Review: HP Notebook Projection Companion

HP Notebook Projection Companion.

Anyone who's ever travelled to do business presentations is likely to know the pain and annoyance of lugging a notebook, projector and other presentation aids about.

Notebooks may have become slimmer, lighter and more portable, but until now, projectors have tended to be bulky shoulder straining beasts that are light in the way that bricks aren't.

Thankfully HP has taken note and to, the relief of chiropractors everywhere, developed the HP Notebook Projection Companion which is a pint-sized projector that works with any notebook or desktop PC sporting a VGA connection.

When I say pint-sized, I'm not kidding either. The Notebook Projection Companion is tiny, weighing a mere 420 grams and, at 9x4x11cm, taking up about the same amount of room as a coffee mug, making it a relatively hassle-free addition to most laptop bags.

While the device certainly won't wow home theatre purists, it's more than up to doing the business for work presentations, delivering 858x600 SVGA native resolution, at an 800:1 contrast ratio with a brightness of up to 100 Lumens.

Powered by an LED light source, it also has the added benefit of being significantly more robust than its bulkier counterparts and will deliver up to 10,000 hours of projection (which at approximately the same of five years of average usage will save you a pack in replacement bulbs).

HP has also thoughtfully supplied the Notebook Projection Companion with everything you need to get started. Not only does it come with a video cable (which whilst sporting a proprietary projector connector, does have a composite AV input for hooking up other devices, significantly extending its versatility), but its AC adapter is the same as those supplied with HP business notebooks, which means HP notebook owners only need pack one adaptor.

Add to this an adjustable tripod and carry bag and you're literally good to go.

The Projection Companion is a doddle to drive. After plunking it onto its tripod and plugging in its cables my Windows 7 Acer Notebook entered dual-display presentation mode, asking if I wanted a duplicate or mirror desktop, or extend it across both the notebook and projector.

After hitting the power button and fiddling with its zoom control, I then had a play its settings menu, which was navigated using a large four-way control. Setting options covered all the usual projector tweaks, ranging from colour calibration through to auto keystone correction.

In use the Projection Companion hummed along in a quiet distraction free fashion, happily projecting vivid output in sizes starting at 15 all the way to 55" plus at up to three metres distance.

Easily doing the business of the three kilo-plus monster I've been forced to lug to presentations.

Being a Micro projector, I did initially have reservations about its possible brightness levels, but HP and Texas Instruments have literally managed to pull the proverbial DLP (digital light processing) rabbit out of a hat to deliver 100 lumens, which is plenty bright for most office conditions.

Verdict

Its small footprint, solid performance and reasonable price make the Projection Companion a no-brainer for any travelling business presenters. Looks like HP are big believers in good things coming in small packages.

HP Notebook Projection Companion
RRP $749+GST

Specs
Lamp Type LED
Normal Mode Lamp Life 10000 Hour
Standard Mode Brightness 100 lm
Native Resolution 858 x 600
Graphic Mode SVGA
Maximum Projection Distance 102"
Diagonal Image Size 60"
Contrast Ratio 800:1