlight 455) is just too good to ignore. My particular room and seating arrangement are as follows: Screen size is :
6 1/2' X 8 1/2', my first row of seats puts your head at about 13 1/2' from the screen, and on the second row, your head is about 17' from the screen. And with the entire screen filled up, on the first row, it is spectacular. Every now and then on a white background, (on the first row) you can sometimes see slight pixelazation, but 98% of the time all you see is a very clear, bright picture (keep in mind I have just about an 11' screen and, on the first row, I am only 13' from the screen.) On the second row, no pixelazation is ever noted, and really the overall picture is even better. So in conclusion, I am definitly sold on this projector, and would recommend anyone in the sub $3000 price range, to really consider this before and RPTV is ever considered. All you have to have is a moderate sized room and some control over the lighting, and you too could have you own built in theater. |
STATHIS SALVANOS - Dec 28, 2000
| Application: |
HOME CINEMA & PROFESSIONAL USAGE |
| What I Like: |
It is not compared by what I have seen in its price category and sometimes in much more expensive ones . |
| Suggestions: |
Try to look for this specific phenomenon of : the '' rainbow effect '' and if it has been solved because it is the only problem of this projector that I haven 't found how to solve!!! |
| Comments: |
First of all I DON ' T WANT to return THIS PROJECTOR , which I just bought . I think that , this says everything about my appreciation on the specific projector .
I simply look for a scientific answer on the problem that I face .I see the so called - on the internet - " rainbow effect'' which I would more preciselly call '' flashes of tiny - to medium - sparkles of the three basic colors ( RED-GREEN-BLUE ) '' . This problem occurs mostly with the viewing of a PC-DVD player and especially during high contrast - dark - scenes . I was informed that this is an inherent problem to DLP technology but then , how is that this is so very apparent while viewing PC-DVD and barelly noticable through a video player tunner ? Is there has something to do with the different technical specifications of the two formats and if so is there something I can do to change the specifications of the PC-DVD player - of course - in order to soften the problem ? OR finally , do you have any suggestions on how I can eliminate the problem altogether , and if not is this something that you work on towards solving it ? |
Dan Zaid - Dec 20, 2000
| Application: |
Home Theatre |
| What I Like: |
Picture, ease of use. $3000 street price if you know which street! ;^) |
| Suggestions: |
Get a decent screen with nominal gain. |
| Comments: |
I was overwhelmed by the choices out there, but after setting some goals: 1000+ ANSI lumens, 2000 Hour bulb, HD compatible with 720p and 1080i resizing, internal scaler/doubler, 3000+/- US dollars the field shrunk. I was leaning towards DLP after seeing significant contrast improvements over LCD, but the thought of a colorwheel, a 50+ year old technology with roots in a failed Color TV standard made me a little wary. I reserved judgement and opted to try it. Ebay bidders are hot on In Focus projectors and I'm sure I could onload it. Well, this one is a keeper. A friend was nice enough to give me an old 6 X 8 foot Sony screen with at least 1.5 gain. I had the proper room dimensions to fill the screen from the desired distance. This projector is astounding. Films on DVD via YC handled by the In Focus software are astounding. It's rare that I see ANY field artifacts. On certain old B/W movies I have seen some interlaced artifacts on quick vertical movements, but that's about all. I still grin when I turn this thing on. Can't wait for warm weather again and a chance for movie night outdoors! Hey, at 7 lbs you can take the fun with you! Getting back to the colorwheel, it takes a couple weeks to get used to the windup, reminds me of a laptop harddisk spinning up. I see occasional "rainbow" effects when I follow action onscreen, but otherwise it's innocuous. On another note, I am unfortunate to have a dead mirror on my LP340, a main reason I was cold to LCD technology. It is rare and GOD bless the techs at In Focus, they are advance shipping me a replacement. No charge, and a FEDEX return mailer included. Damn, I feel like I bought a 50,000 projector! Bravo In Focus! |
F. Asssandri - Nov 8, 2000
| Application: |
Home Theater & Business |
| What I Like: |
This is an exceptional projector that is extremely versatile. I look around a lot and this came down to be the only choice in this price range. It is HDTV ready, and is both an outstanding projector for home theater and business presentations. The video scaler that is built in provides a gorgeous picture for DVD Playback and the 1300 Ansi lumens rating makes it bright enough to use anytime under any conditions. The contrast ratio of 400:1 makes for a very dynamic picture and the best blacks I have seen in a digital projector. I had the unit out the box and showing movies in 10 minutes. The unit sets up that quickly making it a big plus for business users who don't want to fumble around when making a presentation. In its price range this projector has no competition. |
| Suggestions: |
Make sure people who are looking for a way into home theater without spending a fortune find out about this projector. It is easy to operate and needs no external scaler. |
| Comments: |
I am very pleased with this projector and very impressed with how sharp it is when watching movies. The image is very smooth and film like. I got a great price too-here's the address of the guy who helped me- projectoradvice@yahoo.com |
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