2015 LED projector recommendations

[Kaido]

Just a short list to get you started. I am a big fan of LED projectors for a lot of reasons: great contrast (= great picture), instant boot, low heat, 10+ year typical life (non-removable bulb), good value (even the most expensive is under a grand). The downsides are they are typically not as bright as their bulb-based counterparts (ex. 200" will be a lot more dim) & most don't have any advanced features (zoom, lens shift, etc.), plus you sometimes have to fiddle with the focus after they warm up. So if you can live with adjusting the picture size by moving it forward & back physically & living within the brightness limitations, they are pretty awesome. If you need bigger, brighter, 3D, etc., go with something like the ever-popular BenQ W1070. So here are my top six models, in order of price:

1. $95 projector:

800x600, 100 lumens, HDMI input. Suffers from screen door effect somewhat noticeably, although it's easy to ignore once you start watching. But...for $95, it's way better than nothing! The usable range is maybe 40" to 80"; doesn't focus too well closer than that & gets dim larger than that. SDE is more noticeable in motion parts; not as bad if you can sit further away from the picture. Great for kids who don't care about PQ, although it's not as terrible as you'd think for the money. If you're interested in trying a projector, but don't want to commit to something more expensive, this is a great way to get your feet wet:

http://www.amazon.com/FastFox-Multimedia-Projector-Private-support/dp/B010PR28WK/

2. $280 pocket-sized with Android:

854x480, 120 lumens, HDMI input. Interesting thing about this one is that in addition to a small battery (60 to 90 minutes), it has Android built-in. It's a bit buggy, but it is usable for Netflix & games. Very small! Another good one to play with if you're on a budget, especially if you need the portability. Bonus, it runs off USB power, so you can get like a 20,000mAh battery bank & go camping or watch something in the backyard. Hidden gem:

http://www.amazon.com/FastFox-Projector-support-Andorid-Theater/dp/B00W76OOB6

3. $400 battery-powered HD projector:

2016 update: Doing a comparison with the Aaxa P300 vs. the LG PH300, I would say that I prefer the picture of the P300 better due to the extra brightness. To me, that trumps the PH300's extra battery life & RF input. The Aaxa is currently $369 on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/AAXA-Projector-1280x800-Resolution-Mini-VGA/dp/B005Q2EGG6/

2015 original post: 1280x800 (eh, 720p), 300 lumens, HDMI input. Bonus HDTV input, especially neat if you get an OTA HD antenna like the Mohu Leaf. Also has a 2 to 2.5-hour battery, which is actually useful for watching a whole movie outdoors. Previously I recommended the Aaxa P300, but this trumps it due to better battery life & the RF input. If you have a dark room available, this is the cheapest "good" projector I can recommend:

http://www.amazon.com/LG-Electronics-PH300-Minibeam-Projector/dp/B00PSERELG/

4. $550 portable bright projector:

1280x800, 700 lumens, HDMI input. Bonus here is the size, 4x4" cube. Comes in a lunchbox type of case. Great if you need the portability, especially for outdoor stuff due to the high number of lumens for the size. Basically this is great for good brightness + tiny size:

http://www.amazon.com/Optoma-ML750-Portable-Projector-Enabled/dp/B00GGGQHG8/

5. $650 bright HD projector:

1280x800, 800 lumens, HDMI input. Bonus here is the picture quality. I've had the previous 500-lumen model & it is fantastic - just wish it were brighter, and so here it is, an 800-lumen model! I like the 720p resolution because I watch a lot of Youtube & SDTV stuff (DVD movies, old TV shows on Netflix, and so on). This is my current "best buy" for home theater use.

http://www.amazon.com/ViewSonic-PLED-W800-Ultra-Portable-Projector/dp/B00NQTNQIU/

6. $950 bright Full HD projector:

1080, 1400 lumens, HDMI input. If you want full high definition resolution & a ton of lumens (for an LED projecxtor, anyway), this is the way to go. I am not aware of any other affordable 1080p LED projectors on the market at this time. Significantly more expensive, yet still under a grand:

http://www.amazon.com/LG-Electronics-PF1500-Theater-Projector/dp/B00UA8GO3Y/

I've been into projectors about ten years now. Love 'em. Huge screen, fun movie experience, ability to go outdoors, all sorts of fun. Video games are nuts. Movies are epic, and TV shows are wicked fun on the big screen, especially with the production value going up with stuff like Daredevil on Netflix...just excellent to watch on a 100"+ screen size. For me, LED's are what sealed the deal - they brought the contrast in to the point where I like it better than pretty much any television set I've seen. I definitely would find it hard to go back to a non-LED projector due to that one benefit alone...the insane contrast. Darker skintones, light clouds, everything shows up without just fading into black or white, absolutely fantastic picture quality. Even the $95 non-HD model with some SDE is still a LOT of fun for the money. And if you do need to enhance the picture for viewing with bulbs or daylight, check out this thread for DIY ambient light screen paint:

http://www.avsforum.com/forum/110-d...asy-ambient-light-rejecting-screen-paint.html

 

[Mr.IncrediblyBored]

Just a short list to get you started. I am a big fan of LED projectors for a lot of reasons: great contrast (= great picture), instant boot, low heat, 10+ year typical life (non-removable bulb), good value (even the most expensive is under a grand).9

Not if you want one good enough to replace a decent home theater projector. Otherwise your stuck dealing with these issues:

The downsides are they are typically not as bright as their bulb-based counterparts (ex. 200" will be a lot more dim) & most don't have any advanced features (zoom, lens shift, etc.), plus you sometimes have to fiddle with the focus after they warm up.

I'll grant you there's no amount of money that'll get you 200" with an LED they just aren't bright enough. The projector market has been slow moving the last 5 years. A low priced 4K with LED/laser/hybrid just seems like miles away.

 

[Kaido]

Not if you want one good enough to replace a decent home theater projector. Otherwise your stuck dealing with these issues:


I'll grant you there's no amount of money that'll get you 200" with an LED they just aren't bright enough. The projector market has been slow moving the last 5 years. A low priced 4K with LED/laser/hybrid just seems like miles away.

Haha, yeah, but they'll get better in time. The challenge right now is really the light source. I've used several LED-laser hybrids (bonus is very bright at 2500-3000+ lumens) & they are crap for home theater - the laser ruins the contrast. Full LED is still lightyears better in terms of picture quality. I haven't seen an LG 1500 yet, but at full 1080p with 1400 lumens of contrast, that sounds pretty awesome (given that LED brightness is perceived brighter lumen-per-lumen than lamp-based projectors). They're making headway though...Panasonic has a $3k model out that has a 20k:1 contrast ratio, which is pretty decent:

http://www.projectorcentral.com/Panasonic-PT-RZ470UK.htm

Same with Runco's LED offerings, although those start at $10k:

http://www.runco.com/products/projectors/led/quantumcolor-series/Q-650i

There are some other tricky products coming out on the market too. For example, Insight has a 4K model which, to my knowledge, is the brightest LED projector on the market at 3,000 lumens (it's a dual-LED model). Also has a super-long 60k-hour life (most are 20k or 30k). Bonus is it runs in 4K. Only catch is that it runs about $150k & is ginormous lol:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ng4RKck0-gM

But those aren't typically things that your average joe is going to go out & buy. And like you said, they've been moving slowly on it. I don't really see much changing in the TV world...hardly anyone has 4K content available, even though they're selling lots of 4K TV's, so I don't think there's much incentives to sell a low-cost, high-feature 4K LED projector with all the bells & whistles because outside of maybe offering 3D capabilities, there's not much room to grow...maybe 8K eventually? The VR headsets are due out early next year, so maybe that will breathe some additional life into things, but unless they make some kind of new technology (and I have seen some OLED sets out there coming down in price), meh. So for a sub-$1k projector, the ones listed above are pretty decent, and the LED bulb gives you some nice contrast over regular bulb-based projectors regardless of the pricepoint.

 

[Fardringle]

I can't comment on most of these but want to make a suggestion based on the one I do know. I tried out Optoma's ML750 and ML1000p projectors side by side. Picture quality is very similar and either one is a good option there.

The ML1000p is a LOT brighter. The official ratings of 700 and 1000 lumens don't seem like a huge difference, but in actual use the 1000p seemed to be more than twice as bright as the 750. The 1000p also has quite a few more input options, and doesn't experience the "focus creep" that the ML750 does while warming up.

At first glance, the ML750 seems a lot more portable since the actual projector box is significantly smaller, but when you add in the ML750's bulky external power supply, they are actually almost the same size since the ML1000p just uses a standard computer type power cord. The 750 also runs quite a bit warmer and louder since there isn't room in that tiny box for proper heat sinks and fans.

Neither projector has fantastic built-in speakers, but the speakers in the ML1000p are at least clear enough and loud enough to be usable for presentations or for kids playing games that need sound but don't particularly need theater quality. The ML750 speaker is usable, but very tinny and much quieter.

The ML750 is a pretty good option on a limited budget at just $565 from Amazon (your list says $650 which is incorrect), but the ML1000p is an easy winner in my opinion, and it only costs $140 more ($705 from Amazon) than the ML750, so if you can squeeze a little more out of the budget, you'll get a LOT more out of the projector.

 

[Kaido]

I can't comment on most of these but want to make a suggestion based on the one I do know. I tried out Optoma's ML750 and ML1000p projectors side by side. Picture quality is very similar and either one is a good option there.

The ML1000p is a LOT brighter. The official ratings of 700 and 1000 lumens don't seem like a huge difference, but in actual use the 1000p seemed to be more than twice as bright as the 750. The 1000p also has quite a few more input options, and doesn't experience the "focus creep" that the ML750 does while warming up.

At first glance, the ML750 seems a lot more portable since the actual projector box is significantly smaller, but when you add in the ML750's bulky external power supply, they are actually almost the same size since the ML1000p just uses a standard computer type power cord. The 750 also runs quite a bit warmer and louder since there isn't room in that tiny box for proper heat sinks and fans.

Neither projector has fantastic built-in speakers, but the speakers in the ML1000p are at least clear enough and loud enough to be usable for presentations or for kids playing games that need sound but don't particularly need theater quality. The ML750 speaker is usable, but very tinny and much quieter.

The ML750 is a pretty good option on a limited budget at just $565 from Amazon (your list says $650 which is incorrect), but the ML1000p is an easy winner in my opinion, and it only costs $140 more ($705 from Amazon) than the ML750, so if you can squeeze a little more out of the budget, you'll get a LOT more out of the projector.

Nice, thanks for sharing! Regarding pricing, you misread - the ML750 was $550, the PLED-W800 is $650. Yeah, going from the 500-lumen PLED-W500 to the 800-lumen PLED-W800 was a much bigger visual difference than it should have been. I'm really interested to try out the 1400-lumen LG model! Glad to hear the ML1000p doesn't have the focus creep issue...hasn't happened on all LED projectors I've tested, but it's happened enough that I've noticed it.

It's interesting how the audience determines the required quality level. I just setup a family member with the $95 model & my old tripod screen...they loved it! It's dim & has severe SDE, but it was cheap & gives a nice big picture that is "good enough" in the dark, so that works. I have the $280 Android model as well, which is fine for kids & camping and stuff, and the portability makes up for the other issues it has. The situation is improving though...the $350 LG has a battery long enough to watch a full movie, plus a quality 720p chip, which I feel is a really good price for what you get. With the DIY ambient light paint available, I have a hard time recommending even cheap televisions to people because you can get a ginormous screen instead, plus use it outdoors or in different rooms if you want.

 

[Fardringle]

You're right, I did read the wrong price line. But I stand by the rest of what I said.

 

[Kaido]

I can't comment on most of these but want to make a suggestion based on the one I do know. I tried out Optoma's ML750 and ML1000p projectors side by side. Picture quality is very similar and either one is a good option there.

Yeah, I've been pretty impressed with Optoma's stuff. I like to setup traveling business users with the ML750 due to the tiny size & great picture :thumbsup:

 

[darkswordsman17]

One thing to keep in mind about that 1080p LG, it seems to be a very good projector all around other than it has bad input lag. Bad as in just watching TV and movies you might need something to try and compensate for lipsync issues. Movies at 24fps might not be an issue, but Projector Central said they needed to use a receiver to keep audio synced properly for even just TV watching. Playing games will be even worse. I was seriously thinking about it until I saw that.

I would also like more information about how well the LEDs will hold up over time. All projectors lose brightness, but they also are often putting out substantially more than even this LG (its easy to find similar non-LED 1080p projectors for less money), and you can easily replace the bulbs on them. Bulbs are lasting longer and have dropped in price as well, but I have not seen much about real bulb longevity of LED projectors (both lifespan and output over time, which I would think LED would actually hold up better but I don't know for sure).

I saw some named 3D projector on Amazon
What's that mean>? Do I need a pair of 3D glasses

Probably. Most use one of two methods, both of which use glasses. Otherwise you'd probably need a special screen and two projectors.

 

[purbeast0]

yeah if you are going to be gaming on your projector, make sure you do some research on the input lag, because most projectors are pretty bad in that department. or i should say they were back when i got mine in 2012, so if things changed drastically then disgregard. but input lag was a major reason i got the projector i did, because it was one of the ones with minimal lag.

 

[ControlD]

I had the LG PF1500 on my short list, but the input lag, lack of 3D and almost non-existent zoom were sort of deal breakers.

 

[BurnItDwn]

I'm using a Mitsu DLP projector (http://www.projectorcentral.com/Mitsubishi-HC3800.htm), just had to replace the bulb last year, otherwise it's been great. I run it in power conserving mode, and it's still very bright. LED has come a long way, maybe by the time my bulb burns out again, it might be worth replacing it. for something quieter, cooler, that can do better black levels & contrast.

I have a fully light controlled environment, and I only project to 106 inches, so something around 600-800 lumens should be plenty for my needs.

I wonder if 4K will be in the 1-2K price range by around 2020ish ... (would be awesome for games if the input lag isn't too bad)

 

[Kaido]

I had the LG PF1500 on my short list, but the input lag, lack of 3D and almost non-existent zoom were sort of deal breakers.

The input lag is the thing I've been hearing the most complaints about.

The only other issue I've run into with virtually all LED projectors I've tested is focus creep...they seem to go out of focus, just a bit, as they warm up. This is an issue across brands & models, including the laser-LED hybrid models I've used. It's a simple matter to turn the knob or ring to re-focus, but it's annoying to have to do it (because it shouldn't happen in the first place), especially if it's in an inconvenient location.

 

[Kaido]

I'm using a Mitsu DLP projector (http://www.projectorcentral.com/Mitsubishi-HC3800.htm), just had to replace the bulb last year, otherwise it's been great. I run it in power conserving mode, and it's still very bright. LED has come a long way, maybe by the time my bulb burns out again, it might be worth replacing it. for something quieter, cooler, that can do better black levels & contrast.

I have a fully light controlled environment, and I only project to 106 inches, so something around 600-800 lumens should be plenty for my needs.

I wonder if 4K will be in the 1-2K price range by around 2020ish ... (would be awesome for games if the input lag isn't too bad)

I had a Mitsu 1000 & 1500 in the past, it was a great model. I like my LED more for a few reasons:

1. No bulb to replace ever
2. Instant turn-on (no warm-up time)
3. Doesn't heat up the room like crazy
4. Much quieter than my previous bulb-based models
5. Doesn't hotspot like my old high-lumen models
5. Biggest reason - amazing contrast.

I don't think I can ever go back to a regular projector due to the contrast. Makes the picture look too good! My current LED projector is lacking in a few areas (no lens shift, focus creep, etc.) but for my purposes, it's excellent. It's still kind of a fledgling area, but I'm hoping to see more features get added over the next year or two.

 

[BurnItDwn]

I had a Mitsu 1000 & 1500 in the past, it was a great model. I like my LED more for a few reasons:

1. No bulb to replace ever
2. Instant turn-on (no warm-up time)
3. Doesn't heat up the room like crazy
4. Much quieter than my previous bulb-based models
5. Doesn't hotspot like my old high-lumen models
5. Biggest reason - amazing contrast.

I don't think I can ever go back to a regular projector due to the contrast. Makes the picture look too good! My current LED projector is lacking in a few areas (no lens shift, focus creep, etc.) but for my purposes, it's excellent. It's still kind of a fledgling area, but I'm hoping to see more features get added over the next year or two.

Thanks for all the info Kaido. It will be a few years, hopefully another 5 before I am ready to upgrade, but, if LED keeps getting better rather than worse, I will be surely in for a treat

 

[Oyeve]

I got one of these for work. Love it. It literally fits in the palm of my hand and yields excellent results for its size. 30k hours on the bulb.

http://www.neweggbusiness.com/Produ...Uxbrl-K3kFWCiOjrxhZhHqYCGziS8FBB9AaArjD8P8HAQ

 

[Kaido]

I got one of these for work. Love it. It literally fits in the palm of my hand and yields excellent results for its size. 30k hours on the bulb.

http://www.neweggbusiness.com/Produ...Uxbrl-K3kFWCiOjrxhZhHqYCGziS8FBB9AaArjD8P8HAQ

I picked up an LG P300, which is 300 lumens. I like the Aaxa P300 a lot better. My buddy has the Aaxa (400-lumens) and the color & brightness are far superior. I don't know why, since there is only 100 lumens of difference between them (plus the contrast is 100k:1 LG vs. 2k:1 Aaxa).

I would imagine that the Dell M115HD would be even better, as both the lumens AND contrast are better than the Aaxa. In short, I am fairly disappointed with the PH300 & will probably be returning it. I'm not sure if 400 lumens is the minimum threshold for a quality picture or if it's just the LG, but having seen 400, 500, 800, etc. lumen LED projectors, so far I'd say 400 is really the minimum you'd want to go with in a dark room.

Also, the focus wheel is junk. It overshoots too easily; it's like playing air hockey. Which would be fine, except I can never get it to focus perfectly. It's supposed to be a native 720p chip instead of the lesser upscaled chips like in my PLED-W500, but it sure doesn't look like it! Also, it's a tad bit noisy for such a tiny unit. Kinda disappointing all around

 

[Kaido]

Some LED projector updates:

1. I started a thread last year on the LG PF1000U UST. I hate it. Summary:

http://forums.anandtech.com/showpost.php?p=38013310&postcount=24

2. Finally got a hands-on with the much-discussed UC46 ultra-budget projector: (~$90, sold under multiple brands)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01DKH4FE6/

This is basically a projector for kids, where you want a big screen but the audience doesn't care about picture quality. Forget SDE, I think the lens is made from a screen door Strong pixelization. 1200 lumens is a joke, I'd say maybe 120 lumens at most. Does best at maybe a max of 80". Kinda noisy. The two benefits of this are that it's super cheap & it has built-in wifi so you can stream stuff like Airplay to it (note that video streaming is prohibited, so for stuff like Netflix & Youtube, you'll still need Apple's HDMI adapter), which is cool for beaming mobile games to the big screen. USB port works fine for firing up stuff like a Roku stick via HDMI. This is not what I'd recommend as a "minimum spec" projector; you're still going to want something with 720p resolution for an actual home theater.

3. Not an LED projector, but I put an HT2050 from BenQ in my bedroom (movies on a 92" diagonal before bed are epic, didn't even need a screen thanks to the built-in wall-paint color compensation!). I didn't want to go back to bulb-based projectors, but BenQ's lineup (W1070, HT2050, etc.) has been getting rave reviews & it's been awhile since I've checked out regular projectors. Goes for $800 online, extremely reasonable for what you get:

https://www.amazon.com/BenQ-HT2050-1080p-Theater-Projector/dp/B016JYOQ3W

In short, it's amazing. 1080p is crystal-clear, colors are excellent, my only real complaint is that it adds some heat to my small bedroom. But since I ceiling-mounted it, I didn't want something that would focus-drift like LED projectors do, which is why I picked a regular bulb PJ for this project. I also put in a budget 5.1 system using tiny Bose-style speakers. It's completely overkill for a bedroom & completely awesome

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2467146

4. I may be getting a hands-on with the LG PF1500U next month (currently $850) if I have time to help setup a buddy's HT. Really anxious to check this one out. 1080p + 1400 lumens is a big step up from most LED projectors:

https://www.amazon.com/LG-PF1500-Portable-Theater-Projector/dp/B00UA8GO3Y

5. My favorite recommendation from 2015 is still the same, for an all-around LED projector - the Viewsonic PLED-W800. Good brightness, excellent color, my only real complaint is the same with all LED projectors - focus drift. Having seen a variety of projectors, for the money, I think this is the best one (unless you can spring an extra $200 for the PF1500U, although the BenQ non-LED HT2050 may also be worth considering at that point for $50 less). Just make sure the focus wheel is accessible in case you need to tweak it!

https://www.amazon.com/ViewSonic-PLED-W800-Ultra-Portable-Projector/dp/B00NQTNQIU

The $530 Aaxa M4 ($120 savings over the W800) looks like it may give it a run for the money, although there have been some quality complaints:

https://www.amazon.com/AAXA-Projector-Battery-1280x800-Resolution/dp/B00OE05KCK

6. The third-gen UO Smart Beam ($345 shipped) finally came back in stock; I have one coming this week for a project. What sets it apart, aside from being super tiny, is that it uses a laser diode for the bulb & has built-in autofocus (no crummy inaccurate tiny focus wheels to deal with!). This is also the smallest 1280x800 native-resolution projector I have ever come across:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B014QZ4FLO/

It's an interesting little gadget: very small cube (2.2"), built-in 2-hour battery (which probably means 30 minutes haha), native 720p resolution, laser bulb. It's 60 lumens, but in the same way that LED lumens are perceived brighter to the eye than bulb lumens, laser lumens are perceived even brighter than LED lumens (supposedly). I have been surprised with how good some of the the lower-lumen LED projectors perform, so I'm anxious to see how this one looks with a laser inside. Supposed there's a much brighter EX model coming out this fall (200 lumens), but I needed one this month so I jumped on this model instead. Their website has some extra info on the projector:

http://www.uobeam.com/

7. We're on the verge of getting an influx of 4K projectors in, I think. Digital Projection has a few models out; as of last year, they had the $100k 4K 12k-lumen LED model available:

http://www.projectorcentral.com/Digital_Projection-INSIGHT_LASER_4K-projection-calculator-pro.htm

I haven't found pricing, but there's a new 2000-lumen 4K LED model out from them as well:

http://www.digitalprojection.com/dp-projectors/insight-led-4k/

Epson also has some traditional-bulb models coming out that are 1080p native with 4K enhanced mode, which sounds like it'd be the ideal combo for both old & new video content:

http://forums.anandtech.com/showpost.php?p=38314839&postcount=7

Also interesting with that is they'll be offering a wireless HDMI transmitter as a $300 option via the 5040UBe model. I'm looking for a starter house this year where I can setup a dedicated HT & this will probably be the unit I go with, unless an affordable 4K LED projector shows up on the scene.

8. The Fastfox E06S projector is also available Android-less for around $200 through a variety of vendors. I like my E06S better than the UC46 (better PQ, far smaller size, less noise), although there's no remote with mine, so you have to activate the HDMI input through the Android GUI, which takes a minute to boot up & navigate. The Android-free model does come with mirroring built-in tho, which is nice, and sells for a good $80 less than the E06S:

https://www.amazon.com/Projector-Entertainment-Portable-Projectors-Interface/dp/B01G8KW8JQ

I'm very interested in the UO Smart Beam's autofocus technology however, because focus rings on cheap & small projectors are generally pretty crummy (not to mention keystone adjustments!). There are a bunch of little cheapo projectors I'm keeping my eye on, so I'll update the thread as stuff gets released & becomes relevant. Here's another one:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01GL5J4UO

I've seen some various phones & tablets getting projectors integrated as well; I'm curious to see how the UO's laser tech gets integrated into that in the future, as it's supposed to be brighter lumen-for-lumen visually than LED or bulb & also has the autofocus stuff built in. If they could make say a 500-lumen laser projector that is equivalent to an 800-lumen LED projector & do it in a compact package, that could be a real winner!

 

[Kaido]

Got my UO Smart Beam in. Initial thoughts:

1. Holy crap. This thing is TINY. Here is a Reese's peanut butter cup on top of it:

For a more geeky size reference, here it is sitting on top of a 2.5" hard drive:

2. Onboard speaker is junk, as to be expected. iPhone speaker probably sounds better than this does tbh.

3. Tiny fan, small amount of noise. Any decent Bluetooth speaker will mask it. Non-issue.

4. Autofocus works great. Picture is sharp & clear. Lightyears above pico & budget projectors like the UC46. Zero SDE. No fiddly tiny focus wheel to mess with.

5. Brightness is surprisingly excellent for the size. I've seen both 60 & 100-lumens as the advertised capacity. It's nearly as bright as my buddy's 400-lumen Aaxa P3 LED projector.

6. There is a rainbow effect if you look for it. Didn't bother me.

7. It does have a strong sparkle effect, same as LED projectors but much more pronounced. If you've ever seen a laser pointer, how it's all sparkly-lasery on the dot, it's like that. Not as bad as a laser point, but shooting it on a painted wall, I could see it on lighter scenes.

8. Above maybe 60" or 80", it loses a lot of contrast. Brightness is usable. I filled up the whole wall in my basement & it was dim, but watchable.

9. The contrast is junk. That's the first thing you notice. I've installed a couple Casio LED/Laser hybrid business projectors (like 3000 lumens) & it's the same thing...the lasers stink at contrast. I think this is only like 500:1.

10. Runs on the very cool (blue) side of things. Far moreso than any of the LED projectors I've used. I'll be interested to try out a video processor like a Darbee unit to see if it's capable of being tweaked or not. Will report back on that once I get one in.

11. The laser is eye-safe but is VERY bright to your retinas. I was playing with it on the ceiling & accidentally shot myself in the eye. It left a searing dot like looking into the sun. Just FYI.

On a tangent, regarding LED/laser brightness/contrast, I've had this issue with LED projectors in general...there's something about them that makes them hard for me to get into when watching a movie because of the way they look when they're under-lumened. The Viewsonic PLED-W800 800-lumen projector was the first LED projector I really felt met my minimum requirements for brightness where it had the same effect as watching a TV. The Smart Beam definitely has that "needs more lumens/contrast to be truly watchable as a HT projector" feel. But stepping back for some perspective, this is a pico projector...so it's pretty amazing that it even dips its toes in that realm. Supposedly there is a 200-lumen version coming out this fall, definitely anxious to check that out in-person.

I wish it had a dedicated hardware remote control. I did run a couple quick media tests with it. First with a Bluetooth speaker & a Lightning HDMI adapter, worked great. Second with Airplay streaming. It worked as well as any other knockoff Airplay unit...occasionally freezes but okay most of the time. It has Micro-HDMI for input (MHL-compatible), along with Android/iOS wireless input (I believe with the Samsung phone updates, you are required to use wired MHL now...maybe I'll do a more detailed post with some screenshots or a video or something later).

So bottom line, my reaction at first blush? Best pico projector I've ever used. So good that I wish it had a remote control & better contrast because this would be awesome to stick in a lot of "pico theater" setups. Looking forward to the 200-lumen model & also to see if a Darbee video processor would do anything for the cool tint. Although even on sale, the Darbee is $200, which kind of makes it pointless because you could just buy a better projector. The industrial design of the unit is excellent, whoever designed it did a great job (I love cubes...NUC's, G4 Cubes, you name it).

Anyway...$349 is pricey for a pico projector...but you get autofocus, an extremely compact size with a built-in battery, native 720p resolution...if you're in no rush for a compact projector, I'd say hold out for the 200-lumen model as it will probably be the one to get.

 

[Kaido]

UO Smart Beam additional thoughts:

1. They should have added a 1/4"-20 female hole on the bottom for mounting. I know it's supposed to be a portable pico projector, and yes, they do have an accessory clamp available separately with one, but it would have been 10x more convenient to have it built-in.

2. They should have included a dedicated remote. Again, it's a pico projector, but still.

3. The reason I say #1 & #2 is that I'm betting that the 200-lumen model will be good enough to go in a lot of budget home theaters, and it would be so much better to have a dedicated remote. And of course, a simple mounting jack built-in would make things so much nicer.

4. It looks a zillion times better on an actual screen. This is the only projector I can ever recall seeing that really, actually improved on a projector screen. I suspect this is due to the LCoS laser technology. My LED & bulb projectors do fine on whatever, but I tried out the UO Smart Beam on my buddy's pull-down screen & it really was a step up.

5. The light is odd, in a good way. I had the opportunity to test it in a mini auditorium up to about 300" on a white-painted matte surface. While the projector is best at maybe 70" or less, and then it loses brightness above that...it kind of stays at that lowered brightness level but doesn't go invisible like say a bulb projector would at that size. Like, the 300" image in complete pitch black (no windows in that room) was actually reasonably watchable. Again, I guess I'd have to chalk that up to the laser tech. I have a friend visiting this summer who has a giant white RV; I'm anxious to try it out for an outdoor movie party against the side of it & see how it fares.

6. Oddly enough, it's missing auto-keystone. Which is weird because it has auto-focus which works awesome! I have a cheap portable pico projector that has it, and yet this far more expensive laser model doesn't. Odd. They do offer keystone via the mobile app though.

7. One of my buddies liked the Smart Beam so much that he is going to get one, but will wait for the EX model with 200-lumens, so I'll post back when he picks it up. I'm very anxious to see if it helps the picture or not. My previous experience with the Casio laser/LED hybrid (3,000 lumens) is that the contrast was still crappy, despite being super bright (bright enough to do Powerpoint presentations with the lights on in the daytime), so doubling the lumens on the UO may or may not help. I suspect it will push it into that minimum "good enough" territory where it will start scalping out the lower-end LED projectors like the Aaxa P3.

If I were to request additional features for the 4th generation, they would be:

1. Dedicated remote control. IR is fine because then you could use a universal remote if needed

2. 1/4"-20 mounting jack built-in.

3. Auto-keystone.

4. Go at least 10x the contrast. It's got a paltry 500:1 contrast ratio. I believe this is a problem with the current laser bulb technology. Really they need to 200x the contrast. The Viewsonic PLED-W800 (an 800-lumen LED projector) has a ratio of 120k:1 & it's just perfect.

Those features would make it killer...improve the picture by going to 200 lumens & upping the contrast to a competitive amount, make it so I can screw it on to a simple wall or ceiling mount & then use a remote control on it, and add auto-keystone in addition to the auto-focus. imo the autofocus is one of the big features that makes this unit great. I loathe fiddly little dials on the cheap & pico projectors out there. You just aim this & before your eyes can even focus, it's focused. Anyway, if they added all four features above, they would sell a zillion copies because it would be "the" awesome micro projector to get.

Accessories:

1. There are a couple portable Bluray players available with HDMI out for just above $200 that have 4+ hour battery lives. That would be pretty good if you want to do outdoor movie parties because (1) you don't need to power it (projector has a battery & can also be run off a USB charging brick & you also don't need an extension cord for it), and (2) you can pick up movie at Redbox or Walmart or wherever & play it back with no Internet connection.

2. ION sells some neat, giant 50-watt Bluetooth speakers that have 20-70 hour battery lives. So if you're playing a movie saved off your phone, you can set it up like this:

a. Movie file is on phone
b. Phone connects to Smartbeam via Mini-HDMI to HDMI cable & HDMI to Lightning adapter (if using an iOS device)
c. Phone & Smartbeam plug into USB battery brick for powr
d. Bluetooth speaker connects wirelessly to the phone & has a built-in extended battery life

I'm basically using it like this know with a small portable DKnight Bluetooth speaker (their MagicBox II is pretty good although it lacks treble, but more than makes up for it in base, and their newer Big MagicBox is basically like a mini Alexa Echo station from Amazon...can fill a small to medium room up just fine clearly!). Really really cool to just pop on a movie anytime, anywhere!