The Infocus ScreenPlay 4805 and the Optoma H30 Digital Cinema Projector were two of the most talked-about products at the 2004 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas because of their combination of exceptional prices and power. Though each still shines brightly, the ScreenPlay 4805--reviewed here--may be the real star.
Both are DLP (Digital Light Processing by Texas Instruments) projectors priced under $1500: The Optoma H30 costs $1395 (list), while the InFocus 4805 is $1499.
The specs of the ScreenPlay projector roughly resemble the H30's: It has high-definition compatibility and 854 by 480 resolution (versus 800 by 600 for the H30). The InFocus puts out 750 ANSI lumens (versus 800 for the Optoma). I was greatly impressed by the rich color and smooth imaging from the ScreenPlay 4805--though out of the box, I found the default settings resulted in a slightly bluish cast in my test movies (very similar to the Optoma H30's imaging). But I easily adjusted the colors by using the on-screen menu.
Many of the InFocus's advantages over the Optoma are in its conveniences. For one, the 4805's menu is easier to understand. More important, it has a much better range of inputs on the back of the box than the H30 does. And the Optoma produced annoying light spillage about 3 feet above the video because of a too-short lens hood, but I had no such problem with the InFocus.
Working from my projection position of 8.3 feet from my screen, the 4805 produced a 66-inch diagonal image in 16:9 format. That's pretty good, but short of the 72 inches I get from my NEC LT240K projector, which costs about $1000 more.
This InFocus projector is boxy and gray. But it does its job exceptionally well and would be a great choice for anyone who wants a high-quality entry-level projector.
Excellent imaging capabilities and well built. A terrific entry-level home theater projector.
List: $1499
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