There are some misconceptions about projectors that permeate the consumer market. Many people view them as devices that you only see in lecture halls and conference rooms or perhaps in the romper rooms of extreme home-theater enthusiasts.
But as is often the case in life and consumer electronics, a little education goes a long way toward helping people understand how something is beneficial. Below is a sampling of several affordable portable projectors with plenty of features.
Note that although there are many ultra-portable, tiny projectors such as pico projectors on the market, those devices are generally under-featured for applications other than small-screen presentations and multimedia viewing. Here, we’ll focused on midpriced portable projectors that offer features you can use in an office, home theater, or anywhere else you want to enjoy your projector’s capabilities.
 Important Features To Consider
There are many factors to weigh when purchasing a projector, but the bottom line is that you need to find a device that suits the applications you will use it for. With that in mind, consider the features that will have the greatest impact on your purchasing decision.
The go-to feature for projectors is how many lumens a given device has. Simply put, lumens are a measure of brightness; the higher the number, the brighter the projection. For smaller rooms with little or no ambient light, a projector with fewer lumens (such as 1000) will likely be fine, but if you’re trying to project in a large room with lots of windows and sunlight, a projector with more than 2000 lumens will be more suitable.
A projector’s resolution is also important, as the image can only be as clear as the device’s supported resolution. You’ll find most projectors support HD resolutions, including 720p and 1080p, as well as screen ratios typical of TVs such as 4:3 and 16:9. Some projectors have the ability to switch screen resolutions to accommodate the media it’s displaying.
Further affecting the image quality is a projector’s contrast ratio and throw ratio. Like an HDTV, the contrast ratio is the measurement of difference between the device’s darkest black and brightest white. A lower contrast ratio (about 1000:1) will yield lower-quality color depth than a high contrast ratio (about 10000:1). The throw ratio is technically the distance from the projector to the screen divided by the image’s width; in more simplistic terms, it’s how far away you can move the projector from the screen while maintaining a crisp, clean image.
You should also ensure the projector has sufficient connectivity options, such as HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface), component video, composite video, and S-Video ports, as well as VGA (Video Graphics Array) and DVI (Digital Visual Interface) ports. Also look for low fan noise so as not to interfere with the media’s sound and note the weight and size of the projector as this will tell you how portable a projector truly is.
The projector you buy will operate with either DLP (Digital Light Processing) or LCD (liquid crystal display) technology. In the recent past, many equated DLP projectors with smoother video, deeper blacks, and higher contrast ratios, while LCD projectors were less expensive, had richer colors, and produced less heat. Today, the technologies are much closer in quality and features.
The two differ in how they create images. LCDs transmit light through three glass panels, which is split into red, green, and blue and creates the image you see on the screen. DLP projectors reflect light off of millions of tiny mirrors, which then travels through a color wheel to produce an image.
The Roundup
We put five projectors through the paces to check out their respective strengths and weaknesses. We looked at projectors in roughly the $800 to $1,400 range; this excludes both very high-end projectors and tiny, inexpensive projectors with minimal features.
INFOCUS IN2106 | 
InFocus IN2106 |
The IN2106, a compact yet somewhat heavy projector at 6.9 pounds, features a 5-segment color wheel, a decent contrast ratio of 2000:1, and a resolution up to 720p or 1080i. The zoom is a modest 1.1X, although it’s a fairly bright projector at 2500 lumens. Though it isn’t ideal for most applications, the IN2106 has a convenient 2W mono speaker built in so you aren’t left high and dry if you need audio and don’t have a system to connect to the projector.
The IN2106 has plenty of ports to connect a plethora of devices, including two VGA ports, two sets of component ports, S-video, composite, USB, RS-232 (Recommended Standard 232), and an audio mini jack. It also has a monitor output if you want to have the displayed image appear on your computer monitor, as well. However, the projector lacks HDMI and DVI ports.
There is plenty to like about the IN2106, including the ability to connect two computers and the convenient USB port that automatically retrieves firmware updates for the projector from your computer when connected. The menu is easy to navigate and quite intuitive, and the remote control has the same button layout for navigation. The remote itself fits nicely in the hand and sports bulbous buttons that provide for easy tactile navigation, which is ideal if you don’t want to look down at the remote control all the time. It also boasts a filter-free design.
There is a host of aspect ratios you can choose from, including 16:9, 5:4, 4:3, and 16:10. The presets are excellent, as well; you can toggle through many options, including ones that optimize the color for presenting on blackboards, whiteboards, beige walls, bright rooms, and more. You can even create your own use presets.
SANYO PLC-XC55 | 
Sanyo PLC-XC55 |
The Sanyo PLC-XC55 is quite bright with a whopping 3100 lumens and casts a sizable projection even at close ranges. It sports a nice variety of connectivity options, including DVI, VGA, component, composite, and S-video, as well as a stereo mini jack and an RS-232C control. It supports resolutions up to 720p or 1080i.
For a portable projector, this is a big machine; really big, actually, at 8.8 pounds and 3.3 x 16.1 x 10.3 inches (HxWxD). Although it’s portable, you may not want to carry around something this size on a regular basis.
The PLC-XC55 is equipped with several intriguing features, including Sanyo’s AMF (Active Maintenance Filter) system, which is designed to make changing the filter a snap; a relatively powerful 7W internal speaker; and Auto Keystone Correction, which automatically adjusts the angle of the projected image to help ensure a perfectly rectangular projection, if you move the projector.
It also sports several screen ratios, including Wide, Full, and Custom, as well as plenty of options for color modes. The remote control is well designed and has some smart extras to go along with the typical navigational functions. With the remote, you can control the lamp brightness, mute the audio and video, control digital zoom, and toggle between video sources.
VIVITEK D326MX | 
Vivitek D326MX |
The Vivitek D326MX is a tiny projector, weighing in at just 3.2 pounds and measuring 2.8 x 8.66 x 7 inches. If your greatest need in a portable projector is power in a small package, this is ideal for you. It even comes with a padded carrying case for good measure.
It has a nice selection of modes for virtually any application, including Bright, Game, Movie, TV, Presentation, Data, and User. You can choose from several different aspect ratios, including 4:3, 16:9, LetterBox, and Fill. The projector supports resolutions up to 720p or 1080i and sports a 5-segment color wheel.
The connectivity options are plentiful, with USB, audio, S-video, composite video, VGA, and HDMI ports. It also has a 1W built-in speaker.
The remote control is correspondingly tiny, utterly convenient for portability but easy to lose, and it fits poorly in the hand. It has basic navigational buttons, as well as the keystone adjuster, Freeze, Auto, Source, and Mute buttons.
One issue with the D326MX is that the display area is quite small at less than 10 feet away from the wall. With 2600 lumens and a solid 2500:1 contrast ratio, you can back the projector up quite a bit and still expect a bright, rich image, but if space is at a premium, you could run into trouble.
OPTOMA HD71 | 
Optoma HD71 |
The Optoma HD71 is an ideal all-around projector. If you need your projector for multiple uses, such as connecting to an HDTV, computer, VCR, Blu-ray Disc player, and more, this device sports just about every port you can imagine needing. It has HDMI and DVI-D (DVI-Digital), as well as VGA, RS-232, USB, S-Video, composite video, component video, and three discrete stereo audio channels. It also has a Kensington lock and a +12V relay to connect, for example, a motorized screen.
Its native resolution is 16:9, although it supports 4:3 and LBX (LetterBox), as well. The image quality, powered by DLP technology, goes up to 720p and sports a 6x color wheel. The HD71 is fully HDCP- (high-bandwidth digital content protection) compliant, ensuring that it’s compatible with the copy protection technology present in an increasing number of audio/visual devices.
The remote control is perfect for virtually any application—home, office, or otherwise—with buttons to change the input, change the aspect ratio, bring up the menu, and several other functions such as keystone correction. It’s smartly designed and packed with features you would want at your fingertips. The buttons are even backlit and feature icons on each, letting you know what it does.
The menu navigation is a bit confusing, which could be a frustration for some users. Although the HD71 is a snazzy-looking white device, it’s somewhat bulky and weighs in at 6.3 pounds, which is not quite ideal for a portable projector. The size of the projected image is somewhat small—akin to a large HDTV at a distance of 7 or 8 feet—and the fairly weak zoom doesn’t help matters much. The image gets substantially larger when the projector is placed just a few more feet away, but bear in mind that in close quarters, your effective screen real estate may leave something to be desired.
Still, the smorgasbord of connection options, bright 2400-lumen lamp, and expertly designed remote control compensates for most limitations in other areas.
EPSON POWERLITE 1720 | 
Epson PowerLite 1720 |
The Epson PowerLite 1720 is a featherweight projector at just under 4 pounds, though it’s rather large—2.8 x 11.2 x 7.9 inches. It comes in a convenient carrying case and with a VGA cable, USB cable, and audio cables.
The PowerLite 1720 has limited connectivity options with only VGA, S-Video, composite video, USB, and a mono audio jack. However, this also simplifies things a bit and makes it clear that you’ll most likely be using it with a computer. In fact, it’s a perfect partner to a laptop.
With this projector and a laptop, you can effortlessly use it for a presentation, working on the computer, browsing the Internet, or watching movies virtually anywhere. It sports multiple settings for the remote control sensor—front, rear, front/rear, or off—to accommodate whatever positioning a room requires.
Additionally, the PowerLite 1720 offers a nice variety of color modes to ensure the image looks its best wherever you set it up. The different modes include Game, Presentation, Text, Theater, Photo, sRGB, and Blackboard. This setting is one of the first you’ll encounter in the easy-to-navigate menu. You can also adjust the brightness to fit whatever room or application you encounter.
A knock on this projector is the lack of available aspect ratios. You can set it to 4:3 or 16:9 only. There is a second area in the menu where you can set the resolution to Wide or Normal; this will be confusing for people, to be sure. Also, the throw ratio and zoom capabilities are quite limited. The 1W built-in speaker will do in a pinch, but it’s about as loud as a notebook’s speaker.
Nevertheless, with 3000 lumens and a 2000:1 contrast ratio, the image the PowerLite 1720 displays is huge and bright. The remote control is a strong point, as well. It puts a great deal of power and flexibility in the palm of your hand. In addition to being able to toggle between different inputs, access menu and navigational items, control the digital zoom, select the color mode, and much more, you can define different automatic functions for the User button, including Brightness Control and turning on and off Closed Captioning and Resolution.
The Epson PowerLite 1720 promises a display area of 30 to 300 inches, and it can deliver on that promise. 
by Seth Colaner
BUYING TIPS
• When shopping for a projector to suit you, keep a few things in mind. For starters, if you plan to tote the projector around from time to time, make sure the one you get is compact and light; you don’t want to be slinging a 10-pound projector and its accessories over your shoulder.
• Consider what type of environment you’ll be using the device in. If, for example, there is a lot of ambient light in the rooms you’ll be in, make sure you spring for one with high lumens.
• Make sure the projector you buy has the appropriate connection ports. For example, if you only plan to hook the device up to a TV and not to a computer, look for HDMI ports over VGA.
• The size of the projected screen is an important consideration. If your space is limited, the projector may not be able to display an image as large as it would be able to if you had a larger room. |
PRODUCT INFORMATION
| | Price | Company | Contact Info | URL | Notable features | | IN2106 | $949 | InFocus | (800) 294-6400 | www.infocus.com | Unique filter-free design | | PLC-XC55 | $1,495 | Sanyo | (619) 661-1134 | us.sanyo.com | Very bright at 3100 lumens | | D326MX | $899 | Vivitek | (877) 603-3582 | www.vivitekcorp.com | Only 3.2 pounds | | HD71 | $1,299 | Optoma | (408) 383-3700 | www.optomausa.com | Has a plethora of ports | | PowerLite 1720 | $1,299 | Epson | (800) 463-7766 | www.epson.com | Huge display area |
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