Review: New Projectors Light Up Solutions For The Home And Business markets

While price points of many high-quality projectors have dropped, digital integrators can add a variety of services to offset low product margins, including installation, wall and ceiling mounting, cables, calibration, cleaning and bulb replacement. Revenue and margin boosters also include surround-sound audio systems and screens. A variety of manual and automated screens are available and integrators can rack up nice service fees, especially if they include additional wiring and control panel installation.

There are a number of cinema-quality projectors on the market today. But for Digital Connect Lab's comparison review, vendors were asked to provide high-quality portable projectors that can sell into the cost-conscious business and home environments. Units include the Hewlett-Packard mp3220, InFocus X2, Mitsubishi XD450U, Sony VPL-ES2, Toshiba TDP-S25 and ViewSonic PJ562. All weigh less than 7 pounds and are priced from around $900 to $4,000. All include a mono speaker and a Kensington lock slot. Remote controls are included with all, but mount kits are optional.

Hewlett-Packard MP3220
Hewlett-Packard's mp3220 ($1,799) digital projector outputs 2,000 lumens and weighs only 3.8 pounds. It measures 9.9 x 2.8 x 8.3 inches and will easily fit inside a notebook computer bag. The projector has a native XGA resolution of 1,024 x 768, and it will scale lower or higher resolutions up to 1,600 x 1,200 to fit.

The mp3220 features composite, S-video and VGA inputs. It's compatible with HDTV signals up to 1080i, but an optional RCA-to-VGA component video cable is required; HP doesn't include the cable with the projector. A one-touch image optimization control selects the best color and contrast for a given input signal. Documentation is on CD-ROM only. Regardless, this is the best unit for mobile use, with its low weight and high brightness.

InFocus X2
InFocus' X2 is a bit big and heavy to travel with, and its native resolution and maximum brightness aren't equal to some of the other units. But its price of only $899 makes it twice as affordable as some other units. The InFocus X2 outputs 1,600 lumens and has a native resolution of 800 x 600; most notebook computers run at a higher 1,024 x 768. The X2 measures 9.8 x 4.2 x 12.9 inches and weighs 6.8 pounds. It has a manual focus/manual zoom lens.

Inputs include VGA, DVI, S-video and composite video; the S-video and composite video inputs share a common stereo audio input. The projector is compatible with HDTV signals 1080i, 720p and 480p. The DVI input has to be used for HDTV as there's no component input. The projector will automatically switch to ceiling mode when it's upside down.

Mitsubishi XD450U
Mitsubishi's XD450U ($3,995) is the brightest and most expensive projector covered here, with a maximum output of 2,600 lumens. The projector is available online for as little as $2,200, making it a much better buy than its list price would indicate. It has a native resolution of 1,024 x 768, which is preferred over 800 x 600. With a weight of 6.5 pounds, it's a bit lighter than the less-expensive InFocus unit. The XD450U is one of the larger units reviewed, measuring 12.2 x 3.9 x 9.7 inches.

The XD450U has a good assortment of inputs, including two VGA, one S-video, one composite video and one DVI. The DVI input supports HDTV signals up to 1080i. A picture-in-picture function allows for video playback over a computer background. The lens is a manual zoom/manual focus unit. The XD450U can be ceiling-mounted. It offers a good blend of performance and portability and is ideal for customers that want more than a basic unit. This is the best unit for home use. Sony VPL-ES2
The Sony VPL-ES2 ($1,100) mobile projector doesn't have the most extensive feature set, but it's an inexpensive, easy-to-use portable unit for home theater or business use. The VPL-ES2 has a fairly plain appearance and doesn't really look like a projector, which might make it less of a target for thieves. The VPL-ES2 has a native resolution of 800 x 600 and a maximum brightness of 1,500 lumens.

Ease of use is important, especially for business applications. The Sony VPL-ES2 has a one-touch feature that automatically adjusts for tilt, searches for an active input and makes keystone and pixel adjustments. The manual zoom/manual focus lens has a protective cover that opens and closes automatically. The Sony VPL-ES2 features VGA, S-video, composite and component inputs, the latter of which is used for HDTV projection. It has a 1-watt mono speaker built in, but better audio will be needed for home entertainment use. The unit measures 11.3 x 2.8 x 9 inches and weighs 5.9 pounds.

Toshiba TDP-S25
Toshiba's TDP-S25 can display HDTV signals up to 1080i. Unfortunately, it doesn't have DVI or component inputs, and the conversion cables required to project HDTV are optional. But fortunately, the TDP-S25 is priced at just $999, so the accessories can be sold as part of the full solution. If displaying HDTV is one of the primary applications, however, it's probably better to go with something that already has the appropriate inputs.

Like the InFocus unit, the TDP-S25 has a native resolution of 800 x 600, but its output is a bit brighter at 1,800 ANSI lumens. Weighing in at 6.6 pounds, the TDP-S25 is a bit lighter than the InFocus unit but not enough to make a real difference. The TDP-S25's external dimensions of 11.2 x 3.8 x 10 inches make it about the same size as the InFocus unit. The TDP-S25 has one composite, one S-video and two VGA inputs. It features a manual zoom/manual focus lens.

ViewSonic PJ562
ViewSonic's PJ562 combines good performance with a reasonable price. The 5.6-pound unit offers brightness of 2,000 lumens with a native resolution of 1,024 x 768 and a manual zoom/manual focus lens. Measuring 11.7 x 2.6 x 9.2 inches, the PJ562 is smaller than the InFocus unit and about the same size as the HP projector; its specs are similar to the HP unit. The PJ562 costs $1,449, making it the most affordable unit with XGA (1,024 x 768) native resolution.

ViewSonic equipped the PJ562 with two VGA inputs and a VGA output for passing the signal on to another display device. It also features S-video, composite and component inputs, the latter of which is used for HDTV projection, compatible with 480i, 480p, 576i, 720p and 1080i. The PJ562 does not have a DVI input. The PJ562 has specs similar to the HP unit. It costs less than the HP projector, but it's also a bit heavier.