Sanyo PLC-XP10NA

$11,995

Weight: 14.8 pounds. (Data and power cord, plus remote control, weigh an additional 1.4 pounds.)

LCD size and resolution: 1.3-inch XGA (1,024 x 768).

Optics: Three-panel dichroic cube system with optical integrator, polarization conversion and microlenses. Power-zoom and -focus projection lens.

Lamp: 150-watt Philips UHP.

Measured brightness: 1,405.2 ANSI lumens (average of wide- and narrow-zoom settings).

Measured ANSI contrast: 160.6-to-1.

Connections: Two 15-pin standard computer data inputs. One combined composite and S-VHS video input with stereo audio input. Two separate serial ports (one RS-232 control port). Separate RGB computer monitor output and composite video monitor output, both with audio.

Video compatibility: Accepts most popular video sources up to SXGA.

Speakers: Two built-in 2-watt speakers.

Accessories included: IR remote control.

CIRCLE 306 ON READER INQUIRY CARD

Regular readers know I like portable projectors — the kind that, until "ultraportables" muscled into the market (such as the In Focus LP330 I reviewed in November), were the lightest projectors you could get. Portables may weigh more and cost more than their skinny new cousins, but they put out much more light — you get a lot more lumens for your dollar — and they aren't missing anything. (Strip a projector's weight down and you're bound to jettison something important.)

Sanyo's projection products run the gamut from ultraportable to conference-room projectors — the latter capable of more than 2,000 lumens. The company has tried to pack that kind of performance into its portable PLC-XP10NA projector. However, it's made a variety of trade-offs to get the XP10 down to a portable size and weight.

Take light, for instance. Sanyo has optimized the XP10's optical path and incorporated the latest microlens technology in an attempt to get an advertised 1,900 lumens out of its lamp's 150 watts. (Compare this with Sanyo's big SXGA EF10, which is similar to the Eiki SX-1 reviewed last month: It uses a 400-watt lamp to produce more than 2,000 lumens.) However, I measured only 1,485 ANSI lumens in the XP10's wide-zoom setting. True, that's almost 10 lumens per watt, but it's more than 20 percent less than Sanyo's claim. I don't think Sanyo was deliberately exaggerating its lumens specifications, though. My guess is that, the fault was in the model the company sent me, a unit that had obviously made the evaluation rounds a few times.

I measured a bit less light on the screen in the narrow-zoom setting than in the wide, and, as I report above, I found an average of 1,405 ANSI lumens for both wide and narrow settings. I also measured the Sanyo's ANSI contrast ratio at 160.6-to-1 — above average for an LCD projector, and a good indication of the XP10's high image quality. I found the projector's color saturation to be 16.72, also higher than the average three-panel LCD x-cube-based system, and way above the weak color saturation provided by the tiny ultraportables. This high- quality image helps make up for the deflated light output.

I've measured projectors with better white points; the Sanyo's 3.7 units away from standard D65 was slightly too blue, but fine. However, few others have had the Sanyo's color saturation and contrast. The XP10's images had good uniformity and OK corner brightness, more than 70 percent of peak. Its images with data inputs looked quite good, even after resizing with SXGA (1,280 x 1,024) — and with lower-resolution images.

The Sanyo XP10 is easy to use: two one-button drop-down feet in front, all the connectors in a compact patch panel in back, and a sturdy built-in handle. The cooling fan is a bit louder than in some projectors, however. With my extreme, worst-case test method — putting the sound meter up close — I found 62 decibels on top, and 73 dB from the back where the whoosh really gets too loud. Other than that, and the lower-than-advertised light output, this is a fine projector in my favorite class.

Contact: Sanyo Fisher Co., 888.495.3452, www.sanyolcd.com.