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Lumen Lab eVo Projector Little price, Big Performance
by: Chris Poindexter
There's a sage saying that says you get what you pay for. And, for the most part, that's true. Every so often you get just a little more than maybe you bargained for and that's better. After two weeks of testing the Lumen Lab eVo projector, I'm quite happy to be able to recommend this unit at its current price point.
Lumenlab claims you can kill your TV with this projector. My TV isn't dead yet but it's nervous.
Rocky Start
I got off to a rocky start with my first eVo which arrived damaged. It worked but the picture quality was dreadful. Not only that but the projector would unexpectedly cut off in the middle of a movie. I couldn't tell if the problems I was experiencing were related to the projector quality or to the damage. Lumen Lab's customer service was responsive and helpful, giving me the choice between returning or exchanging the unit. After thinking it over I opted for an exchange which cost me an additional $30.00 is shipping charges. Good choice.
The Basics
This is a basic video projector. Similar in quality , though in my opinion slightly superior, to the years-old InFocus machines we have at the office. If you're expecting a plasma quality picture for $499.00 delivered, you're going to be sadly disappointed. The image has a perceptible “screen door” appearance, common to older projectors. Up close you can see the screening effect clearly. Red colors will bleed in certain situations and whites will sometimes lack in edge detail and contrast. This effect will increase with wide shots, with the whites losing some detail. The level of detail is also not helped by ambient room light. This unit was previously advertised as a 1,000 lumen projector, but I noticed that claim has been removed from their website. In my experience you will need to dim the room lights to get a really good picture.
What you will get is a good quality projector that will display TV, movies, and VGA with a level of quality normally associated with projectors costing hundreds more. You also get a bulb with an estimated 6,000+ hour life span and costs $30.00 to replace. Here's what Lumenlab's website has to say on that subject:
What is the difference between the Lumenlab DIY Projector and a commercial projector (X1, Powerlite)?
The Lumenlab Projector costs much less than a commercial projector of equal quality. The lamp for a typical commercial projector can cost between $250 - $600 and has a life span of 1,000 - 2,000 hours. The lamp for a Lumenlab DIY Projector costs $16-$50 and lasts for 10,000 hours. The Lumenlab Simple 15" Projector has a higher resolution (XGA) than the InFocus X1 or Epson Powerlite (SVGA).
Setup
Set is a breeze. Just plug it in, connect almost any video source, and turn the unit on with either the switch on top or the remote control. This projector talks to you during start up, which it calls “starting on.” After a brief warm up the unit announces it's starting. And that's really all there is to it.
The eVo lacks any kind of zoom feature, your only control is the manual focus. You vary the picture size by changing the distance to the screen. The screen I used for testing was a 4x6 foot section of wall painted flat white. I got full screen coverage with a 16:9 aspect ratio with the projector 7.5 feet from the wall. The best picture quality for my preference was at about 6.5 feet in 4:3 mode.
The cooling fan is loud enough to be noticeable but not particularly distracting. It most definitely not the silent type. Again, one of the trade-offs you make for the price point, well worth it in my opinion.
Menu Options
The menu options are basic but include the standard functions for most projectors. Picture quality offers presets in addition to brightness, contrast, hue, saturation and sharpness. Color temperature can be adjusted to presets of cool, warm, and standard. I tend to leave it on warm most of the time, but that's personal preference.
Function menu options give you the ability to flip the image for ceiling mounts and rear projection.
Sound
The on-board sound is about what you'd expect for the price range. Adequate but not spectacular. Honestly, I was impressed it came with any built-in speakers.
Stephen Cobert, flaccid with anger, during a test of the TV projection.
A close up of the screen door hatching. This is a magnification of the screen image, normally it's not noticeable unless you're fairly close to the screen.
The text shows some lack of detail that becomes more pronounced on wide shots. Not as noticeable in close ups.
If you can overlook minor imperfections, the overall picture quality of the eVo is quite watchable.
Gaming
I have an Xbox and gaming on the big screen is excellent. The detail is more than adequate and it is truly luxurious to be able to kick back on the other side of the room and enjoy gaming without being glued to a TV or computer monitor.
Overall
For $499.00 delivered the eVo is a great little projector. Easy enough on the budget to get one for the kids to play games or just keep around for movie night or when you want to have the guys over to watch a game. As a bonus you can also use it to give business presentations.
The fit, finish and picture quality are consistent with a low-end projector, but I certainly wouldn't be embarrassed to invite friends over to watch movies or the game. On the plus side you can actually use your eVo without worrying about bulb replacement. It can be as long as 10,000 hours before you need to get a new one and it will set you back all of $30.00 when the day dawns.
LumenLab claims you can use it in place of a regular TV and I can testify to the truth of that as I do so routinely.
Product: LumenLab eVo 1.1
Website:
www.lumenlab.com/store/
Advertised price on 1/21/07: $499.00 delivered
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