You could easily be forgiven for not considering an InFocus projector for your house of worship because the company has historically focused more of its efforts on the business and educational markets, and less on large-venue installation devices. InFocus hopes to change that, though, with the IN5544, a mid-range projector that puts the emphasis on economy with an enviable $10,000 price tag.
The black projector should easily blend into the background of any house of worship. At 10.7- by 18.7- by 18.5-inches and weighing 30 pounds, the IN5544 can be carried around and installed by one person and has thoughtful hand grips underneath, making it easy to pick up, carry and put down. The lens protrudes about five inches from the projector's case.
It may lack built-in stacking brackets at its corners, but underneath the IN5544 is the choice of eight mounting screws for installation flexibility. It can be set up horizontally or vertically and the IN5544 has a pair of height-adjustable feet up front for projecting from a table or shelf.
Based on three 1.2-inch inorganic LCD panels, the IN5544 uses a single air-cooled high-pressure lamp to create a wide-screen 1,366 by 800-resolution image. While that comes up short compared to a true HD projector, the IN5544 is rated at 6,500 lumens of brightness, which should be more than enough for most smaller worship venues. InFocus also sells the higher power IN5542 model that is able to put 7,500 lumens onto a screen with XGA resolution.
As is the case with other large venue professional projectors, the IN5544 doesn't include a lens. InFocus offers seven lenses for different installation conditions that range from ultra-short throw to long-throw setups that can fill a 58-foot screen. All all are made from high-quality glass and have large apertures. Unlike some of InFocus's competitors, you can use specific lenses from Hitachi, Sanyo and Panasonic with the IN5544.
For my work with the IN5544, I used InFocus's 065 short throw lens that offers a 1.5X zoom ratio and costs $5,000; the others range from $1,500 to $5,000. To install the lens, you first need to attach an included adapter plate, plug-in the lens's power cable and slide several circular covers into place.
The lens has external gearing and motors for both focus and zoom, which yield extremely precise movement with either the remote control or the projector's control panel. Three individual settings can be saved and instantly recalled, perfect for a projector that has to fulfill many roles.
OPTIMIZING THE IMAGE
The InFocus IN5544 has estimated annual operating expenses of $330, significantly less than higher-output projectors that use multiple lamps.
To compensate for the projector not being set up exactly perpendicular with the screen, the IN5544 has 15% up-down keystone correction as well as 5% right-left horizontal keystone correction. It also has a motorized lens shift. In other words, the projector can be set up in just about any location without degrading the projected image.
But, unlike the Epson PowerLite Pro Z8455WUNL, the IN5544 lacks a place to stash the inevitable tangle of cables. That's a shame because it has an excellent array of connection possibilities, including HDMI, DVI, VGA and BNC, as well as the old-school standbys of Component, Composite and S-Video.
In addition to RS-232-in and -out connectors for controlling the projector from afar, the IN5544 has wired networking. This allows the IN5544 to grab items from the building's network or just to monitor the projector from a remote location. While the projector doesn't have a USB port or Wi-Fi built in, InFocus's $300 LiteShow III adapter lets you add 802.11n wireless networking to the IN5544 repertoire.
The system's handheld remote control cannot only take control of the projector, but has a laser pointer that's perfect for teachable moments during a service or class. For those devices that need to be out of its range, you can connect it to the projector with a standard audio cable. A single remote control can take over up to four individual IN5540 series projectors.
In addition to putting one large image on-screen, the IN5544 is able to project two equal-sized images side by side, but the projector doesn't work with circular, concave and convex screens. It also can't match the NEC's NP-PH1000U ability to project a picture within a picture or create a single image from several stacked projectors on its own.
The IN5544 has five built-in test patterns that make quick work of setting up, aiming and optimizing the projector. While it has a 10-bit image processor and digital scaler, it lacks the flexibility of adding an optional video processing board.
The unit's nine-button control panel is a model of simplicity. However, it lacks the Hitachi CP-WU8450's ingenious LCD status monitor or the NP-PH1000U's lighted switch board. The IN5544 does have thoughtfully designed small LEDs next to its buttons that show what's been activated. Because it does so much, its menu is a bit crowded, but is logically designed and easy to follow.
PUTTING IT TO THE TEST
I put the IN5544 through a series of real-world tests to see how it compares to other large-venue installation projectors. It not only was able to put 6,575 lumens of light on the screen—slightly above its output rating—but it had an exceptionally sharp and uniform focus across the screen.
Overall, the projector produced a bright white image. While it delivered strong reds and blues, the IN5544's greens looked a little yellowy. Its shadows have a surprising amount of detail, the projector produced excellent skin tones and its video playback was excellent with a sharp, artifact-free stream.
The projector has seven different modes that range from Whiteboard to Cinema, as well as a power-saving Eco mode that reduces its output to 5,000 lumens and lengthens its rated lamp life from 2,000 or 3,000 hours. While it is operating at full output, the projector uses 449 watts of power in Daytime mode, which drops to 364 watts with Eco turned on. It consumes 17 watts in sleep mode.
Assuming the projector is used at full power for 15 hours a week at a house of worship, the IN5544 has estimated annual operating expenses of $330. This is based on its $700 replacement lamp and electricity selling for the national average of 12 cents per kilowatt hour. That's significantly less than higher-output projectors that use multiple lamps.
Changing the lamp is a snap, even while on a ladder. Expect it to take no more than three minutes to accomplish, and you'll need only a Philips screwdriver. Changing the projector's four-layer air filter is even easier, should take less than a minute, and doesn't require any tools. It needs to be replaced at least every 10,000 hours of use and costs $140. To simplify lamp and filter changes, the projector tracks how long the lamp and filter have been used.
A fast starter, the IN5544 was able to get an image on the screen in 13 seconds, but the projector took 36 seconds to shut down and turn off its fan. It also was able to keep its cool with an exhaust temperature of 100 degrees Fahrenheit and produced 46.3 dBA of noise at 10-feet, making it one of the coolest and quietest devices in its class.
Although the projector is backed with a two-year warranty—a year less than many other professional projectors—its lamp is covered for only six months. Still, at $10,000 plus the cost of a lens, the IN5544 is thousands of dollars less than the competition, allowing a religious institution to project a new image of itself.
