Infocus ScreenPlay 4805
Pros
- Great contrast ratio, no real flyscreen effect
Cons
- Quite pricey, playback usually has to be re-sampled, noisy
Bottom Line
The ScreenPlay 4805 is capable of producing perfectly acceptable images, but is let down seriously by intrusive image conversion artefacts. There are better projectors available, and for less money.
-
Price
$ 1,999.00 (AUD)
Few will be taken with its utilitarian lines, but inside the ScreenPlay 4805 you'll find a Texas Instruments DarkChip2T DLP engine. This provides a stunning contrast ratio of 2200:1, with a combination of increased mirror angle and improved light-absorption, providing the tonal range that home theatre enthusiasts are looking for. However, like all Widescreen VGA (WVGA), even standard TV and DVD playback has to be resampled to fit the projector's native resolution. Video processing from the Faroudja DCDi chipset helps maintain image clarity to a degree (and it smoothed out interlaced source material admirably), but the ScreenPlay 4805 inevitably lacks the crispness of a WXGA product.
Colour reproduction was good--though lacking the vibrancy of LCD projectors--and the DLP engine minimises the visibility of lines between pixels. Additionally, the high-speed, six-segment, four-colour wheel makes the rainbow effect of DLP projectors less obvious, but it was still detectable in dark conditions. Yet the real disappointment was the projector's tendency to introduce image artefacts when running from analog inputs. These were most apparent in areas of shallow tonal change, like clouds of steam or blue skies, where the shimmer proved very distracting.
The InFocus is relatively noisy to run. You may not hear it in Eco mode if your movie soundtrack is loud enough, but run it at full power, for the peak 750 lumen output, and you'll definitely hear it. You'll also need to keep the remote with you, as the projector control panel curiously lacks a power-down button.
Brand Post
Most Popular Reviews
- 1 Dell U3223QE review: A winning debut for an IPS Black monitor
- 2 HP Spectre x360 16 review: The right 2-in-1 at the wrong time
- 3 Acer K242HYL review: An affordable monitor for any occasion
- 4 GeForce Now review: You bring the games, Nvidia streams the hardware
- 5 Asus ProArt PA279CV monitor review: The go-to for content creators on a budget
Latest News Articles
- Epson launches its most advanced 4K home theatre projector in Australia
- Sony’s new 4K native projectors include Sony Bravia TV technology
- Epson sheds light on five new projectors
- Epson’s new high-end 4K laser projector promises compact size for demanding large venue use
- Epson's new LS500 Laser Projector hits out at Hisense
Resources
Macworld
What's new, plus best mac-related tips
and tricks
Business Centre
The latest business news, reviews, features and whitepapers
Videos
Watch our video news and reviews from around the world
Guides
Comprehensive buying guides, features, and step-by-step articles
PCW Evaluation Team
Pedro Peixoto
Aruba Instant On AP11D
Set up is effortless.
Cate Bacon
Aruba Instant On AP11D
The strength of the Aruba Instant On AP11D is that the design and feature set support the modern, flexible, and mobile way of working.
Dr Prabigya Shiwakoti
Aruba Instant On AP11D
Aruba backs the AP11D up with a two-year warranty and 24/7 phone support.
Tom Pope
Dynabook Portégé X30L-G
Ultimately this laptop has achieved everything I would hope for in a laptop for work, while fitting that into a form factor and weight that is remarkable.
Tom Sellers
MSI P65
This smart laptop was enjoyable to use and great to work on – creating content was super simple.
Lolita Wang
MSI GT76
It really doesn’t get more “gaming laptop” than this.
Featured Content
- Which Lenovo Laptop Should I Buy?
- Every TV in Samsung's 2022 line-up: OLED, Neo QLED and more!
- Top 10 best Android and Apple phones for under $600
- Everything you need to know about Smart TVs
- What's the difference between an Intel Core i3, i5 and i7?
- Laser vs. inkjet printers: which is better?