- Virtual CIO
How to Align IT Strategy with Business Goals
11 Mar, 2026
£454.06 inc. VAT
AI-generated summary
At £378 ex‑VAT the Acer P1258i is the sort of “get the job done” projector you’d deploy when you need an affordable image for meetings, training rooms, or occasional presentations—especially if you’re working in environments where you can control the light a bit. The headline numbers look perfectly fine for basic business use, and DLP tends to be reliable for day‑to‑day playback (no fiddly lens tech to worry about, and generally solid on legibility and contrast at normal meeting distances). If your expectation is “sharp enough to read slides from the back of a room,” it’s likely to be a decent value.
That said, I wouldn’t call it a long-term investment for critical, high-visibility installs. If you’re projecting in bright spaces, or you care about consistent brightness over years (rather than months), you may end up regretting the lower-cost end of the market—at this price point, performance tends to rely more on projector settings and room conditions than on true, sustained punch. Also, 3D support is usually a nice-to-have rather than a reason to buy unless you truly plan to use it often.
**Who should buy:** SMEs, internal training teams, and resellers/IT departments standardising on a budget-friendly meeting projector for occasional use. **Who shouldn’t:** anyone needing premium image quality in uncontrolled lighting, or who wants something to live in a main boardroom for years without compromise. If you tell me your typical screen size and room brightness, I can sanity-check whether you’ll be happy with it.

BenQ
BenQ LH856UST - DLP projector - laser diode - 3D - 3500 ANSI lumens - Full HD (1920 x 1080) - 16:9 - 1080p - ultra short-throw lens

Epson
Epson EB-L690SU - 3LCD projector - 6200 lumens - WUXGA (1920 x 1200) - 16:10 - 802.11a/b/g/n/ac wireless / LAN/ Miracast - white

Epson
Epson CO-W01 - 3LCD projector - portable - 3000 lumens (white) - 3000 lumens (colour) - WXGA (1280 x 800) - 16:10 - black / white

BenQ
BenQ MX825STH - DLP projector - portable - 3500 ANSI lumens - XGA (1024 x 768) - 4:3 - short-throw fixed lens - LAN