The Twenty Smallest Portable SVGA Projectors

Epson PowerLite 500c 

Epson has offered up a significant advance in performance with the announcement of the 500c. At a mere 247 cubic inches, it is the smallest SVGA projector on the market. And with a brightness rating of 800 ANSI lumens, it surpasses almost all others projector on the market in lumens per cubic inch. For sheer horsepower in a tiny package, only the other new engineering marvel, the 7.0 lb, 1100 ANSI lumen Mitsubishi S50 can rival it.

The 500c has all the elements of a category killer—it weighs only 5.8 lbs, and is outfitted with a manual zoom lens, digital keystone correction, audio on-board, and will take both XGA and SXGA signals.

The 500c has all the right design elements. But it has two competitive problems: The Sony CS1, which has severely undercut it in price/performance, and the Mitsubishi S50, which has trumped the 500c in ANSI lumen output by a factor of almost 40%. Caught between these two very strong market entries, the Epson 500c is between a rock and a hard place.

Here is why. Let's first consider the battle between the Epson and the Sony. The issue here is the price tags. The Epson 500c has an MSRP of  $5,999 against the CS1's $2,999. We suspect that Epson's standard dealer margins are built into the retail price. That means that when the product ships sometime in the first quarter, it will probably appear on the Internet at close to 35% off. So let's assume the Epson will carry a street price of $3,900. Sony has already announced a street price of $2,699 for the CS1. That puts the Epson's effective selling price $1,200 (or 44%) higher than the Sony CS1.

Is there a way to justify the $1,200 incremental fee? Not really. Both have manual zoom lenses, but the Sony is a 1.3:1 and the Epson, only a 1.2:1. That means you can up- and down-size the screen image by a factor of 30% with the Sony, and only 20% with the Epson. So the Sony has the edge on lens flexibility.

Both units can take XGA and SXGA signals. Both have audio on-board. Both have digital keystone correction. And both are essentially the same size—the Epson at 247 cubic inches, and the Sony just a hair bigger at 255 cubic inches.

The Epson beats the Sony in two categories. It is 5.8 lbs to the Sony's 6.4, and it has a brightness rating of 800 ANSI lumens to the Sony's 600. So this is what the customer gets for the additional $1,200. Nobody will spend an additional $1,200 to save a half a pound in carrying weight. However, people might be motivated to spend more to get an extra 200 ANSI lumens of light output.

But it is just here that the other half of Epson's competitive problem appears. If a customer is willing to spend an additional $1,200 to get 200 more lumens, why not go for the Mitsubishi S50 and get 500 extra lumens for the same money? The answer is, most of them will if they know that the option is available. (The S50 is expected to settle in at the same street price as the 500c unless either Epson or Mitsubishi changes the MSRP.)

Epson has a strong dealer network and a great reputation in projectors. The 500c will undoubtedly sell well on the strength of the brand and dealer promotions. At first glance, the "5.8 lb, 800 ANSI lumen" combination is quite appealing. Dealers will find it easy to sell to customers who aren't doing much shopping.

However, among informed buyers, the 500c looks like it will have a much tougher go of it. The Sony has taken the piece of the market that is budget conscious, and the Mitsubishi will appeal to the buyers who want mega performance. The 500c is caught in the middle, offering not quite enough performance for a little too much money. A 25% reduction in price would cure the problem, but we do not expect to see Epson making that move anytime soon.