[Editor's note: this review is excerpted from John's write-up of the 2004 Projector Expo.]

We actually spent the most time with this AFTER the show, when we kicked back and watched RETURN OF THE KING late Sunday night. We were all pretty tired earlier in the evening after packing up all the rest of the equipment, but some of us caught a second wind and just couldn't bear to send back the 777 without watching at least one movie on it.

The 777 is extremely bright, as the 2000 lumen spec would indicate. I would say this is an accurate specification, as it was distinctly brighter than anything else at the show, and even seemed bright on the 123" Greyhawk we displayed it on. People have debated here the value of a $30,000 3 chip DLP projector compared to its one chip counterparts, but what's clear here is that this projector is designed for considerably larger home theaters than the single chip pieces, as well as the customer who just plain wants the best performance regardless of price. I would have no problem recommending the 777 for screens up to 200" diagonal, as it has got brightness to burn.

What it also has is an abundance of is contrast - before starting the movie we played an HD-Net clip of a conversation that was taped inside a dimly lit ship's cabin, with the sun-drenched sea and sky clearly visible outside the cabin windows (via DVI/HTPC). This particular scene seemed murky to some degree on all of the other projectors, with the people inside the cabin somewhat lost against the background compared to the bright day seen through the cabin windows. This is where the 777 was clearly better than any of the single chip HD2 or 2+ units - the scene simply looked much more natural and just plain REAL, as you would perceive such a setting in real life. The only other projector I have seen that produces this quality of realism is the Sony Qualia. As we walked from the Sony booth at CEDIA, I remember asking Brad what he thought of the Qualia, and he replied, "It looked...real." The 777 has that same quality to its presentation - a solidity and a way of dealing with difficult scenes that never calls attention to the fact that you are watching a video display device. The picture is totally natural in terms of color, how it renders shadows and sunlight, and in rendering of intense action sequences.