Customer Reviews
Excellent projector and excellent price 
2008-08-06
Really solid projector - i was close to getting the Panasonic but am glad i got this one instead. Great picture and easy to adjust using the remote. Even regular DVDs seem to be upgraded to HD quality. HD sports games are superior. I did not notice a black level issue -- although i use a grey screen which is supposed to enhance the blacks. I also have a pitch black viewing room.
Excellent Projector - one minor but annoying bug 
2008-06-30
The Mitsubishi HC5000 LCD Projector is an amazing machine. It was a seriously noticeable upgrade from my previous overhead projection system (made in 2001). In fact, it does such a great job of up-converting plain DVD sources that I have to admit to noticing little difference with most true Blu-ray movies beyond the better sound. That does not mean I think Blue-ray is not great. It is! However, the image from a good quality DVD, or from an HD television channel is also great. In fact, we recently went to a public theater (the kind you drive to, park five minutes from, pay a lot to enter, and sit in less comfortable seating at) and the screen image was not as good as what we are used to seeing now at home. I could see faint stair-stepping on diagonal lines in the public theatre. Needless to say, we won't be going that route very often any more.
The event that prompted my purchase of the Mitsubishi HC5000 LCD Projector was the implosion of the bulb in my previous projector. Once I considered the increase in resolution, the relatively low cost (under $2,000), the whisper quiet fan, and the estimated bulb life of 5,000 hours, the choice was easy. Almost two months later I am still ecstatic with my upgrade.
Movies look great; but concerts look even better! That's where you get to see your favourite performers up close and life size. We have a nice Klitsch 7.1 speaker system and in combination with this projector the result is a feeling like actually being in a front row seat.
My one complaint with the HC5000 projector is that it sometimes takes a long time to turn on. Every so often, it won't turn on the light. When that happens I have to unplug the unit and wait a few minutes before plugging it in and trying again. In fairness, the manual specifically states that once in a while the bulb will not turn on and you have to unplug the unit, wait a few minutes and then turn it on again. I consider that masterful CYA (cover your ...). Essentially, they took an obvious bug and documented it as just another `feature'. Other than consistent start-up, the only additional feature I would have liked would be a keystone adjustment. That helps you take a trapezoid image and turn it into a rectangle. At first, I thought the lack of a keystone adjustment was going to cause big problems for me because I have a ceiling mount arrangement and the bottom part of the screen image was noticeably wider than the top part. After reading more, I discovered the problem was because I was aiming the projector diagonally towards the screen. Once I positioned it so the lens was parallel to the screen, the built-in lens shift adjustment (to project the image downward) gave me a near perfect rectangle where I wanted it. Aside from these two issues, the unit is ideal. It is so quiet you cannot hear it; and the projected image shows absolutely no pixels or stair-stepping on my 140" screen.
There is one other frustration I ought to pass on to those of you who plan to ceiling mount your unit. The default configuration is for a table mount. That means once you mount this on a ceiling the menus are upside down (until you change the setting for them). Coupled with the unlucky coincidence for me that the focus was set for some distance nowhere close to mine, I couldn't read the menus to be able to correct the blurriness. I finally had to resort to reading the manual for relative locations of the setting parameters and counting down to find what probably said focus. Once I went through this exercise and sharpened the focus enough to read the menu items, everything went fine for the rest of the setup process. A quick start chart might have made this process less annoying.
Bottom line: the price is quite reasonable; the image is great; the noise level is not noticeable at all. The bulb is bright enough to see the image in a reasonably dark room and the estimated bulb life is 5,000 hours. If it would always turn on when I want it to turn on, I would give it 5 stars.
Long and Detailed 2008-05-15
The initial setup with pairing the HC5000 and my Macintosh laptop (via DVI-D cable) had me perplexed for a while. The setup directions in the manual just didn't make sense to me, and perhaps part of it was because I was tired. But once I had the settings correct, all I could say was "Wow." Well, I added plenty of other comments, some that you wouldn't say to youngsters who might come across this post. But the color, contrast, clarity, shadow detail and sharpness was incredible.
My initial purchase decision had been the Panasonic PT-AE2000U, but for a grand more, I wanted to make certain that I would pay for what I would be happy with. Suddenly I discovered the HC5000, a 1080p projector at less than 2 grand, and really had a couple weeks of self-arguments. The Panny kept getting rave reviews and was on my final go-to-get gear, but there was the Mitsubishi, an alternative that not many people had considered (heck, I never really considered Mitsubishi either, until finding a forum post about it).
Finally, my decision came down to whether I could get that much better image quality in a 12-foot room, which I'd be willing to pay an extra grand for. Mom said it best: whatever you're getting in HD, it's better than the analog image that we've been using since color TVs came into being in the 1960's. Don't get me wrong: I've been working at work with HD for almost 2 years now, and my profession deals with image quality, being a professional photographer for decades. I know when I'm making excuses for images that aren't great. I'm so happy with my choice, plus the fact that in this economy, I spared my account an extra $1,000 in the hole.
And the "6ave" store that has the lowest price here? They were top-notch... I tried them after seeing plenty of very positive reviews (no I do not work for them, don't know anyone there, will not get anything back for that recommendation).
The picture is better than what I see in movie theaters, when sitting at the 1-1/2 times distance to image size. I actually have my settings on low contrast, low power setting, and cut the brightness a little, without using the auto iris (it disturbs me at any setting to see the image brightness change). Shooting the image onto a Da-Lite brand Model C screen with an image of almost 6 feet wide (not diagonal, but left to right) I've watched movies from 3:10 to Yuma, 300, to the Simpsons, and Ronin, as well as other movies and Japanese anime. The 3:10/Yuma and 300 movies really work between daylight scenes filled with contrast, to night scenes that test the low light capabilities, and the HC5000 rocked. Only in a few moments did I notice some pixelation, but when you add them up to 2-hours watch time, I simply can't deduct pleasure points for that.
Add to this, that the unit exhibits barely a whisper of fan noise... my own whispering was louder... it is an incredibly quiet projector. I'm only using the built-in speakers of my MacBook Pro, not even using any stereo to crank up sound to drown out fan noise. I'm even sitting almost directly below the projector, but it seems the ambient noise around the house is louder than the HC5000. What's even more *cool* (pardon the pun): the unit actually cranks up fan sound to cool the bulb only *after* you power it down. I hope all the detail in my review helps the average purchaser make an informed decision. One last thing: There are 2 models, the HC5000BL and HC5000U. That only reflects the color of the unit, whether black or white.
best bang for the buck 2008-02-29
awsome picture, and super quiet. with lens shift setting up projector is a snap, sit back and enjoy. no need to spend top dollar this unit does it!
hc5000u 2008-02-11
this projector is awsome right out of the box with only a focus adjustment. the projected picture is awesome from my cheap electric screen. dont think twice about this one.
Amazed even my wildest expectations! GREAT PRODUCT!!! 2008-01-25
With its Full High Definition 1080P Resolution and Auto IRIS Contrast Control, the HC5000U is a premier choice for a great home theater that's sure to wow your friends and family. Plus, it's easy to use, so you'll look and feel like a pro. Get into the action of your favorite sports, Hi-Def TV shows and DVD movies, get a front row seat and rock out to concerts, or be a part of your favorite video game for an incredible gaming experience you will enjoy again and again. The possibilities are endless!
