Recent tech advances have made these
kings of home cinema more impressive and more affordable than ever. The medal
winners are…
Product of the year
Best projector $3,750+
Panasonic PT-AT6000E: $4,500
It may not quite be Apple and the iPhone,
but the now-annual launch of a new Panasonic flagship projector has become
something to really look forward to in this neck of the woods. And as the new
PT-AT6000E proves, the excitement is nearly always justified.
Panasonic
PT-AT6000E, the best projector $3,750+
The exterior may remain fairly familiar but
on the inside much has changed. Designed once more in collaboration with
Hollywood filmmakers and the Panasonic Hollywood Laboratory, the projector
boosts brightness from 2000 to 2400 lumens, while claimed contrast ratio goes
from 300,000:1 to 500,000:1. There’s also a 3D dual-core processing engine, the
addition of Frame Creation 2, Panasonic’s motion processing and 2D-to-3D
conversion. New 3D glasses now communicate with projector via a built-in IR
transmitter.
Thanks to a motorized lens and a well
though-out lens-shift arrangement, it only takes a minute or two to get your
picture in the right place. Choose one of the three HDMI inputs and you’re soon
enjoying staggeringly good HD pictures.
The out-going 5000 majored on detail, depth
and realism in a way that truly brought films and TV to life. The new 6000
series manages to raise the bar again. Thor really stretches a machine’s
capabilities and color palette, and fed with a Blu-ray copy of the film, the
6000 responds. It delivers natural shades and deep, insightful blacks. Motion
is smooth too, and even standard-definition content holds up well.
A new dimension to 3D images
Watching 3D content feels more comfortable
on the PT-AT6000E, too. Crosstalk does seem reduced, fast motion holds up
better and only in the most complex images does some instability surface. That
said, you can adjust the strength of the 3D effect.
Regardless, there’s not a projector on the
market that can match the all-round appeal of this Panasonic. Detailed, dynamic
and confident with any content, it’s evolution not revolution but a very
worthwhile update. And hey, it works for Apple…
Best projector up to $2,250
BenQ W1200: $1,500
You could have paid two, or even three times
as much for a projector of this quality a few years ago and it probably would
have been harder to set up and less flexible in use.
Living
with it: the BenQ’s built-in speakers make it handy for applications (such as
gaming) where sound quality is less than critical
BenQ has bossed the budget projector market
for a while now, and despite ever more affordable, and still capable, models
emerging such as the $1050 BenQ W1060 – the W1200 remains the best marriage of
affordability and performance that we’ve found in this price bracket.
It’s easy enough to get up and running.
While more expensive projectors give you even more control of the lens
position, the BenQ, complete with adjustable feet, has a good degree of
position flexibility.
What’s more, there is plenty of potential
for picture Tweakery. Happily, it works more than competently with a minimum of
adjustment. Projecting Avengers Assemble, one of our favorite discs of the year
for sound and picture performance, the BenQ W1200 delivers the vivid color palette
in style.
If you’ve got the room for a
big-screen projector but don’t want to splash much cash, then this is the
perfect answer
It’s there in black and white
Contrast levels are impressive for a $1,500
projector, dark blacks delivering reasonable detail from deep, faithful shades,
and whites looking pretty clean. Tricky blocks of color prove reasonably free
from noise, too.
This may not be a 3D projector, but there’s
an impressive sense of depth from standard 2D images thanks to the overall
level of detail retrieval and sharp, clean edges.
Our only real gripe is that we’re not
totally convinced by fast motion. With the motion processing turned on, we’re
left unconvinced by the slightly unnatural effect, but turn the processing off
and motion can be a little jumpy. This isn’t unusual in projectors more
expensive than this one, however, so we are happy to cut the BenQ W1200 some
slack.
If you’ve got the room for a big-screen
projector but don’t want to splash much cash, then this is the perfect answer. Pair
it with an affordable Blu-ray player and, preferably, an amp and speakers
though this projector does have mini built-in speakers for a complete home
cinema system at a knockdown price. Tempted? You should be.
Best projector $2,250-$3,750
Epson EH-TW 4400: $3,000
While the projector market hasn’t been the
most dynamic in the last 12 months, it’s still some achievement to win a
category Award two years on the bounce. And that’s exactly what the Epson EH-TW
4400 projector has done.
Epson
EH-TW 4400, the best projector $2,250-$3,750
A price cut last year brought it back into
contention at this price point a whole $1,500 cheaper than we originally saw it
and it remains the projector to beat.
In terms of spec, don’t expect the Epson to
turn up and make a mockery of everything else. Instead it nods confidently as
we rattle off the list of necessary projector specifications. There’s a claimed
130,000:1 contrast radio, 1600 lumens brightness and a quiet 22dB fan, plus
(two) HDMI, S-Video, RGB and composite inputs.
Setting up projectors nowadays tends to be
a doddle and this Epson is a good example. There are no motorized controls, but
you’ll find zoom and focus controls on the lens, plus simple lens shift wheels
to move the image around. A quick run through a THX disc and all’s well. And
that’s before we mention the picture.
Colors are punchy but natural, while
impressive contrast gets the most from bright hues and darker scenes
Clarity and contrast
The Indiana Jones Blu-ray box set picture
is clean, sharp and free from digital noise. Colors are punchy but natural,
while impressive contrast gets the most from bright hues and darker scenes.
Scenes in bright sunlight show this best, with colors sitting happily alongside
solid and detailed darker shades.
Motion is handled confidently for the most
part, with only the trickiest of scenes seeing the Epson image-thrower losing a
little grip – this is so often where projectors fall down a touch.
There may not be a new champion in this
category for 2013 but we’re more than happy in our reigning champ for $3,000
this is a top-quality projector.
