Samsung SP-A800b Projector review

The projector offers a pair of HDMI inputs and a PC input, among other connections.

Connectivity is fairly generous, with two HDMI and two component video inputs heading up the list. Of course, there are S-Video and composite inputs (one of each) on tap for legacy formats such as VHS and Laserdisc. There is also a 15-pin VGA style input for use with a PC. Last but not least, an RS-232 port is on tap, which will enable custom installers to program the projector's functions into a touch-panel remote system like a Crestron or AMX.

Performance
Samsung is one of the few companies with the foresight to hire a master video display consultant to help it design a product. This is now the fourth front projector that Joe Kane of Joe Kane Productions has had a hand in designing with Samsung, and each new effort surpasses the last. The overall picture quality of the SP-A800B is superior to anything at or near its price range, including the more-expensive Sony VPL-VW200 SXRD projector I reviewed back in December 2007. Gamma, primary colors, and grayscale accuracy are all also superior to the Sony.

The SP-A800B improves on previous designs in several key areas of performance. First off, the lens is far superior to anything the company has used to date. The lamp is now brighter and light falloff is dramatically better than with the previous 710. Blacks are also significantly improved over the last 720p resolution model.

Color fidelity is unmatched by any projector at or near its price range, both straight out of the box prior to professional calibration, and, of course, after fine-tuning of the primary colors and grayscale with a service level calibration. Samsung has chosen wisely to incorporate a Texas Instruments utility for primary color correction, which most manufacturers don't bother to do (probably because of additional expense in the light engine). This utility lets technicians dial in the primary colors, which in turn corrects the secondary colors, to near perfection. This feature, when combined with accurate color decoding, excellent gamma, and a flat, accurate grayscale, helps make the SP-A800B capable of delivering astonishingly accurate and engrossing pictures.

Video processing on the SP-A800B is also superb. Deinterlacing of 1080i sources is excellent, and artifacts are kept to a minimum. I began my evaluation of the SP-A800B alone without an external video processor, and was quite impressed with its performance as far as video processing is concerned. It handled film- and video-based test patterns from the Silicon Optix HQV test disc quite well. I then finished my evaluations with the DVDO VP50Pro, which is my current reference video processor.

Watching cable HDTV channels in the weeks leading up to this review, I was immediately impressed with the SP-A800B. The Yankees on the YES channel here in New York never looked better. There was great snap to the picture indicating excellent contrast ratio, and skin tones and colors in general were uncannily realistic. The projector also handles standard definition signals well. I have the HDMI output of my Time Warner cable box set to "native," which means the cable box leaves all the scaling and processing to the projector. I also love being able to select the 5500K color temperature setting for those old black and white gems on Turner Classic Movies.

Moving on to Blu-ray, I initially watched the opening scenes of Blade Runner: The Director's Cut, a black level torture test for any projector. The night shots of a futuristic Los Angeles revealed excellent shadow detail and depth on the Samsung. Blacks were quite compelling, and low-level noise was also at a minimum. A few chapters in, when Decker first meets Rachel, you can see the super fine detail in her black dress even in the dimmer parts of the scene, which is a real testament to the SP-A800B's ability to render shadow detail.

For brighter material, I turned to the excellent transfer on Blu-ray of The Departed. The opening scene on this disc in the diner can test how well 24 frames per second is implemented on a display. I must say that the sharp right to left pan inside the diner when the young girl comes down the counter to meet Jack Nicholson looked smoother and more filmlike on the SP-A800B than on any other display I have seen recently. This disc also showed off the SP-A800B's 1080p resolution unmarred because of its competent scaling, and preserved by an excellent lens, both of which are common problems that rob a significant amount of resolution from many of the competing projectors I've seen in this price range.