Compaq MP2800

Anyone who has ever carried out a presentation using a notebook PC will appreciate the advantage of displaying your computer screen to a larger audience, via a projector. However, as it's unlikely that all off-site meeting rooms you visit will be equipped with a suitable projector, it may be worth splashing out on a "microportable" projector - a projector that can be taken on the road as an accessory to your normal notebook.

Compaq's latest "microportable" is the MP2800, a sleek, stylish and lightweight projector aimed squarely at the mobile professional. Based on the award-winning design of the earlier MP1600, the unit weighs just 1.4kg and can be stored in the case with a regular notebook, thus keeping baggage to a minimum.

Designed to operate from a regular office desktop, the projector sits vertically with an easily adjustable stand to increase the elevation of the projected display. The lens is mounted at the top of the unit. The size of image, focus and zoom are adjusted with standard lens controls.

Five illuminated buttons sit in a line along the top of the unit, providing access to on/standby, the on-screen projector control menu, up and down menu navigation and input synchronisation reset. These buttons can be reached easily from any direction, an advantage for someone presenting while standing or walking about. The proximity and similarity of the buttons, however, makes it easy to press the standby button in error, and because the projector has to perform a short close-down routine, a mistake could mean waiting up to a minute before you get your display back on screen.

The lamp for the projector is stored in a detachable housing at the top-front of the case. This allows for a quick change, should it fail in the middle of an important presentation. Using just a coin to undo a screw, the whole bulb housing can be removed, the lamp unit replaced and the housing replaced in seconds. The bulb does get very hot, though, so a cool-down period may be needed.

At the back of the main body of the MP2800 are the connectors for a mains power supply, a digital video source and a standard VGA cable. A detachable plug-in multimedia unit adds significantly more connectivity to the main unit.

The unit plugs easily into the DVI connector on the main body and houses a built-in speaker, audio line-in, S-VHS and composite video connectors, a remote mouse connector and at the top, an infrared sensor.

The speaker is designed to produce a sound suitable for normal presentations. Although clear, its mono output is not intended as a substitute for hi-fi sound. If you wanted to make the most of video equipment that produces stereo or surround sound - a DVD player, video camera or video player, for example - connecting these to an appropriate sound system would be recommended.

Although portable, the projector comes with a diminutive but powerful remote control handset. This lets you control both the on-screen menu controls of the projector itself, and the mouse on your PC, from across a room. (Using the handset to access the on-screen menu could save you the embarrassment of accidentally putting the projector into standby mode during a presentation.) A supplied "Y" lead connects the remote mouse connector on the projector to a USB or serial port on your notebook or PC.

The handset is ergonomically designed so that you can "feel" where all the most used buttons are - no need to strain your eyes in the dark. The mouse "pad" is comfortable to operate with the thumb, and the left click button is positioned underneath the remote unit, where your index finger naturally sits. The right-click button is placed on top, but for a right-handed person this is under the thumb controlling the mouse movement and it's easy to keep calling up unwanted menus all over the place.

For the guest presenter, setting up the projector quickly is vital. The MP2800's universal AC adapter means you can plug it to a mains supply anywhere in the world, but you will need to bring your own socket adapter as this is not supplied. The input source is detected automatically and auto-synchronisation will produce a clear image on the wall, straight from power up.

If multiple devices are connected at one time, the source for the display can be changed from the remote control or projector. Dynamic changes to a PC's display resolution are automatically detected, but it is occasionally necessary to manually re-synchronise the projector in order to stabilise the image. In our test, this generally produced good results.

The projector employs DLP (digital light projection) technology to provide a smoother, brighter image. The native resolution is 1024 x 768. Most PC users are probably familiar with a screen display of this size and this is projected very clearly. The supported higher resolution of 1280 x 1024 seems dull by comparison, with text being less defined. However, the comprehensive on-screen menus allow for reasonable adjustments of brightness, contrast and colour to compensate for individual room conditions.

Although not tested, the projector will also support a HDTV signal. Other menu options allow video signals to be accurately synchronised and the geometry of the displayed image to be adjusted.

The display from the MP2800 is very bright, being generated from a 1000-lumens lamp. This is high by projector standards, and particularly as it comes from a portable device. In an office with ordinary daylight, the display was still clear.

The inclusion of the multimedia connectivity should make the projector an attractive option for establishments like schools and colleges, where presentations using various sources often take place in any number of locations. The price tag is expensive, but the sheer portability, space saving and versatility would allow the MP2800 pay for itself sooner than later.

As an option for "home cinema", the MP2800 is still cheaper than a plasma screen TV. However, the cooling fan is quite noisy in a confined space and because projection is directed upwards from desktop height, the unit has to be set up at a height where the image will not be blocked by anyone walking in front of the projector. This is not its target market, however, and Compaq may consider a more consumer-tailored product, at a suitable price point, in future.

ContactCompaq: 0845 270 4222 www.compaq.com