March 24, 2009
By Mark J. Pescatore
Epson understands its customers, as evidenced by the PowerLite 1735W 3LCD projector, which seems to address almost every need of the portable presenter, from a built-in lens cover to a four-second shutoff time. Native WXGA resolution and 3,000 ANSI lumens don’t hurt, either.
Compact projectors provide very limited real estate for inputs, but Epson makes the most of it. The 1735W features a video (RCA), S-Video and RGB input (that doubles as component video), all of which share a single mini stereo jack audio input. The built-in speaker, by the way, is not impressive in volume or quality, but it’s there if you need it. USB ports provide additional connectivity for PC-free presentations.
Road warriors who will be making PowerPoint presentations need not worry about resolution. The 1735W does an amazing job with text, spreadsheets and graphics. The video and S-Video inputs suffer from aliasing (you can reduce it by easing sharpness) but are more than acceptable. A variety of color modes can help you with image settings without resorting to customization.
On-screen menus are relatively easy to navigate, with the first two sub-menus providing access to image and source adjustments. Additional tabs provide access to built-in closed captioning, lamp brightness control and other features that most users won’t need to touch.
And then there’s the convenience of wireless capability, though it does require a small amount of prep. You’ll need to install the wireless LAN unit on the projector and some software on your laptop.
As you’d expect, the wireless feed requires compromise. You have less resolution and fewer frames per second. You’ll want to avoid watching video clips via wireless, and some of your slide transitions might not look so fancy, but well-designed PowerPoint slides should still look fine. (Epson also offers a “Movie Sending Mode” to improve the display of a few file types.)
The remote control is pretty good, with individual source buttons near the top, a directional pad for menu navigation near the bottom, and a bank of additional controls (such as volume, aspect ratio and AV mute) in between.
Epson has built a standout projector in the PowerLite 1735W. With an estimated street price of $1,649, the lightweight powerhouse is ready for travel with sufficient inputs, plenty of brightness and user-friendly wireless capability. Epson PowerLite 1735W Projector
SCORE:  PROS: Plenty of inputs (RCA, S-Video, RGB, USB), native WXGA resolution and 3,000 ANSI lumens. CONS: Wireless feed reduces resolution and frame rate. BOTTOM LINE: A powerhouse portable. MSRP: $1,649 CONTACT: www.epson.com 
| COMMENTS (1) | | 04/11/2009 | | How could you leave out the size and weight? |
|
|
|
More...
|
|
|
|
|