Optoma's EP727 is the joint-smallest projector, along with Panasonic's PT-LB51NTEA. At 2kg it weighs slightly more, but it's still light enough to be carried easily.
The EP727 is bright at 2,200 ANSI lumens, and produces a clear picture under office lighting. Its 2,200:1 contrast ratio is the highest in this category, while a short throw distance enables it to produce a large 104in diagonal picture at just 2.12m (7ft) from the screen. It is also exceptionally quiet for a DLP projector
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and on a par with the LCD models.
The EP727 vents a lot of hot air through the front, but with some heat expelled through the side vent you'll still need to place it somewhere with good ventilation. It has just one VGA input and output, but its HDCP-compatible DVI input enables you to watch HD movies.
It displays 720p and 1080i HD material, although it scales both to match its native resolution of 1,024x768. It does this well, reproducing detail even in dark areas. There is a slight rainbow effect. Colours are natural. Our progressive scan DVD and standard-definition video looked excellent, with good anti-aliasing, sharp detail and very little noise.
This projector comes into its own when connected to a PC. The Windows desktop is pin sharp over both analogue and digital connections. Our dark screen was properly black, while whites were bright and clean. Text down to the smallest sizes looked crisp and clear on the big screen.
This is the cheapest projector in the office category, but it has the best picture. It's an excellent all-rounder.
