Product Survey: Video Projectors : Mitsubishi HC6500
6. Mitsubishi HC6500
Our settings
So as to correct a gamma curve that is too high you can change the settings like this (go into user mode): high -3 , mid -2 and low -4. To finish, you can also put contrast down to -1 so as to work on the lighter tones.
Next, you should modify temperature color to get it to around 6500K. Choose the following settings after selecting user mode (reference, average temp): contrast: R 14, G -1 and B -1. Brightness: R -9, G 5 and B -11. These settings get the color temperature to around 6500K.
Big brother to the HC5500, the HC6500 is the manufacturer's mid-range projector. Up a rung, the HC7000 completes the Full HD segment. Mitsubishi’s hook on this product is a bit vague: "Mitsubishi’s HC6500 projector is a major innovation in terms of design and reproduction of blacks". We can see what they mean about the design, but do the black levels read up to the hype? Read on.
Handling, design
The first thing to note about the product is its great look. There has been a radical change of casing in comparison to the HC6000, HC5500 and HC4900. A little more imposing, it is also more curvy and has a trapdoor at the back to house the controls. This makes it nicer to look at if you place it on a shelf, as the buttons and cables are hidden thanks to the way the casing is modeled.
It has a motorized zoom, lens-shift and focus. Thanks to this two-speed motor (fast and slow) it is easy to get precise settings. The lens-shift is missing on the HC5500 but is included here. It allows you to move the image slightly and can be very useful if you don’t want to place your projector in line with the projected image. The machine emits very little sound and the back-lit remote has plenty of shortcuts. Watch out, though, for the very high energy consumption when on stand-by: 6.7 watts. Why is it so high? When on, consumption is a reasonable 170 watts.
Projected image
The price difference between the HC5500 and HC6500 is more than $1,000. Does image quality improve dramatically? In general terms, you can see that the image on these two machines is from the same manufacturer. The Mitsubishi stamp is there. They are dynamic and sharp. A side-by-side comparison with a product like the Sony VPL-HW10 or the Sanyo PLV-Z3000, makes Mitsubishi the general consumer’s favorite. To the trained eye however, the image does seem less natural and some, including your humble tester, will go for more neutral models. Here’s the analysis in detail.
The first point to make is the depth of the blacks. They are a little more intense on this product. Here, for the first time, our Spider II sensor has recorded a 0. Please note that this doesn’t mean an absolute zero has been obtained. It just means that the sensor can no longer determine the residual brightness. How should we interpret this? Quite simply, the blacks are very deep. Other projectors also attain these levels. Namely, Sony, Panasonic and Sanyo. At these levels, the contrast ratio explodes and the precise numbers don't really mean anything.
The HC6500 does not present the chromatic effects of the HC5500. If you pause and look hard at the HC5500 image, you will note the presence of fine green and violet lines in the light zones, linked to the fact that the LCD emissions are out of sync. You don’t get them on this product. After resetting the color (see sidebar), you’ll get a very neutral result. The dominant violet disappears and is replaced by a very slight yellow tinge.
Mitsubishi's style has affected both products. The saturation of whites, for example. The lightest tones are saturated and the Mitsubishis don’t handle the differences, in contrast to the Sony VPL-HW10 or the Sanyo PLV-Z3000. Blame the dynamic iris. If you deactivate it, at the cost of black levels, this problem disappears. If the scaling is right, it is a little below the Sony. On a fixed image, sharpness improves. Nevertheless, when in movement, there are more parasite pixels and aliasing in the diagonal lines. Video noise is well controlled, although not as low as on the Sanyo, which is indeed far ahead of the game.
HC6500 or HC5500?
To make this choice, you have to know how to stay humble. Of course, we always want what’s best and the HC6500 is better than the HC5500. You have to take into account the fact that you’ll be paying an extra chunk of change for it and that you need to be a real image connoisseur to notice the difference. A couple of things might justify going for the more expensive machine:
- The HC5500’s zoom does not have a small enough image in terms of how far back you need to place it
- If you need to place your projector slightly off the angle of projection (no sideways lens shift on the HC5500), you'll be in trouble
- Black levels on the HC6500 are a notch up
- The HC6500 has a more fluid, sexy look.
| Mitsubishi HC6500 | |
|---|---|
| Pluses | Minuses |
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Ergonomics and the image quality on the HC6500 are better than the HC5500. However, you really need a skilled eye and to look at the images side by side to notice. If you have a limited budget go for the HC5500. In terms of other top models, go for the HC6500 if you like a dynamic image. For something more neutral/natur
- HC6500 LCOS Projector...
"...For example, when these mirrors rapidly reflect red and yellow, you will see green..."
This mirrors reflect white light. The color wheel is the device which lets the right color component pass in synch with the DMD.
For example: the DMD is reflecting the blue channel of the image but this is white light coming from the lamp, so the color wheel is letting only the blue part of the spectrum. The same with red and blue.
There are also DLP projectors that use three dmd's with three colored light sources( red green and blue) so no need for a color wheel. A frame being displayed with all color information on the screen at once. This means you can obtain 3 times the frame rate at a broader color depth with no rainbow effect.
Besides being technically wrong as pointed out by bboysil, don't you mean red and green will create yellow? Red and yellow (which isn't a primary color of additive light) makes orange!
http:\\diyprojectorkits.com
I am a member there, and am going to build my own 1080P projector this summer. 40 *THOUSAND* hours of life per bulb. Commercial projectors are for amateurs...
COMPARISON CHARTS PLEASE
Either use standard Or metric but don't mix them both. Inches and ounces in one place, meters in another. Seeing how this is tomsguide/us I would assume standard US measurements, but at least be consistant. Even better, translate the articles or make a simple conversion program.
Wow, this article is a mess. Seems like it was written by half a dozen people and connected in random order. No format consistancy between products. Some mention power consumpsion, some price, some show screen shots, size, weight, etc.
COMPARISON CHARTS PLEASE
I'm guessing that's why no charts, no product has the same info.
OK, I swear this is my last comment:
I couldn't figure out why they were using a condom for size comparison. Turns out it is a Euro coin! How about using something recognizable by the majority it of people reading this article.
Why is this site generating such poor quality articles these days (look at the equally useless webcam article)? What is this Digital Versus? Some copy and paste bot?
I read the Panasonic review then gave up. Doesn't anyone bother proof-reading:
"The fans this shape can relax"
"I ended up forcing the it manually"
"The image below" - it's not below
"When uscaling"
And how useless is the zoom option to see the two(!) Star Ratings?
LOL!@! At first I thought that coin was a condom!!
A very wordy review. This needs metrics to compare each model if this is going to prove of any use.
Nic topic coverage. Bit weird as I have just persuaded the wife that our front room would make a great home entertainment room.
First purchase required.... Projector. Think I'll pop down to my local Sony shop and see for myself just what they are like. The reviews here have done nothing more than give me a starting point. Nothing that allows me to proactively compare the products.
I have the same prob, Firmware update doesn't help me use AC charger while projecting..HELP PLS!!
now my aiptek pocket cinema is dead.i've upgraded the firmware, now it won't turn on...pls help...