Epson PowerLite 1785W Wireless Portable Projector Review - Hardware

Posted on October 12, 2018 by Chris Kahl

Epson PowerLite 1785W Projector Review – Hardware: Overview, Inputs and Connectors, Lens

Overview

The Epson PowerLite 1785W Portable Business and Education Projector's right side houses the cool room air intake.

The lens and sensor used for Automatic Image Correction and Gesture Presenter are found on the front of the Epson PowerLite 1785W Portable Business and Education Projector, along with a single adjustable foot.

The left side of the Epson PowerLite 1785W is completely closed off.

The Epson PowerLite 1785W Portable Business and Education Projector is super slim, measuring just over 2 inches tall. In width and depth measurements, it is the size of (or smaller even) than a laptop!

The rear of the Epson PowerLite 1785W is where you can find inputs and connectors, and a security lock port in the bottom right corner (not pictured.)

The top of the Epson PowerLite 1785W Portable Business and Education Projector is where you find the lens zoom controls, control panel and indicator lights.

❮ ❯

The Epson PowerLite 1785W is a portable projector that measures 11.5 inches wide by 8.4 inches deep, only 2.1 inches tall, and weighs a mere 4 lbs; that’s the size and weight of a laptop for ultra-portability. This projector is well suited for front table top use, but also supports ceiling mounting and both front and rear projection. For this review, I set the 1785W up on a table top using front projection, so descriptions will be written as this unit appeared when sitting on a table top.

The front of the Epson PowerLite 1785W houses the lens, with a manual shutter that doubles as an Audio and Video mute. The vents to the left are the hot air exhaust, and on the right you’ll find the sensor that is used for Automatic Image Correction and Gesture Presenter. The right side of the projector houses the 1-watt speaker and cool air intake vent. The rear of the PowerLite 1785W offers a simple array of connectors and a slot for a security lock. The left side of the projector is entirely closed and featureless.

The top of the projector is where you find a basic control panel that is quite functional and easy to use. The NFC symbol is found to the left of the control panel to assist in linking an Android device to the projector. You will also find the zoom lens control on the top of the projector, as well as five status indicator lights. The bottom of the projector features holes for attaching the unit to a ceiling mount.

Inputs and Connectors

The PowerLite 1785W by Epson offers a very simple array of connectors and inputs, but makes up for the lack of physical connectors by its ability to connect to computers and smart mobile devices wirelessly. The input panel consists of a single row. Left to right, you will find the connector for the A/C power cord, followed by component video. To the right is a standard VGA cable for connecting to a computer, followed by a USB-B port. The USB-B port is important to note as it is a required connection when linking a computer to the projector for Gesture Presenter applications, except when using EasyMP Multi PC Projection or Screen Mirroring to connection the computer to the projector.

Next we find the standard USB-A port, which allows, among other things, for a USB storage device to be connected for PC-Free presentations. Following the USB port is a single HDMI port. I really would have liked to see an additional HDMI port, especially since this projector offers Split Screen. Next is a 3.5mm mini-jack Audio port which is for inbound audio, intended to allow presentations from a computer utilizing component video, VGA, or USB-A connections to play audio through the PowerLite 1785W’s internal 1-watt speaker. To the right is the sensor for the remote control, and to the far right (out of picture) is a standard security lock port.

Lens

Epson’s portable PowerLite 1785W business and education projector features a lens with an optical zoom ratio of 1.20:1; that doesn’t seem like a lot but it is rather significant when aligning your projector for the perfect on-screen fit. This lens puts an incredibly sharp image on the screen. While zoom is manual, focus is controlled via the remote control and can even be achieved automatically; extremely convenient if you’re like me and have a tendency to attempt to dial a manual focus in just right only to overcorrect at the last moment.

I discussed Automatic Image Correction and Quick Corner before and, let me just say again, these features make getting the perfect fit on your screen so much easier than fiddling with adjustable feet, zoom and focus rings. I have thoroughly enjoyed using Quick Corner to get a precise fit on my screen in less than a minute using only the remote control.

Epson PowerLite 1785W Projector Review – Hardware: Overview, Inputs and Connectors, Lens

Overview

The Epson PowerLite 1785W Portable Business and Education Projector's right side houses the cool room air intake.

The lens and sensor used for Automatic Image Correction and Gesture Presenter are found on the front of the Epson PowerLite 1785W Portable Business and Education Projector, along with a single adjustable foot.

The left side of the Epson PowerLite 1785W is completely closed off.

The Epson PowerLite 1785W Portable Business and Education Projector is super slim, measuring just over 2 inches tall. In width and depth measurements, it is the size of (or smaller even) than a laptop!

The rear of the Epson PowerLite 1785W is where you can find inputs and connectors, and a security lock port in the bottom right corner (not pictured.)

The top of the Epson PowerLite 1785W Portable Business and Education Projector is where you find the lens zoom controls, control panel and indicator lights.

❮ ❯

The Epson PowerLite 1785W is a portable projector that measures 11.5 inches wide by 8.4 inches deep, only 2.1 inches tall, and weighs a mere 4 lbs; that’s the size and weight of a laptop for ultra-portability. This projector is well suited for front table top use, but also supports ceiling mounting and both front and rear projection. For this review, I set the 1785W up on a table top using front projection, so descriptions will be written as this unit appeared when sitting on a table top.

The front of the Epson PowerLite 1785W houses the lens, with a manual shutter that doubles as an Audio and Video mute. The vents to the left are the hot air exhaust, and on the right you’ll find the sensor that is used for Automatic Image Correction and Gesture Presenter. The right side of the projector houses the 1-watt speaker and cool air intake vent. The rear of the PowerLite 1785W offers a simple array of connectors and a slot for a security lock. The left side of the projector is entirely closed and featureless.

The top of the projector is where you find a basic control panel that is quite functional and easy to use. The NFC symbol is found to the left of the control panel to assist in linking an Android device to the projector. You will also find the zoom lens control on the top of the projector, as well as five status indicator lights. The bottom of the projector features holes for attaching the unit to a ceiling mount.

Inputs and Connectors

The PowerLite 1785W by Epson offers a very simple array of connectors and inputs, but makes up for the lack of physical connectors by its ability to connect to computers and smart mobile devices wirelessly. The input panel consists of a single row. Left to right, you will find the connector for the A/C power cord, followed by component video. To the right is a standard VGA cable for connecting to a computer, followed by a USB-B port. The USB-B port is important to note as it is a required connection when linking a computer to the projector for Gesture Presenter applications, except when using EasyMP Multi PC Projection or Screen Mirroring to connection the computer to the projector.

Next we find the standard USB-A port, which allows, among other things, for a USB storage device to be connected for PC-Free presentations. Following the USB port is a single HDMI port. I really would have liked to see an additional HDMI port, especially since this projector offers Split Screen. Next is a 3.5mm mini-jack Audio port which is for inbound audio, intended to allow presentations from a computer utilizing component video, VGA, or USB-A connections to play audio through the PowerLite 1785W’s internal 1-watt speaker. To the right is the sensor for the remote control, and to the far right (out of picture) is a standard security lock port.

Lens

Epson’s portable PowerLite 1785W business and education projector features a lens with an optical zoom ratio of 1.20:1; that doesn’t seem like a lot but it is rather significant when aligning your projector for the perfect on-screen fit. This lens puts an incredibly sharp image on the screen. While zoom is manual, focus is controlled via the remote control and can even be achieved automatically; extremely convenient if you’re like me and have a tendency to attempt to dial a manual focus in just right only to overcorrect at the last moment.

I discussed Automatic Image Correction and Quick Corner before and, let me just say again, these features make getting the perfect fit on your screen so much easier than fiddling with adjustable feet, zoom and focus rings. I have thoroughly enjoyed using Quick Corner to get a precise fit on my screen in less than a minute using only the remote control.