Pros & Cons
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- Small and light.
- HDMI and VGA.
- Can read files from an SD card or USB memory key.
- LED light source rated at 30,000 hours.
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- Shows scaling artifacts (unwanted patterns added to some screens) at its claimed native resolution.
InFocus LightPro IN1146 Specs
| Engine Type | DLP |
| Inputs and Interfaces | Analog VGA |
| Inputs and Interfaces | HDMI |
| Native Resolution | 1280 x 800 |
| Rated Brightness | 1000 |
| Warranty | 12 |
| Weight | 2.6 |
At first glance, the InFocus LightPro IN1146 ($649) is just one more example in long list of projectors that are built around a WXGA (1,280-by-800) DLP chip paired with an LED light source, and all offer a similar constellation of features. However, the IN1146 ( at Amazon) stands out for its balance of image quality, brightness, features, and price. The combination puts it a cut above the competition overall and makes it our Editors' Choice for LED WXGA projectors.
The IN1146's closest competitors include the Optoma ML1000P ($995.00 at Amazon) , the Acer K335 ($1,007.19 at Amazon) , and the NEC Display Solutions NP-L102W ($695.00 at Amazon) . All of these projectors, including the IN1146, are among the brightest LED WXGA models available, with 1,000-lumen ratings, and they all offer a similar set of connectors, along with the ability to read files from memory cards and USB memory keys to enhance portability. They also offer an LED light source designed to last the life of the projector. InFocus, for example, rates its light source at 30,000 hours.
One advantage for the IN1146 is its low price. Another is its size and weight, at 1.8 by 6.9 by 5.4 inches (HWD) and 1 pound 13 ounces for the projector itself. Even with the power block added—for a total of 2 pounds 10 ounces—it's the lightest model in this group and easily the smallest.
Setup
Setting up the projector is standard fare for the category. The connectors on the back include an HDMI port, a VGA port for a computer or component video, an SD card slot, and a USB Type A port for a USB memory key or an optional Wi-Fi dongle ($29). Getting the dongle will let you connect by Wi-Fi from PCs and Macs, as well as from Android and iOS phones and tablets. In addition, there's a mini-jack AV-in port for a supplied adapter for composite video and audio.As is standard for LED WXGA projectors, there's no optical zoom, so you have to move the projector to adjust image size, then manually focus.
One important plus for the IN1146 is that it offers a full set of controls on the projector itself. Even if you lose the remote—which wouldn't be hard considering that it's about the size of a credit card—you can still change settings in the projector's menus.
Brightness
As with most DLP-based projectors, the IN1146's color brightness is lower than the white brightness, which means that color images won't be as bright as you would expect based on the white brightness. (For a discussion of color brightness, see Color Brightness: What It Is, Why It Matters.)
With that in mind—and strictly as a point of reference—according to the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) recommendations, 1,000 lumens should be appropriate for a 120- to 163-inch (diagonal) image at a 16:10 aspect ratio in theater-dark lighting. For moderate ambient light, it should be suitable for an 80- to 90-inch (diagonal) image.
As a reality check, I found a 92-inch (diagonal) image a touch too dim for comfortable viewing for a long session, even with the lights out. It was easily bright enough for a short session, however.
Image Quality
Image quality for data screens is typical for the category, making it more than acceptable for most situations in which you might want to use a small, portable projector. On our standard suite of DisplayMate tests, colors were nicely saturated in all predefined modes. Blue, red, and magenta were notably dark in the brightest mode, but that's typical for projectors with a big difference between white brightness and color brightness. Color balance was excellent in all but the brightest mode as well, with suitably neutral grays at all levels from black to white.
As with every projector we've seen in the LED WXGA category, the IN1146 shows apparent scaling artifacts at its claimed native resolution. This issue is most obvious as unwanted added patterns in areas with closely spaced lines or dots and is related to the DLP chip these projectors are built around. Unless you use patterned fills in your graphics instead of solid blocks of color, however, you may never see these patterns.
Unfortunately, the same artifacts can also show as a soft-focus effect. In my tests, white text on black was crisp and highly readable down to only 13.5 points. Black text on white did a little better, looking crisp and highly readable at 9 points.
Video quality for the IN1146 is good enough to be useable, which is more than some of its competition can manage. Colors showed the slightly dulled-down look typical of a low contrast ratio, but were well within a reasonable range. The projector also handled skin tones well and did a good job retaining shadow detail (details based on shading in dark areas).
Also helping both data and video quality is the fact that the IN1146 doesn't show many rainbow artifacts (flashes of red, green, and blue), which are always a potential issue for DLP projectors. The only time I saw even a hint of the artifacts with data images was with one screen that's designed to bring them out, and even with that screen they were hard to see. I saw them more often with video, but still infrequently enough that few people, if any, should find them annoying.
The stereo audio system, with two 2-watt speakers, is best thought of as a convenience feature. If you need high enough volume for even a small room, plan on using an external sound system.
It's not hard to find projectors that do better than the InFocus LightPro IN1146 in one area or another. The NEC L102W, for example, retains detail better in data screens. But it doesn't handle video well. The IN1146's strength is that it scores at least moderately well in every key area—including portability, connectivity, image quality for both data and video, and even price—without scoring badly in any. The combination makes the IN1146 an excellent pick for most applications, and also makes it our Editors' Choice for WXGA projectors.
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