NEC HT510

Sleek casing, easy-to-use

Lacks a DVI connection, low native resolution

Unique design ; Good AV connectivity ; Short throw distance ; Ease of use ; DLP-chipset picture quality ; Remote control ; All cables included

Lacks a digital video input ; Not a high-resolution chipset

The only thing that hinders this feat is a particularly poor contrast ratio, which reduces any blacks on screen to a mess of indistinguishable greys. As a home cinema projector, this is a problem, as the sort of films you'll probably want to test on...

Very good color ; Smooth image quality ; Well laid out remote control ; Lens shift ; More powerful than most, it does well on larger screens even in its darker modes ; Very portable - easy to set up and take down ; Extremely quiet

Pixels visible at closer seating positions, than some other projectors in price class ; No DVI or HDMI (digital) inputs ; The sort of silly rear "rocker" foot on the bottom ; No saveable user settings

Back to how the NEC HT510 stacks up to the LCD projectors. Tough call. Overall I like the Sanyo for color, features, and warranty, but the NEC should be considered by anyone who wants to stick with DLP for "smoother" image. With DLP projectors, you are...