Mitsubishi HD4000 DLP Projector Review

Build Quality and Remote

The HD4000 is well packed from the manufacturer to prevent shipping damage. The projector includes the following accessories: one RGB cable, one RS-232 cable, one power cord, a backlit remote, AAA batteries, filter cover, attached lens cap, user instruction manual and quick start guide.

Physical Characteristics

The Mitsubishi HD4000 won't win any awards for styling. The rectangular rather ordinary case looks like many of the plain gray business type projectors on the market. The top case contains the power button, auto position, keystone, video, computer, enter, and menu buttons. Toward the front, above the lens is the manual focus and zoom adjusters.

Located on the bottom of the projector are three threaded leveling feet and the mounting holes for the optional ceiling mount. The mount holes are located in conventional configurations that carry the weight of the projector evenly, so the use of a universal mount should not be a problem with this projector. The projector lamp assembly is located under the square panel on the left side for easy access. We would say that we were a little disappointed inthe overall build quality, fit and finish of the HD4000.

Remote Control

The backlit remote supplied with the HD4000 is fairly ergonomic, but those with large fingers may double push buttons due to the small size and spacing of the buttons. The remote is backlit and we liked the inclusion of contrast, brightness, color temp, gamma, and sharpness buttons on the remote. The remote also has three A/V memory buttons from which to choose.

We found that remote operation was pretty sporadic; many times we had to aim and continually push buttons to get the projector to respond. We found it very difficult to make on the fly adjustments. As with previous projectors reviewed, this could be a result of the remote, IR pickups, or IR pickup location on the projector housing.

Setup, Installation, User Menus, and Test Results

The Mitsubishi HD4000 has a good selection of inputs. On the back of the projector you will find one HDMI input, one component video input, one S-video input, one composite input, one RGB D-SUB 15 pin computer input, one RS-232 serial port, and a single 12 volt trigger.

The USB port located on the back of the projector is for service only.

Installation Consideration

Throw distance is the amount of distance you will need between the screen and the projector's front lens to fill the screen with the projected image. The HD4000 has a zoom factor of about 1.26x, meaning that on a 100-inch diagonal screen the projector would need to be installed at a minimum of about 12 feet and a maximum of about 14.5 feet. If you don't feel like doing the math, Mitsubishi provides a distance calculator for download on their website, but unfortunately the HD4000 is not listed in the calculator.

Another very important consideration when contemplating a front projection installation is the projector offset. The HD4000 is a fixed lens projector, which means it has no mechanical lens shift and it must be installed at a predetermined height for proper installation geometry. This is somewhat disappointing as other models sold at this price now include this feature. The Mitsubishi HD4000 does include vertical image shift that moves the image up and down within the panel, but this should not be confused with a mechanical lens shift function. The marketing brochure that is distributed from Mitsubishi is very confusing because it states that the projector has vertical lens shift, as does the website specification PDF.

The fixed projector offset for this projector would be 49-inches for a 100-inch screen, meaning the center of the lens needs to be placed approximately 49-inches above or below the center of the screen.

User Menus

The HD4000 user menu is fairly easy to operate and comprehend. The user controls are expansive and should enable the user to get good calibration results in the menus. The user menu contains four headings labeled: Image, Installation, Feature, and Signal.

Under the Image menu you will find: Gamma Mode, Contrast, Brightness, Color Temp, Color, Tint, Sharpness and Brilliant Color when using the interlaced input.

The menu heading Installation contains: Screen Size with the selections of aspect ratios of 15:9, 16:9,4:3, and 2:35:1; Vertical Location moves the image up or down on the screen within the panel; and Lamp Mode allows the user to select either standard or low, Low should be the correct setting for home theater applications. Additional settings are: Auto On, Auto Off, Splash Screen, Back Color, Image Reverse, Trigger Out On/Off and Cross Hatch Pattern.

The next menu heading is labeled Feature and contains: Aspect with selections of Auto, 4:3, 16:9, Zoom 1, Zoom 2, Stretch and Real. The next setting found under Feature are: Password Function, Menu Position, Cinema Mode (Auto or Off), Video Signal, and WXGA. The next setting in this menu needs some explaining: Set Up (Auto, Off, 3.75% and 7.5%). This is an important setting for correct calibration and in our opinion is placed in the wrong section of the user menu system. This setting changes the IRE level of the projector and we would think this setting would be placed in the Image section instead of its obscure location. The next settings are: Scart, Language, and Reset (this resets the projector back to factory default settings).

The last Menu heading is Signal and contains: Horizontal Position, Vertical Position, Fine Sync, Tracking, Computer Input, Hold, and User.

Audioholics/HQV Bench Testing Summary of Test Results

480i Component Video Connection
Perfect Score is 130: the HD4000 scored an 85

Comments on HQV Testing

This is the second projector we have evaluated that incorporates the new Texas Instruments DDP-3020 processor. Once again we were very surprised to see such a capable video processor in this projector.

Viewing Evaluation and Conclusion

Using the Denon DVD-2910 DVD player, set for HDMI and 720p output, we began our viewing evaluation in a totally dark room. Powering up the projector we found that the HD4000 had no auto source detection which means you must manually select the input that you are using. This is somewhat disappointing considering the cost of the projector and we think that it should not have been omitted. As the projector began to warm up in the dark room, we did note a small amount of light leakage emanating from the side fan discharge vent. This would not be a problem if the projector was ceiling mounted but may be a distraction for individuals that install the projector on a tabletop in front of the viewing position. We also noted that the projector was significantly louder than the previous projector we reviewed, the Optoma HD72 .

We selected the DVD The Legend of Bagger Vance . This older DVD has beautiful cinematography, wonderful color, and a great inspiring story line. The HD4000 displayed wonderful color and black level, but the image looked soft, lacking fine detail. We also detected a small amount of posterization and solarization in scenes that were bright. These anomalies were pretty easy to detect in the shots that contained the sky or the sun.

A pot of gold?

We can tell you for sure that this legend is false because we viewed so many rainbows evaluating the HD4000; we have become experts on the subject manner. The simple fact is that this fatal flaw is more than prevalent when viewing video material on this projector. We believe that even those that are not sensitive to the RBE phenomenon would be able to view them when using the HD4000. We can only assume that this must be due to a slow color wheel speed, a timing issue with the color wheel, processor, and/or light engine.

We thought it would be fitting to select Mission Impossible 2 as our next evaluation DVD in anticipation of the sequel Mission Impossible 3. Once again the Mitsubishi displayed nice deep blacks and rich vibrant colors, but the rainbow effect (RBE) completely overwhelmed us to the point that we could no longer proceed with the evaluation. The RBE displayed by the HD4000 is very disappointing considering it is being marketed as a multi-media projector.

Operation report

The HD4000 never failed to start nor did it shut down. The projector recognized all interlaced and progressive signals when using the Component, Composite and S-Video inputs. The HD4000 also had no trouble syncing to a computer resolution of 1280x720 @ 59.94 Hz with the RGB input.

We did run into some trouble with the HDMI input. We tried many different resolutions and refresh rates with our G-Force based HTPC connected to the HDMI input and we were unable to establish sync with any of them. We have had no trouble synching with other projectors previously reviewed and the Optoma H-72 had no trouble syncing with the same HTPC with multiple resolutions and refresh rates.

Conclusion

In the past, we have been strong proponents of the Mitsubishi brand. The manufacturer has a strong track record of producing some of the best video display devices in the industry. Unfortunately this wasn't the case with the HD4000. Although it produced very bright vibrant images and nice deep inky blacks, we found the images' fine detail lacking. The HD4000 produced the dreaded rainbow effect more often than not and at times became almost painful to watch.

The HD4000s lackluster build quality, fit and finish, and the ho hum aesthetic characteristics of this projector made it look more like a board room projector than one suited for home theater applications. The lack of updated technical data and misinformation on both the Mitsubishi website and the marketing material had us wondering if the projector had been rushed to market.

We feel that this projector should have performed much better considering its relatively high price point and Mitsubishi track record. The Mitsubishi did produce very bright images and it has a 3-year warranty but other than that we don't believe this projector would be suitable in the home theater environment. We must say that we were disappointed with the HD4000's video performance and feel there are much better alternatives at much lower prices. The Mitsubishi HD4000 fell well short of our expectations and it is therefore NOT recommended.

The Score Card

The scoring below is based on each piece of equipment doing the duty it is designed for. The numbers are weighed heavily with respect to the individual cost of each unit, thus giving a rating roughly equal to:

Performance × Price Factor/Value = Rating

Audioholics.com note: The ratings indicated below are based on subjective listening and objective testing of the product in question. The rating scale is based on performance/value ratio. If you notice better performing products in future reviews that have lower numbers in certain areas, be aware that the value factor is most likely the culprit. Other Audioholics reviewers may rate products solely based on performance, and each reviewer has his/her own system for ratings.

Audioholics Rating Scale

• — Excellent
• — Very Good
• — Good
• — Fair
• — Poor

Metric	Rating
Detail and Resolution
Contrast and Black Levels
Color Reproduction
Calibration Options
Build Quality
Ergonomics & Usability
Features
Performance
Value