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InFocus IN81 DLP Projector

Author John Archer
Published 12th Feb 2008
Manufacturer InFocus
Supplier CSE Solutions
Price £1,701.28 (Exc VAT)
as reviewed £1,999.00 (Inc VAT)
Latest Price
Design & Features Score Design & Features for Design & Features
Image Quality Score Image Quality for Image Quality
Value Score Value for Value
Overall Score Overall for Overall
InFocus IN81 DLP Projector
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Supremely excellent though it undoubtedly is, the InFocus IN82 projector we reviewed a few weeks back was hardly within the grasp of your average AV-loving man on the street. Despite the fact that in many ways its £3,000 asking price actually represents very good value. We also couldn't help but notice that it left a rather hefty gap in InFocus's latest projector range between itself and its lower-spec IN78/76/74 models.

So it's no surprise to find InFocus plugging that gap and trying to cater for a larger HD-loving audience with the £2,000, full HD IN81.

The first bit of good news concerning the IN81 is that it's actually only just become £2,000 from an original launch price of £2,500, so already our ‘bargain' radar is bleeping. It's also a very attractive bit of kit, following the established InFocus fancy for a rounded (to the point of almost being circular) design, finished in glossy black with the main body mounted on a rotating, tilting joint connected to a supporting foot.


The idea behind this unusual jointed mount is that it should make the IN81 particularly easy to set up in even the most oddly shaped of living/cinema rooms. And it proved its worth for the most part, as we managed to get a workable image on our screen from all manner of tricky positions around our test rooms.

The only little niggle about this design idea is that we found it a little tricky to make fine adjustments to the projector's tilt angle - though with a bit of to-ing and fro-ing, you do always manage to get there in the end.

More user friendliness can be found in the IN81's attractive and clearly structured onscreen menus, navigated by a basic but eminently logical backlit remote control.

Keeping the good times rolling are two HD digital inputs: one standard HDMI job, and an unusual M1-DA jack. This rather clever little chap is able to take - via the right adaptors - pretty much any feed type - analogue or digital, PC or video - that you might care to throw at it. An HDMI adaptor is thoughtfully included with the projector, incidentally, so it is a genuine ‘two HDMI' device out of the box.

 

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