Samsung SP-H710: DLP delight

By Guy Cocker on 31 March 2006, 11:35am

It must be hard being a projector these days. Like vinyl being faced with the onslaught of CD, projectors just aren't as sexy as a new flat-screen TV. Samsung is still making token gestures to the home-cinema fraternity, and this SP-H710 is the only home projector that the company currently makes. Still, the £2,500 DLP projector looks good on paper, and to show it still takes it all seriously, Samsung sent in the SP-H710 for us to have a look at.

The beating heart of the SP-H710 is an HD2+ DMD chipset that's high-definition compatible. There's one HDCP-compatible DVI input and the chipset resolution is 1,280x720 pixels -- perfect for watching the World Cup in high definition on Sky HD this summer. The contrast ratio is also extremely good at 2,800:1 and the brightness level should cope with some ambient light at 700 ANSI Lumens. We like the two sets of component inputs that have been fitted to the back, so you can rig up a DVD player and games console and hold some really cool all-night sessions at your house.

This is the only projector in Samsung's home cinema range, and it will be interesting to see if it continues to fight it out with the dedicated players like InFocus. We'll see if it's worth hunting the Samsung down when we review it soon. -GC