Optoma EW536 review

The Optoma EW536 is a DLP projector that comes in a square and boxy black plastic housing. The combination of matt and gloss black gives it a stylish look, while the built-in lens and zoom ring mean it's safe to carry around.

Unlike the Epson EB-W10, which has focus and zoom rings side-by-side, the Optoma has a zoom ring on the top of the unit, while the focus is hidden away on the front of the device. This may initially prove unusual for first-time users, but we didn't have any problems getting a sharp and focused image.

This projector's 2800 ANSI lumens rating meant that under test conditions images were extremely bright. So much so that we found dropping the projector down to eco-mode still kept images bright and sharp. The added bonus of doing this is that you'll find the projector runs quieter.

The EW536 has an HDMI socket and two VGA ports, so you'll be able to connect either two laptops, for switching users during a presentation, or an additional external monitor, which will be especially useful in schools. You'll also find the standard S-Video, Video and Audio ports common on all projectors.

The default image size of 1280 x 800 pixels makes the EW536 a 16:10 aspect ratio projector. This means that higher definition laptop screens will gain vertical border lines onscreen. However, this isn't duplicated on the projected image.

Under test conditions we found images to be sharp and crisp. We particularly liked how sharp the black and whites looked in presentations. DLP projectors tend to have a warmer look when running video and this was very much the case here, as this proved a great all-round machine.

The Optoma EW536 is a powerful and highly practical DLP projector. Its image quality was more than acceptable, and with a quiet fan and reasonable array of ports, it's ideal for classroom, meeting room or home use.

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