zdnet.com MP2800 Microportable
Projector
If you really need a portable projector, then
the Compaq Microportable Projector
MP2800 may just be the answer to your
prayers. Weighing in at under 3 pounds, the
$4,999 MP2800 still manages to offer bright
images in a tiny package. Throw in manual
zoom and a built-in laser pointer, and you
may have found the perfect traveling
companion.
By M. David Stone, ZDNet Reviews
January 18, 2001
What's surprisingly small, notably lightweight, and sure
to break the association in your mind between "lugging"
and "projector?" The Compaq Microportable Projector
MP2800. Weighing just 3 pounds and measuring 7.1 by
2.7 by 8.7 inches, the MP2800 doesn't weight much
more than a stack of transparencies; yet it projects an
impressively bright image, even in a fully lit room.
The MP28000 is based on Texas Instruments DLP
(Digital Light Processing) technology. DLP projectors
are built around the digital micromirror device (DMD), a
chip with hundreds of thousands of individual mirrors
that reflect red, green, blue and white light to create the
image. More importantly, it's the DLP technology, aided
by such touches as a lightweight magnesium case,
that lets the MP2800 achieve its combination of light
weight and bright image.
The projector's specifications
include 24-bit color, a native
1024 by 768 resolution and
the ability to scale up from
SVGA or a Macintosh at 832
by 624 or scale down from
1280 by 1024. Scaled
images appear remarkably
free of blocky text, with
relatively minor doses of the
artifacts that we expect to
see in scaling. The image,
rated at a hefty 900 lumens,
is bright enough so that a
70-inch image is easily
readable in a fully lit room.
Image quality on our tests,
including the test screens in
Sonera's DisplayMate, range
from acceptable to excellent,
with no flaws worth
mentioning. The 8-watt mono
audio system sounds marginally tinny, with a touch of
overmodulation at peak volume, but is easily loud
enough for a large conference room.
Setup is as easy as it can be. Plug in the power cord
and the cable to your computer's video, optionally plug
in an audio cable and optionally plug in a cable from
one S-Video or composite video source. There is one
important limitation, however: The audio and video
connectors, as well as the speaker, are in a multimedia
unit that plugs into the DVI connector. So if you use a
digital video connection to the PC, you can't have audio
or video.
There are also one or two other small annoyances,
notably the amount of heat and light that spills from the
sides towards the front. These are easily balanced by
such civilized touches as the manual zoom, the padded
case that comes with the unit and the remote control
with a laser pointer built in. All told, the MP2800
deserves a high ranking on your very short list.
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