If you need an XGA (1,024-by-768) projector that's bright enough for a mid- to large-size conference room or classroom, the DLP-based Optoma X401 is an obvious candidate. Rated at 4,000 lumens, it can easily throw a big enough image for a mid-size room even with ambient light, and its image quality is good to excellent. It's also light for its brightness level, which makes it of particular interest if you need an unusually bright projector you can carry with you.

The X401 weighs only 6 pounds 6 ounces, which makes it about a pound lighter than the LCD-based Editors' Choice Epson PowerLite 1880 MultiMedia Projector. Most other 4,000-lumen models are even heavier, with the BenQ MX766 weighing in at well over eight pounds, for example, and the Casio XJ-H1750 Pro Series almost 16 pounds.

Even in the X401's weight class, most projectors wind up permanently installed or on a cart. However, they're also light enough to carry if you need to, and the lighter weight for the X401 compared with other 4,000-lumen projectors gives it an advantage on this score. Optoma also ships it with a soft carrying case, making it even easier to bring with you.

Connections and Setup

Setting up the projector is absolutely typical, with a manual focus and manual zoom. The 1.2x zoom isn't even close to a match for the PowerLite 1880's 1.6x zoom, but still offers some flexibility in how far you can put the projector from the screen for a given size image. For the 98-inch diagonal image I used in my tests, I measured the projector at 124 inches from the screen with maximum zoom, which is consistent with Optoma's calculated throw range of 126 to 151 inches for that size image.

Image inputs on the back panel include the usual VGA and composite video, with the two VGA ports also working for component video. The HDMI 1.4a port, for a computer or video source, supports all HDMI 1.4a 3D formats, so the projector can accept 3D directly from video sources like Blu-ray players and cable or FiOS boxes. Notably missing from the list is a USB A port for reading files directly from a USB memory key.

Note too that there's a VESA port for an optional ($49 list) 3D RF emitter. As shipped, the X401 works with DLP-Link 3D glasses, but if you get the emitter, you can use it with RF 3D glasses instead. The RF eliminates issues like a temporary loss of sync between the glasses and the projector if you look away from the screen for a moment.

Brightness

Brightness comparisons between the X401 and other projectors are complicated by the fact that the X401 is DLP based. That raises issues related to color brightness, which means that the white brightness doesn't tell you everything you need to know. (For a discussion of color brightness, see Color Brightness: What It Is, and Why You Should Care.)

With that hedge in mind, and strictly as a point of reference, if you follow SMPTE (Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers) recommendations, 4,000 lumens would be appropriate for roughly a 230- to 315-inch diagonal XGA image assuming a 1.0 gain screen and theater dark lighting. In moderate ambient light, it would be suitable for roughly a 155- to 170-inch image. For smaller screen sizes or dimmer lighting conditions, the projector offers Eco mode and an assortment of preset modes that can lower the brightness substantially.

Image Quality and Other Issues

The X401's data image quality rates as good to excellent. On our standard suite of DisplayMate screens, the brightest shades of gray showed a slight tint in the brightest modes, but in Presentation, Movie, and sRGB modes, the color balance was good, with suitably neutral grays at all levels. Colors were also well saturated in most modes, although a little dark, with yellow tending towards a mustard color.

Far more important for data images is that the projector did a good job with detail. Black text on white and white text on black were both crisp and highly readable at sizes as small as 6.8 points.

Video image quality is obviously limited by the native resolution, which means the projector has to scale HD images to fit in the available pixels. However, the most critical issue for video is rainbow artifacts, with light areas breaking up into flashes of red, green, and blue. These are always a potential issue for DLP projectors, and usually more of an issue for video than for data screens.

With the X401, these artifacts show infrequently enough with data screens that they shouldn't be an issue. With video, however, they show often enough that anyone who sees these artifacts easily is likely to find them annoying for long sessions. Any video you show with X401 is best limited to short clips.

For 3D testing, I used both first-generation 120Hz DLP-Link glasses and current 144Hz glasses. Note that you need the 144Hz DLP-Link glasses for Blu-ray 3D, but can use 120Hz glasses, if you have them, for games and other types of images. (This is not an issue for RF glasses.) The projector scored well for 3D, with no crosstalk and only a hint of 3D-related motion artifacts.

One last plus for the X401 is its stereo audio system, with two 8-watt speakers. The quality is high enough so I could make out all of the words in one of our test clips that most projector audio systems have trouble with. Even better, the volume is high enough to easily fill a mid-size room. If you need still higher volume, or want to actually hear the stereo effect, you can plug an external sound system into the projector's mini-plug stereo output.

I'd be far happier with this projector if it didn't show so many rainbow artifacts. However, that's only an issue if you need to show video. If what you need is a bright, XGA projector for presentations and other data images, and particularly if you want one that you can carry with you if you need to, the Optoma X401 is a good enough choice to deserve a place on your short list.