InFocus X3 User Reviews

After 4 yrs of use and 3 full length movies per night, our bulb never failed, but the projector died BEFORE the bulb ran out. We think this is great service, but replacement is sticky due to ceiling mount, screw holes, placement, etc., so we are looking for yet another X3 to replace it. The picture quality never failed in all 4 years and we loved it's simplicity. Our unit never was loud nor "hot" and the casing kept out dust. We feel that because it did not run hot, it made the bulb last so long. We had another bulb waiting to put in - never had the chance. Boo hoo! We miss our X3!

Any Problems: After 4 years of maximum usage - yes, but not on the bulb, but the projector "power" shut down. Could be a fuse or fan or motor. Not fixing. Looking to upgrade or replace the unit. Enjoyed every minute of our X3!

I've had my X3 since Oct 2005 & for the most part loved it. I overcame the noise by ceiling mounting it in a closet & projecting thru a small opening into the home theater room. Then the right edge got dark & started slowly moving left. See problems for more on this. I've carefully cleaned the lamp screens every 2 months & my original lamp is up to 1558 hours & working fine.

Any Problems: It turns out that the optical engine (non-warranty repair, $1,037) has a light pipe made up of four mirrors that are glued together. With time & heat, the glue fails & the mirrors start moving & the projected image edges start moving also. For those who aren't fainthearted & posess a tube of crazy glue, http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=618877 shows how to fix the problem. This reminds me of a plumbing failure I had where the builder's plumber screwed a steel nipple into the brass water meter, ensuring that some plumber would have work a few years down the road. This is a very common problem; eBay has lots of X1/X1A/X2/X3/4805s listed for sale as-is with this problem.

I have 18 of these in a commercial setting. They run 12-15 hours per day. I’ve gotten 5000+ hours on some of my lamps (others are around 3000hrs), but at $300ea, I would hope so. Customer service said to send them the unit and $250 service fee, and they would look at it, then charge me if any needed to be fixed. Are you kidding me!?!? As soon as I can switch to anther brand, I will.

Any Problems: 6 of them have a large vertical black bar on the right side of the screen (8”-12” wide) and runs from top to bottom. One has almost totally lost the image with this black “haze.”

the worse service dept I have ever seen. I got my projector new and it did not work right.Took two months just to get auth. for repair the got it returned back still the same. Given a hard time but finnly got auth to return for 2nd repair. Now 4 months no projector and almost 1/2 of the warenty is gone. and they wont even respond to me! dont buy any of their products EVER

Any Problems: projecto never worked right picture distored one side of picture was 4 inches longer than the other. their fix was clean it and return it never addressed the real problem.

Wow for the price and features a great deal! I have had it over a year wanted something my grand children would enjoy and this was a big hit they love it and so do I.

I have owned this projector for a year now, here is my review based on 700 hours of experience. The Good: This projector has a great picture. I was really paranoid about the DLP Rainbow effect, and yes you can notice it -if you look for it-. If you dart your eyes from side to side you will see it everytime. At first I was a little disappointed, but it's like a scratch that once you start scratching you can't stop. I kept darting my eyes back and forth testing the rainbow effect, expecting it to go away. It doesn't, so I just stopped eye darting, and now I NEVER NOTICE IT, not at all, and guests have NEVER made a comment about the "rainbow" effect, ever, and believe me this projector has seen a lot of movies with a lot of guests. High definition picture is really what this projector is about. If you have this projector, you really must get an HD reciever. XBOX360 looks and plays extremely well with this projector. Those that do not have thier 360's hooked up to an HD projector have NO IDEA what they are missing, it's simply unreal. I use a self painted screen, used screen goo, from goosystems.com. it's 1.4 gain, and works very very well. Don't need to spend thousands on a screen, just paint one on the wall. Guests love it. Movies, HD Hockey games, HD Superbowl, and XBOX360 literally have lined people up at my door. The Bad: It's been a little problematic. A few times i have had to do a factory reset on it, it seems not to like switching between HD and SD very much, and will actually make the picture "half blue" from time to time. The only way around this is a factory reset, it's a good thing they have that option. Other issues i have encountered is lamp life: 600 hours and burned out. Had to pay 333.00 for a new one. I have to blame myself for lack of maintenance though, I failed to read in the manual that you MUST PULL THE LAMP HOUSING OUT AND VACUUM OR BLOW OUT THE DUST EVERY 200 HOURS. This is important. When mine burned out at 600 hours it was absolutely caked in dust. Another issue is the fan, it's loud. Don't expect to watch a movie with this thing on high power (1700 lumens) mode. Guests have actually commented on this. Low power is really the only option for movies.

Any Problems: Fan Noise (don't use high power) Lamp Life (read manual, maintain accordingly) "Half Blue" picture when switching SD to HD (rare, have to fac reset when happens)

I replaced my X1 with an X3. While I had the two projectors, I did a direct comparison by projecting both of them onto the same screen together using the exact same source (DVD) so I was able to see exactly how the two pictures matched up. As much as I liked my X1, the picture on the X3 is far superior, brighter, sharper with way more detail, not only in the shadows, but highlights as well. It really is no contest. Once you've seen the X3 compared directly with the X1, I don't think you could go back back to an X1.

Any Problems: Not so far.

Fantastic projector, will astonish all your mates and family... Started with connecting thinkpad @ 1024 by 768 res on dvds with a decent 7.1 channel surrond system, still doin it! havent got a hdtv source just yet, but from readin reviews, it's revouloutionary on this piece of kit with the correct cables, M1 to component i think.. Goin to purchase a ps3 in november, it has hd incorp so look forward to seeing that.

Any Problems: takes me 5 mins to hook up screen to wall and i aint got a mount for projector so theres a bit of sticking leverage beneath projector to get a level, stable image.. but in terms of the projector and hardware, no tissues so far...

"Good to Go", i had it for almost a year, couldn't ask for much more then this for its money, i'm not the biggest Projector nerd out here but i will say this is a pretty damn good projector! if it get any clearer then this i would like to see it!

Any Problems: meh sometimes it has a hard to playing dark scenes i think

This is my first projector, but I did A LOT of researching before buying this. I searched and waited for about 6 months, non stop. Usually reading about projectors once a day. Anyway, I was between this and the Sanyo PLV-Z3 or Z4. They're more expensive, but I was almost willing to pay that extra bit. I decided on this because I'm a college student putting it in an apartment...obviously not much cash, and not much room. I was planning to use it for: TV (direcTV), movies, and video games (xbox, ps2). I have used the composite and the DVI inputs and there is a HUGE difference. I already got the HDMI and component adapters (i recommend them), so I know those will look great as well. Composite isnt bad, its just not crystal clear like I hear about. No screen yet, but my white wall is good so far. I will build my own to save more $. Overall great features, most handy is the 3 customizable settings. I get a lot of light from the sliding glass door, plus the normal lights in the apartment, but with curtains, the brightness is fine. But keep this in mind, the darker the room is, the better your picture will look. If you want to show off your PJ, make it dark. I highly recommend this PJ for the price and the enormous size TV you get to watch movies, video games, and television on. I love it, even my girlfriend who would rather have me spend the $ on a ring for her, reluctantly admitted it was an awesome projector. :)

Any Problems: Keep in mind there are really only 3 inputs...one for HDMI, DVI, OR component, one for composite, and one for S-video. I needed a splitter for composite, and splitters are available for HDMI, DVI, and component too, but they're a little more expensive. Also think of the length of cords you will need. Try buying a good quality, inexpensive 30-40ft HDMI or Component cord...I wanted monster but was forced to get some cheap brand...at least I have the cord though!

Everything seemed great for the most part.

Any Problems: 500 hours into the bulbs life it blew on me. This is BS and I am waiting to see if Infocus will do anything to help at all. I mean come on 1/8th of the expected life and the projector bulb goes out. What the heck is up with that.

I have had the projector for a while. It is nice with a great picture. I ave watched HDTV on it and it is fantastic! There are a lot of settings to adjust for picture quality. The lamp is rated for 4000 hours! It was an unbeatable projector and I had to have it. A color saturation adjust would be nice though.

Any Problems: I only encountered one problem and that was that after having it a little while I had the analog go out on the projector. It would not display a picture with a VGA or component signal. Fortunately I could still return it and did so. The other things are me just being picky. One is that it is a little dark with the bulb in saver mode. More than one setting for saver mode would be nice. Maybe a setting for 3000 hours of use.(2000 full brightness and 4000 in saver mode) The projector doesn't seem to like 480i. The contrast will be all distorted and it will apprear overdriven in bright scenes. Lastly the 16:9 ratio is a bit off. After compairing the DVD player's Native 16:9 ratio and the projector's, the picture is too short and objects appear a little squished. But that is being VERY picky.

Setup was very easy, has an automatic source finder. Needed to flush firmware for latest version for phasing correctons. Better suited for video than for PC, although I'm using my PC to play DVD movies. Supprisingly discovered that 1080p also supported in this unit. My PC's ATI Radeon X300 capable of bringing up to 1920x1080, so when refreshing mode was on 60Hz, projector recognized resolution 1920x1080 60Hz as 1080i, but when I just for the sake of expiriment decided to change refreshing mode to 75Hz, projector recognized it as 1080p. I just had to adjust the phase. It means that this projector also supports 1080p, but for some reason manufacturer decided not to list it in documentation. Well, good for me, I discovered it, because picture quality is outstanding, specially in 1080p mode. Couldn't try yet the other video sources with 1080p mode, but because everithing can be connected thru its MI connector, seems to me it shouldn't be a problem for unit to support 1080p of other devices than PC

Any Problems: PC picture, I mean graphics are not so good in 1080i or 1080p mode, despite that DVD picture from PC has an outstanding quality, I'm using Power DVD player. Just couple of wishes - it should have a digital zoom and like in some LCD monitors an automatic picture adjustment option.

I've had this unit for a little over a month now. It still makes me grin every time I power it up. The unit is set up in my basement, ceiling mounted, at about 14' from wall. I painted the wall with Behr ash white flat paint(recommended by someone else somewhere on this site). Image is about 8.5' on 4:3 aspect. The previous owner of my home had standard RCA wiring so that was my first view. From digital cable box, HDTV was excellent, analog channels, not so much. I ordered a 50' hdmi to MD1 cable but in the mean time hooked up to 50' S-video cable. WOW what a dffererence the S-video made. Crisp clear images, it even made the analog channels watchable. Two days before the Super Bowl, the hdmi to MD1 cable came in the mail. The image was so good with the S-video cable, that I almost didn't take the trouble of running the new cable, but I am glad that I did. When I hooked up, it blew away the S-video cable! The HDTV stations seem to jump right off the screen. It is really un-believable. The people I had at my super bowl party were amazed. I still have people calling and asking about the system. I know that there are better projectors out there but you can't go wrong for the money. It is an excellent entry level projector for the limited budget home theater.

Any Problems: None so far

Hi, I bought a X3 a month ago, after evaluate several projectors. None of them offered such a good value for the money. For those who teach and want to have a good time watching movies at home this is the best compromise. Nice colors, a good definition and no screendoor effect. The XGA resolution makes no need for the Faroudja chip. I often teach in sun lighted classrooms and 1700 lumens are very important with such conditions. 4000 h lamp life is also something to consider, too. I'm very pleased with my X3 and only connected it to a s-video input. I can´t wait to try a color component to M1-DA, or even better, an HDMI to M1-DA. Don´t search no more, just buy it, you won´t regret.

Any Problems: None, so far

We love our X3! It is bright and clear and has no screened door effects. We use a simple DaLite pulldown screen and have the X3 ceiling mounted in an RV. This was our perfect solution to a BIG SCREEN tv or for DVD Home Videos. Perfect!

Any Problems: None

The people who say this is not a good projector must not be using the VGA port because the image is absolutley incredible. Every one, including my wife who could usually care less about image quality and a big picture, have been TOTALLY blown away. You can get the adapter required for DVD and HDTV on ebay for less than 25 dollars for 12 feet of adapter cable. Type in "15 pin component" or "vga component" and you should get a large number of results. You will also need a male to female adapter too for the 15 pin computer hook up. It sounds complicated but it's quite easy. Words can't say how good the picture is on this unit. For the price and the bulb hours of 4000 on economy mode you cannot beat this unit. I have done extensive research and the X3 is currently the best bang for the buck. I saw a unit that cost 4000 dollars at a home theater store and i couldnt see the image as being better than the X3. Use the right port, then write your review. I can't see how any one would be disapointed with it. I am happier with it that I ever thought I would be. Super crisp, super clear on DVD and HDTV. However, and please read this. DONT EXPECT TO BE IMPRESSED BY STANDARD CABLE!!!! Any big screen looks horrible on a regular cable feed! Use an HDTV or DVD signal through the VGA port and be prepared to be impressed!

Any Problems: None so far.

READ<---- I have had the luck to test out MANY projectors...everything from the optoma h79 to the NEC 1100. And I can honestly say...the picture of this projector totally blows the others away...the brightness is EXTREME...but can be turned down..and the contast next to the 5000.00 optoma h79...is BETTER. sounds nuts...but its true. This is my 9th projector...and my new favorite.

Any Problems: none

Great projector for a first-timer. In fact everything about this product is overwhelming so far. I got this projector in June 05.

Any Problems: I have been watching TV programs the satellite hookup withmore problem until last week when I can't do this anymore. I thought it was the RCA cable from the projector to the cable box was faulty, I bought a new one but to no avail. I need some help in order to watch the football games.

Awesome projector! We read reviews here before the X3 purchase, - 2 good, 2 poor, but took a chance as the specs were that of higher priced projectors. The quality of the picture is outstanding and jumps out at you with a WOW. The whites and colors are bright. However, this can be attributed, in part, to using a Component cable + the SP-M1-Adapter ($25 ea) which made a remarkable difference in picture. This was recommended by Tech Support at In-Focus before our purchase. The cable/adapter makes all the difference in the world to remarkable quality viewing. There wass no screen effect and no lines even before the adapter. We are only viewing on white cardboard until we get our new pulldown screen, but are totally pleased. We feel the quality is SO good, we don't need a real expensive screen to bring out anything. We sugget anyone buying buys projector first, tries it out, before purchasing a screen. This entry-level projector is A+.

Any Problems: None