Shed some light on the subject: 13 data projectors reviewed


Contents
Introduction
 Acer PD321
 Benq PB2220
 Canon LV-X4
 Casio XJ-350
 Epson EMP-745
 Hitachi CP-X328W
 HP MP3222
 InFocus LP120
 Mitsubishi XD50U
 NEC LT245G
 Panasonic PT-LB10NTE
 Sharp XR-1X
 Viewsonic PJ551
 Specifications
 How we tested
 Sample scenarios
 Editor's choice
 About RMIT
How we tested

Interoperability
Does the projector have a good range of connectors to work with a variety of different inputs?

Futureproofing
Is the projector bright and flexible enough to work in a variety of different lighting situations?

ROI
What are the upfront running costs, and how suitable is the projector to the task?

Service
How long is the warranty for the projector and for the lamp?

The test rig used to drive the projectors was a Toshiba Portégé notebook.

Each of the projectors was connected to the notebook and given adequate time for the lamp to heat up and stabilise (this proved to be less than 10 minutes). All the projectors were placed four metres away from the screen. They all projected images on a screen that was 100in in diagonal.

We measured the relative brightness of each projector with a Topcon IM-2D digital luxmeter. The Topcon allowed us to measure the brightness of the display from 13 points around the screen and derive an average, maximum, and minimum range for each projector. Projectors tend to be brightest at the centre and considerably dimmer around the edges, so this test allowed us to judge how uniformly bright each projector's picture was.

We also ran a series of subjective jury display quality tests using DisplayMate for Windows from Sonera Technologies. This series of images is designed to reveal the strengths and weaknesses of a range of attributes, including geometric patterns, colour scales, greyscales, uniformity, and resolution.

The jury tests consisted primarily of examining images from DisplayMate. Jurors rated the monitors first by whether they showed any of these flaws. If they did, the jurors decided whether the flaws were "barely visible", "easily visible but not an issue for real-world use", or "distracting in at least some circumstances".

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Talkback 6 comments

    Interesting and helpful articl ...Anonymous -- 22/12/04

    Interesting and helpful article. I am interested in finding more information on the wireless projectors that use the 802.11b or g. What are folks saying about them. Are they cost effective?

    Dell data projectors kevin bell -- 15/12/05

    I noticed that in your reviews over the last few years, there isn't any reviews of the dell range of data projectors and more recently, the dell 3400mp. Is there a reason for this (?), as I notice that other sites seem to review their products?

    units J. MacMillan -- 13/01/06

    In your article, you have confused weight with mass. This is a common mistake. Mass is the amount of material in an object. A 1 kg book on earth is a 1 kg book on the moon, though its weight (in Newtons) is considerably less. F=MA.

    units M Johnson -- 07/08/08 (in reply to #120127044)

    Thank you so much J. MacMillan, I am setting up a projector system for use on the moon, and on other planets, so your comment about the difference between mass and weight was of great relevence to me.

    Sharp XR-1X Review Error? Anonymous -- 31/05/06

    In the review for the Sharp XR-1X it reads “The Sharp is rated 100 ANSI lumens” - I think there may be a "0" missing there.

    Thankyou Anonymous -- 10/12/07

    I needed to source a new data projector and knowing nothing about them I found this site extremely helpful. What a terrific idea and so very helpful - thankyou.

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