InFocus IN114 review

A low cost FLP projector with long lamp life.

The IN114 series consists of some of the most affordable projectors one can buy from In Focus. It has models with native resolutions ranging from SVGA (800x600) to WXGA (1280x800). For those that still favor a 4:3 aspect ratio for their data presentations, there’s the IN114, with its native 1024x768 (XGA) resolution, but with 2,700 lumens brightness, 3,000:1 contrast ratio, and even 120Hz/ PC 3D support, it has core specs that rival those found in much higher-priced projectors.

Weighing just 2.17kg and with a thickness of 7cm, the IN114 is arguably the most bag-friendly beamer we’ve come across this year. Portability is a trump card single-chip DLP projectors have over 3LCD projectors, and with the IN114, it’s not difficult to see why. InFocus claims that the lamp lasts for 5,000 hours, or 6,000 if you use it in Eco mode. Either way, the long lifespan in good news for the user. Even better yet, there’s not filter to replace.

Both the manual focus and zoom wheels are located at the top of the projector. Round the back, you’ll find two VGA inputs, and one each for S-Video and composite. There’s an RS-232 port, but the absence of RJ45 means that those looking to do remote monitoring and controlling will have to look elsewhere. Also, while There's a USB mini-B port for mouse control, there’s no USB Type A port; in other words, you can’t just plug in a flash drive and perform PC-free presentations. At just 2W, the monaural speakers is also nothing to shout about.

The IN114 is a decent data projector. All the typefaces we’ve tried looked sharp even at small sizes. And the 2.5m away from a 60-inch projection, pixilation (or ‘screen door’ effect) wasn’t visible at all. We did notice a slight green cast in the grays, though this was more noticeable in movies than in slideshow content. To achieve anywhere near the claimed 2,700 lumens brightens, you’d have to use the Bright preset, along with the color temperature and gamma setting set to Bright as well. Eco mode lowers brightness by about 20%, but that still gives a pretty bright image, provided that ambient lighting isn’t too overpowering. For video, we found the Video preset to generate the most pleasing tones, which can be further enhanced by changing the color temperature setting to Warmest, and gamma setting to Film. However, the experience was somewhat marred by posterization and an average ‘rainbow effect’ performance. The latter is most easily seen in scenes with high contrast, or when you look rapidly from one part of the screen to another. That said, whether that is a deal-breaker or not boils down to how sensitive your eyes are, and how much you’re bothered by it.

Overall, the IN114 offers good value for the money, It is small, easy to use, has a long lamp life, and a more than decent image quality. If you’re on a tight budget, this should definitely be in your shortlist.