Acer S1210 review

At a little over £400, the S1210 is one of the least expensive short-throw projectors around. Despite its low price, however, this DLP projector is 3D ready. As you may expect with such a product at this price, compromises have been made, but build quality isn’t one of them. The S1210’s plastic body feels solid, despite the back section of the top panel flexing a little when pressed. It’s also a compact projector: measuring 272 x 229 x 104mm (WDH), and weighing 2.7kg, the S1210 is a very portable product.

Native resolution is limited to XGA (1,024 x 768) and there’s less connectivity than on more expensive products. It has VGA inputs and outputs, S-Video and composite video inputs, plus a serial interface, a USB connection and 3.5mm jacks for audio in and out, but no HDMI or DVI digital inputs. Accessories include a D-SUB cable and a small white remote control with batteries. The remote offers a good range of functions, including mute and hide buttons, which are useful if you want the class to focus their attention on you and not the screen. However, the S1210 makes a rather disconcerting groaning sound whenever the hide function is engaged. Let’s hope your class don’t do the same.

Setup is simple and the menu easily navigated, although we didn’t like that the menu disappears if you pause for longer than ten seconds. The S1210 includes Acer’s Empowering Technology, features designed to make it easy to use, although these are limited to customisable colour profiles and startup screens, and a countdown clock for timed presentations.

This projector has a 0.61:1 throw ratio, giving a 77in image only 95cm from the screen, and image sizes can range from 40in to 299in. The lamp has a 4,500-hour lifetime or 6,000 hours in eco mode, and a replacement costs around £96 exc VAT; a good combination. The projector’s XGA resolution means images have a 4:3 aspect ratio, compared with a 16:10 ratio for a WXGA projector, but images from various sources were sharp, clear and had good contrast, even in a bright room. The built-in 2W speaker is useful, although sound is weedy.

If your budget is tight and you don’t mind making a few compromises, the S1210 offers good value for money.