Toshiba TLP510

Projection technology has come on a lot in recent times, and has progressed so far in terms of convenience and quality that projectors are now becoming one of the tools of the trade for the travelling professional. Most of the notebooks we see at PC Pro these days feature 1,024 x 768 resolution screens, so it's natural that projectors should follow suit, and Toshiba's TLP510 is the first we've seen to project at true XGA resolution.

Most projectors we've previously reviewed have all been either 640 x 480 or 800 x 600 resolution, and if you wanted a 1,024 x 768 picture you had to put up with a compressed, inferior quality image. Even the NEC MultiSync MT810 (reviewed issue 39, p191) which manages to squeeze 786,432 pixels into 480,000 very well, can't match a true XGA projected image.

This is great as long as you're confident that everyone using it has a PC or notebook capable of displaying at such a high resolution. If not, then you have to expand the image the other way. The TLP510 does this very well for both 800 x 600 and 640 x 480 resolutions - it will even compress 1,280 x 1,024 images - by eliminating most of the ugly jaggies with anti-aliasing, but stick to 1,024 x 768 resolution for better results.

Portability in this market is a key asset, and although the TLP510 is quite compact and has a usable fold-out carrying handle, the pointy case design and a weight twice that of most notebooks precludes taking it on long trips without a proper case. In this department there's still nothing to beat the InFocus LitePro 720 (reviewed issue 35, p164), which weighs in at a svelte 5.5kg and is smaller, more ergonomically friendly and sports a comfortable handle.

One thing the TLP510 does have in common with the LitePro 720, however, is the technology it's built around. The Toshiba employs a split light-path projection engine that uses dichroic mirrors and a trio of polysilicon 1.3in LCD panels to produce the final projected image. Combined with a high brightness rating of 600 ANSI Lumens, the TLP510 produces a clear and stable image. Colour representation is typical of this type of technology, with vivid, intense and highly saturated colours.

The image quality may be able to compete with the MT810, but in terms of the range of features, connections and sheer ease of use it can't quite compete. The on-screen menu system on the TLP510 is clunky, not particularly logical and initially confusing. Particularly irritating is the amount of screen the menu takes up. It's so large that it can be difficult to see exactly how any adjustments are affecting the display.

Both zoom and focus functions are manual, so you can't operate them from the remote control. The TLP510 doesn't give you many ways of interacting with the projected image, either. There's no digital close-up function or a pen tool to highlight areas on screen.

Connections are mostly ranged along the left-hand side of the case. In addition to the standard VGA input, there are S/Video and composite video sockets, a pair of phono plugs and a single 3.5mm socket for audio output. The controls let you switch quickly between sources, but apart from the monitor passthrough port, that's about it.

Overall, the Toshiba TLP510 is a mixed bag. It tries to be portable, but can't quite match the InFocus LitePro 720. Although image quality is as good as the NEC MultiSync MT810 with a higher resolution to boot, its connectivity and range of features isn't nearly as good. The price may do more to persuade you to invest in one, however: £5,250 may sound a lot, but for a projector sporting three XGA LCD panels it's a very good deal.

Author: Jonathan Bray