Toshiba TDP-ET20U Multimedia DVD Projector Review

Toshiba advertise that the TDP-ET20U is both a home theater and business projector. However, its specifications do not match this dual role expectation. With it’s sleek, black piano finish casing, the Toshiba TDP-ET20U looks more like a home theater projector than a business projector. An attractive feature for the home theater purchaser will most likely be the in-built DVD player.

Toshiba TDP-ET20U Mobile DLP Projector title=

The Toshiba TDP-ET20U has numerous features which make it ideal for the role of a quickly set up, instant home theater projector for watching a sporting event or movie with friends including:

Optimized for WVGA (480P - 854 x 480) resolution the most common video broadcast source (will accept video inputs up to 1080i and scale them back)
Inbuilt DVD player
Inbuilt audio system and speakers
Super close projection – providing setup flexibility by being able to project up to a 100-inch screen image from just 3.9 feet
Digital Keystone Correction (Vertical +/- 40° and Horizontal +/- 30°) – providing further setup flexibility
5.1-channel Dolby Pro Logic support

While the TDP-ET20U has some features for business including a computer input (one RGB 15-pin), it has more detractions including:

Brightness of 1100 ANSI lumens which is only suitable for projecting in reduced ambient light settings such as for home theater
A hefty weight of 10.6 lbs which is several pounds above what would be considered a portable weight for business applications
A native resolution below that of most business projectors (XGA)

Connections

Interestingly the Toshiba TDP-ET20U has all the input and output connectors on the front which implies it really is designed for quick setup and put away rather than for a permanent installation. As well as the PC input mentioned above, there is one video input for composite, one S-video, three component video (3 x RCA) and one HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) – not the latest version 1.3.

The DVD player can play a wide variety of disk formats, including DVD-Video, DVD+R, DVD+RW, DVD-RW,DVD-R,CD-DA, VCD,SVCD,ISO9600 (MP3,Divx), CD-R and CD-RW.

The Toshiba TDP-ET20U has a fairly standard 2 year warranty including parts and labor and 90 days or 500 hours, whichever comes first, on the lamp.

Resources

Projection Screen Selection

8 Tips to Extend Projector Lamp Life

Replacement Projector Lamps and Bulbs

User Reviews and Price Comparisons

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Toshiba TDP-ET20U Multimedia DVD Projector

Toshiba TDP-ET20U Projector Product Specification

Projector Type	Multimedia DVD
Display Technolgy: Shape	0.55″ DMD DLP
Projector Lens: Standard Lens	Off set 130-degree
Projector Lens: F/f (mm)	F = 2.5 - 2.7, f = 7.56mm manual focus
Projection Format	16:9 switchable to 4:3
Light Source	230W
Brightness	1100 lumens
Native Resolution	Real Wide Panel 854 x 480 (480p)
Color Reproduction	Full 16.7 Million Colors
Contrast Ratio	2000:1
Projection Screen Size (Diagonal)	38″ -134″
Projection Distance	1.6 ft - 6.2 ft
Projection Placement	Front, Rear
Compatible Scanning Frequency: Horizontal (kHz)	15 - 82kHz
Compatible Scanning Frequency: Vertical (Hz)	15 - 85Hz
Input Terminal: RGB	1 x D-sub 15
Input Terminal: Video	1 x RCA for composite video, 1x S-Video
Input Terminal: Component Video	3x RCA jack
Input Terminal: RGB Audio	1x stereo mini-jack
Input Terminal: HDMI	1x HDMI
Input Terminal: Coaxial Audio In	1 x Coaxial Audio-in
Input Signal Format: Video	NTSC, PAL, SECAM
Input Signal Format: HDTV	720p, 1080i
Input Signal Format: Component Video	480p/480i/576p/576i
Input Signal Format: RGB	XGA (compressed), SXGA (compressed), WVGA (native), SVGA (compressed)
Output Terminal: Audio	1 x Coaxial Audio-out
Other Terminal	RS-232: 1x DB9
Digital Keystone Correction	Vertical +/- 40°, Horizontal +/- 30°
Internal Speaker	Integrated 5.1 channel Dolby® digital surround
Noise Level	35dB (32dB in eco mode)
Projector External Dimensions (WxHxD)	12.7″ x 13.5 x 6.1″
Projector Weight	10.6 lbs.
Power Consumption	340W
AC:100-240V, 50/60Hz
Service Replacement Lamp	TLPL-ET10
Box Contents	Power cord, RGB cable, CD-ROM, User’s Manual, Remote Control with Batteries
RoHS Compliance	Yes
Projector Warranty	Lamp: 90 day Standard Limited Warranty or 500 hours, whichever comes first, Projector: 2-Years Parts and Labor Standard Limited Warranty