If staying within a budget is your main concern, consider the bargain-priced Hitachi CP-RX60 ($899, as of January 18, 2006). This 4.8-pound LCD projector offers good image quality and a modest set of features for a great price.
The CP-RX60 ranked fourth overall among the 16 models we tested for our April 2006 issue's projector roundup. It earned slightly better-than-average scores for text and graphics displays at its default settings. Among its best images were sharp renderings of various-size fonts in a complex CAD drawing, and fine color accuracy (including realistic facial tones) in a group photo.
The CP-RX60 also performed well in our video playback tests, displaying warm, attractive color. One factor in this projector's pleasing color fidelity is its use of a relatively low default color temperature (7300K); many portables use a higher default setting such as 9300K.
To hold the CP-RX60's price down, Hitachi made a few compromises on features. Its brightness rating is 1500 lumens--strong enough for small group presentations, but not well suited for larger rooms. Another cut corner: The CP-RX60 is the only projector we tested that has a fixed-focus lens instead of a zoom lens, giving you less flexibility in placing it relative to the screen.
The on-screen menu system includes a simple menu that lists basic image adjustment options (such as brightness, contrast, and sharpness) and an advanced menu with additional picture tweaking controls (such as gamma and color temperature). Though you get only three preset picture modes (normal, cinema, and dynamic), you can create and save four custom settings, too. The unit ships with a computer (VGA) cable; if you want to connect the CP-RX60 to other audio-video equipment, you'll have to buy the necessary cables separately. Home-theater users will need to upgrade from the puny 1-watt speaker to a more powerful sound system.
The Hitachi CP-RX60's offers good image quality at a low price; but it lacks the setup flexibility and other features that competing models provide.
Richard Jantz
