Labs

Optoma's projector is identical to the Acer PD321 internally, although it's housed in a darker graphite case. It may be a little plasticky, but you can't argue when it weighs only 1kg and boasts a footprint of just 198 x 148mm.

The EP725 performed well in our DisplayMate tests. It beat the Acer in the pixel-tracking test, where we saw significantly less interference. There was also a small difference in the light leakage, this time Acer taking the honours. The PD321 kept the light spread under more control, but there were only a few millimetres between the two.

Aside from these small differences, quality was identical. A slight yellow cast spoiled red purity, but colour combinations were reproduced well. The saturation tests were again impressive, although colours topped out a little early in the ramps. Yellow was slightly too harsh in the spectrum test and on occasion appeared murky. The real-world tests, meanwhile,

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saw few problems. The presentation, game and movie were fine and the Desktop was crystal clear. Being picky, there was some visible grain in uniform dark areas of the movie.

Specification-wise, InFocus' tiny unit is closest to the EP725 and PD321. However, both Optoma and Acer claim double the throw range of InFocus' 5m. This means the first two offer a viewing diagonal of 267in versus the LP120's 138in in total darkness. At a measured 944 ANSI lumens, the Optoma was a little brighter than the InFocus' 872, although both were behind the Acer's 1,007. The twins also offer features like Picture-in-Picture, 16x digital zoom and a movable OSD.

The Optoma's patch contrast ratio was slightly down on the Acer's, but not enough to notice without measuring equipment. Neither projector sports an economy mode so you're stuck with the 2,000 lamp-hour rating. Both their fans, while relatively quiet, produced an annoying high-pitched whine.

Although the on-board connectors are as limited as the Acer's, the Optoma comes with adaptors, which usefully convert D-SUB to SCART or HDTV connectors. The remote control was adequate, but the OSD wasn't the best featured.

The Optoma, Acer and HP are all vying for the best DLP projector. The HP's price advantage is offset by the lower resolution and lack of optical zoom, while the £81 saving offered by Acer may tempt if you need the extra connectivity options. However, the longer on-site warranty means the Optoma is our recommended DLP projector.