Entered CNET Catalog: 01/14/2005
SKU: CP-RS55
Manufacturer: Hitachi America Ltd.
Manufacturer description
This versatile digital projector is the ideal solution for those looking for performance at a feel-good price. The Hitachi 'Performa' can be used for a number of applications including education, mobile business, home use and even home theatre. With a powerful 1500 ANSI lumens and SVGA resolution and weighing only 2.2Kg, the 'Performa' offers you more. The 'Performa' uses Hitachi's proprietary video-processing circuits and 3 LCD technology, which gives better color reproduction and higher brightness than other technologies.Product summary
The good: Bright; small and lightweight; low price; quick warm-up and cool-down; handles colors well.
The bad: Low contrast; large remote with limited capabilities; lacks carrying case and optical zoom.
The bottom line: Although not the brightest, lightest, or most feature-filled projector on the market, the Hitachi Performa CP-RS55 can lay claim to the best price tag, and it may well represent the best all-round value available.
Editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 04/05/2005
Inside the stylish but understated silver-gray case is an LCD imaging engine, part of the reason for the projector's low price. Hitachi has upgraded this venerable technology with what it calls Progressive Scan Technology, which promises reduced flicker. Nevertheless, CNET Labs' tests revealed the typical trademarks of LCD technology: superior color handling (particularly with blues, in this case), a significant screen-door-like grid effect on projected images, and a lower-than-average contrast ratio (only 192:1). Another traditional LCD drawback inherited by the Hitachi is the need for regular cleaning of the cooling fan's air filter. In other words, this model is better for tabletop use than for ceiling installations with limited access.
The CP-RS55 comes with a decent but spartan set of connectors and cables. The standard connectors (VGA, S-Video, composite video, and audio) are all present and accounted for, though the projector ships with only one VGA cable and an AC cable. The only surprise is an RS-232 port labeled Control, which, with an optional cable, enables you to control the projector either locally or via a network.
As you might have guessed by now, the old adage still stands: you get what you pay for, or in this case, you don't get what you don't pay for. The CP-RS55 lacks many of the features you would normally expect with projectors, such as a carrying case, a laser pointer, or optical zoom. The top panel of the projector has only three buttons, one of which toggles in four directions for menu navigation. This button deficiency is compensated for by the oversize remote control, which bristles with no fewer than 24 buttons. But unlike the remotes that come with the BenQ PB6110 or the InFocus X2 budget projectors, not one of these many buttons can page through a PowerPoint presentation, which is an egregious oversight for a business projector, budget or otherwise. Instead, they are dedicated to dubious features such as digital zooming and image freezing. You'll have to rely on your laptop or a mouse to page through presentations.
Despite cost-cutting, the Hitachi did well in our Labs tests, falling only a little short of its impressive advertised brightness of 1,500 ANSI lumens. In fact, even in its low-power, lamp-friendly Whisper mode, the CP-RS55 was able to outshine the Toshiba TDP-S20U. We also appreciated the CP-RS55's surprisingly short warm-up and cool-down times of only 22 seconds and 1 minute, 16 seconds, respectively. This model also runs quite cool; we noticed some warm areas near its fan exhaust, but nothing that was uncomfortably hot. In our tests, the greens produced by this projector seemed a bit yellowish, but our colorimeter showed that it handles reds and blues remarkably well. Contrary to what Hitachi claims, we did see a small amount of flicker, but nothing beyond the ordinary.
The Hitachi Performa CP-RS55's replacement lamp is rated for 2,000 hours of use, half that of other projectors. Hitachi charges $199 for the lamp, which works out to about 10 cents per hour--not exactly cheap, but better than average. Changing the lamp is fairly simple: you only need to remove three screws. Hitachi bundles the projector with a two-year warranty, but the lamp is covered for only 90 days or a surprisingly short 180 hours of use. The company's Web site lists only limited support services, such as replacement parts and accessories for the projector, but it does not indicate how to purchase them or what they cost. To get more information, you must fill out an electronic form or send an e-mail message to one of the tech-support mailboxes listed there. Toll-free phone technical support is provided seven days a week, from 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. CT.
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1out of 1 user reviews
great little low cost projector
Pros: low cost replacement lamp $184
Cons: so so line doubler
almost 1000 hrs no problems , flawless performance was able to adjust gama up and get great color reproduction and balanced. love the hd picture from comcast outs, made break out cable for free from old monitor cable its super easy. placement is a pain without zoom its the feature i miss most , have car air fiter sealed around bottom of the unit so the filter only needs cleaned every 500 hrs ,had to tape over led warning light that wants me to change filter, it only shuts off after filter door has been accessed. real happy with it. use it all the time with out the worry of replacement lamp costing big bucks . had lot of projectors over the years and put out way to much on lamps that blew way early and cost $450 this is a projector for the working man .my X-1 died with color wheel problems it had 4200 hrs and got moved around alot went to parties to game etc. went through 3 lamps did not get the lamp life i expected but it took lots of abuse
very depenable, bright, sold it for $350 with 1800 hrs second lamp , only quirk is resetting filter time takes holding the reset buttton sometimes for over 10 seconds this little projector was for mostly video games and it had very stable picture in fast moving video . just got a optoma hd70 and it really falls short with games on the PS2 compared to the stable picture or the hitachi.
very depenable, bright, sold it for $350 with 1800 hrs second lamp , only quirk is resetting filter time takes holding the reset buttton sometimes for over 10 seconds this little projector was for mostly video games and it had very stable picture in fast moving video . just got a optoma hd70 and it really falls short with games on the PS2 compared to the stable picture or the hitachi.
