Dell 5100MP Projector

Features of the Dell 5100MP Projector

• Bright 3,300 ANSI Lumens (Max)
• Superior high contrast ratio of 2500:1 (Full on/Full off)
• At less than 8.3 pounds, the 5100MP is ideal for professional presentation in the conference or boardroom
• Integrated zoom lens and Automatic Vertical Keystone correction
• DLP DDR technology from Texas Instruments
• Native SXGA+ (1400 x 1050), with autosync up to UXGA (1600 x 1200)
• Eco-mode option for quieter operation and to extend lamp life up to 2200 hours
• One Audio In and Out connector
• Supports full range of television and video standards, including NTSC, NTSC 4.43, PAL (B/D/G/H/I/M/N), SECAM (B/D/G/K/K1/L) and HDTV (480i/P; 576i/P, 720P; 1080i)
• Separate HDMI and Component video input
• Internal 2 X 2W speaker
• Standard dedicated support queue and up to 3-Year Advanced Exchange Service3. Optional CompleteCare Service4 also available

The high brightness makes the Dell 5100MP one of the brightest projectors you will find in it's price range and some of the higher price ranges as well. The contrast ratio is also very good and provides nice black levels for great picture quality.

The remote control is unique as well and features a built in USB dongle that allows you to control your computers mouse from the remote during presentations or movie watching form your PC. The remote also has a built in laser pointer. The projector has sensors for the remote on the front and back so that you can control it easily whether you are in font of the 5100MP or behind it.

The 5100MP does ship with carry case, if you can call it that. Really it is just a thin black cloth sack you place the 5100MP into that is more for keeping dust off the projector than protection. Dell does offer an optional carrying case you will want to spring for if you are going to be carrying the 5100MP around a lot. The cloth standard sack is not really that big an issue, I think most people will be using the Dell 5100MP in one place since it's not exactly the most portable projector on the market.

We have talked about the brightness already, but the Dell also has a great contrast ratio of 2500:1. I personally didn't feel that the projector was too bright and quite liked the brightness and picture quality. All projectors need bulbs replaced at some point. The bulb for the 5100MP is costly at $399 for a 1700-hour bulb, but it is user replaceable.

Dell 5100MP Projector in Use

Naturally the first thing I did when I received the 5100MP was hook it up and get my game on. I played lots of Need for Speed: Most Wanted and it looked great. The 5100MP is capable of nice wide screen resolutions and the images were great. I noticed no ghosting or smearing when I was crashing police cars and jumping hills at 230 mph.

Movie watching proved to be just as great. I tried it out with one of my favorite movies, Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring. The movie has lots of dark scenes with subtle changes between black, white and gray. The 5100MP performed very well, the picture was sharp and the image quality was first rate.

The zoom gives some portion of control over the image size and allows you to manually focus the picture. The image size varies with how far you can get from the wall and can be from4.9 feet to 32.8 feet and produce an image24.4" to 292.5" diagonal. TV watching is also great and can the 5100MP is compatible with HDTV 480i/P, 720P and 1080i.

At the end of the day, I really enjoyed my time with the Dell 5100MP, it has great picture that is bright and has great contrast. Large screen gaming doesn't get much better that what you find with the 5100MP. If you want a great projector that is in the lower end of the high range, the Dell 5100MP is very hard to beat.