The Twenty Smallest Portable SVGA Projectors

Lightware Scout (also Dukane ImagePro 7700)

Lightware's Scout has an MSRP of $2,995. The company has just started shipping a cost-reduced version of the Scout which they call the Scout 2000. The difference between the two is that the Scout has a video input and audio speakers on board, where as the Scout 2000 does not. With these additional features, the Scout weighs 5.3 lbs.

The Scout has a fixed focal-lengthlens, a 500 ANSI lumen rating, and a 500-hour lamp life, which is the lowest lamp life rating in this category. However, it should be noted that the replacement lamp cost is only $199, which is about half the cost of a replacement lamp on most other projectors. The lamp is 200 watts, which will throw off more heat than competing units with 120-watt lamps.

At $2,995, the Scout should becompared to the less expensive Sony CS1 at $2,699. At $300 less, the CS1 provides a zoom lens, digital keystone correction, SXGA compression, 600 ANSI lumens vs. the Scout's 500, and a nearly silent fan. At 6.4 lbs. the CS1 weighs 1.1 lbs more. However, it is physically smaller by about 20%: the CS1 is255 cu. in. whereas the Scout is 307 cu. in.

The Scout's light engine has a single 1.6" LCD panel, rather than the 3-panel LCD configuration in every other LCD product in this group. The design cost is reduced because of this, but the image quality suffers somewhat as a result. The Scout's contrast ratio is rated at 100:1. By comparison, all other 3-panel LCD products in the group have contrast ratios between 200:1 and 300:1, and have better brightness uniformity from edge to edge.

The Scout product line is intended tobe a low-cost, low-performance alternative for mobile presenters on tight budgets. However, with the release of the Sony CS1, the Scout is now a poorvalue at $2,995. A fair market value for the Scout would be in the range of $400to $600 less than the Sony CS1, or $2,100 to $2,300.

Dukane ImagePro 7700: This product is the Lightware Scout being marketed under the Dukane label through Dukane's dealers. Its current list price is also $2,995,or the same as the Lightware Scout. Please refer to the comments on theLightware Scout above for information on this product.