The Casio Slim XJ-A242 ($1,049.99) is one of the latest projectors to feature the company’s hybrid LED/laser light engine. One advantage of this technology is that the light source should last the lifetime of the device, while most projectors have bulbs that need replacement every few years. The XJ-A242 ($1,210.00 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) brings solid image quality for data presentations, whether in a classroom or boardroom.

Design
The XJ-A242 is a lightweight WXGA (1,280-by-800) DLP projector, rated at 2,500 lumens. Instead of producing red, green, and blue using a standard lamp and a color wheel, the hybrid light source produces the color red with LEDs, blue with lasers, and green by shining the blue laser light on a phosphor. Various optics direct the red, green, and blue lights to the DLP chip, and out the front lens. The LED lamp is designed to last up to 20,000 hours, far longer than typical projector bulbs. The projector (including the bulb) is backed by a generous 3-year warranty.

The chassis measures a thin 1.7 by 11.7 by 8.2 inches (HWD) and weighs 5.1 pounds. It comes with a soft carrying case, complete with a pocket for cables. The lens is set far to the projector’s right side. The 2X optical zoom is operated from either a button on top of the projector or from the remote.

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Connectivity
The XJ-A242 has a basic set of connectors, including an HDMI port for a computer or video source, a VGA port that doubles as a component video port, and a stereo mini-plug for composite video/audio. There is a micro-USB Type B port, but Casio says it’s only for receiving a logo file so that the projector will display a school or company logo when the projector is warming up.

Should you need more connection choices, you should consider the Casio Slim XJ-A247 ($2,925.11 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) , which adds a USB Type A port to run either an included Wi-Fi dongle or content from a USB thumb drive, and a USB Type B port, which supports USB display emulation of your computer desktop. It also adds 2GB of internal memory.

Data-Image Testing
The XJ-A242 projected an approximately 60-inch (diagonal) image from about 5 feet away from our test screen. In general, it did well in our testing using the DisplayMate(Opens in a new window) suite. Data-image quality is suitable for typical classroom or business presentations. Text is a strong point, with black text on white readable down to 6.8 points and white text on black readable to 9 points. Colors are bright and well saturated in Standard mode, though I also noticed a color balance issue wherein light gray or white backgrounds looked slightly greenish. The tinting was reduced in Graphics mode, though at the expense of brightness and color quality, with reds looking darker and yellows, more mustardy.

When testing over a VGA connection, I saw pixel jitter in images that tend to bring it out. Altering the Phase setting using the included remote reduced the jitter, and switching to an HDMI connection eliminated it.

Like all DLP projectors, the XJ-A242, has the potential for showing a rainbow effect in which light areas break up into their component colors when you shift your gaze or in a moving image. I noticed such rainbow artifacts in several data images, though it shouldn’t be a problem in this projector’s data presentations.

Video and Audio
Video on the XJ-A242 is suitable for short clips as a part of a presentation. The rainbow effect in video is a bit more pronounced here than is typical for a DLP projector, and will likely be distracting to people even mildly sensitive to it. Colors in video seem a bit off, with both reds and blues on the dull side. Audio from the single 1-watt speaker was on the soft side, making this projector best for small rooms.

Unlike the models in Casio’s Signature line (and the vast majority of DLP projectors), the Casio Slim projectors, including the XJ-A242, can’t project 3D content. If you need to show 3D, the ViewSonic PJD6544w ($1,043.57 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) is a good choice. It can project 3D content either from a computer or a Blu-ray player, set-top box, or similar video source.

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The one thing that distinguishes the XJ-A242 from the Casio Slim XJ-A247 is that it lacks the latter’s USB ports and Wi-Fi connectivity, and comes in at a lower price. The two models had nearly identical data and video image quality in our testing. You can save money with the XJ-A242, but it comes at the cost of Wi-Fi connectivity, the ability to run presentations from a USB thumb drive, and the ability to project an emulation of your computer desktop via USB display.

The XJ-A242 has a much more potent zoom than the Epson PowerLite 1761W Multimedia Projector , our Editors’ Choice ultralight WXGA data projector. The XJ-A242 is heavier than the 3.7-pound Epson 1761W, lacks the latter’s Wi-Fi or USB connectivity, and falls short in both data- and video-image quality.

Although it’s priced higher than the Epson 1761W and many other lightweight projectors, the Casio Slim XJ-A242 may be a good long-term investment, as its light source should last at least as long as the projector itself. Many projectors need to have their bulbs replaced every few years, at around $200 each. If you don’t need fancy ports, the XJ-A242 is a good choice for a lightweight projector with solid data-image quality.