Nec NP43

NEC NP43

The NP43 ($900 street) from NEC Display Solutions of America is a cute and compact, highly mobile data projector, convenient for presenters on the go. It'll even automatically focus the image, and do a reasonably good job as such. At 2,300 lumens, it's reasonably bright for a featherweight projector, and can hold up to a fair amount of ambient light in a small room. The NP43 has a XGA (1,024 by 768) resolution, and a 4:3 aspect ratio befitting a data projector. This white projector has rounded corners is large for a portable WXGA data projector in its weight class, measuring 2.8 by 9.7 by 7.2 inches, and weighs just 3.7 pounds, light enough to be easily luggable in the soft carrying case it comes in. It is nearly identical in appearance to the brighter (3,000 lumen) NEC NP64 (4 stars, $1,099 direct), which offers a few extra features. Unlike the vast majority of projectors we test, the NP43 lacks a focus wheel, not that anyone will miss it—it focuses automatically, and its autofocus is reasonably accurate. You can fine-tune the focus using the remote if need be. It does have a traditional zoom wheel, though.