Projectors
I used projectors for meetings, geek social get-togethers, and movie watching. Currently looking for the best portable projector for these purposes.
Am really disappointed with projector review sites, which always want to separate "business" and "entertainment" when the fact is a lot of people use them for both, and the middle grounds of informational surfing, portable parties, etc.
My bias is towards LCD, which on all models offers rich colours, no rainbow effect, and a sharper image (I actually kinda like the screendor effect, though it's rarely an issue these days). But I'm willing to try DLP since the lightest models are DLP and it offers better contrast.
Epson PowerLite 700c
Paid a fortune for this projector - used even - in 2001 so I could throw multimedia parties where people could pass a keyboard around. Good robust portable projector for its time, though it was noisy. Dust particles are also a constant problem.
Sold it to friends who are still enjoying it.
Sanyo PLV-Z3
Got this from Eastporters - who don't seem to have such compelling prices these days, but do contact me if you want someone to give a referral fee to. :)
- - Was never really blown away by video quality - was decent but saw a lot of tearing. requires more fiddling than I wanted (yeah, my expectations are too high)
- - overall was quiet, but had a rattley noise from some angles
- - design was ugly (to me) - big silver blob.
- + Nice remote control and controls.
- A more standard resolution for computers would be nice.
Was stolen. :(
Future projector
I want to get something more portable now, but is still not distractingly inferior for video.
BenQ MP270c http://www.projectorcentral.com/BenQ-CP120c.htm
$1599 at http://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowProductcmd=pd&pid=010976&cid=333 ... hmmm.. have to find out who's carrying the version with wireless.
review: http://www.trustedreviews.com/article.aspx?page=6354&head=0
- 1500lumen
- 2000 contrast ratio
- + 2.2lb
- DLP
- + wifi a, b, g
- - saw a Benq DLP data projector in the past and the colours were awful - flat and heavily tinged with green - would be afraid of this being the case again.
- - probably a lot noisier than a home theatre model
Boxlight Broadview
Looks like a nice projector - 4.4lbs, 1280x768, 2000:1 contrast ratio, 2500 lumens. Wrote the co. an inquiry asking about wheel speed and eco modes.
Projected Projector
- + LED projectors are an interesting trend - bulbs offer lower cost, heat, power, quietness, more enviromentally friendly; but will be a while before the resolution and brightness are decent - Mitsubishi PocketProjector
- + Higher resolution projectors should be an interesting trend as well, but always on the higher end !