112er01 7/28/06 12:00 PM Page 26

EQUIPMENT Review

Marantz® VP-11S1 DLPProjector

Greg Rogers SPECIFICATIONS 1080p Native With Chipset: Texas Instruments Digital Light Gennum Processing Set Up Processing™ Technology 1920 x 1080 pixel 0.95” DarkChip3™ DMD™ Lamp: SHP 200W DC The Marantz VP-11S1 is the first pro- With a 100-inch diagonal (87 3/16-inch x Zoom Lens: f: 30.7 to 44.5 mm / F: 3.0 - F:6.0 duction-version 1080p DLP™ front projector 49-inch) 16:9 screen, the 1.45x zoom lens Contrast Ratio: 6500:1 that I have received for review. It utilizes provides a lens-to-screen throw distance Light Output: 600/700 ANSI LUMEN Typical Texas Instruments’ new 0.95-inch, 1080p between 10.6 and 15.4 feet. This is an Features DarkChip3™ DLP technology, a faster 6x- exceptionally wide zoom range, but the pro- Processing: Gennum VXP™ Color Temperature: 5 steps speed 7-segment color wheel, and custom jector will also be available later this year Preset Gamma: 8 Konica-Minolta optics. with an even longer throw lens. The long Lamp Life: 2000 hrs (average) The VP-11S1 ($19,999) includes Gennum’s throw version ($21,999) will provide a throw Video Inputs newest VXP™ video processor, which provides distance of 15.4 to 23.2 feet for a 100-inch Composite Video: 1 (RCA) Y/C: 1 (S-Video) 10-bit , -mode diagonal screen. Component: 2 NTSC/ATSC (2x 3 RCA) (inverse-) , and motion- The VP-11S1 has manual focus and RGB/HD: 1 (VGA D-Sub 15) adaptive deinterlacing with directional inter- zoom adjustments. The focus adjustment is HDMI 1.1: 2 polation for 1080i broadcast video. silky smooth and can be set very precisely In/Outputs for optimum focus. It’s more convenient to RS-232C: 1 (D-Sub 9) RC-5: 2 (3.5 mm mini) Appearance adjust focus using a remote control, but DC Trigger: 2 (3.5 mm mini) few remote-controlled lenses have as much General The VP-11S1 uses the same case as adjustment precision. There is also a manu- Power Requirement: AC 100-120 V / 220-240 V, previous Marantz DLP projectors. The ally adjusted optical lens shift that permits 50/60 Hz unit that I received had a cream-colored the projector to be ceiling-mounted above Power Consumption: < 350 W Dimensions (WHD In Inches) 15 15/16 x 6 1/8 finish, but it’s also available with a black fin- the top of the screen. The preferred ceiling x 18 15/16 ish. A darker gray bezel surrounds the larg- mounting position is no higher than the top Net Weight (In Pounds): 29 Warranty: 3 years er-than-normal lens assembly, which is of the screen, but lens shift provides suffi- Price: $19,999 slightly offset from the center of the projec- cient offset to mount the projector up to Manufactured In Japan By: tor. Warm air is exhausted through the front 32.5 percent of the screen height above Marantz America, Inc. bezel. A manual lens shift dial is located on the top of the screen. The projector 1100 Maplewood Dr top of the case, along with a set of operat- includes a built-in focus pattern that Itasca, IL 60143 Phone: 630 741 0300 ing controls. All inputs are on the recessed changes color from white to green to indi- www.marantz.com rear panel. There was no light leakage from cate that the vertical offset is outside of the the projector body, but I covered the blue preferred lens shift, but performance is power indicator on top of the case with a barely affected by the higher mounting compatible with /p, 540p, /p, 720p, small piece of black electrical tape. position. The wide-range vertical lens shift 1035i, 1080i, and 1080p. These inputs are should avoid having to use the electronic compatible with 720p and 1080p signals at keystone correction, which is always detri- 24, 25, 30, 50, and 60 FPS (frames per sec- mental to picture quality, but it is particular- ond), and 1080psf (segmented frame) at “Marantz has produced an outstanding ly poor on this projector. 24, 25, and 30 FPS. The analog RGB input is also compatible with a variety of PC for- Connections mats up to 1024 x 768 at 85 Hz, and 1600 x 1080p DLP projector using Texas 1200 at 60 Hz. The RGB input accepts sig- The rear panel has seven video inputs—one nals with positive or negative HV sync, or composite (RCA connector), one S-video sync on green. The projector is fairly slow Instruments’ new 1920 x 1080 pixel (4-pin mini-DIN), two YPbPr (RCA connec- when changing input signal formats (480i, tors), one RGB (15-pin D-sub), and two 720p, etc.) taking about four or five sec- HDMI inputs. onds to identify and sync to a new signal. DarkChip3 technology.” The YPbPr and RGB analog inputs are The rear panel includes an RS-232C

26 Widescreen Review • Issue 112 • September 2006 Page 1/7 112er01 7/28/06 12:00 PM Page 27

EQUIPMENT Review

control port and Remote Control In and Out Controls for HDMI/DVI signals. Chroma Delay adjusts jacks for connection to other Marantz com- the Y/C delay and only affects 480i/576i ponents. There are also two 12V Trigger The slender two-inch wide remote con- analog signals. The CEC mode enables output terminals. One is active whenever trol is sensibly laid out with an assortment of CUE (Chroma Upsampling Error) correction the projector is turned on, and the user can button sizes and shapes. All 45 buttons are for 1080i signals only. specify which aspect ratios enable the brightly backlit when activated by a slide The Input Signal menu can be used to other 12V output to control screen masks. switch on the side of the remote, and each select the signal format for each input. In The rear panel also includes a standard button includes descriptive nomenclature most cases you can simply use the Auto three-prong power cable socket and a on its surface. I really liked this remote mode, but you can also lock inputs to a switch that illuminates the rear panel (even because of its lighting and its many dedi- specific format, such as 1080i for the com- in Standby mode) for changing cables in a cated buttons. In addition to the on-screen ponent or HDMI inputs, or NTSC, PAL, or dark room. menu navigation buttons, there are dedicat- SECAM for the composite or S-video input. ed buttons to select each input—the iris You can also select the color space decod- HDMI/DVI mode, the lamp power, color temperature, ing for the HDMI inputs. Compatibility specific gamma curves, user modes, dein- The RGB/HD Adjust menu includes terlacing mode, individual blanking modes, Mode (Auto/Memory1-3), Readjust, The HDMI (DVI) inputs accept 480i/p, picture mute, and several aspect ratios. Resolution (Size) H, Resolution (Size) V, 576i/p, 720p (24/48/50/60 Hz), 1035i 60 Hz, The IR signal is not powerful enough to Position H, Position V, Phase, Clamp 1080i (50/60 Hz), and 1080p reliably bounce off the screen, but there are Position, and Clamp Width. The Clamp (24/25/30/48/50/60 Hz). The HDMI input remote control sensors on the front and adjustments are useful for analog RGB sig- also accepts DVI PC formats up to 1024 x back of the projector that solve that prob- nals that have non-standard timing. 768 at 75 Hz. lem, unless you sit directly under the projector. The Display submenu includes Keystone, The HDMI inputs can be set to Auto The top of the projector includes an Scale, Width, Position H, Position V, Overscan mode or manually configured to accept dig- alternate set of buttons for on-screen menu (Enable/Disable), and Installation. Scale ital RGB, 4:4:4 YCbCr, or 4:2:2 YCbCr sig- navigation, input selection, the focus pat- reduces the vertical and horizontal image nals. The YCbCr modes can also be manu- tern, and Power On/Standby. There are also size proportionally to about 70 percent of ally set to perform standard (ITU Rec. 601) Warning/Lamp, Power, and Standby indicators. the original size. Width reduces only the or high-definition (ITU Rec. 709) color horizontal width to about 75 percent of the decoding. In the Auto mode, the signal type On-Screen Menus original size. The Position H,V controls can and the correct color decoding should be be used to reposition the incoming video selected automatically between an HDMI The on-screen menu window includes signal if the Scale and Width controls are source and the projector. However, there Picture Mode, Picture Adjust, Fine Menu 1, used. Installation sets the projector orienta- have been numerous problems with sources Fine Menu 2, Input Signal, RGB/HD Adjust, tion—front/rear for ceiling or table mounting. (and some displays) not getting this right, Display, OSD/Blanking, and Configuration The OSD/Blanking menu includes menu so it is extremely valuable that Marantz per- submenus. When a variable item is select- position (nine screen positions), Language mits each of these modes to also be select- ed, the menu window disappears and is (six languages), Status Info (Enable/Disable), ed manually. Having expressed due credit replaced by a single bar graph and numeri- Power-Off Confirmation (Enable/Disable), to Marantz for providing these adjustments, cal value near the bottom of the screen. Blanking Memory (Off/1/2/3), and Blanking they should also get the labeling correct. That makes it easier to perform adjustments —Top, Bottom, Left, Right. The latter sets The HD digital color-decoding mode is without covering a substantial part of the the amount of blanking independently for called YPbPr when it should be YCbCr (dig- picture. When the adjustment is completed each edge. ital component color-difference signals the menu window reappears. The Configuration submenu includes should always be labeled YCbCr, and only The Picture Adjust submenu provides Auto Power Off, Trigger 2 (Full, Normal, analog component color-difference signals Gamma, Contrast, Brightness, Color Zoom, and Through), Remote Control should be labeled YPbPr). (Saturation), Tint (Hue), Color Temperature, (Wired/Wireless), Reset Lamp Life, and You can select the Normal (Black Level) Lamp mode (Normal/Economy), Iris Reset All. The Trigger 2 items select the mode for signals with RGB-Video levels (F6.0/F3.0), and Aspect (ratio). The Color Aspect Ratios that enable the 12V Trigger 2 (black at digital code 16 and reference saturation control is available for all inputs. output terminal. white at 235), or the Expand mode for RGB- The Tint control is only available for 480i PC levels (black at 0 and reference white at composite and S-video signals. Projection Lamp 255). The Black Level selection shifts the Fine Menu 1 includes Sharpness, Noise black level but doesn’t change the signal Reduction, and RGB Gain and Bias controls The projector utilizes a 200-watt SHP gain, so the Contrast control must be read- for adjusting color temperature and (Super High Pressure) projection lamp that is justed when changing from RGB-video sig- grayscale tracking. Fine Menu 2 includes DC-powered to eliminate , which has nals to RGB-PC signals. Cinema (Auto/Off), VCR mode (On/Off), been a problem on some competing projectors. YCbCr signals would normally use the Black Level, FRC ( Conversion) The maximum lamp life is 2,000 hours, same Black Level mode as RGB-video sig- (Auto/On), CEC (Chroma Error Correction), but the manual suggests that the lamp may nals, but instead the Expand mode has Picture Shift V (Zoom Aspect Ratio only), “rarely break down” when running longer than been factory calibrated for YCbCr signals. Luminance Gain, and Chroma Delay. The 1,000 hours. For that reason it suggests Although that creates some initial confusion, Auto Cinema mode enables inverse-telecine replacing the lamp after 1,000 hours. But I suspect it was done that way because the deinterlacing for standard-definition and unless the lamp dims excessively, I doubt Normal mode clips signals below black high-definition film sources. Black Level many owners will want to replace it that (digital code 16). selects a 0 or 7.5 IRE black level for analog often. The lamp is user-replaceable and input signals, and digital video or PC levels priced at about $500.

27 Widescreen Review • Issue 112 • September 2006 Page 2/7 112er01 7/28/06 12:00 PM Page 28

EQUIPMENT Review GAMMA PERFORMANCE

The Full mode is used to display 16:9 sources. The Normal mode displays full- frame 4:3 pictures in the center of a 16:9 screen with black sidebars. The Zoom mode displays 4:3 letterboxed frames by expanding the image proportionally in the vertical and horizontal directions to fill the width of the screen. The Through mode dis- plays any format with less than 1080 lines in its native resolution without scaling the image. The V-Stretch mode is intended for use with an external anamorphic lens, but the firmware for that feature hadn’t been implemented yet for high-definition signals.

Lens Quality

Lamp Mode Gamma The Konica-Minolta lens is superb. There was virtually no visible chromatic aberration The Lamp mode selects the projection There are eight preset gamma curves (color fringing) on horizontal or vertical lines lamp brightness. In the Normal mode, the (A-E, Theater, Standard, and Dynamic). The anywhere on screen. The edges of individ- fan noise measured 52 dB, C-weighted at gamma curves are plotted in the accompa- ual pixels were sharply defined across the 12 inches from the front (exhaust side) of nying charts. entire pixel grid, and single-pixel black-and- the projector. In the Economy mode, the The Standard gamma curve provides a white lines were reproduced with full resolu- brightness dropped by about 20 percent, nearly constant 2.2 gamma value, and it tion and contrast. There was very little dif- and the noise level was 50-dB. produces the most realistic-looking images ference when the optical lens shift was on this projector. I would have liked the maximized. The individual 1080p pixels Picture Modes option to experiment with higher gamma were still extremely well defined, with just values (2.3 to 2.5), which are similar to CRT slightly less sharpness along the top of the There are four Picture modes: Theater, projectors, but the Standard value was quite screen. Standard, Dynamic, and User. The Theater, satisfying and well matched to the black level Standard, and Dynamic modes have a pre- and contrast performance of the projector. Gray Scale set Default setting and three additional The Dynamic curve may be some view- index (1/2/3) settings. The Theater, ers’ first choice because it adds more An AccuPel HDG-3000 Calibration gen- Standard, and Dynamic modes have preset “punch” to the picture, but I believe it will erator (www.accupel.com) was used to gen- gamma curves, but the Picture Adjust and appear increasingly unnatural with extend- erate test patterns for measuring light out- Fine Menu 1 settings can be changed for ed viewing. Many of the other curves are put, contrast ratio, gray scale and color index 1/2/3. The User mode has nine addi- similar to the unusually low gamma values accuracy. tional index settings. Any of eight gamma included on previous Marantz projectors. I The factory-adjusted Color Temperatures curves can be selected for each of the User don’t see the purpose of those gamma (1-5) measured 5800K, 6360K, 7080K, index settings, in addition to the Picture curves, which excessively brighten near- 7860K, and 9220K at 70 IRE. I re-calibrated Adjust and Fine Menu 1 settings. The black image content. the Color Temperature 3 gray scale to pro- Picture Modes are global settings that can duce D65 (x = 0.3127, y = 0.329, dE = 0) be used with any input. When an input is Aspect Ratios at 70 IRE, with a maximum dE deviation of switched, the Picture mode and index last three at 10 IRE and 100 IRE. A dE of three used with that input are restored. There are five Aspect (ratio) Modes— is generally not noticeable under normal Full, Normal, Zoom, V-Stretch, and Through. viewing conditions.

28 Widescreen Review • Issue 112 • September 2006 Page 3/7 112er01 7/28/06 12:00 PM Page 29

EQUIPMENT Review

GRAYSCALE somewhat more saturated than the Rec. 601 (SMPTE-C) standard, but the hues remain accurate. HDMI YCbCr high-definition and stan- dard-definition signals produced virtually the same CIE diagrams (not shown), which indicate the Rec. 709 and Rec. 601 color decoding matrices match the applicable standards. The complementary color coor- dinates in the analog high-definition and standard-definition YPbPr CIE diagrams (not shown) vary by no more than 0.002 (x,y), which indicates excellent matching of the analog signal paths and correct hue accuracy. The Chroma Delay control, which is only the ability to see contrast differences when available for analog 480i and 576i signals, Black Level And there are bright objects near darker objects. was incorrect at its default value. The chro- Contrast Ratio The intra-image contrast ratio is much lower ma and luma signals were properly aligned than the full- contrast ratio because light when the control was set to -1. Light output and contrast measurements from bright objects will be scattered over were made using the HDMI input with the the image obscuring darker objects. The light 1080i/p Pixel gray scale calibrated to D65 as above. With scattering occurs within the lens and the Perfection the Normal lamp power and F6.0 (high-con- optical system of the projector, but it may also trast) iris aperture, the VP-11S1 produced occur within your theatre as light reflects The VP-11S1 produced spatially “pixel 416 lumens, which is equivalent to 19.0 around the room and back onto the screen. perfect” images from 1080p HDMI/DVI sig- foot-Lamberts (fL) from my 1.3 gain, 85.3- My modified “ANSI” contrast ratio is a nals. No pixels were blanked and each inch wide, 16:9 Stewart® Studiotek screen. figure-of-merit to characterize intra-image incoming pixel was precisely mapped to a The Economy lamp power reduced the light contrast performance. It is designed to min- single projector pixel without scaling. The output to 330 lumens, which is equivalent to imize the influence of room reflections and projector’s internal deinterlacer also con- 15.1 fL from my screen, which is still sub- other variables that would affect measurement verted 1080i static test patterns to “pixel stantially more than the 12 fL SMPTE recom- accuracy. The modified “ANSI” contrast ratio perfect” 1080p images, except that one line mendation for digital cinema. The full-field of the VP-11S1 measured a superb 530:1. at the top of the frame was blanked. The contrast ratio measured an excellent 4020:1. blanked line could be moved to the top or With the high-brightness F3.0 iris aper- White Field Uniformity bottom of the frame with the vertical posi- ture in the Normal lamp mode, the projector tion control, but it could not be eliminated. produced 608 lumens, which is equivalent Brightness uniformity on a white-field However, all other pixels were correctly to 27.8 fL from my screen, with a full-field test pattern was exceptional. There was deinterlaced and mapped without scaling, contrast ratio of 2360:1. only three percent or less variation in bright- and single pixel lines in an AccuPel multi- The above measurements were made at ness at the sides of the screen, and seven burst pattern were rendered as single pixel my usual 12-foot lens-to-screen throw dis- percent variation from top to bottom in the lines with full amplitude. Analog 1080i tance, but the contrast ratio differences F6.0 iris mode. The color uniformity varied YPbPr signals were reproduced with no weren’t measurably significant at the mini- by only 2 dE. In the F3.0 mode, the top-to- missing lines or pixels, but there was a mum and maximum throw distances. bottom brightness uniformity was seven slight smear on the edge of vertical lines Brightness increased by about three per- percent or less, and just five percent or less due to limited analog bandwidth. cent at the minimum throw distance, and from side-to-side. decreased by about six percent at the max- Scaling And Overscan imum throw distance. Color Accuracy If additional brightness is desired for Scaling was excellent with only one to non-critical viewing in a dimly lit room, the The CIE diagrams show the HDMI RGB two (1080p) pixels of extremely faint outlin- High Bright (HB) mode can be enabled. color accuracy compared to the Rec. 709 ing around 720p horizontal and vertical The HB factory setting increased the bright- (HDTV) and Rec. 601 (SDTV) colorimetry lines, and two to three pixels of outlining ness about 24 percent, but the dE deviation using u’,v’ coordinates, which provide a around 480i or digital signals. There from D65 increased to 29. more perceptually uniform presentation of was one missing horizontal line of pixels at The full-field contrast ratio is crucial because the color space than CIE x,y coordinates. the bottom of the frame for 720p digital sig- it determines the absolute blackest level in The projector primaries are only slightly nals, and a single missing vertical line of dark scenes when a projection system pro- more saturated than the Rec. 709 primaries, pixels on the right side of the frame for duces the desired peak-white brightness in and they are balanced so that the position 720p analog YPbPr signals. With the bright scenes. A small increase in the of the yellow, cyan, and magenta comple- Overscan mode enabled (only available for absolute black-level reduces shadow detail mentary colors are extremely close to the standard-definition formats), there was 1.5 discrimination in predominantly dark standard hues. That makes flesh tones and to three percent overscan at each edge of images. all other hues within the color gamut excep- the frame. With Overscan disabled, there Another important performance parame- tionally accurate. The standard-definition was about 0.5 percent of overscan on the ter is intra-image contrast, which describes Line of Purples from red to blue are left side of digital 480i signals, and about

29 Widescreen Review • Issue 112 • September 2006 Page 4/7 112er01 7/28/06 12:00 PM Page 30

EQUIPMENT Review

0.2 percent or less overscan on the left side with movement. The Silicon Optix Realta™ avoids vertical interpolation that would soft- of other 480i and 480p signals. HQV™ image processor is the other latest- en the image. Inverse-telecine deinterlacing The Sharpness control is best left at its generation video-processing chip that I is particularly effective in reducing moiré minimum setting for most sources. It sharp- have evaluated in recent reviews. Both patterns and eliminating line flicker during ens both horizontal and vertical edges to a processors provide 1080i image clarity that vertical movement of closely spaced hori- varying degree, depending on the signal far exceeds what I have seen from previous zontal lines. format, but it also brightens or increases generation deinterlacing solutions. The projector’s Cinema mode must be edge outlining. The projector also provides Unfortunately, I didn’t have an external set to Auto to use film-mode deinterlacing. It Chroma Upsampling Error (CUE) compen- video processor with the Silicon Optix will then automatically switch between sation, called CEC, but it’s only available for Realta to directly compare to the Gennum inverse-telecine deinterlacing for film 1080i signals. CEC is a vertical chroma fil- VXP processor on this projector. But based sources, and motion-adaptive deinterlacing ter, so it slightly reduces color resolution. on previous testing, my initial impression is for original interlaced-video sources. The that the Realta 1080i motion-adaptive dein- automatic switching worked seamlessly Video Deinterlacing terlacing produced a slightly sharper pic- without any glitches or combing artifacts on ture, but the Gennum had slightly less reso- the Digital Video Essentials “Montage Of The VP-11S1 uses a Gennum GF9351 lution pumping. However, this is a tentative Images,” which cuts back and forth VXP™ Image Processor for deinterlacing, impression until I can do a direct A/B com- between segments transferred from film and scaling, , detail enhance- parison on the same projector. Until then, I original . ment, and frame rate conversion. The 10-bit can’t conclude which solution I prefer for The Gennum VXP processor performs video processor provides film-mode 1080i broadcasts. inverse-telecine deinterlacing for 1080i and (inverse-telecine) and per-pixel motion- The Gennum VXP motion-adaptive dein- standard-definition film-source video. It adaptive deinterlacing for standard-defini- terlacing is also a major improvement for doesn’t include processing to detect other tion and high-definition video. 480i original video sources. Line twitter and unusual cadence sequences that show up As I’ve written many times, there is no jaggies are more difficult to eliminate in the in some video material, particularly anima- perfect solution to convert 480i, 576i, or lower resolution, standard-definition format tion or animé. Without those additional 1080i original interlaced video sources to where the spacing between the original complications, I expected the VXP process- progressive video. Unlike film-source video, video lines is greater. I evaluate the trade- ing to handle 3-2 field cadences exceptionally there’s no 3-2 field pulldown cadence, offs between line twitter, jaggies, and a loss well. which allows inverse-telecine deinterlacing of picture resolution using the Digital Video I was disappointed that it would not lock to reassemble film frames. Instead, each Essentials “Montage Of Images” as a onto the AVIA Pro 3-2 motion test pattern odd or even field of original interlaced video repeatable source of difficult-to-deinterlace during the slowest vertical movement, captures images at different instances in original interlaced-video sequences. although it worked fine for diagonal and cir- time. Most projectors and standalone The VXP algorithms produced a sharper cular movement. Predictably, it then failed scalers have traditionally converted 1080i picture with less line twitter than the previ- to consistently lock during the slowly scroll- video to 1080p using vertical interpolation ous generation of deinterlacing processors. ing yellow text at the beginning of Star to scale each individual 1080i field directly There were no jaggies on the bobbing Wars: Episode IV—A New Hope. The text to a 1080p frame. The vertical resolution of frozen branch, or the stripes of the rippling characters exhibited considerable line twit- the displayed image is then limited to the American flag, although there was a trace ter and moving jaggies along their edges. I 540-line vertical resolution of each original of color-bleed between the red and white have seen similar problems on the AVIA Pro interlaced field. Furthermore, vertical inter- stripes of the flag. The Realta HQV proces- test, and line twitter on the Star Wars exam- polation acts as a filter, which also reduces sor avoids the color-bleed, and it does a ple, with products using the Realta HQV the vertical resolution and softens the better job during the pan of the stadium processor. But Silicon Optix fixed its algo- image. seating. But the Gennum VXP processor rithms at my request for the Yamaha DPX- The Gennum VXP processor instead was by far the best that I have seen during 1300 720p DLP projector. I hope Gennum converts 1080i original video to 1080p the difficult zoom out of the city. It produces will quickly fix its problem. The older gener- using pixel-based motion-adaptive deinter- less line twitter, while still maintaining detail ation Silicon Image SiI-504 processor, which lacing. It applies interpolation to image and sharpness. Generally, the Gennum VXP is used in numerous projectors and stand- areas that are in motion, but merges infor- was better at eliminating 480i line twitter, alone processors, deinterlaces the AVIA Pro mation from odd and even fields in static while the Silicon Optix Realta eliminated the test pattern correctly and only produces image areas. Merging field information pro- 480i jaggies better. very minor line twitter on the Star Wars duces 1080 line vertical resolution in static example. image areas. The Gennum processor also Inverse-Telecine I was pleasantly surprised when the includes its FineEdge™ adaptive edge-cor- Deinterlacing Gennum VXP processor worked flawlessly rection, which adds directional interpolation while deinterlacing 1080i film-sources. I did- to reduce jaggies on diagonal lines and Inverse-telecine deinterlacing is an ideal, n’t see a single problem while viewing 1080i optimize the resolution of areas that are in artifact-free process that converts interlaced D-VHS® D-Theater™ movies. For instance, motion. video transferred from film to progressive there was no line twitter during vertical cam- The Gennum VXP processor was excep- video. The video processor must lock onto era movement over the horizontal slats of a tional in eliminating 1080i jaggies and line the 3-2 field pulldown cadence that results park bench on my X-Men test case. Vertical twitter, while still producing excellent resolu- from transferring 24 frame-per-second film detail on the 1080i movies was sharp and tion. In addition there was very little resolu- to 60 field-per-second interlaced video. It exceptionally well defined during slow tion pumping (breathing), which is a highly then merges the odd-and-even video fields movement. annoying artifact that occurs if the image that originated from the same film frames. resolution suddenly and severely decreases That eliminates interlaced line twitter and

30 Widescreen Review • Issue 112 • September 2006 Page 5/7 112er01 7/28/06 12:00 PM Page 31

EQUIPMENT Review

Frame Rate Conversion on its 1920 x 1080 spatial resolution, its sequential color system, but I occasionally ability to accurately render the temporal see rainbows while reviewing some DLP When Frame Rate Conversion (FRC) is dimension (motion) of film is equally impor- projectors with a 5x-speed color wheel. With on, all input frame rates are converted to 60 tant to my enthusiasm for its picture quality. the VP-11S1’s 6x-speed color wheel, I never Hz. But if FRC is set to Auto, then 48 Hz The VP-11S1’s native primary colors are saw any rainbows while viewing the screen. video signal formats are displayed at their slightly more saturated than the SMPTE-C native rate. I tested 720p48 and 1080p48 standard, but less so than many fixed-pixel High-Definition Viewing signals, and they were displayed without projectors. Although colors are a little deep- judder. That allows DVD movies to be dis- er than intended, the hues are accurate. Lens quality is a key differentiating factor played without judder if they are upconvert- The Thomas Crown Affair (1999), which is a for 1080p projectors. I’ve written about the ed to 1080p48 by an external video proces- vividly saturated film transfer, looked espe- importance of superior optics in some 720p sor using inverse-telecine deinterlacing. cially brilliant, and its flesh tones weren’t projector reviews, but lens performance is A firmware update is promised that will pushed toward red. The paintings in the film even more significant for 1080p projectors. convert 1080p24 input signals to 1080p48. were particularly striking. More chromatical- To fully resolve the finer detail and sharper That is an extremely important feature to ly subtle , such as Mulholland Dr., edges permitted by 1080i/p sources, a provide judderless display of high-definition looked great without upsetting their delicate 1080p projection lens must have a better movies from future HD DVD or Blu-ray Disc color design. The gregarious color palette MTF (modulation transfer function) and less players that have a 1080p24 output. of Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged chromatic aberration (color fringing) than a Me was dazzling, but flesh tones remained typical 720p projector lens. To put it more DVD Viewing natural, and there was excellent delineation succinctly, what might have been adequate between colors of similar hue. for 720p won’t cut it for 1080p. Although the transition to high-definition The excellent full-field contrast ratio elim- This projector’s Konica-Minolta lens is has finally begun, it will be years inated haze in the majority of dark film superior to the built-in lenses I have seen before all of the titles we want become scenes. The very dark street scenes in on previous 1080p projectors. The sharp- available in a 1080p format. So it’s still Manhattan were clear with virtually no haze ness of various projectors’ on-screen menus extremely important to know how well new obscuring the image, and even Dark City provide a simple indicator of relative lens projectors handle our existing standard-def- was pleasing to watch. The latter’s high- quality, but the real proof of performance inition DVD libraries. contrast dark scenes looked exceptional, occurs when you watch high-definition video. It was no surprise that standard-defini- but there was some slight veiling in the low- The D-Theater transfer of The Haunting tion DVDs look better on an excellent 1080p est contrast scenes. There was good shad- has become my favorite high-definition ref- projector than they do on an excellent 720p ow detail discrimination within the dark inte- erence for revealing a projector’s ability to projector. The higher 1080p pixel density rior of the Jawa Sandcrawler in Stars Wars render detail and resolution. The intricate allows the scaler to create shorter edge Episode IV—A New Hope, but a lower black designs on the floors and walls of the man- transitions, which produces a slightly sharp- level would improve its star fields. A full- sion include extraordinary detail and tex- er picture, but the images also look signifi- field contrast ratio of 8,000:1 or more would tures. This single-chip DLP projector signifi- cantly smoother because the pixel steps provide that lower black level. But the only cantly surpassed the image definition that are smaller along diagonal edges. There is current way to achieve that performance is I’ve seen from 1080p projectors using three- also a complete absence of screen door a dynamic iris. However, a dynamic iris panel LCoS technology. Lens quality is one effect (pixel grid visibility) from any reason- inherently produces brightness compres- crucial factor that affects picture definition, able viewing distance. The VP-11S1 pro- sion artifacts, so we end up trading one but the difficulty of precisely aligning three vides those important advantages and more. problem for arguably a more serious one. 1080p LCoS panels is another factor. For The Gennum scaling didn’t add any Now that we have 1080p DLP and LCoS that same reason, I also don’t expect three- noticeable edge enhancement, nor did it projectors, the manufacturer’s next major chip 1080p DLP projectors to provide as emphasize existing noise or MPEG artifacts. goal should be to double the current full- much image definition as the best single- Film grain looked natural, and the detail and field contrast ratios without introducing chip 1080p DLP projectors. clarity of the best DVD transfers were objectionable artifacts. U-571 is another D-Theater transfer with extremely impressive. The projector’s The VP-11S1 includes 12-bit gamma exceptional definition, and it looked amaz- superb resolution along with its exceptional processing and a 6x-speed color wheel that ing on the VP-11S1. I didn’t fully appreciate intra-field contrast produced superior image virtually eliminate dithering noise and con- how good the transfer was until I saw it on a depth. touring in dark scenes. There was no 1080p projector with superb optics. The Additionally, I was elated to have a noticeable contouring (discrete brightness projector’s excellent full-field and exception- 1080p projector that was able to display steps) around the swinging overhead light al intra-field contrast, combined with its video at 48 Hz without motion judder. That or wall lamps in Dark City. Dithering noise in superior definition, produced marvelous is a key feature of CRT front projectors that I dark scenes was invisible from a normal three-dimensionality within the often-dark have greatly missed with fixed-pixel projec- viewing distance and was the best I have confines of the submarine’s interior. There tors. I used a Lumagen VisionHDQ™ video seen for a DLP projector. Even standing was little, if any, haze in the darkest scenes, processor (or a DVDO iScan™ VP30 can be inches from the screen, dithering noise on and shadow detail was excellent. used) to upconvert DVDs to smooth, judder- the 1-10 IRE, 10-step luma pattern from an The Haunting not only has superlative less 1080p48 video for the VP-11S1. AccuPel generator was barely discernable. definition, but its warm and luscious color Although I only intended to watch selected There was also negligible spurious pixeliza- was very vibrant even in dark scenes. K- chapters of about a dozen DVDs, instead I tion and minimal dithering in bright scenes, PAX has a much wider chromatic range spent several days watching some of my even with image movement. from the cool color palette of the planetarium favorite films from start to finish. Although I’m not overly sensitive to the rainbow to the warmer, but brilliant colors of the picnic. the keen interest in this projector is focused color separation artifacts produced by a In each case, the projector’s hue accuracy

31 Widescreen Review • Issue 112 • September 2006 Page 6/7 112er01 7/28/06 12:00 PM Page 32

EQUIPMENT Review

was near perfect. The bright reds at the picnic The Blu-ray Disc Debut Judgment Day—none of these Blu-ray Disc were not quite as saturated as they appear on titles came close to my expectations for a projector with a red primary that lies far- The Samsung BD-P1000 Blu-ray Disc™ picture definition. I doubt whether the aver- ther outside the Rec. 709 standard, but they player arrived a few days before the age person walking into my theatre would were more realistic. The ketchup bottle on Marantz VP-11S1, along with about a half have identified any of them as something the picnic table is a perfect example, as we dozen Blu-ray Disc movies. I was really other than a standard-definition DVD. What all know the correct color from our own excited that one of Home on earth was wrong? experience. My favorite scene from K-PAX Entertainment's first Blu-ray Disc titles was From the test patterns I had viewed takes place within the planetarium when The Fifth Element, which is one of my while calibrating the projector, I knew its Prot illustrates the orbit of his home planet. It favorite DVDs for reviewing equipment. I performance was far beyond what I saw requires excellent full-field and intra-field con- connected the Blu-ray Disc player to the from these Blu-ray Disc releases. But just to trast ratios, exceptional image definition, and VP-11S1 using a 1080p HDMI connection. I be sure I popped in the 1080i D-Theater™ accurate color accuracy across a wide bright- expected that The Fifth Element would be versions of The Haunting and U-571, which ness range. The VP-11S1 rendered it superbly. one of the primary showpieces for the Blu- were rendered with exceptional high-defini- As usual, the late night talk shows pro- ray Disc launch. When I played the disc, I tion resolution and detail. The Marantz VP- vided the best examples of 1080i broadcast could hardly believe my eyes. Many scenes 11S1 was absolved of playing any part in quality, and they were incredibly impressive had only modestly better detail than the the Blu-ray Disc title’s softness. on this projector. NBC’s Tonight Show with standard-definition Superbit™ DVD. Some Eventually I was told by sources that the Jay Leno, NBC’s Late Night with Conan scenes were substantially better than the cause of the image softness was the set- O’Brien, and the CBS Late Show with David DVD, but overall the disc was a huge dis- ting of a noise filter in the Samsung player. Letterman were often dazzling with the bril- appointment for what should have been Samsung later confirmed that they were liant color and stunning clarity that high-def- one of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment's going to change the filter setting in future inition studio cameras can produce under top-priority Blu-ray Disc releases. player production, and that they would optimum lighting. The Gennum VXP proces- Next I played Basic Instinct 2. I must work on a firmware revision for current play- sor did an outstanding job of converting the confess that the original Basic Instinct is ers. This preliminary information was 1080i broadcast video to 1080p. Its motion- one of my favorite guilty pleasure movies, released shortly before the deadline for this adaptive deinterlacing with directional inter- but like most of the population I ignored the review. It remains to be seen (literally) polation was extraordinary at vanquishing cinema release of Basic Instinct 2. So this whether a noise filter is totally responsible jaggies from diagonal edges and the text was a chance to see the film in high-defini- for the disappointing image definition of the on mugs. In addition, there was virtually no tion video. I was shocked by Basic Instinct first Blu-ray Discs. I'm skeptical that line twitter during vertical camera move- 2. Not by the film's content, but by the Samsung will find a noise filter setting that ment across horizontal edges. There was image quality of this Blu-ray Disc title. The will fully correct softness that sometimes only slight flicker as the camera panned picture was so soft I wondered if the cine- varies from scene to scene. We may have across the closely spaced vertical lines and matographer had deliberately defocused to wait for the Pioneer or Sony Blu-ray Disc edges in the cityscape backdrop behind the lens. So I tried another Blu-ray Disc players to see if the problem is caused by Leno. The image detail and clarity was title—then another, and then another. Hitch, player design or disc encoding. extremely impressive, and there was very The Terminator, and Terminator 2: little resolution pumping with movement.

Summary

Marantz has produced an outstanding 1080p DLP projector using Texas Instruments’ new 1920 x 1080 pixel, DarkChip3 technol- ogy, and a faster 6x-speed color wheel. The VP-11S1 includes a custom Konica-Minolta projection lens that produces superlative 1080p image definition. It also includes Gennum’s newest 10-bit VXP video processing, which deinterlaces 1080i broadcast video and 1080i film-source video exceptionally well. The projector will also display 1080p Provided By signals directly from an HD DVD or Blu-ray Disc player. Movie enthusiasts will also want to take advantage of the projector’s ability This review, Copyright © 2006 Widescreen Review, has been reproduced in its entirety from to display 1080p48 signals without motion Issue 112, September 2006. judder, by upconverting DVD movies to that Take advantage of our no-risk subscription offer: 13 For $34*—1 free trial + 12 monthly issues + format with an external video processor. 1 special edition + full access pass to WSR’s paid subscriber Web site—a 56% savings off the The Marantz VP-11S1 ($19,999) is the monthly newsstand price (over $43 savings off the cover price)! Subscription orders may be placed via phone, fax, or online.* Foreign subscription rates are $40.00US Canada/Mexico, and $55.00US first 1080p DLP projector to begin shipping International. Canada/Mexico and International Special Edition Offer Plus Shipping Cost. to customers. It won’t be the least expen- Widescreen Review, 27645 Commerce Center Drive, Temecula, CA 92590. Phone 951 676 4914 sive 1080p DLP projector, but its exception- Fax 951 693 2960. Order on-line at: www.WidescreenReview.com/13.All major credit cards are al picture quality sets a high standard for accepted. future DLP and LCoS projectors. ■■

32 Widescreen Review • Issue 112 • September 2006 Page 7/7