Editor's Choice 2007: Imaging Essentials

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Multimedia projectors are becoming the new slide carousel -- an easy way to show digital images, even without a computer. The problem, more often, is finding enough white wall to project onto. The Accolade Duet is Epson's clever update of the clunky, metal retracting screens of yore. Made of tough plastic, the Duet incorporates a vertical channel that slides onto a substantial, tripod-style floor stand. (The folded stand fits neatly into the channel when reversed, for storage and transport as a 43-inch-long unit.) Once the screen is mounted, it doesn't pull up or down out of a tube; instead, its two sides spread smoothly apart horizontally to expose a bright, matte-finish fabric surface. Extended all the way out, you get a wide-screen 16:9 aspect ratio with a huge 80-inch diagonal. The Duet can also be wall mounted with a supplied bracket. About $250.

BEST BUY: Epson PowerLite S5 projector

Pair this affordable multimedia projector with the Epson Accolade Duet screen, and for about $850 you're all set for a slideshow -- a digital one. Yet the six-pound S5's specs are respectable, including HD-enabled SVGA resolution, 2000 lumens of brightness, and, perhaps most important for photo purposes, three-chip imaging technology that improves color rendition and sharpness. A 1.3X digital zoom gives you some flexibility in projector positioning and projected image size. There's even a high-brightness mode for gaming, for which you plug the projector directly into your console. About $600.

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