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Hands on with the Vankyo Leisure 510 projector: An adaptable projector for office and home

Written by Eileen Brown, Contributor
vankyo-510-leisure-projector-eileen-brown-zdnet.jpg

Vankyo Leisure 510 projector

8.6 / 5
Excellent

pros and cons

Pros
  • Supplied with carrying case
  • 3600 lumen
  • inbuilt dual 3W speakers
Cons
  • Larger than compact projectors
  • Needs additonal converter to connect to iPhone

I liked the Vankyo Leisure 510 HD projector as soon as I opened the box. A neat carry case, with pockets for cables, documents, and peripherals contained the projector. There is also a little space to carry your tablet, or slim laptop too in the carry case.

The 510 is a little larger than ultra compact projectors at 12.8 x 13.4 x 5.9 inches, and heavier too at 5.5 pounds. It is perfectly portable though, and would be useful for road warriors to have in the car in case they need to present at customer offices.

The 510 has a plethora of ports at the back of the device. From left to right there is a VGA, 2 x HDMI ports, a SV out port, a USB slot, AV and headset audio jacks and a TF card slot to connect to TV, PC, and other devices. It also has an IR receiver for its remote control. 

If you want to connect the projector to an iPhone, you do need to buy an additional connector to convert the lightening output to HDMI.

Its manual focus and keystone knurled wheels are stiff and sure. There is no chance of accidentally knocking the focus out during use. There is a power button at the rear and on the top of the device. 

There are also option buttons for channel changing and volume levels as well as a menu, input source and selection  button. The remote control needs two AAA batteries (not supplied) to operate.

Operation is easy. Switch it on, take off the lens cap, position it and focus the projector.  It is nicely bright with 3600 lumen, which is visible in daylight. Vankyo say that the LED lamp will last up to 50,000 hours.

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The projector did not get too hot – even after being used for four hours continuously, and the projector cooled down again quickly due to two cooling fans.

It will project onto a screen of between 44 and 200 inches – more than enough for an average sized meeting room.

Its built in dual 3W stereo speakers support Dolby sound, and are loud enough to fill the room. 

I was dubious about its 1980 x 1080px resolution – but images were sharp and clear. PowerPoint presentations looked good, with none of the blurring or lensing often found in low cost projectors. At under $200 this projector is well worth the cost.

Vankyo recommends that you use the projector, not on a table – but on Vankyo's tripod projector stand. At under $40 this is well worth the investment. The aluminium stand can be adjusted from 17 to 45 inches, so will work on a table, or on the floor.

The locks are solid clips, so no fiddling about with screw fixings and there is a really useful spirit level on the top of the tripod for perfect levelling.

The top plate is 15.3 x 11.4 inches – too small unfortunately to get both the projector and laptop on comfortably – and there is a handy rubber mat to stop the projector slipping. There are also elastic restraints for the cables.

Sadly the projector carry case is not large enough to fit the top stand inside – which would have been perfect.

This means that you have two carry cases, one for the tripod, one for the projector – and you have to carry the top plate separately. Vankyo – you are missing an upsell opportunity here.

All in all, this pairing is a superb projection solution for your office – or home theatre. and with a large projection size, and good sound quality, will service your projection needs.