Mitsubishi HC3000U HD-Compatible DLP Home Theater Projector - Product Review

At an MSRP of $2,500, the Mitsubishi HC3000U offers lots of useful features and solid video performance that is normally reserved for projectors in higher price ranges. With a native pixel resolution of 1280x768 (720p), the HC3000u is HD-compatible. In addition, the video quality is excellent for a projector in this class; flesh tones, overall color saturation, and contrast levels provide a very natural looking image that is hard to find in other similarly-price units currently on the market.

Mitsubishi HC3000 features include:

1. Compact styling with Center Mounted Lens.

2. Image size range: 40 to 275 inches - adds flexibility for both small and large screen sizes and room environments.

3. Texas Instruments Dark Chip 2 with Brilliant Color Technology. The DLP chip is the foundation of the color and detail capabilities of the projector.

4. Native 16x9 Screen Aspect Ratio/Can also be set to 4x3. The 16x9 aspect ratio is desirable for widescreen films and HD sources. The aspect ratio can be adjusted to 4x3 for projection of material shot in the 4x3 format.

5. 1280x768 (720P) Native Pixel Resolution. This provides the capability of viewing HD content in true HD.

6. 4000:1 Contrast Ratio. This contrast range provides the ability to view details in very dark scenes as well providing a more natural look and texture to all images.

7. 3000 Hour Lamp Life in Econo mode/2000 Hours Lamp Life in Standard Mode. This is consistent with projectors in this class.

9. Wireless Remote Control.

10. Easy to use owner's manual and quick startup guide.

11. HDMI, VGA, HD-Component, S-Video, and Composite Video inputs. Any standard video source can be connected to this projector.

12. NTSC/PAL compatible - PC/MAC compatible.

The HC3000 is easy to set up, even for the novice.

After setting up a screen (size of your choosing), position the unit at the optimal distance from the screen (your choosing). I chose to place the unit on a mobile cart to make this easier, but the HC3000 can be ceiling mounted with an accessory mount.

Starting up the projector is easy. First, plug in your source (such as a DVD player) to the proper video input. Then, plug in the power. All you have to do is turn on the single power button on the projector or the remote control. When you see the Mitsubishi logo projected on your screen, you are set.

At this point, you can raise or lower the front of the projector, use the Keystone Correction function (this adjusts the "squareness" of the image), and/or Zoom the lens to get the image to fill the screen properly. After this, use the manual focus to sharpen your image. In addition, if you are table mounting the HC3000, you must use a low table or tilt the projector in a more downward fashion to get the proper height-distance relationship between the screen and projector.

When you turn on your source, such as a DVD player, the HC3000 will automatically search for it and project the image on to the screen.

However, you can manually do this on the remote or the projector's buttons.

TIP: If you turn on your source before you turn on the HC3000, it will make it easier for the projector to find it.

Hardware and Software Used In Evaluation

1. 10-foot (120-inches) diagonal (16x9) custom-made theatrical screen that I used to project images sizes ranging from full screen down to 40-inches for the purpose of this review.

2.JVC XV-NP10S DVD Player - Code Free Version with S-Video and Progressive Scan Component outputs.

3. Kiss Technology DP470 DVD Receiver with Progressive Scan Component outputs.

4. Two upscaling DVD players with 720p/1080i output capability: The Samsung DVD-HD931 w/DVI output, and the NeuNeo HVD-2085 w/HDMI and HD-component outputs.

5. Optoma H56 and Mitsubishi XD-350U 4x3 DLP projectors for comparison.

6. Video connections were made with Accell, Cobalt, and AR Interconnect cables.

DVD software used included scenes from the following:

Kill Bill - Vol1/Vol2, The Cave, The Corpse Bride, Master and Commander, Chicago, Valley Of Gwangi, Lord Of the Rings Trilogy, Passionada, Alien Vs Predator, Moulin Rouge, The Mummy, Ed Wood (Region 3 - NTSC), and Crying Freeman (Region 2 - PAL).

With 1,000 lumens output, used in conjunction with the Brilliant Color setting, the HC3000 held up very well, in relation to my comparison projectors, and produced an overall more pleasing image than either.

I also found that the Color consistency and contrast was excellent throughout, which was evident on clips from Moulin Rouge, Lord Of the Rings: Two Towers, Master And Commander, The Cave and Chicago. I found that the HC3000 was able to bring the details in dark scenes much better than the comparison projectors.

In addition, the HC3000 had no trouble with motion tracking fast action in films such as The Mummy and Alien Vs Predator.

I found that the HC3000 did a fine job with 480p sources with acceptable scaling. Also, in terms of 720p performance; in using two different upscaling DVD players (set at 720p), the Samsung DVD-HD931, and the NeuNeo HVD-2085, I found that the HC3000 reproduced the upscaled performance of both units accurately (the Samsung is the better of the two). Although not true HD-sources, the HC3000 delivered the goods in terms of the upscaled source material. The ability to accept and project an image in 720p is a significant step for a projector in this price class.

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