Epson PowerLite 93+

Epson PowerLite 93+

Whether you're looking for an inexpensive XGA (1,024 by 768) projector, a lightweight model to use as a regular traveling companion, or both, the 6.9-pound, Epson PowerLite 93+ ($549 direct) should be on your short list. Although its 2,600 lumen rating is a little low by today's standards, it's as bright as most earlier-generation projectors in its class. More important, it's easily bright enough for the small to mid-size conference room its meant for, and bright enough to be Editors' Choice. It's not hard to find competing projectors, like the 3,000 lumen NEC Display Solutions NP-V300X ($779 direct, 3.5 stars) that offer higher brightness ratings, but they come with higher price tags as well. In addition, many of them, including the NP-V300X and the still more expensive Editors' Choice Optoma TW610ST ($1,000, 4 stars) are built around a single DLP chip, which means they suffer to a greater or lesser extent from a rainbow effect—the tendency for light areas surrounded by dark areas on screen to break up into little red-green-blue rainbows. These rainbow artifacts grow out of the way single-chip DLP projectors create color. Some people are more sensitive to the effect than others, and some DLP projectors show it more easily than others, but it's always a potential concern.