Computer Solution

The LP350 is an XGA-resolution DLP projector that sells on the street for under $4,500 these days. At 1300 ANSI lumens it is a reasonably bright machine, and its 400:1 contrast is good but not exceptional for a DLP. The product has several major strengths. First, the XGA resolution DLP technology ensures a smooth, pixel-free image.

Second, the internal line doubler and scaler are among the best that can be found in portable digital projectors these days. The image produced by the LP350 with an S-video feed from a DVD player is amazingly artifact-free.

Third, the LP350 has digital visual interface (DVI). This enables it to accept a digital signal from a computer with DVI output. Why is that a good thing? The image information is digital on the DVD, and it is read and transferred all the way to the projector’s DLP chip without ever suffering a conversion to analog. The result is a jitter-free image that is as sharp as it gets. So if you have a PC with DVD that is set up to output DVI, Dolby Digital, and (hopefully) DTS, you have the perfect match for optimizing home theater performance on the LP350.

Fourth, the LP350 has decent HT connectivity for a projector its size. If you have a home theater computer with DVI, you run the signal into the DVI port. If you have a standard DVD player, you run the signal into the S-video jack. Either way, your HDTV processor can feed its signal into the RGB port. (Feel free to pretend the composite jack is not there. No matter what source you feed through the composite jack, the picture is terrible due to the signal. Not only that, but if you have a source connected to the S-video jack and turned on, even in stand-by mode, you cannot access the composite feed anyway.)