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InFocus has slashed the price of its entry-level full-HD AV projector by using a less expensive DLP chip. How does that translate into performance?
With a price down well below $4000, you might assume the X10 is US brand InFocus’ entry-level projector. In fact the company has three lower resolution models available, but this is the entry-level full-HD model. You have to be impressed by a projector at this price that uses DLP technology to deliver an excellent picture.
EQUIPMENT
In almost every way this projector is — at least so InFocus says — identical to the rather more expensive IN82 model. The “IN82 uses Dark Chip3 technology while the X10 uses Dark Chip1 technology. This is the only functional difference between the projectors.”
That explanation comes from a slip included with the projector, necessary because the projector comes with the instruction manual for the IN82. And certainly the manual worked fine for explaining how to use the projector (InFocus doesn’t usually include a specification page in its manuals).
The main implications of the change — substituting a lower-cost DarkChip1 for the IN82’s DarkChip3 — is that the X10 has a slightly lower contrast ratio than the IN82 and a touch greater brightness. Oh, and a significantly lower impact on your savings, being more than two thousand dollars lower at the cash register.
The unit is packaged with an attachable swivel stand, which I ignored. Instead I attached it to my trusty Screen Technics projector bracket. The unit’s centre of mass was close to the centre of the screw mounts so it was easy to balance the unit on the bracket’s clamping ball joint. One nifty feature included on this — along with several other InFocus projectors — that I have never seen in any other brand is that the picture automatically orients itself for ceiling mounting. It flips the picture around without you having to search through a series of upsidedown menus to make it do so. However, do note that looking from the front, with the projector the ‘right’ way up, the lens is at the extreme left of the case. Since there is no optical lens shift feature, either horizontally or vertically, you will have to pay attention to this when placing the projector
In fact, you will need to spend a bit of time calculating things quite carefully. In these days where some budget projectors offer 2:1 or even more for a zoom ratio, InFocus offers 1.2:1. So you’ll need to get not only left-right and up-down exact, you will have to get foreaft close. For a 100-inch (2.54 metre) diagonal image, you will need to place the projector at a range of between 4.095 and 4.914 metres. The projector has useful system integration features with two 12V trigger outputs, an IR input and RS-232C control. The usual range of inputs are provided on the rear. Clip-in panels are provided to hide this area and the focus/zoom controls at the side.
There are no controls whatsoever on the projector’s body; you must use the remote control. The two remote control receiver panels on the projector are on the sides near the front. In my room they would not pick up remote control signals bounced from my projection screen, which meant pointing the remote up and back a little.
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