The Epson EX9200 Pro Wireless WUXGA 3LCD Projector ($799.99) is a standout entry in the small, but growing, category of high-resolution projectors that are both light enough to carry easily and bright enough for a small to midsize room. Along with its WUXGA (1,920-by-1,200) resolution, its 3,200-lumen rating, and its sub-six-pound weight, it delivers excellent quality for data images and better video quality than most data projectors. The combination makes it an easy pick as our Editors' Choice.

Built around a three-chip LCD engine, the EX9200 ($757.55 at Amazon) offers two important advantages over competing DLP models like the InFocus IN119HDx ($725.00 at Amazon) , the BenQ MH630, and the Optoma EH341 ( at Amazon) , another top pick. The three-chip design guarantees that the EX9200 can't show rainbow artifacts, which almost all DLP projectors show at least occasionally. It also guarantees that its white brightness and color brightness match, so you don't have to worry about a difference between the two affecting color quality or the brightness of color images. (For more on color brightness, see Color Brightness: What It Is, Why It Matters.)

The key disadvantage for the EX9200 is that, like most LCD data projectors, it doesn't offer 3D support, which is all but standard on DLP projectors. Since relatively few people need 3D, however, that won't be an issue in most cases.

Setup and Brightness

At 3.2 by 11.7 by 9.6 inches (HWD) and 5 pounds 11 ounces, the EX9200 is light enough to carry easily if you need to, and it even comes with a soft carrying case, so you don't have to buy one separately. However, it's also in a size and weight class that's appropriate for permanent installation in a mount or on a cart.

Setup is standard, with a manual focus and manual 1.2x zoom. Image inputs are all on the back panel, with two HDMI ports, one VGA port for a computer or component video, and a composite video port. In addition, one of the HDMI ports supports MHL, and there's a USB Type A port for reading files directly from a USB memory key and a USB Type B port for both direct USB display and controlling the computer mouse from the projector remote. There's also built-in Wi-Fi for wireless connections.

As a point of reference, using the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) recommendations and assuming a 1.0-gain screen, 3,200 lumens is bright enough in theater-dark lighting for a 215- to 292-inch image (measured diagonally) at the projector's native 16:10 aspect ratio. With moderate ambient light, it's bright enough for a 140-inch image. You can lower the brightness for smaller screen sizes by using one of the projector's lower-brightness predefined modes, its Eco mode, or both.

Image Quality and Audio

The EX9200's quality for data images is excellent with all but one of its predefined modes. The exception is Presentation mode, which has an annoyingly low contrast ratio, and an unusually bright glow in what should be black areas on screen. Fortunately, you can avoid the problem completely by using any other mode.

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Aside from the low contrast ratio in Presentation mode, the EX9200 handled our standard suite of DisplayMate tests without serious problems. Color balance in my tests was excellent, with suitably neutral grays at all levels from black to white in all but the brightest mode, which showed a slight tint in the brightest shades. However, most projectors sacrifice a little color balance or color quality in their brightest modes, so this isn't really an issue. Colors are suitably vibrant and well saturated in all modes.

Most important for a high-resolution data projector is that the EX9200 handles fine detail well. White text on black, for example, was easily readable at sizes as small as 5 points in my tests, and black text on white was highly readable even at 4.5 points.

Video quality is good enough for extended sessions as long as a full-length movie. It's not in the same class as a home theater projector, but the lack of rainbow artifacts helps make the video highly watchable. So does the noise-reduction feature, which does a good job of minimizing noise and is an extra you won't find in most data projectors.

Another notable extra is a split-screen feature, so you can see images from two sources at once. You can toggle to and from split-screen mode with a single button press on the remote, as well as easily change sources for either side of the screen. You can also choose between making the two images equal size or making either one larger than the other.

The built-in mono speaker is only 2 watts, but it delivers acceptable audio quality and enough volume to easily fill a small conference room or classroom. If you need better quality or higher volume, however, you'll have to bypass the projector entirely, since there's no audio output.

Conclusion

If you need 3D and high resolution, consider a DLP projector and put the Optoma EH341 high on your list, since it offers the same WUXGA resolution as the Epson EX9200. However, if you don't mind having slightly lower resolution—1,920-by-1,080—you might also want to look at the InFocus IN119HDx and the BenQ MH630 ($569.99 at Amazon) , which both cost less.

If you don't need 3D, the Epson EX9200 Pro Wireless WUXGA 3LCD Projector has a lot to offer: 1,920-by-1,200 resolution; a bright enough image for a small to midsize room; high quality for data images; highly watchable video that's guaranteed not to show rainbow artifacts; and even a split-screen feature. The combination takes it a large step beyond the competition, and makes it our Editors' Choice moderately priced high-resolution data projector.

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