CEDIA 2018: Digital Projection’s Insight 8K Projector Dwarfs the Competition

CEDIA 2018: Digital Projection’s Insight 8K Projector Dwarfs the Competition​

(September 10, 2018) Time for a trip down Unobtanium Lane with a spotlight on one of the best – if not the best – home projectors on the market. Year-in and year-out, Digital Projection delivers excitement and intrigue to the CEDIA show floor with its incredible stable of high-priced projector models, now ruled by the company’s all-new flagship Insight 8K DLP-based design.

Priced a few pennies shy of $400K, sized like a coffee table (39.5”L x 28.4”W x 18.9”H), and weighing some 291-pounds, the Insight 8K looks every bit the part of a wicked top-end performer. Frankly, it’s a piece of equipment that’s a marvel to behold when its off, let alone while it’s in action. And based on a conversation I had with an integrator that’s installed older versions of the model, its innards and framing are nearly as impressive as its outward appearance.

The projector marks the industry’s first DLP-based 8K design, housing three 1.38” DarkChip DMD imagers backed by laser phosphor illumination capable of producing a whopping 25,000 lumens of light. To put that output in perspective, JVC’s heralded flagship laser-based RS4500 is specified to produce an impressive 3,200 lumens, making the Insight 8K nearly 8x brighter.

The projector natively creates some 33 million pixels (7680x4320) for true uncompressed 8K imaging, consequently capable of simultaneously displaying four 4K sources or 16 full-HD sources on one screen. To bear witness to the Insight 8K’s capabilities is nothing short of a treat. The projector was showcased in a large light-controlled demo space, effortlessly filling a 16’ x 9’ screen with delicious swirls of color, razor sharp detail, unparalleled depth and clarity, and overall visual perfection.

Digital Projection’s marketing material says the Insight 8K’s 20,000 hours of service time offers an “unbeatable cost of ownership with no lamps or filters to replace and nearly no maintenance required.” That might be true if dropping close to half-a-million doesn’t break the bank, but if the Insight 8K is on your shopping list, then you’re probably not too concerned about dollars and cents. Which reminds me: the Insight 8K doesn't house internal processing. You'll have to buy an outboard unit for that!

 

[tripplej]

Wow, talk about over the top.. Wow..

 

[Todd Anderson]

 

[Matthew J Poes]

Well that thing is just nuts.

How was the black levels? I know that’s been a sticking point with these crazy projectors. Breathtaking color and brightness but lackluster black levels.

I had a chance to buy an early Sony pro-cinema 4K Projector for next to nothing. A liquidation sale had two available for $250 each with 4 lamps included. I was ready to buy it until I realized the bulbs were $1000’s each and the projector HAD to have special cooling and external venting. It was also so noisy that it really needed to be in its own room. I’ve always lusted after a Projector like this but it’s a real white elephant.

 

[Todd Anderson]

The entire image looked incredible. I'd have this thing in my home theater in minus-two seconds, if possible.