Acer H6510BD Projector - Review Summary

Acer H6510BD Projector - Summary

I am impressed with the Acer H6510BD.  Being a bit snobby about black level performance, and also accurate color, I'm always looking down my nose at entry level and near entry level home projectors.  They just aren't for me, and don't get me all that excited.  Still, they meet a lot of folks needs, who aren't hard core enthusiasts.

Ultimately I was really impressed with some aspects of the H6510BD projector, especially when considering it as a "take it out of the box, plug it in, and enjoy it" projector.

There are a few things that could have been done better, as well.  That isn't surprising though, when you are buying one of the least expensive 1080p home projectors on the market.

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On the plus side, color is reasonably good for an uncalibrated projector.  I prefer Brilliant Color On if you aren't calibrating this projector (and I'm pretty certain you aren't).  Although skin tones and more are a touch smoother with Brilliant Color off, skin tones look more color correct with it on, and you also get a lot more lumens and pop to the image.

3D was most enjoyable, especially on Blu-ray 3D.  I  had to borrow a pair of BenQ 3D glasses (both, like many other projectors use DLP-Link as their glasses standard).  As you have probably gathered, the Acer H6510BD does not come with any 3D glasses in the box.

3D brightness was pretty good, let's say no problem with a 100" diagonal on a typical screen.  If you don't mind a bit of dim, you can certainly push another 10 to 20 inches diagonal.  Not Bad!

I thought the H6510BD projector was perfectly fine when sports viewing.  I even watched some NBA finals with it, instead of a much more expensive projector.  No problem.  True, this projector lacks CFI - smooth motion, but that is another feature that just doesn't show up on most under $1500 projectors, let alone ones half the price.

On the downside, what you don't want to do with this projector is open the menus and go about adjusting the picture.  True, you can definitely make it better, but the next time you change anything, previous settings are essentially lost.  I like to have one setting for when lighting is under control, and another for when I need max lighting, maybe a third for 3D.  You would need to write down all your settings, knowing that if you want to make it brighter, let's say, for an afternoon sporting event, then later, your movie settings are all gone.

Almost all changes to the image and wherever you are that replaces whatever was your User mode. The advice, get it set up, and leave it alone, Enjoy the picture. Pretend it's your 3 year old LCD TV, just watch.

If you really did want to play around with settings, you'll just likely be much happier with a projector without this limitation.

The Very Bottom Line on the H6510BD projector:

The Acer H6510BD is really a set it up and use it projector. Sure you can make it permanent or stuff it in a closet when not using it.  You can use it in different rooms, or do the occasional outdoor evening.

Want a fun projector, one of the least expensive 1080p projectors on the market, that has a good looking picture, and has the power to tackle almost any half way suitable room?  Here's a good low cost choice.

The lack of user savable settings is a negative for any who want to tweak their projector, but this projector will serve the typical, less critical consumer pretty well.

But on the brighter side, this Acer has 3D, not uncommon, but unlike many other low cost competitors, the Acer's 3D supports all the major formats, including Blu-ray 3D which is pretty

The price of the Acer H6510 BD is one of the highlights.  I see most of the Acer's competition at $100 to $200 more.

Acer H6510BD Projector: Pros

• Plenty of brightness - measured a maximum of over 2800 lumens
• Reasonably good color, right out of the box
• Good looking bright lumens with reasonably good color
• Slightly better than average black levels for the price
• Lamp can be changed without unmounting the projector
• Geared for the tyical consumer, not the enthusiast
• 2 HDMI 1.4 inputs
• Good dark shadow detail
• Full support for multiple 3D modes including Blu-ray 3D
• Easy to use, large readable menus
• Perfectly usable, and bright enough for use for presentations
• Small 2 watt speaker can come in handy if using portably
• Lightweight and portable
• From a performance standpoint a good value

Acer H6510BD Projector: Cons