Classroom Projector Report: Best School Projectors for K-12 Education
May 2010 -Art Feierman, Editor
This report just posted. There's much that will still be added over the next week or so.
13 Projectors we've recently reviewed, and 60 more "nominated" by their respective manufacturers are considered in this report.
|
|
  |
Classroom and Education Projectors - Overview
It's 2010, and this first K-12 report, will in part follow the format we use for reviewing education and business projectors. Before I define that, there are distinct parts to this report. The first part of this report looks at a varied collection of 13 projectors we have reviewed, that are considered particularly suitable for use as school projectors, either in the classroom, or auditoriums and multi-purpose rooms. From this total of thirteen, organized into several groups, we pick our Best In Classroom award winners.
Before I continue. I want to strongly recommend that visitors read the Guide to the Report, page. I provides our take on more than a dozen features/benefits found in various of these projectors, and try to put them all in perspective.
Our goal was never to identify the absolute best projector out there. First of all, it would be a herculean task. There's no publisher in the industry that could begin to pull that off. There are approximately 500 projectors sold in the US for business or education use. of those, perhaps 10 or 15 percent are extremely high power, or specialty projectors, that K-12 can live without, but most of the rest are likely very usable in schools. For perhaps half of those, the K-12 market was a definite focus in the design of the projector. The math says there's at least a couple hundred projectors, currently available for K12 school use.
Our awards serve best to identify what you can expect in a particularly well designed and balanced projector. In reality, the winner may be one of a half dozen pretty similar projectors about equally good, from a number of manufacturers on the market. As you work through this report, though, you should defintely learn, what (we think) a best projector looks like.
The second section of the Classroom Projector Report: Best School Projectors for K-12 Education, is our attempt to let you expand your range, by letting you apply what you learned from the individual classroom projector reviews, and awards. Apply that to a larger selection of projectors. To do that we've looked at a number of "series" of projectors from major manufacturers.
We realize that it is common for a manufacturer to have 4 or 5 or even 7 similar projectors - say all with the same brightness, same box, same lens, but one might be SVGA, another XGA, a third a Widescreen 1280x800, and perhaps versions of the XGA and Widescreen, that have networking. One of the largest "series" makes a good example. That's from Casio, with eight similar projectors in one series. I'm talking the same series as the reviewed XJ-A140. In Casio's case, it breaks out like this:
Four lower power projectors - 2000 lumens, and four that are otherwise the same, but 2500 lumens
Four projectors are widescreen, four XGA (yes, two of each are 2000 lumen, two are 2500 lumen)
Four projectors have USB and wireless presenting, four do not.
And that, folks, creates a total of 8 projectors all slightly different from each other. You can buy a that's 2000 or 2500 lumens, with or without USB and wireless presenting, and with those combinations you then only have to choose between XGA and widescreen WXGA resolution
Other series may have a lot more differences from one projector to the next.
With that in mind we look at more than a dozen different series of projectors from the 12 manufacturers in this report.
We provide charts. Many of our charts feature typical specs, but some also track key special features and abilities. We asked the manufacturers to tell us which projector series they make that are their best projectors for the schools. From that group we selected the 60+ projectors for the second half of this report.
Let's get started!
Education Projectors Reviewed
Listed alphabetically, for your convenience.
Read the full review of the BenQ MP772ST DLP projector or read the MP772ST specifications here.
Read the full review of the Canon LV-8310 3LCD projector or read the LV-8310 specifications here.
Read the full review of the Casio XJ-A140 DLP projector or read the Casio XJ-A140 specs.
Read the full review of the Dell S300W 3LCD projector or read the S300W specifications here.
Read the full review of the Epson BrightLink 450Wi DLP projector or read the BrightLink 450Wi specifications here.
Read the full review of the Epson 85+ DLP projector or read the 85+ specifications here.
Read the full review of the Hitachi CP-D10 LCD projector or read the CP-D10 specifications here.
Read the full review of the InFocus IN2114 DLP projector or read the IN2114 specifications here.
Read the full review of the InFocus IN2116 DLP projector or read the IN2116 specifications here.
Read the full review of the Mitsubishi XD221U DLP projector or read the XD221U specifications here.
Read the full review of the Optoma TX542 DLP projector or read the TX542 specifications here.
Read the full review of the Sanyo PDG-DXL100 DLP projector or read the PDG-DXL100 specifications here.
Read the full review of the Sharp PG-D3510X DLP projector or read the PG-D3510X specifications here.
Read the full review of the Sony VPL-TX7 DLP projector or read the Sony VPL-TX7 specifications here.
[Optoma TX542] 
Projectors above, from top left: BenQ MP772ST, Canon LV-8310, Casio XJ-A140, Dell S300W, Epson BrightLink 450Wi, Epson 85+, Hitachi CP-D10, InFocus IN2114, InFocus IN2116, Mitsubishi XD221U, Optoma TX542, Sanyo PDG-DXL100, Sharp PG-D5310X, Sony VPL-TX7
Picking the Winners - the best K12 projectors of those reviewed:
There really is no, one best projector for everyone, not even in a particular price range. There are so many variables that each buyer must consider, in choosing the right projector for their viewing requirements. Our goal this year, is to help you quickly eliminate projectors that may be excellent values overall (or not), but just won't work for your purposes, for one reason or another.
There are many such reasons - brightness, placement flexibility including needing an ultra-short throw projector, rainbow effect susceptability, widescreen vs. standard, networking features, etc. We discuss most of the key features in the Special Features page. In all fairness, only some of the dozen plus "features" (and their benefits) discussed, are special features, a few are standard stuff, like when we discuss brightness, or color fidelity.
My point is, that while one projector may be excellent at many things, it may be disqualified by you because of a specific requirement you have. You might love the Epson 85+ but if your requirement is for an ultra short throw projector, it's not going to be that Epson. It might be the BenQ or the Hitachi that we cover in this report, or even the Epson Brightlink 450wi, if that's your need. For some districts and schools networking may be mandatory. For another district, the emphasis might be on long term cost of operation, which probably means you are leaning to one of the projectors with lamps that last 3000 or 4000 hours at full power, or 4000 or 5000 hours at low power. The long term cost differences due to lamp costs and other maintenance can often easily exceed the cost of the projector. Some schools are trying to go all digital. If that's the case, you'll find only a small percentage of projectors geared for schools have HDMI or DVI inputs. I say a small percentage, and that's true, but they are hardly rare, so if you need digital input, you will have a good number of choices.
Due to the concept of "no one perfect projector", we will be giving out 5 major awards between the 13 projectors reviewed for this report. Click for list of the winners!
Bottom line - It's your job as the potential buyer, to make the final decisions. To help, I provide the following (and somewhat obvious) advice:
Even before you have determined what features and abilties you want for your projector(s), you may want to make a list of disqualifying features (such as placement range, resolution and aspect ratio, warranty, etc.). That should make the process of selection much faster. For example, of the 13 projectors we've just reviewed, if you already know you don't want an ultra-short throw projector - that eliminates 3 models. If you want a widescreen projector, you are down to just 2 widescreen projectors that aren't ultra-short throw. See how easy it may be. Of course the field of possible projectors is far larger than these 13. Our second section chart, however, provides core information on more than 60 projectors, and this technique should be very efficient with that many projectors to choose from.
And all of those are models that their respective manufacturers have "nominated" as being their "best" series of projectors for K-12 usage. Actually I asked all the manufacturers to nominate two different series of projectors, best for K-12, but less than half gave me two series. If two series were nominated, I selected the series I thought more appropriate.
Classroom Projector Highlights
Below is a short paragraph - or two - highlighting key aspects of each projector considered for this review. They are organized alphabetically as to not offend anyone.
BenQ MP772ST Ultra-Short Throw Projector:
Ultra-short throw projectors are a small but growing segment. When price is in line, they are a very attractive alternative to projectors that need to be placed much further back. The BenQ MP772ST is fairly typical of ultra-short throw projectors. It uses a large convex lens to allow it to project a pretty huge image from just 2 or 3 feet from the screen.
Mike reviewed the MP772ST, and was extremely impressed. One of its key strengths is that it is particularly affordable for a projector with its feature set. MSRP is only $899, and it seems to be selling for up to about $100 less than that. Another thing he mentioned was how even the sharpness was across the screen, which is often a challenge for ultra-short throw projectors.
The MP772ST is a DLP projector. As I will write many times before this report is finished, if you really need accurate colors, most likely you are better off with an LCD projector, as most DLP's have at least a little problem doing a good yellow or a bright red, when in their brighter settings modes. This particular DLP's color handling was pretty average for a DLP projector. Even the best DLP's though couldn't quite match the LCD's in these reviews. Of note, however, this BenQ projector has a stunning sRGB mode. We normally ignore sRGB in general because that mode rarely allows any adjustment, and it tends to be dim. In this case, the sRGB mode is no dimmer than movie/cinema mode, but actually has significantly better color... I like it in this case, and would recommend it, when you don't need more lumens for punching through a lot of ambient light.
The BenQ projector proved to be more than bright enough for classroom use. BenQ rates the MP772ST projector at 2500 lumens. The projector's lamp life ratings are about average for those reviewed in this report, but it's replacement lamp cost is lower than most. There are no filters to maintain, and the BenQ has a better warranty on this projector (3 years) than found on a lot of the other lower cost projectors.
The MP772ST offers wired networking for command and control, it sports native XGA resolution, has a monitor out, close captioning and plenty of audio power. Finally, it's one of many new DLP projectors that are 3D Ready. That doesn't guarantee you Avatar in 3D, but it does open some 3D doors.
Save for the image page.... Mind you the color isn't bad, but your bright pure yellow won't be quite as bright, and won't be pure. Like with most DLP's the yellow will have a bit too much green, so you get a slightly mustardy yellow, with a touch of green. The BenQ's bright reds will be somewhat darker - almost wine colored, than expected.
Canon LV8310 Widescreen LCD Projector:
While Canon is far more famous for its more expensive LCoS projectors, they carry the same emphasis on great color down to their LCD projectors like the LV8310. The LV8310 is one of the more attractive units with its slightly oval shape. The lens is nicely recessed!
The LV8310 sells for less than $1000. For your classroom bucks you are, first of all, getting a widescreen projector (the usual 1280x800 resolution). While the Canon is not dripping in special features (no networking, no remote presenting/mousing, no close captioning), but what it does, it seems to do very well.
We're talking Canon - best known as a camera company. They take their color very seriously. This projector does great in terms color, just as one would expect from them.
Their lamp life has a longer life than average for the group, but watch out for one downside. the Canon LV8310 has the most expensive replacement lamp cost of the thirteen projectors. The list price is $449. 10 of the 13 projectors in this report have lamps costing between $199 and $299. The only other projectors with a lamp cost over $300 are the Hitachi at $320 and the Dell at $350.
The Canon has a filter to change but it
Casio XJ-A140 Projector:
Very cool - actually really. This Casio should run a little cooler than most of the competition, even despite the thin form factor. This is due to the Casio XJ-A140 being the only projector in the reviews portion of this report to have an LED light source. Yes, that's right, this Casio is a "green" projector (which they heavily advertise). Just to set the record straight, Casio calls it a hybrid light source, because, in reality, their solution uses LED and fluorescent sources. Both are "green" compared to ultra high pressure (UHP) mercury vapor lamps used in most projectors. The bottom line, is you get 20,000 hours out of the light source.
Tony handled the review of the Casio, and it is one of the last ones completed (not even posted as I write this). He particularly likes the slim form factor, and the 2:1 zoom range (not 1.2:1 like a lot of others in this report). This is likely the only reviewed projector in this report, that would actually fit into a typical briefcase, making it particularly attractive for mobile use. Still, it's feature set makes it perfectly at home in a classroom. From a pricing standpoint the Casio XJ-A140 turns out to not be particularly expensive, despite the light source, which, I mentioned, is rated at 20,000 hours.
The XJ-A140 is a DLP projector. It is also one of 8 almost identical looking Casio projectors with the "hybrid light source" as they call it. Of those, four are 2000 lumen versions and four more are the same basic projectors but 2500 lumens. Half have USB + Wireless capabilities, the other half do not. The third distinguishing difference is resolution/aspect ratio. Half are XGA, the other four are widescreen - WXGA (1280x800) resolution. Basically you can choose the combination of aspect ratio, wireless / USB presenting, and brightness, that works best for you. From a list price standpoint, all of the projectors are between $799 and $1099.
The Casio XJ-A140 is their least expensive 2500 lumen projector, as it's XGA which is $100 less than Widescreen, and it lacks the USB and wireless abilities, which is also apparently $100 more.
As a DLP projector, there's no filter to deal with either. This projector essentially requires no maintenance from cradle to grave. Color was typical for a DLP projector. Tony didn't report any particularly obvious affect of using a "hybrid" light souce, on the image quality.
This Casio has an HDMI input, which will matter to some of you. About half the reviewed projectors do have HDMI or DVI digital inputs, the rest don't.
Sometimes I forget things. In this case I've forgotten to point out that these are the thinnest serious projectors around, well under two inches tall. The other thing I want to point out is that you can ceiling mount this projector. That's true of all the others we reviewed, but the Casio is so portable that I had to double check. The one noticeable deficiency of the XJ-A140 is the speaker. This projector has a single 1 watt speaker/amp. Two other projectors have one watt speakers, but the rest all have at least 5 watts. I may forget things, but then so did Casio. This was the only projector of the thirteen without a monitor (vga) out.
More on the Casio later. I just want to add, that I personally liked the previous Casio we reviewed last year. It's another ultra-thin projector, but with a conventional lamp.
Interestingly, the Casio is one of the few DLP's in this group that doesn't claim to be 3D ready.
Put someplace else: The lightsource will likely outlive the projector. Even the projector with the longest life conventional lamp in this report (6000 hours at low -eco- power), would require 3 replacement lamps to match the Casio's "lamp life". Assuming this projector is being placed in locations where it's getting some significant use, over many years it would likely prove to be the least expensive projector of the thirteen to own and operate. That should be a real plus for district wide implementations. Even if the projector is running 40 hours a week - unlikely. I should note that power ratings aren't much different from any of the other projectors, which surprised me.
Dell S300W Wireless Projector
The new S300W widescreen DLP projector is one of a very few projectors on the market that can interface with dozens (actually up to 30) projectors at once, though the network, so that any one can take control of the projector. That' makes for some interesting special computer rooms, and other interactive uses. The cute little antenna that sticks up tells you that this projector can present wirelessly. Even cooler, while you have all those computers talking to the projector, you can display 4 computer's screens at once in four windows.
While we are at it, the projector also can present from USB!
The S300W projector is $999 putting it on the high side of average. Eight projectors of the thirteen cost less, but only three have official prices under $899.
Color is typical DLP. The S300W is a bit below average brightness claiming 2200 lumens. It offers close captioning, It's 3D ready too. I mentioned that it's a widescreen projector, let me add that the resolution is 1280x800 and the S300W offers an digital input as well as the usual analog ones.
Audio isn't a problem, a single 8 watt system does a fine job for classroom. The projector's networking supports email notification and command and control from remote locations. It's Crestron compatible as well. In fact about the only thing missing is remote mousing, but, ok, you can always buy a 3rd party remote mouse.
The zoom lens is the usual 1.2:1 zoom found on most low cost DLP projectors. Some DLP projectors have even less range, though none of the thirteen.
I didn't work with the Dell at all, but from what Tony tells me, I should be impressed. I am, acutally, as I'm a sucker for all that fancy wireless presenting, and interfacing to multiple computers. Lamp life should be very good, but Dell seems to be playing games. They say up to 5000 hours in typical mode. Is typical full power, or low power? The rule of thumb is that if a manufacturer only gives one lamp life number, and isn't clear, it's almost always low power (eco-mode, or whatever you like calling it). Even if it's 5000 hours in eco-mode, that still means it's got a longer life lamp than most of these projectors. Assuming eco-mode, only two projectors do better, and one ties it. (OK, 3 better if you count the Casio's hybrid lightsource). Enough,
Epson Brightlink 450wi Projector:
This is the only true interactive projector of the thirteen. I don't count remote mousing in that statement, this is a whole different level of interactivity. Basically the Brightlink 450wi, when combined with a typical washable whiteboard, gives you a wide range of abilities similar to combining an interactive SmartBoard with a projector. The beauty of the Brightlink 450wi though is the cost compared to the alternative. There is a second Brightlink projector, the 450
Before I get further into this, let me point out that a SmartBoard has a lot more software available, and is inherently more powerful than the Brightlink 450wi with is provided software. But 3rd party software is available that adds a lot of additional capability for a very reasonable price. It's even conceivable that at some point Smart decides that its real business is the software and content. If so, a lot of their stuff could be ported to the Epson. But, that's just me conjecturing. Education pricing on a SmartBoard 64" diagonal is just over $1100. Smart's 94" diagonal is about $1900. The Epson can work with whiteboards as large as 96", or, of course, smaller. Either way, the cost is the same, only the cost of the whiteboard changes as it gets larger. And those are typically less than $200 for a good quality large one. Of course the SmartBoard still needs a projector - and one in the Epson's class is definitely at least $800.
In other words, if you want a large sized interactive setup in the classroom, the Epson can come in, with whiteboard, all the mounting gear, etc. for a thousand less, or more importantly, you can probably buy 5 of the Epson Brightlink's for the cost of 3 large smartboards and projectors. That's HUGE! Of course if you go with a much smaller board, the cost difference is less, but then given a choice, most classrooms would prefer larger boards, especially for interactivity.
The Epson Brightlink system is built around an LCD projector. The projector is a true ultra-short throw, with an interesting optical system. To fill that large 96" screen, the Brightlink projector sits only about 15 inches back from the white board/wall.
What can the Epson do? The list is long. I won't even begin to try to cover it here, you'll find it in the full Brightlink 450wi review. Utimately, though you can pick up the Epson pen, select a color and "draw" on the whiteboard. What you draw, appears on the board, projected from the projector. That works because the Epson tracks the movement and instructions of the Epson pen. With the additional software you can record presentations, you can save annotations... (yup, go read the review, enough for now).
The Epson projector has "big sound" a single 10 watt speaker. Of the 13 projectors the Mitsubishi and the other Epson were the other two, with the most wattage. Sound won't be a problem.
The Epson comes with the wall mount and its telescoping arm. Other than the whiteboard (and a wall will do in a pinch), you just need to find something to project, and some electricity.
Epson has an education program called Brighter Futures ask your authorized dealer (or, if you know an Epson rep, ask him/her). I'm not knowledgeable enough to advise about what that offers, although I do believe it provides schools with an extra year of warranty. Most manufacturers have education programs.
Epson Powerlite 85+ Projector
OK, now time for a "traditional" Epson projector. Like all Epson's it's an LCD projector (Epson makes the LCD's for just about all LCD projectors except Sony, best I can tell.)
As is typical of Epson projectors color is very good. Epson's big on pushing their brightness measurements for both white and for individual colors. This is mostly about the LCD vs. DLP ongoing debate, and I'll discuss elsewhere. Ultimately Epson claims this $899 list projector produces 2600 lumens. Hardly the brightest claim in the pack of thirteen, but it produces more saturated colors than the DLP projectors so, at least with color, it can handle more ambient light than a similarly bright DLP. Still, the brightest DLPs in this group will definitely appear brighter.
The Epson lacks a digital input (HDMI or DVI), but is pretty well covered on all the other inputs and controls. It's got networking with remote command and control, and supports email notifications.
With a lamp rating of 5000 hours at full power, and 6000 in eco mode, it's the long life champ (excluding the hybrid Casio). It's lamp costs a little more than some, but only arguably the Sanyo has a lower cost of operation. Let's put it this way, the cost of electricity will be more than the lamp hour cost.
One thing that separates this Epson from all but one other projector (the Casio) is the zoom lens range. With a 1.6:1 zoom it offers a lot of flexibility. Besides the 3 ultra-short throw projectors (no zoom at all), the next best range is is 1.2:1 (minimal zoom) which is typical of most DLP projectors. This Epson has "big sound" one of the three with a 10 watt speaker system.
The Epson has a an average warranty in terms of length, but offers an overnight replacement program for both years. I haven't confirmed but I believe Epson still provides an extra year of warranty for educational sales, ask your dealer.
The Epson sports a USB input for computer free presentations.
Hitachi CP-D10 Ultra-short Throw Projector
This was the first projector reviewed, that is included in this report. It's the only one who's original review goes back to early January. Since it was an ultra-short throw projector it definitely needed to be included. The Hitachi, which is officially priced at $999, is much like the BenQ (which is $100 less). It is the usual "couple/three feet from the screen, ultra-short projector." That's different from the Epson Brightlink, and a Sanyo we reviewed way back, with their different optical systems. Those other projectors set up with the front of the projector just inches to maybe 15 inches back from the screen.
Still, the Hitachi has the most popular type of ultra short throw. These days almost all the projector mount companies make telescoping mounts for a projector like this, so you can mount it from the wall, out in front of the screen. Even being a few feet back, the teacher can teach without being blinded by the projector if it's mounted above the screen. (On a table top
Mike, who also reviewed the BenQ ultra-short throw, definitely preferred the color of the Hitachi, (which is an LCD projector), though there were some other things he preferred about the BenQ. It's been a few years since my dealer days, but back then Hitachi was the most popular projector going into schools. Not sure who was second, but probably Epson? I mention this because the school market was always Hitachi's primary focus, at least by reputation since I never was a Hitachi dealer.
Like that BenQ, the Hitachi is an XGA projector. The Epson was the only ultra-short throw we reviewed that was widescreen, although there are a number out there on the market. I am surprised that this Hitachi, which just isn't that small, only hs a 1 watt speaker.
Hitachi doesn't have a replacement program, but has a 3 year warranty, which I should note, is true of most of the reviewed projectors.
InFocus IN2116 DLP Projector
Ahh, InFocus - the last of the great US projector manufacturers (of any size). The world has changed a lot in the 12 years since InFocus had about 30% marketshare (this was after they were a public company, and had bought Proxima, the other big US name). Those were still pretty early days for the projector market (back then the very first XGA projectors were hitting the market, and 500 lumens was average for a 10+ pound projector. But, I digress.
The IN2116 is another of the four widescreen projectors we just reviewed. I had intended to have about half be widescreen, but it just didn't work out that way.
At 3000 lumens it's actually one of the brighter projectors, but, remember, any of these really can handle a classroom or conference room with lots of light on, at least with a typical sized screen. Still having an extra 20 or 25% more lumens means you can run at low power - eco-mode - and save money by having longer lamp life.
Tony handled this IN2116 review. He was especially impressed with the color performance. Of the DLP projectors it's one of two considered better than the rest, in terms of handling those tough bright reds and yellows.
The IN2116 is a WXGA (1280x800) widescreen projector. It's claim to fame is it's ability to work with very high resolution signals. InFocus indicates it supports all the way up to WUXGA - which is 1920 x 1200 (slightly higher than 1080p (1920x1080). The InFocus projector's 5 watt stereo sound should have no trouble with a classroom, (as long, of course as you aren't expecting deep bass). Lamp life, is merely "average" for the group, but there are no filters to change or clean.
Now I have to take InFocus to task a bit. They advertise a 5 year warranty, but that's like GM advertising a 100,000 mile warranty. GM only covers the drivetrain for 100K. The InFocus is the same way, the DLP chip is covered for the 5 years, but most of the projector has but 1 year on parts, and 2 on labor. Sorry folks, since actual failures of DLP chips and LCD panels are essentially unheard of, the 5 years is more hype than I care for. If you don't count the DLP warranty, then the InFocus has the shortest overall warranty of the thirteen.
The InFocus lacks an HDMI or DVI input for digital sources, like eight of the thirteen, but it does have a monitor out.
OK consider InFocus beaten up! It has other things going for it, instead. At $1099, it's got networking with command and control and notification. It also has one fairly unique feature that only one other projector reviewed for this report, shares, and that's what InFocus calls Dynamic Messaging. That allows messages - content to be sent across the network to appear on all the InFocus projectors with the feature. For example, in a school wide environment, a message that "school will be canceled today at 1pm" could be displayed. Use your imagination. The limit to this feature is that at any given moment, likely most projectors are not in use. But, then, with command and control, let's say there's an emergency. The network admin/IT/AV manager should be able to use command and control to power up every projector in the school (so equipped) and send a message across.
That's pretty cool - all of a sudden, the projector turns on, "by itself"... and starts "communicating." Well the kids will certainly think that's cool...
Mitsubishi XD221U Projector:
I've had the XD221U DLP projector here longer than any of the others. It's been here six months. I mention this because I had planned on updating my DLP vs. LCD vs. LCoS article. I asked the DLP.com folks to recommend a DLP projector that would best demonstrate the improved color DLP has been talking up. Well, the DLP folks recommended the XD221U, so I asked, and received an evaluation unit from the team at Mitsubishi.
Tony reviewed the Mitsubishi XD221U projector, and it seems the DLP folks got it right. We found it to be one of the two best DLP's when it came to doing good color, the other being the InFocus IN2116 projector.
The XD221U is an XGA projector claiming 2300 lumens brightness. Sound should be solid with a single 10 watt speaker. Overall, however, t's not much on features, as Mitsubishi has better equipped, more expensive projectors in this series. On the bright side, the Mitsubishi XD221U streets for under $800, making it one of the least expensive projectors reviewed for this report. Lamp life is average, but lamp cost is on the low side. The XD221U has the best warranty of any projector in the group, with three years, including their ERA (express replacement) program.
While the XD221U is free of any networking, wired or otherwise, it does have close captioning, and a monitor out. It's not surprising that a projector at this price would not have an HDMI or DVI input, although strangely, the least expensive projector reviewed does have HDMI. Go figure!
Mitsubishi has a number of projectors in the XD221U's family, most with more features. We'll look at them in the 2nd half of this report, along with dozens of other projectors. One thing of particular note about Mitsubishi projectors. They are probably the one company most committed to providing both LCD and DLP projectors. Unlike someone like Panasonic, who's lower cost entries are all LCD, and whose high power commercial projectors (starting at about 30 pounds) are DLPs, Mitsubishi has DLP projectors competing against LCD projectors at just about every price point. I'm not sure of the count, but I think that between 2000 and 2600 lumens, Mitsubishi has about 10 projector models!
Optoma TX542 Economy DLP Projector
On paper, the TX542 is extremely impressive for the money. As it turns out, it also looks to be a bargain, in reality. OK, it's a classic DLP projector, sporting XGA resolution and a MAP price of only $699 - the least of any projectors in this review.
BTW, you may have noted that all the projectors reviewed for this report are either XGA or widescreens. It just turned out that way, I had intended to have at least on low res SVGA projector, but, all the manufacturers wanted to send us higher res.
I mention that because you can definitely buy projectors for less than $699, but for an XGA model with all the features Optoma provides, this is a serious value. The first surpise is that the TX542 has an HDMI digital input. It also has a monitor out, but that's hardly surprising.
Sound should definitely handle the job with 5 watt stereo speakers.
What's really impressive for the money is that this Optoma projector has close captioning, networking with command and control and it seems, even email notification. If wireless networking is your thing, it's an option!
The TX542 even has a USB for computer-free presenting (such as off of a flash drive), and it has remote mousing!
Ok, Mike worked with this Optoma TX542. I mention that for a couple of reasons. First, Mike really liked the Optoma for its value, and secondly, because I was most impressed based on features and benefits, long before Mike sent me his finished review to read, and add to. In other words, to impress me, the Optoma only had to deliver what it promised.
As it turns out, the Optoma apparently performed even better than I expected. Mike's comments about color performance make it one of the three DLP's with particularly impressive color. (None match the LCD projectors, but these three get close enought that few will care!
Lamp life, is just average at 3000/4000 hours, and lamp cost is a touch higher than average $249 MSRP, so cost of long term operation is about average, but the upfront value is hard to beat!
Sanyo PLC-XD2200 DLP projector:
This was the last projector to arrive, and the only one who's review is not yet posted. Looks like Mike and Tony are fini as far as this report goes, so it's up to me. Well, Mike did the measurements and they were a bit disappointing. The Sanyo is third lowest claimed lumens, but actually measured the least, coming it just below the two 2000 lumen claiming projectors. With less than 1800 measured lumens in brightest mode, it was also probably the projector that came up shortest in measured vs. claimed brightness.
Color is very good as expected from the reviewed LCD projectors in this report. The Sanyo has your standard networking with both command and control and email notification (as I recall Sanyo was one of the first to offer email notification support on some projectors - years ago.)
Sanyo ties for longest lamp life in eco-mode - 6000 hours, but, the PLC-XD2200 is a little strange in that its the first projector I've seen with 3 brightness modes Bright, Normal, and Eco. Unfortunately Sanyo gives no estimates for the two brighter modes. If I had to guess - based on what's common, since the lamp should last 6000 hours in eco, I'd estimate 4000 hours in Normal, and 3000 hours in Bright? But, who knows, it might be 6000/5000/4000 not 6000/4000/3000?
Sanyo's not saying, so no one will really know. The important point is that the Sanyo in eco mode, at 6000 hours, combined with the lowest cost lamp, guarantees a low cost of operation. While the lumens aren't bright, anything over 1000 lumens can do a respectable job in a classroom, as long as there's a little lighting control.
The Sanyo is the second lightest of the group, at 5.7 pounds, only bested by the 5.0 pound Casio. It does have your basic networking with command and control abilities.
Not surprising for this Sanyo XGA resolution projector, is that it is particularly good at handling resolutions higher than it's native 1024x768. The Sanyo claims and can lock onto signals as high as UXGA (1600x1200). That's impressive, if you have the need!
Sanyo's warranty is interesting in that it is, first of all, 3 years parts and labor. The "interesting" part is that Sanyo promises that all warranty repairs will be made in 72 hours or less at their facilities, and they pay the freight. Further, Sanyo people tell me that they "turn around" most warranty repairs in 24 hours at their facility. That guarantees shorter downtime than all but the 5 projectors with replacement or loaner programs. Of the 5 with those support warranties, only two have 3 years coverage, the two Epsons and the Dell have two years of warranty (and replacement). In other words, the Sanyo definitely one of the better warranties.
Sharp PG-D3510X DLP Projector:
I'm really tired of writing this page, so you must be at least that much bored, by now. So, perhaps a touch of humor: My first complaint about this otherwise rather typical DLP projector is that it is in a 3 way tie for worst projector name. Sharp's got 4 letters 4 numbers and a dash! Only the Sanyo can match that foolishness. no other reviewed projectors but those two, and the 7 total letter/number BenQ, have more than 6. Why am I complaining, because by the time this report is done, I'll probably have typed each model number 30 - 50 times. And these long ones rotating back and forth between letters and numbers and letters, and dashes are a bitch to type. On a good day, when on a roll, I can type at 70 wpm on standard text. These types of names slow me down to about 15 wpm. No doubt if I simply said, the whole report will only use manufacturer names, not model numbers (Sharp projector this, BenQ that... no MP772ST, or PG-D3510X), I would finish it 5 hours sooner!
OK, it might not have been funny, but I am tired of typiing these long names, so if no chuckle from you, how about a thought of sympathy?
None of which helps you understand this Sharp projector one bit.
The Sharp PG-D3510X (there, typed it again, but if I didn't you guys wouldn't have much luck with a google search would you?)... the Sharp PG-D3510X is the brightest projector of the baker's dozen of reviewed projectors, at least by claim. And in reality, it also was the brightest we measured, coming in at 3423 lumens in Presentation mode. If you get tired of using this in the classroom, Haul it into your auditorium dim the lights a little and present to 1000 people... 3500 lumens goes a long way when you have any decent lighting control... The Sharp is the brightness champ of the field, but, it really doesn't appear any brighter when handling rich colors than the brighter of the LCD projectors, but the amount of white it puts on the screen is not match by the other twelve!
Mike handled this review, and did the measurements. He reports that while color was average among the DLPs (Tony and Mike were each asked to rate color on a 1-4 scale). All the LCD projectors got 4's while three of the DLP's got 3's. Mike says the Sharp is a 2, but the best of the 2's he reviewed, as far as color. Of particular note, he says the sRGB color is very good. The thing about sRGB, is that with most DLP projectors the sRGB mode is not that bright - more like a movie/cinema mode. The other thing is that sRGB normally tolerates no adjustments to color brightness contrast, etc. It's a "take it or leave it" mode, that most folk, without a specific need, tend to "leave it." Still, it sounds like it is this Sharp projectors's best color, and since there are plenty of lumens to spare, that should be a consideration in this case.
It is a DLP XGA projector with the usual 1.2:1 zoom lens. It scores well with close captioning and wired networking with control and email notification, but it lacks an HDMI or DVI input for pure digital operation.
I like the remote mousing and having a USB for computer free presenting, but I'm not impressed with the lamp life. The Sharp scores lowest of the thirteen with the only less than 3000 hour claim for full power operation, and they claim but 2000 hours. At eco - low power, it gets 4000 hours which is the most common life of those considered. Well, with all those lumens, you are more likely to be comfortable running this projector in low power than most others. A single 7 watt speaker should have no problem doing an adequate job in the classroom.
Sony VPL-TX7 LCD Projector
This projector confused us. When Tony was first reviewing, he commented that it was a nice projector, with great color, but generally not great on features, and too expensive for what it offered. This, people, is the problem with using MSRP for pricing. Sony, like Epson and a couple of others, often has MSRP's that are as much as twice the typical selling price. The TX7 turns out to be one of those. The Sony's $1090 MSRP belies the typical under $700 street price. In fact there are several well known online resellers offering the Sony for under $600. It may well be that the average price for the Sony is below that of even the Optoma TX542 projector.
The reality of a much lower selling price than list price, definitely elevates the Sony's value proposition, so let's see what else it brings to the party (make that classroom):
It's a typical portable LCD projector weighing it just under 7 pounds (almost all the projectors in this section weigh between 5 and 8 pounds - the extra weight shown for the Brightlink is its included mount. But, back to the Sony, which lacks HDMI or DVI, but does have close captioning. It also has network command and control, but no email notification, wireless networking, USB presenting or remote mousing. In other words a basic projector but with networking.
Lamp life is average (3000/4000 hours), but the replacement lamp is more expensive than all but three, at $299. The three year warranty is a good one, compared to the field, although 3 years is very common on projectors aimed at schools.
Nothing else particularly stands out. The Sony is about a more limited feature set than most of the thirteen projectors, but is one of the least expensive. It has very good color, and Tony says it is especially sharp looking. Definitely a contender for those with a very low per projector budget. Obviously it's much stronger in terms of price performance, than long term cost of operation where it's a tad below average, at best. This is a case where, because of the average lamp life, etc., the Sony will start out as less than some other projectors you are considering, but end up costin a bit more in the long run.
Overview Conclusions
Ok "sports fans" that covers the thirteen reviewed projectors. Mike Tony and I agreed, that, as expected no one projector really dominates. The Brightlink 450wi, is certainly the most unique projector of the lot, but, interactive projector solutions like this Epson's are a new thing. BenQ announced one too, and tried to bring a pre-production unit in from Taiwan/China, but couldn't get it to us in time (thus we went with the MP772ST instead, which is at least, another ultra-short throw projector.
I must apologize. Trying to sort out some of the answers, about features that the manufacturers are often intentionally hazy about, tends to make this report more difficult than need be. It's a lot of work for everyone. Most projectors, in their brochures, for example, regarding networking don't clearly state if they have email notification, for example, (even when they do), as they might lump it into "monitoring"... We've done our best, but there may be a few errors especially about some of the networking features. We've emailed the manufacturers for answers, but most of our first round contacts don't have the answers. If we find errors, we will correct them. We've spent a total of almost 40 hours just building spreadsheets, due to so many projectors not having full info and clear explanations...
Still, I hope you found these thirteen projector overviews helpful. A lot more info, of course, will be found in the following pages of this report.
