The next level up in home theatre
Watch a movie or TV with the InFocus ScreenPlay SP8600 projector. You'll see what life is actually supposed to be like
InFocus ScreenPlay SP8600 is an affordable Full HD home theatre projector with very good picture quality.
The SP8600 is capable of projecting movies at full 1080p (1920 x 1080) resolution on the maximum image size of 300 inches at the throw ratio of 1.6 to 1.92. During the test, I was able to project the movie on a 82-inch screen at a throw distance of about three metres.
SP8600 has exceptionally brightness of 1,800 lumens and a high contrast ratio of 5,000:1.
It uses DLP (Digital Light Processing) display technology and a six-segment colour wheel for high colour accuracy.
It has also a compact and lightweight body for on-the-go use comes with three-watt mono speakers.
The SP8600 can be used as a front or rear projector and can be also be hung from the ceiling.
It’s not difficult to set up though you will need to place or hang it in best alignment of the screen to get the best-quality picture because the projector does not have a lens shifting feature.
During the test I placed it on a small table, which itself went on top of the sofa table and had the projector up and running in a matter of minutes with pleasing picture quality. But to make the most of the picture quality, you are advised to use the installation service from Magnet, the authorised distributor of InFocus.
I was happy enough with the picture quality but after Magnet’s technicians brought along the ISO Clean 500, a 500VA power transformer that prevents power surges and eliminates RF and EMI (electromagnetic interface) interference from the AC line for me to test with the SP8600, I could seee the difference.
The projector also automatically selects sources of the movies, making projection easy. Input ports include a VGA port, two HDMI connectors, a Component video connector, a Composite video jack and an S-Video jack.
I tested the SP8600 using Merrex Kable HDMI-1 v1.4 to ensure best transporting quality of movie signal from my ViVo Legacy harddrive-based HD movie player to the projector.
The test found that movies played by the ViVo Legacy transported by Merrex Kable HDMI-1 had great quality. The pictures were colourful and had good depth and a good level of blackness.
I felt that the picture quality was even better than my old LG 42-inch LCD TV especially when I selected the projection preset of “Bright”. The pictures looked very sharp and were so bright that I could watch movies in my living room during the daytime as well as with the ceiling light in front of the screen at night.
The SP8600 provides three project presets – Movie, Bright and Normal. When using a user setting, you can adjust levels of brightness, contrast, colour, ting, sharpness, and flash tone to suit your taste and the light environment of your room. But if you feel overwhelmed with these settings, you can have Magnet technicians adjust them for you.
I tested the projector on Stewart FireHawk First Generation projection screen and was already impressive in the quality of the movies but Magnet, which also distributes Stewart screens, said that the third generation of FireHawks screens offers even better quality.
I enjoyed watching several full Blu-ray back-up movies from the ViVo Legacy on S8600. For example, the “Yes Live at Montreux” (2003) concert was impressive. “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows” on the big 82-inch screen was really fun. Animations in full Blu-ray back-up format, like “Despicable Me” and “Megamind” were beautiful.
I enjoyed TrueVisions programmes for hours, especially the HBO HD channel, which had very sharp, clean and beautiful pictures. Other channels, like Fox and AXN Beyond were also pleasing to watch.
InFocus ScreenPlay SP8600 retails for Bt59,800. You can order it from Magnet (www.Magnet.co.th) and its dealers. Magnet technicians will set it up for you for Bt8,000.
Key specs
_ Aspect Ratio (Native): 16:9
_ Resolution (Native): 1080p (1920 x 1080)
_ Contrast Ratio: 5000:1
_ Color Wheel: 6-segment
_ Display Technology: DLP
_ Number of Colors: 1.07 billion
_ Brightness (High): 1800 lumens
_ Lamp Hours (High): 2500
_ Lens Zoom Ratio: 1.20:1
_ Maximum Image Size (width, inches): 300
_ Throw Ratio: 1.6 ~ 1.92
_ Projection Presets: Movie, Bright, Normal, User (3)
_ Projector Placement: Front, Ceiling, Rear
_ Connections: VGA, HDMI x 2, Component, Composite, S-Video, RS232, RCA stereo input, Stereo 3.5mm Mini Jack Input, Stereo 3.5mm Mini Jack Output, USB Type B (Firmware upgrades)
_ Product Dimensions (W x D x H) (mm): 326 x 254 x 104
_ Product Weight (kg): 3.4 kg
What you’ll need
Apart from a Full HD projector, you need following things to enjoy watching movies in your home theatre:
1) A high quality screen like Stewart FireHawk G3
FireHawk G3 is a flexible front projection screen surface engineered for use with 1080p technology. The G3’s ultra-fine optical coating improves uniformity for consistent brightness across the entire screen. FireHawk G3 is optimised to significantly improve contrast ratios.
It has gain of 1.25 and half gain of 30 degrees. It has Ambient Light Front Reflectance Value of 27 per cent per foot-candle.
A 92-inch Stewart FireHawk G3 retails for Bt75,000.
2) A long good-quality HDMI cable like Merrex Kable HDMI-1 v1.4. A 10-metre Merex Kable HDMI-1 retails for Bt8,000. It supports 3D movie-signal transportation and supports 4096 x 2048 pixel resolution display. It has high signal transfer speed of 15.8 Gb/s.
3) ISO Clean 500 for stabilising power and minimising frequency from A/C current that may affect pictures quality of the projector. ISO Clean 500 can prevent power surge that may damage your projector and eliminate RF and EMI (electromagnetic interface) interference from AC line. It retails for Bt12,980.
4) Curtains. You should install curtains in your living room so that you don’t have to wait for nightfall to enjoy watching movies.
