Bright Lights, Big Pictures
Affordable, portable projectors are coming on strong, in the conference room and beyond. Our tests reveal your best bets.Richard Jantz
Portable digital projectors have come of age: Thanks to falling prices and wider availability, the demand for projectors continues to grow steadily. Some units can be had for as little as $1500, and the average price of a business projector is about twice that.
As well as being more prevalent, projectors are becoming useful for specific home theater and wireless networking purposes. But most models remain suitable for multiple environments, and they have become standard equipment in offices of all sizes. You can find projectors appropriate for every setting--from on-the-road sales calls to DVD viewing at home.
We looked at 16 projectors--and the range of products we saw reflects the current trend toward
All-purpose models that are lighter, brighter, and less expensive than their predecessors. For individual reviews of any of the projectors ranked in our Top 10 Projectors chart, click the appropriate Full Review links in the Comments column of the chart. To help us determine our top ten, we conducted image tests in the PC World Test Center, evaluating the quality of text, graphics, animation, and video each projector produced. We also considered such factors as the projector's overall ease of use, its features, and its accessories. For further details on how we tested these projectors, see "Lab Notes: Resolution Solution," at the end of this story.
Versatile Projections
The NEC LT240 emerged as the best overall performer, winning our first-place Best Buy. It earned top scores for displaying graphics and video, and it tied for third on text. The Dell 3200MP captures the second-place Best Buy, thanks to its excellent handling of text. Plus, it comes with more accessories than competing models.
Finishing close behind our top two picks is the Sony VPL-CX5, which came in third on our text and graphics tests.
Other top text performers included two ultraportable models: The Boxlight XD-15c came in first with its crisp letters, while the InFocus LP70 tied the NEC's text-rendering performance.
The InFocus LP70 finished close behind the top-ranked NEC LT240 at displaying still graphic images. Both of these projectors delivered exceptionally vivid and true-to-life colors, and they showed the best contrast and details of the bunch. Several other projectors performed well on graphics overall but showed less detail in light and shadowed areas; these include the Epson PowerLite 730c, the Mitsubishi XD300U ColorView, the NEC VT660, the Philips BSure XG1, the Sharp Notevision PG-M25X, and the Toshiba TLP-T501U.
At our test resolution of 1024 by 768 (XGA), the units that displayed the least-legible text were the four projectors that had a native resolution of 800 by 600 (SVGA): the Epson PowerLite 53c, the HP Sb21, the InFocus X1, and the ViewSonic PJ-501. The text that these units produced tended to be fuzzier and less legible than what we saw from the native XGA models we tested, though large, bold fonts (such as those found in presentations) were passable. Mediocre text performance kept all four SVGA models off our chart.
Narrowly missing our top ten was Epson's 730c, the brightest ultraportable in this roundup. An average performer, the Epson finished in the middle of the pack on our motion and graphics tests. NEC's inexpensive VT660, which excelled on our graphics tests, also missed the chart.
The Inside Story
Two display technologies rule the portable projector market: Texas Instruments' DLP (Digital Light Processing), and LCD (liquid crystal display). According to ISuppli/Stanford Resources, LCD models still account for most projector sales. Of the projectors sold in 2002, 73 percent contained LCD transmissive mechanisms, while 26 percent contained DLP reflective mechanisms. Nevertheless, 9 of the 16 projectors we reviewed use DLP to display images, and 7 of those use the latest DLP chips available.
Though DLP and LCD projectors generate images somewhat differently, in hands-on testing we saw fewer differences between the two technologies than we have in the past. The rule of thumb used to be that LCD projectors tended to deliver sharper, more vibrant, and better-saturated colors than did DLP-based units, while DLP models tended to be brighter. You won't have to make the same trade-offs today, however. Current-generation DLP chips have features that vendors claim help sharpen images and boost image contrast so that blacks appear blacker and whites whiter. As such, models powered by the newer DLP chips (such as those in this roundup) are better able to compete with LCD-based units.
Ultraportable (sub-5-pound) projectors rely most heavily on DLP: Its mechanism is smaller than LCD's, and there's no longer a price premium associated with the miniaturization of DLP-based projectors. And now that the cost of DLP technology has come down to earth, you'll find DLP in a sizable number of portable (sub-10-pound) projectors as well.
Projector Particulars
A projector's display technology--that is, whether it contains an LCD or a DLP mechanism--won't affect your viewing experience as much as its resolution, brightness, and weight will. When choosing a projector, you should also consider how convenient its controls and accessories are to use, and whether it has the PC and video connections you need.
Resolution: Projectors perform best when operated at their native pixel resolution. For most portable projectors, that's XGA, which is also the most common default resolution for today's notebook PCs. SVGA projectors (which are generally cheaper than XGA units) use interpolation to display higher-resolution images. In our tests, however, no SVGA projector could match the crisp, smooth text and the fine color graphics rendered by XGA models. (For more on the differences in image quality between XGA and SVGA projectors, see "Lab Notes: Resolution Solution," at the end of this story.) Our test results suggest that the sharper, more legible images of XGA projectors justify the extra cost.
Brightness: Projector brightness is rated in ANSI lumens, an industry-standard measure of light output. Other things being equal, the higher the rating, the brighter the projected image. This is especially evident with projectors used in large conference rooms or in rooms with high ambient light levels, thanks to the brighter models' stronger illumination.
Most portables today are rated at between 1000 and 2000 ANSI lumens. The 16 projectors tested in this roundup have ratings ranging from 800 to 2500. A projector rated at 1000 to 1500 lumens--like the ones we tested from Boxlight, Dell, and InFocus--is fine for use in a small conference room with typical office or home ambient lighting. Brighter models, such as those we tested from Epson, Mitsubishi, and NEC, are well suited for larger rooms with ambient lighting.
Weight: All of the projectors that we tested are considered portables, but some are more portable than others. The HP Sb21 weighs just 2.2 pounds, while the InFocus LP70 weighs 2.5 pounds and the Dell weighs 3.6 pounds; all three are small enough that you can stash any of them in your bag without giving its weight a second thought. By contrast, more than half of the projectors covered in this roundup weigh 5 to 9.1 pounds, about two to four times more than the lightweights. Any projector under 10 pounds qualifies as a portable, but heftier models like those from Toshiba and Philips (9.1 and 8.1 pounds, respectively) are less convenient for on-the-go presenters.
Image controls: We tested the projectors at their default settings, but all 16 let you make image adjustments. For example, the Sony VPL-CX5 offers a preset option that improves images with lots of text by increasing the contrast. Several models--including the Epson 730c, the InFocus X1, the Mitsubishi XD300U, and the NEC LT240--provide preset modes for computer and video sources. The Epson 730c, both InFocus models, and both NEC models can automatically switch internal color temperature settings, too, depending on whether you use a data or a video source. And the InFocus X1 can automatically reduce its light output to improve its color saturation in video mode, for more-vivid colors.
The models from Epson, NEC, Sony, and Toshiba automatically fix keystoned (trapezoidal) screens. The Sony goes further by providing a powered tilt that raises the projector to the height you want, and then automatically adjusts the image to match.
Navigation controls: Each of the 16 projectors reviewed carries an on-unit menu for navigating through image options, as well as a remote control. The usability of the projectors' control menus varies; we found the more graphical menu systems easier to use. Two examples are shown above. Most of the remotes can control cursor movement. The exceptions--the remotes for the Boxlight and ViewSonic units--lack any built-in navigation controls, so you'll have to use your computer to move through your presentation slides. The Dell, HP, NEC, and Optoma remotes include buttons for advancing PowerPoint slides, a multidirectional selector pad for cursor control, and a built-in laser pointer. The card-thin remotes that come with both Epson models and the Boxlight, however, make directly controlling the cursor more difficult.
Connections: Though all of these units are designed to connect to the VGA port of a PC, some provide other ports worth considering. For example, the NEC LT240, Sharp PG-M25X, and Toshiba TLP-T501U support 802.11b, for wireless connections between the projector and a computer. The Sharp and Toshiba models come bundled with an 802.11b PC Card already configured for peer-to-peer networking; though the NEC supports most Wi-Fi cards, you'll have to spend about $50 to buy one.
The advantages of being untethered are clear when multiple presenters will use the same projector. Otherwise, using wireless has some limitations. For example, you can display only static images via a wireless connection. If you don't mind motionless presentations, you can leave your laptop behind when you use the NEC LT240, the Sony, and the Toshiba--all of which support flash media cards (via a PC Card slot on the NEC and Toshiba, and a Memory Stick slot on the Sony).
Some projectors we reviewed are better equipped than others to receive video from different input sources, such as a DVD player or a VCR. As a rule, the best video input is via a component video connection, rather than via S-Video or composite video. Our hands-on video-input tests (via a Philips DVD player) confirmed that rule, though S-Video also did well.
Our comparison produced a couple of clear winners in the NEC LT240 and the Dell 3200MP--either of which will serve you ably. We recommend looking for an XGA model whose price, weight, and features match your projection needs.
Movie Theater Experience Comes Home
Watching a movie with a digital projector is a real event. Seeing a DVD projected to 7 feet wide feels similar to visiting your neighborhood monsterplex, except that this one has comfy chairs and no annoying, plot-spoiling trailers. Simply plug in your video source (a DVD player, video camera, or VCR), and you're set.
Home-theater-oriented projectors have several advantages over large TVs, starting with price: A good home theater projector with DLP technology--such as the NEC HT1000 or the Optoma H56--can easily display a movie 84 inches wide and is typically priced at under $5000. And the Philips LC6231, an LCD projector with a 16:9 wide-screen aspect ratio (ideal for home use), costs less than $2000. Those prices represent a sizable investment in home entertainment, but a flat-screen TV can't match the resulting cost-to-image-size ratios--and the quality of projectors is just as good, if not better. (PC World did not formally evaluate the models noted above.) Plus, projectors in this class are relatively compact--about the size of a hardcover dictionary--so you can stash it away when the movie's over. The big downside: The pricey ($300 to $500 each) projector bulbs last for between 1500 and 6000 hours before they dim too much to be usable.
If you show movies at home from a business projector, your audience's first reaction will still be "wow!" But those models are not the best choice. Though you can manually adjust the image on most business projectors, you won't achieve the same, balanced color range you'd get from a dedicated home theater model, which typically includes high-end video deinterlacers that enhance image quality and smoothness.
--Ramon G. McLeod
Lab Notes: Resolution Solution
The PC World Test Center tested the 16 projectors in this roundup at 1024 by 768 (XGA) resolution, because that's the native resolution of most current notebook PC screens. Our research shows that it's rare for users to change their notebooks' display resolution before delivering a presentation.
We looked at screens displaying text-filled documents, color photographs, PowerPoint slides, and graphical Web pages. To evaluate each projector's ability to display motion and video delivered via PC, we watched part of the movie Star Wars: Episode II--Attack of the Clones from DVD and parts of the game Return to Castle Wolfenstein.
The four native-SVGA (800-by-600 resolution) models that we reviewed--Epson's PowerLite 53c, Hewlett-Packard's Sb21, InFocus's X1, and ViewSonic's PJ-501--had to rely on interpolation to display the higher resolution. We found various telltale artifacts of interpolation: Blotchy, too-dark letters were especially noticeable during our evaluation; an example in 10.5-point text from Microsoft Word is shown at left.
--Richard Jantz
