Projectors

Projection Design Action! MII Wide

For home cinema fans with small rooms and big budgets

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Last reviewed: May 10th 2007

The short-throw lens gives the Model Two Wide a very distinctive look

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Sadly, we're not all lucky enough to have rooms big enough to accommodate a projector. Or are we? For thanks to Norwegian projector specialist Projection Design, you can now buy a classy projector, the Action! Model Two, equipped with a highly unusual short-throw '1:1' lens.

When we say '1:1' in this context, we're saying that if you plonk the projector 1m from your screen you'll get a 1m picture. Or put it 2m from the screen and you'll get a 2m picture. And so on. This is compared with a normal projection throw distance of, for instance, around 4-5m to enjoy an image of 2m.

The lens is made by Fujinon but it's actually engineered by Projection Design's own engineers, so that its optical properties better match the Model Two Wide's internal optics than if the company had simply bought in a third party lens.

The lens also gives the Model Two Wide a very distinctive look, looking disproportionately large compared with the rest of the actually remarkably diminutive bodywork. Talking of which, its chassis unusually functions as a heat sink to relieve some burden from the projector's cooling fans. And it can be had in any of three colours: Vanquish Grey, Pearl White and Maranello Blue.

Could be a model

As you'd expect of a £4k projector, the Model Two employs a DarkChip3 chipset from Texas Instruments, here giving a claimed 4000:1 contrast ratio along with a 1280 x 720 native resolution.

There's also a 7-segment colour wheel, which should reduce DLP's rainbow effect problems, and connections include a DVI input, component jacks, and PC D-Sub options. We wouldn't have minded a second HDMI on a £4k projector, but them's the breaks.

Our Superman Returns HD DVD looks for the most part very good on the Model Two Wide. Black levels in particular make a great first impression, as the projector handles dark scenes with aplomb like Superman's night flight with Lois in terms of both the black level depth and shadow detailing.

Also impressive are the Model Two Wide's colours. Bright scenes like those aboard Luthor's flash boat look extremely vibrant, but also enjoy very natural tones by DLP standards. Even better, this toning prowess holds up during the film's many dark scenes, and survives director Bryan Singer's fancy for stylised colour filters.