Update!! Entry level projector for under $200?

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thestrangebrew1

thestrangebrew1

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Dec 7, 2011
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My mother in law is looking for a projector to play movies for the grandkids. Primarily outdoors, and preferably portable. I don't want her to spend too much, so I think anything sub $200 would do, the cheaper the better. My problem is, I don't know too much about contrast ratios, lumens etc. and she would like to get something to use by this weekend. She found a few on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...d=1444836833&ref_=sr_1_1&s=electronics&sr=1-1

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=projector

These get decent reviews, but seem ridiculously cheap for projectors. Are these pretty much garbage? Anything 1080p at this price point? Recommendations? Thanks.

I think she wants to order something today.

Update - Hooked up the projector and it's pretty bad. I mean, it'll work for the kids, but for adults, the resolution is terrible. Set it up anywhere past about 8 feet and text is unreadable. I didn't have a chance to mess around with the settings too much, but default settings require a really dark room to see things w/o colors being washed out or something.

She got this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01...ilpage_o01_s00

Description says wifi, there's no wifi on the thing. It's light, and plug and play, so that's good. But when I told my MIL about the resolution, she got a disappointed look and I felt bad lol.
 
Last edited:
Sonikku

Sonikku

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Jun 23, 2005
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LED would be very dim. If you're doing it outdoors, it better be pitch dark in a neighborhood with few lights. Never the less, I can't believe how cheap these things have gotten. I still remember getting my Infocus X1 for a grand after saving all summer for it back in 04. Its 800x600 resolution was the greatest thing ever for the various F Zero GX/Mario kart double dash and Panzer Dragoon Orta games I would play with friends.
 
thestrangebrew1

thestrangebrew1

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Dec 7, 2011
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Thanks. I'll take a look at a few other LEDs before I make a recommendation. Sonikku, we live in a very rural area. It's pretty dark at the places she'd be taking the projector to. And I supposed she always has the option to project onto a wall indoors.
 
gorobei

gorobei

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the main reason these are cheap is the resolution: 800x600. look at the native res and ignore "supported res". its like watching a 1080p movie on a 800x600 netbook screen.

a true 1080p native projector will be in the 500$ range
 
thestrangebrew1

thestrangebrew1

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Dec 7, 2011
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gorobei said:
the main reason these are cheap is the resolution: 800x600. look at the native res and ignore "supported res". its like watching a 1080p movie on a 800x600 netbook screen.

a true 1080p native projector will be in the 500$ range
Click to expand...

Yea I was trying to explain that to her but she doesn't really care so long as the grandkids are content watching. I told her to find ones that are LED and if possible, high resolution. I'm thinking 800*600 is the max she's going to find in the budget.
 
P

Possessed Freak

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Nov 4, 1999
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gorobei said:
a true 1080p native projector will be in the 500$ range
Click to expand...
And will still be mostly garbage.

At that price point, I would look at used business class projectors. The workhorse EMP 76/77/7800 projectors from epson... the panasonic F series projectors, etc. Sure they will be 4:3 resolution and most likely 1024x768 but they WILL WORK.

Bulb price is a huge factor in this, make sure you do research on what replacements costs.

I don't think I would even look at a new model less than $1000 even for personal use.
 
gorobei

gorobei

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amazon is selling some older business class models(2013 or earlier) in the $600 range, they wont be led but they wont be crap.
 
Kaido

Kaido

Elite Member & Kitchen Overlord
Feb 14, 2004
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thestrangebrew1 said:
Well she shot her load early and apparently ordered this:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011E0K3GA?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00

I guess it was the last one. We'll see how it works this wknd I suppose. Thanks for the input all.
Click to expand...

They're actually not horribly terrible. I don't know what the actual lumen rating is (it's definitely not 800 lumens, not at 55 watts), most likely closer to 80 lumens. Think of it as white van speakers. It's rebranded under a dozen different names (AomeTech, Uvistar, POwerLead, FastFox, UNIC, Tronify, etc.), like this one for $89 shipped:

http://www.amazon.com/Abdtech-Mini-Projector-Lumens-support/dp/B00V3146BO

If you do a Youtube search for "UC40" (that's the root model name), you can see a bunch of footage. I'd recommend around 70" & using it in pitch-black conditions, but you can go bigger, it just gets dimmer. So while it's not the world's best projector, it IS functional, and most people will be totally happy with it. Here's a few reviews on Youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14IK7bF1EAc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1pFRgOY6lg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqdtmqzhaiI

I'd recommend getting either a boombox or one of those cheap battery-powered Bluetooth speakers (they typically include a minijack port) in order to get better sound. Text is typically pretty crummy on these (like hooking up a laptop), but videos look fine, and you can make Youtube fonts more readable by zooming in Chrome or increasing the text DPI in Windows.
 
Kaido

Kaido

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Feb 14, 2004
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ultimatebob said:
Wow... 800x480 resolution. I'm sure that will look lovely!
Click to expand...

It's not terrible (it's not fantastic either, but to have a usable image for the price ain't bad either!). I have a GM60 in the family & they like it. Same deal, 480p @ 100 lumens for around a hundred bucks:

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

But for $400, you can get an amazing machine:

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

720p, 2-hour battery, 300 lumens (the combination of HD + a few hundred lumens makes a big BIG difference). This is a "real" projector as opposed to a novelty toy. I have a few LED projector recommendations here:

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2444120

It all depends on what you want to do with it though. Like, the GM60 is fine for basic games (especially older systems) & kid's shows. But if you care at all about image quality, the LG is the minimum you'd want to go with (it kicks out the Aaxa P300, which I previously recommended as an entry-level HD projector). For a more serious model, I'd recommend the $650 Viewsonic PLED-800 (800-lumens, basically what I consider the minimum LED brightness level for a serious home theater). I have the previous model, the PLED-500, which at 500 lumens is pretty good, but really needs a pitch-black room for maximum quality. I had the 800 on loan & it's just perfect. 1080p models are just coming out too, although the current one (LG) has input lag issues (if you're into gaming), so the whole niche is still evolving quite a bit.
 
Kaido

Kaido

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thestrangebrew1 said:
My mother in law is looking for a projector to play movies for the grandkids. Primarily outdoors, and preferably portable.
Click to expand...

Some extras I'd recommend:

1. Tripod (or lightweight card table with folding legs)
2. Speakers (a simple boombox or computer speakers is fine)
3. 50 or 100' extension cord (the kind on reels are awesome)
4. Inflatable screen (sheet works too)
5. Android movie player with a large USB stick

I got my inflatable screen at Walmart for under $200. It's awesome. They have a bunch of different sizes:

http://www.walmart.com/search/?query=inflatable screen&grid=true&

I use a cheap plastic card table & put the projector, surge protector, boombox, and movie player on top. Just makes it easier to organize everything. For movie players, unless she has good Wifi in the backyard (or a long Ethernet cord), getting something like an Android player (or even more basic, a WDTV Live player or something similar) with a cheap $30 64-gig USB stick to hold movies on works. Depends on how technical she is too. A DVD player works just fine as well. If she gets Wifi back there, something like a Roku stick would be really easy to use.
 
thestrangebrew1

thestrangebrew1

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Dec 7, 2011
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All good info! My MIL is going to use it this wknd. I have an ion block rocker we can hook it up to and she'll probably just project it onto a wall for now. She ordered a screen but it won't be here till next week. I'll have to check some of these out to get for my family.
 
thestrangebrew1

thestrangebrew1

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Dec 7, 2011
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Updated OP. Basically, I'd give the new projector a 3/10. It works, but I'd look elsewhere for real movie watching. For kids, it does the job.
 
13Gigatons

13Gigatons

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Apr 19, 2005
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thestrangebrew1 said:
Update - Hooked up the projector and it's pretty bad. I mean, it'll work for the kids, but for adults, the resolution is terrible. Set it up anywhere past about 8 feet and text is unreadable. I didn't have a chance to mess around with the settings too much, but default settings require a really dark room to see things w/o colors being washed out or something.

She got this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01...ilpage_o01_s00

Description says wifi, there's no wifi on the thing. It's light, and plug and play, so that's good. But when I told my MIL about the resolution, she got a disappointed look and I felt bad lol.
Click to expand...

Link doesn't work...
 
BarkingGhostar

BarkingGhostar

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Nov 20, 2009
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$200? Seriously? And why do the kids need a projector? Are you setting up public viewing in the backyard or are you kids just blind.
 
purbeast0

purbeast0

No Lifer
Sep 13, 2001
53,424
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OP did you really expect a $200 projector to be of great quality or something? that's like thinking the free android phones are going to compete with the top of the line phones.
 
T

tynopik

Diamond Member
Aug 10, 2004
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why a projector? unless you're getting a real projector (no LED), better off just getting a cheap tv

unless you're trying to teach shadow animals or something
 
thestrangebrew1

thestrangebrew1

Diamond Member
Dec 7, 2011
3,798
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Nah I didn't expect superior quality or anything. As mentioned I was just trying to help my mother in law find something decent for the money. But she ordered one before I could convince her to spend a little more. Yes it's for outdoor use for the when she has all her grandkids around and could entertain them outside. But when I hooked it up, I didn't realize how bad 800x400 looked lol
 
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