July 2013
It’s been a while since we’ve had a Mitsubishi DLP projector in house. We reviewed the HC3000 in 2006 (720p DLP, $2495 USD), and the HC5000 in 2007 (1080p LCD, $4495), but since then we’ve had to satisfy ourselves with the occasional sighting at a Consumer Electronics Show. The HC3000 and HC5000 fared well in our critiques, so we’ve been anxious to try something new. The Mitsubishi HC7900DW ($2499) seemed like a great choice.
The art of projector design gets swoopier every year, and the HC7900DW is a gorgeous piece of industrial sculpture. Its clean white body, orderly lines, and uncluttered rear end all make for a nice presentation. Granted, it’s missing the Hummer-like seriousness of the Runco D-113d, or the voluptuous curves of a Sim2 Lumis 3D-Solo in Ferrari Red. Still, in person, the HC7900DW is quite attractive.
Inside is a single-chip 1080p DLP device with a light output of 1500 lumens and a contrast ratio of 150,000:1, assisted by an automatic iris. The HC7900DW is a 3D machine, though it doesn’t come with any equipment to watch a 3D movie. I applaud this approach, because lots of folks don’t give a twit about 3D. If you want to use its 3D capabilities, you’ll have to pony up an additional $99 for Mitsubishi’s 3D Emitter. You can buy various brands of glasses, which run $50 to $125/pair. You’ll probably also want to set a few bucks aside for a good universal remote control.
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It was 20 years ago today, Sgt. Pepper -- oh, wait, that’s a different review.
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