SIM2 C3X three-chip DLP projector

In a television interview, legendary tenor Luciano Pavarotti once groused that for all his world renown, the balconistas at Milan's famed Teatro alla Scala opera house cut him no slack. They were quick to chastise him for less than note-perfect performances and expected a lung-busting volume sufficient to satisfy those at the farthest reaches of the house. With its C3X three-chip DLP projector, Italy's SIM2 seems to be reaching for di forza ranking, as this projector combines SIM2's own three-chip 720p imaging assembly along with an optical engine that provides substantially more light output than others in the class.

And bright it is, measuring a whopping 82 footlamberts on a midsized neutral gain screen—a substantially brighter picture than its 250-watt lamp rating would suggest. It does not achieve this brightness at the expense of black reproduction; the blacks look just as deep as with other top DLP projectors, and the picture never appears washed-out. The projector's prodigious light output allows for very large screen sizes; we estimate that the C3X can accommodate screen widths of up to 15 feet and still put out a suitably bright 10 footlamberts. (In fact, editor-in-chief Brent Butterworth and Mike Wood, then editor-in-chief of HE sister publication Digital TV & Sound, had a chance to try the C3X on a 16-foot screen; you can read about their exploits here.) For moderate screen sizes, your dealer may recommend the C3X Lite, which is identical except for its 150-watt lamp rating and lower price.

SIM2 supplies the C3X with a basic remote that provides direct access to most functions—which greatly simplifies the process of programming a full-system remote like a Crestron or AMX touchscreen, or a Philips Pronto. (Click image to enlarge.)

As with other projectors, the C3X offers a choice of color temperatures. However, it goes quite a bit further than most in offering no less than 36 color temperature choices, selectable through an on-screen matrix that references the CIE color chart. The color temperature points are not specified by number—i.e., 7,500 degrees Kelvin—because the actual color temperature obtained will be a combination of the projector's settings and the characteristics of the screen. I take a stab at number 29 on the selection grid as being roughly nearest to the ideal 6,500-degree temperature, and our photospectrometer tells me that the color is spot-on. In this setting, with a matte white screen, the C3X yields a virtually perfect gray scale from dark to bright, within a couple percent over the entire brightness range. One could probably not do better even with professional calibration.

Within the picture menus we also find numerous gamma choices. Gamma determines how evenly the brightness increases as the video signal strength increases. Although the projector measures closest to ideal when I choose the Enhanced 2 setting, the default Standard setting looks the best with the widest variety of program choices—I see suitably dark blacks, but not at the expense of overly emphasized dark grays.

I find that the C3X's deinterlacing performance is above par, no doubt due to the Faroudja processing employed. One anomaly I note, however, is that with 1080-line interlaced high-definition test patterns, the C3X stumbles. I see visible vertical jittering, which I also observe with actual high-definition programs. (Butterworth reports the same problem when he uses the component input, but is, however, able to get stable pictures from 1080i video via the C3X's HDMI input.) When I set the video source to 720-line progressive output, the jitter disappears. The C3X does not accept 1080-line progressive signals, which may be available on the upcoming Blu-ray high-definition DVD format, but given that the projector's native resolution is 720p, it might not do any good to feed it 1080p in the first place.

The C3X's surprisingly small (for a three-chip) chassis makes it much easier to mount than many of its competitors. (Click image to enlarge.)

With actual program material, I find that the excellent colorimetry measurements translate into equally excellent picture quality, giving me wonderfully saturated but not overly emphasized colors. The C3X looks especially good with vividly lit concert stage scenes as well as scenes with neon lighting, both tough tests for any display. My enthusiasm for the overall color quality is tempered by noticeable banding artifacts—visible steps in color and shade that should appear as smooth gradients. These are most noticeable with facial tones and more of a problem with standard-definition DVDs. (Butterworth reports the artifacts as noticeable but subtle with the C3X in his system.) I have no qualms about the convergence, however, as the output of the three individual DLP devices is precisely overlaid on the screen even at the screen edges, with no appreciable misconvergence noted with actual program material or test patterns.

From an input standpoint, the C3X is generously equipped, able to handle no less than four high-definition sources, including component analog, computer-style RGB, and HDMI. While the C3X stand-alone version can probably handle the needs of most users, SIM2 also offers the C3X Link two-piece version, which includes multiple standard-definition inputs, a quartet of component inputs, dual PC inputs, and the DVI and HDMI digital inputs—all housed in a separate, rack-mount box that communicates with the projector via three thin fiber-optic cables.The C3X has a lot going for it, especially its incredible brightness and impressive color accuracy. It does have its quirks, but if you're looking to light up a large screen with a compact projector, the C3X will easily do the job.

DESCRIPTION
Three-chip DLP front projector; requires separate screen

DISPLAY CAPABILITIES
Native 16:9 DLP chips operate in both 4:3 and 16:9 modes. Accepts 720-line progressive HDTV, 1080-line interlaced HDTV, 480-line progressive and interlaced SDTV signals (NTSC), 576-line progressive and interlaced SDTV signals (PAL), plus RGB UXGA computer video

RESOLUTION
1280 x 720 pixels

CONNECTIONS
Component video input, S-video input, composite video input, DB-15 VGA PC input, DVI digital video input, HDMI digital video input, wired IR input; optical digital audio output, two 12-volt trigger outputs; RS-232 serial control input/output, USB 1.1 for software upgrade and servicing

DIMENSIONS
7.5 x 17.2 x 17 inches (hwd)

PRICE/CONTACT
PRICE: $19,990
CONTACT: 888.695.3113, www.sim2usa.com