Features:
At first glance this projector may appear somewhat plain. Its look is boxy in style, off white in color, with slightly recessed onboard controls and only a few light indicators, and a lens window located on one of the long sides. This was all done for the purpose of making this unit look industrial and, hopefully, not as attractive to thieves.

Weighing in at only 15.4 lbs. it is not as heavy as it appears so moving it from room to room can be easily accomplished. I recommend using a cart but it an also be carried by hand.

This unit puts out 3500 Lumens on High yet still runs at only 39dB so it is fairly quiet even in the high brightness output mode.

Startup time is about 45 seconds to usable brightness with full brightness reached in only 90 seconds. Shutdown takes about 5 seconds and it fully shuts down with no running fan after that period. This will help to keep the unit cleaner longer as the fan is only running when the projector is in actual operation instead of all the time.

The projected image is bright, clear, and very uniform across the entire screen. Font definition is clean and crisp and colors are accurate with good representation of shades with no blurring.

The manual optical zoom lens is enclosed to help in keeping the optical engine clean. Performance across the entire zoom range is very good with only minor focal touchup needed at the far ends of that range.

A built in 5 Watt amp with speaker is adequate for small to medium size rooms.

There is a full array of inputs for 2 computers, composite or s-video, and each has its corresponding audio input. Computer inputs have a monitor output if needed.

For service this unit has only one heavy duty filter located on one end which makes it easily accessible without having to remove the unit from its mounting bracket. The lamp is also easily accessible in the ceiling mounted position as it is located on the top of the unit towards one corner. No more removing the projector each time you need to clean a filter or change a lamp.

Onboard controls can be fully or partially locked out to prevent tampering with the unit.

Built-in closed caption decoder works very well on the video input and eliminates the need for an outboard decoder to comply with ADA Regulations. The decoder provides a full of choices for CC type (1-4) and 4 Text Modes.

Conclusion:
Epson has provided a very well thought out projector for many school classroom or meeting room installation needs. In a direct comparison with a 7900 w/Mid Throw Lens the 6100i fully holds its own with the exception of the fact that the 7900 is slightly brighter. In fact, the overall image in regards to focus, detail, and overall color definition I find better than the 7900. This may have something to do with the fact that the 6100i is designed around one optical lens system only while the 7900 is designed to accommodate three separate lens options. I fully recommend this projector for installations not needing a special lens outside the range of the 6100i optical system.

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