Portable. With its light weight, small size, and included carry bag, the 710 HD is easy to transport anywhere you'd like to go. The 710 HD is no larger than a good-sized hardback book, at 11.6" long by 9" wide by 3" tall. It weighs only five pounds. Included speakers, while not very powerful, provide an audio option without any additional wiring. So, while you'll still need to plug in to a signal source once you arrive, it is easy to bring the 710 HD to a friend's house or a client's office should the need arise.

Horizontal keystone. Generally, keystone correction is something people try to avoid, especially if they're watching a movie or television show. However, that advice mostly applies to home theater, and the 710 HD isn't for home theater. If the projector is set up such that it is not parallel to the screen on the horizontal axis, Epson has included a sliding lever that adjusts horizontal keystone, just above the lens zoom and focus controls. It is quite effective and makes projector setup into a thirty-second affair.

Easy takedown. Many of Epson's presentation projectors have an instant-off function, and this feature has been carried over to the 710 HD. At the end of the night, when it's time to pack up and go home, you press the Power button and the projector is safe to unplug and ready to pack up in three seconds flat.

Good connectivity. Despite the 710 HD's small size, the projector has an HDMI digital input, a VGA port (which will also take component video using an included adapter), two USB ports, S-video, and composite video. The USB ports can be used to connect a PC for Epson's USB projection feature (another carry-over from business projectors) or a USB flash drive for direct projection of images. This makes it a great projector for show-and-tell type presentations, such as showing off your vacation photos.

Bright picture. Since the 710 HD is a projector for the living room, it's no surprise that it is plenty bright. The 710 HD is rated at 2800 lumens, and as you'll see on the next page our test sample actually measured slightly above that benchmark. 2800 lumens is enough power to light up an 80" diagonal screen in moderate ambient light, making it bigger than your television by a good bit. And since its presets pay attention to color balance and contrast, you'll generally get a more accurate picture than if you used a similarly-priced presentation projector.

Onboard sound. The 710 HD includes two-watt stereo speakers built in. While two watts is not enough power to communicate the depth of a movie soundtrack, it's perfect for casual use, like impromptu video games set up for the kids while the adults are doing something else. More important is the fact that the projector has speakers at all, which makes it a real portable entertainment solution instead of just a rebranded business projector.

The Viewing Experience

Performance

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