Samsung SP-A600 DLP Home Theater Projector First Look

Is it possible to get tired of hearing the words "1080p" projector? It is when that appears to be the best thing going for a particular model. It seems like most manufacturers are so tickled to be able to rattle off those numbers as if they are anything other than the most expected of specifications. Nevertheless, Samsung showed up at the 2009 CEDIA Expo with it's new SP-A600 DLP home theater projector - a product that aims at taking its higher end SP-A800 home theater projector and bringing some of that functionality to the masses. It's a good move, considering the company's last two home theater projectors left a price gap of $8000 between the two models. With an expected retail price of just $1,795, the new SP-A600 might just take Samsung into the "mass-market" playing field.

The A600 includes the same image performance and color quality of the acclaimed A800 and A900 Full HD 1080p “Joe Kane Signature Series” projectors. The projector, like the A900, uses built-in color settings for HDTV, SMPTE-C and EBU broadcast color standards. Brightness is stated at 1,000 ANSI Lumens and the "real world" contrast ratio is given at 3000:1 (leaving us to assume it remains a DarkChip2 model). The SP-A600 includes a 24-frame film mode delivers a high-definition picture and the extremely quiet operation completes the home theater experience.

The SP-A600 is an attractive projector, with rounded edges and a glossy black finish. It is quiet and weighs less than 13 pounds. The 220 watt lamp has an expected life of up to 4,000 hours in eco mode or 3,000 hours in high bright mode. With a shorter 1.99 throw ratio, the SP-A600 offers the flexibility of being placed closer to the screen either table-top or mounted on the ceiling.

The A600 has full connectivity and offers popular video capabilities for video sources or even a PC. The SP-A600 has two HDMI inputs and connections for component, composite and S-Video. For PC connectivity, an analogue 15-pin VGA/HD15 style input is also available.

There is a LOT of competition at this price point. With no vertical lens shift and a dramatic specification shift from this to the SP-A900 model, you can imagine that we're fairly certain Samsung's newest projector will have its work cut out for it when clamoring for the sub-$2000 projector market. Still, the more the merrier and competition, as we always say, is never a bad thing.

All data and home theater projectors are available through Samsung resellers and distribution channels, which can be located by calling 1-800-SAMSUNG or by visiting www.samsung.com.

Unless otherwise indicated, this is a preview article for the featured product. A formal review may or may not follow in the future.