Mitsubishi HC5500 1080p LCD Home Theater Projector Review

Mitsubishi’s HC5500 is an affordable, Full HD (1080p) resolution home theatre projector. Besides the full high definition native resolution, the projector is notable for exceptionally quiet operation, long lamp life and a Dynamic Iris which delivers an excellent contrast ratio (14,000:1) and more detail in darker scenes. With a brightness of 1200 ANSI lumens it is ahead of many home theatre projectors and able to tolerate some ambient light.

Mitsubishi HC5500 1080p LCD Home Theater Projector

Projection lamp life at 5000 hours in economy mode is significantly higher than most projectors at a similar price point. The extra long life is probably due in part to the 3-dimensional micro surface structure air filter equipped with static charges to prevent micro particles from entering the projector cooling the system. Dust shortens a projection bulbs life. Given the price of replacement lamps, a five year life is a significant cost over life saving. Mitsubishi provide a one year (or 500 hour) warranty compared to the common 1 year term (projector is 2 years). Perhaps unnecessarily Mitsubishi have made it easy to replace the lamp, even if ceiling mounted, with a convenient side access.

The HC5500 is based on the popular 3LCD technology known for brighter images and more natural colors. The three LCD microdisplay panels forming the 3LCD projection engine are based on Crystal Clear Fine (C2 Fine) inorganic alignment technology which combines an inorganic liquid crystal alignment layer and vertical alignment technology (liquid crystal aligned vertically). The inorganic alignment layer reduces orientation unevenness producing smoother images while vertical alignment reduces light leakage improving contrast and deepening blacks. The panels also use a high resolution technology to achieve a 20 percent improvement in aperture ratio (ratio of lit pixel area to area blocked by the transistor driving each pixel) compared to conventional Twisted Nematic LCD Panels (nematic liquid crystal rotates light 90 degrees as it passes through). The result is a less visible pixel structure than previous generation LCD projectors as well as the ability to get higher brightness from the same wattage projection lamp.

It’s important to note that the impressive contrast ratio of the HC5500 is largely due to the the auto-iris control algorithm which allows control increments to be as short as 1/60th of a second. It’s a significant feature for a projector at this price point. Another top-end feature is the Emmy award winning HQV (Hollywood Quality Video) high-performance video processor.

As mentioned, the Mitsubishi’s 19dB in economy mode is an exceptionally low noise level, with some home theatre projectors still pushing towards 30dB. This achievement is due to a newly developed LCD panel cooling duct arrangement. As you can see from the specification sheet for the Mitsubishi HC6000 (pdf download link below) the cooling ducts have a closer coupling with the LCD panels improving cooling and reducing the noise producing entry turbulence. There have also been fan design improvements.

To make set-up easier the Mitsubishi HC5500 has vertical lens shift which is better than the digital keystone correction of less expensive projectors. The zoom ratio is 1.2:1 which is gives some flexibility in the distance from the screen for a particular projected image size – but not a lot. Other 3LCD projectors have a higher zoom ratio if this is going to be a problem. Zoom and focus can be adjusted from the comfort of an armchair as they are both motorized. There is a trigger available for a motorized screen if required.

At 12.3 lbs the Mitsubishi HC5500 is hefty however, being twice the weight of what is considered portable shouldn’t matter given that it is intended for a permanent installation.

There is a good array of connection options available including; PC: Mini D-Sub 15pin x 1, Video: HDMI x 2, RCA x 1 , S-VIDEO x 1, RCA (Y,PB/CB,PR/CR) x 1 RS-232C: D-Sub 9pin x 1

Included Accessories

AC Power cable, RGB cable, RS-232C cable, Remote Unit (incl. battery), User Manual CD, Safety Manual, External Air Filter and Lamp Replacement Tray.