review: six new projectors - projector lamp

Richard Jantz (IDG)--
Whether your career is sales, training or finance, portable projectors can add energy and expertise to your next presentation.
Compact and lightweight to carry with you on the road, today's portable projector weighs only 3 to 8 pounds--
Much lighter than 10-to 15-
The pound model we saw a few years ago.
The latest devices also bring more power to the dollar, which shows brighter images at higher local resolutions;
Usually, XGA is used for portable devices (
1024 by 768 pixels).
While street prices are still fairly expensive, between $4000 and $5000, these projectors offer portability and versatility that can pay off for mobile show hosts.
The momentum of the development of small projectors is largely due to the digital light processing technology of Texas Instruments.
DLP uses smaller than LCD technology-
The proportional reflection system of thousands of small mirror projection images.
Larger panels, Prism and mirrors are required for the LCD projector optical system.
The production cost of the compact DLP projector is still higher than the LCD unit and has a brighter image overall;
Larger LCD models usually offer richer, more-Saturated color.
Another trend in the past year is that the projector lights are brighter.
The current portable device is rated between 700 and 1500, which is the industry-
Standard measurement of light output. A 700-
Lumens projectors can be used in small rooms with insufficient light. A 1200-to 1500-
On the other hand, the lumen model is suitable for large rooms with low ambient lighting in the office-
And will work well at a distance of up to 40 feet from the screen.
Over time, all projector lights lose their brightness. Many--though not all--
The manufacturer defines the life of the lamp as ending when the lamp provides only half of its initial brightness;
Before purchasing the projector you are considering, ask the supplier how it defines the life of the bulb.
We evaluated 6 data projectors with 3 each in two weight levels. In the under-5-
Pounds group, we reviewed Compaq's $4999 MP2800, NEC's $4795 multi-sync ltx5 and Sharp's $3899 Notevision PG-M10X. In the over-5-
Sterling category, we looked at Epson $4899 PowerLite 715c, InFocus $5399 Proxima DP6150 and Sony $4999 VPL-CX10 SuperLite.
Compaq and sharp use a single device.
Chip DLP technology for displaying images;
Four other projectors rely on one and three.
Panel LCD design.
All six have local XGA resolution and can resize the image from VGA (640 by 480)to SXGA (1280 by 1024)resolution;
Only Epson 715c and NEC lt700 are higher, up to UXGA (1600 by 1200)resolution.
Since the projector mainly attracts presenters, each unit includes an infrared remote control with an integrated pointing device that controls the computer connected to the projector.
The projector reviewed here supports a USB, serial, or PS/2 connection--
At least one type per--
Between the computer and the projector;
Some offer a combination of interface options. The built-
In the laser indicators found in Compaq, NEC and Proxima remotes, it becomes easier to highlight the points in your presentation;
A single laser beampen pointer.
These devices typically provide control on projectors and remote controls for adjusting image quality (
Brightness, contrast, color, etc).
But Epson and sharp put most of their images
Adjust controls only on the remote control.
Speakers who want to leave their laptops will love the PC card slots on Epson and NEC.
You can transfer static
Move Microsoft PowerPoint presentations from PC images to removable media such as CompactFlash cards (
When used with PC card adapter)
Or PC Card hard drive, then run the presentation directly from the projector.
A simple demo of this type is basically a series of screen shots;
Giving up the laptop means no animation and sound is needed.
Portable projectors can display videos in addition to processing presentations-
Training, marketing, or baseball games, for example.
Each projector we test includes the video and audio cables and ports required to connect the projector to a PC or Mac or video source (such as VCR, camcorder, DVD player), or a TV
The projectors here have computers (VGA)
Port and composite video and S-Video ports.
Epson 715c and Sony VPL-
The CX10 also provides component video ports. S-
Video and component video can provide better signal quality because they divide video signals into multiple channels that are individually adjustable.
Both Compaq MP2800 and Proxima DP6150 projectors have DVI (
Short for Digital Visual Interface)
Connect the projector to the connector of most digital graphics adapters. This all-
In turn, the digital connection provides a clearer, clearer projected image.
Compaq, Epson 715c and NEC lt700 are the only ones that are high-definition TV.
Only Proxima provides dual VGA ports to connect two laptops--
PC and Mac for example--
Connect the VGA output of the second monitor at the same time.
Although all the projectors include the built-in
In the sound system, some sounds cannot make strong stereo sound.
Compaq Offers a thriving 8-
Watt a offers two 1-1 Watt single speakers
Watt speakers, and Sony two 0. 5-watt speakers.
In order to evaluate the image quality, the PC World Test Center performed a sideby-
Each of our two weight levels has a side comparison of the projector.
We positioned the projector to produce the same-size images.
Because sharp PG-
The M10X lacks a zoom lens with adjustable focal length, and this projector must be positioned manually with respect to other projectors.
We then watched a series of slides that chose to highlight the clarity of text or graphics in two sets of lighting conditions: ambient light and completely dark rooms in the office environment.
Test images include color photos, graphic web pages, and color and gray-scale artwork.
All units were tested at their native XGA resolution.
We also display the TV signal through each projector to evaluate the effect of the device in processing the video.
When choosing our best items, we give a high evaluation of the overall quality of the displayed text and graphics.
Other factors we consider: sound quality, ease of menu navigation, and availability of remote controls.
Our tests use the default projector settings, but all projectors allow manual adjustments to optimize image quality.
Sony VPL, for example-
CX10 has a specific setting to improve text images by increasing contrast, and NEC ltx5 offers the option to enhance graphics in bright and dark rooms through gamma correction (
Adjust the overall image brightness)
And color temperature options (
Which controls the warmth of the image).
Compaq MP2800 is clearly the best performing company in poor performance. 5-pounds group.
In both lighting environments, it gets the best overall rating for text and graphic display. Text-heavy images--
For example, a spreadsheet containing a column of numbers (in 8-
Default font point Arial for Microsoft Excel)--
Especially sharp and looks brighter than NEC or sharp.
Compaq's unique upright design also makes the projected image higher, which may not require adjusting the height of the projector.
Under these two sets of lighting conditions, the NEC lt700 displays a slightly better figure than the Compaq or sharp projector, showing a more vivid color and clearer details.
Sharp projector display text-
Better image based on environment than NEC unit
Lights and darkness-room tests.
Ma DP6150 bags are the best to buy this month ~plus-pounds group.
In addition to providing dynamic stereo and multi-function input options, the model also records the best scores for text and graphic display quality.
The letters are legible, the graphics are rich in color, and the color saturation is high.
In the color Mark test image, Proxima shows more recognizable shades. The runner-
In this weight rating Epson 715c beat Sony VPL-
Comprehensive CX10.
For most of our tests, Epson can't touch Proxima, but it's high
Quality images in ambient lighting.
Sony looks the best in a dark room.
For speakers who travel a lot and do a lot of small things
We recommend the team demo of Compaq mp2800.
Although this model is a little more expensive than the other two submodels5-
The sterling unit here, with its stylish design and excellent image and audio quality, makes it a great choice.
If you don't mind the extra weight and cost-
You want to use the projector in a wider range of demo settings--
We recommend 1400
Lumens dpa dp6150.
Proxima's versatility and excellent image quality make it an excellent whole
Demo tools.