Canon LV-8310

Value

The Epson is the cheaper projector, priced at around $700. The LV-8310 is more expensive, at around $900

	Comparison Specifications
	Canon LV-8310	Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 705HD
Price
Resolution	WXGA 1280 x 800 (16:10)	WVGA 800 x 480 (5:3)
HD	Yes	Yes
3D Support	No	Yes

Blacks & Whites

The Canon LV-8310 is the brighter projector which is important for use in well-lit environments. However, the difference between this and the Epson is not huge: both provide clean, bright images.

Color

The LV-8310 was the better performer in our color tests, with more consistent color temperature and smoother color curves. Both of these translate into smoother, more accurate color on the screen.

Motion

Neither projector wowed us with smooth motion on the screen. The 705HD can display 120 frames a second, but it does not seem to use this to produce any smoother motion than the Canon.

Viewing Effects

Both projectors include 1.2x zoom lenses that provide some flexibility in where the projector can be placed, but we found that the Canon offered a slightly wider range on which it could be placed to fill a particular screen size. We found that the additional lumens that the LV-8310 offers make it more able to cut through incidental lighting, but both projectors are suitable for office use with a small or medium sized screen.

Connectivity

Both projectors offer a number of inputs, allowing for both analog and digital video sources to be connected. The Canon projector is missing a HDMI port, though; it offers a single DVI port in its place. This makes it more suitable for use with computer video sources, but you can buy an additional HDMI to DVI adapter. This is not included, but Canon does include a VGA to DVI adapter that turns the DVI port into a second VGA input.