Labs roundup: Projectors: Introduction
Many people fantasise about owning a plasma screen because of the massive image sizes and are getting excited because the prices are rapidly dropping, but in the projector world the prices have already dropped so far that for under a few grand you can now buy something that projects an image larger than four plasma screens. Compare that to the price of a plasma screen and see which way the scales tip.
Off the wall
Need a projector for the boardroom and your lounge room but concerned about the high cost? Not to worry, we've rounded up 15 projectors all under $5,000.
Many people fantasise about owning a plasma screen because of the massive image sizes and are getting excited because the prices are rapidly dropping, but in the projector world the prices have already dropped so far that for under a few grand you can now buy something that projects an image larger than four plasma screens. Compare that to the price of a plasma screen and see which way the scales tip.
A few months ago, (September 2003, page 55) we brought you a review of the Epson EMP-S1, the first projector to break the important $2,000 pricing barrier. Many other projector manufacturers are following suit with massive price reductions as the projection technology gradually cascades down in anticipation of HD, and it's now possible to net yourself a bargain for under $5,000.
When we asked for projectors for this Labs, we laid out some very basic ground rules:
1. They had to cost less than $5,000, and the lower the price the better.
2. They had to be capable of projecting both data and video.
In the projector world, this second specification is almost akin to asking the impossible - projectors are usually good at projecting data and OK when projecting video, or good at projecting video, and OK with data, but rarely do they do both well. Our goal was to try to nut out the projectors that were capable of being used in the boardroom on weekdays, and the lounge room on the weekends.
Maybe you're not even in the market for a projector. Maybe, you think that projectors are far too elite and expensive for you, and that there's no way you could ever afford a good one. Well, we advise you to read on, because we hope you'll be as surprised by these projectors as we were.
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NextThis Group Test appeared in the December, 2003 issue of PC & Tech Authority Magazine
