Portable projectors, those longtime companions to traveling salespeople, are expanding into a new role as weekend home-theater devices. This became possible within just the last few years, as bulky, expensive models that only hardened presentation pros would choose to lug around began to be replaced by lighter, cheaper models with surprisingly good performance for their size.

If you're looking for something fancier (and pricier) than the entry-level, SVGA portables that we reviewed recently, this batch of XGA (1,024x768) models offers several good choices and one standout. These higher-res projectors range in price from $1,799 to $2,795 and weigh 3.4 to 4.5 pounds. The best models offer the features and the image quality to shine in both the conference room and the living room. Click the images on the right to dive into our reviews of these premium portables or keep reading for a primer on projector technology.

Projector basics
There are two main types of projector technology: LCD, or liquid-crystal display, and DLP, or digital light processing. (Some higher-end home-theater projectors use a third type of technology called LCOS, or liquid crystal on silicon.) LCD projectors contain three glass panels--red, green, and blue--each containing thousands of pixels that can be opened or closed to compose a color image. DLP, by contrast, uses a color wheel and an array of tiny mirrors, each corresponding to a single pixel, that tilt back and forth to control the amount of light hitting the lens.

Each projector type has its pros and cons. For this roundup, we tested only DLP models. All are very small--about the size of a hardback book--and light. DLP has some image-quality advantages: it delivers a higher contrast ratio, with truer blacks, and it doesn't suffer from the pixelation (known as the screen-door effect) that plagues LCD projectors. But DLP projectors also tend to run hot; two of the models here sizzled away at 200 degrees or more during operation. Comparable LCD counterparts would weigh a pound or two more, but they tend to be brighter watt for watt, and they produce sharper, more saturated images.

Size and weight questions aside, the qualities of LCD projectors make them better suited for business presentations, while DLP projectors are winning over home-theater enthusiasts because they can deliver smooth, high-contrast video at a price that, inch for inch, easily beats still-costly plasma and LCD TVs. At least, that's the theory. Unfortunately, you can't decide which projector to buy based solely on specs. The technology on both sides is continually improving, minimizing many of the performance differences between DLP and LCD projectors. Furthermore, many of the manufacturers' specs for brightness, contrast, and other qualities are completely unreliable. And that, as they say, is why we test 'em.

How we tested
Of course, we rate reach projector for its design, ease of use, and features, such as connectors, remotes, and wireless capabilities. But for this story, CNET Labs also devised a suite of quantitative performance measurements, based in large part on the exhaustive DisplayMate battery of tests. All tests were conducted at each projector's default settings. The most important tests measured contrast ratio and brightness in ANSI lumens, but we also measured grayscale range and image uniformity. Finally, CNET Labs measured several factors that affect usability, including start-up and shutdown time, fan noise in decibels, and the temperature of the heat exhausted from the unit.

No single projector aced all of CNET Labs' tests, but two projectors stood out from the pack. Mitsubishi's XD50U, our Editors' Choice, posted good-to-excellent scores across the board, and its features and design are exemplary. It's also the priciest model we tested, at $2,795. Dell's 3200MP also rated highly despite a few imaging problems, and it costs about $1,000 less than the XD50U.

M1 connector bridges analog and digital worlds
Several of the projectors we review here feature a new port called the M1. This 35-pin connector can accommodate both digital and analog sources (abbreviated as D and A, respectively), eliminating the need for separate DVI, VGA, or other ports; all it needs is a cable with an M1 connector at one end and the source connector on the other. Dell's 3200MP, for instance, has an M1-DA connector and two cables to go with it: the M1-DA to VGA and the M1-DA to HDTV/component video. The projector has no separate ports for these signal sources. Gateway's Projector 210 gives you a choice: the projector has only an M1-DA port on the back, but if you don't want to shell out $100 for Gateway's M1-DA cable kit (for VGA, DVI, and component), you can screw on the included video-adapter module to the M1-DA port. It has the traditional array of connectors, and all the cables are included, too. Check out the VESA Web site for more information about the M1 standard.