Davis PowerBeam V

Seeing new technology in action for the first time should be a stirring event, but when it came to the Davis PowerBeam V I found it hard to muster anything more than a modicum of curiosity. Instead of using the standard technique of passing light through an LCD panel, the PowerBeam V boasts the latest DLP (digital light processing) projection technology as developed by Texas Instruments.

DLP is a reflective technology which uses nanotechnology in the manufacturing process to create a chip with thousands of tiny hinged mirrors on its surface. Each of the mirrors can be moved between two different positions - on and off - and represents a single pixel on the screen. The claimed advantage is that there's less light wastage than with transmissive LCD panel technology. Sadly, though, in the PowerBeam V, DLP doesn't appear to have had a very successful first outing.

Despite the manufacturer's brightness rating of 500 ANSI lumens, the PowerBeam projects a considerably darker and duller image than both the Infocus LitePro 720 (reviewed issue 35, p164), which has a lower rating of 450, and the NEC MultiSync MT810 (reviewed p191). This means you'll need to dim the lights and draw the blinds to get a usable image. To compound the problem further, the picture has a noticeable flicker. The projector also demonstrates more variation in brightness from the centre of the image to the corners than the NEC, although in colour separation and photographic tests the projected images were more realistic and didn't display any signs of over-saturation.

Despite a true resolution of 800 x 600, the PowerBeam can accept a 1,024 x 768 signal to project a compressed image. However, the result isn't that impressive, especially if you're trying to demonstrate something such as a standard Windows application. Again, this is an area where both the LitePro 720 and NEC MultiSync fare considerably better.

We've yet to see a digital projector that can better the compact LitePro 720, and the PowerBeam does little to further the cause of the beleaguered mobile presenter. There are concessions to mobility, such as the huge flight case, and flimsy and uncomfortable handle that folds out from the right-hand side, but there's no escaping the fact that the PowerBeam V is a bulky, heavy beast. On its own it weighs 8.5kg, which is more than three kilos heavier than the LitePro 720.

The control panel, together with all the connections, is to be found on the rear of the rather misshapen case. A series of backlit rubber buttons provide direct access to the zoom, focus, source select and volume functions. There's also a fiddly directional mouse button arrangement that lets you navigate around the on-screen GUI for access to the more advanced functions which include signal synchronisation, automatic setup and multilingual settings. You can also find out how many hours you've racked up on the current bulb.

Below this panel is a standard array of inputs and outputs. As well as a D-SUB-style VGA connector, you can connect a VCR or LaserDisc via the composite and S-Video sockets, and audio connections come in the form of two pairs of stereo phono sockets for input and output. The built-in 6W speakers are functional if not that subtle.

A small and neat remote control mirrors the menu controller on the projector itself and adds a couple of extra functions. First, there's a user-definable Zap button which can be set to perform one of a number of functions: you can use it to turn an on-screen pointer on and off, mute the sound, freeze the picture, switch between sources or turn the projector on and off. The remote control also has buttons that let you blank the screen, while an enlargement function enables you to zoom into various areas of the screen. You have to watch where you use this from, though, as the only infrared receptor on the projector is at the rear.