Acer portable projector travels well, works best in dark room
In my job, I am frequently in meetings in which we watch a presentation from a projector connected to a computer.
Most of the time, these projectors hang from the ceiling of the room, which is ideal for a conference room where these types of presentations often happen.
There are other times, however, when we have to grab any available room for a quick meeting. That’s when a portable projector is a lifesaver.
Most of the portable projectors I’ve used are about the size of a small shoebox and come with their own bag.
Recently, I’ve been testing the newest in very portable projectors from Acer, the C200 Portable LED Projector ($199.99, acer. com), which is much smaller than most of the projectors I’ve used.
The C200 is designed for someone who travels and needs to take a projector along for presentations.
The projector is small — 4.3 by 4.7 by 1.2 inches — and it’s designed to run on AC power or for up to 41/2 hours from a built-in 6,700 mAh battery. It only weighs about 12 ounces. So it’s ideal to toss in your computer bag.
The LED turns on and off almost instantly, which is impressive. If you’ve ever used a projector, you’ll know that most of them need time to warm up and cool down.
There is a round, four-button control pad on top to choose the projector mode (bright, standard or eco), which adjusts the brightness of the LED. The control pad also brings up the menu for configuration, and the left and right buttons adjust the volume if you have speakers or headphones connected to the projector’s audioout port.
The rear panel houses the audio-out port, HDMI/MHL port, USB and AC power jack.
Because the C200 is so small, the power adapter is on the large side. The plug is about half the size of the projector.
The manual focus knob is on the left of the lens, and the bottom features a small, flip-out stand
to elevate the image on your wall or screen.
I found the flip-out stand to be not very useful. I had to supplement the stand with something larger. I used my phone to prop up the projector so the image was higher up on the wall.
Projection quality
The C200’s native resolution is 854 by 480 pixels, but it has a maximum resolution of 1,600 by 1,200 pixels. It projected the screen of my MacBook Pro very nicely.
The LED brightness is 200 lumens, which might not mean much if you don’t shop for projectors that often.
What I can tell you is the C200 works well in a very dark room. Any light from overhead bulbs or windows will render it almost unusable unless you really move it in close to the wall. So dim the lights as much as you can for best results. Also, projecting onto a screen helps with brightness. I also had good luck projecting onto a whiteboard.
The contrast ratio is 2,000:1, and the native aspect ratio is 16:9.
The manual focus lens has a maximum aperture of f/1.7 with a minimum image size of 25 inches and a maximum image size of 100 inches, and there is no zoom at all, so to make the picture larger, you have to move back. But remember: The larger the image, the dimmer it will be.
The LED is rated for 20,000 hours in normal use.
The internal battery provides power for the projector (41/2 hours) and it can also act as a charger for your USB-powered devices.
Setup
The C200 was very easy to set up and use for people who know the basics of hooking up a projector. The two-page instruction manual was not very helpful.
I had my MacBook Pro up and running in short order. I could also project from my iPhone with a lightning-toHDMI adapter.
The projector can also take input from portable devices via MHL (mobile high-definition link), which is a way to connect your smartphone or tablet to the projector. The C200 also has an optional wi-fi adapter so you can connect to it wirelessly.
Overall, I was pleased with the projector’s performance when the room was dark. I can’t say this enough: The darker the room, the brighter the image. I found the C200 to be usable up to about 65 inches in a room that wasn’t totally dark, which is not bad, especially for such a small projector that runs on a battery.
Pros: Small, instant on/ off, easy to adjust, bright enough.
Cons: Performs best with the lights off. No zoom.
Bottom line: The C200 knows its place in the projector world, and it works well if you realize that it’s not a full-size projector.