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Just like DVD burners, TFT monitors, thin and light laptops and colour laser printers; the idea of buying a projector used to be reserved for those wealthy enough to live in fantasyland. But technology is a wonderful thing because not only do all things become cheaper, they get better too. Imagine if food prices ran by the same rules as the IT industry, not only would a £10 fillet steak cost about £3 just 12 months later, but it would be twice as lean and probably cook itself. Sadly, that fantasy is never likely to come true, GM foods or no GM foods, but for those whose dreams revolve around the prospect of affordable, high quality home cinema without re-mortgaging your house, dream no longer.

The reality is that for just over £1,000 including VAT, you can now get a projector with DLP technology, widescreen support, and a contrast ratio of 1,800:1. What this means in layman’s terms is, from now on your neighbours will probably get to know your television viewing habits as well as you do, even if they live on the other side of a motorway.

So lets break down the technology to see what makes this projector so special. First and foremost, DLP (Digital Light Processing) technology is pretty impressive. Normally lower priced projectors, even those ranging to upwards of £1,700 as we saw with the Relisys RLP2000, come with LCD engines. The advantage of DLP over LCD is that is produces a stronger, less filtered image, more capable of picking out subtle tones and colours. The value of a high contrast ratio is more obvious as you’ll be able to pick out fine detail, even in dark areas of a scene or image. So what we have here is a product that should be able to please the purists and delight the masses.

The name of this device is the PD 520 from Acer. Not the first name that would spring to my mind when discussing projectors, but as I have already suggested, that could be about to change.

The second thing that will impress potential buyers is the physical size of the device. Measuring just 246 x 210 x 71mm (WxDxH) and weighing a mere 1.7kg, this is a truly portable projector. A fact signified by the rather nice black carry case that comes with it, complete with detachable shoulder strap.

I also find the styling easy on the eyes, its silver lines suggesting what a Sony Aibo might look like were it compacted into a box.

Setting up the PD 520 is also very straightforward, even if the manual’s single graphic plastered with numerous arrows and labels could have been more expositive. Excluding the power socket which is at the side, all connections are on the back, keeping the wiring tidy. There are options for S-Video, Serial, Composite, D-SUB, and M1-DA along with a 3.5mm audio in port. The PD 520 is lacking a SCART connector, but most AV enthusiasts are unlikely to use SCART. That said, if Acer is thinking of AV buffs as a target market, the lack of component video ports could be an issue.

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