Plus Corporation's U4 136Z projector is a fairly small unit measuring just 53 x 190 x 239mm and weighing only 1.5kg, and while it can be held easily in one hand its got the goodies where it counts. A DLP projector designed primarily for corporate usage, the U4 136Z comes with an impressive 1,500 ANSI lumens and an amazing 1,500:1 contrast ratio that works well in all but direct sunlight.

If there was one problem, it was that the unit's contrast was a little too eager to impress, so we had to fiddle a bit to get the image looking fine without washing out.

Still, the contrast has a huge range and the ANSI lumens rating comes with an ‘eco mode' which drops the brightness by around 20% should it be required.

Given the projector's small size, this ability to project clear images and legible presentations even in sub-optimal conditions is made further remarkable. For the travelling presenter these abilities can prove vital.

The U4 136Z also comes with RGB, Composite, DVI-I and S-Video inputs, as well as a CompactFlash card slot. Its native resolution is 1,024 x 768, and even though it's most comfortable displaying at 4:3 it will happily switch to a 16:9 ratio. The U4 136Z's strengths are primarily with projecting data sources, but it's capable of giving multimedia a go, such as video. We tried out digital TV and DVD video streams, and it ran fine with slight refresh lag but minimal jaggies.

While the Plus U4 136Z is a great little projector with multi-functionality in mind particularly for business, it's the new Epson EMP-S1 that is really taking home projection to the masses.