Movie night’s a nice family tradition. But now that Junior’s got a new video iPod and Razr cellphone, he’s starting to lose interest in watching movies on the TV. What to do?

A projector/DVD-player combo might be the ticket. They’re small enough to tuck away in a closet most of the time, but deliver an image large enough to make Junior forget about handheld video. Plus, with their built-in speakers, and in some cases accompanying bass modules, you can set them up in any room. And the built-in DVD player makes watching a movie simple, while video inputs make them perfect for a Super Bowl blowout.

What We Think
MovieMate 25	RadioShack Cinego D-1000	Optoma MovieTime DV-10
Had the best sound and most natural out-of-box color, but other issues undermined its picture.	Limited controls and unnatural color leave this projector playing catch-up.	Advanced user controls, great looks, and easy setup make up for the lack of a bass module.

We gathered three projector/DVD combos — Epson’s MovieMate 25 ($1,499), Optoma’s MovieTime DV-10 ($1,299), and RadioShack’s Cinego D-1000 ($1,300) — and judged them head to head using a Stewart Greyhawk screen. But first, a reality check. In contrast to the high-end, high-definition options out there, these projectors top out at 480p (progressive-scan) resolution. And any decent surround system will put their built-in speakers to shame. But these combos are about portability and fun. So if you want an easy way to wow your friends and family, read on.

Epson
A big picture with big bass

The Short Form

EPSON.COM / 800-463-7766 / $1,499 / 13.5 x 7.125 x 12.25 IN / 15 LBS

Plus

•Most natural out-of-box color. •Bass module and convenient screen. •Best sound of the three combos tested. •Backlit remote control.

Minus

•Prominent “screen-door” effect. •Mediocre picture contrast. •Won’t accept high-def sources.

Key Features

•$1,499 •854 x 480-pixel three-chip LCD light engine •Built-in stereo speakers and DVD player •Includes pull-up 80-inch screen and separate 40-watt bass module

Test Bench

Color temperature was noticeably blue from all sources. A +5% red color-decoder error was apparent on all sources. Overscan measured 4% — an average amount. Full lab results

Not long ago, printer-maker Epson set its sites on the living room with its Livingstation LCD rear-projection TVs. Now Epson is offering up the MovieMate 25, an industrial-looking LCD front projector/DVD player with built-in speakers and a standalone bass module (not shown) to give a little extra kick on the low end. The combo also includes an 80-inch (diagonal) screen with a wide, movie theater-like (16:9) viewing area — the only projector here to offer this perk, albeit at a higher price.

SETUP & USE The MovieMate 25 is the largest of the combos we tested, and a 7-foot distance was required to fill up its screen. Unlike the Optoma and RadioShack models, its lens fires forward instead of upward, so you may need to position the screen a little lower than normal. The screen rolls out of a 77-inch-wide metal case that sits on the floor. Just open it, raise the center support bar, pull the screen up, and you’re set. The Epson’s 1.5x zoom lens and lens-shift controls help you align the picture.

The internal speakers fire straight backward, which means the projector should sit in front of the viewers — on a coffee table, for example. Another difference between this projector and the others tested is that, with only composite- and S-video inputs, it won’t accept HDTV signals. But it does have an optical digital audio out to feed a surround sound system. The DVD player loads via a tray on the back. Track, time, and status are displayed on an LCD panel, which you can dim but not turn off. The separate onscreen menus for the DVD player and projector are sparse, and I found the remote control unintuitive, though you get used to the odd layout. On the plus side, it’s the only backlit remote of the combos we tested.

PICTURE QUALITY Epson’s light engine uses separate LCD chips for red, green, and blue to create pictures, eliminating the need for a color wheel, which can cause some viewers to see “rainbow” trails in the images of DLP-based projectors. What I did see was a gridlike texture superimposed on the image — the “screen-door” effect that’s typical of lower-resolution projectors, particularly LCDs. It’s caused by the gaps between pixels on the imaging chips. Unfortunately, the effect was visible even more than 10 feet away.

The Epson’s colors were reasonably vivid and looked the most natural out of the box among the three projectors tested. However, they weren’t as fully saturated as on the Optoma or RadioShack. Watching Chapter 7 of Adam Sandler’s remake of the football comedy The Longest Yard, I also noted the projector’s mediocre picture contrast. As Sandler, Chris Rock, and Burt Reynolds huddled around a computer monitor, folds in Rock’s black cap blended together into a solid patch of darkness. Similarly, white portions of the picture lost detail in bright scenes.

Where the MovieMate 25 really distinguished itself was in its sound. The built-in speakers and outboard bass module provided clearer, fuller sound than the other two projector combos, with convincing explosions and bone-crunching linebacker collisions.

BOTTOM LINE Epson’s MovieMate 25 served up more natural-looking colors without adjustment, and much better sound, than its competitors here. Its prominent screen-door effect — par for the course with inexpensive LCD models — and inability to accept high-def sources might be a turnoff. But with its accompanying screen, Epson makes it easy to enjoy one-stop home theater.

RadioShack
DLP on the go

The Short Form

RADIOSHACK.COM / 800-843-7422 / $1,300 / 11.75 x 4.125 x 10.25 IN / 7.5 LBS

Plus

•Simple setup. •Decent stereo imaging.

Minus

•Unnatural color. •Limited zoom-lens range.

Key Features

•$1,300 •HD-compatible component-video input •854 x 480-pixel DLP light engine •Built-in DVD player •Stereo speakers and outboard bass module

Key Features

Color temperature was extremely blue from all sources. A +10% red color-decoder error was also apparent on all sources. Overscan was very minor at 2%. Minor bowing of straight lines was visible in test patterns with the lens zoomed to its widest, but wasn’t noticeable with normal material. Full lab results

In some ways, RadioShack’s Cinego D-1000 is similar to Optoma’s MovieTime DV-10. It’s about the same size, uses the same DLP chip, and has a top-loading DVD player. But like the Epson MovieMate, the RadioShack also includes a small bass module, and it sports a stealthy black style. It doesn’t have the vast picture controls that will make the Optoma attractive to the tweak crowd, but it’s easy to set up, which is right for the everyday consumer the Cinego is intended for.

SETUP & USE Unlike the Epson with its straight-firing lens, the Cinego projects at an upward angle — it’s right at home on a low coffee table. But the lens has a meager 1.2x zoom range, which means you’ll have to rely more on moving the projector forward or backward to adjust picture size than you would a projector with a more powerful zoom lens. With the Cinego about 8 feet from the screen, it projected an image about 80 inches diagonal, or 6 feet wide. The backward-firing speakers gave decent coverage.

With the exception of a VGA input and a coaxial digital audio output, connections are all handled by .125-inch minijacks. The supplied adapters let you use most types of analog video connections, including wide-bandwidth component video for HD sources.

There’s no display window for DVD track info, so you’ll have to use the onscreen display, accessible only through the supplied credit-card-size remote control. Like others of this type, it’s difficult to use, with tiny membrane buttons that aren’t always responsive. The projector and DVD player menus don’t have many options beyond the basics. Noticeably absent are controls for fine-tuning color. There were, however, four picture presets. I found that Theater mode worked best for watching movies.

PICTURE QUALITY The Cinego’s color was the most unnatural-looking of the bunch, with all programs displaying a distinct bluish cast I couldn’t correct with any user controls. Though there was a slight screen-door effect from a viewing distance of 10 feet, it was nowhere near as pronounced as with the Epson. Also, like some budget-priced DLPs, the Cinego occasionally served up some rainbows, but not often enough to be distracting.

The RadioShack’s ability to display shadow detail wasn’t very impressive. When Sandler first meets fellow inmate Turley — a.k.a. Sasquatch — in The Longest Yard, the right side of Sandler’s face blended into the black background. With other projectors I’ve tested you can see the edge of Sandler’s face as he talks to Turley. But the Cinego D-1000 did a better job of delivering detail in bright scenes.

High-definition sources looked good but had more noise than with the Optoma, especially in darker portions of the picture. Since the Cinego doesn’t provide HD resolution, you lose some detail, but I was still able to see the crow’s feet around Steve Buscemi’s eyes in The Sopranos on HBO HDTV and could even make out individual strands of hair on Geena Davis’s head in her new ABC show, Commander in Chief.

Sound from the D-1000’s built-in speakers was comparable to what you’d get from most computer speakers: slightly dull, with slightly mushy bass from the outboard module. But dialogue was clear, and with the projector just a few feet away, the sound got plenty loud.

BOTTOM LINE As long as you’re not too finicky about picture quality, you might be happy with the RadioShack Cinego. Its simple setup, big picture, and built-in speakers can turn your regular movie night into a special event.

Optoma
The tweaker’s choice

The Short Form

WWW.OPTOMAUSA.COM / 888-289-6786 / $1,299 / 14.5 x 4.625 x 10.75 IN / 7.75 LBS

Plus

•Detailed picture highlights. •Full set of picture adjustments. •Simple setup.

Minus

•Remote control not backlit. •Mediocre shadow detail. •Limited zoom-lens range. •Stereo sound from speakers lacks focus. •No bass module.

Key Features

•$1,299 •HD-compatible component-video input •854 x 480-pixel DLP light engine •Built-in DVD player •1.11x zoom lens •Carrying case included

Test Bench

Out of the box, color temperature ranged from over 12,500 K to 10,500 K. After calibration, it came close to the 6,500-K standard. A +5% green and –10% red color-decoder error was visible on all sources. The lens showed almost no distortion throughout its zoom range. Full lab results

At first glance, it’s almost unbelievable that Optoma actually fit a projector, DVD player, and two speakers into the small, stylish casing of its MovieTime DV-10. True, the MovieTime doesn’t come with a subwoofer or bass module, but it offers a surprisingly full set of picture adjustments. The supplied padded carrying case is another nice touch — it makes the Optoma that much easier to take on the road.

SETUP & USE The Optoma fires upward — I was easily able to set it down on a coffee table and still project an image on an eye-level screen. The short 1.11x zoom range limits placement, but thankfully, on our table, the Optoma beamed an image that filled our 92-inch (diagonal) screen from a distance of 8 feet. The DV-10’s speakers, mounted inside its curved feet, face outward at 45° angles. This creates a wider soundstage than the Epson or RadioShack provide — a little too wide, actually. It might be nice for a big group, but the poor souls sitting right behind the projector will probably notice a hole in the sound field.

Inputs and outputs are on the rear. The VGA input doubles as a component-video input via a supplied adapter, and it will accept anything from 480i (interlaced) standard-definition to 720p (progressive-scan) and 1080i high-def sources. An optical digital audio output is provided to jack into a surround sound system. The DVD player opens from the top of the projector. There’s no display window for status or track info, so you’ll have to rely on the onscreen display, but a full set of controls is built into the trim around the DVD drawer if you lose the remote. Speaking of remotes, the DV-10’s isn’t backlit.

The projector menu is the most extensive of the group. Among the picture controls are color-temperature presets, display modes, and more. But the RGB gain and offset controls, which allow detailed color adjustment, are great tools.

PICTURE QUALITY Although Optoma uses an improved seven-segment color wheel in the MovieTime’s DLP light engine, I still saw an occasional multicolored flash, or “rainbow.” But there was barely any screen-door effect at my viewing distance of approximately 10 feet.

Out of the box, the MovieTime’s colors were vivid and saturated. The overall picture leaned toward blue, but I was able to use its controls to create a more realistic-looking picture. After adjustment, the Optoma’s color rendition was greatly improved — colors looked even more natural than on the Epson and were even richer than before.

In Chapter 7 from The Longest Yard, the DV-10 revealed about the same shadow detail in dark pictures as the other projectors — in other words, not much. Thankfully, the Optoma did a better job with highlights in brighter scenes. As Sandler challenged another inmate to a basketball game, the seam that defines the collar in his white tee shirt was plainly visible.

High-def programs, including The Sopranos and Commander in Chief looked surprisingly good. The MovieTime might not be as sharp as a true high-def projector, but its downconversion circuitry did a credible job, and the HDTV programs I watched all looked solid and clean.

BOTTOM LINE The Optoma MovieTime DV-10 didn’t look perfect out of the box, but with some adjustment it delivered the best picture of this lot with both DVDs and HD broadcasts. Granted, its sound quality left something to be desired. But if you can hook it to a surround system, all will be forgiven once the lights go down.

TEST BENCH

	Epson MovieMate 25	RadioShack Cinego D-1000	Optoma MovieTime DV10
COLOR TEMPERATURE	Theater mode	Video preset	Cinema mode, color temperature set to 0, before/after calibration
Low window(30-IRE)	6,919 K	12,244 K	12,588/6,590 K
High window(80-IRE)	8,386 K	9.997 K	11,083/6,585 K
BRIGHTNESS(100-IRE window)	10 ftL	9.6 ftL	11.3/9 ftL (before/after calibration)

Epson MovieMate 25
Like most TVs, Epson's MovieMate 25 projector had a blue cast out of the box, though the darker end of the grayscale was closer to the 6,500-K standard than the brighter end. Because it has no color controls, I was unable to calibrate the color temperature. While measuring slightly brighter than the Optoma and RadioShack, the Epson was still dimmer than many home theater front projectors, yet on par with most movie theaters.

Color decoding was fairly accurate. I measured +5% red from the internal DVD player on the Avia DVD's color-decoder-error test pattern. Overscan was good, checking in at 4% - well within the safe range. The Epson showed slightly more distortion in its lens than the Optoma, but it was visible only in test patterns and not noticeable on DVDs or TV. The pronounced screen-door effect was noticeable on all program material, but this is typical of lower-resolution LCD projectors at large screen sizes. The screen included with the projector measured slightly brighter than our test screen (14.2 ftL), but that did not adversely effect the picture's color temperature.

RadioShack Cinego D-1000
RadioShack's Cinego D-1000 had an extremely blue cast out of the box. Unfortunately, like the Epson, it doesn't offer controls to calibrate the color temperature. In contrast to the Epson, the Cinego was noticeably bluer on the darker end of the grayscale. Brightness was a little low for a front projector, but similar to what you'd find at the local cinema.

Color decoding wasn't perfect either. It showed +10% red on the Avia DVD's color-decoder-error test pattern both from the internal DVD player as well as our reference DVD player through the component-video input. Overscan, however, was excellent, a mere 2% from all sources. With the lens zoomed to its widest, there was a minor bowing of straight lines in geometry test patterns from the Sencore signal generator and the Digital Video Essentials DVD. But this distortion wasn't visible in any normal material.

Optoma MovieTime DV-10
The only projector/DVD combo of the bunch with color controls, Optoma's MovieTime certainly benefited from calibration. The picture went from extremely blue to within 100 K of the 6,500-K standard at both ends of the grayscale. I was able to get very similar color-temperature performance from the internal DVD player (using Video Essentials as a source) and the component-video inputs (with our Sencore signal generator as the source). The post-calibration brightness was on the low side for a front projector but matches what you'd find in a real movie theater. (Calibration needs to be performed by a qualified technician, so discuss it with your dealer before purchase or contact the Imaging Science Foundation at imagingscience.com or 561-997-9073.)

The color decoder could be better. The DV-10 measured +5% green and -10% red on the Avia color-decoder-error test pattern from both the internal DVD player and our reference player through the component-video input. Overscan measured an impressive 3%. Also, the lens showed very little distortion, with only a very slight bowing of straight lines toward the edges of geometry test patterns. This distortion was not visible in normal program material.