BenQ Joybee GP1 Mini Projector

We just got the new Joybee GP1 Mini Projector from BenQ today and mini is the perfect name for it. The device measures 5.4 by 4.7 by 2.1 inches The GP1 is designed to give you a good quality picture with out the hassle of lugging around a giant projector.

We fired the thing up and, after trying to get the language from Polish to English, took it for a little test run. We hooked the GP1 up to a 9-inch Dell Mini notebook and opened up a web browser to test out the projectors visual quality. The GP1 offers a full anamorphic DVD-ready 858x600 resolution, 100 lumens light, and a 2000:1 contrast ratio. For the best picture quality, you're going to want to use it on a white, flat, smooth surface. We used a white dry-erase board; not advisable considering the reflective surface of the board gave a glare from the projectors light. Aside from that little mishap on our part, the images we had up looked great. The web site we were viewing came in clear and focused and any problems we had were easily fixed.

The GP1 has many features on it that allow for picture tweaking. Our first problem was the image projected was crooked. The left side was wider than the right but this was easily fixed thanks to the GP1's dynamic keystone correction feature. This automatically adjusts the image to make the picture as close to a rectangular box as possible. Other picture features include high altitude and ceiling-mounted modes, wall color and picture temperature adjustments, numerous picture calibration, digital zoom, and multi-lingual menus. As I said, the GP1 works best on white surfaces, however, it can be adjusted to work on other surfaces like blackboards or even tinted windows with the different presets it has. The only time you lose major quality is when you display the picture on a surface that is highly textured.

Set up is simple. Once you take it out of the box, plug it in and turn it on you are ready. The only thing you have to do is adjust the focus with the silver focusing knob on the projector and you're good to go. The GP1 offers crystal clear images in a 14-inch to 80-inch (corner to corner) window as far as five feet away and near crystal clear images farther away from that. The viewing quality for 80-inch is very high in a pitch black or near black room and is about the same as viewing a 40-inch image in a room in the daytime with the shades drawn. We tested it in a pitch black room with a screen size of about 20in x 20in and it looked really good.

You are able to do a lot with this little projector. Aside from hooking it up to a laptop, you can also hook up your iPod or iPhone to it and stream your music, movies and other things through the projector which is a very neat feature. The GP1 also has a video formatting software that will convert video, audio, and picture files in a format viewable on the GP1. For video, the GP1 can display MJPEG and PCM for audio. The projector works very well for its size and BenQ has put a lot of effort into giving you a good quality projector in a small, easy to use size. I can see this device being used a lot by salesmen who do a lot of traveling presentations where they need a good projector with easy transportation abilities. It is even a great device for home entertainment. Maybe not the best one to use for your main room, but definitley something that you could put in one of your kid's rooms. It is so easy to open up the box, plug in the projector and start watching movies which makes it great for you child's sleepovers. Overall, we were impressed by the GP1. It delivered well on the visual side of things and its portability makes ideal for taking it on the road.

Now obviously the GP1 doesn't perform as well as some of the other, bigger projectors on the market. But what it lacks in performance it makes up for in size and portability. At a price of $499, this is a good device to take on the road and is great for a small meeting setting..

Mitsubishi XD221U Projector

Projectors are some of the most valuable pieces of equipment you can have for teaching or business. There are many different projectors on the markets these days and it can be hard to find one that suits your needs.

When you think of Mitsubishi, you more than likely think of cars and not projectors. However, Mitsubishi has ventured into a new field with the XD221U projector. With all the different features on it, the XD221U is an excellent teaching assistant for any classroom.

The XD221U has no need for external speakers. It has 10W high-volume speakers which are enough to disperse the sound clearly to everybody in the room. With an optional wireless microphone and a unique "Audio Mix" feature, your voice is amplified loud and clear every time you use it. If you tender to a class with hearing impaired people, then the XD221U's closed caption feature is perfect for your needs. The built-in closed caption decoder takes words and turns them into subtitles which are displayed onto the screen with just the touch of a button.

The user interface menu is very simple to use. The tool bar has seven basic main menu options and one custom menu all of which are very simple to use, even if you are technically handy. The XD221U also has dual PC Input Terminals allowing you to hook up two different computers to the same projector at the same time. This projector also comes with BrilliantColorTM Technology presenting you with incredibly clear images that look just as good as real videos or images that you see on your computer instead of getting that hazy projection image. It has a DLP, 0.55" 1 chip DMD display type with 1024 x 768 XGA resolution and a 2000:1 contrast ratio.

Mitsubishi, like all other car companies, is starting to make their cars greener, so why shouldn't their other products be green as well? The XD221U is more green, engineered with specific eco-friendly features. The XD221U consumes less than 1 watt of power when it is in standby mode to conserve energy consumption. The box, instructions, and any other paper accessories involved with this projector are made entirely of recycled paper, decreasing the reliance on natural resources and trees. The XD221U also has a paint-free cabinet and uses lead-free solder making this one of the greenest projectors on the market.

The projectors lamp is located in the upper part of the chassis. With this type of top loading lamp system, replacing burnt out bulbs is simple, regardless if your projector is hanging from a ceiling, on your desk, or on a shelf. The XD221U also has a built-in RJ-45 port. If you have your projector connected to a dedicated LAN, then it is simple to view the status of your projector or multiple projectors you may have in the same building. Also accessible through this feature are things like power on/off and source inputs as well as many other functions.

The Mitsubishi XD221U is definitely a perfect projector for your classroom or office setting. It has many features that are key for use in an office or classroom, not too clunky, and its green standards are top notch. This projector will run you around $800 but can be found on some web sites for close to $700.

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