Planar PD8150 DLP Projector

Tag : Non Standard Bolt

By Kris Deering • June, 2008 DLP goes dynamic.
Planar is a relatively new name in the home theater market, but itis by no means a new company. The Oregon-based manufacturer hasbeen around for over 20 years and has deep roots in the imagingindustry, with a long history of flat panels and commercialdisplays. Last May, Planar made a big investment in the hometheater industry in acquiring Runco International, one of theleaders in high-end home theater displays.

Planar has been in the front projector market for some time withmostly 720p DLP offerings. For this review, we’re going tolook at the company’s newly introduced, feature-rich 1080pDLP flagship, the single-chip PD8150 ($7,999).
Attention to Detail
The PD8150 is a relatively large DLP projector. The case has a veryelegant, piano black finish with a removable hood that covers therear input panel for a cleaner, curvy aesthetic. There are someinlet vents on the left side of the projector, and the heat isvented out the opposite side. This makes placement near a rear walla non-issue but also keeps the expelled heat—which can impactvideo quality—away from the lens.
The light path is completely sealed and eliminates the fear of dustgetting into the optical path or light loss from the chassis. Mostprojectors have some type of light spill either around the lens orfrom the vents. There wasn’t the slightest hint of lightcoming from this projector, and I didn’t see any light spillaround the active image. (Light spill is a problem with my currentprojector, the JVC DLA-RS2, which is functionally identical to theDLA-HD100 reviewed in the April issue of HT.) Even the buttons onthe top of the PD8150’s case automatically turn off duringuse. Details like this make a big difference in a fully darkenedroom where light control is a must.
The PD8150 features an all-glass manually operated lens with arelatively flexible zoom range that accommodates longer throwlengths. There is also an optional short-throw lens that the enduser can purchase separately and bolt on.
The PD8150 features manual horizontal and vertical lens shift.Unlike most projectors I’ve seen with this feature, Planarhas designed a very stable lens shift that requires the use of anincluded tool. You simply pop open a door on the top of theprojector and use the tool to dial it in. The dials are very tight,and I didn’t notice any drift during use, an issue that isall too common with most manual lens-shift designs.
The back panel has a nice array of connections, including two HDMI1.3 inputs. You’ll also find an RS-232 input for updates andremote triggers for communications and automated screens. ThePD8150 is a fully updateable projector on the software end,allowing consumers to update firmware from a PC via the RS-232input.

Another nice feature is a small LED light on the back panel thatyou can turn on via remote control. This makes hookups or changes asnap in a dark room. The lamp access door is also on the backpanel, giving the end user the option of changing the bulb withouthaving to dismount the projector from the ceiling. These are small,nice touches that go a long way in setup flexibility and ease ofuse.
The remote is the typical size of most display remotes and featuresan easy button layout with most of the important features directlyaccessible. The remote lights up at the touch of a button and usesred backlighting for legibility in the dark. Most of the main videosettings are directly accessible, including picture controls, imagesize, and user-defined memories.
Features and Functions
Did I mention that Planar seems to be taking the small details intoaccount? I first used the projector on a shelf in the back of myroom, so imagine my surprise when I ceiling-mounted it, fired itup, and found that the image was already shifted for a ceilinginstallation. The PD8150 has a built-in sensor that automaticallyorients the image based on the position of the projector. Verycool!
The setup menus are simple to navigate and offer a lot more setupoptions than I’m used to seeing from a projector at thisprice point. All of the normal display controls are included, aswell as a few added features.
The sharpness control has an advanced mode that allows for furthertweaking, including vertical and horizontal sharpness filters. Thishelped eliminate some of the ringing artifacts in the DVDs Idemoed. It did take a little toll on the overall detail, though, soI would recommend that you use it on a case-by-case basis and setit to off with high-quality material like Blu-ray.
The PD8150 has quite a few options for custom tailoring the image.It can auto-detect the color space of the incoming source, as mostdisplays do, or you can force a different color space in the menus.This includes Rec. 601 (standard-def NTSC) or Rec. 709 (HDTV) colorspaces. This is a feature I’ve only seen previously on theSamsung DLP projectors designed in collaboration with video guruJoe Kane. This is key, as it allows you to select NTSC colordecoding, even with HD material. Let me tell you why this isimportant.
Most displays automatically use the HDTV color space when theincoming material is HD. But unfortunately, that isn’t howthe program material is currently being mastered. Many HD sources(think movie material on Blu-ray and broadcast) are being masteredon monitors that conform to standard-def NTSC color space, whichmeans Rec. 601 is the correct color decoding during playback formany HD sources. Planar gives you the flexibility of adjusting itbased on your preference or setting it to Auto and doing thedecoding based on the incoming video signal.
There are several selections for gray-scale temperature, includingthe standard 6500K and 5500K (used for black-and-white films).Typically, I would always suggest that you have a projectorcalibrated by a professional, but this projector’s gray-scaletracking and colorimetry were so good out of the box that Idon’t really see the need to spend the extra money. Even theuser settings, such as contrast and brightness, were nearly dead onin their default mode. Of course, for the consummate tweaker, thereare full controls available for dialing in the gray scale with cutsand gains for red, green, and blue.