Casio Ecolite XJ-V110W LED/Laser Projector Review - Performance

Posted on June 11, 2016 by Art Feierman

ECOLITE XJ-V110W PROJECTOR REVIEW - PERFORMANCE: Brightness, Audible Noise, Image Noise Again, I want to mention that we measured the Casio's brightness after allowing at least 20 minutes after power up. This is due to learning that the Casio's LED/Laser light engine (like many solid state light engines, tends to be at its brightest just seconds after power up. This way, we report on the brightness you can expect through an entire session, not merely the brightest measurement we could obtain. Also, please remember that we measured with the 1.5:1 zoom at mid point. So, when comparing measurements, vs. manufacturer claims, please be aware that at full wide angle on the zoom (allowing the closest placement to the screen) expect roughly an additional 8-10% more brightness. And of course, if you have to mount as far back as possible, zooming to the other end of the range, expect another 10-15% drop in brightness.

XJ-V110W Brightness (lumens) mid-zoom - Preset Modes
Standard	2773
Graphics	1900
Theater	1827
Blackboard	1585
Natural	2477
"Native" - Light Control Off	3200

These lumen measurements were taken with the lens roughly in the middle of it's 1.5:1 zoom range, and with the projector warmed up for a while before checking. Solid state projectors hit maximum brightness right away; they tend to dim down slightly as they warm up. So the XJ-V110W should actually be a bit brighter on first startup than after 15 or 20 minutes of use.

You may be wondering why a 3500 lumen projector is only producing 2700+ lumens. The Casio has a slightly confusing approach to pre-set modes, and brightness, so many things are basically sort of hidden, including what is the true brightest mode. To get maximum output from the projector, you need to go into the Leaf menu and switch “Light Control” to “Off.” Doing so gives you a screaming-bright 3200 lumen picture (mid-zoom), but no control over color, brightness, contrast, or preset mode. It's what we often called a true native mode. In other words, it’s a separate control that bypasses all the others, leaving the image be reproduced with the light engine output unaltered by various processing for color balance.

While many projectors have a native mode, (in some cases called Dynamic), most allow some control to be added. Of course modifying a native mode for improved color can only result in less lumens. Just know, that if you need every last lumen, and then some, the Light Control: Off mode, is the brightest, it just certainly isn't the prettiest. This isn't really any different than using a "Presentation" mode, instead of a Dynamic mode with most other projectors.

You can also reduce brightness when needed. The “Light Output” control uses a scale from 1-7 and defaults to 7, the brightest. In Standard mode, Light Output 7 measured 2772 lumens. Standard Mode with Light Output at 1 measured only 1508 lumens, with a fairly steady decrease from step to step. This takes the place of a manual iris or an “eco-mode” lamp control, since the projector has no lamp.

Audible Noise

At full blast, the XJ-V110W is fairly loud (not very unusual for small projectors, lamp or solid state), and could probably be heard even when ceiling mounted. However, using the projector with Light Control On and Light Output set anywhere below 7 results in a lot less audible noise. At Light Output 1, the projector is quite hard to hear (and also uses a lot less electricity).

Image Noise

First, and worth noting, the Rainbow Effect (RBE) is modest. RBE causes a small percentage of the population to see small fragments of colors (mostly red and green) trailing, when white objects move across black (and vice versa), and also can be caused by just moving one's head on a still frame, such as a spread sheet. RBE isn't a serious problem, but one that only affects single chip DLP projectors due to a spinning color wheel.

Background mosquito noise, was better than most DLP projectors, that is seeing some noise say, in a blue sky image. I don't think it's quite up to the typical 3LCD projector, but DLPs tend to show more.

This could be a bit of an issue if this was a home theater projector, but for business and educational purposes, it's merely worth noting.

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