Samsung SP-P300ME

We posted our first impressions of Samsung's SP-300ME DLP-based projector in the Testbed and now we can bring you the full review.

The unit measures an astonishingly small 172mm wide by 95mm deep and weighs a paltry 700g. Unlike standard projectors, the SP-P300ME uses LEDs instead of the standard lamp found in most projectors.

LED projectors bring with them plenty of advantages over more traditional models - the most obvious being a huge reduction in size.

Furthermore, since they require little power, operation via a battery is possible - a battery for the Samsung SP-P300ME is available for £139 and will power it for over two hours.

Heat generation is also very low, so there's no need for noisy cooling. You'll hear a fan whirring away inside the SP-P300ME, but it's far quieter than the racket created by standard projectors.

They also start projecting the image almost as soon as you turn them on (unlike standard projectors, which can take a fair amount of time to warm up) and there's no lamp to cool down after use.

However, there are also a fair few disadvantages to using LED technology in a projector.

First and foremost, LEDs aren't particularly bright - in fact, compared to standard projector lamps they're positively dull.

Rated at 25 ansi lumens, the SP-P300ME is never going to be able to compete with the 1,500+ ansi lumens rating of most projectors.

Business users will need to pull down all the blinds when giving a presentation while those wanting to watch a movie at home during the day will need to invest in some heavy duty curtains or revert to their standard TV.

The small size also means there's no internal speaker.

Despite the low specifications, we were able to get some surprisingly good results.

Samsung's maximum quoted projection size actually 63in - anything larger than this and you start to lose out in terms of image quality.

But in a near pitch-black room we watched an entire football match on an 83in widescreen projection and were impressed with the quality.

We tried watching a few films using the projector. Although it coped for the most part, low-light scenes troubled the SP-P300ME a fair amount - certainly not to an unwatchable extent, but annoying nevertheless.

The native resolution of 800 x 600 will also disappoint those looking to use it in conjunction with a laptop. This low resolution also means high-definition video isn't supported.

Via the supplied proprietary adapter, you can hook up composite and VGA connections direct to the projector. Using third-party connectors it's possible to use scart, S-video and other inputs.

While we enjoyed testing the SP-P300ME, we're left wondering what sort of market there will be for it. Although it's by no means expensive, the price tag of £599 is slightly higher than we were previously led to believe.

Business users will delight in being able to carry a battery-powered projector around with them for impromptu Powerpoint sessions, but if you want a projector to go with your home cinema set up, you'd be better off purchasing a larger, but higher performing model.

The Viewsonic PJ400 is a good choice and is now slightly cheaper than this Samsung model.

Alternatively, you might want to hold on to your money for a bit and see what the likes of Mitsubishi and Viewsonic can come up with in terms of LED projectors.

Despite its shortcomings, there's no denying the Samsung SP-P300ME represents a huge advance in projection technology.

If you don't mind sacrificing brightness for portability, it's well worth considering.

Samsung tells us Microanvika will be selling this projector, although at time of writing there was no listing for the SP-P300ME on the site.

To hear more about the SP-P300ME, take a listen to our PCW Product of the Week podcast.

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