If you make presentations to small audiences in rooms where you can turn the lights down, there is a 200-lumen DLP projector that you should consider . . . the Acer Model K11. At only 1.3 pounds with a list price of $379, the K11 is portable, inexpensive, and comes with its own carrying pouch, so road warriors will find it a good value. Along with video and computer inputs, the K11 also sports an HDMI input for connection to digital sources (e.g., DVD players) that you may have access to at your presentation. You will be surprised at what a good image you get from such a small projector, and that is a strong point for the K11 . . . it outperforms most of its competition in terms of video quality.

For less formal settings, the K11 performs well for family gatherings where viewing home movies or pictures from a recent vacation is the focus for the evening. It is compatible with personal devices like iPods and iPhones, and it has both SD and USB inputs which can display stored images from memory cards and thumb drives. This input versatility is uncommon in pocket projectors, and it virtually eliminates the need to have a computer connected to enjoy using the K11.

Image Quality: You might expect that a 200-lumen projector would not put up a memorable picture, and in high ambient light, the image is a bit weak unless it is kept to relatively small dimensions. In controlled light conditions, however, the K11 offers an image that compares favorably with more expensive projectors. Colors are balanced, and highlights and shadows are rendered well with minor adjustments to the image menu. There is no perceptible digital noise on HDMI material, and flesh tones are spot on.

Computer data has good color saturation with no readability problems at maximum keystone correction, and edge-to-edge sharpness is excellent. The native 858x600 DLP chip minimizes any screen door effect, and the K11 synced immediately with both PC and Mac inputs. There are no color variations with white backgrounds, and photos are clean and crisp.

In most office environments, if you limit the image size to 40 inches diagonal you will keep the image from washing out. At home in the evening with the room darkened, you can enjoy the K11's maximum image size of 80 inches without degrading the image, but a smaller diagonal is called for if afternoon sun is streaming in the windows.

Brightness and Uniformity: The K11 put up 170 ANSI lumens at its brightest setting, and uniformity was a very respectable 80%. No hot spots were noted although the lower right portion of the image was slightly brighter. For a small projector, this is a lot of light and is sufficient for intimate settings where smaller image sizes are acceptable.

Connections: For such a compact projector, the K11 offers a variety of inputs. A VGA connector handles computer signals or component video, and an HDMI port takes care of digital inputs. Alongside is a USB-A input for thumb drives, and near the bottom of the case is an SD card connector. Rounding out the array is a 3-segment mini-jack that handles composite video and/or audio. For your convenience, the K11 package includes a 3-segment mini plug to triple RCA connectors for composite video connection.

Computer-free Inputs: If you have consolidated photos, music, or videos onto a thumb drive or an SD card, the K11 can take them directly. Simply plug in the media and the menu for photos, music, and video appears. You can see or hear what you have recorded sequentially or randomly, and presentation modes for both are selectable. Connecting an iPod or iPhone is easy for viewing stills or video, and several recoding formats are supported.

Auto Source Search: When you have multiple sources connected, it can be cumbersome to cycle through those inputs to select the one you want. The K11 can be set to search for sources automatically and save you that inconvenience. If you prefer, the automatic search can be disabled.

Maintenance: Since the K11 is a DLP-based projector, there is no air filter so maintenance is a breeze. An occasional vacuuming of the air inlets and exhausts will suffice. The other good news is that illumination is provided by LEDs with a projected life of 30,000 hours, so lamp replacement is not a factor.

Image Size and Position: For an 80" image, the center of the lens is 6.5" below the bottom of the image. This is a good offset for tabletop mounting, but you may need to make further adjustments by raising the front of the projector. The projector can be elevated by extending its front elevator foot, but horizontal leveling has to be accomplished by shimming one of the rear feet. If the image keystones, there is ±40° of electronic keystone correction available, either manual or automatic.

On-Screen Menus: Menus are easy to navigate, and the menu controls are pretty intuitive. On first power-up, you get to make some basic choices, and the standard menus kick in thereafter. You can activate menus from either the projector-mounted buttons or the remote control, but using the remote ensures that you will not accidently move the projector while making a menu selection.

Remote Control: Many projectors of this class have no remote control at all . . . they rely on you pushing projector buttons which can jostle the image. The K11's remote is credit-card size and well laid out, but beware of it inadvertently wandering away in someone's pocket.

Quick Start: One of the virtues of LED illumination is that there is no need for lamp warm-up. Within ten seconds after you hit the power button, you are ready to begin your presentation.

External Power Supply: Pocket projectors usually have weight specs that do not include the external power supply, and this one is no different. Though the projector itself weighs only 1.3 lbs, an external power brick is required for use, and it weighs another pound. So in reality, this is more like a two-pocket projector.

If carrying weight is the primary appeal of a product like the K11, keep in mind that you can get 2000 lumen, 1280x800 resolution projectors that weigh only 2.6 lbs with the power supply on board. The downside is that the high brightness lamps on those units only last 3000 hours, compared to the 30,000 hours on the K11. So the trade-off has less to do with the size of the projector, and more to do with how much light you need and how much you are willing to pay (the K11 is roughly half the price of the high brightness models). Either way, the carrying weight is about the same.

Audio Quality: Like most pocket projectors, the K11's one-watt speaker is adequate for only the smallest of audiences. To improve performance, you will have to use your laptop's speakers because the K11 lacks an audio output, so there is no way to beef up the sound level from the projector.

Placement Flexibility: Like most small projectors, the K11 has no zoom lens, only a focusing lens. This means that image size is directly proportional to distance from the screen, so if you want to change image size, you will have to move the projector or the screen. As an example, the projector needs to be about 5' 8" from the screen to project a 40-inch diagonal image.

Rainbow Effects:If you've read about DLP projectors, you know that "rainbows" can be an issue. The K11 is no exception, and that means that some people may see RGB stripes intermittently when viewing fast moving video or high contrast scenes. If you think this may be a problem for you or your audience, you might want to try before you buy.

User Settings: If you are looking for the best possible image, try the K11's User mode. You will not only be able to adjust contrast, brightness, and color temperature, but you can also make adjustments to gamma and sharpness to refine the image. Note that saturation and tint controls are only available in analog video modes. Casual users may shy away from such detail, but if you want to take the time to get the best image possible, then the User mode offers you the tools to do it.

Preset modes: There are a surprising number of preset modes for such an inexpensive projector. Included are Bright, Presentation, Standard, Video, and Game with each choice modifying contrast, brightness, and color temperature to suit the setting. There is also one User mode where your personal preferences for image settings can be saved . . . very handy if the K11 is a shared resource. In addition, there are five settings that can compensate for background wall color.

Fan noise: Fan noise is minimal since not a lot of air needs to be moved through the projector, but it does have a mid-frequency component that might bother those seated right next to the K11.

Warranty Provisions: Acer offers a one-year parts and labor warranty on the K11.

The Acer K11 fits nicely into an interesting combination of business and social environments. It is equally adept at small meetings and family get-togethers. It hits its stride where small image sizes are adequate and room noise is minimal. Its strength lies in its versatility and cost...it handles all sorts of inputs for under $400. It could use a better internal speaker, but that is true of all pocket projectors. Overall, the K11 is a great performer at a bargain price.

For more detailed specifications and connections, check out our Acer K11 projector page.

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