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With an 11 year history of being the best, Iridium is
one of the UK's largest
and most respected manufacturers of notebook computers,
LCD Projectors and LCD Monitors.
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STARLITE
LM95
What
Laptop (November'02)
A low cost entry into the data projector market
As a brand name associated with low-cost laptops, it’s no
surprise that Iridium’s first data projector is very competitively
priced. The Starlite LM95 features a 2000 ANSI lumens lamp
and costs £2701 (inc VAT). This is better brightness per pound
than many manufacturers are currently able to offer.
Like many entry-level projectors, the Starlite uses LCD technology
to power the display. Cheaper than Texas Instruments’ DLP
technology, LCD still offers good brightness though it can
lead to larger projectors. This is true of the Starlite: it
measures 305x108x240mm and weighs 3.9kg without any cables.
Thankfully, it is supplied in a good quality case that also
has enough space for the power supply and cables.
The unit offers a contrast ratio of 400:1 with a natural XGA
resolution of 1024x768 pixels. Brightness is often measured
by different manufacturers in different ways – we wouldn’t
say that the 2000 lumens Starlite was twice as bright as some
of the 1000 lumens units supplied for our group reviews, but
it is certainly more so. Images can be correctly focused at
projection distances of between 1.5 and 15 metres and with
screen sizes between 30 and 300 inches diagonally. As you’d
expect, the best results are found towards the centre of these
limits, but the projector does allow considerable flexibility
over where and how projection can happen.
Unlike some smaller projectors, the Starlite features a wide
array of connectors. There are two VGA inputs, one of which
can be used for pass through for monitor output. A flexible
infrared remote control, which includes both a laser pointer
and an electronic pointer controlled by a joypad, is also
included. Like most projectors, input can be scaled upwards
and downwards to the native resolution. PAL, NTSC and HDTV
video projection are supported, making this an appealing machine
for home cinema purposes.
Overall, this is a very strong offering at a sensible price.
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