Get the Picture?
Good news! High Definition projectors have gotten better, cheaper and easier to setup. The very attractive Mitsubishi Black Diamond HC7000 HD 1080p projector is one of the newest arrivals to the low- to mid- priced 1080p projection category and it sports some notable features and top notch performance.
Out of the Box
The HC7000 uses the next-generation inorganic LCD Panels from Epson, also known as the D7 3LCD chipset with C2Fine ("Crystal Clear Fine") technology. These latest 3LCD panels feature an extra polarization filter for light focusing and enhanced contrast over their predecessors.
The projector itself features 1,000 lumens of brightness, which is lower than many of its competitors, but more than ample for the subdued lighting of a traditional home theater. Its dynamic contrast is rated at a 72,000:1 (auto-iris enabled), which blows away the specs of previous generation LCD projectors. On-board video processing comes courtesy of the Reon-VX HQV (Hollywood Quality Video) chip set from Silicon Optix. This processor oversees 480i to 480p and 1080i to 1080p de-interlacing, resolution scaling of all sources to 1080p, color restoration (to retrieve color details lost in the compression process), as well as multidirectional diagonal filtering to smooth jagged edges, and prevent stair-stepping distortion.
There are a whopping 2,073,600 total pixels (actually three times that, since each primary color, red, green and blue gets its own pixel) for a native panel resolution of 1920x1080 pixels (1080p). Additionally, the HC7000 is Anamorphic Lens compatible to support fixed height, multi-aspect screen installations, without the need for an expensive motorized lens track. By positioning the anamorphic lens permanently in front of the projector, lens users can select anamorphic mode 1 or mode 2 for either the 2.35:1 or 16:9 aspect ratio to correspond with the native aspect ratio of the subject matter.
Measuring 16.8” wide, 17.34” deep with a height of 6.7”, the HC7000 is a little bigger than the Epson 1080 UB we had in the BPBS labs previously, but still easy enough to mount out of the way without drawing too much attention to itself. For inputs, the projector features PC (VGA/DB15), S-Video, composite and component inputs as well as two HDMI 1.3 inputs, but no HDMI outputs.
As a brief aside, I should mention that I've never seen a projector with an HDMI output, even though I think it would be a useful feature. For those who mount all of their source components near the projector, an HDMI pass-through output on the projector would allow us to pass the HDMI audio signal through from the projector to a home theater receiver or processor. When I have asked various projection line product managers why projectors lack this feature, I have never received a satisfactory answer, except the speculation that it might be a cost issue. What this means to the user is that you'll either have to route all your sources through a receiver or processor first (and hope that the receiver doesn't interfere with the HDMI video signal), or you'll have to use a non-HDMI audio format such as fiberoptic, coax digital or multi-channel analog, each of which may sacrifice some quality compared to HDMI. But this limitation is not limited to the Mitsubishi. It's par for the course for even the most expensive front projector.
The Set-Up
Installing the Mitsubishi HC7000 projector was a simple affair. We placed the projector on a high shelf at the back of the room, but, with its wide range of vertical lens shift and zoom capabilities, certainly one could also put it on a table or use a ceiling mount. Once on the shelf we pointed it toward the screen (all electric, drop-down, 84 inch Cinetension by EliteScreens) with a throw distance of about 14 feet.
We plugged the 7000 in and inserted the HDMI 1.3 cable feed from our HDMI switcher which in turn had the cable box (Tivo Series 3 with 2 cable cards), Oppo DV-983H DVD player and Vudu internet download movie box plugged into it. Then we ran another HDMI 1.3 cable directly from the Blu-ray player (Samsung BD-P1500) to the projector's second HDMI input.
The Sound of Silence
First thing we noticed was how quiet the projector was. Mitsubishi uses a smaller, re-engineered fan with larger air vent that keeps the fan noise at a remarkably quiet 17dBA (in low mode). This is the quietest projector we've tested in this price range making it perfect for table top, or rear shelf installations. You can have it just a few inches from your ears and you'll be hard-pressed to hear its fan. To center the picture on the screen we hit the lens shift on the remote and after a few adjustments the picture was centered without having to resort to any image-degrading electronic keystone controls. Then we corrected the zoom to fill out the screen. Lastly, we used focus and within a total of 4 minutes we had a perfectly focused picture that exactly centered on the 16:9, 84-inch screen. Gotta love that motorized lens!
Of course, we want to remind you that it is always best to have any projector more or less directly in front of the screen. This puts the image path right in the sweet spot of the lens and optical system. But if that isn't doable because of your room's shape, then the motorized lens shift will allow you to optically shift the image 75% up/down and 5% left/right. 5% horizontal lens shift isn't much compared to Panasonic and Epson 3LCD projectors, but it is enough to make minor corrections if your projector is slightly off-center. You can project a 100-inch diagonal 16:9 image from as close as 10 feet (at maximum zoom) and as far as 16.5 feet (at minimum zoom).
Now Let's Test this Sucker
For calibration we used an ISF (Imaging Science Foundation) disc to set-up the projector's brightness, contrast and color levels. We should say that out of the box it was very close to being right on but a few tweaks made it even better.
Using a Silicon Optix HQV benchmark DVD and Blu-ray Disc, we tested the HC7000's video performance. In standard definition; first up was ColorBar/Vertical Detail and it was very solid showing all detail. In the Jaggies pattern 1 test we gave it a grade of 95% perfect and in pattern 2 it came in at about 85%. The flag test for jagged edges and the picture detail both were excellent 95%. In noise reduction it got an 80%, but in motion adaptive noise reduction it scored 90%. The 3:2 detection was sharp with no pattern. A test of assorted odd cadences presented no particular challenge for the HC7000 and the mixed 3:2 film sourced material with added video titles was also perfect with no combing or tearing of the text.
For the high definition test the projector scored near perfect on Video resolution loss test, Jaggies and film resolution loss tests, showing that the projector can indeed de-interlace 1080i content to 1080p both from film and video source material. In the HD noise reduction it did very well, but not perfectly. All-in-all the projector did very well to excellent on our test segments, not surprisingly since the projector includes Silicon Optix Reon-VX HQV processing on board.
And How About in the Real World?
We loaded a standard DVD into the Oppo DVD (connected at 480i) and the up-converted picture was perfectly acceptable. The HQV processor uses advanced scaling, per-pixel detail enhancement and noise reduction technology that minimizes the noise and artifacts caused by compression, while also scaling resolution up to the projector's native 1920x1080 resolution. The result was very good using the Iron Man DVD. Yes, we agree it's not HD, but the picture quality was very watchable. Black levels were excellent, no screen door effect was evident and colors were vibrant and very natural.
Next we loaded Sex in the City on Blu-ray Disc into the Samsung Blu-ray player (set to 1080i output). Switched the projector to HDMI 2 and off we went. Again very impressive, no jagged lines, smooth transitions, brilliant color and great black level. Motion was smooth and the detail was sharp.
Then we watched the Jets beat the Patriots (can never get enough of that). The HD cable feed through the Tivo Series 3 was excellent. The colors and details were produced accurately and detail was stunning from this 1080i feed. I noticed no motion artifacts inherent to the projector, and details were smooth (in a good way), even in close-ups.
The last source up was the Vudu internet movie box where we watched the Rolling Stones "Shine a Light" in Hi-def and its quality was easily on par with the Blu-ray player and HD cable feeds. Then in standard def on the Vudu we watched Run Fat Boy Run. The picture quality was again, very good, for this standard definition feed (though in this case it was upconverted by the Vudu box to HD).
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Final Thoughts
The Mitsubishi HC 7000 projector is definitely a player. Excellent blacks, contrast, realistic colors and outstanding detail. HDTV, Blu-ray and up-converted movies were especially well reproduced here. The standard definition television, DVDs and Vudu also were very acceptable, but that's not where we spend our time. The projector itself is very attractive and the fact that the motorized lens can be operated by the remote control is very convenient and way cool. It holds the settings, so once it was set we were done. The bulb life is estimated at 5000 hours in low mode which translates into nice saving as bulbs usually run around $350 and usually have to be replaced in half that time. The fact that it runs so quietly is also a major plus. While the remote isn't as cool as Epson's 1080 UB the HC7000 overall picture is better, but then it should be, it retails for a $1000 more. The HC 7000 is one our top picks. This one's a keeper.
Specifications from the Manufacturer (HC 7000):
Video input format support: NTSC, NTSC4.43, PAL (including PAL-M and N), SECAM, PAL-60, 480i/p, 576i/p, 1080i 60/50, 1080p 60/50/24, 720p 60/50
Manufacturer's Contact Information:
Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America
9351 Jeronimo Road,
Irvine, CA, 92618
ph: 888-307-0312
On the Web: www.mitsubishi-hometheater.com
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