InFocus SP 5700 User Reviews

Bought upon recommendation and reading glowing reviews of the product here at Projector Central and elsewhere on the net. Plug and play claims are so true! Fabulous right out of the box! Ease of operation is amazing. Color and sharpness are very impressive. Contrast and other picture parameters are superb. Best in a controlled light situation, but brightness will allow acceptable operation in certain lighting conditions. Onscreen menu is easy to use, manual is helpful in learning the icons, etc. My 5700 is ceiling mounted and a keystone adjustment was necessary (of a value of 1, I believe, which is incredibly minor) and the picture geometry is perfect. I have yet to see a projected image anywhere that compares (HD is another matter, though). I look forward to seeing HD through this projector (there's not enough material currently available for me to switch yet, and I don't watch TV). Reviews here and everywhere else are glowing for this projector. Believe them! Conventional DVD image is superb in 4:3, 16:9 or 2:35:1. TV or film looks fantastic, including old black and white productions. Video looks pretty good too. Computer input is displayed to superb detail. This is the best way to do a slide show that I have ever seen. Definitely the best bang for the buck I've seen yet. I was very encouraged to see so many reviews concurring with my opinion here at Projector Central about this projector. The many that have viewed movies in my theater are also extremely impressed. For the money, this projector is hard to beat and is highly recommended.

Any Problems: Hardly noticeable fan noise. I suppose "lemons" could get really noisy. Noisiest when starting up, but hardly a problem factor. Adjusting the ceiling mount is a bit tricky (pitch, yaw and roll) but nothing serious to overcome. Image was routinely lost on TV productions (X Files, etc) until I switched my DVD player to progressive scan. No difference in quality, but the image was no longer interrupted, so input mode may matter for you, depending on your player and other sources.

I upgraded from the X1 to the 5700. My first reaction viewing 480p was it seemed more film like,the color over all more true to life.The main reason I wanted to upgrade was so I could use my upconverter dvd player,DVI..Upconverted 1080I is Awesome......$1350 refurbish..Much improved picture over the X1,even though the X1 produced a good pic....

Any Problems: Fan noise is not a problem...

This projector has been GREAT! I started off with a ViewSonic PJ550 (it was really good with HD sources). I upgraded to this about 10 months ago and have put aprox 900 hours on it. I use it for evrything. The color on this SP5700 is better than any projector I have seen. The picture quality is very good, especially HD content. The Xbox 360 is amazing on this. It is not too loud, but creates alot off heat through the fans.

Any Problems: I see weird lines at the top of the screen when I switch to some HD shows.

Basically a very good projector. Great picture. Colors are really superb and contrast is good. To me the only thing that could be better is some more light-output.

Any Problems: Sometimes the projector looses its input-channel. This happens once every 4 or 5 movies. It then searches for an input-channel (again) and while doing this there is no picture. Further, the construction is a bit "cracky".

It's by far the best projector I ever have enjoyed. I was coming from LCD, and even if LCDs have improved, I can't think of one at the same level of this one for the same price. The view experience is outstanding, the deepness of the image wonderful.

Any Problems: The DLP panel of the projector I bought broke after two months of use, and Infocus changed the projector with no expenses for me in 2 days. Great!

I am truly amazed at just how good this projector is able to produce the images it does. The first reaction from my friends is usually jaw dropping, then followed by "Oh My God". I use this in a finished basement in a room with controllable light. DVD quality is very good but is exceptional with HD TV. Baseball and other sporting events are mind blowing. The black levels are so good the picture looks three dimentional (No Joke). The screen I am using is a De-lite 100 inch Diagonal from about 14 feet. I was originally getting the new Sony projector but did not like the LCD technology. I am normally a huge Sony purchaser. Lastly, I was really sold on this projector when different reviews I read statet that the color was perfect right out of the box, and that is 100% correct. This gave me the courage to install the system myself, probaly saving $500-$1,000 in potential costs.

Any Problems: None so far, the fan is noticeable when the sound is very low but most of the time I am watching sports and action movies. The bulb is a little pricey about $400. I hope the original truly lasts 3,000 hours as the manufacturer stated.

I have owned a 5700 for two months. The projector is mounted 6 metres away from a 133" screen. Image quality is so good it is almost unbelieveable!! HDTV at 1080i is the best quality I have ever seen. DVD's are also absolutely fantastic. Set up and installation was not problem. I am running component for DVD, DVI for HDTV and computer connections. I highly recommend this projector.

Any Problems: Only problem for me is the fan noise and sometimes a sliight vibration sound. Going to take a closer look at this. We sit directly under the projector. It is about 2 metres above us. You definitely notice the fan in quiet moments of the movies. Going to check back with my retailer on this.

I bought this projector used with 170 hours on the lamp. I paid the same for the projector as my friend just paid for a 54" TV, and I get an image double what he gets. I also have a wider viewing angle than he has, since there is bad glare if you are viewing his TV from off center. I cannot say enough good things about my experience, except that I am more than satified with my purchase! Movies tested - Toy Story 2, Star Wars: Episode 2 Projected onto - Textured Baby Blue wall (it was a kid's room, and the only empty wall in the house) Results: Crystal clear 70" (diag) picture. It's a small room so I could only get the projector back that far. No rainbow effects. Fan noise is unnoticable on High Lamp Output. The scenes on Naboo in Star Wars are absolutely breathtaking. I was using a Panasonic DVD player with component out; tried progressive scan on and off and did not notice a difference in quality. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Any Problems: None so far, however, I noticed in the manual that you can reset the "lamp hours". If I had known this I would have been wary of buying a used projector boasting only 170 hours, since there is no way of knowing if the hours have been tampered with.

I've owned this projector for over a year now. I have owned several projectors over the years always trying to obtain that "film like" picture we all long for. This projector has provided that and more. The 5700 is the best projector I ever owned by far. In this price range (Infocus just dropped the price again on these) nothing can touch it. Do yourself a favor and purchase the M1 to DVI digital cable to hook it up to your computer or digital dvd player. The difference between it and component hook up is staggering. I don't have HDTV running through it because there isn't enough content out there to make it worth my while to purchase any HDTV hardware at this time. We watch dvds every night at my house viewing about 4-6 hours a night on it. It performs flawlessly with very little fan noise, (I sit directly beneath it)and no rainbow effects seen by me, my wife or my daughter. By the way, this is the first projector I've owned that my wife has truely enjoyed. In fact she has encouraged me to spend more money on our dedicated theater room for the first time ever. How about that for impact. The colors that this thing puts out is just incredible. I can view this side by side with my 25" tv and color is dead on rich and saturated. The blacks are as good as I have ever seen on a dlp. The remote control is very well laid out with most of the controls you will use readily accessable. I'm sure there are better theater projectors out there (probably costing a lot more than the 5700) but honestly I have yet to see one.

Any Problems: I have had zero problems with this unit after putting over 2000 hours in it. Very happy with this projector.

I now have experienced the 5700 for over one month of intensive use with many different dvd's and also do regular calibration checks with Digital Video Essentials.I live in NZ, our broadcast TV is only standard definition so I have made no attempt to use it for this source. We have PAL as a standard and all our dvd's on sale are formatted for PAL which suits the 5700 native pixel structure with no scaling needed.I believe it is in the PAL countries where this projector would perform best.My opinion is that it provides a surperb picture, sharp, free of artifacts and well balanced in colours.I use a Linn unidisc SC which no doubt is the major strength of the system delivering a flawless image to the projector..Images are projected onto a Stewart Greyhawk, I can cointrol my lighting so the greyhawk is not a problem at all...I would highly recommend this projector to anyone in a PAL country as probably the best value for money.My only slight grizzle is the fan noise, which although low and unobtrusive, is audible.

Everyone I show is totally amazed.This machine does it all. I use it for home theater. It is best if you have a room that you can contol the lighting in for best results.

Any Problems: zero

I don’t usually post an opinion or review but I felt I should address the previous reviewer’s (matt) remarks I have owned a 5700 for 9 months now and have been delighted with it Colour, blacks and the total lack of motion artefacts are excellent Friends that have watched it have all been impressed by the quality of The images It’s not perfect but at the price anyone who buys should have no regrets Matt must have chanced on a faulty or poor set-up. Put your money where your mouth is or your opinion means little.

Any Problems: None so far

I went comparison shopping the past weekend for Matterhorn-based projectors I say the 5700 (nad dvd player) and a Runco510 (arcam dvd player) - both playing XMEN. The 5700 ($3999) had very obvious video/scaling artifacts and had no "punch" to the picture. The picture from the 5700 looked very much like a PLV-Z1 LCD - I had to actually check to make sure that the 5700 was the Matterhorn and not an older LCD projector! The Runco ($4999) had almost no scaling/video artifacts, better low-level detail, and a much more film-like picture. The 5700 is cheaply built and can't compete with the runco 510 in picture quality. Before this weekend, I thought the 5700 could be a good 'value' option, but it is just cheap. The runco 510 is well worth the extra money - if price is the issue - look somewhere besides Infocus/Home; power-point projectors just can't cut it in the home.

Any Problems: no problems - saw both in demo rooms.

I have now had the projector for 7mths. I am unable to make comparisons with other models but I was impressed with the picture quality. The colours are natural and rich. I was able to set the projector up with ease and found remote control easy to use.

Any Problems: Went in for repairs as it had a white dot pixel size on the screen. . Had to be shipped to Netherlands. However the transportation and delivery was painless. Since the project is not mounted centrally the screen display is skew. A far as I know there is no setting for this.

I have had this projector over 7 months. It is ceiling mounted, about 19 feet away from a 110" Da-Lite HCCV gray screen and seating is 14 feet away. I had previously previewed the Infocus 7200 and could not see a difference in terms of sharpness and I did not notice screen door effect with either projector. I find the image outstanding and my wife, who tends to tolerate my expensive hobby purchases, finds this projector one of the best things we ever bought. We watch movies (DVD's) 4 to 5 evenings a week.

Any Problems: The only problem so far was in the setup (which I did myself) because of the offset neceesary. The projector is supposed to be 1/3 of screen height above the top of the screen. Im my case my screen was 54" high so the center of the lens had to be 17" above the screen. The result was if I kept the projector absolutely level my screen would be too low on the opposite wall. In order to raise the screen up about 8" I had to slightly tilt the projector upwards. I then made a slight keystone adjustment (48 instead of 50) but I can't see any difference in picture quality. Sound is not a problem and up to now no one has been bothered by rainbows.

I have been using this projector now for about 4 months. It has a stellar HD picure but make sure to try both formats. From my Dish Network box the 1080i format works the best going to the DVI input. Beware, you do need an adaptor but it is worth it. I am projecting on a 106" Draper screen which works well. The size is a little much for the resolution so the best viewing is from about 13' back and I do not have any outside light. If you suffer from rainbow effects try and rent this or purchase from a dealer who you can return it to. I had a little trouble at first but now they have pretty much disappeared. Non of my friends have noticed them. I had a pb6100 for a bit and it was terriable!! For DVDs I am using an older Runco scaler and sending a 540p signal which the projector inteprets as 1080i. It works great but I had to spend a lot of time with the scaler to get colors right. The 480i input works great and the colors where great right out of the box, but I can get just a little better picture with the scaler. Overall a great projector for the money and HD does look better on a big screen!

Any Problems: Slight rainbows and a noisy color wheel (fixed under warranty.)

I found it easy to set up and the picture was excellent even on a painted wall when the screen was fitted it was outstanding and excellent value for money.

Any Problems: none

This is an excellent all around projector for Home Theater. I chose this over the Sharp Z9000U (which was a really tough choice). To me, it was either go for the Sharp(about $200 more at the time) and get the higher resolution while still getting a 16:9 DLP. Or get the Screenplay 5700 and get higher brightness, slightly better contrast, DVI(hdcp), DCDi, in trade for quite a bit of resolution. I was pretty much decided on the Z9000U. Both projectors had a long throw lens (which I needed), but I really wanted the extra resolution of the Sharp. Thankfully I was able to get a look at both the Sharp and the Screenplay before making a purchase. The Sharp looked great (if not a little dim), but the Screenplay just looked better. The 5700 produces an incredible picture and it's really hard to tell that you're not looking at an HD2 projector. For me, screen door is a non-issue with either of these. The main reason I opted for the Infocus was HD-DVD. If HD-DVD requires a digital connection, you'd get a cleaner, higher quality image from the 5700 than with the Z9000U. It's possible that HD-DVD will down convert the signal for the Component output. Plus, the 5700 gives you everything our current DVD format is capable of. Another way I look at it, is by the time HD-DVD comes out, there will be great prices on the closeout HD2's and HD2+ and then I may upgrade.

Any Problems: None so far.

My first projector and couldn't be happier. I looked at several comparable models and chose the Infocus based on quality and price.

Any Problems: The fan can be a little noisy, but nothing too distracting.

I purchased my first projector the Screenplay 5700 in Jan 04 after going into the store to buy the Screenplay 4800 which looked great until I saw the 5700 in direct comparison.Luckily my wife was with me and she needed no persuasion to go with the 5700 which was vastly superior. I am projecting onto a 92 inch 16;9 Grandview pulldown Screen and the results are amazing with DVDs and also Digital Foxtel espically the football (Aussie Rules). I can black out my room but its not necessary as this projactor is so bright only a small amount of brown out is required for a good daylight image.Fan appears noisy at times,however the quality of the image is so good you get drawn into the movie and only notice it in completly quiet passages usually the end of the movie.I have tried the progressive scan on my DVD player but can see no difference in the picture so I leave it off.The remote is easy to use and change settings to suit different inputs. No one who has seen this projector has mentioned the Rainbow effect only the fantastic image eg Finding Nemo,The Last Samuri. I discovered a problem at 50 hours the Change Lamp logo came on when switching to high lamp output.Infocus suggested a lamp problem and the retailer changed the lamp at 200 Hrs. One week later the new lamp did the same thing and the projector stopped and would not stay on for more than a few minutes. The retailer immediatly installed a new projector.Excellent Service. No problems now and could not be happier with this projector espically the quality of the picture in moderate light conditions.