On the face of it, there's little to differentiate these two micro-projectors other than the price. Both use Texas Instruments' DLP technology, employing micro-mirrors to produce a superior quality image.

They both weigh 1.6kg and have similar dimensions, although the Compaq is an elegant yet functional upright with the lens barrel-mounted atop the case.

Both projectors have a native resolution of 1,024 x 768 and make a good job of scaling up lower-resolution screens.

Both lenses have manual focus and zoom rings which provide image magnification of 1.2:1, as well as a 2w mono speaker, a handheld remote and a row of top-mounted buttons providing access to the onscreen display menu and manual source selection.

Both have noise ratings within a decibel of each other and are quiet in operation.

Both are easy to set up, but the Dell provides more input options so is a good choice if you also use a TV, VCR or DVD player, or want it for home cinema as well as business use.

As well as a DVI-I connector, the Dell has S-Video and Composite video inputs. The cable supplied has a DVI-I connector and standard VGA analogue D-connector, so it's compatible with most devices and can be upgraded.

There's also a VGA out port to hook up an external monitor. A remote port takes a cable that terminates in both a serial and USB connector providing remote mouse operation.

The Compaq has separate DVI and analogue inputs, a USB remote port and a tiny mini-jack socket for sound input. The only leads Compaq supplied were the power cable, an analogue VGA cable and a USB lead for the remote functions.

The Dell box, however, bulged with cabling, including a sound input lead, component RGB to DVI-I cable, Component video and S-Video cables.

In the absence of ports, the Compaq has no need of this, but a cable to connect to the non-standard sound input would be welcome.

In use, both projectors performed extremely well. Basic set-up and operation was simple and access to all the onscreen display features was straightforward.

The Compaq is the first projector we've seen to offer both horizontal and vertical keystone correction, which makes setting up in confined spaces much easier.

Its vertical profile and extending front pad makes it well suited for situations where there's no projector table; the Compaq can sit on a most tables and still project to a reasonable height above head level.

The Compaq's remote, while very compact, is extremely basic and provides only a fraction of the functionality of the Dell's, with its dual-function flip-up panel, mouse pad and laser pointer.

The Compaq also suffers from poor reception. Although there are two infra-red sensors, they are mounted on either side, creating dead zones in front and behind.

In terms of picture quality, neither of these projectors will disappoint, but the Compaq MP3800 outperformed the Dell.

The Compaq image was rock steady regardless of the input source signal, while the Dell showed a tendency to shake. While marginal, the fact that this was evident even at the native XGA resolution was worrying.

The Compaq also produced more contrasting, rich, saturated colours, for a better viewing experience in bad lighting conditions. This is partly due to the more powerful 150w lamp which provides a brightness rating of 1,300 Ansi lumens compared with the Dell's 1,050.

Were it not for the Compaq's markedly superior image quality this would be an easy choice. The Dell 3100MP has more features and is considerably better value. Compaq's Ipaq MP3800 won't connect to anything other than a computer, but the image quality is second to none.

Details:

COMPAQ IPAQ MP3800

Price: £3,109.05 (£2,646 ex VAT)
Contact: Compaq
www.compaq.co.uk

DELL 3100MP

Price: £2,348.82 (£1,999 ex VAT)
Contact: Dell
http://dellware.euro.dell.com