TABLE OF CONTENTS
Does anybody want a new Projector? Of course, you do. That’s why you’re here. You’re here because despite what some people say, size matters, and 50 inches just isn’t enough. So if you want more than 100 inches of screen size then you need a brand new Projector. Well, I can tell you that all of our reviews are compiled by experts and we have a bunch of them on this site for you to choose from. Right now I’m checking out the Epson PowerLite 99WH V11H686020 High Definition LCD Projector, Powerlite 99WH. I’ll be telling you the good inclusions it has and I’ll also be leveling with you about some of its limitations. In my final thoughts, I’ll be letting you know whether or not you should buy it. Just a little hint about what I’m going to say is that it’s not right for everybody, but for some, it’ll be the best thing since the invention of the wheel.
PROS
- Beautiful 16 Watt Speakers
- 3000 Lumens
- Nice Design
- VGA Cable Included
- Good Lamp Life
- Reliable
- 3LCD Images
- Good Contrast Ratio
CONS
- 1280×800 Native Resolution
Size/Design
I liked the design although some might think it’s rather odd-looking. The Lens with its black-colored housing peeps out of the Projector’s white outer shell. The fact that you can see the black housing of the Lens, makes it seem like there’s a second outer shell underneath the one they chose to go with. Slightly odd, but it’s really the only thing that sticks out here (pardon the pun). This is otherwise a very functional and fairly conventional Projector design. All of the connections are on the back including HDMI. VGA, USB, and MHL. And, there’s a reasonably sized vent on the left-hand side of the model. The measurements are 14.3 inches by 14.6 inches by 6.2 inches and the weight is 6 pounds. I was impressed by the weight, given the strong build and it certainly is portable at these measurements. Overall – Pretty Good. And an added bonus is that realizing most schools and offices have computers in the classroom, they’ve thrown in a VGA Cable with the products, Thanks Epson, you’re the best wink.
Performance
Lumens
I’m starting with the Lumens because Epson is selling this quite aggressively to schools and offices. Classrooms and boardrooms rooms usually have moderately-sized windows so the Lumen performance must be such that viewing will still be possible with light in the room. The 3000 Lumens Epson put in this Epson PowerLite 99WH V11H686020 model would suggest that viewing with light in the room would be possible, and that was the case. You’ll need to draw the blinds or close the curtains and when you do that, even if some sunlight peeps through, you’ll still have the best picture this Projector can offer.
So what is that picture like?
Well, the Native Resolution is 1280×800 so we’re not talking full 1080p HD here. But they’ve thrown in 3LCD Technology. This is the color technology used to create images on the screen. There are 3 Liquid Crystal Panels that create detailed images out of a combination of colors. 3LCD has great accuracy in this, and more importantly, it creates smooth images, with less of the distortions you get from single-chip DLP Projectors. In other words, it might not be 1080p so you won’t get an illuminating cinematic experience here, but you will get accuracy, reliability, and smoothness.
Sound
I don’t know what Epson thinks goes on in classrooms and offices these days, but the volume range on these Speakers might be suited for use in a nightclub. You get 16 Watts of sound which is one of the highest amounts of Speaker power available for under 1000 bucks. If you turned these things right up to the top, you’d blow the roof off. But, they are good for presentations with the sound turned down to mid-range. I’d say this is some of the best sounds I’ve ever reviewed on an affordable Projector. You don’t get any muffling, and distortions and everything is extremely clear. You just won’t need the kind of volume they provide here so make sure you turn those Speakers down.
Contrast Ratio
Whenever you see grainy blacks and whites, it’s because you’ve got a low Contrast Ratio. The contrast Ratio determines how they look on screen. Here you get 10,000-1, which is mid-range and good. It’s not going to blow your mind but you can certainly show a movie on this and not have any complaints. For presentations, the Contrast Ratio hardly even comes into play except if you’re using incredibly small text. If you’re are using small text, just make sure you roll the screen out to over 100 inches and you’ll be fine.
Speaking of Screen Size
You can, if you want to, roll the screen out to a maximum of 320 inches. But don’t. First of all, you’re really not going to need that much for a presentation, and secondly, you’ll encounter some problems. At this Native Resolution, 320 inches of screen size will produce some difficult-to-see images because the Lumen count will no longer be enough to produce clarity. My advice is to get the best out of this you should stay below 200 inches. And, that really ought to be enough. It’s more than the maximum screen size offered on some Projectors.
Lamp Life
It’s 10,000 hours, which Epson seems to think qualify’s as long-lasting. It doesn’t, although it will last quite a while and Lamp replacements are unbelievably cheap for this model so it is a very cheap machine to run, which is something schools will be interested to learn.
Final Thoughts
You get the feeling that Epson really sat down and asked themselves what schools and offices want. Then they created a product that best meets those demands. It’s reliable in that is has a strong outer shell and a distortion-free picture. The distortion-free images come from this being a 3-chip LCD Projector. LCD is typically more reliable than single-chip DLP. LCD is also smoother, so Native Resolution is less important. I’m not saying this is as good as full HD 1080p, but it will last decades and the 3LCD technology means the images are brighter and better looking than most 1280×800 resolution devices. You can hook anything up to this, but they’ve realized that most offices and classrooms have computers, so they’ve thrown in a VGA Cable. I’m sure that’ll be much appreciated. The Contrast Ratio was reasonably good, but for presentations, it shouldn’t come into play all that much. The Speakers were out of this world good. You could use this Projector for classroom presentations and even school assemblies. As well as large office gatherings and meetings. The weight at only 1 pound adds even more to the functional value of the model. If you wanted to watch a movie on this or play computer games then I can think of better models. But, for presentations of any kind, this is the best out there. A wonderful attempt. Thank you for reading.
