Whether you are always on the road for business or always home watching movies, odds are you will stumble across the latest rage in the presentation room and in the family movie room – Handheld Multimedia Projectors.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These types of “micro projectors” can weigh as little as 5 ounces and can literally be taken anywhere. While you can find some of the lower end handheld projectors for right around $200, they will most likely be lacking some features you may be expecting if you have used a traditional projector in the past. A micro projector, like the one pictured above, can only project at 640 X 480 resolution - a far cry from the HD picture quality of todays home theater projectors. Also, don’t expect the cheaper handheld projectors to project a picture bigger than 60 inches or so.

While the picture quality and screen size are obvious downsides, a big plus is the bulb life. For anyone who has owned a traditional projector, you know how costly a new bulb can be. Traditional full size projectors have an average bulb life of 1500 – 2000 hours. To replace one of those bulbs, you are looking at spending at least $200 – $250. These new handheld projectors boast an average life of 15,000 hours using new LED technology.

Most of the current micro projectors also have limited connection capabilities, meaning you will probably only have one choice when it comes to how to connect your devices to it. Some have a standard VGA plug while others have a USB port.

While the technology is still being developed and improved, I would expect many of the current shortcomings to be improved upon. I still wouldn’t rely on one of these little guys to power your home theater, but they are definitely a must have for any presentation room.

Tags: Projectors

Categories: Technology