Nec NP-V260

NEC NP-V260

The NP-V260 ($440 street) from NEC Display Solutions of America is a budget data projector best for use at one school or office, though it's portable in a pinch. Its features and resolution are modest, but its data image quality is fine for running typical business presentations. The DLP-based NP-V260 has a native SVGA (800 by 600) resolution—a 4:3 aspect ratio befitting a data projector—and its brightness is rated at 2,600 lumens. It's one of several budget SVGA data projectors we've reviewed recently; others include the Epson PowerLite S9 Multimedia Projector ($499 direct, 3.5 stars), the Dell 1210S ($449 list, 3.5 stars) and Optoma Pro160S ($500 street, 3.5 stars). Though fairly lightweight at 5.5 pounds, the V260—white with rounded corners—is large for a portable SVGA data projector, measuring 3.7 by 2.2 by 9.7 inches (HWD). It does not come with a carrying case, which is unusual these days even with budget projectors. These factors, and its lack of a port for a USB thumb drive (which lets you run standalone presentations without the need for a computer), largely limit the NP-V260 to fixed-location duties in a classroom or conference room, though you can travel with it in a pinch.