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The lights dim, the picture starts, and the magic begins. There's nothing like watching a movie on a big screen in a darkened room. But until recently, only the very rich could indulge in that experience at home. Now, however, a new generation of data projectors makes it possible to watch a 13-by-10-foot version of Pearl Harbor for the price of a smaller rear-projection TV.

No wonder business users sneak their portable projectors home after hours. In minutes, a data projector can transform a living room or den into a private screening room for everything from movies--on DVD, videocassette, TV, or laser disc--to digital photos and computer games. The latest models require far less space than a big-screen TV or CRT projection system--and when you're done, they take up no space at all. Simply plop the projector on a coffee table and place the viewing screen directly against a wall--or use the wall itself, if it's sufficiently reflective and light-hued.

And while portable projectors aren't exactly cheap, you can now buy a unit suitable for home use for less per viewing-inch than its TV competitors. Street prices have dropped to about $2000 for several models that are capable of projecting far larger and brighter images than those produced by the largest picture-tube or rear-projection TV sets.

A typical low-priced SVGA (800-by-600-resolution) system today can deliver the cinematic feel of a big-screen image measuring 200 inches on the diagonal, or 13 feet wide by 10 feet high, at a distance of approximately 25 feet from the screen. By way of comparison, a 60-inch-diagonal projection TV costs anywhere from $1400 to $2500. Of course, with a projector, you can expect to spend $450 or more every few years to replace the lamp. And on top of all the other expenses, you may have to invest an additional $100 to $200--or more--in a projection screen.

Projector Choices

We looked at Canon's LV-5100, Optoma's EzPro 702, Panasonic's PT-LC50U, and Sony's SuperLite VPL-CS3. All four models weigh 6 pounds or less, have a native resolution of 800 by 600 pixels, and are bright enough to project a clear, strong image up to 30 feet away in a dark room.

The Canon, Panasonic, and Sony units use three-panel LCD projection systems; the Optoma employs Texas Instruments' single-chip Digital Light Processing technology. LCDs generally deliver richer, more-saturated color than DLP, though DLP tends to be brighter overall. Not surprisingly, the Optoma projector's brightness rating of 800 ANSI lumens (an industry standard measurement) was the highest. Lamps on all four have a 2000-hour life, but you may need to replace them sooner, since they lose their brightness gradually over time.

Given their business legacy, you would expect these units to connect to a standard PC's display adapter. But in addition they serve home-theater buffs well, with support for composite video and S-Video (also known as S-VHS). All but the Optoma also support component video, which consists of three signals that convey separate luminance and color differences and provide the best picture quality of all. For now, only high-end VCRs, DVD players, and TVs support component video--and you'll need to buy a $40 to $60 cable not included in our units.

The next-best choice for good picture quality is S-Video, which carries separate signals for luminance and for color and is found on most DVD players and on a few high-end VCRs. Composite video uses the yellow input (an RCA-type jack labeled "Video") found on the back of most VCRs, DVD players, and large TV sets. Its picture quality is less clean and accurate than that of the others because it compresses all the signals into one cable.

Each projector comes with an RGB cable for PC connections, but only the Optoma also includes composite and S-Video cables. The Canon model has a cable for connecting the projector to a PC's mouse port so you can control the computer with the remote. You can use remotes or the built-in controls on the top panel of each projector to access on-screen menus for changing image brightness, contrast, color, and the like. All four units carry three-year warranties for parts and labor.

The four projectors were fairly easy to hook up and use (via an S-Video connection) with a low-end DVD player (a Zenith DVD2000) connected to a Dolby Pro Logic speaker system. Afterward we enjoyed theater-type surround sound (fan noise from the projectors did not interfere in the least). We also viewed movies using the DVD drive in a Dell Inspiron 7500 notebook PC.

Home Cinema Premiere

At a distance of about 12 feet from a highly reflective white wall, each projector successfully displayed an image about 78 diagonal inches in size (roughly 5.25 feet wide by 4 feet high). All except the Optoma also have a manual zoom lens for focusing at different distances from the screen--a useful feature for home use, since you may not have much latitude in placing the projector itself. And all of the projectors let you choose between wide-screen (16:9) and a more conventional 4:3 display aspect ratio.

Overall, the Canon and Panasonic units had the best picture quality--including the richest colors and sharpest focus. Canon's color looked a bit more realistic and less saturated, but the Panasonic's focus seemed slightly sharper. The Optoma's image was brightest, but its colors were not quite as attractive as the other units'. The Sony's images were noticeably less brilliant than the rest.

One surprise: Though we screened most movies in a dark living room, some were easy to view in daylight as well--especially those with a lot of daytime scenes.

Of the four projectors, we'd recommend the Canon or the Panasonic for home use, mainly because of their image quality. Though the Panasonic costs about $200 more than the Canon, the Canon's replacement lamp costs about $70 more, bringing the prices closer over time. If you plan to use the projector with a PC, however, the Canon's remote mouse control makes it a better deal. You'd have to pay $180 for a Panasonic remote that supports mouse control.

• See more like this:
• data projectors,
• home theater,
• projectors,
• canon,
• optoma,
• panasonic,
• sony,
• lv-5100,
• ezpro 702,
• pt-lc5ou,
• superlite vpl-cs3,
• svga