3M Camcorder Projector CP45

The 3M Camcorder Projector CP45 ($300 street) has a bit of an identity problem. According to 3M, when it introduced the first generation 3M Camcorder Projector Shoot 'n Share CP40 ($299 list, 3 stars) the company thought of it as a pico projector with a camcorder, but a lot of people who buy it see it as a camcorder with a projector. I could argue either way, or just call it a fun toy that will let you take photos and video and project them too.

That said, given that 3M manufactures projectors rather than cameras, and the camcorder side has more in common with camera phones than full fledged camcorders, treating it as a projector makes more sense.

As a projector, the CP45 has less in common with 3M's other pico projectors, like the 3M Pocket Projector MPro150 ($350, 3.5 stars) than with more consumer-oriented choices like the Ray Pico Projector ($249 direct, 2.5 stars). The 3M MPro150, like the Editors' Choice Optoma PK301 Pico Pocket Projector ($400 street, 4 stars), can connect to either a composite video source or to a computer's VGA port. The CP45, like the Ray Pico Projector, connects to composite video sources only, making it a consumer projector.

The good news if you want to use the CP45 for business is that you can still use it for presentations. One choice is to save the presentation as a set of JPG files and then move the files to the projector. You can move them on a microSD or microSDHC card or by connecting to a computer using the supplied USB cable, letting the computer recognize the CP45's memory as a USB drive, and then copying the files. You can also connect by USB cable to copy video and photo files from CP45 to your computer.

A second choice for Windows is to use the included customized version of ArcSoft MediaConverter 3 to covert PowerPoint slides into movies. Not so incidentally, MediaConverter can also convert most video file formats on your computer to a format the CP45 can play.?

Projector (and Camcorder) Basics
The CP45 offers SVGA (800 by 600) native resolution, and a red-green-blue LED light source rated at 20,000 hours and meant to last the life of the projector. By definition, as a pico projector, it's small and light enough to fit in a shirt pocket, at 0.95 ?by 2.0 by 4.9 inches (HWD) and just 7 ounces.

The physical design is suitably slick, with a shiny white case and your choice of a red or black highlight. The front is defined by the projector lens. The top includes a 2.4-inch LCD display that you can use as a monitor while taking photos and video and also use as a display for playback if you'd rather not use the projector. The control panel, for both the projector and camcorder functions, is below the LCD, and surprisingly easy to use.

The right side includes a thumbwheel focus control, microSD card slot, and power switch. The camera lens and tripod socket are on the bottom. The USB port on the left side doubles as a power connector, letting you charge the unit while it's connected to your computer or plugged into a power outlet with the included power adaptor. The only other connectors are a mini HDMI port and a mini-plug jack.

Note that the HDMI port is for output only. The camcorder takes videos at up to 720p (1280 by 720) resolution, which is well above the projector resolution. The HDMI port lets you connect to, say, an HDTV, so you can play back the image at full resolution.

The single mini-plug is for both audio output and composite video input using the supplied cable with RCA phono connectors for video and stereo audio. Unfortunately, having one connector for both functions can be a problem. As with most pico projectors, the built-in audio offers far too little volume to be useful, so you'll usually want to use a headset or external sound system. With an external source already plugged into the AV jack, however, there's no place left to plug in, which means you'll have to bypass the projector's AV input and connect the sound system directly to the source.?

Brightness and Image Quality
I tested the CP45 with a FIOS set-top box and a Blu-ray player as well as with videos I took with its built-in camcorder and with photos from its 5-megapixel still camera. The 20-lumen rating translates to being bright enough to watch a 40-inch-wide image comfortably for only a short time, even in theater-dark lighting. If you want to watch a full-length movie, you'll probably want to stay with a smaller image.

Image quality earns the same broad brush description as with virtually every other pico projector, which is to say that it's good enough to be usable, but well short of impressive. One potentially annoying distraction was a flickering white line I saw at the top of the screen whenever I used an external source. The line didn't show in any of the video I took with CP45 itself however.

I also saw what looked like unusually obvious judder (the jerky movement that shows in filmed scenes because of the industry standard 24 frames per second for film) as well as a particularly obvious rainbow effect (the tendency for light areas to break up into little red-green-blue rainbows when an object moves on screen). The rainbow artifacts are obvious enough with the CP45 so that anyone who's sensitive to the effect will probably find it annoying.

On the plus side, the projector handles skin tones well and does a reasonably good job with shadow detail (details based on shading). It also does relatively better with photos than video, since the jumpiness and rainbow effect related to movement don't come into play.?

Other Issues
Along with the maximum 720p resolution, an important limitation for the camcorder side of the CP45 is the frame rate, at only 30 frames per second (fps) rather than the 60 fps you'd expect in an HD camcorder. Also, as with the 3M CP40, image stabilization was an issue, with the camera producing a jumpy image even when I held it still. The combination translates to video that I found acceptable when projecting with the CP45, but annoying to watch when I moved the MP4 format clips to a computer and used QuickTime to watch them.

Probably the best way to set your expectations for the camcorder side of the CP45 is to think of it as a camera phone without the phone. It can take usable photos and video, and it's small and light enough to carry with you all the time, but it's no match for a full-fledged camcorder.

As a projector, on the other hand, it offers usable, if flawed, image quality, the ability to show video from memory so you don't need to carry a separate video source, and it works as a camcorder too. It also earns extra points for synergy?combining features that enhance each other?which, ultimately, is what makes it worth considering. It's not hard to find better camcorders and better projectors. But by letting you take video or photos and then project them from the same device, the 3M Camcorder Projector CP45 adds a level of convenience?and fun?that you can't get from carrying around two separate products.

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