Projectors are becoming increasingly popular among home users as the display solutions of choice for their entertainment systems, and this is the reason why quite a large number of manufacturers have begun a features-and-price race in this market segment. That's the case with InFocus, who has released back in the second half of 2007 the Play Big IN81 model, a device that helps users enjoy an enhanced cinematographic experience at a fairly reasonable price tag.



Thus, the Play Big IN81 from InFocus features DarkChip2 1080p 12-degree LVDS, DLP technology by Texas Instruments, which allows it to attain a maximum projection resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels (1080p). Furthermore, the size of the images projected by the IN81 ranges between 3.06 ft (0.93 m) and 16.92 ft (5.16 m), with the projection distance ranging from 4.92 - 32.8 ft (1.5 - 10 m).



And since we're on the subject of image characteristics, it's also interesting to note that the projector supports 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratios, offers a very impressive contrast ratio (10000:1) and sports a standard lens throw ratio of 1.85-2.22:1. Moreover, the standard lens installed on the Play Big IN81 features a zoom ratio of 1.2 : 1. The light output is just slightly above average, namely around 1400 ANSI lumens, but appears downright poor when taking into account the fact that it is generated by a 300W lamp.



Another very important fact that must be mentioned about the Play Big IN81 is that it incorporates Pixelworks DNX 10-bit video processing, which delivers high processing, de-interlacing, and scaling performance. Due to this processing engine, the device supports 2.35:1 aspect ratio, for a true Cinemascope/widescreen experience, without the use of an external scaler (but with an anamorphic lens, available separately).



The Play Big IN81 comes packed with a wide array of connectivity options, including onboard HDMI 1.3 inputs with Deep Color support. This new HDMI standard can display up to 1.07 billion colors for a smooth picture without color band artifacts. The IN81 also hosts comprehensive connectivity & I/O, including DVI, and PC input, screen triggers, RS232, and an IR repeater input.



The Play Big IN81 from InFocus can be purchased for around 4,500 US dollars. Expensive, despite this being a very evolved product, because of its poor light output.