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AV Systems
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Looking good for the classroom
New projectors from Sharp, Hitachi excel in different ways
Mar 4, 2005
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by Chuck Gloman
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If you’re willing to spend only $999 on a projector, you’ve got plenty of choices (see the December issue) but not a lot of variety. If you’re willing to spend a little more, you can shop around for improved image quality and the features you want.
The two projectors in this review, for example, serve different areas of the projector marketplace. Sharp has produced an appealing unit for presenters on the go. Hitachi, meanwhile, has introduced a projector that combines visual punch with surprisingly good audio. From brightness to weight, they are two very different models designed to appeal to two very different buyers, though both can be effective in the classroom.
Small But Serious
Sharp has introduced a 3.5-pound DLP projector called the Notevision XR-1X, which is about the same size as two VHS tapes stacked on top of each other. Housed in a black fabric carrying case, the projector easily fit in my briefcase, along with the necessary cabling. MSRP for the Sharp XR-1X is $2,495, though Sharp estimates a more affordable street price of $1,600.
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| The Sharp XR-1X has a very user-friendly menu and automatically finds your input. |
Facing the unit, the 1.16x manual zoom lens is on the right hand side. Sharp knows quality and chose Zeiss as the manufacturer. To the left is a button that releases the single front leg. Both rear legs are screw-mounted, so uneven surfaces aren’t an issue.
The right side houses the input connections: USB, computer/component, S-Video, RCA video, and a mini audio plug. The resolution of the XR-1X is native XGA (1024x768), while the lesser priced XR-1S offers native SVGA (800x600) resolution.
The credit-card remote control, half the size and thickness of a deck of playing cards, allows you to operate most functions on the projector, but it’s a little too small for grown-up fingers. Accessing the menu is what makes the XR-1X a breeze. Plug the projector in, press the button on top, and a tone sounds as the unit turns on. Within 20 seconds, press the button again and the projector searches for an active input.
The menu items are extremely easy to navigate, and even users with no projector experience can quickly master it. Using the arrow keys that surround the function button, simply access the menu item in question. Color temperature, sharpness, and a plethora of other functions all reside in the menu.
There are two operating modes: standard, rated at 1200 lumens, and economy, rated at 1040 lumens. According to Sharp, the lamp will run 3,000 hours in the standard mode and 4,000 hours in economy; an hour meter in the menu keeps track of usage. The shutdown procedure take only a few moments for the lamp to cool down, and two beeps mean it’s safe to remove the plug from the wall.
I tested the lumen output by setting up the projector 10 feet from a white wall and zooming in for the smallest picture. My readings showed 1291 lumens — about 7 percent above spec. In the economy mode, my 1076 lumen rating was also above spec. It’s nice getting more than you expect.
Trying the projector at home, I connected a DVD player via the S-Video connection and projected a 60-inch image from 5 feet away. The detail was incredibly sharp — I think the image matched the S-Video image on my 27-inch TV. The small speaker in the XR-1X is unimpressive, tinny with no control other than volume.
The projector really shined in the classroom. Using my laptop with a PowerPoint presentation as the source and connecting to SXGA computer input (downconverted in the unit), I projected a 16-foot image onto our TV studio’s gray wall. The color of the wall didn’t change the colors in my presentation, because I easily changed the color temperature of the lamp’s output.
Turn It Up
Moving up a couple of notches in the weight and power category is the Hitachi CP-X445 LCD projector. At 8.5 pounds, it’s still considered a portable projector, much like carrying a laptop. The carrying case for the Hitachi is the size and strength of a computer bag, with a shoulder strap and lots of compartments for extra goodies.
Packaged with AC power cords for any country and a full-function remote (which has nice-sized buttons and not too many of them), you’re ready for anything. The supplied manuals don’t offer too much information, but the projector is easy enough to use.
At almost twice the size of the Sharp projector, the Hitachi offers more than twice the brightness — 3200 lumens. My unit provided 2991 lumens (again, 10 feet from the screen and zoomed in all the way), approximately 7 percent below spec. The larger footprint does allow space for added features, and the estimated lamp life is 2,000 hours. The Hitachi also comes with a larger price tag, $3,499 MSRP.
As far as the specifics go, the projector can be set up anywhere, but I miss the center height adjustment of the Sharp unit. With the Hitachi, you can lower the right and left legs by unscrewing them, but I still had to place items under the feet to achieve the screen height I needed.
With an input seemingly for every connection on earth, the back of the CP-X445 looks more like the back of a video switcher. It has RCA video, S-Video, progressive scan, component/composite, USB, RS-232, digital, and RGB. When you activate the Sharp, it automatically finds your input source; you must indicate the input on the Hitachi yourself.
The automatic keystone feature on the Hitachi is truly amazing. By pressing the button once, all the keystoning was gone. The menu on this unit is more complicated than the Sharp interface, but it also offers more options.
One area where the Hitachi excels is audio. You can actually use this projector as a sound source. With stereo RCA inputs and four 3-watt speakers, the sound is quite clear and works well for presentations. Granted, Hitachi should have included an EQ for treble and bass control, but it still puts the audio capabilities of most other projectors to shame.
As far as quality of image, neither projector could do much with VHS footage in SLP mode. Both projectors have a sharpen feature, but that artificially makes the image look too pixilated.
When viewing the same DVD image on both projectors, I prefer the picture on the Hitachi over the Sharp. DLP and LCD technologies have different looks, so this observation is subjective, but I notice more “ringing” on the DLP, while the LCD looks more like what I would see on a TV. Projecting the same PowerPoint image on both projectors is indistinguishable in quality, but the Hitachi again gets the nod because of its larger and brighter (and, of course, more expensive) image.
Remember, this isn’t a true apples-to-apples comparison, as the Hitachi is a far more expensive unit. That said, the Hitachi CP-X445 is an ideal addition to larger classrooms where brightness, audio, and a variety of inputs are important.
Chuck Gloman is an award-winning producer/director of photography with more than 800 commercials to his credit. He is also a member of the faculty at DeSales University. Contact him at chuck.gloman@desales.edu.
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