The Casio EcoLite XJ-V1 ($699.99) is easily the company's lowest-priced hybrid LED/laser data projector to date. It is priced similarly to numerous projectors that use standard lamps, which may need to be replaced every few years, but the XJ-V1's light source could easily last the lifetime of the projector. Casio was able to keep the projector's price down by making a few sacrifices, eschewing built-in speakers and the ability to project 3D content, while providing minimal port choices and including a very modest zoom. The XJ-V1 projects sharp text and bright colors, and is best for use as a data projector. Its video is subpar, replete with rainbow artifacts, and to run a soundtrack with it, you would have to connect powered external speakers, as it lacks audio.

Introducing the Casio EcoLite Series
The XJ-V1 has a rated brightness of 2,700 lumens and native XGA (1,024-by-768) resolution. It is the first projector in Casio's EcoLite line, the company's third series of hybrid LED-laser projectors that use what Casio calls its LampFree technology, which promises long life and eschews traditional mercury bulbs. We have seen several generations of both the Slim and Signature lines. The Slim (formerly Green Slim) series, as typified by models like the Casio Slim XJ-A257, are relatively expensive, thin, and light (weighing around 5 pounds each), with a modest selection of ports, and they lack 3D capability.

The Signature series models, such as the Casio Signature XJ-M141, are larger and heavier than the Slim devices (around 8.6 pounds), have a wider selection of ports, and can project 3D content. Both lines tend to have higher sticker prices than comparably equipped projectors of similar brightness and resolution. Due to their extremely long-lasting light sources, they can save customers money in the long run, or at least reduce the price difference over time.

Among the sacrifices Casio made to get the EcoLite XJ-V1 down to a more competitive price are its sparse set of connectivity ports, relatively small zoom ratio, and inability to project 3D content. Most notably, it lacks built-in speakers. Should you need audio, you can always hook the projector up to a set of powered external speakers, if you have one on hand.

Hybrid Light Engine
Thanks to Casio's hybrid light source, instead of producing red, green, and blue using a standard lamp and a color wheel, it produces red with LEDs, blue with lasers, and green by shining blue laser light on a phosphor. Its optical system then directs the red, green, and blue light to the DLP chip, and out the front lens.

The hybrid light source, which uses what Casio calls its LampFree technology, has a 20,000-hour rated lifetime, amazingly long for a projector of its brightness. You shouldn't need to change the bulb over the course of the projector's lifetime; you could run the projector 8 hours a day every business day for 10 years before the bulb would be expected to fail.

Size and Connectivity
Sporting a stylish look, with a gently curving top and rounded corners, the XJ-V1 measures 3.5 by 10.6 by 10.6 inches (HWD) and weighs 8.6 pounds. At that size and weight, it's best for either permanent installation or room-to-room portability using a cart. The projector's modest 1.1X zoom ratio offers a little bit of flexibility on projector placement relative to the screen.

It has a sparse set of ports, including VGA-in (which doubles as component video) to connect with a computer, and HDMI, to connect with either a computer or video source. It has one audio-in and one audio-out jack, so that even though the projector lacks built-in speakers, a user can pass audio from the audio source (either through the audio-in jack or over an HDMI connection) through the projector and out through the audio-out jack to an external speaker system.

Data-Image Quality
The XJ-V1 projected an approximately 60-inch (diagonal) image on our test screen with the projector placed just over 6 feet away. The addition of a fair amount of ambient light didn't noticeably degrade the image quality.

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In my data-image testing, using the DisplayMate suite of projector tests, the XJ-V1 showed itself suitable for typical business and classroom presentations. Text sharpness is a strong point. Black type on white is easily readable down to 6.8 points, while white type on black is easily readable at 9 points.

Color balance was a little off in our tests, in that white or light-gray backgrounds tended to look slightly greenish. In the default Standard color mode, the XJ-V1's colors were relatively bright for a DLP-based projector. DLP models tend to have lower color brightness than white brightness and correspondingly dull colors. But tinting was also more prominent in Standard mode in testing. It was reduced when I switched to Graphics mode, but colors in general were more muted in this mode, with duller reds and mustardy yellows.

Pixel jitter was visible in several test images. I was able to greatly reduce it by adjusting the Phase setting using the remote.

Rainbow artifacts—little red-green-blue flashes, particularly in bright areas against dark backgrounds—are obvious in data images that tend to bring them out. This rainbow effect, which we often see in single-chip DLP-based projectors, is seldom a significant issue in data presentations, and shouldn't be with the XJ-V1.

Video and Audio
The rainbow effect was more severe in our test videos, with rainbow artifacts more visible with the XJ-V1 than in an average DLP projector. These artifacts will likely be distracting to people even mildly sensitive to the effect. Due to rainbow artifacts, I'd limit use of this projector's video to short clips as part of a presentation.

Unlike projectors in Casio's Signature line, and the vast majority of DLP projectors, the XJ-V1 can't project 3D content. As 3D video also suffers from the rainbow effect, its absence is no great loss, particularly as each person viewing 3D content needs a pair of active-shutter 3D glasses, which can run into a lot of money.

Another feature that the XJ-V1 lacks is built-in speakers. Should you want to use audio, you can connect a set of powered, external speakers through the projector's audio-out jack. For some, this will be an annoyance, but considering that the audio quality from built-in speakers of typical data projectors is at best mediocre, having an external speaker system on hand is a good idea for a school or business, anyway.

Conclusion
The Casio EcoLite XJ-V1 is more modestly priced than other Casio laser-LED hybrid projectors, such as the Casio Signature XJ-M141, the next lowest-priced model that the company offers. The XJ-V1 has a tad higher rated brightness than that 2,500-unit model. The Casio XJ-M141 tacks on more ports, and has a more powerful zoom. Their data-image quality is comparable, with the XJ-V1 having a slight edge in text quality. Both have subpar video, compromised by rainbow artifacts. Of the two projectors, only the Casio XJ-M141 can project 3D content, but as 3D video also suffers from the rainbow effect, it's not a good choice for 3D projection. While the XJ-V1 lacks a built-in speaker, the Casio XJ-M141's 5-watt sound system is reasonably loud, but crackly at higher volumes. It's usable, but high fidelity it's not. Although both could benefit from a set of external speakers, the XJ-V1 requires one if you want to run audio with its video.

The XJ-V1 is priced a tad higher than the Epson PowerLite 98 XGA 3LCD Projector —our Editors' Choice low-cost XGA data projector for a small room—and has slightly lower brightness than that 3,000-lumen model, a more modest zoom ratio, and fewer connection choices. They both do well with text quality, although the XJ-V1's overall data-image quality isn't quite as good as that of the Epson PowerLite 98, and its video falls well short of that projector's as well. As an LCD-based model, the Epson PowerLite 98's video is free of potentially annoying rainbow artifacts. Lastly, the XJ-V1 lacks a built-in speaker, while the PowerLite 98 has a 16-watt speaker with good sound quality and ample volume.

With the introduction of the Casio EcoLite XJ-V1, the first projector in Casio's EcoLite line, the company significantly lowers the entry barrier for its hybrid laser-LED projectors, bringing the price down to enable them to compete with projectors that use standard lamps. To achieve this required that Casio make some sacrifices. The XJ-V1's port selection is minimal, and although the projector does have a zoom, its 1.1X ratio is about as modest as you can get. The absence of built-in speakers is rare on a data projector, but if you need to use audio, the XJ-V1 can still be yoked to a set of external speakers. The XJ-V1 does best as a data projector, supplying sharp text and bright colors. If its light source lasts anywhere close to its rated lifetime, it will continue to do so for many years to come.