I love my Sony LCD projector

A few years ago I made a presentation at an ad agency in Tokyo. The agency used a small Sony projector that really impressed me. Although it was not the smallest or the lightest on the market, I loved its slim design and it was very bright and made the slides on the screen look fantastic. Last month I finally purchased a Sony projector in the same family as the one I used that day in Tokyo, the Sony VPLCX21 LCD Projector. It's just around $1000 and for that price it's very bright (2100 lumens) and crisp. It has a native XGA Resolution of 1024 x 768 which is all I need. It's only 4.2 pounds and fits easily into my bag along with one or two MacBook Pros. Even if the venue says they will provide the projector, I carry this along now just as a backup. It may not be the best on the market — I have not done a lot of research on projectors — but it's a great combination of a good price, high quality and bright, and relatively small and light. And, hey, it's a Sony. I'm really happy with it. And because it's so thin and low, I can put my MacBook behind the projector at the same table (larger projectors would obscure the computer screen and I'd have to find another table or put the computer on the floor — remember that the computer screen is acting like a monitor.)

In the picture above you can see my wife as she delivers the first part of a presentation on branding (I took the stage after her part). Note the position of the projector and the brightness of the screen even with most of the house lights on (though this pic does not do the screen justice). The room was a medium-size ballroom seating about 100 people (photo taken with the iPhone). Note to my buddies at Microsoft: yes my Microsoft guest sticker is still bonded on the front cover, as you can see — d'oh!

I purchased my Sony on Amazon.com for $1027; it may be cheaper somewhere else. (Please feel free to recommend other good, light, and bright projectors for those of us on the road.)

Comments

[andrew h]

I like my Planar PR 6020. Its not as sleek as your Sony, but at 2000 lumens, weighing only 2.8 pounds. SXGA+ compatible 1400 x 1050, UXGA compatible, HDTV compatible (720p and 1080i)... the specs aren't bad.

Quick Google search showed pricing similar to the Sony.

Link: http://www.planar.com/products/projectors/pr/pr6020/index.cfm

[omz13]

To try and remove that pesky MS guest sticker from your computer try spraying it with some WD40... as well as making door hinges stop squeaking, WD40 also dissolves glue (a lesser-known but very useful feature)

[Thomas]

casio makes some impressive light weight DLP projectors: http://www.casio.com/products/Projectors/Projectors/
we use them in any condition.

[Flo]

I bought a ultra mobile samsung projector recently. The newest model just came out:
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-P400-Pocket-Ultraportable-Projector/dp/B001CHABHW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1225102445&sr=1-1
It is LCD technology, which means it won't be the brightest picture you have seen, but if you dim some of the lights in the room, it worked fine for me.
It is really compact and weights less than 2 pounds. Mine uses around 35 Watt. Samsung sold a battery pack which gives you around 2,5 hours even in the middle of nowhere. Oh, and it is supposed to last 20.000 hours, but I don't think I will ever get there.

[Kevin]

This is a great thread! If you take ultra portability out of the equation, are there any opinions about DLP projectors for presentations. In other words, if you are unwilling to pay more for extreme portability, what would you choose for a DLP projector.

[Bruce]

How about a fit in the palm of your hand projector? This will the start of something big I'm sure. Pardon the pun.

http://www.3mmpro.com/

[Jason]

The reason we chose the Sony projectors over the others was that they had the best colour. (important when talking branding) These days, other maker's colour has improved, but the ultra small ones all seem to suffer from reds that look brown, etc.

When picking a projector, we compare 2 side by side and prioritize:
1. good colour
2. volume of fans (too loud is distracting)
3. position of the exit fans (front is best, side means someone sitting at the table might get the hot air exhaust seat)
4. size
5. price, etc

[electronic white board]

well i must say these projectors have made the business meetings more professional and had made the comunication thing more advance .

[teevee]

I am looking into getting a projector and this thread gives me a great starting point.

Thank you.

[flip music charts]

Thank you very much for the great information.

Thanks
flip music charts

[Cheap Computers]

I was looking for a good projector and this blog gives a good start.......
http://www.electrocomputerwarehouse.com