The IN76 projects upwards at a slight angle, so some calculation is also necessary to get the relative heights of projector and screen right. If you don't get the setup perfect, picture position and projection angle can be tweaked using features like keystone correction, but at a slight detriment to picture quality.
Setting up connections is easy. The M1-DA socket is particularly handy for home cinema users, effectively giving a second HDMI input. This means that in return for the cost of two long HDMI cables, you can juggle two high-definition sources without the need for an HDMI switch.
Controls on the projector and remote make it easy to access the projector's menus to adjust many options. Menus are laid out simply and are translucent, so you can see the results of changes instantly on screen. Picture controls include keystone, contrast, brightness, colour and gamma correction to suit different lighting conditions. Advanced controls include shifting the picture horizontally and vertically, flesh tone correction, sharpness and colour temperature control. The controls give a very wide range of adjustment -- some are unnecessary, but too much control of your picture is preferable to too little, and the manual does a fairly good job of explaining the purpose of each setting.
You can also customise controls via the menus, for example assigning sources to specific remote control buttons and disabling sources that you aren't using. The menus also let you set the projector up for ceiling and/or rear projection, for projecting an upside-down and/or back-to-front image.
Performance
The IN76's picture is detailed and handles fast-moving action even better than earlier DLP models. We tested it with a number of sources and found the picture very hard to fault. It's impressively bright, but like any projector it requires a fairly dark room to look good.
The fan noise, while better than earlier models, is still too loud. Even when the projector is ceiling mounted and therefore further away, the fan is audible in quiet scenes in a movie. In practice you rarely notice this background hum, but it could be better, and competitors certainly seem to be doing a better job of tackling this.
Bulb life also continues to be an issue for this and all projectors. At 3,000 hours, the IN76's bulb should last three to four years with daily use. As projectors drop in price, bulb costs seem to be static, suggesting that in three years' time it might be more economical to replace the entire projector -- a ridiculous situation that all projector and bulb manufacturers should be addressing.
If you're serious about home cinema, the IN76 beats any LCD. You get excellent HD picture quality, a huge picture and an excellent movie-watching experience.
Edited by Mary Lojkine
Additional editing by Kate Macefield
iPhone App 
Newsletters 
RSS Feeds 
Send Us Tips