Summary:
The projected image is unformly bright and sharp and
Its LCD-based optical system produced accurate and well-saturated
colors. The 800:1 contrast range does seem a bit flat, however,
especially when compared to recent DLP projectors.
Target Users:
Corporations, schools, small businesses, AV professionals
What It Costs You:
$14,995 MSRP
What’s Cool:
4,500 ANSI lumens, 35 dB acoustic noise level (in whisper mode), and
relatively light weight given the brightness of the projector.
What’s Missing:
A stronger case—either one made of metal or a better, thicker grade of
plastic. Also, a higher contrast ratio, though this is limited by its
LCD display engine.
RATINGS: Products are rated for features, performance, ease of use and overall value on a scale from LAME, OK, SOLID, SWEET to HOT.
In all the excitement over the new two- and three-pound projectors,
it’s easy to forget that similar advances are occurring at the other
end of the spectrum. Projectors weighing 15 to 20 pounds are beginning
to replace 30-to-40-pound projectors that were previously installed in
medium and large venues.
Hitachi’s CP-X1250 is a prime example of this new breed of luggable
projectors powerful enough to light up an auditorium, yet lightweight
enough for one person to set up. Why pay tens of thousands of dollars
to install multiple projectors in multiple locations when you can buy a
single projector and share it among various locations?
At a hefty 17 pounds, you won’t be carrying the CP-X1250 onboard with
you on your next flight. On the other hand, no portable projector can
come close to approaching this projector’s 4,500 ANSI lumens. The
XGA-resolution CP-X1250 has several features that make it easy to
configure for different environments. If you have an unusually narrow
room with acoustically reflective walls, you might use the whisper mode
to bring down the noise level from 39 dB to a more acceptable 35 dB.
The whisper mode reduces the brightness as well, though the reduced
brightness should still be strong enough for most environments.
Similarly, if you have an abnormally wide room with a screen mounted
higher than usual, you can use the CP-X1250’s built-in lens shift to
mechanically adjust the vertical angle of the lens.
For other difficult environments, you might add one of four optional
lenses for the CP-X1250: a 16mm fixed lens, a 23mm-31mm zoom, a
46mm-82mm zoom or a 80mm-144mm zoom. These lenses supplement the
standard 31mm-46mm zoom lens included with the projector. With this
array of lenses, you should be able to accommodate a wide range of
auditoriums, training centers, conference rooms and lecture halls.
Other notable features include a generous selection of AV connectors
(including component, BNC and DVI inputs), the ability to perform
maintenance via an Ethernet- or WiFi-based network (including e-mail
alerts) and four memory slots for user settings.
I found the CP-X1250’s projected image to be uniformly bright and
sharp. Its LCD-based optical system produced accurate and
well-saturated colors. On the downside, the 800:1 contrast range seemed
a bit flat, especially when compared to recent DLP projectors. Also,
the plastic case felt flimsier than it should for a projector in this
price range—which is unfortunate, because the CP-X1250 is otherwise
ideally equipped to be moved from room to room.
