14. Small But Powerful

With DVD players connected via HDMI and YUV, and our test patterns up, the HC 3000 quickly showed its stuff. The image was very stable, and the lines in our 720p and 1080i test patterns were very legible. You'd do well to choose either 16:9 or Real mode to match the 720p source perfectly. The other formats - 15:9, 4:3, and Cinemascope - are also available for specific uses such as watching TV.

The blacks were deep, while at the same time, the whites were bright but not overdriven. The HC 3000 also has black-and-white test patterns to help you set the values quickly. Stopping down the iris improved the contrast ratio and black depth even more, but at the expense of brightness.

The colors were splendid, with especially nice reds, thanks to the use of a color wheel with two red segments. In short, the DLP technology showed what it can do, delivering on the promise of a pretty spectacular video picture.

Eager to get to testing movies, we switched the gamma to cinema mode, and the lamp to low level for maximum contrast. Our first test was with Kill Bill, Volume 1, and right away the HC 3000 set a new standard. The colors were saturated, foregrounds and backgrounds were sharp, blacks were deep, and shades of gray were easily distinguishable. When we activated Brilliant Color mode, the colors were even more dazzling, and the picture as a whole had more oomph. You may or may not like the effect; it's all a matter of adjusting the unit to find the right balance.

Then we watched Monsters, Inc. and Star Wars III and the result was always the same: sheer pleasure, to the point where we forget to look for nits to pick and got caught up in the movies. Making a direct comparison of the Mitsubishi and the Z4, we won't quite say the Sanyo was put to shame, but the HC3000's performance made it clear why they're not in the same price category - there's $1,000 difference between the two - and that the DLP technology undeniably has its advantages.

Getting to the rainbow effect, it was very discreet, even for viewers who are most sensitive to the phenomenon, but it was visible from time to time. Another criticism is the fan noise; the manufacturer's specs led us to believe the projector would be quieter, and while the noise wasn't deafening, the other units did better.