We've been impressed with InFocus' low-priced video/data projectors in the past (review on the PC Authority Web site), and were keen to see what one of its fully-featured data projectors was capable of. Costing $9,999, this is certainly not what one would consider a budget option, so what can this kind of money net you for the boardroom?

The biggest differentiator with this projector is its applicability for many installation situations. As well as supporting roof mounting it is capable of projecting a very decent sized image from a 10-metre throw distance.

Additionally, the LP650 comes with a massive 2,500 ANSI lumens rating. This means the projector is well suited to almost all areas where ambient lighting is an issue, and its projected images can be seen in all but direct sunlight. A convenient whisper mode allows you to toggle this down to 2,000 ANSI lumens where the ambient lighting is not
a problem.

The unit has a native XGA resolution (1,025 x 768), and looks fantastic and sharp when projecting RGB. It has a manual zoom ring which lets you enlarge the projection by around 40%, and comes with manual focus.

As a data projector we could not fault the LP650. It has plenty of connectivity options, a whopping 800:1 contrast ratio (which really lets you configure the image), black blacks, and is reasonably quiet and cool to run.

Although it's not explicitly designed to project video, the LP650 does come with Faroudja Technologies DCDi video processing technology which helps smooth out frames in video. We did find that if you want to use this projector for video you have to accept a certain level of jaggies in fast motion frames and the occasional colour mis-registration, particularly in high-contrast areas in panning shots.

There's not much wrong with this the InFocus LP650, although at $9,999 you have to decide if it fits your needs in regard to the projection environment, otherwise you might be better served by a unit with lower ANSI lumens ratings and pricing.