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Pico Projectors – A Summary 2
Posted on October 1, 2010 By Art Feierman
1. The 2010 Pico Projector and Pocket Projector Guide and Reviews
- Pico Projectors - Pocket Projectors - Overview For This Projector Guide
2. Pico Projectors – Pocket Projectors – Overview For This Projector Guide 2
- Pocket Projectors Overview For This Projector Guide
- Pico Projectors: Highlights
3. Pico Projectors – Pocket Projectors – Overview For This Projector Guide 3
- More Features and Facts About Pico Projectors
- Common Pico Projector Features
- Composite Video
- Batteries
- Lens related: Focus, Throw distance and Lens Offset
- Mounting A Pico Projector To A Tripod
4. Pico Projectors – More Features Found on Some Projectors, Plus, A Typical Pico Projector Tour
- Features found on Some Pico Projectors
- VGA or HDMI input:
- Card slot input:
- USB input:
- HDMI input:
- S-video input:
5. Pico Projectors – More Features Found on Some Projectors, Plus, A Typical Pico Projector Tour-2
- Pico Projectors - Audio Capabilities
- Built in Speaker(s)
- Audio Out - Including support for headphones / ear buds
- Pico Projector Resolution
- Pico Projector and Pocket Projector Brightness
6. Pico Projectors – More Features Found on Some Projectors, Plus, A Typical Pico Projector Tour-3
- Brightness Performance of Portable Projectors, A History - per pound: Last 17 Years
- Brightness Performance: Older Pocket Projectors
- Range of this Year's Pico Projectors: Brightness:
7. Pico Projectors – More Features Found on Some Projectors, Plus, A Typical Pico Projector Tour-4
- Battery Power as Related to Brightness
- Pico Projectors - Brightness 2009 vs. 2010:
- Brightness Performance 2010 (best, worse - lumens/lb.)
- Pico and Pocket Projectors - Control Panels and Menus
- Remote Controls
8. Pico Projectors – More Features Found on Some Projectors, Plus, A Typical Pico Projector Tour-5
- Physical Tour of a Pico Projector
9. Pico Projectors – Picture Quality
- Pico Projectors - Color Performance
- Pico Projector - Presentations?
10. Pico Projectors – Picture Quality 2
- Black Levels & Shadow Detail
11. Pico Projectors: Overall Color & Picture Quality
12. Pico Projectors – What are the Alternatives
- Pico Projectors - What are the Alternatives
- Alternatives for Presentations
- Personal Use - Photos, Video, Movies, More
13. Pico Projectors – What are the Alternatives 2
- Pico Projector Engines - Integrated into Portable Devices
14. Pico Projectors – Projector Screen Recommendations
- General Screen Recommendations
15. Pico Projectors – Warranty
16. Pico Projectors – A Summary
- Pico Projectors - The Bottom Line
17. Pico Projectors – A Summary 2
- Pico Projectors: Pros
- PicoProjectors: Cons
- Pico Projectors: Typical Capabilities
Pico Projectors: Pros
They are tiny – ultimate in portability, weighing a half pound or less, and smaller than a pack of cigarettes
Most have more than one type of input. The standard is composite video, but some offer VGA, USB, memory card capability, etc.
Some offer a built in media player so you can leave your source device behind. You can take movies and other video files with you. For example, hook up to a DVD player, select internal or SD memory card, and press the OK button, and the media player will record the movie or video file. When the movie finishes, hit OK again, to stop the recording. You can disconnect the source, and now run the movie, etc., from the projector’s media player
Included or third party optional software allows many projectors to convert files for business or personal presentations and slideshows
Most typically, battery life is good for up to one hour of use between charges
Click Image to Enlarge
Relatively quick recharge (4-5 hours or less)
Most have audio – one or two speakers
Some have audio out, to power external speakers or headphones/earbuds
Most have a built in tripod screw thread, or an optional one
One year warranty, so far is most common (some 90 day warranties)
Most offer at least VGA resolution – 640×480, with widescreen models also hitting the market (854×480), the same resolution as standard DVDs
Long life LED light source in most, typically claiming 20,000 hour life, however some models will be sporting laser light sources with also extremely long life
PicoProjectors: Cons
They just aren’t that bright – and work best with image sizes 20 inches diagonal or smaller
Some (most?) projectors cannot charge the battery while running on AC power (turn off the projector to have it charge)
Color and picture quality needs improvement – Most pico projectors, so far, lack any image controls. Those that do, seem to be very limited in terms of improving color and picture
Some lack any speaker, which means you need an alternate solution for audio, such as powered speakers, and your source device would need to be able to output audio separate from video
Most pico projectors have one hour battery life or less, so you’ll need a spare battery, for example, if you wanted to watch a movie
Some have short warranties (90 days or less)
None on the market so far, offer a wide range of inputs – in a perfect world one might have: VGA, composite, component video, (maybe HDMI), and USB (from digital cameras and camcorders for example) and card slots. So far, none have more than two inputs
So far only a couple have media player capabilities.
Pico Projectors: Typical Capabilities
Fixed lens – no zoom
Most have fairly long throw distances – 19 inches away for a 10 inch image
8 – 12 lumens output
Run on rechargeable batteries
Poor documentation (It’s almost scary, how thin some of the manuals are – and I mean in info, as well as thin in number of pages)
Picture quality fairly respectable
Lack of color management controls on most projectors – most lack all but the most rudamentry controls, and some offer none at all
Pico Projectors – A Summary
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