Casio XJ-H2650

The Casio XJ-H2650 isn't Casio's brightest projector, but it's part of Casio's Pro Series, which is its brightest line of projectors. It also offers WXGA (1280 by 800) native resolution, the highest in the Pro Series line. That's a moderately big deal, because until now, if you wanted a WXGA Casio projector you had to settle for one of the lower brightness models. The XJ-H2650 delivers the highest brightness Casio offers with WXGA resolution, and the highest resolution with Pro Series brightness, all of which makes it a good choice for mid-size conference rooms and classrooms.

Casio rates the XJ-H2650 at 3500 lumens, a bit less bright than the 4,000 lumen Casio XJ-H1750 Pro Series that I reviewed earlier this year. However, the XJ-H1750 offers a native XGA (1,024 by 768) resolution.

The only other Pro Series model with WXGA resolution is the XJ-H2650's near twin, the Casio XJ-H2600 ($2,000 street). Casio says that the two models are identical except for the addition of USB A, USB B, and LAN ports to the XJ-H2650, along with features that depend on those ports. Most notably, the XJ-H2650's USB A port lets you plug in a supplied Wi-Fi adaptor so you can connect directly with, and send data images from, Windows and Mac computers as well as most Android, iOS, and Windows smartphones and tablets.

The extra ports also let you plug in a memory key to read JPG and a few other file formats directly, control the projector over a network, send data images over a network, and add interactivity with an interactive pen and software option ($260 street). However, the interactive feature is hard to recommend, since the projector's standard-throw lens would make it hard to interact with the image without casting shadows that would get in the way. All other features on the XJ-H2600 and XJ-H2650 should be identical, so the rest of the comments in this review should apply to both.

Basics, Setup, and Connections
Like all current Casio projectors, the XJ-H2650 is built around Casio's hybrid light source, consisting of LEDs and a laser paired with a DLP chip. The LEDs produce the red and blue primaries directly. The laser shines on a phosphor element to produce green.

Not too surprisingly, given that both projectors are part of the same Pro Series, the XJ-H2650 shares a lot of its basic features with the XJ-H1750. In particular, it weighs almost the same, at 15.6 pounds, which makes it most appropriate for permanent installation or room to room portability on a cart.

Setup is standard, with a manual focus and a manual 1.2x zoom, which gives you some welcome flexibility in how far you can put the projector from the screen for a given size image. In addition to the LAN and USB ports I've already mentioned, connection choices include the usual HDMI for a computer or video source, VGA for computer or component video, and both S-video and composite video inputs.

Brightness and Eco Modes
In my tests, the XJ-H2650 was easily bright enough in its brightest mode for a 78-inch wide (92-inch diagonal) image to stand up to the typical level of ambient light in an office or classroom setting. Even better, it was bright enough at that size so you could easily take advantage of its eco modes to minimize power use and save on electricity.

Most projectors offer one bright mode and one eco mode that lets you lower brightness and power consumption. Beyond that, they offer color presets that can also affect brightness, but are, in theory, meant to adjust color.

The XJ-H2650 gives you more flexibility for brightness and power use, with two non-eco modes, which I measured at 340 watts and 290 watts, plus five eco modes, with a measured range of 260 to 115 watts. With multiple eco modes, you have the freedom to pick the best color setting first, and then choose the least bright mode with the brightness you need, instead of using the color presets to adjust brightness. Also worth mention is that the only projector I've seen with more eco-mode levels is the laser-based BenQ LX60ST that I recently reviewed.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/rIXB7qr2W0A/0,2817,2410265,00.asp

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