Welcome to our review of the Panasonic PT-LRZ35U Single-chip DLP RGB LED Projector. Panasonic is targeting the PT-LRZ35U, and it’s WXGA little brother, the PT-LRW35, as being ideal for art or science classrooms and any application requiring precise color accuracy such as corporate presentations or artistic renderings. Not to spoil the review but when it comes to color reproduction and overall picture quality the PT-LRZ35U delivers and then some.

Panasonic says they produced the PT-LRZ35U with the goal of solving unnecessary distractions in smaller classrooms and meeting spaces. Panasonic sees the PT-LRZ35U projector as being ideal for these areas because of its whisper-quiet operation (Panasonic claims as low as 24dB in Quiet mode) without sacrificing image quality. We will see.

So, who would want this projector? Well for starters anyone who wants a projector that offers overall excellent picture quality for a unit in its class. It has one of the better pictures I’ve seen recently from a projector in its price point. This is largely due to Panasonic's remarkable Discrete 3 LED lighting system.

The projector's lightweight and small size are largely credited to Panasonic's use of a sealed light engine. There are some real benefits to having the light engine sealed, for one, the projector is quieter and is filter-free. This engine is powered by a discrete RGB LED light source so there’s no color wheel and, color wheel components. The elimination of these components results in fewer moving parts and increased reliability. Panasonic’s discrete RGB LED light source eliminates rainbow distortions and provides viewers an expanded color gamut resulting in better color reproduction and, ultimately, improved picture quality.

The PT-LRZ35U has a native resolution of WUXGA (1,920 x 1,200) and became available for purchase this past August 2020.

The Panasonic PT-LRZ35 Series is their first portable projector to use a discrete RGB LED light source. Panasonic designed this new light engine with the goal of producing superior color reproduction and enhanced picture quality, which is ideal for art or science classrooms and any application requiring precise color accuracy such as corporate presentations or artistic renderings. The RGB LED DLP single-chip projector with WUXGA (1,920 x 1,200) resolution and a rated brightness of 3,500 lumens offers a lot of performance and features for its current MSRP of $2999 but can be found at multiple authorized sellers at $1699

Panasonic claims, with caveats, that the PT-LRZ35U and its WXGA little brother, the PT-LRW35, are the smallest and lightest R/G/B LED DLP projectors in the 3,500lm class. The PT-LRZ35U weighs 14.77 pounds allowing it to be installed with less difficulty in a variety of situations. Just consider how much easier it would be to mount it on the ceiling since it weighs less than 15 pounds. The PT-LRZ35 Series is 3D-ready with DLP® Link™ technology. While it is true that displaying content in 3D requires optional compatible glasses, it’s still exciting to see a business class projector, for all intents and purposes, offering 3D as a feature. I think “intent” is something I’m going to expand upon below.

Panasonic is using a sealed light engine in the PT-LRZ35 series of projectors and this provides several benefits. You don’t have to worry about cleaning or changing a filter because there isn’t one. Another benefit is long life because all the components of the light engine are sealed in a dust-resistant cabinet. Sealing these components from the outside ensures reliable 24/7 operation and an impressive estimated 20,000 hours of practically maintenance-free operation.

Panasonic also claims the PT-LRZ35U can deliver a dynamic contrast ratio of 30,000;1. It has a USB Type-A 2A output that can run USB powered HDMI smart devices like Fire Sticks or Roku. The PT-LRZ35U has a manual vertical lens shift, 1.3x zoom lens, dual HDMI inputs as well as a DIGITAL LINK/LAN (HDBaseT) input. The PT-LRZ35U is a WUXGA projector so it can accept 1,920 x 1,200 content via its HDMI inputs.

The PT-LRZ35U checks almost all the feature boxes you would expect from a business-class projector at its price point and adds a few more features that are not normally seen on this class of projector. These features include a vertical lens shift plus a decent amount of image zoom. As I’ve put the PT-RZ35U through its paces I’ve also come to the conclusion that this business class projector would also fit well into a home theater system. With regard to overall picture quality, the PT-LRZ35U, with its use of discrete RGG LED's gives Panasonic a real advantage over its traditional competitors. My editor and I were so impressed with the improved picture performance and color quality of the PT-LRZ35U we decided to give it a special interest award.

Thank you to Epson for sponsoring the 2021-2022 Education Report and Guide!

The ViewSonic LS700HD is a lamp-free 1080p laser home projector featuring 3,500 ANSI lumen high brightness and cinematic color for you to enjoy a big screen experience in a bright living room or in your dedicated home theater. Thanks to laser phosphor technology, this projector offers up to 20,000 hour life span and makes lamp replacement a thing of the past. Featuring 3X fast input, 3D Blu-ray Disc capability, and a pre-set movie mode that uses Notch Filter technology to improve the color, the LS700HD delivers an immersive big screen experience for playing games, watching movies, or enjoying any kind of entertaining content.

The ViewSonic® LS700HD is a lamp-free, 1080p, multi-purpose home entertainment laser projector that should perform capably in the home as well as the conference and education space. The LS700HD looks really good on paper which, pending testing, should make it an extremely flexible projector. To start, it features 3,500 ANSI lumens high brightness. The lamp-free laser light source is estimated to last for 20,000 hours at full brightness. This exceptionally long life helps eliminate the need for regular costly lamp replacement. The LS700HD features what ViewSonic calls a 3x Fast input for gaming, one of the highlights of this projector. As a home theater projector, the LS-700HD offers 3D Blu-ray compatibility. ViewSonic makes great efforts to overcome the color limitations of DLP by offering their cinematic color technology and a pre-set movie mode that uses Notch Filter technology designed to improve color rendering. I’ll let you know if these technologies make a difference for this projector.

Although the LS700HD is designed for the home market, a review of the specifications reveal a projector also well-suited for business applications. The 300-inch projection capability is designed to make playing games or watching movies as immersive an experience as possible. The LS700HD lists for $1,693 but its actual street price is around $1499 at the time of this review’s publication. Let’s take a closer look at the top level features.

The Casio XJ-F211WN is a DLP, WXGA (1280 x 800) resolution projector with a solid-state light engine. Suitable for both business and education environments, the F211WN will find its home in K-12 classrooms, school conference rooms, office conference rooms, and boardrooms. The $1049.99 Casio XJ-F211WN won a Special Award for Value Solid State in our recent Classroom Projectors Report.

We’ll begin with a brief overview of the projector and a preview of its highlights before starting a deeper discussion of its special features. We’ll take a close look at the projector’s hardware, then get into the good stuff – the projector’s picture quality and performance. I’ll summarize everything for you on our last page, as well as provide some insights into the competition and this projector’s pros and cons.

The Casio XJ-F211WN is a solid-state projector, with Casio’s hybrid laser/LED light engine. That light engine has a lifespan of up to 20,000 hours. Solid-state light engines tend to cost more up front than their lamp based counterparts, but the low cost of maintenance over the projector’s lifetime evens that out. This Casio is the lowest cost solid state projector we’ve reviewed for this year’s report, so, naturally, we felt it prudent to give it the Special Award for Value Solid State.

This Casio has WXGA resolution (1280 x 800), which is the business and education world’s 720p. It’s the lower resolution of HD, with a different aspect ratio. The aspect ratio, or width/height ratio of the projected image, is 16:10 instead of 16:9, so make sure you get a 16:10 screen if you’re buying a new screen.

WXGA is plenty sharp for most business and K-12 applications. Higher resolutions, such as WUXGA (1920 x 1200) and 4K (3840 x 2160), are really only necessary in a few choice circumstances. Any graphics or video heavy applications, such as a video production class or graphic design class, would benefit from a higher resolution of at least WUXGA.

I can’t see a high school classroom getting a 4K projector, unless it’s in an affluent area where there is a greater focus on the arts. Higher education may have more of a need for WUXGA, but rarely 4K, except in the case of medical films, scientific renderings, simulation, architecture, film and design applications.

The Casio XJ-F211WN claims 3,500 lumens, though it did not meet claim. Casio generally comes in lower than their claim when measured, but the F211WN is still plenty bright for your standard to large sized K-12 classroom, and for most conference rooms or board rooms. We’ll get deeper into lumens and perceived brightness on the Performance Page of this review.

The XJ-F211WN has both wired and wireless LAN via an optional adapter, and includes several features that are desirable for presentations – the application I imagine this projector will most be used for. The projector includes Casio’s Education Solutions, making it an easy choice for those who require such a feature set.

BenQ describes the EH600 as the World’s first Android based smart projector designed specifically for business applications. It is a Full HD (1,920 x1,080) DLP projector capable of 3,500 lumens rated brightness. Its SmartEco mode delivers an extended lamp life of 15,000 hours reducing cost of ownership as well as energy consumption.

What makes the EH600 really standout is its suite of smart features designed to make meetings more productive. You can wirelessly project content like JPEGs, PDFs, and documents from mobile devices (iOS/Android) or laptops (Mac/PC). This feature eliminates the need for cables as well as the need to find the right dongle during meetings.

In addition, through the WPS Office app, you can present Microsoft Word, Excel, or PowerPoint directly from a USB drive or the projector’s built-in storage along with a built-in FireFox browser allows users to surf the Internet during your meetings.

The BENQ EH600 is a business class DLP projector that offers Full HD (1,920 x 1,080) resolution and is rated to deliver 3,500 lumens light output. In ECO mode the lamp is rated for up to 15,000 hours in Smart ECO mode. BenQ is promoting the EH600 as the “World’s First Android Based Business Projector” and for a current list price of $999, it provides a wealth of business focused features.

BenQ also offers a DLP, WXGA (1280 x 800) resolution, short throw projector with smart capabilities called the EW800ST the same retail price. BenQ EH600 is targeted toward meetings room while EW800ST which Nikki just reviewed is more focused toward classroom applications.

These features include wireless projection capabilities, a built-in FireFox web browser, and the ability to present Microsoft Office files via USB or internal storage. You can wirelessly project from your smart phone, tablet, or laptop in a few easy steps regardless of whether you have a PC, Mac/iOS, or Android device.

While there are several business projectors that ship with an external Android smart dongle the EH600 has the Android OS built-in, in fact it even has 16GB of internal memory. The projector also ships with a Wireless Dongle (WDR02U) for wireless connectivity.  Firmware updates can be done “Over-the-air” to ensure the EH600 is always up to date.

The EH600 is an excellent solution for businesses looking for a compact smart projector that offers high brightness and low cost of ownership with up to 15,000 hour lamp life (smart ECO mode).

So-called "smart" TVs are nearly ubiquitous these days, but home-entertainment projectors with similar functionality are few and far between. The Optoma UHD52ALV is one of the exceptions. It doesn't have built-in streaming apps, but it does include a media player, and it can be controlled with voice commands using Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant—though only in certain countries and languages as of this writing.

Even better, this feature-laden, single-chip DLP model offers full UHD resolution (3840x2160), and it supports and displays high dynamic-range content in the HDR10 and HLG formats—features that are becoming more common among consumer projectors. Of course, it can't reach anywhere near the brightness of a flat-panel TV, but its specified peak light output of 3500 lumens is pretty high for a projector that costs less than $1800.

The Optoma UHD52ALV measures 15.4" x 11.1" x 4.6" (WxDxH) and weighs in at only 11.75 pounds, making it easy to move from the living room to the den to the back yard for movies under the stars. It offers a 1.3x zoom lens, and it provides vertical lens shift, making placement more flexible than it would be without lens shift. It can be placed from 3.9 to 26.6 feet from the screen and create an image from 34" to 302" diagonally. I'd call that pretty darn flexible, though the extreme ends of those ranges would not produce good picture quality.

The UHD52ALV a single-chip DLP projector using a 0.47" 1920x1080 DMD (Digital Micromirror Device), the imaging chip at the heart of DLP technology. Each pixel is quickly shifted between four different positions to achieve an effective resolution of 3840x2160 individually addressable pixels on the screen. The 8-segment color wheel includes two sets of red, green, blue, and white segments, resulting in a color gamut that exceeds 100% of BT.709, the standard for HD video. In fact, Optoma claims it encompasses more than 80% of the DCI/P3 gamut, the standard for commercial digital cinema and consumer wide color gamut.

Optoma claims a peak light output of 3500 lumens, which is quite high for this price. (Some of the company's other models have similarly high peak-brightness specs.) Of course, it will almost certainly be less after calibration, but even then, it might still be higher than most calibrated SDR projectors in order to display HDR effectively. If so, the UHD52ALV is particularly well suited for use in rooms that are not dedicated home theaters, though HDR looks best in dark environments. We generally recommend that you use an ambient light-rejecting screen in brighter rooms.

The lamp can be dynamically modulated according to the average image brightness at any given moment—more accurately called the average picture level (APL)—leading Optoma to specify a contrast ratio of 500,000:1. Again, this is undoubtedly much greater than an independent measurement would be, as virtually all manufacturer contrast-ratio specs are, but I wouldn't be surprised if a real-world measurement results in a higher-than-usual number for the sake of HDR. Dynamic lamp modulation—which Optoma calls Dynamic Black—improves black levels and contrast, but the improvement is limited because the lamp's brightness can't be changed quickly. A dynamic iris can often improve dark scenes much more.

Another feature that enthusiasts hate but average consumers often love is frame interpolation—otherwise called motion estimation/motion compensation (MEMC)—which the UHD52ALV offers. This function synthesizes new frames between the actual frames in a video signal to sharpen objects in motion, but it also causes the dreaded "soap-opera effect," causing movies to look like they were shot on video. Fortunately, you can disable MEMC if SOE drives you crazy.

SOE is worst with movies shot at 24 fps, so Optoma offers an alternative called 24p mode. Initially, I thought this might involve repeating each frame two or three times, just like commercial cinemas do. But instead, 24p mode synthesizes one new frame using MEMC after every four frames in the signal, bringing the displayed frame rate to 30 fps. This is still frame interpolation, but not nearly as much as full MEMC, so SOE should be far less apparent.

One thing that is glaringly absent from this home-entertainment projector is a game mode, which would reduce the input lag to acceptable levels for gaming. Because of MEMC, however, the UHD52ALV has a specified input lag of more than 66 ms—and that's with MEMC off! Turning MEMC on, the input lag increases to 140-160 ms, which is way too high for gaming. In general, an input lag of 55ms or less is acceptable, while a lag in the mid-30s is considered good, so don't expect gaming to be very satisfying on this projector.

3D might be gone from new flat-panel TVs, but it's still going strong in projectors. The UHD52ALV supports all 3D formats, including side-by-side at 1080i50/60 and 720p50/60, over-under at 1080p/24 and 720p50/60, and frame-packed at 1080p/24 and 720p50/60. Viewing 3D requires optional active-shutter glasses that are compatible with DLP Link. Optoma does not sell these glasses, but you can easily find them online from companies like Xpand.

For all you enthusiasts out there, the UHD52ALV offers ISF Day and Night calibration modes. These modes let you—or a professional technician—calibrate the projector for optimum performance with ambient light and in the dark. The ISF modes are normally locked so they can't be inadvertently tweaked; you need a special code to access them, which you can get from your dealer or calibrator.

Unlike many consumer projectors, the UHD52ALV includes a built-in media player, which allows you to play video, audio, and other content from a USB storage device. Even better, you can stream content from other devices on your local Wi-Fi network if you plug the included dongle into one of the USB ports on the back. This is a way-cool feature that I really appreciate.

The included Wi-Fi dongle also lets you control the projector with your voice via Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. As of this writing, that capability is available only in the UK, Germany, and France, though Optoma is planning to add it to other regions. For voice control, the dongle must be plugged into a different USB port than the one used for Wi-Fi content; if you want to use both, you can buy a second dongle for $30.

A related feature is support for something called IFTTT (If This Then That). This free web-based service lets you create chains of simple conditional commands to perform various tasks—for example, home-automation activities—in response to Alexa or Google Assistant commands.

One feature that's missing from the UHD52ALV—and, to be fair, most other projectors—is a suite of built-in streaming apps that can be found in so-called smart TVs these days. Optoma and LG offer a few "smart projectors" with streaming apps, but this is still fairly rare. Of course, most folks get their online content from a streamer such as Roku or Amazon Fire TV, which can easily be used with the UHD52ALV.

Like many home-entertainment projectors, this one provides an onboard audio system with two built-in speakers and a 10-watt amplifier. This is very handy if you routinely move the projector from, say, the living room to the bonus room to the back yard for outdoor movie night, and it's better than many projectors that provide only one speaker. But it's undoubtedly a far cry from just about any outboard audio system. Fortunately, the UHD52ALV offers an analog and digital audio-output jack that sends the audio signal to a speaker system, which should give you much better sound quality.

The back panel has more connections than many projectors. Two HDMI 2.0 inputs implement HDCP 2.2 copy protection and operate at 18 Gbps, and they are joined by a VGA input. A total of four USB ports include one for a memory stick with media content, one for the Wi-Fi media-streaming dongle, one for voice control (using the same dongle), and one for service only. In addition, the memory-stick port can also be used to power a streaming dongle such as a Roku Streaming Stick or Amazon Fire TV Stick plugged into one of the HDMI ports.

An RJ-45 port lets you connect an Ethernet cable to your network, an RS-232 port connects to a control system, and a 12V trigger output can activate things like retractable screens and window shades. There's also a 3.5 mm analog-audio output as well as an optical digital-audio output. A 3.5 mm analog-audio input rounds out the connections.

I've rarely seen a home-entertainment projector with as many features as the Optoma UHD52ALV, especially for less than $2000. With UHD resolution, compatibility with HDR10 and HLG, high brightness and contrast, 3D, media playback from USB sticks and over Wi-Fi, voice control, integrated speakers—this thing has it all.

Well, almost—one of the only drawbacks is a very high input lag, making it a poor choice for gaming. And since gaming is one of the primary applications for home-entertainment projectors, that's a big disappointment.

If it didn't have frame interpolation, the input lag could be made much lower. Optoma clearly decided that smoother, sharper motion—even with the dreaded soap-opera effect—was more important than gaming in this model. So, whether or not the UHD52ALV is right for you depends on the importance you place on gaming. If you really enjoy it, I recommend looking elsewhere, especially other Optoma models, many of which are aimed at gaming with 16 ms input lag.

On the other hand, if you're not a serious gamer, this model seems to be worth serious consideration thanks to a strong set of features and plenty of brightness. But keep in mind that Optoma's warranty on the UHD52ALV is one-year parts and labor, which is on the short side; home-entertainment projectors in the $1000-$2000 range tend to include warranties of one to three years.

The ViewSonic PX747-4K is the sibling to the already-reviewed PX727-4K, and sports 4K UHD resolution. ViewSonic has long been a leader in some of the lowest-cost home theater and home entertainment projectors, and they’ve done it again! Right now, you can get the PX747-4K on Amazon for just $999, making it the most affordable 4K UHD projector on the market. This projector and its twin, the PX727-4K, are identical in all but a few ways – we will discuss the ways they differ in this First Look Review of the ViewSonic PX747-4K.

Before we get into it – what is a First Look Review? Our First Look Reviews are one-page, simple reviews based on the projector’s specs, features, and our thoughts based on those aspects, before we get the projector in for review – these First Looks are a mixture of insight and common sense. Though we have not yet published the full review of this projector, we can make assumptions from what we know about its sibling, in addition to those specs/features. Now, on with our First Look Review of the ViewSonic PX747-4K!

The ViewSonic PX747-4K is the bright room version of the PX727-4K, a 4K UHD projector intended for use in the home theater. Also a 4K UHD projector, the 3,500 lumen PX747-4K will be at home in  any living room, family room, media room, or bedroom that cannot be fully darkened, and therefore will always have some degree of ambient light. Now, Art reports that the projector did not quite hit its mark, coming in at around 3,200 in its brightest mode – but that’s still plenty to cut through some pretty serious ambient light.

This is a DLP projector with an RGBW color wheel, rather than the RGBRGB type found on the PX727-4K. Generally speaking, that RGBRGB color wheel is more of a home theater type wheel, whereas the RGBW is found more often on home entertainment and business/education projectors. The “W” in RGBW refers to a clear slice that allows a lot of light to pass through, improving the amount of white lumens the projector is capable of outputting, resulting in an ultimately brighter image.

The ViewSonic PX747-4K has an impressive lamp life of up to 15,000 hours – but that’s with SuperEco on. With it off, you can probably expect it air on the higher side of the norm for lamp based projectors. Either way, the projector will give you a lot of bang for your buck – especially at the reduced price – and have you enjoying many thousands of hours of entertainment before you will need to switch out the lamp.

It has a 12,000:1 contrast ratio, which is the same as its home theater twin, but you can expect the ViewSonic PX727-4K to have better black level performance than the brighter PX747-4K. No matter – the ViewSonic PX747-4K will undoubtedly have better dark shadow detail, which means you will be able to see details in dark scenes better than you will on the PX727-4K

Like most ViewSonic projectors, the PX747-4K is compact and portable. Weighing less than 10 pounds, this ViewSonic measures just 13.1” wide, 5.3” tall, and 10.3” deep. Next up is our list of highlights, followed by a discussion of special features, then our discussion of the hardware of the ViewSonic PX747-4K home entertainment projector.

The ViewSonic PX747-4K is a 4K capable projector with 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) resolution. Though not true 4K, you can still expect this projector to be nicely sharp and a step up from those 1920 x 1080 x2 pixel shifters in terms of sharpness. The ViewSonic also has support for HDR on 4K content, but does not support the expanded color space P3/BT.2020 like many other 4K capable projectors can – just plain old REC.709 (regular HDTV) for this guy. That’s not a huge problem, only something to be aware of when making your decision.

There’s a special feature on this projector, and the PX727-4K, called Silence Mode. This makes the projector run at its quietest, akin to running in ECO, and does so by disabling pixel shifting. Pixel shifting tends to add some extra noise, so if you’re only running 1080p content and want to turn off the pixel shifting, this is the only way to do so. I wouldn’t, however, because then you’re making this 4K capable projector perform like ViewSonic’s sub-$800 1080p projectors in terms of sharpness and detail.

The ViewSonic PX747-4K has a rather simple setup in terms of inputs and connectors. Oh, it has all of the inputs you need for your home entertainment needs, but we always would rather have three HDMI inputs instead of two. Most of us have more than two systems we like to run content off of – I myself have a PS4 (most used), a 4K UHD player (second most used), an Apple TV, and the NVIDIA Shield, so having an extra input would have been nice. No matter.

Starting from the left, this ViewSonic has stacked Audio jacks, one for In and one for Out. Next to that is the old-school VGA port for connecting older PCs. To its right are the two HDMIs – one 1.4 and one 2.2 for accepting 4K content – and a Mini USB port. There is also an RS-232 connector for old-school command and control, a USB Type-B, and a 12-Volt Trigger port for wired remote control.

The InFocus IN116xa is a compact, portable DLP projector that manages to load a ton of ability into a projector that is very reasonably priced at $425. The IN116xa sports a manufacturer claim of 3,500 lumens, weighing a nicely portable 5.5 pounds. With its compact but strong frame, you can feel very confident about carrying this projector around to all your presentations with ease.

The XA series from InFocus includes the 116, 114, and 112 models and all weigh in at 5.5 pounds. The 116xa is the only model in the series delivering WXGA (1280 x 800) native resolution while the latter models sport XGA (1024 x 768) and SVGA (800 x 600) as their native resolutions respectively. The 112xa starts at $299, and the 114xa at $350, while, as stated above, the 116xa is priced at $425, and is the top of line of the series. All the models stake claim to the same 3,500 lumen, 15,000 hour lamp life, and 18,000:1 contrast ratio, and they all come supported with 3D capability using 144Hz DLP Link glasses.

The IN116xa comes with a full Color Management System (CMS) giving you total control over all the color settings should one need the most accurate colors possible in their presentation. As is typical with most DLP projectors, there is also no filter required on the IN116xa, but the option is available to add a filter should you operate regularly in a fairly dusty environment (construction site trailer, warehouse, etc…).

The InFocus IN116xa is ceiling mountable, with an input panel located on the left side of the projector rather than the rear, and which includes 2 HDMI and 2 VGA inputs, two stereo audio inputs, 1 audio output, and more. The lens is recessed for protection and the projector itself has a solid build and appears quite durable.

Overall, the IN116xa packs a great deal of power into an affordable projector that is plenty portable for any presenter on the go, but also a great choice for any classroom or conference room needing a long-lasting bulb, bright picture, and excellent image quality.

The Epson PowerLite 680 is an ultra-short throw installation projector for classrooms and conference rooms, with 3LCD projection technology, XGA resolution, and 3,500 lumens. This is a lamp-based projector, with a rated lamp life of 5,000 hours at full power, 10,000 in ECO and 9,000 in ECO2. For business and education purposes, this will get you through several years of continuous use before having to replace the lamp.

The PowerLite 680 is 12.6 pounds and can either be table or wall mounted. I would suggest wall mounting above the projector screen, as when I tested this projector, I had to have it sit a foot above the floor to fill my screen, which is two feet and nine inches from the ground. This would be a disaster in a classroom setting, where there’s a lot of foot traffic and rowdy kids who could knock the projector – by accident, of course.

Epson’s PowerLite line is beyond extensive. In this family alone, you’ve got both business/education and home theater projectors ranging from very affordable to highly expensive. Ready for the numbers? The PowerLite family has over three hundred and fifty projectors! That’s a lot to choose from, and that’s only talking about the PowerLite series. With such a wide range of projectors and multiple families, Epson is bound to have one that will fit your needs.

This particular projector has an MSRP of $1,160. It’s not the cheapest, nor does it have the best resolution, but what you’re paying for is that 3LCD technology and more features than other, similarly priced projectors. It also handles ambient light extremely well, so count that a major plus for the PowerLite 680. My first thought when I powered this guy on was, “This projector is BRIGHT.” The projector lit up the entire room, which was mostly darkened to measure lumens. I was blown away.

Casio's V series is all about bright, affordable solid state projectors.  The Ecolite XJ-V110W is WXGA and offers 3500 lumens for $799, with a 20,000 LED/Laser light engine.

Although the flagship of the five Casio projectors in this series, the XJ-V110W still has to be considered a no-frills projector.  It's all about delivering a bright image, with a long life LED/Laser engine at a low cost.  Seriously, if you want solid state, and under $1000 other than Casio, you are looking at those "pico" projectors - really pocket and large pocket projectors, where under $1000 you aren't likely to find one with more than 800 lumens.  That makes this Casio at least four times as bright, and with comparable brightness to competing lamp based projectors.  Delivering a no-lamp, long life solution at a bargain price does have it's costs, however, in terms of features.

Editor's note:  Although this review is listed as one of mine (Art), I had help.  The review was started by Bill Livosi, who provided a major assist.  Bill started with the projector, and handled doing all the Casio measurements.  He  also provided about 1/3 of the content within, although I have done some editing and rearranging of his work.