To evaluate the deep blacks, I activated DBLE and experimented with various settings, including noise reduction and sharpness. My top choice for testing deep black levels is the sci-fi film Creator, particularly its early morning scenes. On TVs and projectors with subpar contrast and brightness, this clip often appears washed out. However, the Titan Noir Max showcases rich blacks and dark grays without sacrificing contrast, all thanks to its Dynamic Iris and DBLE technology.
That being said, the Titan Noir Max didn’t excel in every scenario. For instance, Avatar: Fire and Ash on the Epson ProCinema LS9000 appeared more vibrant and true-to-life, leveraging high-end lenses that focus the entire image more effectively. While the Titan Noir Max still delivered bright and colorful scenes featuring whale-like creatures on sunny days, the LS9000 outperformed it in terms of resolution and focus, making certain scenes almost indistinguishable from those on the colorful Titan with the Leica Cine Play 1.
Next, I conducted tests in a brightly lit room. Many projectors, including the Leica Cine Play 1, struggle in such environments. In contrast, the Titan Noir Max performed brilliantly during outdoor battle scenes in War Machine on Netflix. I also enjoyed Unbreakable, where colors remained vivid and not washed out. However, during the darkest segments of Awake, filmed at night, picture quality suffered. Both Awake and Tron: Ares looked fantastic in dim lighting but lost vibrancy in a bright setting.
Ideal for Gaming and Beyond
While my primary focus was image quality in darker environments, I also wanted to further investigate the dynamic iris feature with the game 007: First Light on Xbox. There’s a stunning sequence late in the game where you navigate a boat surrounded by colorful flowers, and it looked incredibly lifelike on a 120-inch projector screen. The Titan Noir Max supports a maximum screen size of 300 inches, making it perfect for projecting onto large surfaces like a garage door. However, its weight of 18 pounds makes it less portable.
Colors adjusted quickly during nighttime sequences in First Light, where the bright sun transitions into misty clouds and shadows. The Titan Noir Max consistently adapts to these tonal shifts instantly. While you can faintly hear the iris adjusting with this feature engaged, which I found enjoyable, some may consider it distracting. However, during intense scenes in games or chaotic films like Hopper, the iris noise is never noticeable.
Photo: John Brandon
Source: www.wired.com