InFocus X9 review

InFocus's X9 is a DLP projector that looks remarkably similar in design to Acer's H5350 and shares a similarly fiddly remote control.

It's more awkward to use, though, due to the barely raised buttons; these give so little feedback that it's impossible to feel for the right key. There's no backlight, so you'll have to do all your image setup with the lights on.

This projector shares some other downfalls with Acer's H5350. The 1.1x optical zoom and lack of lens shift limit where you can place it and, although it's reasonably quiet, the fan pumps out very hot air from the front panel. It has a much sturdier chassis, though, and the zoom and focus controls are set into the case and are easier to adjust.

Image quality is superb. Although we could still see a rainbow effect, it was much less noticeable than on Acer's H5350. Dark scenes in black and white, especially those with strips of light, exacerbate the problem. However, in brighter colour scenes you may notice it only when your eye is drawn quickly across the screen or in fast action scenes. The shimmering effect in areas of sky with bright sunshine (a problem with many DLP projectors) is far less evident here than on the H5350.

We had to tweak the image settings to get the best out of movies. There's only one user-definable mode, but the image quality settings, while not as comprehensive as BenQ's W500, include colour temperature control. This is the first setting you'll need to adjust if the image looks too cold or warm. Increasing the brightness level brought out detail a little in dark areas. Unlike the H5350, this doesn't cause the highlights to be burnt out.

Running costs are low at 6p per hour in standard mode, and if you don't mind the rainbow effect, the X9 is a great budget DLP projector. If you're not sure, go to a dealer (such as Projector Point) and ask for a viewing before you buy. If you're serious about setting up home cinema on a budget, though, then spending the extra £77 on BenQ's W500 is worth it.