Casio XJ-UT310WN LED Laser UST Projector Review - Summary

When they are practical to use in your environment,  ultra short throw  projectors offer some great advantages, and a disadvantage or two as well.

First of all, unlike projectors sitting 8 or 12 feet from the screen, a UST projector like this Casio won't blind the presenter if they move in front of the screen (which certainly happens a lot).  Being attacked by a very, very bright light is not pleasant, and it can be a major distraction to the teacher or presenter.  In addition, the speaker is not casting a shadow, blocking the light from the projector from reaching the screen.  Those are big advantages.

If the projector is going to be installed, there's also normally significant savings compared to  longer throw projectors.  The primary reason is that this Casio will mount to the wall, directly above the screen surface, rather than hang from the ceiling.  That means the install work takes place on just one wall, along with the screen.  No power and cables to run up to the ceiling.  There's an installation cost either way, but it definitely should be a good deal less with an ultra short throw projector.

Another benefit is sound, which normally comes from a rear facing speaker.  The entire audience is behind the projector so the sound is going where it needs to.

But, as I said, there are a couple of downsides as well.  The first one, is that UST projectors, including this Casio, tend to be significantly more expensive than longer throw projectors.

Another limitation is image size.  Because of the unique types of optics used in UST projectors, you normally don't get the ability to project to any size you want.  Sorry, no 15 foot image size with this projector.  Casio only states up to 110" diagonal.  Of course, that's plenty for classrooms, conference rooms, training rooms etc.  On the other hand, that won't cut it presenting to 300 people in a Marriott hotel ballroom.

Maintaining very good sharpness across the image, and a reasonably evenly illuminated screen are often challenges for UST projectors, but the Casio is pretty sharp, and the amount of roll-off to the corners is relatively minor compared to some other UST projectors.

The name of the game is less hassle, and more consistent performance, thanks to a light engine that lasts up to 20,000 hours.  Please note, Casio does not specify at what power settings it should hit the 20,000 hour mark, so we tend to assume that would be in an eco mode, not maximum brightness.  Still, that's a far cry from the longest lamp life found for conventional lamp based projectors.  6000 hours in eco is about as good as they get, and 3000 to 4000 hours at full power is typical.

With a solid state light engine, if it lasts as long as the manufacturer's claim, that's typically going to be years and years past the point in time when the projector is obsolete.

And, since there are no lamps to change, that means no labor costs to change out lamps, and no cost of lamps.

That's important, because up front you are definitely paying a premium for the solid state light engines out there.  This projector is officially $1799.  I would say that a roughly similar UST projector that's lamp based is more likely to be about $500 less.

Well, depending on the cost of lamps (typically $199+), you can see how the Casio might save money in the long run, especially if a company or school has to dispatch someone to change out a lamp (yep, up on a ladder for a mounted projector).  A note for schools.  Lamp prices for the education market are typically less than for everyone else.  At least one major player offers most replacement lamps for education oriented projectors for only $99.

Still if the premium to get a solid state light engine powered projector is $400 to $750, you can see where it would result in long term savings if it's used a good deal.  Of course if used only 10 hours a week, even a 4000 hour lamp lasts 8 years.