3M MP 8610

Author's product rating:   

Picture quality	Satisfactory
Colour sensitivity	Satisfactory
Resolution	Good
Ease of Installation	Very Easy
Value for Money	Excellent

Advantages:	Price, reliability, build quality
Disadvantages:	Weight, brightness

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

This is my second data projector review in as many days but there seems to be a paucity of information about these products and I use them quite a bit at work so here goes.

We have had our 8610 projector for seven years now. It has been used daily in school term time. It is always on standby and has been since purchase. On average it has about three hours of use each day so it is probably in the medium to heavy usage range for a data projector.

Let’s take a look at the range of features on offer and consider the projector as a presentation investment.

EASE OF USE
The rear of the projector is home to four buttons: standby, menu, enter and a cursor control for selection. This allows you to access the adjustment for the angle of the projected image, the volume and the brightness. The on screen menu that comes up is easy to follow and the most techno phobic members of our staff have found this projector easy to use. It does take a little longer than more recent machines to warm up though so expect confused looks on viewers faces as you press the standby button and go off to make a cup of coffee.

FEATURES
This is a basic projector. The projection resolution is satisfactory at SVGA but those with the most modern machines would be crying out for a higher resolution.
The ability to change the angle of the projected image is useful and means this projector can be ceiling mounted or sat on a table and project a beautifully square image either way. Unfortunately though the ability to change the focus is extremely limited and as a result this projector needs to be at a specified distance from the screen to be effective. It does however send its image wide so even while reasonably close to the screen it produces a large image. This is a plus point for such an old projector. Our projector for example is mounted seven feet from the board and produces an image about five feet by four feet. Trust me, this is a big image for so close to the screen and even some of the more recent projectors I have used do not have the facility produce such a large image so close to the screen.
The sound on this projector is very good considering its age. It produces stereo sound which although no big boast in these days of 5:1 sound is sufficient for most presentations. It also has quite a porky volume setting that in a normal sized room is enough to impress.

QUALITY OF IMAGE
The image quality is definitely suspect when compared to the projectors being released on to the market today. The brightness of 500 ANSI lumens is just not enough for normal use. Our room where this projector is used has blinds permanently drawn and can be blacked out completely by switching off the lights. This is absolutely necessary for this projector. It has a quarter of the brightness of budget projectors available today so draw your own conclusions as to its ability to be used in various conditions! The image quality has degenerated slightly over the years. It is definitely not as bright and now does have a vary slight ghosting. This is not too terrible unless you are reading 14 point size text or smaller. At this size the ghosting is really noticeable and produces eye strain. The colour saturation has also faded with the years which is disappointing and produces some washed out yellowy colours making most presentations look slightly jaundiced. Take heart though that with the usage quoted above we are only on our second bulb. Also, bulb prices are fairly respectable compared to some of the brighter bulbs on the market today. We paid about £120 for our last bulb.

PORTABILITY
Ever tried lifting breeze blocks in large numbers. It’s not just the weight that kills, it’s the bulk and the shape. This projector is the same. It is large, bulky and very, very heavy. If you get one, decide where it is going, put it down and never intend to pick it up again.

PRICE
The price is irrelevant really. We paid just under £1000 seven years ago but you won’t be able to buy this projector new now. If you find one second hand ask how long the bulb has been in and what usage the projector has had before you decide whether or not to factor a bulb into the price you are paying. With a bulb with reasonable life left I would expect you might pay up to a couple of hundred pounds – no more though.

OVERALL
The projector is good. To get seven years of medium usage out of any technology is a great achievement. The fact that it is still going even at slightly impaired performance level, is testament to the build quality of this piece of kit. I wouldn’t buy one now unless the price was right though as they are bulky and dull compared to today’s data projection technology. We have had excellent value for money out of this projector though and if a good priced second hand one presents itself and you have a dark room for its use, go for it … you probably won’t be disappointed.