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HP sb-21 Digital Projector ? Heavyweight Power in a Featherweight Body
Date of Review: Feb 15, 2003
The Bottom Line: Unless you need a higher resolution, this projector blows away the competition!
We recently had the opportunity to purchase a digital projector at work. After researching the various options we decided to go with the HP sb-21. It had numerous advantages over its competitors and has not disappointed us. This compact device packs one heck of a punch!
What is it?
The sb-21 is a portable digital projector that allows you to hook up a computer, laptop or other device requiring a visual display and project its image on a wall or screen. The keyword in that sentence with this device is 'portable'. The sb-21 weighs in at an amazingly low 2.2 lbs. With its 8" x 5.6" x 2.3" body, it is one of the smallest such devices available today.
Performance
The sb-21 is not only compact; it packs much more power than you would expect from the streamlined little case. While it is not on a par with a monitor, it is at the head of the class in the digital projector field. Boasting a 1000 lumen lamp and an incredible 1800:1 Contrast ratio, this projector puts on quite the show. The contrast ratio is far higher than most other projectors in its class. Contrast ratio is the difference between the lightest light (white) and the darkest dark (black). While this is very good, it is still a little below the quality of a good monitor. Colors are mostly true, especially darker colors. The yellows and oranges tend to be a little washed out.
The Extras
The sb-21 comes complete. Included in that low price (comparatively speaking) are the case and all the cables you will need. On many of the competitors, the case was an option and usually at a fairly hefty cost. The case itself is smaller than many purses. It has room for the projector, the power cord, the video/USB cable, and the remote.
The Video/USB cable allows you to hook up the projector to serve as your computer's monitor as well as allowing the remote to serve as not only a clicker for presentations, but also a fully functioning mouse. We have used this on two different laptops and a desktop. One laptop, an older Toshiba running Win 95b and the other a slightly newer Compaq running Win NT. The Toshiba had problems allowing the remote to work as a mouse. The Compaq had no problems other than it disabled the mouse on the laptop when it was connected. Don't ask me how it worked with an OS that does not support USB, it just did. The desktop is a new machine running Windows 2000 Professional. The desktop experienced no reduction in functionality the way the Compaq laptop did. This is a mild inconvenience as the remote is not terribly difficult to get used to. In addition to all of the mouse functions, the remote also functions as a laser pointer.
The sb-21 has one other very useful feature. The unit can be configured to accept the remote signal based on where the user/presenter is in relationship to the projector. The first time I used this device, I was not aware of this and suffered through the problems of presenting from the side and having the projector accept the remote input from the front. The ability to control this is fantastic.
Ease of Use
This is one of the easiest devices to set up I have used. Set up simply involves connecting the device to your computer's monitor output port and a USB port. Boot up the computer and the projector and you are ready to go. There is a catch on the Win NT computer though. I had to go into the display settings and check a box to allow it to display on both the laptop screen and the external screen. I feel fairly confident that even a moderately experienced user could set this up on their own if need be.
The Drawbacks
There isn't much to say against this machine. The only drawback I can think of is that the maximum resolution is limited to 800 x 600. This is quite adequate for most applications. However, if you require a higher resolution you will need to look elsewhere.
The Bottom Line
If you are in the market for a digital projector for your computer, there is no reason to look any further than the sb-21. It is the lightest projector currently on the market. It has the highest contrast ratio available at this time (although there are several entertainment projectors that have a 3000:1 contrast ratio in development). At 1000 lumens it is bright enough for just about any environment. The fully functioning remote adds convenience to an already loaded device. This device is a bargain at the price and will ensure that HP leads the way in the digital projector field.
