Casio Short Throw XJ-ST145

The Casio Short Throw XJ-ST145 is a lower-brightness version of the Casio Short Throw XJ-ST155, that is to say a massive short-throw data projector for a conference or classroom. Among its many connectivity choices are Wi-Fi and the ability to run a presentation from a USB thumb drive. It has optional interactive features, and is 3D compatible.

The XJ-ST145, rated at 2,500 lumens, has the same XGA (1,024 by 768) native resolution as the Casio XJ-ST155, a 4:3 aspect ratio conducive to data presentations. It also uses the same hybrid laser/LED light engine combined with a DLP chip, as do many other recent Casio projectors. Its LED lamp is designed to last up to 20,000 hours, far longer than typical projector bulbs?and it's mercury free. The projector (including the bulb) is backed by a generous 3-year warranty.

The projector is two-toned, with a dark brown base and an off-white tan top. At 15.6 pounds and with a 4.2 by 16.5 by 12.7 inch frame, the XJ-ST145 begs to be permanently installed. Ceiling mounts are available from third-party vendors.

The XJ-ST145 has a good selection of ports: two VGA-in for computers plus monitor-out; serial; Ethernet, USB type B, composite and component video, S-Video, and HDMI. A USB type A port lets you run presentations off a thumb drive; it also fits a Wi-Fi adapter that lets you connect wirelessly with Wi-Fi-enabled Android, iOS, and Windows Mobile smart phones and computers running MobiShow software, so you can run a presentation from these devices. For wireless presentations, up to 32 PCs can be connected at one time with 4 simultaneously active on screen.

Testing
The image from the XJ-ST145 filled our 60-inch-diagonal test screen with the front of the projector about 35 inches away. It was bright enough to stand up to a fair amount of ambient light.?

In data image testing using the DisplayMate suite, under theater-dark conditions, the projector?s image quality proved suitable for typical business and classroom presentations. White-on-black text was blurred at the two smallest sizes, and barely readable at the smallest. I noticed some mild green tinting in several images with light gray or white backgrounds. The colors were brighter and generally looked better in when in Standard color mode than in Graphics mode, though there was somewhat less tinting in graphics mode. When I switched from a VGA connection to HDMI, the tinting was a bit more pronounced.

Another issue is the rainbow effect, which we frequently see in DLP-based projectors. People sensitive to this effect will see little red-green-blue rainbow flashes, particularly in scenes with white objects against a dark background. It was apparent to me in certain images that tend to bring it out, but it's generally not much of a distraction, even for people who are sensitive to it, in data presentations?with video it's a different matter.

Video Quality
You can use the XJ-ST145 to show fairly short clips as part of a presentation, but video isn't its forte. Rainbow artifacts were more apparent than in an average DLP projector, and would likely be distracting to those who are sensitive to them.

Also, color in video didn't look quite right. In the default Theater color mode, they appeared dull and listless. When I switched to Standard mode, colors seemed oversaturated, and some bright areas were blown out, with a loss of detail. I tried Graphics mode as well, and the colors were again on the dull side, though not as much as in Theater mode. One other issue is that backgrounds tended to look slightly textured when viewed from fairly close.

Although the volume from the XJ-ST145's speaker is softer than I'd expect from its 10 watts, it's still loud enough to fill a small to mid-sized room.

The XJ-ST145 has two nice extra features, although you'll need to buy extra accessories to enable them. It is 3D ready, compatible with the DLP Link system, though you need active-shutter 3D glasses for each person to view with. Casio sells them for $129, though they're widely available for about $70 a pair. Their cost can quickly add up for multiple users. Also, the projector has interactive capabilities, but you'll have to buy an interactive whiteboard pen ($249) to access them.

The XJ-ST145 is a bit less expensive than the Casio XJ-ST155, isn't as bright, and in our testing its image quality?particularly for video?wasn't quite as good. That said, it's a formidable data projector with a variety of connectivity choices, and its data image quality is solid enough for typical business or classroom presentations. It is quite bulky, though, and some more compact yet high-quality short-throw projectors are also available.

The Editors' Choice Optoma TW610ST lacks some of the ST-XJ145's features such as WiFi and the ability to run presentations from a USB thumb drive. However, it has excellent data image quality, good video and sound, is easily portable, has higher resolution than the Casio, yet it sells much less. The Optoma shares the Editors' Choice with the NEC Display Solutions NP-M300WS and offers a similar feature set, though because it?s based on LCD technology, it's free of rainbow artifacts. Its downside is that it lacks the option for 3D.

For about the same money as you'd spend on the XJ-ST145, you could get our Editors' Choice ultra-short-throw projector, the {{ziffarticle id="301407"}Ricoh PJ WX4130N. It weighs just 6 pounds 10 ounces, and can throw a high-quality image from less than 10 inches away from the projector.

The Casio Short Throw XJ-ST145 is a reasonable choice for a data projector if you don't intend to move it around, with a wealth of connectivity choices and solid if unspectacular data image quality. You can access its 3D capabilities if you invest in active-shutter glasses, and it has an optional interactive pen to make any screen a virtual whiteboard.

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