Epson EX5210 Multimedia Projector

The Epson EX5210 Multimedia Projector ($549.99 direct) is a handsome, portable business projector that?s easy to use and has some nifty features. Its image quality is decent for data, as well as for video clips?just avoid using small text in your presentations.

The EX5210 is based on 3LCD technology, which was developed by Epson and uses three LCD panels, which each process light of a different primary color. This projector has native XGA (1,024 by 768 pixel) native resolution, a 4:3 aspect ratio befitting a data projector. At a rated brightness 2,800 lumens, the EX5210 is bright enough to throw a reasonably bright image onto a large screen in a conference room, even with considerable ambient lighting.

It has both vertical and horizontal keystone correction; while the vertical correction is automatic, the horizontal uses a user-friendly slide-based system. The EX5210?s connections include VGA/component video; HDMI; S-video; 3 RCA jacks for composite video; USB type B (for connection with a computer) and USB type A (which fits a USB thumb drive).

The EX5210 is a handsome projector, black with a textured top and rounded corners. On the top, near the lens, are the focus wheel, zoom wheel, and slider for horizontal keystone correction. The projector measures 3.0 by 11.6 by 9.0 inches (HWD) and weighs 5.1 pounds, making it easily portable. It comes with a soft carrying case, and as you can run a presentation from a USB thumb drive, you don?t even have to bring your computer with you.

Image and Video Testing

I tested the EX5210 using the DisplayMate (www.displaymate.com) software test suite, and found data image quality to be acceptable for typical business presentations, with the one caveat being text quality. White on black text showed some blur at the two smallest sizes?in most projectors I?ve tested, only the smallest size has any visible blur. Likewise, black on white text was slightly blurred at the smallest size; it?s unusual to see any blur. I?d recommend that anyone using the projector for presentations use a relatively large type face. Another, less serious issue was tinting: thin white lines at times appeared yellowish, while some gray areas had a slight greenish tinge.

Video quality, based on selected scenes in our test DVDs (Terminator 2 and The West Wing) was usable for short or even medium-length video clips as part of presentations. There was often some loss of detail in bright areas, and flesh tones at times looked a bit too red.

The projector?s 2-watt mono speaker was loud enough to fill a small room, though at full volume there was occasional distortion that could be remedied by turning the sound down.

The Epson EX5210 Multimedia Projector is worth a look if you?re in the market for a portable, XGA-resolution business projector. Its standout features are its HDMI-in port and the port for a USB thumb drive, and the slider-based horizontal keystone correction is also a nice touch. Image quality is good enough for a typical business presentation, although I wish the text had been a little sharper in our test images.

There are plenty of decent XGA-resolution business projectors around; the key is finding the right balance between features, image quality, price, and portability based on your own needs. The InFocus IN114 ($399 direct, 3.5 stars) provides similar image quality to the EX5210 for business presentations at a budget price, though it lacks some useful connections like a port for a USB thumb drive or an HDMI-in port. The Optoma Pro260X ($600 street, 3.5 stars ) provides decent image quality and has an HDMI-in port. The Dell 1410X ($599 list, 3.5 stars) provides solid data image quality and a modest feature set.

For a bit more money, the NEC NP64 ($1,099 direct, 4 stars) is light, bright, and offers a solid feature set and good image quality. For an XGA projector for larger conference rooms, the Editors? Choice Epson PowerLite 1880 MultiMedia Projector $1,399 direct, 4 stars) is brilliant at 4,000 lumens, though you?ll pay a premium for it.

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