Canon LV-8310 Video Performance
To check the LV-8310’s video performance, I used the DVD playback from my laptop computer, connected via VGA. Staring in Cinema mode, my usual reference DVD of “The Fifth Element” looked quite good on the LV-8310. Skin tones were quite natural and the variety of bright colors in that film had the “pop” that is often associated with home theater projectors. On the down side, the very low contrast ratio of the LV-8310 was not conducive to viewing darker scenes. Black levels were average or below average as compared to much of the competition. While I’m not usually an advocate for the addition of a dynamic iris to a projector, the LV-8310 could certainly use one.
However, for video viewing in an average lit room, the good color reproduction of the LV-8310 in high brightness modes provides for a pleasing image, making it a good choice for classroom video presentations. In addition, the LV-8310’s built-in 7-watt speaker has enough power to create an acceptable volume level for most classrooms.
While the LV-8310 is not designed specifically for movie or TV viewing, its video and audio reproduction is more than adequate for classroom videos.
Brightness
The LV-8310 is rated at 3000 lumens. Unfortunately, like the previously reviewed Canon WUX10, the LV-8310 did not come close to matching that rating. In Presentation mode (the brightest), we measured 2319 lumens. Using Standard mode, the output dropped to 1919 lumens. sRGB mode was next at 1753 lumens. Cinema and Video mode, as you would expect, brought up the rear at 1519 and 1532 respectively. While the highest lumen rating achieved was disappointing, it should be noted that even in its brightest mode, the Canon displayed fairly deep and accurate colors. With much of the competition, one has to drop down a level from the brightest mode to achieve the same color rendition the Canon has in its brightest mode. So, unless you’re doing black-and-white presentations or aren’t concerned about color accuracy, the LV-8310 will actually be brighter than some of the higher rated competition when it comes to lumen output combined with good color.
As the zoom range is pretty limited, there wasn’t much difference between mid-zoom (where all the previous measurements were taken) and the extreme ends of the zoom range. In Presentation mode, zooming in dropped the output from 2319 at mid-zoom to 2253. Zooming out fully increased the output to 2355.
Dropping the lamp into Quiet mode resulted in a drop of about 30%, which still provided over 1600 lumens in Presentation mode. Overall, the Canon LV-8310 should have plenty of brightness for its intended market of the classroom or conference room.
Brightness Slideshow
Brightness
Normal Lamp Mode
Brightness
Quiet Lamp Mode
Networking
The Canon LV-8310 supports wired network control from a remote computer or computers, including monitoring of lamp life, email alerts, notifications and power status. Management software available from Canon allows for a single computer to be networked with mulitiple projectors, as well as with multiple computers. Unfortunately, there is no ability to project images via a network, either wired or wirelessly.
Audible Noise
The Canon LV-8310 was about average in the noise department compared to other projectors in its class. It’s rated at 35 dB in Normal lamp mode, which is about in the middle of the range. Using Quiet lamp mode, the noise level drops to typical level of 29 dB. However, subjectively, the LV-8310 seemed a bit quieter than those numbers would make you believe. Decibel ratings, just like lumen ratings, should be taken with a grain of salt as manufacturers routinely miss targets. With audio differences like the pitch of the noise aren't factored in, so for example, a projector who's noise is lower in frequency might measure higher, but be less noticeable.
In either lamp mode, the LV-8310’s built-in, 7-watt speaker will provide plenty of volume to overcome any fan noise.
