Boxlight SP-45M LCD Projector

Performance of Boxlight SP-45M LCD Projector

The Boxlight SP-45m performed disappointingly in our tests. Its 664 ANSI lumens brightness reading is well short of its 1,000 ANSI lumens spec. Its contrast ratio of 212:1 is just more than half of its 400:1 spec. Its 79 percent uniformity score is the lowest among the LCD projectors we've tested.

The SP-45m's imaging quality was adequate. It capably showed 247 of the 255 standard grayscale tones without annoying flicker, but it did succumb to interlace flicker in one of our test screens. Its color temperature of 6,367 degrees kelvin makes its light the warmest of the six. In our color tests, the greens were shifted slightly to the yellow, while reds had a minor orange tint.

This projector is ill-suited for home-theater use for several reasons. A small hot spot at the center of the screen makes videos look odd. The SP-45m displayed DVD sequences smoothly, with excellent sound synchronization, but the images had a green cast to them. The pronounced background grid, a frequent complaint about LCD projectors, can be distracting when watching movies. Finally, the SP-45m leaks a lot of light out of the back of its case.

At least the SP-45m was one of the quietest (37.9 decibels) and coolest (147 degrees Fahrenheit) projectors in its class. It also gets off the mark quickly, with a 34-second start-up time, but it takes a relatively long 1 minute, 26 seconds to shut down.