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ScreenPlay 4805 Ultra-Portable Home Theater Projector

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Average user rating:
4.0
stars out of 28 reviews
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Product summary

We preview the InFocus 4805 compact home-theater projector.

Specifications: Projector type: DLP projector ; Resolution: 854 x 480 ; Image brightness: 750 ANSI lumens ; See full specs

See all products in the InFocus ScreenPlay series

CNET editors' take

Reviewed by:
David Katzmaier
Reviewed on: 09/21/2005
Released on: 05/01/2004

InFocus's 4805, part of the ScreenPlay line, is the company's least expensive DLP-based home-theater projector for 2004/2005. Like others of its kind, it can be paired with a screen or even a patch of wall to produce a picture up to 200 inches diagonal. It replaces the InFocus 4800, which we reviewed in 2003.

Upside: Available for less than $1,000, the 4805 offers the advantages of DLP over LCD, including deeper blacks and less-visible pixel structure (more info). It includes two high-def-compatible inputs, component video, and DVI, so it can handle just about any input source.

Downside: Like other projectors in its price class, the InFocus 4805's native resolution of 852x480 is not high enough to display all of the detail of HDTV sources, although it will fully resolve DVD. Also, as with all DLP-based displays, some users may notice the rainbow effect.

Outlook: InFocus is offering a rebate on the 4805 as of September 2005, making the retail price of the unit officially $999. That alone will make this popular projector sell even better. The company hasn't yet announced a replacement for this projector, but it probably will do so at CES 2006 in January. Check out CNET's list of top home-theater projectors.

See more CNET content tagged:: InFocus,; projector,; DLP

User reviews

Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 28 reviews
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Showing 3 of 28 user reviewsSee all 28 user reviews
5.0 stars

11 out of 11 people found this review helpful

"The best solution to all your desires of a big screen tv without the big cost"

by timny70 on June 11, 2005

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4.5 stars

9 out of 9 people found this review helpful

"Super Image Quality"

by proels1 on March 14, 2005

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5.0 stars

6 out of 6 people found this review helpful

"One awesome player !"

on January 18, 2005

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ScreenPlay 4805 Ultra-Portable Home Theater Projector

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Reviews from around the WebPowered by alaTest

alaTest.com

Editors' rating: 87

Summary: alaTest has collected and analyzed 252 reviews of InFocus Screenplay 4805 from international magazines and websites. Experts rate this product 80/100 and users 88/100. Comparing these reviews to 15951 other Projectors reviews gives this product an overall alaScore™ 87/100 = Very Good.
gadgetguy.com.au

Summary: It's amazing to see how rapidly front projection technology has advanced, especially at the entry-level. The InFocus ScreenPlay 4805 is a stellar example of this speedy evolution of technology, and is a solid basis for a budget home theatre

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t3.com

Editors' rating: 80

Summary: The 4805 is a DLP jobbie, but thankfully it's almost totally free of the frequently associated rainbow effect. And despite the resolution being relatively low, pictures still look incredibly smooth and lifelike. DVD movies played back through this ...

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goodgearguide.com.au

Editors' rating: 70

Summary: The ScreenPlay 4805 is capable of producing perfectly acceptable images, but is let down seriously by intrusive image conversion artefacts. There are better projectors available, and for less money.

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