Infocus LP350 Projector

The Infocus LP350 is one of a new generation of projectors that use a technology called Digital Light Processing (DLP) to provide an exceptionally clear, bright and colourful image in all kinds of environments. DLP is so good, claim its proponents, that you don't need to turn out the lights.

Texas Instruments, the company that developed DLP, hopes it will become the leading technology, not just for mobile presentation devices and big-screen home entertainment systems, but in cinemas too. DLP projection systems are already in use in some UK cinemas - Leicester Square's Odeon being one - and have been used as part of a digital distribution pilot for films like Star Wars Episode I, Toy Story 2 and Disney's Dinosaur.

At the core of the DLP system is a Digital Micro-mirror Device (DMD), which contains thousands of tiny square aluminium mirrors capable of switching on and off thousands of times per second. The mirrors measure only 16 microns square, and the gap between them is less than one micron. It's this almost seamless coverage that provides such a bright, sharp and even image compared to that of LCD-based devices.

The LP350 and its sibling the LP340 are identical in every respect except that the 340 offers a maximum resolution of 800 x 600 (although it will compress 1024 x 768), whereas the 350's maximum resolution is 1024 x 768. The slate grey casing, compact dimensions, simple control layout and tidy connector panel combine to produce an elegant piece of equipment that, at 3kg, will probably weigh slightly less than your notebook.

Setup is simplicity itself. Infocus has opted for a DVI connector, allowing for a better quality image if you have the right port. But, as most people don't, the company's standard cable has a D-SUB and USB port on the end. The USB port enables the remote mouse.

There are also connections for S-Video, composite video, sound, and a CableWizard connector. This links to an optional hub that provides mouse, audio, monitor and computer connectors when the unit is ceiling-mounted.

The LP350 auto-senses the input signal and adjusts the tracking, signal synchronisation, and vertical and horizontal position, although you can do this manually if you're experiencing problems.

The on-screen menu (OSM) lets you adjust image quality (although in most cases this won't be necessary), sound, and keystone angle, to ensure you get straight sides even when the projector is pointing upwards at the screen. Other configuration options include manual selection of video standard, ceiling and rear projection reversal, standby time, language and status information. The lamp life warning initiates at 2000 hours but you have a further 50 hours in which to replace it before it reaches 50 per cent of its original brightness.

In reality, the only adjustment you're likely to make frequently is to the lens-mounted zoom and focus rings. Obviously the image size depends primarily on the distance between lens and screen, and the LP350 produces a picture approximately five to six feet wide at a distance of 12ft. The zoom is used to make minor adjustments to fit the image to the screen, rather than to produce any significant image magnification.

All the OSM functions can be accessed using the infrared remote. This has a circular 'disc mouse', four function buttons and two mouse buttons.There's only one word to describe the quality of the picture - stunning. Used to project DVD video, the results were of cinematic quality with bright, vivid colours, edge-to-edge sharpness and no discernible fall-off in illumination at the corners. Windows applications were as clear as on an LCD monitor, with icons and type sharp and legible and no evidence of colour halos or other aberrations.

With the lights on, the quality depends on the lights and source image. You can certainly see video well enough under fluorescent lighting, but text can be a strain. No one will keep the lights on if they don't have to: a more realistic situation is one where window blinds are incapable of blocking all the extraneous light and in this situation, provided that light isn't shining directly on to the screen, the LP350's 1300 lumens give it a clear advantage over its LCD competitors.

At £3995 ex VAT, the LP350's performance comes at a price. We can only hope that, like all good technology, time will work its deflationary magic.

Contact:
InFocus 0800 028 6470 www.infocus.com