OT: Small Portable Projector Suggestion

I need to purchase a small portable projector for training small groups of people. I'll use it to present PowerPoint - text, diagrams and graphics. Nothing fancy in the presentation and it will project onto a blank wall or white sheet.

Looking for inexpensive, somewhat durable, easy setup to my laptop.

Any suggestions are welcome.

The durable, easy set-up part is no problem. Many models are.

The inexpensive part is tough. I bet you're going to be in the $250 to $500 range. Is that what you thought?

Have a look, there's a pretty good projector review site - http://www.projectorcentral.com/infocus_in10_review.htm. We actually purchased the Infocus IN10 portable projector, it works well, I have carried it on airplanes no problem, and its good enough to project DVDs on a wall at home too. About $950 though. I'm not sure what's available below that, but look at the reviews and see what the bulb burn time is - bulbs are a significant amount of the cost of the projector.

We've been happy with our collection of iFocus products EXCEPT for the $450 replacement bulbs.

I'm hoping for <$500.

Thanks for the suggestions.

+1 on the InFocus products. Have the 1080i version for home theater and love it. However, after purchasing a replacement bulb, I use it a lot less often.

Check the cost of the replacement bulbs in relation to the actual unit cost. You may find it is cheaper in the long run to spend more on the front end of the deal, if bulbs are cheaper.

Good luck

You will find small, but not inexpensive at the same time, unfortunately. Sort of oxymorons. Also, unless you want to be caught up short one day, you'll also need a spare bulb and even the least expensive bulbs cost hundreds of dollars. If you can get by with a plain SVGA (800x600) projector, you can save a few bucks.

This is a good start. I won't need to airline travel with it, just in my car trunk. I was just hoping not to have the typical full size unit.

Alzheimer's at age 37. Well that's what 9 concussions gets ya. I forgot to mention two important facts:

1 InFocus makes approx. 75% of all projectors out there. Even if the label says another brand, pobably InFocus.

2 Go to InFocus website and look at factory reconditioned. That is how I purchased mine. New three years ago $9000.00 Refurb three years ago $2700. FULL WARRANTY.

Some day when I can remember ask me to remember the stories I cant remember, I bet they are great!

OK, now that I have more time than before.

Projectors are very expensive, either to buy or to own.

http://articles.projectorpeople.com/home-theater-tech-news/new-1080p-projectors-compared/

In no case is there a cheap projector that is small AND works well.

$1000 is the baseline cost for a new small projector, and relamping is so expensive that one might actually need to be seated before being told of the cost.

You can try 800x600 projectors, you won't like the quality of the interpolated pixels.

If you buy used, remember that in some cases, these projectors are dumped on the market after being dropped or otherwise mechanically damaged.

As such, there are much wider choices, at much lower prices. I note I got an email from Dell that they are running 25% off on some models. Might be worth checking out.

Heard a review about this (Dave Graveline?). I don't have any direct experience, but this might bear a look-see.

http://www.cameratown.com/news/news.cfm?id=6702

FYI -- I found this Black Friday ad for a NEC projector on the Gizmodo website.

I'm going to try for it tomorrow.

CompUSA
NEC NP200 Projector
Price: $299.99
Savings: $350

I have owned a few projectors. My main decision criteria is brightness of the projection bulb. Size is a secondary consideration. IOW, brighter is better.

Early this year, I did some consultant work and had to give a presentation to my client using his old 800x600, sub 2000 lumen projector, in a big conference room on a wall 30 ft away. To put it succinctly, it sucked. It was dim, and the low resolution trashed my graphics.

Also, I also manage presentations for a regional hamfest, and have about 8 projectors going over 2 days. The hamfest staff has been doing it's best to phase out all the old projectors, as 800x600 is just awful for presentations full of pictures.

After these experiences, I resolved to buy one that would make my presentations look good. My criteria were:

- 1024x768 resolution minimum
- 2500 lumens or brighter
- 2000:1 contrast ratio or better
- Under $900
- Not a total boat anchor

Most of the stores around here have projectors, 1024x768 and 2000:1 contrast ratio for around $600, but I really wanted to go for the brightest one possible. Doing the research, I found an online deal on the Viewsonic PJ588D, for about $800. This was a really great deal, and may not be available all the time.

This isn't a tiny projector, but it isn't huge either. It puts out 3000 lumens with a 2000 hr bulb life, but can be dimmed to 2000 lumens to extend bulb life to 4000 hrs. Replacement bulbs appear to be available for as low as $230. I use this in large, brightly lit rooms with no issues. I'm happy with it, and I use it to replace a $450/day rental at the hamfest.