At first glance, the 955WH
seems almost identical to the Epson PowerLite 955W WXGA 3LCD Projector
that it's replacing in Epson's line. However, it offers a number of small
improvements, including a minor boost in brightness, newly added Mobile
High-Definition Link (MHL) support, and a longer claimed lamp life at up to
10,000 hours in Eco mode.
The two models are similar enough
that both are head-to-head competitors with the NEC NP-M311W.
But where the Epson 955W and the NEC NP-M311W are so closely matched that we
named both as Editors' Choices for the category, the 955WH's features add just
enough to give it an edge over the other two and make it our single preferred
pick.
Basics
Like the Epson 955W and the NEC
NP-M311W, the 955WH is built around a three-chip WXGA LCD engine. That gives it
the advantage of being guaranteed not to show the rainbow artifacts (flashes of
red, green, and blue) that are always a concern with DLP-based projectors. It
also ensures that it delivers the same color brightness as white brightness,
which isn't true for most DLP projectors, and which can affect both color
quality and the brightness of color images. (For more on color brightness, see Color Brightness: What it Is, Why it Matters.)
The key disadvantage that grows from
having an LCD engine is that, as with most LCD data projectors, the 955WH
doesn't offer the 3D support that you'll find most DLP models, including, for
example, the Acer S1385WHne, our top choice for a
moderately priced short-throw WXGA projector for a small to midsize room.
However, this won't matter unless you need to show 3D material, which simply
isn't necessary for most data-projector use.
Setup
and Brightness
The 955WH measures 3.5 by 11.6 by
10.6 inches (HWD) and weighs 6 pounds 6 ounces, which makes it light enough to
carry with you. However, most projectors in this size and weight class wind up
permanently installed or on a cart.
Setup is typical, with manual
controls for the focus and 1.6X zoom. Image inputs on the back panel include
two HDMI ports for computers or video sources, two VGA ports for computers or
component video, and both composite video and S-Video ports. In addition,
there's a USB Type B port for direct USB display, a LAN port for sending images
and audio, as well as for controlling the projector over a network, and a USB
Type A port for reading files directly from a USB memory key or for connecting
an optional ($99) Wi-Fi dongle. One of the HDMI ports also supports MHL.
According to the Society of Motion
Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) recommendations, the 955WH's rating
makes it easily bright enough for a small to midsize room. Assuming a 1.0-gain
screen, 3,200 lumens would be suitable for a 215- to 292-inch (diagonal) image
in theater-dark lighting. With moderate ambient light, it would be bright
enough for a 140-inch image. If it is too bright for the ambient light level at
the image size you need, you can use one of the projectors' lower-brightness preset
modes, its Eco mode, or both.
Image
Quality, Lamp Life, and Audio
Image quality for the 955WH is
near-excellent for data images. The only issue worth mention that I saw with
our standard suite of DisplayMate tests was a minor problem with color
balance. In most of the predefined modes, the brightest gray levels show a
slight tint relative to darker levels. This is only obvious with gray-scale
images, however, and there are also modes that offer suitably neutral grays all
the way from black to white. Colors in all modes are vibrant, eye-catching, and
well saturated.
See How We Test Projectors
More important for most data images
is that the 955WH maintains crisp detail across the entire screen. In my tests,
for example, white text on black was crisp and readable at sizes as small as 9
points, and black text on white was highly readable even at 6 points.
Video quality is limited by the
native 1,280-by-800 resolution, which translates to a maximum video resolution
of 720p HD without scaling the image. Within that context, however, the quality
is much better than is typical for a data projector. Contrast is a little low,
which means you won't mistake the image for something you'd expect from a
home-theater projector, but the video is good enough to be watchable even for
long sessions.
The 16-watt speaker offers good
sound quality and enough volume to fill a midsize room. There's also a stereo
audio output you can use for an external sound system.
One important extra is a promised
low running cost, with both a longer-than-usual lamp life, rated at 5,000 hours
in Normal mode or 10,000 hours in Eco mode, and a far-lower-than-usual
replacement cost, at $79. Another plus is a split-screen feature, which lets
you see images from any two sources at once. You can toggle to and from
split-screen mode with a single button press on the remote. You can also change
sources on either side as needed, as well as choose between making the two
images of equal size, or making either one larger than the other.
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