LED lights are something that we are almost taking for granted these days, but it wasn’t all that long ago that they were the next best thing. These diminutive light sources could burn brighter, and consume less power than incandescent and fluorescent bulbs. And they have a fantastic life-span.
And then there’s the matter of size… LED lights have allowed all kinds of miniaturisation to take place, in numerous devices. That includes the massive old projector that used to sit on the conference table and only get used if someone was brave enough to struggle to get it to work.
Acer’s C205 LED projector, for example, is literally a fraction of the size of those that came before. It’s small enough to fit in a bag or brief case, and has added portability thanks to an internal battery that will deliver up to two hours of performance. In addition, it features an easy-to-use HDMI port that makes plugging it into a whole lot of different devices a breeze. It even has a thread mounted at the bottom, meaning it can be used with a standard photographic tripod, should it be needed.
It delivers 200 ANSI lumens of light, which makes it great for smaller rooms and low light conditions. It won’t do as well in brighter light or larger rooms, particularly when considering that it’s maximum diagonal projection size is 2540mm. That’s a pretty decent size, as long as the room isn’t too big. The maximum image resolution 1280 x 800, which isn’t too shabby.
The built in 2W speakers are not quite on par, though, considering that the image quality is pretty good. They really don’t do the image justice, and are more functional than anything else. Using additional audio is not a bad idea is audio is something that you need.
Still, for those that want a very portable projector, for either work or leisure, the C205 certainly does the trick. The rechargeable battery is a great idea, because it frees the user of even more wires – or the need for an extra power point – and the image is surprisingly large, and pretty good, for such a small device.
The controls are extremely simple, with only brightness, mode (of which there are few) and volume available to the user. Additionally, the lens doesn’t have a built-in cap, although the C205 ships with a handy protective soft carry case.
Those that want a massive home entertainment set up based around a projector, or who want to lecture in an auditorium, won’t find much use here. But that’s not the market that the C205 plays in. Rather, it offers high portability and versatility as it’s selling points, with a side order of no mess, no fuss.
It’ small, versatile and highly portable, but it won’t serve the needs of those who want an extremely powerful projector.
SPECS– 200 ANSI Lumens– 30000 hour lamp life– Rechargeable battery– HDMI port– USB port– 2W speakers.