Kodak V600 Zoom

This LCD projector from the imaging giant Kodak is a lot more affordable than Infocus' DLP-based LP335 we've already reviewed, but to a certain extent you get what you pay for. Having said that, the V600 Zoom would suffice for some mobile presenters.

This 800-lumens model displays an acceptable picture at 800 x 600 with, typically of LCD models, very vibrant colour reproduction. The picture was noticeably grainy, though if all you are doing is showing one PowerPoint slide after another, this will not be a big issue. The image can be viewed with the lights on, although not quite to the same degree as a 1000-lumens version. For the best performance, though, keep the lights off.

Inside the case is a healthy supply of connectors: British, European and US plugs, S-Video, Composite, D-SUB, audio and even a Mac adaptor. The projector has the appropriate ports for these cables. The control system is adequate, but could be improved slightly. Five buttons allow you to navigate through the menu but their positioning is a bit confusing, and we kept mistaking the up, down and select buttons for something else.

You have a fairly large degree of control over the picture, and there are a few pre-sets in Kodak's Image Manager that make the picture look a little better for photos, rich colours, spreadsheets and graphics. A remote is also provided with the same buttons as those on the top of the projector.

Turning the lens adjusts the focus, and there's also a manual 1.3x zoom on this model, although if you don't need this, a cheaper version comes without it. You can't adjust the keystone correction manually, which is a big minus.

Overall, this projector is not as feature rich and does not have such a high-quality image as more expensive models, but at 3.4kg it's light and would suit the mobile professional on a budget.

Contact:
Kodak 0870 6061031
http://www.kodak.co.uk