Even if you've only got a rudimentary understanding of the world of home cinema projection, you'll probably realise that DarkChip4 – as sported for the first time in the UK by the InFocus IN83 – is a Big Deal.

As the very latest chipset developed by Texas Instruments for use in DLP PJs, it carries some resonance; some might argue that it even represents a key stage in the evolution of home cinema picture quality.

DarkChip4 chipsets employ a darker wafer in their design, and improved mirror lithography, to deliver contrast ratios as much as 30 per cent better than their predecessors.

Not that we've been crying out for greater contrast. Earlier iterations have certainly satisfied even the most demanding of cinephiles.

Black ops

While the insides may be different, there's little which surprises about the exterior of the InFocus
IN83. Essentially it looks like all the other models in the range: a roughly circular hunk of glossy black kit sat on an unusual foot mount, upon which its entire body can rotate and tilt.

In theory this pedestal should make it exceptionally easy to get the IN83's pictures correctly positioned on your projector screen. However, although I once appreciated the sheer novelty value of the pivoting foot design on previous InFocus models, the more I see of it, the more I'm irked by how difficult it is to make really small precision movements, especially when tilting the image in the vertical plane. Just as well there's digital vertical image-shifting on hand as a back up, together with keystone correction.

Another slight set-up disappointment finds the IN83 only offering a 1.2x optical zoom, meaning you might find it quite challenging to accommodate in your room. Talk to an installer about this, or check out the InFocus image size calculator at www.infocus.com/ calculator. In short, this is a projector designed for larger rooms, something refl ected in its quite astounding brightness.

Projector pluggery

Connectivity is good. There are two digital video inputs (one v1.3 HDMI, one M1-DA multi-purpose socket with v1.3 HDMI adaptor); a component video input; two 12V trigger outputs; an RS232 port; and a Niles/Xantech-compatible 3.5mm minijack for system integration.

The IN83's key claimed specifications include a native contrast ratio of 5,000:1 and a typical brightness of 1400 ANSI Lumens (peaking at 1600 ANSI Lumens). What's more, the contrast level can be upped to a mighty 15,000:1 by manipulating its manual iris feature. That said, in virtually all circumstances the iris should be closed down rather than opened up.

Comparatively, the DarkChip3-based IN82 claims a native contrast ratio of 4,000:1 rising to 12,000:1 via the iris, and a typical light output of 1200 ANSI Lumens.

Greater depth

Other high-end feature attractions include the facility for the projector to be professionally calibrated by an Imaging Science Foundation professional; colours preset to the D65K level best-suited to video playback; the option to add a 2.35:1 Prismatic anamorphic lens (with suitable image-processing built into the projector); and the widely acclaimed DNX 10bit image processing system from Pixelworks.

There's little doubt that the DC4 silicon gives the IN83 a superb black level. It really is a notch beyond anything witnessed on the IN82. With the manual iris set to between its 55 and 64 levels, dark parts
of a picture, such as the blacks of the police uniform the T1000 replicates in the recent Blu-ray release of Terminator 2: Judgement Day, simply look blacker than they do on DC3 rivals.