Acer H7350D

Acer only makes two home cinema video projectors, the 720p H5360 and the 1080p H7350D that we're testing today. Acer describes the H7350D as a projector promising 'Full HD 1080p widescreen cinematic enjoyment with images in living colors!'

Hardware & handling: compact design and a built-in speaker, but still lagging behind tri-LCD projectors

DLP projectors are generally put to shame by the design and handling of tri-LCD models, and this Acer projector is no exception. The zoom isn't very powerful and there's no lens-shift function for repositioning the projected image on the wall or screen. The remote control isn't backlit and features few shortcuts, and the noise level of 28 dB in Eco mode isn't too great either. Power consumption is slightly better at approximately 250 W when in operation or 0.3 W on standby.

On a more positive note, the built-in speaker is a nice touch that's practical for all those times you don't have speakers to hand. This projector also has a compact design that makes it good for use out and about, and it's even supplied with a carry-case.

Image quality: bright, but the black suffers as a result

We tested the H7350D alongside the Mitsubishi HC3200. The latter, priced at just over £1,000, has a lamp that's much less bright. This allows it to display deeper blacks than the Acer projector which clearly struggles in this area.

Note that for Blu-ray playback, the (severe) criticism we're about to embark on is entirely relative as it's based on two images compared side by side. Watching an HD film on this type of projector is still a first-rate experience.

The depth of black is disastrous at 0.90 cd/m², but then what do you expect from a 2000-lumen bulb? The good brightness level does, however, go some way to make up for this. In fact, with a brightness of 699 cd/m², you may well find yourself reaching for your sunglasses, but it does allow the projector to achieve a very respectable contrast ratio of 774:4. Black shades, on the other hand, tend to look more grey than black with the Acer H7530D.

The video noise management option stays greyed out when playing a DVD or Blu-ray via the HDMI connection. It's a shame too, as we would have liked to play around with the settings to try and get rid of some of those pesky rogue pixels that kept cropping up in the picture.

Bright areas are well handled. Even the brightest zones don't lose detail and aren't overexposed.

Upscaling and 1080p. The SD upscaling (DVDs etc.) isn't as good as the high-quality upscaling functions you'd typically find in a DVD/Blu-ray player. It's also not as good as the HC3200 projector we compared it against, particularly because diagonal lines and contours are subject to a marked comb effect. Plus, the H7530D crops the image without even letting you change the settings or dimensions, so you'll end up losing some information from the sides of the picture.
In 1080p playback, the HC3200 offers picture quality that's just slightly better than the H7530D. The picture is also slightly deformed by the lens, as the Acer's projection zone tends to get stretched to the top right.

The rainbow effect is a problem for any mono-DLP projector. In the Acer, it's mainly visible in black-and-white pictures or in scenes with a white area right next to a very dark area. If you move your eyes around such images, you'll see a kind of bright flash: that's the rainbow effect. With the HC3200 and the H7530D pictures side by side and the projectors hidden, four out of four people in our office picked out the Acer as having the most noticeable rainbow effect.

Picture smoothness and 3D. There's no 3D on offer in the Acer H7530D, and no function to ensure smooth picture quality in video playback either. For 3D, have a look at Acer's H5360 720p DLP projector instead.

Speaker

The speaker can play sound input from the HDMI socket or mini jack. It's nothing exceptional, producing a metallic-sounding output that's totally lacking in bass. However, it's still practical if you want to hook it up to a console or watch the match at a friend's house, as there's no need for complicated set-up with an audio system.