The InFocus Proxima DP 6150 has some versatile features, a bright image, and a decent price compared with the other units. But its shortcomings make it hard to recommend, especially when compared with the others in this roundup.

The projector accepts input from five different sources: DVI-D, two analog connections, component video, and S-Video. It also has USB and PS/2 connections for remote mouse control, a stereo sound input port, and analog pass-through for a monitor. The trackball on the remote is a bit sensitive but provides good mouse functions. There is also a direct-connect wire for the remote, which has an on/off switch, so the batteries won't run down inadvertently. InFocus is also generous with cables, bundling just about anything you might need.

The Proxima is rated at 1,400 ANSI lumens, but on our test it measured only 954—still bright enough for use under most normal room conditions. The contrast ratio was an excellent 155:1; this was second place among the 6- to 10-pound units. The image appeared to have good freedom from brightness variance, and the 1.1:1 score confirmed it.

Color ramps were smooth, and color tracking was generally good. Scaling up and down was effective, and there were relatively few motion artifacts compared with most others. Unfortunately, we found some noticeable flaws. Even tweaking the timing settings failed to eliminate all pixel jitter, and there were posterized shades on some gray-patterned images. One bright-pixel defect was visible at a normal viewing distance.

The projector was fairly quiet while operating, but there was considerable light and hot air coming out the back of the case. In the final analysis, the Proxima offers a lot of versatility, but the image quality left a lot to be desired.