Vidikron 40 HT manual Highlights

G E A R G U I D E

Vidikron Vision Model 40 DLP Projector

		light-output and contrast-ratio
that the Model 40 is capable of		numbers. When you measure
950 ANSI lumens and has a con-		these two specifications in an
trast ratio of 1,600:1. Since Vidikron		actual home theater environment,
is now owned by Runco, they’ve		it becomes crystal clear that virtu-
adopted Runco’s Cinema Standards		ally all of these published specifi-
Measurement System (CSMS)		cations are totally bogus.
specification standards, which are		After I’d completed a full ISF-
more realistic in terms of light-		style calibration for both NTSC
output and contrast-ratio ratings.		and HDTV sources, I sat back
	In film, we measure	and watched a variety of DVDs
HIGHLIGHTS
	light in foot-lamberts, so	and HDTV material. Chapter 31
• Good video processing with	Runco has decided to	of Charlotte Gray, still one of my
3:2-pulldown detection for	include foot-lambert	favorite reference DVDs, had great
film-based material	measurements in their	snap and detail, plus very good
• Excellent flexibility for setup	specifications, as well as	color saturation. In the beginning
and optimizing picture quality	real-world ANSI-lumen	of this chapter, a train travels
for all sources	specifications after	through the French countryside,
• Great value for the dollar	proper calibration. This	and there was some visible low-
	is the first time I’ve ever	level noise. This noise was more
reprinted even a portion of a man-		prevalent in darker scenes, such as
ufacturer’s spec sheet, but it’s		the love scene between Charlotte
worth illustrating, as it represents		and the young British officer in
real information that will aid in		chapter 4. In fairness to Vidikron,
your home theater’s design. If you		I’ve seen this low-level noise on
look closely at the spec sheet,		virtually every one-chip DLP pro-
you’ll see the CSMS specifications		jector, and I attribute it at least in
under “Light Output”: home theater		part to DLP technology. Part of
calibration: 480 ANSI lumens;		the problem could also be in the
17.9 foot-lamberts (ft-L). Under		video processing.
“Contrast Ratio,” the CSMS spec is		Chapter 4 of Training Day looked
a much more realistic 148:1. The		excellent. Denzel Washington’s
company takes it one step further		black car looked really black, which
by recommending a screen size		is a testament to the Model 40’s
between 72 and 96 inches wide,		excellent black-level performance.
even though the projector can pro-		DLP still can’t do black like a CRT,
ject images up to 200 inches wide.		and it probably never will. How-
I have to hand it to Runco/Vidikron		ever, the new HD2 chip takes DLP
for taking this bold step. I’ve long		performance to another level. I
been frustrated with video-display		dare say it takes DLP to an accept-
manufacturers’ marketing depart-		able level for 99.9 percent of home
ments for boasting ridiculous		theater enthusiasts.
		HDTV from my Dish

Vidikron Vision Model 40 DLP Projector

Network satellite feed looked mostly awesome. Bright scenes looked really good, but darker scenes were plagued by low-level-noise problems.

114 Home Theater / November 2003 • www.hometheatermag.com

In particular, I watched Armed and Dangerous on the HBO HD channel and Harlan County War on Showtime HD. I fired up my reference Runco DTV-991 for a quick comparison, and I found the material to look quite clean through this CRT projector. Unfor- tunately, I was unable to evaluate the Model 40’s HDTV performance using its DVI input. However, I’ve had enough experience in the field calibrating digital displays using both the component video and the DVI inputs, and I don’t doubt that the DVI input looks a lot cleaner than an analog component connection on a digital display. I suspect that HD material would have looked a lot better using the Model 40’s DVI connection.

Vidikron looks strong again. Their Vision Model 40 is a very respectable player in the 1,280-by- 720 one-chip DLP-projector cate- gory. Good video processing, black-level performance, and color

Vision Model 40 DLP Projector $8,995

With the Long-Throw Lens $9,995

Vidikron

(510)324-5900 www.vidikron.com Dealer Locator Code VID

decoding all add up to excellent performance. There’s no doubt that the Model 40 does a lot right, and it’s a truly impressive DLP projector, especially when you consider its price. At $8,995 with the short-throw lens and $9,995 with the long-throw lens, the Model 40 is one of the most rea- sonably priced DLP projectors in its class, making it one of the best values in its category.