NEC intros network-ready VT800 projector

NEC's got yet another new projector rolling in for under a grand ($899, to be exact), and it's going by the name VT800. Beyond the stark white finish, you'll find a native XGA (1,024 x 768) resolution, an Ethernet port for remote management / control, built-in closed caption decoding, a USB port, an HDCP-compliant HDMI input, 2,700 lumens, 500:1 contrast ratio and a lamp good for around 3,000 hours. Furthermore, the unit boasts a five-watt internal speaker, PIP / ESS functionality, wall color correction presets and 3D Reform, which "squares the image by adjusting horizontally, vertically or diagonally when the projector cannot be placed parallel or perpendicular to the screen." It's all yours this April.

[Via AboutProjectors]

[EQC Posted Mar 6th 2008 8:30PM]

Best I can tell, this is a 4:3 1024x768 projector. That means, if you're watching widescreen content, the letterboxing takes you down to 576 pixels on the vertical axis.

Thats 576p. Well below 720p. Not HD. Why put such a projector on EngadgetHD?

It is a nice product...but it's not a good choice for an HD home theater, because it's not HD. Anybody investing in 1080p blu-ray or HD cable/satellite/OTA services would be silly to downconvert it all to 576p.

You're posting debates about "should I replace my 720p TV with 1080p" -- who on Engadget HD would want to settle for 576p?

We hear enough debate about the screen size/viewing distance at which 720p and 1080p are distinguishable...but the whole point of a projector is to make a big screen. In a home theater, a projected 80" 576p image is not going to look too nice, methinks. Why not stick to actual HD-capable projectors here on EngadgetHD?

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 7th 2008 2:07AM]

EQC wrote exactly what I thought the moment I saw 1024x768 as the resolution. While it may be a nice product, it isn't appropriate for EngadgetHD. Let's keep the focus here on HD related products...

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 7th 2008 8:26AM]

Yep, based on the lumens and contrast ratio, this is obviously a business projector for giving presentations, not to use in a home theater.