Epson PowerLite Presenter Projector Review

Epson’s PowerLite Presenter portable projector/DVD combo also includes twin built-in 10 W speakers and virtual surround sound. It makes for a useful, convenient projection platform without the need for peripheral hardware.

Epson PowerLite Presenter Projector

The speakers are about the same power as you would get with a 40 inch HDTV and will suit a reasonably large area. The 3LCD microdisplay technology the projector is based upon has a native WXGA resolution (1280 x 800 pixels) and a 16:10 aspect ratio. The projector will handle 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratios and scale resolutions from VGA through to WSXGA+ (1680 x 1050 pixels) for the largest widescreen computer.

WIth a maximum brightness output of 2500 lumens, the Epson PowerLite Presenter will produce a suitably bright projected image even in the high ambient light of a classroom or conference room. Conveniently, an Auto Color Mode selects the optimum setting, based on the ambient light. The excellent brightness is provided by an energy-efficient E-TORL lamp which gives the added bonus of a long lamp live of up to 5000 hours.

The zoom ratio of 1.2:1.0 will not give a lot of flexibility in the distance from the screen to the projector for a desired projected image size. Both the zoom and the focus are manual. One factor which will make setup easier however, it the USB Plug ‘n Play instant setup for instantly projection from a PC via the USB connection. A computer is not actually needed as the projector will display images (jpeg) and PowerPoint displays directly from a USB connection with paging controlled from the remote.

The PowerLite Presenter is not a convenient portable weight at 9.5 lb however, given it’s intended application this shouldn’t present a problem.

The noise level from the projector is about one would expect from a business/education projector at 33 dB (Normal Mode) and 29 dB (ECO Mode).

Connectivity Options

Connectivity options are excellent and will support a wide range of input devices including computers, USB drives, camcorders, digital cameras, iPods and gaming consoles. An SD card reader would have been handy however. It should be noted that a microphone input is available for a presenter to use the twin 10W speakers and save voice strain. The projector has HDMI for simple single cable setup.

Computer: D-Sub 15 pin x 1
Component Video: RCA x 3 (Red/Green/Blue)
Composite Video: RCA (Yellow) x 1
Audio in: RCA x 2 (White/Red)
USB connector: Type B x 1, Type A x 1 (USB memory)
HDMI port
Microphone input
Headphone output (stereo mini jack)
Digital audio output (coaxial)