DVD Performance

When connected to the Oppo OPDV971H DVD Player via the HDMI input, the IN72 produced very good results. Contrast was excellent, with a good deal of detail in very dark portions of the image. Colours are vibrant and detail is very good for a 480p projector. As expected, image composition is rock-solid as DVD sources are rendered in 480p, so no scaling is necessary.

As you can see from the comparison of "The Fifth Element" below, the reference image shows you how much detail is intended, particularly in the left portion of the frame. Unlike many displays I've tested, the IN72 displays a good amount of detail in the left portion of the image, illustrating its excellent contrast performance. While the colour saturation seems dull compared to the reference image, most displays do as the reference image is a 1080p computer screenshot.

The Fifth Element (Oppo OPDV971H DVD Player - 480p via DVI to HDMI)

PC Monitor

Using the RGB or HDMI Input, the IN72's performance as a PC Monitor is limited by its relatively small native resolution of 854x480, which means that almost any usable computer resolution will have to be scaled when viewing, resulting in a choppy image. Watching videos was reasonably pleasant, but actual computer usage such as email, Web browsing, etc. was not ideal.

Conclusion

The IN72 has a very sleek look and feel, especially for an entry-level home theatre projector. The remote is simple to use, but the backlit feature is not very useful. Setup is very easy thanks to the simple input layout and the handy swivel pedestal. As with many other DLP projectors, contrast performance is the strong suit of the IN72, with excellent shadow detail and black levels. Colour saturation and accuracy is excellent as well, with only a slight push toward red with flesh tones. Brightness is much improved from its predecessor, allowing a considerable amount of ambient light while still producing pleasing results.

The overall performance of the IN72 is impressive, but priced at around £650 / €800, it better be as you can find many high quality 480p DLP projectors with up to three years of warranty protection for hundreds less. In fact, Optoma just released the first sub-£650 / €800 720p DLP projector, which may throw shockwaves through the 480p projector market altogether. If you want a large, bright, high-quality image from a company with a proven track record, and don't mind sitting a little further away from the screen, the IN72 is worth a look.