This LCoS (liquid crystal on silicon) unit also displays sharp, legible text and has a built-in media player with 1GB of memory, a 4GB MicroSD card reader, and dual 0.5-watt speakers, so it can independently display presentations, photos, and video.
On the other hand, the P2 is bulkier and louder than most picos (its noise level specification is 30 dB); its rechargeable battery lasts only about 50 to 60 minutes (due to its relatively high 15-watt power consumption); and its color quality is mediocre. Still, for standard business presentations where crisp, legible text matters more than vibrant color graphics, the P2 is a fine choice--bright enough for small-group presentations under low light conditions. In low ambient daylight at a distance of 5 feet from the screen, the P2 displayed viewable 37-inch-diagonal images. In a darkened room at night, the P2 successfully displayed 80-inch diagonal images at a distance of 11 feet from the screen.
In our performance tests, the P2 earned an overall rating of Very Good for image quality, though it did much better on some tests than on others. In displaying text images, the P2 earned a Superior rating for rendering sharp fonts in presentation slides, spreadsheets, word processing documents, and Web pages. At its default settings, however, the P2 displayed lackluster color graphics, due to undersaturated hues and dull, washed-out color.
In our motion tests, the P2 delivered smooth action during animated presentations, in the Monsters vs. Aliens DVD screening, and in podcasts and other videos piped from an Apple iPhone or iPod. But its mediocre color yielded grayer tones than with most other pico models did. The P2's built-in sound was reasonably audible, but we'd recommend getting stronger speakers if sound plays a vital role in your presentations or videos.
Whereas most picos have an internal battery compartment, the P2's rechargeable battery attaches to the bottom of the 1.0-by-2.3-by-4.3-inch, 9.17-ounce projector. With the battery attached, the P2 weighs about 18 ounces--about three times as much as an average pico projector (with battery)--and it's as thick as two decks of cards--twice the thickness of most picos. Add the unit's accessory cables (A/V, VGA, USB, power), battery clip, metal tripod, remote, and battery pack dock (for recharging) to the load, and the entire P2 outfit weighs about 2.5 pounds (not counting the carrying case). The bundled composite (RCA-type) A/V cable worked fine with the digital camera and DVD player we used in our tests, but we had to use a third-party cable to connect the P2 to the and used in other tests.