Dell 3400MP Portable Projector

The Dell 3400MP is a DLP projector with native XGA resolution (1024 x 768) well designed for its purpose of making light work of mobile presentations. It hits most of the targets outlined in PTek’s recent guide Fifteen Tips for Selecting a Portable Digital Projector.

Portability

As a light weight of only 2.40 lbs (1.09 kg) and what could be described as micro size dimensions of 8.0 x 6.0 x 2.9 inches (204 x 154 x 73.7 mm) the Dell 3400MP projector certainly falls solidly into the portable or mobile projector camp. To further improve its portability Dell provide a hard shell exterior, hard foam lined, drop tested carrying case which closely envelopes the projector, remote and cables in conveniently sized protective package. Coming out of the case the 3400MP certainly conveys professionalism with its matt dark silver casing and glossy black control panel studded with blue LEDs.

Mobile Projection Suitability

With a well rated 2150 ANSI lumens of brightness, the Dell 3400MP is suitable for most meeting or training rooms likely to be encountered negating the need to worry about excessive ambient light washing out the presentation. At 2100:1 contrast ratio the displayed images should also look sharp in this type of viewing environment.

The projector has reasonable set up flexibility with a wide projection distance range from 1.5 – 12m attributable to its built-in zoom lens suitable for most viewing environments encountered. Projector angle adjustment is not as flexible with lens shift not provided and only vertical Keystone correction provided. This introduces the possibility of some nuisance artifacts being introduced by the digital correction process.

The well featured, pointing laser equipped, remote control provided frees the presenter from remaining with the projector during a presentation.

With a shut down cycle that takes a couple of minutes it falls short of the speed of other mobile projector offerings.

The rated noise output for economy mode of 37dBA is above what is optimal. In contrast, the built-in 1 Watt internal speaker is about the quality of note book computers and additional speakers will be required for an audience of any size to hear.

The projector also ships with a range of cables including S-Video, composite video, RCA audio, M1 to D-Sub/USB and audio cable.

Long predicted bulb lives of 3,000 hours (4,000 eco mode) and reasonably priced replacement bulbs add to the Dell 3400MP’s.

Warranty

Dell’s two year collect and return, next business day exchange warranty is an attractive proposition.

Comparisons with Recently Reviewed Mobile Projectors

Mitsubishi PK-20 DLP PocketProjector Review

While the Mitsubishi PK-20 PocketProjector has numerous breakthrough features including its miniscule “palm-of-your-hand”size (4.85” x 1.85” x 3.85”) and exceptional lamp (LED) life. However, with only XGA (800 x 600) resolution, 500Lux brightness and 500:1 contrast ratio it is limited to smaller meetings with control of ambient light levels required.

BENQ CP210 and CP220 Portable DLP Projectors Review

The BenQ CP220 lags a little in brightness with 1500 ANSI lumens and would not cope with the same level of ambient light as Dell’s 3400MP. Both the CP120 and CP220 have more features including real-time auto-keystone correction, “Off & Go” instant shutdown, sliding lens cover dust protection, auto off and password protection.

Casio Super Slim Mobile Projectors XJ-S35 and XJ-S30 Review

CASIO’s XJ-S35 and XJ-S30 are super slim projectors with dimensions of 270(W) Ã—199 (D) Ã— 43 (H) mm giving a “slip into the briefcase” capability. Both also have excellent setup flexibility features with projection range from a minimum of 0.84m to a maximum of 5.6m for a 100 inch screen provided by a wide-angle 2X zoom lens. Additionally, there is digital vertical keystone correction of Auto: +30 degrees and Manual +/- 30 degrees also adds to setup flexibility. A very useful feature for some presenters is the USB(1.1) connection available on the XJ-S35 model which enables a user to make a presentation without a PC. Both projector have an optional USB wireless adapter is available to allow users to deliver presentations remote from the projector.

Toshiba’s TDP-FF1AU DLP Palm-Sized Mobile Projector Review

Some sacrifices have been made for the “palm-size” of Toshiba’s TDP-FF1AU projector including: lower SVGA resolution (800 x 600), contrast ratio of 1500:1 and 400Lux brightness. However it does have some unique features such as: battery operation, compatibility with small mobile devices (cell phones, portable DVD players, digital cameras etc.) and PC less presentation capability using a USB memory stick.