The Duke Digital Initiative is offering Duke faculty and instructional staff the opportunity to explore any of five different models of microprojectors, some so small they are close to the size and weight of an iPhone.
This is how the models compare.
| Brand / Model | Optoma Pico PK-101 | 3M MPro110 | Nextar Z10 | Dell M109S | Samsung P400 |
| Weight (Entire Kit) | 12 ounces | 1 pound | 1.5 pounds | 2.5 pounds | 4.25 pounds |
| Weight (Projector Only) | 4 ounces | 4 ounces | 6 ounces | 12 ounces | 2 pounds |
| Relative Brightness | 4 | 1 (least bright) | 2 | 3 | 5 (brightest) |
| Color / Picture Quality | Excellent | Fair | Fair | Good | Very Good |
| Laptop (VGA) Connectivity | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| iPod / iPhone Connectivity | Yes (adapter included) | Yes (adapter NOT included) | Yes (adapter NOT included) | Yes (adapter NOT included) | Yes (adapter NOT included) |
| Power Source | DC and battery | DC and battery | DC and battery | DC | DC |
| Screen Distance | 10′ | 10′ | 6′ | 10′ | 10′ |
| Sound | Yes | No | Yes but is barely audible except from internal files | No | Yes |
Optoma Pico PK-101 ($230)
Dual function proprietary iPod / iPhone cable. Built-in speaker works quite well from up to 10 feet away. Picture is amazingly good, both in terms of color and brightness. Two settings – half and full brightness. Starts up in about 3 seconds. Video decent from as far as 10 feet from screen. Battery charging: 4 hours. Battery life: up to 1.5 hours. No VGA connection.
3M MPro110 ($230)
Battery charging: 2 hours. Battery life: 40-60 minutes. 3-4 seconds for startup. Offers both VGA and composite AV connections; the only tiny model that has VGA capability.
Nextar Z10 ($190)
No VGA connection. Comes with a tiny tripod that is useful. Can store files (video, audio, photo, ereader) internally on memory card. Instant startup. Battery operation is as good as when it’s plugged into the wall. Clarity/focus are good. Connection to source is a bit fragile – when the projector is moved around the picture often gets degraded and the device has to be disconnected and reconnected to clear it up.
Dell M109S ($350)
Best combination of size and connectivity options. Projector itself is fairly small but power cord is heavy; however, the connectors for VGA, iPod, etc. are built into the power cord which is convenient.
Samsung P400 ($560)
Excellent brightness – almost too bright if room is quite dark. Best for situations where room darkness isn’t an option. Has a remote control which is quite useful. Has multiple display modes (movie, sports, standard, etc.). Can be placed quite far from screen. Effective auto-focus feature eliminates the need to adjust focus manually. Not nearly as small or lightweight as the other microprojectors, but still much lighter than a standard portable projector. Internal speakers are very powerful.
Get more details, including pictures and videos demonstrating the microprojectors, or request a microprojector.