Projector Reviews

Its important to what your main purpose of your projector may be and how you will use it before you purchase you new projectort. There are many differences when it comes to DLP and LCD projectors. Our projector reviews will cover the areas of mobility, brightness, resolution, contrast and connectivity. Since there are hundreds of projecotrs varying from 300 to 50k dollars, finding a projector to match you needs will not be a problem with our help.
Digital home theatres, portable projectors, educational, outdoor and confrence projectors are used world wide. Know your environment, seating position and amount of ambient light through out your space, will be a good place to start. Also consider if your lcd projector will be stationary or mobile. What will you main souce of video be playing from? And most importantly is your budget.

Mobility
If you are in any kind of business where presentations are vital, light weight mobile projectors may be what your looking for. Think about where you'll be taking the projector. The more you move your digital projector, the lighter you'll want it to be. DLP projectors have the advantage when it comes to weight and mobility. Because a DLP projector requires one mirrored chip where LCD projectors require three liquid crystal panels, most DLP projectors tend to be smaller and lighter. An average LCD projector could weigh six pounds where a DLP could weigh as little as two.

Brightness
Image brightness is measured in ANSI lumens. A room with windows or lots of light will most likely need a brighter digital projector with a higher lumen output. You may be asking yourself: how much brightness is necesssary? Researchers say that a LCD projectors produce saturated colors and can seem brighter than a DLP projector with the same lumen output. A output of 800 to 1000 lumens are ideal for LCD projectors that will be used for home theaters. As for a DLP projector, the higher output of 1000 lumens or more will be just finefor a room that is is fairly light. A larger or open room could use more brightness like 2000 lumens or above.

Resolution
The resolution or a digital projector determines the quality of the image. Ultimately, the higher the resolution, the greater the clarity and detail. Don't just go out and buy a projector with the highest possible resolution. First find out the resolution of the source of your image you wish to project. The standard resolution of800 x 600 pixles is perfect to watch standard TV or connect to an SVGA computer. So an SVGA projector will suit you perfectly for those needs. But if you want to connect newer laptops or enjoy dynamic high-definition video, you'll want to go with a projector with XGA (1024 x 768) resolution or higher. Resolution levels in both LCD and DLP projectors vary and can be corrected to match your preference with a push of a button if made available through the projectors settings.

Aspect ratio
Whether you plan to view spreadsheets or widescreen movies on your projector, you'll want to know its aspect ratio—the width of the image relative to its height. Although many video sources feature a relatively square 4:3 aspect ratio, widescreens have 16:9 proportions. You'll want to match the ratio of your favorite video source. Standard-format DVD and TV, computers, video games and VHS use a 4:3 aspect ratio. If you love widescreen movies or HDTV, a projector with a 16:9 ratio is the way to go. You can still enjoy the view if the ratios don't match—you'll simply have some unused black space in the projection. If you want to enjoy all of the formats without this space, look for projectors that let you switch from one aspect ratio to another. This feature is available in both types of projectors.

Contrast
Projector contrast refers to the difference between light(whites) and dark(blacks). Contrast ratios reflect the difference between the whitest whites and the darkest blacks. A higher contrast ratio reflects an image with enhanced colors and sharp life like details. DLP projectors are especially good at preventing surrounding light from reaching the screen and reducing contrast ratios. Therefore DLP projectors tend to have better contrast ratios than LCD models and produce a better digital imagery. Regardless of the type of projector- DLP or LCD, contrast ratios of 700:1 and higher will provide enjoyable strong highlights, shadows and details.

Connectivity
Before you decide on a projector, you'll want to see how it connects to your favorite devices. DLP projectors connect to digital devices without having to convert the signal to analog–they work especially well with everything from cameras to gaming consoles. LCD projectors have the advantage of being able to connect directly to more types of devices. Either way, be sure to choose a model with RCA, S-video and component connections if you want the new projector to anchor your home theater.

Panasonic Widescreen LCD Home Theater Projector (PTAE1000U)

• 1920x1080 resolution
• 11000:1 contrast ratio
• 1100 ANSI Lumens
• Aspect Ratio: 16:9 native, Supports 4:3
• HDTV Compatibility: 480i, 480p, 576i, 576p, 720p, 1080i
Panasonic, the leader in HD home theater projection introduces the Panasonic PT-AE1000U - its first Full HD model! The Panasonic PT-AE1000U is a 1080p HD powerhouse and perfect for movies, for sports, for HDTV television, for video games, for the whole family! The Panasonic PT-AE1000U let's you feel like you are right in the movie with stunning images, deep blacks and vibrant colors only Panasonic can give you.Full HD-optomized Dynamic Iris with new algorithm.The projector offers a host of image optimizing features including a Dynamic Iris Optical system. The Dynamic Iris helps provide the deeper, richer blacks you need for true-to-life images. (retails for $5999)

Mitsubishi HD1000U Projector

• 1500 Lumens
• 2500:1 Contrast
• 6.5 lbs
• Resolution: 1280 x 720 XGA
• lamp life of up to 3000 hours
The HD1000U is an affordable home entertainment 720p high definition projector that does not compromise on image quality. This native 1280x720 widescreen DLP projector is built with the latest BrilliantColor™ technology from Texas Instruments which significantly boosts whites and mid-tones delivering bright high quality images. It shines bright at 1500 ANSI lumens and includes a sharp 2500:1 contrast ratio, with an ultra-quiet 25dBA (low mode) noise level making your viewing experience even more pleasurable.One of the keys to Mitsubishi's HD1000U design is a seven-segment color wheel. The design gives you a faster picture refresh (4x speed) plus an additional boost of white that will saturate your screen with true-to-life color and smooth motion. The HD1000U HD projector also features BrilliantColor for DLP technology, (retails for $999)

BenQ MP610 DLP Projector

• 2000 ANSI Lumens
• 2000:1 Contrast
• 720p, 1080i, 576p Compatable
• Native: 1024x768 Pixels -- Maximum: 1280x1024 Pixels
• Aspect Ratio: 4:3 (XGA) ; Supports 16:9

This is one of the premier protable projectors on the market today. Enjoy perfect colors with the MP610's unique color matching technology. The new generation golden ratio color wheel balances true color saturation and maximizes color accuracy. The BenQ MP610 provides preface color reproduction by meeting the sRGB guideline and creates an undisturbed environment by whisper quite operation of 25Db. Furthermore, 9 separate sets of Application Modes offer the best image quality to fulfill your different image requirements. It just works to meet your business and personal entertainment needs. Eco-Mode: 25.0 dB sound. Typical Lamp Life: 3000/4000 hours (Normal/Economic mode)

InFocus LP120 DLP Projector

• 1100 ANSI Lumens
• 2000:1 Contrast
• 2.0 lbs
• Native: 800x600 Pixels -- Maximum: 1280x1024 Pixels
• Aspect Ratio: 4:3 (SVGA) ; Supports 16:9

Accuscreen has developed their unique projection surface which maximizes color, contrast and brightness - and which delivers unmatched edge-edge sharpness. This easily cleaned surface generates a true palette of colors which all viewers will appreciate. astounding 119" HDTV (16:9 aspect), your Theater will have a beautiful image, larger than any flat screen TV available! All AccuScreen Electric Screens have black leader above the image area, allowing you the flexibility to position your screen where you want it, above and away from a beautiful image. The compact design of the InFocus Business Multi-Media Mobile Projector makes it a breeze to bring your presentations with you. Tuck it in the same briefcase as your laptop, and because it weighs so little, you'll hardly notice it's there. Features a 7-language interactive display

Sony VPL-CX86 LCD Projector

• 3000 Lumens
• 350:1 Contrast
• Native: 1024x768 Pixels -- Maximum: 1400x1050 Pixels
• Aspect Ratio: 4:3 (XGA)

Now with High Speed Wireless - Ideal for Meeting Room and Class Room Installations The VPL-CX86 incorporates Sony's enhanced Air Shot technology providing 802.11b/g wireless networking capability for even faster wireless presentation capability. The VPL-CX86 provides a brightness of 3000 ANSI lumens in a compact design suitable for almost any presentation application. The VPL-CX86 features Advanced Intelligent Auto Set-up functionality. The projector's extremely low fan noise (28dB) allows a speaker's points to be clearly heard. This model is equipped with 2 RGB input connectors and 1 RGB monitor output connector for additional configuration flexibility. For example, educational presenters can simultaneously drive the projected image and their own computer monitor without requiring an external control system.

NEC NP2000 LCD Projector

• 4000 Lumens
• 800:1 Contrast
• Native: 1024x768 Pixels -- Maximum: 1600x1200 Pixels
• Aspect Ratio: 4:3 (XGA)

The NP2000 provides a suite of networking technologies and asset management features making it the perfect choice for any projector installation 3D reform and geometric software option for extreme projection solutions Five new optional lenses
Projection Distances 2.5ft to 68.5ft

Diagonal Image Size 25" to 500"
also supporst sxga and uxga but optomized for xga display features.