Mitsubishi HC6800 Projector Review

Welcome to our in-depth projector review of the Mitsubishi HC6800 1080p home theater projector. 

Mitsubishi HC6800 Projector Overview

The Mitsubishi HC6800 home projector is the middle of three 1080p home theater projectors from the fine people at Mitsubishi. It is stradded by the rather excellent and award winning HC3800 - a low cost DLP projector selling for under $1500, and the more expensive, ultra-high contrast HC7000.

Like the more expensive model, the HC6800 projector is marketed only through local dealers. As is typical that means it will sell for more than a similar product that is available online. For those of us who are not DIY - do it yourself - types, this isn't a big deal. If you are hiring a home theater dealer to handle your installation, then you aren't likely to pay much premium. Dealers do have to make a living. If you want a local dealer, for example, to install a projector you buy elsewhere, somehow, some way, they will end up with more income on the installation, as they will no doubt be trying to make up for the lost profits on the projector.

But, it's time to discuss the HC6800 itself.

The HC6800 sells for $3499.99, but that's still a good bit more expensive than the most obvious competition, such as the Epson Home Cinema 8100 but about the same price as the Pro Cinema 9100. Epson, offers the 8100 online, and the 9100 is an almost identical product but sells for a lot more through local installing dealers only. In other words, the Mitsubishi HC6800's direct dealer equivalent model is the 9100, and based on that one, the HC6800 price is reasonable for a local install only type projector of its calibre.

But, it's time to discuss the HC6800 itself. The first thing I do want to point out, is that it is far brighter than the more expensive HC7000. In fact, Mike measured it, post calibration at 589 lumens in "best" mode. I do believe that makes it the brightest "best" mode, LCD projector we've seen in a year, though a number of LCoS projectors are in the range. Only the LG CF181D, so far, of the LCoS projectors is both near the Mitsubishi's price, and is brighter. A couple of DLP's also can best the HC6800 in best mode.

The point is the HC6800 home projector has a goodly amount of lumens and that will allow it to do well, with say, a 110" diagonal screen in a typical darkened environment, or maybe even a 120" diagonal. It can be pushed a bit larger than the Epsons and some others, but really only by an extra 6-12 inches diagonal.

The HC6800 does have a dynamic iris, and an impressive contrast ratio number, but, it really does not have the black level performance to take on projectors like the Panasonic PT-AE4000, the Epson "UB" projectors, Sanyo Z3000, and I presume, the newly announced PLV-Z4000. Nor can it match the better DLP's in blacks, such as the BenQ W6000, another direct competitor. But, we'll deal more with those issues later in the report. On the other hand, it's black performance is in line with the aforementioned Epson 8100/9100, the LG CF181D and other competitors.

The HC6800 is in some ways, elegant. It looks good, it's power everything - zoom, focus, and lens shift. Styling is, well, more styled than most, and nicely done in it's black case. In that regard it bests projectors like the Epson's which are nothing to look at, and manual everything. Ergonomically, it's better than most.

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HC6800 Projector Highlights

• Above average "best" mode for movie watching - with almost 600 lumens
• Slightly below average in "brightest" mode
• Very good post calibration color accuracy
• Skin tones and overall color look very good and accurate, but not the most natural - still, though, impressive
• Very sharp image - Mitsubishi projectors seem to be consistently sharper than other LCD projectors and the LCoS projectors, though still bested by a number of DLP projectors.
• Very good placement flexibility
• Dynamic iris improves blacks but the projector still doesn't qualify as an ultra-high contrast model based on black performance.
• A somewhat green projector - low wattage lamp is one of the lowest drawing in the home theater industry at 170 maximum. Note that even the Casio Greenslim XJ-A140 biz projector with its hybrid LED/laser light source draws only slightly less power. Nasty: Projector draws 7 watts in standby
• Good price performance for a local dealer only projector

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Projector Specs for the Mitsubishi HC6800

MAP: $3499.99
Technology: 3LCD
Native Resolution: 1080p (1920x1080)
Brightness: 1500 lumens (measured: 946 lumens)
Contrast: 30,000:1
Zoom Lens ratio: 1.6:1, motorized
Lens shift: Vertical and Horizontal, motorized
Lamp life: 2000 hours at full power, 4000 at low power
Weight: 16.5 lbs. (7.4 Kg)
Warranty: 2 Years Parts and Labor, 1 year or 500 hours on lamp

Click for more complete specs and brochure: Mitsubishi HC6800

Above image from the Star Trek movie, from Blu-ray disc.

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HC6800 Projector - Special Features

The HC6800 isn't particularly endowed with lots of features, nor is it stripped down.

Frame Interpolation

The HC6800 home theater projector does offer FI - frame interpolation, but not CFI (creative frame interpolation). That is to say, it will take a 24 fps movie, and insert one frame between each two, doubling the count to 48 fps. This helps with one type of motion blurring. CFI actually creates a different frame, between each too, not just repeating the first frame. For CFI, you need to move up to the Mitsubishi HC7000. Still, the move to 48fps is helpful.

Color Management System (CMS)

The HC6800 projector has a perfectly respectable color management system, including access to tuning individual colors. it's got all the basics needed for a professional calibration.

Mitsubishi HC6800 Projector: Dynamic Iris

Mitsubishi talks a lot about their improved iris design and action, noting in particular that it is designed to deal with scenes that change back and forth quickly. That's a huge plus, and they do have one of the smoother iris actions out there.

Their solution seems to be notably effective with one type of situation very common in movies. That would be a couple of people talking in a darker room. With the background not very bright, the iris can do its thing, but, cutting back from the shot of one person, to another (lets say one has a whitish shirt, and the other a medium blue. As those would be the brightest large objects in our scene, the iris would open more, for the scene with the blue shirt, and as the scene cuts back every few seconds, you get to see the iris open and close. With the Mits, they observe each frame, looking for fast transitions (back and forth) that are repeated, and makes adjustments to the iris action to improve it. Well done!