InFocus Play Big IN76 review
| Design |
| First of all we would like to thank InFocus Corporation for producing such a gorgeous piece of technology. The Play Big IN76 is a stunning DLP projector that will make all your friends jealous when they see it. Unlike most of the projectors on the market, the IN76 is not just a grey box, oh no. It comes in a curvaceous and sexy shining black housing that looks great anywhere you put it. The IN76 comes on a swivel base (like the IN72 and IN74EX) the that makes positioning and adjusting the unit much less hassle than the usual screw in/out feet featured on the majority of projectors. If you prefer installing the projector in the ceiling, you can remove the base and use the optional ceiling mount available (not included with the unit). The black and silver remote that comes with the Play Big IN76 is also very well designed, with direct access buttons for most of the functions and, thanks to a light button, fully backlit, so you won’t have any problems changing the settings while watching movies. The Play Big IN76 is a fully portable DLP projector, measuring 11.9 (h) x 36.1 (w) x 36.1 (d) cm and weighting 4.2 Kg, which allows you to take it with you where ever you go. |
| Features |
| Without a doubt, the main feature of the InFocus IN76 is its resolution. It has a native resolution of 1280x720 pixels, driven by a Texas Instrument chip called Dark Chip 2 DMD, which helps producing deeper darks. This chip is an inexpensive hybrid chip that is compatible with both high definition video display and computer desktop display. The IN76 uses a six-segment colour wheel and has contrast ratio of 3000:1, an aspect ratio of 16:9 (widescreen) and a Max brightness of 1000 ANSI Lumens. The lamp that comes with the IN76 has a life of 3000 hours, which is the norm on mid-range HD Multimedia Projectors. Another important feature of this powerful projector is the presence of a true HDMI connector, so you will be able to connect it to your HDMI equipped DVD player, satellite receiver or cable box without having to use an adaptor. It also has a M1DA connector, which is totally adaptable to and compatible with HDMI and DVI. This means that in effect, you get two HDMI/DVI inputs. The M1DA port also allows user firmware updates that registered owners can download from InFocus web site. In addition to the HDMI and M1DA inputs the IN76 has component, s-video, and composite video connectors, making it compatible with just about any video source. It also has a serial control port. The IN76 projects a huge 100" diagonal 16:9 image from a throw distance of 11 to 14 feet, big enough to provide you with a cinema-like viewing experience. The IN76’s configuration options are also very good. You can choose to manual adjust all the settings or you can leave it on the hands of the Auto-Image option, which makes adjustments to all settings based on the source material. Like on the majority of projectors, basic adjustments like brightness, contrast and colour are easily modified, and the IN76 includes some advanced options that will allow you to configure sharpness, colour space and colour temperature. |
| Performance |
| We have no complaints regarding the performance of the InFocus Play Big IN76. The picture produced by this stylish projector is brighter than average, despite its 1000 ANSI lumen rating. HD material looks great, with plenty of detail in the images and nice colour saturation. Contrast is excellent and the black levels are some of the best we have seen from an InFocus projector. InFocus HD Projectors are famous for being properly color calibrated right out of the box, and the IN76 is no exception. It comes pre-calibrated to D65, which is the ideal colour temperature for video. If you are the type of person that doesn’t like playing around with the setting, you can buy the IN76 with confidence that it won’t need a lot of tuning. DVD clips looked also very good, with the same richness of color and contrast we noticed on the HD material. Menus are easy to use and it won’t take you long to get used to them. A very important factor to consider when buying a projector is the noise levels produced by the internal fan, and we are pleased to say that for the IN76 this is not an issue. You will not notice the fan noise unless you are in very close proximity to the projector. |
| Overall Opinion |
| The sexy looking InFocus Play Big IN76 Multimedia Projector seems to have exactly the right features at exactly the right price point. It makes the perfect choice for someone who wants DLP technology and an excellent true 720p HD image without breaking the bank. This is a solid product capable of producing great quality images. |
By Nacho Galvez |
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Pros + HDMI and DVI inputs + Affordable price + Stylish |
Cons |
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Overall Rating 
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By Nacho Galvez
7/12/2006 at 7:07:29pm
7/12/2006 at 7:07:29pm
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