No projector has exactly everything you might want. But the Epson PowerLite 1735W comes pretty close. Brightness? Check. Good resolution? Check. Easy to carry? Check. Extra features? Check, check, and check again. In fact, you may find only one or two things lacking. But more on that later. While some may balk at its $1,649 price tag, this is definitely a projector that will work well both on the road and at home.
Design
It’s somewhat ironic that one of the brightest projectors we have tested is also surprisingly light. Its 4.0-pound weight qualifies for our ultraportable projector category, even if just barely. And though its height is almost 3 inches, the sleek rectangular shape and rounded corners should slide easily into most carrying cases. If you don’t have a carrying case, don’t worry; Epson includes a fairly well-padded one with this projector.
A Handy Help Button
The control panel on the top of the projector is functional and well designed. The power button is easy to spot, as is the Source button, which enables you to switch quickly from, say, a laptop to a DVD player. There is also a nice Help button, which reveals the Function key combinations to activate the external video connector on a number of popular laptops.
The included remote control leaves something to be desired. This relatively small device features an abundance of buttons—29 to be precise—and not one of which is a laser pointer. Another button missing is that for switching to low-power mode, a handy feature for a projector with such a loud cooling fan. The buttons that are present are surprisingly small, including the all-important power button. The similarly important Page Up/Down buttons for navigating a slideshow are not only small but also hard to find.
Ports
The PowerLite 1735W has an amazing array of input options. In addition to the standard input connectors (S-Video, composite video, audio, and VGA, which also accommodates an optional component video cable) are two USB connectors: a Type B jack for laptop connections and a Type A port to accept a USB Flash memory drive. The latter enables you to load a PowerPoint slideshow on a tiny USB drive and give a laptop-less presentation.
Under a small panel is yet a third USB connector; this one is designed for a special Wi-Fi adapter that enables you to connect to the projector without cables.
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