Not great in a "lighted room", picture is not as "sharp" as some of its competitors, Lens is mounted to "pop out" of the top of the machine, rather thank be mounted on the front

I actually own the CTX EZPro 580. Not much different than the 550. I picked this projector up used on the net. I really wanted to own a front projector, however, they are expensive and I was on a budget. NEW, (like, back in '97, when the 580 was produced) this projector's suggested retail price was originally just unde $4,000. I picked this one up for considerably less. I set it up in my basement after picking up a Da-Lite 8ft x 6ft screen (10ft diagonal). Because of only 350 lumens, with the lights on, the picture is not so easy to see. I highly recommend that if you use this projector, make sure the room is dark and the lights are off. I tested it out using RCA cables, connecting it to both, my Toshiba SD-2300 DVD player and Toshiba six head VCR. The DVD player had a decent image. The image I saw from the VHS
tape was less tha stellar (slightly blurry and muddy). I went out and purchased a 25 ft S-Video cable and re hooked up my DVD player and WOW what a big difference. The picture was about 30% better. With the lights off I was very impressed with what I saw. I am told that this projector uses different bulbs that traditional projectors (mine came with an extra one) and that they only last about 40-50 hours, however they are MUCH CHEAPER to replace than the bulbs of a traditional projector. All in all, if you are on a budget, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND the CTX EZPro 580. I picked up BOTH this projector and a NEW Da-Lite screen for less than $1,200! This projector is perfert for a "starter" projector. The picture could be better, but if you don't have thousands of dollars and "size does matter", then this one's for you.

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