High-quality 3D at home is a reality, but what about all those 2D movies you own? The new Mitsubishi HC9000D brings 1080p active-shutter 3D into your home for $6,995, but that is not its only attraction. It also offers a great 2D picture that places it among the ranks of the finest 1080p home theater projectors available under $10,000. Complete with all of the bells and whistles one might expect from a premium projector, the HC9000D has something for everyone.

In a home theater setting, the HC9000D produces a bright, natural, film-like image. To make the projector look its best, one must consider the viewing environment as a whole and how it affects image quality. Curtains around the screen decrease reflections and thereby increase contrast. Non-reflective surfaces will do the same. Ambient light reduction is important, but there's more to it than just turning off the lights--you want to make sure that the projector's light stays on the screen, where you want it.

The reason for all of this work is, simply put, that the HC9000D is an excellent projector that deserves the best viewing environment you can create for it. The price tag of $6995 is downright affordable for this class of projector--especially with the added benefit of 3D.

The real story of the HC9000D is this: while there is a lot of buzz around 3D projection right now, the vast majority of content available, both SD and HD, is two-dimensional. The HC9000D is best described, in our estimation, as "a 2D projector with 3D capability," rather than a 3D projector. In other words, the projector's 2D performance comes first, and 3D is only an added bonus rather than the defining feature of the projector. If you're not terribly excited about 3D projection and are just looking for a great 2D machine, the HC9000D may be exactly what you want.

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