InFocus X1 - An Amazing Projector at an Amazing Price
Written: Jul 17 '03 (Updated Dec 05 '04)
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Pros: Price, price and price! Lightweight, easy to use.
Cons: Rainbow or screen door effects might be a problem for some.
The Bottom Line: An unbelievable price. An amazing and huge picture. Buy from a reputable dealer in case you want to return it for any reason.
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| mrs-j's Full Review: InFocus X1 Multimedia Projector |
8/4 Note: I originally wrote this review on July 17th, 2003. It is now August 4th, 2003 and since my original review I have watched more than a dozen movies on our InFocus X1 projector. I began to notice the "Rainbow Effect" so many discussed while watching the latest "Star Trek: Nemesis". I ended up being bothered by the "rainbow effect". Please read my Addendum at the bottom to see how I countered the "rainbow effect" of this projector.
8/24 Note: I have added a section at the very bottom linking to my review of our Stewart FireHawk screen that we purchased to use with this projector.
Introduction
My husband and I have recently expanded our house. As part of that expansion, we also built out a home theater in our basement. When we planned the home theater, we discussed what kind of television we wanted to purchase to watch movies and DVDs.
We considered three main options:
1. Plasma television
2. Rear projection television
3. Front projection via a projector and movie screen
We discounted option 3 as being far too expensive right at the beginning, so we set about considering the other two options.
The picture on plasma televisions was nice, but I had heard that they had a limited lifespan, and once I saw a very large plasma television mounted on the wall of a home theater in a model home we were visiting, I was really turned off by it. The low-profile plasma TV just looked too small in the middle of a giant bare wall.
Then we considered rear projection televisions. All I could think of was how difficult it would be to get a rear projection television down the winding steps of our basement. Add to that the fact that I’ve never liked the “sweet spot” phenomenon with rear projection televisions – you have to be sitting directly in front of the TV within a certain viewing angle to get a good picture. Sure, it’s gotten better over the past ten years, but it is still annoying. And to top it off, rear projection televisions are still very expensive. I didn’t want to pay that much for a television that I wouldn’t really be wowed by.
Faced with a room that is capable of zero light leakage from outside sources (it is in a subterranean basement after all) we started to really consider the front projection model. When I discovered the InFocus X1 projector, and read about its sub-$1000 price tag, I became very excited about the idea of doing front projection in our theater. I had originally discounted front projection completely because I thought the projector alone would cost us between three and five thousand dollars. When I learned that I could buy both a projector and high-end screen for under $3,000 I was sold on the idea.
Purchasing the InFocus X1
After much research we decided to purchase the InFocus X1 projector. I then researched places to buy it and found that no mainstream stores (i.e. Myer Emco, Tweeter, The Big Screen Store) carried the projectors. I could have purchased it from one of the many online projector dealers, but after calling InFocus sales directly and speaking with them, I was convinced that we should purchase from InFocus directly.
InFocus has their 800 number for sales and support directly on their website (http://www.infocus.com). This is a great confidence builder in the online world, where many vendors make it difficult, or pricey, to contact them. I called InFocus and was immediately put through to a sales representative who processed my order. He assured me that if I didn’t like the projector quality or had any problems with it after we received it, that I could return it within 30 days for a full refund.
InFocus’ refund policy was very important to me, as I had not yet had a chance to view the projector quality directly. I had only read reviews of the projector. Almost all of them were good, though a few mentioned a rainbow effect when watching movies. This is an issue that’s inherent in the technology, so this is probably a good time to delve into that aspect of this projector.
The Technology
The InFocus X1 is a DLP projector. DLP stands for Digital Light Processing and is a technology developed by Texas Instruments. There are three main types of projectors available for home use:
1. CRT Projectors – These are the behemoth projectors that high-end home theaters almost always sport. They can weigh several hundred pounds and use cathode-ray tubes to produce the light spectrums of red, green and blue. CRT projectors cost tens of thousands of dollars and they are without a doubt the best quality projector for a home theater, provided that you have the desire to install a couple of hundred pounds over your head, and the money to spend on them. The maintenance costs and calibration requirements for CRT projectors can also be prohibitively expensive.
2. LCD Projectors – These are the kinds of projectors that you are used to seeing in offices doing PowerPoint presentations. They are lightweight, relatively inexpensive (you can purchase one for a few thousand dollars) and they have a high light output, which is great for office presentations. LCD Projectors have obvious pixelation however, which contributes to what is known as a “screen door effect” that can be distracting, particularly if you’re up close to the projector. Another problem with LCD projectors is that you don’t get true, inky blacks with them.
3. DLP Projectors – DLP Technology was invented in 1987 and actually uses red, green and blue light bouncing off spinning mirrors. The reflected light is then redirected through the lens to create the image. DLP projectors have darker, more true blacks than LCD projectors. However, low-end DLP projectors with fewer mirrors (such as the X1) can suffer from what is known as a “rainbow effect”. During fast moving scenes, with plenty of contrast, viewers might see rainbows at the edges of some outlines. Not everyone seems to be sensitive to this, and some people can’t even see it. Because DLP projectors are also projecting pixels, you may notice a screen door effect with these as well, although it’s usually not as pronounced as with an LCD projector.
We chose the InFocus X1 with the knowledge that we might find the rainbow effect distracting, which is why it was important to buy the projector from a place where we could return it if it proved to be a problem. I have also read that a polarizing filter can be put on the lens (and the light of the projector turned up) in order to remove the effect. So I kept that in mind when I ordered the projector, as a possible solution to the problem.
The InFocus X1 has the following specs:
- Aspect Ratio: 4:3 standard; 16:9 wide
4:3 is the standard ratio for television. 16:9 is what most widescreen movies are filmed in.
- Brightness: 1100 max ANSI Lumens
This is the max brightness rating for presentation mode – i.e. computer use. The X1 drops down by about half in film mode, which is preferable when you want to see inky blacks and shadows during your movies.
- Contrast Ratio: 2000:1 full on/full off
The fantastic contrast ratio of this projector means that differences between the light and dark details on the screen really stand out.
- Native Resolution: SVGA (800x600)
Resolution size here is just as it would be for your computer monitor. Televisions operate at a much lower resolution than your computer screen.
- Display: DLP™ by Texas Instruments: 0.55” SVGA DDR DMD
- Image Size (diagonal): 2.7’ (0.8m) to greater than 21.6’ (6.5m)
- Light Source: 150W SHP rated for 3000 hours
- Video Compatibility: NTSC, PAL, SECAM, EDTV, HDTV (1080i and 720p RBGHV)
- Projector Size: 9.8” W x 12.5” L x 4.2” H
- Projector Weight: 6.8 lbs
The New Arrival!
We tracked our InFocus X1 on its journey across the United States eagerly. We ordered it as soon as our home theater walls were finished with a builder’s white coat of paint because we wanted to test drive the X1 before we painted the walls and spent another chunk of money on a 100” diagonal screen.
Finally the UPS guy showed up on our doorstep and handed over the X1 to my husband who called me. I had to convince him to hold off until I got home before he opened up the package and set up the projector. So, he did.
Our X1 was well-packed in its factory box. The following comes standard with the X1:
- InFocus X1 with lens cap
- Soft carrying case
- Wireless Remote Control
- Standard VESA 15-pin analog computer cable
- 3.5mm computer audio cable
- RCA video cable
- Power cord
- User manual and Quick Start Card
First Impressions
Setting up and Using the Projector
We had the projector out of the box and set up, ready to use in under ten minutes. The Quick Start guide was very helpful. We didn’t even need the more in-depth user manual, although it’s brief and readable and I plan on spending some quality time with it in order to tweak our X1 to perfection.
The on-screen menus are easy to navigate and are highly intuitive. We didn’t even require the manual to play around with various options. I had read that a lot of tweaking to the factory settings was required in order to produce a good picture in film mode, but found that wasn’t actually necessary. We jacked up the brightness to about 60 and the contrast to about 60 as well and were perfectly happy with it.
The remote that comes with the projector is easy to use, comfortable and nicely lit. Manual focusing of the projector was simple (we have not yet mounted it to the ceiling) and the digital keystone correction worked very well. Within a few minutes we had projected a 100” diagonal picture and were ready to settle back in our chairs for some proper movie viewing.
Picture Quality (aka: Ooooooh…. Aaaaaaaaaaaah… -insert choral heavenly music here-)
You should know two things about us and this projector before I give you my impressions of the picture quality:
1. We are not videophiles. This is our first home theater and we have done extensive research to build it. We don’t have much to compare it to, except our 36” Sony Trinitron upstairs.
2. We are currently projecting a 100” diagonal picture onto our wall, which has a “builders white” coat of paint on it. There is no gain, or reflective enhancement on this wall. Now that we’ve purchased the projector, we will be buying a high quality mounted screen, which should improve the picture tremendously. When the screen comes in, I will update this review with any changes to my opinions.
That disclaimer out of the way:
WOW!!!!!!!!
There are not enough superlatives to describe the quality of picture that you get with this projector, for under $1000. Suffice it to say, the first few hours that I watched movies and television with it, I just sat there and giggled, I was so pleased.
Is it perfect, or as high quality as a $18,000 CRT projector? No, it’s not. Did I care? No, I was too busy giggling with joy!
Most importantly, my husband and I could be heard repeatedly saying, “Do you see any rainbows?” “No, I don’t. I don’t understand what that’s all about. I can’t see anything like a rainbow effect here.” So apparently, we are either immune to the famed rainbow effect or we just don’t know enough about high quality video output to even notice it.
We have watched all or portions of the following movies and television shows with this projector:
- Sex and the City on HBO (via DirecTV)
- Moulin Rouge on HBO (via DirecTV)
- Titanic (DVD)
- Apollo 13 (DVD)
- Nightmare Before Christmas (DVD)
- Star Wars: Attack of the Clones on HBO (via DirecTV)
- CBS and NBC programming (via DirecTV)
I noticed a little bit of pixelation on the CBS and NBC programs, but nothing that was distracting to me. Moulin Rouge was terrific! Skin tones were clear and warm, but I did notice that in some of the scenes where they bathed the characters totally in blue or green light that you could see a bit of screen door effect, presumably because of the single color being projected.
Nightmare Before Christmas had to be my favorite movie to watch using the X1. The images were black and dark and shadowy, yet the details were still there! About five minutes into watching the movie I realized then and there that we will be having a Halloween viewing party in our new home theater!
Overall, the picture quality was fantastic. I had been a little nervous about the quality of television programming we’d get in a 100” 4:3 area, but my fears were unfounded. My husband is calling up to order the screen today, now that we know how great the overall picture looks. We haven’t noticed any rainbow effects, and though we did notice a small amount of pixelation and screen door effect in the heavy blue and green saturated scenes, we both agreed that there is no way we are sending this projector back to InFocus. Ever!
Fan Noise
I had also read criticisms about the InFocus X1’s fan and noise emanating from it. We had the projector about two feet behind us (and when we mount it, we’ll be mounting it two feet behind us and several feet over our heads from the ceiling) and we didn’t notice the fan noise at all.
Warranty, Support and Other Deals from InFocus
Warranties
The InFocus X1 comes with a two year standard warranty. Currently, you can register online to add a free 3 year extended service plan (which ordinarily costs $159).
The lamp warranty is for 90 days or 500 hours, whichever comes first.
Support
Technical support is available during normal business hours and is free for customers for the life of the product. Information on technical support, including contact phone numbers, e-mail addresses, and the locations of service centers near you, is all available by clicking on the Service & Support tab on the InFocus website at www.infocus.com.
Other Deals
InFocus is also advertising a Terk Leapfrog Wireless unit for half price for those who buy the InFocus X1. They say that the deal is only good until July 31, 2003, but if you click on the link it takes you direct to the website of the company offering this product for half-price. On that website, they say the deal doesn’t expire until October 31, 2003 and apparently there’s no actual purchase required to take advantage of it.
Other Websites of Interest
I used many of the following websites to research the InFocus X1 projector extensively before I purchased it. You may find some of them useful if you’re interested in purchasing a projector as well.
- http://www.infocus.com – The InFocus web site
- http://www.projectorcentral.com – A fantastic resource for projector reviews and information
- http://www.avguide.com – A guide to all things Audio/Visual, including home projectors
Summary
For the money, this projector is fantastic. I can’t say enough good things about it. It’s less expensive than a rear-projection television, or a plasma television. At under seven pounds it’s certainly more portable than the alternatives, and the picture size and quality are unbelievable. I feel like somehow I’m in on a secret that no one else knows about yet – A projected home theater is actually the cheapest alternative now! Unbelievable!
Addendum (Added August 4, 2003)
While watching Star Trek: Nemesis I started to witness the famed "rainbow effect" so many others have complained about. Basically, when looking at very white portions of the screen (lights or other white objects being filmed) I noticed spectrums when darting my eyes across the screen to focus on another object.
Unfortunately, once you notice the rainbow effect, it's hard to make it go away, or to stop noticing it.
I had read that buying a 62 mm polarizing circular filter helped eliminate the rainbow filter. I called up a local Wolf Camera and they had one available that I could purchase for $35. Since I had spent a grand on this projector, I figured a $35 investment was worth not having to send it back and spend $3,000 on a higher end projector.
I bought the filter and brought it home. The filter does get rid of almost all the rainbows. You really have to WORK to see a hint of a rianbow anywhere. The only downside is that it darkens and muddies the picture considerably. We tweaked the heck out of the brightness, color, contrast and tint to reduce the effects of the polarizer and now we are very happy with the picture overall. There are no rainbows to speak of.
If you notice a rainbow effect, make buying a circular polarizing filter your first step for dealing with it. Yes, you will have to tweak the output of the projector to compensate, but the picture looks excellent once that's done properly!
We still love this projector! In fact, we're going to watch Training Day on it tonight!
Addendum (Added August 24, 2003)
We opted to purchase a Stewart FireHawk screen to use with this projector. It cost about $500 more than the projector itself, but Stewart's FireHawk material is optimized for DLP projectors. It really helps compensate for any DLP artifacts or shortcomings. The picture from the X1 on this screen is fantastic! You can read my review of the Stewart FireHawk here:
http://www.epinions.com/content_109945982596
Recommended:
Yes
Purchase Price (if leased, monthly payment): 999
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Epinions.com ID:
mrs-j
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Reviews written: 319
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"Man was made for something better than disturbing dirt." - Oscar Wilde
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