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As an ultra-short-throw projector, the Hitachi CP-AW2503 ($1,495) can project a large image from very close to the screen. It has good brightness and resolution, all the connection choices you’re likely to need, very good data-image quality, and excellent video quality for a data projector. Although it’s not quite the best in its class, it’s well worth considering by businesses and schools looking for a projector with a very short throw distance.
Design and Features
The CP-AW2503 ($1,124.00 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) is an LCD-based projector with WXGA (1,280-by-800) native resolution, and a rated brightness of 2,700 lumens. It measures 5.4 by 14.8 by 14.2 inches (HWD) and weighs 9.5 pounds. You’ll want to install it either on a tabletop, or on a wall mount just above the screen. Wall ($234) and tabletop ($242) mounts are available from Hitachi as extras. As is typical of ultra-short-throw projectors, the image is not projected from the front of the CP-AW2503, but from a window at the back.
Focusing the CP-AW2503 is a little less intuitive than it is with a standard-throw projector. The area of the screen nearest the devicethe bottom of the screen if the projector is positioned below the screen, and the top of the screen if the projector is above the screenmay be in focus while the part of the image farthest from the lens is blurry. Fortunately, this is easy enough to correct. There are focus controls (right and left arrows) both on top of the projector and on the included remote. You’ll probably need to adjust the keystone as well.
Unlike most projectors, the CP-AW2503’s input ports are on the side panel. They include two HDMI ports, one composite video port, and two VGA ports for computers or component video, one of which can be set for monitor-out. A LAN port lets you send images, and control the projector, over a network. Two USB Type A ports let the projector read files directly from a USB memory key or take advantage of the optional Wi-Fi dongle ($99).
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Data-Image Testing
The CP-AW2503 threw an image of about 60 inches (diagonal) with the projector about 14 inches away from our test screen. There’s no apparent degradation when ambient light is introduced.
In data-image testing, using the using the DisplayMate(Opens in a new window) suite, the Hitachi CP-AW2503’s image quality was above par, making it suitable for most any classroom or business presentation. Overall text quality is very good, with both black text on white and white text on black easily readable at sizes as small as 7.5 points. Another strong point is that colors are bright and well saturated. As an LCD-based projector the CP-A2503’s white brightness is equal to its color brightness, while DLP projectors often have lower color brightness than white brightness, making their colors appear dull in comparison.
But while the colors are bright with this projector, color balance is imperfect; I noticed mild green tinting in some gray areas in multiple present modes. There were traces of spurious color (blue and green) in text, but it was only apparent when I sat fairly close to the screen. I saw pixel jitter in some test images over a VGA connection. It disappeared when I applied the Auto-Adjust control, but to find it, you have to drill down to the Advanced menu. The pixel jitter is absent over an HDMI connection.
Video and Audio
Video quality is very good for a data projector, making it well-suited for mid-length to longer viewing sessions. As an LCD projector, it’s free of the rainbow artifacts that often hurt the video quality of DLP projectors. In some scenes I noticed a fine hatching, which is usually caused by pixelation and which I seldom see in video from WXGA projectors.
Audio from the single 16-watt speaker is loud enough for a midsize room, and of decent quality. As an LCD projector, the CP-AW2503 does not offer any 3D support. If you need 3D, you’ll want to choose a DLP-based model like the Canon LV-8235 UST .
See How We Test Projectors
If you don’t need WXGA resolution, the Hitachi CP-AW2503’s XGA (1,024 by 768) counterpart, the Hitachi CP-AX2503 ($1,285.01 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) , is a great option, and our Editors’ Choice XGA short-throw projector. It displays a larger image than the CP-AW2503 at a comparable distance from the screen, and showed slightly better image quality. The CP-AW2503 doesn’t have quite as short a throw distance as the Epson PowerLite 585W WXGA 3LCD Projector ($1,431.99 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) , our Editors’ Choice ultra-short-throw WXGA data projector, which can throw a 92-inch (diagonal) image with the projector just 10 inches from the screen. Although the CP-AW2503’s text quality is a smidge better than the Epson 585W’s, its overall data-image quality isn’t quite as good, and it doesn’t come with the Epson model’s included wall mount. They each have similarly good video quality and audio systems. Although the CP-AW2503 doesn’t unseat the Epson 585W, it’s still a formidable ultra-short-throw projector, and worth a look by any school or business seeking a model with very good data- and video-image quality.
4.0
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The Hitachi CP-AW2503 provides very good data- and video-image quality in an ultra-short-throw data projector.
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Source link : https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/hitachi-cp-aw2503