Ortis Deley Tech Review – Casio xj-ut310wn projector

August 4, 2015May 14, 2022 Dominic Lill

Each month we give Ortis Deley, from Channel 5’s ‘The Gadget Show’, some amazing tech to test drive. Whether it’s for business or pleasure, he’ll give you the lowdown on the best gadgets money can buy.

Casio xj-ut310wn projector

Price: £1,375
Available from: www.casio.co.uk

Those that know me (or those that read my review for the Optoma M750 projector a few issues ago) will
know that I harbour very strong feelings and desires for all things projector-like. Now, if I was a fan of the diminutive Optoma, how was I going to react to the daddy that is Casio’s Ultra Short Throw (UST) beast? The UST models think nothing of small spaces and can get so close to the wall that ‘it virtually eliminates shadowing on the screen’. I.e. there’s no room for anyone or anything to pass between the projector and the screen.

Out of the box, you get a remote control, YW-3 wireless adaptor, RGB cable, power cable, set-up guide, carrying bag and wall mount.

Ideal for new builds, due to its versatility, there is pretty much nothing it won’t connect to. It has inputs for component video, computer, HDMI. S-Video, RCA, WLAN and USB.

The unit has a lumen rating of 3,100 which is more than adequate for a small office and I tested it on an under lit part of my lounge which doubles as an office space.

At just under £1,400, this is an expensive bit of kit, but you do get the very sexy UST, low running cost – thanks to a handful of eco modes – and a long-life LED-laser light source (20,000hrs).

The Casio has a contrast ratio 1800:1, 16.77 million colours and needs a minimum distance of 0.06m.

It’s simple to use (once you’ve chosen which source to connect); the manual sliding focus is child’s play and although the menu is clunky, it gets the job done.

Now, there’s something about the way this Casio throws up its image that is really nice. Even in mere standard definition images felt better. In fact, still images were handled very well by this device and I enjoyed creating a little slideshow for testing.

There are five eco modes to choose from (in addition to two non-eco modes) which allow you to account for a variety of ambient light settings, and power consumption ranges from 230W on full to 185W on the Eco 1 setting. I found that the highest eco setting worked best in my viewing setup and it came with a nice little bonus – namely that the fan hum was almost inaudible and power consumption was the lowest possible!

That said, the resolution and brightness of the moving image didn’t move me. The 16W speaker is decent enough, though not great if watching movie blockbusters – my choice being ‘Avengers Assemble’. Spoken word presentations sound absolutely fine though, so it has its uses for a business environment.

Verdict

I thought I’d be more blown away by it, to be honest. As an office projector it’s good for stills and short clips and has just enough mobility at 5.7kg to move from room to room. However, the Casio’s power saving potential is what impressed me the most, and if you are looking to keep down your running costs, this may very well be worth the initial sting in price. In fact, so confident are Casio in this tech, that they offer a five year/10,000-hour warranty.

Rating: 3/5

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“If I was a fan of the diminutive Optoma, how was I going to react to the daddy that is Casio’s Ultra Short Throw (UST) beast?”

“There’s something about the way this Casio throws up its image that is really nice.”