The Casio Slim XJ-A147 ($1,109.99) is one of the latest projectors to sport the company's hybrid LED/laser light source. It boasts some solid features, such as a generous 2x zoom and Wi-Fi, with an included adapter. Like other models in the company's Slim line, the XJ-A147 ($1,099.99 at Amazon) is a lightweight model with a lamp that should keep shining when other projectors with more mortal light engines have run through two or three bulbs.
True to its name, the Slim is just that, measuring 1.7 by 11.7 by 8.2 inches (HWD) and weighing 5.1 pounds. It comes with a soft carrying case, complete with a pocket for cables. The projector sports a futuristic look, with rounded edges and lens set far to one side. There are no manual lens sliders or wheels; you can change focus or zoom, either with the remote or from touch controls on the projector itself.
The projector is a modest upgrade from the Casio Slim XJ-A146 . Unlike that model, the XJ-A147 can be used with Casio's new C-Assist app for iOS and Android, which lets presenters operate a projector from a phone or tablet, control a computer connected to the projector, and project material from the mobile device. The XJ-A147 also adds 2GB of internal memory, and a mini USB Type B port for USB showing the contents of your computer screen over a USB connection.
The XJ-A147 has XGA (1,024-by-768) resolution and is rated at 2,500 lumens. Instead of producing red, green, and blue using a standard lamp and a color wheel, this DLP projector produces red with LEDs, blue with lasers, and green by shining the blue laser light on a phosphor. Various optics direct the red, green, and blue light to the DLP chip, and out the front lens.
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The mercury-free LED lamp is designed to last up to 20,000 hours, far longer than typical projector bulbs. The projector (including the bulb) is backed by a generous three-year warranty, although the bulb will probably last the life of the projector.
Connectivity
The projector can read JPG and AVI files from a USB memory key, so you can run a presentation without a PC. Plug a thumb drive into the USB Type A port, and the projector will automatically switch to it as the current source, then give you a menu of options to find the files on the key and show them. (A Casio-specific version of ArcSoft MediaConverter to move most common formats to JPG or AVI is included.) Similarly, you can run a saved presentation from the XJ-A147's 2GB internal memory.
The USB Type A port also fits an included Wi-Fi adapter. The XJ-A147 can connect wirelessly to Windows- or OS X-equipped computers and let users run presentations from these machines.
Other connectors include an HDMI port for a computer or video source, a VGA port for a computer, which also doubles as a component video port, a mini-USB port that supports USB display, a stereo mini-plug for composite video/audio, and a Serial port.
Data-Image Testing
The XJ-A147 is bright enough to throw a fairly large image, even in a brightly lit room. It projected an approximately 60-inch (diagonal) image from about 5 feet away from our test screen.
The projector in general did well in our testing using the DisplayMate suite. Data-image quality proved suitable for typical classroom or business presentations. Text was a strong point, with black text on white readable down to 6.8 points and white text on black to 7.5 points. Colors were bright and well saturated in Standard mode, though there was also considerable green tinting. The tinting was reduced in Graphics mode, though at the expense of brightness and color quality, with reds looking darker and yellows, more mustardy.
The XJ-A147, like all DLP projectors, has the potential for showing a rainbow effect in which light areas break up into their component colors when you shift your gaze or in a moving image. I noticed it in several data images, though it shouldn't be a problem in this projector's data presentations.
Video and Audio
This projector's video is suitable for short clips as a part of a presentation. The rainbow effect was more pronounced in video from the XJ-A147 than is usual for a DLP projector. Colors in video seemed a bit off, with both reds and blues appearing dull in Theater mode, and blues still pale in Standard mode. I also saw green tinting against some dark backgrounds.
Audio from the single 1-watt speaker is on the weak side, making this projector best for small rooms.
Unlike the projectors in Casio's Signature line (and the vast majority of DLP projectors), the Casio Slim projectors, including the XJ-A147, can't project 3D content. The ViewSonic PJD6345 ($722.00 at Amazon) is a good choice for a lightweight, 3D-capable, XGA data projector. It can project 3D content either from a computer or a Blu-ray player, set-top box, or similar video source and had good data-image quality in our testing, though, like the XJ-A147, it had a relatively pronounced rainbow effect.
Similar in form and brightness to the XJ-A147 is the Editors' Choice Epson PowerLite 1761W Multimedia Projector . It weighs just 3.7 pounds, has a similar set of connection choices (including Wi-Fi via bundled adapter), higher (WXGA) resolution, and excellent image quality for both data and video. Although it has a much lower sticker price than the XJ-A147, its bulb is rated for a relatively short 4,000 hours. Epson sells replacement lamps for the 1761W for $199, and you might run through several of them over the life of the projector, so you could well make up much of the price difference by going with the Casio Slim XJ-A147.
The Casio Slim XJ-A147 projector offers solid data images, a long-lasting hybrid light source, Wi-Fi streaming of presentations, and 3D capability.
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