The Casio Slim XJ-A246 ($1,499.99 direct) is a formidable lightweight business projector, part of the company's Slim (aka Green Slim) line of projectors that uses Casio?s unique hybrid LED-laser light engine. This projector has a solid range of features including 2X zoom, automatic keystone correction, HDMI and Wi-Fi connectivity, and the ability to run presentations off a USB thumb drive. It produces vivid, bright images?though the colors are subject to occasional tinting.
The XJ-A246 is rated at 2,500 lumens, and the projector has WXGA (1,280 by 800) native resolution. Instead of producing red, green, and blue using a standard lamp and a color wheel, it produces red with LEDs, blue with lasers, and green by shining blue laser light on a phosphor. Its optical system directs the red, green, and blue light to the DLP chip, and out the front lens. Its LED lamp is designed to last up to 20,000 hours, far longer than typical projector bulbs?and it?s mercury free. The projector (including the bulb) is backed by a generous 3-year warranty.
Ports include VGA; a single AV-in jack (included an AV cord with a plug to fit the jack; at the other end are 3 RCA jacks for composite video); HDMI; RS-232C; and a USB type A port. You can run presentations computer free off a USB thumb drive plugged into the port, or you can attach a wireless LAN adapter; with it you can connect wirelessly with WiFi-enabled Android, iOS, and Windows Mobile smartphones and computers (PC or Mac) running MobiShow software, so you can run a presentation from these devices. Up to 32 computers can be connected at one time and users can also view content from up to four PCs on an individual screen simultaneously.
The XJ-A246 also includes auto brightness adjustment, which uses built-in light sensors to automatically adjust the brightness level of the projection to suit the lighting conditions in the surrounding environment.
In brightness, resolution, and features, the XJ-A246 is very similar to the Casio Signature XJ-M245 ($1,299.99 direct, 3 stars), except that the Signature is larger and weighs 8.6 pounds, making it more suitable for classrooms and conference rooms than for taking on the road.
I tested the projector with it placed about 10 feet away from our test screen. The XJ-A246 offers automatic keystone correction and a generous 2X zoom (controlled through the remote), allowing for versatility in the projector's placement. The focus is also adjusted incrementally through the remote, and with a little practice I was able to achieve a reasonably sharp focus.
?Data and Video Image Quality
In my testing using the DisplayMate suite of tests, the XJ-A246 showed decent image quality. There was occasional tinting, with some light grays looking slightly greenish and darker grays with a hint of red. Colors were somewhat better in Graphics than in Standard mode, though there was still modest tinting. White-on-black type was fuzzy at the smallest two sizes, and showed some tinting as well. Image quality is fine for typical business presentations, at least ones in which color fidelity isn't critical.
The video was of a quality suitable for use with shorter clips as part of a presentation. Colors were bright and well saturated, sometimes to the point of punchiness. There was some loss of detail in brighter areas. The rainbow effect?the appearance of little red-green-blue flashes, particularly in scenes with high contrast between dark and light areas?was frequently visible. Most DLP projectors show at least a trace of the effect, but with the XJ-A246 it was more obvious than usual, and would likely be very distracting to people who are sensitive to it.
Other Issues
Audio, from the projector?s 1-watt built-in speaker, was of decent volume and reasonably clear, sufficient to fill a small conference room.
The Casio Slim XJ-A246 has a good feature set for a portable projector: a weight of 5 pounds and a thin form factor; a range of connectivity choices including HDMI and WiFi (with an included adapter). It sports Casio's unique hybrid LED/laser DLP light engine; its LED light source is designed to last 20,000 hours, and should never need to be replaced. Its data image quality is good for typical business presentations, but tinting was enough of an issue that I?d hesitate to use it for material where accurate color is paramount.
The Editors? Choice Epson PowerLite 1775W Multimedia Projector has a mere 4,000-hour claimed lamp life, while many projectors offer even less. But the 1775W otherwise shines, so to speak?it weighs just 3.8 pounds: it also provides Wi-Fi connectivity; HDMI, and a port for a USB thumb drive. Its image quality for both data and video proved better in our testing than the XJ-A246, and it?s also brighter?rated at 3,000 lumens.
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