NEC HT410 User Reviews

my first experince with a projector. bought this nec projector 3 years ago for its value and i was not dissapointed. used for everything: movies, video games, computer and cable tv. changed the bulb once at around 2500 hrs (swicth back and foward from normal mode and eco mode when watching cable tv) and second bulb about to need changed at 2000 hrs.

Any Problems: image brightness is not very good when bulb is gets past 1800 hrs. also any little ambient light affects but that would be normal on a projector with this brightness

It was around 599.00 after rebate. The clarity of this projector is amzaing. I tried all the inputs and found that the component input is by far the best for picture quality. I love it!!!!!!

Any Problems: Room must be dim light or the picture looks a little faded.

Originally purchased for outdoor movie night I recently finished my basement installed this unit using 1.1 gain 92" screen. Using high quality interconnects, power conditioning and a Hitachi DVD player w/ Faroujda processing I can't believe the image quality I get. People do not believe me when I tell them it's NOT an native HD display.

Any Problems: I'm not a nit picker so I choose to focus on the positives. Really can't ask for much more from a $500.00 PJ!

I got a really good deal on this. Paid $470.00Cdn back in June/06. Been having a great time having movies outside of our Townhouse complex. Like a drive-in theatre. I purchased a92" widescreen Grey Wolf II screen from Optoma, model DSGWII9092PM. Haven't installed it yet but my buddy who has the exact same setup says it's awesome, he uses his everyday. I'm very pleased with this unit. I suffer from Rainbow effect and used to see them all the time with another friends X1 but can't seem to see them with the HT410. For the price I can't complain and look forward to setting the screen up soon. Thanks to all that took the time for these personal reviews. I did so much research before buying this unit. Thanks again and will update further when I have it all setup.

Good projector for the price. Nice image quality as long as DLP rainbows from the 2x color wheel don't bother you.NEC has nice build quality in there pj,s. Nice onscreen menu's. Good # of inputs.Very quiet unit 26db in eco-mode. HD programming looked good but not great on my 92" Draper Luma screen. Some visible pixel structure at that size from 12'. $200 rebate on remaining HT-410's through March.

Any Problems: Rainbow artifacts made this unit virtually unwatchable for my entire family. Am trying to return unit to go with a LCD pj instead - perhaps Sanyo PLV-Z1.

For the current price, this model is very nice. I sat on the fence a long time debating whether to get this or an In-Focus SP 4805. I was most concerned with my unknown susceptibility to rainbow effect. Since I hadn't seen any DLP projectors with my own eyes, I took a chance with this one that has a 2x color wheel. Lucky for me, I'm not sensitive to rainbows at all. They appear every once in a while, but nothing major, and definitely not a deal blower. In the end, this is well worth current prices with rebate. It's very quiet even in normal mode as many have said, it comes with an assortment of long cables (including a long power cord) and a case, and has great image quality even with an older sony progressive scan dvd player as a source. Vertical lens shift is a very nice feature to put the image right where you want it. I am projecting a 90" image onto a wall, and with the lights off or minimal ambient light, the picture is fabulous. I rated image quality as good due to the competitions' better contrast ratio and the presence of minor rainbow effect. Do I wish it had a DVI input? Yeah, I guess, but it matches DVD resolution line for line. In this resolution class, I can't understand why someone would bother with HD-DVD or an upconverting player. If that's your interest, I'd suggest looking into XGA projectors anyway. Again, I haven't seen an SP4805 in action, but the NEC is a real keeper.

Any Problems: None

The HT410 comes as described, and confirms all the reviews I've read about it. In other words, I am very happy with it and for £430 including postage it was a real bargain ! -- Note about the projection surface: I bought a second-hand projector screen from eBay. It's a Dixons-Atlantic-Universal, tripod-mounted, 1m x 1m, £20 (around $30). Obviously, it's rather outdated and a bit on the small side, but I have specific usages in mind for it, in the various rooms of my flat. The nice thing about it is that it maximizes the reflected light, thanks to the special white coating. On the other hand, it reflects light at a certain angle (perfect when you sit on the sofa, not so good when you stand up). The walls don't provide such a luminous image, but in my particular configurations I get a bigger picture on the wall (2 to 3 meters wide), so I am NOT using the screen in my tests. Besides, it's also kind of cool to have an empty wall, and all of a sudden you switch the "big screen" on when nobody expects it ! ;) -- End of note. The HT410 is a great package, with lots of cables and a handy carrier bag (not much padding but seems very robust). The 5-step "quick-start" guide means you can use the projector straight out of the box: good for the impatient like me ! The connexions are all on the side of the unit, which is perfect for my usage. I don't miss the DVI input as I don't have any supporting device and have no plans to upgrade anytime soon. The top of the unit has all the buttons you need when not using the remote control, although the remote control has a few handy extra shortcuts. The remote control also has a red back-lit keyboard, which is great for dark rooms. The unit is very, VERY silent (the quietest in this price range). This is a real must-have for me: I'm projecting a rather small picture at a short throw distance, therefore the projector is not far from the audience when we sit and watch. The projector looks quite cool: not as boring as most of the competition. Apple-fans, you'll like the smooth white plastic casing ! ;) The physical vertical lens adjustment (a unique feature for a projector in that price range) is a MUST have, when like me, you need flexibility to move the projector around very often (not fixed on the ceiling, etc.). It avoids using keystone correction and makes it real easy to use. Right-now I'm using the "Composite Video" cable, which is the worse one in terms of quality (all signals combined into 1 cable). The "S-Video" is supposedly better, but I have problems making it work with my DVD/TV/VCR/DVB system... Unfortunately I do not have a "RGB-Component" output to test. Therefore, I cannot really comment on the quality and accuracy of the picture details. All I can say is that I'm happy with the picture accuracy despite the use of mixed "Video" signal, so I guess I can only be better with proper connectivity ! Nevertheless, I can comment on color rendition: the color management functions make it easy for newbies like me to adjust various settings depending on ambient light, color of the wall, nature of the image to project (cartoon, dark movie, outdoors scenes, etc.). As other reviews stated, the darker scenes tend to be a mush of blacks... something to be aware of for watching movies like "The Crow", "Batman" or "Terminator". Due to the native resolution of the projector, PAL is supported without interpolation and it delivers good quality. I have tested the VGA-RGB input with my Powerbook laptop. The mirrored screen works fine on the projector, but interpolation means that text looks "scrambled" (just enough readability, but quite ugly). Watching a DivX with your computer is fine though. The HT410 is clearly a "multimedia projector", and I would not recommended it as a "data-projector". The projected image is very bright in a dark environment, so much that I prefer leaving an ambient light on somewhere in the room. In "Eco" mode, the lamp is 20% dimmer, but to be honest you can barely see it. For daylight usage, I would recommend investing in a quality projection screen, in order to maximize the reflection of the picture: the HT410 could do with a little more lumens. (To be fair, this surely is a trade-off which allows the projector to be so quiet). One cool thing I've noticed: it's possible to project an inverted image for rear projection, which is great for when using these "transparent screens" (the projector resides behinds the screen rather than behind the audience). I've seen some good bargains on eBay so I might give it a try ! ;) Of course, the projector can be mounted on the ceiling so the image can be inverted accordingly too. By the way, neither my fiancee or I have experienced the rainbow effect due to the 2x color wheel speed. I suppose we're lucky ! :) A girl friend of mine is wearing glasses and is affected by the flashes of colors. Always make sure to try a DLP projector before you buy, and expect your friends to see things you can't ! (LCD projectors have horizontal "banding" problems, but I think it's not quite as bad as the DLP "rainbow effect") To conclude, I strongly recommend the NEC HT410 as an entry-level option (especially if you can get it as cheap as I did). This is a great multimedia projector, surely the best in that price range right now ! More demanding users will have to shell out twice as much cash in order to keep the qualities of the HT410, and afford higher resolution, better dark scenes rendering and brighter image in daylight.

Any Problems: None.

In follow up to my last review. I did replace the broken bulb replacement lid. Inspecting the broken lid I noticed that the lid's sound baffle was broken. The new lid slid onto the projector very tightly and has significantly reduced the unit's noise back to its original state. I am very happy with this projector.

I bought this projector nearly a month ago. Set up was super easy. Direct TV, dvds and xbox all look sensational. Black details could be better in dark scenes, particularly movies, however for the price of this unit and the other features, vertical lense shift, unique rear tilter, and preset settings, this unit is a great deal. Most impressive is build quality. Unfortunately, my girlfriend knocked the projector of its mounting platform, during the short time that it was not secured (I was changing a cable), and it fell about 8 feet crashing on a carpeted stairway and then slid about 6 feet on to a hard wood floor. The bulb replacement door broke. I let it cool down and then plugged it back in, it rebooted and, voila, worked. I can notice no degradation in picture quality since the fall. In a day and age when nothing is built to last, this projector survived a near catastrophic fall. The projector may be a slight bit noisier since the fall with a high pitch swirling sound however I am not sure if this was pre-existing. It is still many times quieter than a standard business projector which can sound like a jet. With television or a dvd on at a moderate volume it cannot be heard at all.

Any Problems: dark contrast could be better.

I have had the HT410 for a month now and think it is great. Use it for DVD's and PS2 and the picture is sharp! Was seriously considering the Infocus X2 and the Panasonic PT-AE700E; however got a bit of a deal on the HT410 and I am very happy it went that way as I am now sure it has a better picture. It is quiet, simple to use and has a great picture.

Any Problems: It is to easy to knock the focus out when you take off the lens cap. (Only a minor inconvenience)

I think this projector is great for the money. I just got my $200 rebate check so I definitly think its worth the money. This is my first projector so I don't have too much knowledge and I didn't get one of those AVIA DVD to tune things. After using it for 2 month, I wish the black level could be better but otherwise 0 complaints. I like the lens shift a lot since it made the installation easier.

Any Problems: none.

I moved from a PT-L300U LCD projector to this as my first DLP. Overall, very happy with it - was able to side-by-side compare with with Infocus 4805. Overall, I like the picture of the 410 better with one caveat - lot's of rainbows on the 410 so if you are sensitive - beware. Otherwise no problems, very quiet fan in all modes - lens shift helps a lot. Same as 4805 projected picture is not perfectly rectangular - some downward bowing but not a problem. Good grayscale tracking and no vertical banding like with some LCD's. SUPER value for < $1k - very happy with the purchase.

Easy set up, great picture & economic price (AUD1900) - the HT410 has been perfect for my small home theatre. I am very pleased with this purchase & rest confident that NEC will (hopefully) provide good backup if any problems should happen to occur in the future.

Any Problems: None

With the lens shift and rebate, I believe this is an unbeatable value for the money. The picture is great, even in low ambient light, although no light is always the best. Lens shift makes set up so much easier. For all the attention the HC3 got for breaking the 1000 dollar barrier I'm surprised the HT410 is not getting more press. Highly recommended

Any Problems: None so far.

easy set up, very portable, picture good without much adjustment, fan noise a non issue, seemingly good color saturation, bright enough for dark room. good for general viewing of dvd material. however, detail on distance images is poor to avarage, no way to adjust for non-anamorphic dvd disks so you end up with small image in center of screen, could not use video essentials effectively to adjust contrast, black levels poor- little dark detail in picture, no blacker then black, seems to be a resident grey so the contrast ration could be better. NEC support offered no opinion or experience other than reading the specs from the owners manual. Could not assist in choice, did not know their products. No digital input which is becomming the norm for video display.

Any Problems: Few, lens cap disturbs focus each time used, remote sensor on front of unit so remote ineffective behind unless using a brand new battery, bright light leakage out of side of lens at 45 degree angle when using zoom fuction which is most annoying when ceiling mounted. Replacement bulbs on the very expensive side to replace.

An affordable movie theater projector with a quality picture, good white balance and color accuracy and no disturbuing fan noise. Need to turn the lights out to get very best viewing.

Any Problems: No

Amazing with the performance. Noise reduction is very effective. it is quiet. value for money, it comes with lens shift and the new tilt foot.

Any Problems: it would be better if the brightness is higher