NEC MultiSync VT540

The days of flightcase-luggable projectors may be over, but at nearly 4kg the NEC's MultiSync VT540 isn't exactly featherweight either. That said, the MultiSync VT540 is readily portable with a built-in handle, quick to set up and also costs a lot less than much of the competition.

As ever, the projector is built inside an uninspiring, boxy case that's guaranteed not to divert your audience's attention away from the presentation. The projector props up at the front with a central foot, with fine-tuning of the height carried out by swivelling the foot on its screw thread. Two rubber feet at the rear corners can be rotated to raise the unit by 4mm, which is useful for dealing with uneven table surfaces.

Lens focus is adjusted by turning the rim around the lens, while a tab on the zoom ring behind is pushed left and right with a finger. Next to the lens is the power-input socket. This is a valuable feature if you want to place the projector against the wall at the back of the room.

All other ports are located at the side. One of the two VGA ports simply passes the computer input signal from the other to an attached monitor. This VGA-out port could be handy if your notebook lacks video mirroring, or if you're presenting from a position in the room where neither notebook nor projection screen are easy to see. Support for composite and S-Video lets you toggle between computer and video input simply and although a stereo audio mini-jack socket is provided, the machine itself only has a single built-in 1W speaker. There's no serial or USB port for enabling remote control mouse actions.

The remote control handset is unusual, forgoing the usual TV-remote style for a thick credit-card design which fits neatly into the storage slot built into the rear of the projector. First impressions are poor, but these are soon brushed away when you start using the responsive membrane buttons. With infrared receiver windows on all four sides of the MultiSync VT540, it's almost impossible to point the remote control in a direction where its signal couldn't be picked up.

The MultiSync VT540 produces a bright, clean image. On-screen menus let you control the usual range of settings, from brightness and contrast to colour temperature. Testing the projector at lower and higher resolutions led to surprising results. Normally, you'd expect excessive fuzzing out of fine detail, but the MultiSync VT540 managed to keep this to a minimum using a technology NEC calls Advanced AccuBlend. Even the digital keystone correction managed to maintain clarity. Certainly this is one of very few 1,024 x 768 resolution projectors around which can compress a 1,280 x 1,024 resolution image into something usable.

While the MultiSync VT540 can't compete with real ultra portables for size and weight, it's easily a match for the best in terms of ease of use and image quality. Not least, you can probably save £1,000 or so by buying this in favour of comparable alternatives no matter what size they are.

Author: Alistair Dabbs