Infocus X10 projector
Very high standard entry-level home cinema rig
Review Full HD is what we all want, but until the release of the X10 from InFocus, a projector capable of displaying a full 1080p image would have cost you the proverbial arm and a leg.
With the X10, the full resolution of your Blu-ray Discs is available below the psychologically significant £1000 mark - that's exc. VAT, sorry - making big-screen full-HD home cinema an affordable possibility.
Infocus' X10: matte black - technically, the correct colour
Unlike many previous home cinema projectors from InFocus, which have used a striking glossy piano-black finish, the X10 has an entirely matte surface. It’s not as eye-catching, but it is of course the screen which should be catching our eye, not the projector. And, if you’re going to be really fussy about it, matte black is technically the “correct” colour not only for the projector but everything else in the room, including the walls and furniture, if you want to avoid reflections or colour casts on your projected image.
Its rather smooth, minimal looks are made possible partly by the use of flush-fitting panels which are used to conceal the lens adjustments at the side and the input connectors at the rear. Unfortunately, these panels aren’t permanently attached and would therefore be quite easy to lose as they can be fiddly to fit – especially if you have the projector mounted on the ceiling.
The usual InFocus tilt and swivel stand allows you to place the projector easily on a table top. All the usual mounting orientations are supported, but the lack of threaded adjustable feet makes accurate adjustment considerably trickier than it is many of the machine's rivals. So, if your coffee table isn’t quite level, you'll have to resort to wedges under the legs rather than adjusting the projector to compensate.
COMMENTS
Re: Have you ever heard of the Optoma HD800X?!
Agreed - i'd emailed similar comments to this to the author this morning, no reply or change in article. Seems very strange that even casual research would not bring this up, and makes me wonder if this is based on a recycled press release..
@Peter Kay
Good to see another CRT owner on here. I got a Barco Graphics 808s for $400 last year - utterly black blacks, fantastic shadow detail, and gorgeous colors with some modded color-filtered lenses. And it'll keep on truckin' for another six or seven thousand hours or so, I'd guess - dirt cheap to buy, dirt cheap to run, and will handle pretty much the same resolutions as anything. Love it, love it, love it.
Then again, it's taken me 18+ months to learn how to set it up and I'm still not done. :)
@Luna
It looks like both the X10 and the HD70 have a 4x colour wheel, so the rainbow effect is reduced. I remain a little sceptical though despite the fact it's been some time since I've watched a 1 chip DLP and the colour wheel I saw was undoubtedly much slower. The statement is always that certain people see 'the occasional rainbow' - a few years back I was shown a demo of the batplane sequence in Batman (Tim Burton version) and it wasn't 'occasionally' - it was a rainbow every couple of seconds.
Have you ever heard of the Optoma HD800X?!
"Full HD is what we all want, but until the release of the X10 from InFocus, a projector capable of displaying a full 1080p image would have cost you the proverbial arm and a leg."
The first sentence gives away this badly researched review already, the Optoma HD800X 1080p DLP projector has been available for the best part of a year even in the UK, for just above 900 quid and with a 6 speed colour wheel which all but eliminates rainbow effect and has gotten very good reviews all over the net.
But if you search for Optoma or HD800X on TheReg you get no results...
@Peter Kay
When I decided I wanted to go the PJ route poor color reproduction, DLP rainbow or LCD screen-door effects were among my biggest worries. I couldn't (and still can't) afford a top of the line unit so it was either bottom of the crop or a ~36" LCD. I finally pulled the plug and got a 720p HD70 for a whopping $920 and ya know what, I couldn't be happier. Well I suppose I could actually as I'm sure a $5k PJ would have been even more awesome, with many more features. Would-have could-have should-have - fact is I don't have that big a coin to drop.
Ever since I got it set up my house is fairly often used for movie-nights and none of my friends or family ever complain. Of anything. I don't see any rainbows and no one else ever did, the colors may not be 100% true, but what is true anyway?
I would agree with you to the extent that HQ = money and if you were watching the likes of the X10 and some high priced, high quality unit side by side it would likely be a no-brainer verdict, but in the absence of that, the only question is do you like what you (can) have - I do. I certainly prefer it to a 50" plasma which is not only twice as expensive but in my case less than half picture size. So when my bulb finally gives up the ghost I may well go for the 1080p X10.
