CCorner 20 XGAs 12

The Twenty Smallest Portable XGA Projectors

InFocus LP330 "DragonFly"

(also marketed as Kodak DP2000, Boxlight XD-5m, and Toshiba TDP-B1

At the moment, InFocus makes the smallest reasonably featured XGA projector on the market. It is a popular unit among buyers and remarketers alike, having appeared under a total of four labels, which in itself is a bit unusual.

The primary advantages of the LP330 are its very small package, only 213 cu. in., and its light weight, only 4.8 lbs. The fact that it is below the magical 5 lb. barrier has won it a lot of attention. Along with standard video and audio inputs, it has a 1:1.25 manual zoom lens, which is a fine achievement in a package this size. And the low 39 db noise rating means fan noise is a non-issue.

However, the product has some limitations as well. The 650 ANSI lumen rating is the lowest in the category except for the 600 lumen Compaq MP1600. The remaining 15 models in the group are at 800 lumens or higher. And the LP330 is limited to XGA as its maximum resolution; most of the products in the group will take at least SXGA, and some UXGA. The 1000-hour lamp life rating may be a concern for heavy users. Finally, this projector has had availability problems due to the scarcity of DLP displays, so you might not be able to find one anyway.

The LP330's average street price is currently around $5,800, which is about 17% off the $6,999 MSRP. Normally street prices on products in this price range are discounted quite a bit more than 17%. The street price is too high, it appears, because of (a) restricted product supply, (b) a temporary lack of competition in the category, and (c) tighter dealer margins as set by InFocus. The closest competitors in terms of size, price, and lumen output are DLP-based products as well. Thus they are equally scarce. So there has been nothing acting to drive the price down to a reasonable level. However, once the LCD-based Epson and Mitsubishi products ship in a couple of weeks, the prices of the LP330 and other DLP-based products should drop.

Until prices on the LP330 drop and the product supply improves, buyers should consider native SVGA units that offer quality scaling of the XGA source. Since the LP330 cannot accommodate SXGA or higher, there are many native SVGA machines that offer similar features and performance characteristics for about $2,000 less, or in the case of the Sony VPL-CS1, $3,000 less. That is simply too much of a price differential for not much more than native XGA resolution. (See our December report, The Twenty Smallest Portable SVGA Projectors)

The Private Labels

Normally, the mere existence of a single product under four labels would be enough to drive the price into the tank. However, this has not been the case with the LP330. Product supply is restricted across all brands. Kodak dealers are selling their version, the DP2000, at prices on par with the LP330. Boxlight's Internet price is equal to the InFocus MSRP of $6,999. And Toshiba sells the TDP-B1 only as a bundled deal with a notebook computer, which essentially removes it from the list of possible options for all buyers except those that really want a Toshiba notebook. (see Toshiba's New "Bundling" Strategy with the TDP-B1.

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