Make no mistake: Voyager headsets are gigantic chunks of kit that scream, "I'm wearing a headset!" This may actually be good, because as I was testing headsets last week, my daughter kept worrying about whether I was going insane and talking to myself. No such danger with the 5200, which pairs a 2.25-inch behind-the-ear unit with a 2.75-inch-long red-and-black boom. No one will question whether you are wearing a headset or responding to the voices in your head.
I've loved previous Voyagers because their over-the-ear design makes them super secure. The 5200$119.99 at Amazon doesn't fit me as well as older models. I think the the ear hook is a little shorter than it used to be, so I had a little trouble getting it past the temple of my glasses, and the earbud hung a little bit high in my ear until I spent some time settling it. That is disappointing, and reduces the perceived volume a bit.
The headset has a physical on/off switch on the back, and two easily findable and pressable volume buttons on top. On the boom, there's a call button and a voice command button. The boom swings around, making the headset completely reversible between the right and left ears, and there are three different eartip sizes for the best fit.
Feature-wise, the 5200 has it all, for a Bluetooth headset. It pairs via NFC or Bluetooth, and you can pair it to multiple devices. It announces callers' names and lets you tell it whether to answer or ignore calls by voice. Built-in voice commands let you dictate text messages and get directions, with more accuracy than I got from Google Now on other headsets. It won't read your texts to you, though. A smartphone app, Plantronics Hub, lets you make the headset beep if you lose it, and monitor its battery life from your phone.
Performance
Thanks in part to its huge size, the 5200 has the best range of any headset I've tested recently, able to hit about 60 feet when in line of sight from the handset, although calls became pretty poppy after about 40 feet. Speaking of that popping: Interference sounds better on the Voyager 5200 than on other headsets we've tested. On other headsets, it often comes through as digital garble, which is difficult to understand. But on the 5200, interference sounds like pops and clicks, through which you can still clearly make out a voice.
Noise cancellation is aggressive on the 5200, and the price is a little bit of robotic voice quality. That said, it mutes background cars and buses with no problem. Wind noise offers a bit more of a challenge, and some wind made it through in testing (wind noise has always been an issue for Voyager headsets). But the 5200 is definitely your best choice for transmissions from very noisy areas.
The Voyager 5200 isn't perfect. I'm a little disappointed in its battery life, given its size. We got 5 hours, 16 minutes of voice calling, which is less than the seven hours promised. If that makes you nervous, an optional $39.99 charging case holds two more battery charges. The headset can be closed into the battery case, or can sit up in it, ready to be plucked out and used.
Conclusions
Plantronics Voyager headsets have had excellent voice quality for years. If you have a previous Voyager model like the amazing Legend, you don't need to replace it with the 5200. But if you're shopping for a heavy-usage, indoor-outdoor Bluetooth headset right now, the Voyager 5200 is still the benchmark by which we judge the rest, and our Editors' Choice.
The OLED55C6V is the first TV we’ve seen from LG’s 2016 OLED range. Costing £3,000, it's a 55-inch model with a curved screen, and it arrives packing new support for Dolby Vision’s high dynamic range technology as well as – according to LG – a significantly improved picture performance compared with LG’s already classy 2015 OLED models.
LG OLED55C6V – DESIGN AND FEATURES
Let’s get the divisive bit out of the way first: the OLED55C6V's curved screen. The curve is fairly shallow as such things go, but it’s there and it can, as usual, lead to some distortions and onscreen reflections if you have a bright light source opposite the screen.
On the flipside, the OLED55C6V’s curvature adds a little extra glamour to what’s already a stunning design – not least because curving the left and right edges gently forwards makes it easier to appreciate the incredible thinness (barely 3mm) the OLED panel enjoys over around 50% of its rear.
This view also serves to highlight the gorgeous, glinting silver trim applied to the screen’s outer edges. Basically any LCD screen with aspirations of trying to out-design OLED might as well just pack up and go home.
Connections on the OLED55C6V are effective rather than exemplary, on account of including only three HDMIs when ideally there would be four. Two support Ultra HD and HDR streams, though, and you can playback your multimedia collections via either a trio of USB ports or via the TV’s Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connection options.
The integrated Wi-Fi can also access a decent set of online apps and video streaming options, including Now TV, Netflix and Amazon Video. In past years, LG has fallen a little short when it comes to offering the UK’s most important catch-up TV apps. However, the Korean brand has put that right for 2016 by introducing support for the Freeview Play catch-up platform via a firmware update rolling out to its latest smart TVs as we speak.
All of the OLED55C6V’s smart features and sources are predominantly accessed via the latest version of LG’s webOS platform, which has undergone a few changes. The scrolling "launcher" bar is now longer, so it can host pretty much every app you have. Plus, there's now a new My Content section, into which you can bookmark favourite content to make it easier to return to.
The main point about webOS, however, is that LG appears well aware of the fact that it’s best not to mess too much with something that already works extremely well.
With regards to the OLED55C6V’s panel technology, the key point here is that every pixel in an OLED screen produces its own light level, independent of its neighbours. You don’t have to be Stephen Hawking to figure out that this means OLED TVs have the potential to deliver far superior contrast, much deeper black levels and far more accurately positioned, localised light than their LCD counterparts.
The sort of pixel-level light precision OLED can deliver has become even more important, it seems to me, now that HDR content has arrived on the scene. After all, as LCD TV after LCD TV is proving this year, nothing highlights the shortcomings of using external lighting systems shared over groups of pixels more than the extra light intensity and variation associated with HDR footage.
What’s more, LG claims to have introduced a raft of improvements for 2016 from its already exciting 2015 OLED TVs. Particularly intriguing is new support for the Dolby Vision take on HDR, which adds an extra layer of dynamic metadata for scene-by-scene optimisation. It also introduces a degree of optimisation based on the particular screen being used. LG is the first brand to adopt Dolby Vision in the UK.
The company has also greatly increased the brightness it can achieve in its 2016 OLED TVs – critical when it comes to delivering HDR – while simultaneously claiming to have reduced the issues with light "banding" and sudden black-level loss suffered by many of its 2015 models.
Other features of note are support for 3D, using the passive 3D system; sufficient picture setup tools to earn the endorsement of the Imaging Science Foundation (ISF) as a TV that one of its engineers could come and professionally calibrate; and, last but not least, Ultra HD Premium status.
If you're unfamiliar with the latter term, it means the OLED55C6V delivers deep enough blacks, bright enough brights, sufficient resolution – with its Ultra HD panel – and enough of the DCI-P3 digital cinema colour spectrum to rank as a top-quality HDR performer, according to standards defined by the AV industry’s Ultra HD Alliance working group.
LG OLED55C6V – SETUP
To get the best out of the OLED55C6V will involve some tweaking of its settings.
The single most important thing to bear in mind is that you really shouldn’t adjust the TV’s main brightness setting – as opposed to its "OLED Brightness" setting – any lower than 49 or any higher than 52. Slip below 49 and shadow detailing in dark areas starts to become crushed. Push higher than 52 and the trademark ultra-rich black levels of OLED suddenly start to plummet.
I’d also urge care with LG’s rather messy motion processing. I found I achieved the best balance between judder reduction and distracting processing side effects by choosing the TruMotion User mode and setting both the judder and blur compensation to level two or three.
Make sure noise reduction is turned off for all native 4K feeds and good-quality HD feeds, and avoid the "Vivid" picture option when watching HDR, since it leads to excessive "bleaching" of colours and white areas.
Personally, I'd also avoid the HDR Effect mode LG provides to try to convert standard dynamic range content into HDR, since it doesn’t represent colours convincingly – and the set does superbly with SDR content in its native form.
LG OLED55C6V – PICTURE QUALITY
With no other brands offering serious OLED TV ranges, it would be easy for LG to just tootle along in its own little OLED world without feeling the need to change things much beyond making its OLED TVs ever cheaper.
However, the OLED55C6V proves emphatically that LG isn't twiddling its thumbs between OLED generations, for it really is a terrific improvement on any television that’s gone before.
For instance, LG has tackled the light banding and sudden black-level loss issues of 2015. Both crop up very, very occasionally when watching HDR footage, but so rarely and so much more subtly – so long as you haven’t pushed the brightness setting too high – that they're now a small price to pay for the huge advantages that OLED brings elsewhere.
LG has delivered this big improvement in light control, moreover, at the same time that it’s greatly increased the brightness it can obtain from its OLED panels. And this brightness increase comes without any compromise on the stunning black-level response that’s OLED’s trademark.
This has a transformative effect on the OLED55C6V’s handling of my nascent Ultra HD Blu-ray collection, since it essentially means you no longer have to think of OLED as performing well at the dark end of the expanded HDR light spectrum.
For while it’s true that premium LCD TVs can deliver HDR’s bright highlights far more emphatically and dazzlingly than the OLED55C6V (more on this presently), the OLED screen certainly gets bright enough with its light peaks – which hit around 550 nits in the TV’s HDR standard mode – to sell HDR’s benefits more effectively than last year’s screens.
In fact, I can readily imagine many serious AV fans feeling that the OLED55C6V sells HDR’s all-round benefits better than even the best LCD TVs, thanks to its peerless handling of the dark half of HDR’s luminance range. For as well as being capable of hitting black levels of a depth that’s simply beyond the reach of LCD TVz, the OLED55C6V also places inky black pixels right alongside punchy white or colour ones with essentially zero light pollution between the two.
The impact this degree of light control has on dark HDR scenes is mesmerising and beautiful. And since you’re not continually being distracted by the light "towers" and blooming effects seen on LCD screens, pictures are spectacularly immersive. The latter is one feature serious AV fans crave above all from a TV.
The OLED55C6V’s extra brightness means there’s less chance for dark areas in predominantly bright HDR scenes to look like mere shadows, while OLED’s sensational black level response also proves a stellar foundation for the rest of its colour palette to "bounce off".
The result is nothing short of an assault of colour when watching the wide colour gamuts that are part and parcel of current HDR content – and I mean that in a good way.
The range of colours is as wide and expressive as anything I’ve seen from a flat TV to date, yet alongside the stunning dynamics you'll also see subtle tonal differences delivered with a degree of finesse not previously seen on any LG TV.
The excellent colour performance joins with the screen’s native UHD resolution, too, to enhance the sense of detail and depth in the delivery of good-quality Ultra HD Blu-ray pictures.
While I’m on the subject of HDR, it’s worth quickly comparing the set’s Dolby Vision HDR presentation with its handling of the standard HDR 10 format. Unfortunately, Dolby Vision content is extremely hard to find in the UK – in fact, the only content out there right now is Marco Polo on Netflix. Luckily, I had a clip of Pan encoded in Dolby Vision on a USB stick, and was therefore able to compare the look of this against the Pan Ultra HD Blu-ray release. The results were striking.
The most immediately obvious difference is that the Dolby Vision presentation is far less bright than LG’s HDR 10 presentation. This may be enough, I guess, to automatically turn some viewers towards the HDR 10 approach where a choice is available. However, if you look a little deeper then the Dolby Vision take on things turns out to be pretty compelling.
For starters, its colour palette is markedly richer in terms of both the saturations and subtleties it contains. Even better, there’s far more visible light and shade detail in the image’s very brightest and darkest areas than you get with LG's HDR 10 approach.
All in all, so long as you can get beyond the idea that HDR is simply about brightness – and you’ve probably already made this leap if you’ve bought an OLED TV rather than an LCD one -– then Dolby Vision appears to give you a much more refined and, for want of a better word, "cinematic" image.
However, for now we’ll be spending the vast majority of our time watching standard dynamic range material. To that end, the OLED55C6V is superb at handling SDR’s more limited light and colour demands. So much so that, as noted in the Setup section, I’d strongly recommend you let the TV stick to showing SDR in its native form rather than applying LG’s HDR Effect mode. The latter simply introduces forced and unbalanced colours, and "flare outs" in the brightest areas of the "upscaled" SDR picture.
The OLED55C6V fares a little better when it’s upscaling only resolution – as in, HD to UHD – rather than colour and brightness too. Pictures look detailed, without looking more noisy, even if the results aren’t quite as crisp as the upscaled images of LG’s big-name 4K rivals.
For all their many stellar and unique traits, however, the OLED55C6V’s OLED-driven pictures aren’t perfect.
The biggest issue is the very occasional appearance of a peculiar glowing effect over the very blackest parts of HDR images and, more rarely still, over detailed, darkly coloured backdrops.
The noise pretty much completely removes detail and light subtleties from the affected areas, and draws further attention to itself by breaking down into quite defined blocks and blotches that stand proud against the infinitely more refined picture information around it.
Less extreme dark scenes also sometimes suffer with subtler speckly colour noise over background areas, which can occasionally be aggressive enough to drag your eye away from the main action.
he OLED55C6V’s relative shortage of brightness also leads to a noticeable loss of subtle detail in areas of bright colours and whites, compared with the bright LCDs that are capable of getting up to around the 1,000-nit mark to which many of the Ultra HD Blu-rays released to date are mastered.
One final area in which there's room for improvement is motion handling. As suggested in the Setup section of the review, a fair amount of judder is visible when the TV’s motion processing isn't engaged. However, putting the default motion processing modes to use results in images that suffer with quite distracting processing side effects.
On a positive note, the OLED55C6V’s niggles don’t amount to much at all in the overall scheme of things. It delivers a really impressive step up from the previous OLED generation and it’s the first TV I’ve seen so far that actually makes dark HDR scenes look right.
LG OLED55C6V – 3D PICTURE QUALITY
I’ve long been a fan of the way LG’s passive 3D solution works on Ultra HD TVs, and the OLED55C6V does nothing to dent my enthusiasm.
There’s none of the tiring, distracting flickering often seen with active 3D TVs, and while 3D images aren’t completely free of cross-talk ghosting, there’s far less of it than you tend to get with active 3D solutions.
Detail levels are decently high with 3D, too, while the OLED55C6V’s spectacular colour and contrast performance helps the TV to delineate a profound and believable sense of 3D scale.
LG OLED55C6V – SOUND QUALITY
The OLED55C6V sounds slightly better than you might have expected given its super-skinny design – but that’s not to say that it's much better than average by the standards of the LCD TV world at large.
Its best audio qualities are the surprising width of the soundstage, some reasonably clear and convincing vocal handling, and a solid amount of treble detailing.
On the downside, bass is limited and can succumb to a distinct thumping effect under pressure; the set can’t go particularly loud; and at high volumes those treble details can begin to sound painful on the ear.
OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER
As usual with premium LG TVs over the past few years, the OLED55C6V ships with a "Magic Motion Remote" that lets you control the TV just by pointing at the right part of the screen and pressing select. Others have tried to achieve the same thing, but for me, LG’s take on the technology is by far the most intuitive.
If you fancy finding out how good your video game collection can look on an OLED TV then there’s more good news. Measurements of the OLED55C6V's input lag – the time it takes the TV to render image data received at its inputs – put it at just over 30ms on average. This is pretty much as good as it gets for UHD TVs currently, and shouldn’t have a major negative impact on your performance in twitch-response games.
SHOULD I BUY AN LG OLED55C6V?
So long as you don’t mind its curved screen and can stretch to its £3k asking price, the OLED55C6V simply has to be on your list. It isn’t quite perfect, despite all the improvements on last year’s OLED efforts, and the best LCD TVs – such as the Samsung UE55KS9000 and Sony 75XD9405 – continue to hold an advantage when it comes to delivering the brightness attributes of HDR.
However, when it comes to dark SDR scenes and especially HDR, the OLED55C6V makes OLED’s advantages look even more emphatic than they were before. In doing so, this TV delivers the more consistently immersive viewing experience that many AV enthusiasts crave.
VERDICT
Some sporadic noise in dark scenes and detail clipping in bright picture areas mean that the OLED55C6V isn’t the perfect TV. That said, it delivers huge improvements over LG’s previous OLED efforts, with pictures that look nothing short of mesmerising for the vast majority of the time.
The MDR-1A can be called Sony’s signature over-ear headphone, or the within-reason premium offering before things go into crazy expensive audiophile territory. Let’s see if the MDR-1A should be your next upgrade.
Design
I really like the MDR-1A’s design. It’s both classy and edgy. The black, stealthy styling has a sophistication to it, as the leather-dominated headband blends into shiny metallic stems. Then a deep red edge is lined between the earcup and earpad, for a touch of flair
The soft, leather-wrapped earpad cushions and seamless stitching also invoke the premium feel. The attention to detail doesn’t stop there, as you’ll uncover a brushed metal band when you extend the headband to make it larger.
I’m glad that the MDR-1A looks the part, as it’s not a cheap headphone. That said, it does lose of its premium appeal when you pick it up. The hard plastic construction is immediately noticeable (the
metallic finish is a deception). Still, I have no question about the MDR-1A’s durability.
Sadly, these over-ears don’t have a fold-able design. Many headphone manufacturers are doing this these days so the headphone can compact down to a travel-friendly size. But at least the earcups can rotate to lay flat. This means that the carrying case doesn’t have to be as thick. Speaking of which, the included case is drawstring-style and maintains the leather aesthetic.
Usability
The packaging includes an extra cable (with an in-line remote for playback control and a microphone to take phone calls), so this means that the cable is removable. You’ll find the 3.5mm connection on the left earcup, as one arm of the stem extends downward for easy access. The benefit of a swappable cable is replaceability. Cables can go bad, and you don’t want to have to replace the entire headphone if it happens.
You may have noticed that the ear pads look fairly substantial. Sony’s goal was both comfort and sound isolation. The ear pad cushions are constructed with an “enfolding design” to minimize sound leakage.
This in no way means that the earcups are stiff and uncomfortable. Quite the opposite is true. The pads are more soft than firm. Bear in mind that as they are leather, they will heat up over a lengthy period on your head. But all in all, these earpads are one of the comfiest that I’ve used. The sound isolation was also great.
Sound
Oh boy, the sound. The MDR-1A captures you from the bat. Sony was totally not going for a “reference” kind of sound, but rather, engaging. There’s a clear emphasis on bass. But it doesn’t irresponsibility call for attention and overshadow the rest of the spectrum. It’s boisterous in the right ways: depth and impact. You can almost feel the low-end’s sound waves shake the space within the earpads. It borders on head-rattling; if you love bass, you must try these headphones.
However, from an audiophile perspective, I have to throw a word of caution. If you like a balanced/neutral sound, these may not be for you. The bass is the clear star of the show here. It does at time borderline on boomy, but impressively controlled for the most part.
I don’t mean to downplay the rest of the range, though. The MDR-1A is detailed across the board. Second to the bass is the mid-range. Vocals and instruments in this region sound satisfyingly full and rich. Too often sound signatures recess the mids and do them an injustice, not so here. The soundstage is also pleasant, as the separation and placement of notes fill the space around you.
I wasn’t as impressed with the treble as the other ranges. It’s good, but can fall flat at times (there could be more extension) or get overshadowed by another sound. I wouldn’t call it recessed, because when the track calls for it, it’s prominent and detailed.
Final Thoughts
Sony’s expertise certainly shows in the MDR-1A. The design is attractive from either a sophisticated perspective or someone who likes standout styling, the wear/comfort is impeccable, and the sound is an experience. Though, the plastic build and bass-heavy sound may put some serious listeners off, but I can see it being fine for many people.
The MDR-1A is more premium than your standard over-ears, so the price tag won’t be for the faint of heart. They retail for $299. But you are getting a well-made, good-looking, super comfortable, and fun sounding headphone.
Projectors have come a long way from the days when the most useful way to categorize them was by their weight class. Today, there are any number of more meaningful kinds of categories, including intended use (business presentations, home theater, and gameplay), technology (LCD, DLP, and LCOS), throw distance (how close to the screen you can place the projector), and more. Here are some questions to answer that will help you find a projector with the right features and performance for your needs.
What Kind of Images Do You Plan to Show?
There are four basic kinds of images you can show on a projector: data, video, photos, and games. Any projector can show any kind of image, but it's important to understand that any given projector can handle one kind of image well without necessarily doing a good job on the others. Naturally, you'll want a projector that does a good job with the kind of images you plan to show.
Most models are sold either as data or business projectors, or as home theater, home entertainment, or video projectors. In addition, a small, but growing number are sold as models for gameplay.
Data projectors will most likely do well with data images, like PowerPoint presentations, spreadsheets, and PDF files, while home theater projectors are best at handling full-motion video. Any projector that handles video well should also do a good job with photos, since photos have a lot in common with video, but without the added complication of movement, which opens the door to additional image artifacts.
Games require some of the capabilities you need for data images and some that you need for video images. If you want to use a projector with video games, and can't find a review or see a demo that specifically relates to image quality for games, look for a model that handles both video and data images well.
How Portable Does the Projector Need to Be?
Consider how portable the projector needs to be. You can find models with sizes and weights ranging from small and light enough to fit in a shirt pocket to large and massive enough to be suitable only for permanent installation. If you want a data projector to carry to business meetings for presentations, a model to take to a friend's house for serious LAN party, or a home-theater projector you can stow away when you're not using it, then be sure to pick an appropriate size and weight. The more you plan to carry or move it around, the smaller and lighter you'll want the projector to be.
What Resolution Do You Need?
Ideally, you should match the projector's native resolution (the number of physical pixels in the projector's display) to the resolution you expect to use most often, whether you're planning on connecting to a computer, video equipment, game box, or some combination of the three. Projectors can scale images up or down to their native resolutions, but they lose image quality in the process.
If you plan to show data images, you should also consider how detailed the images will be. For a typical PowerPoint presentation, SVGA (800 by 600) is easily good enough, and getting an SVGA projector will save money compared with getting one with a higher resolution. The more detailed the images, however, the higher resolution you'll want.
For video, 1080p resolution (1,920 by 1,080) is the best choice, assuming you have a Blu-ray player, upscaling DVD player, or other 1080p device. If there's any chance you'll be watching video at lower resolutions, check out how well the projector handles those resolutions too. We are starting to see 4K projectors, with horizontal resolutions on the order of 4,000 pixels, but they're still very expensive, and as yet little content is available that can take advantage of their ultra-high resolution.
Do You Need a Widescreen Format?
For video and games, you'll almost certainly want a widescreen format. For data projectors, native widescreen resolutions such as WXGA (1,366 by 768) and even 1080p, have become common. If you create your presentations on a widescreen notebook or monitor, they may look better if you project them in the same format.
How Bright Should the Projector Be?
There is no single best level for brightness, and brighter isn't always better. For a home-theater projector you plan to use in a dark room, for example, 1,000 to 1,200 lumens can easily give you a large, bright image, while 2,000 lumens may be so bright that it's hard on the eyes. On the other hand, for a portable data projector you expect to use in well-lit locations, 2,000 to 3,000 lumens is the right range. For large rooms, you may want something even brighter.
The best level of brightness depends on the amount of ambient light, the size of the image, and even the material in the screen you're using. If you're setting up a projector for permanent installation, whether at home or in your office, your best bet is to buy from a knowledgeable source that can help you match brightness to the lighting conditions and screen in the room.
If you're trying to choose between two models, keep in mind that small percentage difference in lumens—2,000 versus 2,200, for example—isn't terribly significant. Perception of brightness is nonlinear, which means you need far more than twice as many lumens for a projector to appear twice as bright. Also, a projector's true brightness tends to be a little less than its rated brightness.
Don't Take Contrast Ratio Too Seriously
Contrast ratio is the ratio between the brightness of the brightest and darkest areas a projector can produce. All other things being equal, a higher contrast ratio indicates more vibrant, eye-catching colors and more detail showing in dark areas on the screen. Because other factors are also involved, however, knowing the contrast ratio doesn't tell you much.
How Do You Plan to Connect?
Most projectors offer at a minimum a VGA (analog) connector for a computer and a composite video connector for video equipment. If your computer has a digital output, you may also want a digital connection on the projector, because it will eliminate any chance of problems, such as jittering pixels caused by poor signal synchronization. For video sources, the preferred connection choice is HDMI (assuming your video equipment has HDMI connectors), with component video a close second. Some projectors are now adding Mobile High-Definition Link (MHL)-enabled HDMI ports, which let you project from Android devices, and in some cases, charge them as well. Many models offer Wi-Fi connectivity through a (usually optional) wireless dongle that fits in a USB port that also supports projecting from a thumb drive.
What Technology Do You Want?
Today's projectors are based on one of four imaging technologies: digital light processing (DLP), liquid-crystal display (LCD), liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS), and laser raster. (Don't confuse laser raster projectors, which actually draw the images using lasers, with models that simply use lasers as a light source for another imaging technology, like a DLP or LCOS chip.) Most inexpensive DLP projectors and some LCOS-based pico projectors, including both data and video models, project their primary colors sequentially rather than all at once. This can lead to a rainbow effect, with light areas on screen breaking up into little rainbows for some people when they shift their gaze or something on screen moves. Those who are sensitive to this effect can find it annoying, particularly for long sessions.
LCD projectors don't have this problem, but tend to be bigger and heavier. The general consensus is that standard-size LCOS projectors offer the best-quality images, but they tend to be bigger and heavier than DLP or LCD projectors, as well as far more expensive. There aren't yet many laser raster projectors, so it's hard to make general statements about them. But the one clear advantage of using a laser is that the image doesn't require focusing.
Do You Need Audio?
Not all projectors have audio capability, and for those that do, the audio is sometimes all but useless—particularly with highly portable projectors. If you need sound for your presentations or for watching video, make sure that the built-in audio, if any, is both of high enough quality and loud enough to meet your needs. Alternatively, consider using a separate sound system, like powered external speakers.
Do You Need 3D Support?
Showing images in 3D for educational, business, home video, and game applications is one of the leading-edge features for projectors today, and more and more projectors are claiming to be 3D-capable.
Several 3D schemes are available, so just because a projector is 3D-ready doesn't necessarily mean it will work with the 3D source you want to use. For example, a given projector may work with TI's DLP-Link, which requires a computer with a quad-buffered, Open GL, 3D-compatible graphics card, but not work with a 3D Blu-ray player. The good news is that a growing number of 3D-capable projectors can project 3D content from a Blu-ray player, TV set-top box, or similar image source. If you want a projector for 3D, make sure it will work with the specific 3D image source you plan to use it with.
Do You Need a Big Image in a Small Room?
Finally, consider whether you need a short throw—meaning the ability to cast a given-size image at a short distance from the screen. Short-throw projectors let you throw a large image in tight spaces, and also minimize the risk of people getting in front of the projector and blocking part of the image.
There are no universally accepted definitions for what counts as a short throw, but as an example, while most projectors can throw an approximately 6-foot-wide image from roughly 12 to 15 feet away, most short-throw projectors need 3 to 6 feet, and ultra-short-throw projectors generally need less than a foot.
Downsides of short-throw, and especially ultra-short-throw, projectors are that they are more expensive than traditional models with long-throw lenses, and tend not to do as well in large conference rooms and small auditoriums.
At PC Labs, we review around 100 projectors every year, evaluating their features and putting them through rigorous performance testing. The models highlighted below span a wide range in purpose, features, portability, and brightness and our overall top picks. For more specific needs, check out our favorite portable projectors and models for home use.
Acer S1385WHne DLP Projector Lights Up Class
The Acer S1385WHne can deliver an impressive 100-inch (diagonal) image from a distance of only 3.4 feet, making it ideal for conference rooms or classrooms where longer throws are impractical.
An integrated 20-watt audio system is powerful enough for large classrooms and small auditoriums.
The S1385WHne provides 3,200 lumens of brightness, allowing this projector to display clearly in bright ambient light. A native display of 1280x800 (WXGA) and contrast ratio of 17,000:1 provide a clear, sharp picture at screen sizes up to the maximum diagonal size of 25 feet. Integrated 2X digital zoom allows users to easily resize the display from the included remote. An optional wireless module allows presenters to connect and project wirelessly, reducing setup time and allowing the presenter to move more freely.
Connect It All
The S1385WHne includes a number of features to support mobile projector users. Automatic vertical keystone correction can fix keystone issues up to 40 degrees in either direction, and a rapid-resume feature allows the projector to power up immediately after being shut down. A number of connection options are provided, including VGA, S-Video, composite video, USB and two HDMI ports, one of which supports Mobile High-Definition Link (MHL), which allows powering and controlling mobile devices directly from the projector.
The S1385WHne integrates with the Acer Smart Pen to provide a compelling experience for classroom and conference room interaction. Two collaborators can simultaneously write and draw on the same screen. The Acer Smart Pen can also function as a remote control.
Technology support organizations will appreciate the maintenance and support features that the S1385WHne offers. A top-loading lamp provides easy replacement, and lamp life of 4,000 hours (standard mode), 6,000 hours (ECO mode) and 10,000 hours (Extreme ECO mode) help to keep operating costs at a minimum. Remote monitoring and control over a local network through Crestron RoomView or via dry contacts on the projector allow support organizations to integrate the S1385WHne into their facility monitoring and control systems.
Mobile Friendly
Integrated HDMI with MHL capability allows presenters to charge and control mobile devices directly from the projector. An optional hidden dongle allows users to connect wirelessly, reducing setup time and allowing the presenter a wide range of motion. An integrated 20-watt sound system provides audio that’s suitable for large classrooms or small auditoriums.
The Acer 1385WHne includes several features to assist in applications where it is frequently repositioned. Automatic vertical keystone correction can correctly realign an image as much as 40 degrees up or down as needed. A rapid-resume feature allows the projector to immediately restart from a shutdown state while warm.
Sharp
PC3D-ready for DLP 3D content display
Convenient
Acer Smart Pen-Compatible
Clear
Two integrated 10W stereo speakers
Acer S1385WHne Projector
Dimensions: 12.1x3.4x8.3 inches
Weight: 4.41 pounds
Brightness: 3,200 lumens
Resolution: 1280x800 native WXGA
Image
Native Resolution
1280 x 800
Maximum Resolution
1920 x 1200
Standard Mode Brightness
3200 lm
Native Aspect Ratio
16:10
Compatible Aspect Ratio
16:9 4:3
Contrast Ratio
17,000:1
Throw Ratio
0.49:1 (87" (2209.8 mm)@36.2" (920 mm))
Digital Zoom
2x
Vertical Keystone Correction
-40°/+40°
Maximum Vertical Sync
120 Hz
Maximum Horizontal Sync
100 kHz
Minimum Vertical Sync
24 Hz
Minimum Horizontal Sync
15 kHz
Color Supported
1.07 Billion Colors (30-bit)
Projection Lens
Lens Type
Manual Focus
Maximum Lens Aperture
F/2.6
Maximum Focal Length
6.9 mm
Minimum Diagonal Image Size
47" (1193.8 mm)
Maximum Diagonal Image Size
25 ft (7620 mm)
Minimum Projection Distance
19.7" (500 mm)
Maximum Projection Distance
10.5 ft (3200 mm)
Lamp
Lamp Type
UHP
Number of Lamps
1
Lamp Power
200 W
Normal Mode Lamp Life
4000 Hour
Economy Mode Lamp Life
6000 Hour
ExtremeEco Mode Lamp Life
10000 Hour
Interfaces/Ports
Number of HDMI Ports
2
HDMI
Yes
USB
Yes
Composite Video
Yes
Network (RJ-45)
Yes
S-Video
Yes
VGA In
Yes
VGA Out
Yes
Audio Line In
Yes
Audio Line Out
Yes
Technical Information
Projection System
DLP
Projection Method
Ceiling Front Rear
Video Compatibility
EDTV HDTV NTSC PAL SDTV SECAM
Computer Compatibility
Mac PC Windows PC
3D Capability
DLP 3D
Audio
Number of Speakers
2
Speaker Output Power
10 W
Speaker Output Mode
Stereo
Network & Communication
Ethernet (LAN) Capability
Crestron eControl
Power Description
Power Supply
100 V AC~240 V AC
Input Voltage
120 V AC 230 V AC
Operating Power Consumption
285 W
Operating Power Consumption (Eco Mode)
220 W
Physical Characteristics
Fan Noise
26 dB Approximate Economy Mode 30 dB Approximate Standard Mode
