InFocus Play Big IN76 review

The InFocus IN76 is a credible performer compared to its entry-level 1,280x720-resolution DLP front-projection competition. The all-glass lens is better than we expected. It has some chromatic aberrations that result in minor fringing around white lines, and it's a tad soft, but when you consider the price point, these minor issues are excusable. Chromatic aberrations are a reality in all projector lenses, and the softness was not severe enough to make it a major problem.

We would have preferred more accurate color, however, especially in the primaries (see the geek box). Color decoding was quite good, which also gives the IN76 excellent color saturation when set up properly. Grayscale in the 6,500K setting, unfortunately, was extremely minus blue, which tinged darker areas a bit too reddish. Calibration fixed this problem and improved color accuracy, especially the look of skin tones.

Black-level performance was on a par with that of other DLP projectors we've tested that use the Dark Chip 2 DMD chip. The IN76's depth of black was certainly convincing but not quite as strong as more-expensive projectors with the Dark Chip 3 chip. Video processing was clean, with solid 2:3 pull-down detection and no visible false-contouring artifacts.

During the opening scenes of the Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back DVD, space and other dark material were rendered convincingly with few visible artifacts, and we saw plenty of details in the shadows. During chapter 10, however, we noticed some softness in the face of Han Solo when he tells the base commander he has to leave. Faces were a little pastel or claylike in appearance, which is a sign of lack of detail. Conversely, at the beginning of chapter 3 of the excellent DVD The Thin Red Line, with the Navy ship cutting through the water, detail was adequate.

HD from our Time Warner HD cable feed looked mostly excellent with rich color saturation and plenty of detail. Skin tones were rendered quite naturally. Bright material popped on Discovery HD, HDNet, and INHD and INHD 2. Some dark concert footage on both INHD and HDNet had some low-level noise or dithering, which appeared as subtle dark snow or moving motes in darker areas and was visible from the seating position, but it wasn't overly objectionable.