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Solid performance with few frills from an affordable projector.
There is a lot of sex appeal in a projector's ability to show motion-picture cinematography with deep blacks and jitter-free motion. But the majority of projectors spend most of their time showing bright, staid presentation slides and spreadsheets. That's where most of the business is, so there's still a huge market for conference room and classroom projectors, particularly at affordable levels. That's the thinking behind the new LP640 from InFocus.
On the surface, the LP640 is a no-frills, tabletop or ceilingmounted model with sufficient brightness and a typical LCD contrast ratio in a boxy, 7 ½-pound chassis. Its price of $2,499 isn't bad at all for a native XGA projector that performs solidly. Still, InFocus isn't only about utility. A closer look reveals a lot more to like about this seemingly modest presentation projector.
ALL MODESTY ASIDE
The LP640 is a three-panel LCD projector with a micro lens array and a native 4:3, 1024-by-768 resolution. The chassis has a recessed lens housing, with manual focus and zoom rings accessible from a cutaway along the top of the unit and a throw ratio of 1.6:1 to 1.9:1.
Connectivity is basic but not as minimal as you'd expect from a bare-bones projector. For example, the LP640 has InFocus's common M1-DA connector that, through a proprietary cable, inputs analog RGB and USB mouse information into the projector's remote. That M1-DA is also the port for digital DVI-D input, as well as component video, but both of those require an optional proprietary cable. However, this projector is unlike InFocus's travel projectors, for which back-panel space is at a premium. InFocus smartly includes a 15-pin analog RGB computer...