Home > Consumer Reviews > InFocus Screenplay DLP Front Projector - SP4805

After a labor intensive literature search of tech-related website reviews of projectors, we settled on the SP 4805. After reading all the product reviews and comparisons, we narrowed our search down to only InFocus products -- the X1, SP 4800, and 4805. The X1a and X2 do not have the Faroudji processing, therefore eliminating them from our search (the X1a and X2 currently have manufacturers rebates, and without the special processing algorithms, I can see why they're on sale). The SP 4805 is a newer version of the X1 and SP4800; the SPs are "optimized" for home theater use versus business use.

If you're looking to buy near term, Costco has a deal right now where you can get the SP 4805 and a free screen (if I remember, it is a 72" screen) for $1224. This is the best price I've come across thus far. [...]

We paired the projector with a Yamaha receiver and Klipsch speaker system. We get an approx. 100" dia. image on our wall (you can set the projector to letterbox, 16:9, or 4:3) from about 15-20 ft away. I liked how easy the setup was and the companion instructions on use are straightforward. We hooked up our DVD player via component cables and the resolution is fantastic! (Of course, we had to test it with Lord of the Rings). If you're doing research on purchasing an overall home theater system without paying alot we were able to do it in under $2300 (projector, screen, speakers, receiver, and all cabling -- the cables are an additional cost that adds up).

I read alot about ghosting and other issues involving these type of projectors. I am not an expert in the subtle differences, though we do own an HDTV so I have become accustomed to the hi-res images. Given this caveat, I can say that the resolution and overall image quality is amazing. It is a true movie theater experience!

We've had this projector for about a month now, having bought it unseen and untried based on high user ratings from another web site. Our viewing location is flooded with ambient light but this machine still throws a very discernable image even on the low-power setting.

With a distance of about 13 feet we get a 90-inch (diagonal) image (7 feet x 4 feet). We project on a panel of sheet rock painted white and have the projector sitting upside down on a board hinged to a wall just below the ceiling, supported by two pieces of chain to the front of the board. We're happy with the results using the supplied S-video cable.

If the remote is used to control the lamp, the fan always remains on, which is a bit annoying and my reason for only 4 stars. The low-power fan noise itself isn't bothersome during viewing. We have tried the high-power setting only briefly since we don't need it and it results in a noisier fan and decreases the life of the bulb.

The machine does produce some rainbow effect for people susceptible to it. We don't have experience judging the blackness of blacks or the whiteness of whites, nor some of the other technical aspects that videophiles might want to know about. We had an easy time hooking up an iBook to it though.

For the price of the machine and quality of the image we see, we feel this projector is a much better deal than a fixed-size TV of any sort.

The picture quality rivals systems that I've seen costing thousands more. I carry the 4805 in a briefcase from my southern cal home to the home in northern cal.

I project onto the screen it came with, however in my norcal home I project right onto a wall the is approx. 12' wide.

The wall is painted off white and has texture, however you can't see it. The picture is still crystal clear.

I am so hooked on the quality and ease of operation of this projector that I am buying a second one, so I can do a perminent installation.

Again!

A very happy consumer of the Infocus 4805

March 9th. 2006
One year later, still as happy and impressed as I was when I first purchased this product.
My video equipment snob friends still are eating their words, after seeing this projector in action..

May 3rd 2006 Updated review.

I still give this projector 5 out of 5 stars. Everytime we view a movie we marvel at the picture quality.

It is so easy to hook up. Again when viewing DVD's component cable is the best! I purchased via Provantage. They had a great cable at a great price.

Also important before purchasing a projector, research the cost of replacement bulbs. We are still on the original bulb.

I only gave it 4 based on the brightness. However, you would have to pay $6000.00+ to get one any brighter with the resolution this projector has.
I purchased and compared this unit with a BenQ PB6200.
The Benq PB6200 has 1700 lumens, is XGA resolution, has a 2x color wheel and is listed at 2000:1 contrast ratio.
The SP4805 of course is 750 Lumens, SVGA, 4x color wheel, and 2200:1 contrast.
Here are my observations:
Using Conventional Cable TV feed. (To a VCR then Svideo to teh projector). The BenQ is brighter. I would hope so, with supposedly twice the lumens. However you don't really get twice the brightness in reality. It is brighter, but not twice as bright. At the same distance from the screen, the BENQ gives you a bigger screen. I had it in 4:3 mode, which is the only acceptable picture for either of them for watching TV.
The Screenplay 4805 picture had better detail. I actually liked watching it a little better because the detail was crisper. My wife and kids however liked the BENQ because of the brightness, and larger output.
Now the DVD Test:
Using Lord of the rings, the results were about the same as the TV test. The BEnQ was brighter, but the Screenplay was crisper, so it comes down to personal choice I suppose.
The Screenplay does have 4:3, 16:9, and Letterbox. So if you put your DVD player in 16:9 mode, and the 4805 in Letterbox, it makes for a large fully filled screen. The Benq only has 4:3, and 16:9, so the same movie in 16:9, still has the black areas top and bottom. However with the Benq's zoom you can make it just about as large as the screenplay's output.
Bottom Line:
The Screenplay sp4805 is made for a really dark room.
In that dark room you will get great video/DVD output. Like a movie theater.
The BENQ is brighter, and probably better if you want to watch more TV, or sports, and don't want to sit in total darkness.
So it is a trade off. If you just intend to use your projector for movie night, then go with the Screenplay. However if you want to watch TV in a slightly brighter room, you will probably like the BENQ PB6200 better.
In this price range it is a trade off. To get brightness and great resolution, you have to be ready to put out $7,000.00 to $10,000.00 or more, and I just can't justify that yet, unless I get a really big raise in the near future. Not likely.

Now I plan on testing each of them with HDTV. I am thinking that with the BENQ's XGA output, that it will match the Screenplay in HDTV. I will let you know later.

What is it?
When my 18 month old son brutally murdered our HD widescreen TV by pounding on it, I sought a home theatre solution that would keep us happy while keeping things out his reach. Enter the Infocus 4805. About the size of a phonebook, this projector is optimized for DVD watching, but also delivers amazingly nice images from HD cable boxes via component cables. It is NOT true HD, but you might be fooled when watching HD sports and movies. It's that good. The unit is best hung from the ceiling and inexpensive excellent mounts for this popular model are available on that big auction site. While you can use a white wall, you'd do better to get some type of screen. We hung a 100 inch pull down manual screen
Does it work well?
When I got this thing home I slapped it on my coffee table just to "see it work" and threw a 11 foot wide image on a wall via Spiderman 2 from my DVD player. WOW! Unless you've been looking at these recently, you'll be amazed at the quality this unit delivers. Everyone who sees it says its like being in a theatre...and many of my friends are in the film biz! Sitting back 1.5 to 2 times screen width distance you have a true theatrical display in 16X9 format. Other aspect ratios are rendered nicely and it's really a kick to revisit films like Treasure of Sierra Madre to see Bogart as he should be seen...BIG!
What about regular TV?
It's viewable, but the unit loses close to half of it's resolution with the lower quality cable output. We tend to use it for HD shows. HD HBO or even American Idol look amazing.
What will I really spend?
You'll need the projector, screen, cables, projector mount and maybe some hardware to hide wires and so on. The projector is designed to be used with an external home theatre of some type, but we'll assume you already own that. Circuit City sold us our for 1100.00 with a 100 dollar rebate. In addition we got a 4 year warranty for 175 that covers the 4000 hour bulb! We spent about 1600.00 setting up our projector with mount and a 100 inch screen. We spent under 300 on a screen and that's cheap. You can spend a lot more of course.
What are the downsides?
Well, you really need a dark room. This is probably not ideal for casual viewing while you hang out and eat frozen dinners. It works best with a nearly dark room. There is also fan noise: It's there and easily audible, especially during quiet passages of a soundtrack. Some people build a projector box to cut the sound but I don't find the computer type fan noise too bothersome. Replacement bulbs, if you didn't get the warranty, are 329.00. Still, 4000 hours is a LOT of viewing time. In a week of use...watching movies and some HD programs we racked up 25 hours on the bulb which means one bulb should last 3 years and then the warranty gives us a free bulb. No problem there.
Shouldn't I just get a LCD or Plasma?
I'm not going to tell you that a 1000 dollar projector has a sharper better image than a good Plasma or Wega CRT. But in REAL WORLD applications this unit simply blows away conventionally sized sets. The image simply pops and at 8 or 10 feet (or more) wide, you get an amazing experience. More than one person has said they felt like they were watching a giant plasma. Forget about the details of resolution and contrast ratios...this simply SLAPS any plasma, CRT or LCD set with it's very good image and truly huge screen. No one has preferred my previous HD widescreen CRT (which was very carefully set-up and tweaked) to the projector. Yes, it's that good.
Maybe I should buy a better project?
Maybe you should but this unit actually has better contrast levels than some premium models out there. I think this is a perfect unit to buy while we wait a bit on newer technology and the new DVD formats. They'll be introduced soon, but it may be another year after that before the dust settles. If you are happy with your current system, waiting is rarely a bad idea. If you see a 4805 properly set up you probably won't wait. Have I seen a projector I liked better? Sure, and it cost over 5K and looked only a bit better with HD signals. Infocus has tweaked the 4805 into a giant killer, though a lot of salesmen will call it an entry level projector.
Is it reliable?
Yep, until it breaks. I hear of a LOT of projectors of all types failing. Get the EXTENDED WARRANTY and you'll be fine. Or don't get it and be sorry like some other folks. I'll never understand people who don't get extended warranties on this type of item...or laptop computers!
Conclusion:
If you have the space, dark room and love movies this is the only way to fly. You get a system that is quite close to watching a movie in a smallish multiplex theatre. It's also out of the reach of small children and eliminates that big box of a TV or huge wall mounted plasma. The 4805 theatre system essentially disappears when the screen is retracted. My wife loves it.
Good luck!
Capt RB