As a home theater display

If you haven’t already gathered this (I tend to write out of order, so maybe I already said it and just don’t know it yet), I actually bought this projector to replace both my old standard definition television and the two 19” monitors I had hooked up to my desktop. This is part of a vain attempt to de-geekify my living room (hopeless task btw). So I have it hooked up to a Windows Media Center power computer and a fairly well tricked out A/V system.

Cool? Well yes it is. While a 720p or 1080p projector would be ideal for this application, they are a still a bit pricy and the XR-10X does a fine job standing in.

Obviously this projector does not have tv tuner built in so you are going to have to use an external tuner such as a cable/satellite box, VCR, or (as in my case) a computer.

Results? MCE works beautifully with this projector, scaling video to the correct resolution and providing a powerful yet simple to operate interface. DVD through my changer also looks good.

I have a warning to keep in mind. Please note that a massive video display will cause your friends (at least those who watch sports, enjoy video games, or are movie buffs) to wonder by more frequently.


Conclusion

The Sharp XR-10X is a steal. At a street price of $900-$1000 US it has precious little competition. But it is much more than affordable; it is also a very good projector.


Blue 

Pros

• 1024 x 768 resolution
• 2000 lumen output
• Flexible inputs
• Attractive case

Cons

• Trying not to think about how expensive the replacement bulb (~2000 hours at full brightness) is going to be
• Not really portable
• Limited zoom range (1:1.2)
• No DVI/HDMI input