| Review Mitsubishi HC6000 projector (bron: Projectorcentral) 19-10-2007
The new HC6000 is basically an HC5000 with the following improvements:
1. Contrast is increased from 10.000:1 to 13.000:1.
2. Dynamic iris speed is improved to virtually eliminate lag time in adjusting to changing luminance from scene to scene.
3. The DVI input on the HC5000 has been replaced with a second HDMI port. The remote now has two HDMI source buttons rather than one HDMI and one DVI.
4. HDMI 1.3 compatibility has been added. (HC5000 was v. 1.2.)
5. Power zoom and focus now includes a "fine-step" option for changing zoom and focus in small increments.
6. Vertical keystone correction has been added.
7. A secondary external air filter has been added.
8. The menu display has larger fonts.
Overview
Since the HC6000 is really an HC5000 with some noteworthy improvements, we will recap the key features that these models have in common and focus here on the improvements. (For reference and background on the HC5000, see the HC5000 review.)
Lumen output: The test sample of the HC6000 measures over 900 ANSI lumens in its brightest configuration, which is the same as the HC5000. Lumen output in video optimized modes is in the 450 to 500 lumen range with the lamp on full power.
Low lamp mode: One of the key features of the HC5000 and HC6000 is its anticipated 5000 hour lamp life in low power mode, compared to 2000 hours in Normal mode. For those putting a lot of hours on their projector, this can save some real money. Keep in mind that low power mode reduces lumen output by 23%. For screen sizes up to 120" diagonal in a very dark room, low power mode allows the projector to generate a quality image with sufficient contrast. But with any ambient light in the room, or in a room with white or light colored reflective surfaces, you will get some extra pop by either reducing screen size a bit or putting the projector into Normal lamp mode.
Lens and throw distance: Both models have a 1.6x powered zoom and focus lens with powered vertical and horizontal lens shift. The projector puts out the most light when the lens is at its widest angle setting. Moving the lens from maximum wide angle to maximum telephoto reduces lumen output by about 24%, which is less of a reduction than we've seen on most other zoom lenses with 1.6x zoom range.
Installation options: The HC6000 is built for easy installation either in a ceiling mount or rear-shelf mount. However, the ideal solution (if your room can accommodate it), is a rear-shelf mount high enough to overshoot your audience, which lets you keep the lens shift setting near the neutral position. If you ceiling mount, you will need to place the vertical lens shift at the maximum end of its range which reduces lumen output by about 10%. It also tends to be a bit more cumbersome and costly to do a ceiling mount.
Onboard video processing: Both models use HQV processing, and deliver virtually flawless deinterlacing. There is no difference between the HC5000 and HC6000 in this regard. It is hard to see how it could get any better on a projector under € 10.000.
Fan noise and heat output: Both models are extremely quiet, and among the quietest of all home theater projectors on the market. In low lamp mode the audible noise rating is a virtually silent 19 dB. If you are planning to install your projector in a small room, the HC6000 is an excellent choice for two reasons. First, its extremely low fan noise makes it unnoticeable in a small room. Second, its energy efficient 160W lamp does not throw off a lot of heat compared to other projectors that can have lamps up to 300 watts or more.
Color Temperature Variance: Another question folks have been inquiring about is the degree to which a projector's color temperature varies from edge to edge across the screen. If it measures 6500K at the center, does it still remain close to 6500K at the edges? With respect to the HC6000, the answer is a resounding yes. When in Cinema mode, color temperature was found to vary within a range of just 200K at any point on the screen. Now, if you put the unit into Dynamic mode, the color temperature variance increases considerably, up to a range of about 1000K. But the purpose of the Dynamic mode is to go for a bright image at the expense of color accuracy. So the fact that there is a wider range of color temperature variance in this mode is immaterial.
HC6000 vs. HC5000: The Real Difference
When setting up the HC6000 side by side with the HC5000, the first thing that becomes obvious is that the HC6000 delivers a much more significant actual contrast improvement than you'd imagine from the marginally increased spec rating (13,000:1 over 10,000:1). This is due in part to the improved native contrast, and in part to a much more rapid dynamic iris. On the HC5000 it could take up to a second for the iris to fully adjust to a change in the average light level; on the HC6000 the iris adjusts in no more than 1/10 second. Practically speaking, the action of the dynamic iris is undetectable.
The overall effect is that black levels appear deeper, colors are better saturated, and the image looks even sharper and more three-dimensional than it did on the HC5000. You may recall that the HC5000 was found to have as sharp an image as was available in 1080p products under € 10.000 last year. So an improvement in apparent sharpness on the HC6000 is noteworthy indeed. In short, despite the fact that on paper the HC6000 appears to offer modest changes to the HC5000, the truth is that the apparent dynamic range, color saturation, and image sharpness is improved considerably more than the specs would lead you to imagine.
Note: 5-Star Rating Delayed. It is clear that the HC6000 will get a very high score in all four categories (Performance, Features, Ease of Use, and Value), as did the HC5000 last year. It will be added to our list of Highly Rated Home Theater Projectors. However, we have not yet tested several of the new 1080p models to be released in the next few weeks. So it is not possible to assess its value rating vis-a-vis the competition until we've had a chance to evaluate them. We also want to see where street prices will settle in once everything begins to ship. So this year we are going to withhold our 5-star ratings on all 1080p models until we've had a chance to see them side by side and their street prices are known.
Conclusion
Despite the modest looking improvements in the specifications, the HC6000 is clearly a better projector than the HC5000, which itself was an outstanding product. If you were looking at them side by side without knowing the specifications, you could not be faulted for guessing that the HC6000 is double the contrast of the HC5000. With the higher contrast, the apparent sharpness of the image is improved along with incrementally refined shadow detail.
In addition to the precision image quality, the HC6000's extremely quiet fan and ideal lens configuration for easy rear-shelf installation will appeal to a wide variety of consumers no matter what size viewing room they have.
The HC6000 should compete strongly in the home theater market, just as the HC5000 has done during the last twelve months. Based upon what we can see at the moment in the array of 1080p competition, it looks to be fairly priced considering the image quality and features that it delivers. |
