Projectors Review : Optoma Pico

[ganeshbala]

Optoma Pico review

The Optoma Pico uses TI's Pico DLP chip, and is the size of a mobile phone. Weighing 115g, it measures 50 x 103 x 15mm.

It's powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery (which will run for around 90 minutes), and has just two controls - an Off/On/Bright selector, and a focus wheel. The input is a three-way mini-jack, and a selection of adaptor leads is provided.

Highs

Using a camcorder, digital camera, iPod, PDA or similar AV device as a source, the Pico can project an image of around 10-130cm wide over a distance of around 20cm to 2m.

A tiny built-in 0.5W speaker lets you hear audio material, too, and a tripod can be connected to the base via a screw adaptor.

Lows

Once the initial 'wow' factor has worn off, you begin to realise the Pico's limitations. Claimed contrast is 1000:1, but it really needs a darkened room – it's not at all impressive if there's any ambient light. And resolution is limited to 320 x 240.

For the money you might be better off buying a netbook, which (though considerably bigger) would offer a brighter display, the ability to play media files without external accessories, and all sorts of multimedia functions.

[ganeshbala]

SPECIFICATIONS

MPN     208416

Price at Launch    250

Colour    Black

Description    Pocket projector

Dimensions    50 x 15 x 103

Features    Palm size / Battery-operated / 20,000 hour lamp life / Battery Operated / Up to 2 hours battery life

Weight (g)    115

Additional Features    Lamp life: 20,000 hours / Recharging: USB / Silent operation

Contrast Ratio    1000:1

Inputs    AV Input combines stereo audio and composite video ; PAL\NTSC (576i\480)

Max Projection Distance    2.6

Max. Image Size    1.5

Speaker Details    1 x 0.5w

Throw Ratio    1.90