Acer PD100

Weighing just 2.17Kgs, the Acer PD100 is a great projector for anyone on the move. Its small form factor (230x238x123 mm), resolution of 1280x1024 and built-in speaker make this an extremely versatile, multi-function unit, but it is definitely not for your home theatre aficionados.

Using the DLP projection system, the PD100 suffers a bit from the "rainbow effect", an artifact that appears as a multi-colour shimmer when watching videos with a lot of motion, or change in focus. Nevertheless, the picture quality is fairly good despite the small amount of "screen door effect" (when fine lines separating the pixels are visible on the projection) at up to 2m distance. The lamp life is rated at 2000 hours with a replacement lamp costing around $399.

The sound produced from the single internal speaker, with a low 2W of power, is merely sufficient. Set to its highest level there is significant distortion. However, it is loud enough and clear enough for an entire room to hear if required. And if you are broadcasting to a whole room, Acer has included a laser pointer on the remote. Acer claims its screen sizes can vary from anywhere between 88cm to 7.75m diagonally, from throw distances of 1.5m to 12m respectively.

Our tests using a mid-range throw of 5m delivered a nice 2.5m display. The projector's image is fairly visible in bright indoor light conditions, but outdoor daylight viewing is not recommended.