Short throw projectors are designed to stand close to their display surface, using lens shape and image manipulation to compensate for the distortion and inconsistent brightness you'd normally expect. Nashua's Ultra Short Throw Projector takes its job seriously, with not only solid short-throw performance but an unusual vertical design to allow it to huddle even closer to the wall, winning it ergonomic points as well. It achieves its maximum display size (80-inches) standing just 6-inches from the wall.
The USTP (under the hood, a Ricoh PJ WX4130) appears on paper to be an otherwise unremarkable projector, pushing out 2 500 lumens at 2500:1 contrast ratio (acceptable but not impressive) with a standard maximum WXGA resolution (1280x800). Setup is quick and easy, with the projector warmed up and the image legible in just a few seconds. An auto-keystone feature corrects for alignment issues and does a good job of straightening images, within reason.
Usability
The on-screen menus are easy to navigate and thorough, but most of the time the defaults deliver perfectly acceptable images. An eco-mode runs the projector more quietly, with a slightly dimmer image but still perfectly legible enough even in fairly bright surroundings. We'd quite like to see a light sensor doing automatic brightness adjustment, but even out of eco mode, it's acceptably quiet. Since eco mode also promises to extend the lamp life by about 25%, many users might want to use this by default unless the room really is bright enough to wash out the image.
Performance
The projector does a great job keeping brightness even across the projected image - far better than expected. That is no mean feat when the projector is mere centimetres from its display surface. We did experience a noticeable loss of clarity in the top corners, but not enough to render text illegible, but it became more pronounced as the unit was moved away from the surface to increase the image size. With videos, this was less noticeable, and the colour reproduction was very good. The unit is rated to 80-inches (203cm) - more than big enough for most boardrooms or meeting rooms, but given the potential distortion you'll want to keep the throw distance well under the rated maximum to avoid losing sharpness.
Because this is a model designed for handling projector-unfriendly environments, it's designed to be portable, weighing in at a svelte 3kg and coming with a tote bag for transport. And this is where the USTP shines - in delivering presentation capabilities in small spaces where a traditional projector is simply impractical. That, coupled with its exceptionally uniform brightness, makes it really stand out for challenging tasks.
The projector comes in variations with and without network (wired and WiFi) support. Both offer a USB port which accepts portable media with the ability to play images and videos, but very few formats, and not PowerPoint natively. VGA and HDMI inputs are provided.
Verdict
While in most respects the USTP is an average projector, its form factor and excellent short-throw capabilities make it worth the extra expense. For business people needing portable presentation options, this is a good buy.
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