Affordable, portable, high quality, self-adjusting projectors are real??
April 26, 2024 2:11 AM Subscribe
That's an open question! I met with a fancy client company this week, and the meeting involved use of an LG Cinebeam projector. It amazed me—I didn't realize the technology had come this far—and I'm curious if there's something more affordable that comes close on some of this model's features.
The projector in question really wowed me on two fronts: its very real portability and its seemingly magical, automatic image adjustment to fit the surface it was pointed at. Zero input cables connected to this thing aside from the power plug, and as we moved about through the site they'd just pick it up and set it down at the new location and plug it into an outlet. When we would get ourselves situated at a new spot, there'd be a couple minutes of everyone settling in and getting situated. The little projector would be picked up, reoriented, pointed at a different surface... and it would just sort of snap the projected field to the size and shape of the space available.
Now I'm no luddite, but I don't get exposure to projectors often enough for this to be anything but magical. The problems solved by the execution of these two features—easy cordless data input, easy adjustment when moving, really manageable size to the point of it being inconspicuous if left out on a tabletop—made me realize just how useful this thing would be for how I work in my home office. But, readers, I know nothing about the technology in this space and do not know where to start trying to become expert enough to judge this question for myself. So I come to you! I knew without checking that the thing would be expensive, but I had no idea it would cost as much as it does. Is there anything else like this on the market at a lower price point, or is everything comparable more or less just as expensive?
I'm fine if there's something like this that's a bit bigger or bulkier while still being easy to connect to various devices wirelessly (no problem with a corded power supply). I'm really set on this ability to automatically size the projection with some reasonable degree of fidelity, even if it's wonky and needs to be manually adjusted most of the time. I can't tell you how much this would improve how I work, professionally and personally, and am grateful for any insights y'all have (bonus points if you've personally used a product you refer to, but that's totally not essential if you're more knowledgable than the internet searches I've been trying and failing to use to answer this question).
The projector in question really wowed me on two fronts: its very real portability and its seemingly magical, automatic image adjustment to fit the surface it was pointed at. Zero input cables connected to this thing aside from the power plug, and as we moved about through the site they'd just pick it up and set it down at the new location and plug it into an outlet. When we would get ourselves situated at a new spot, there'd be a couple minutes of everyone settling in and getting situated. The little projector would be picked up, reoriented, pointed at a different surface... and it would just sort of snap the projected field to the size and shape of the space available.
Now I'm no luddite, but I don't get exposure to projectors often enough for this to be anything but magical. The problems solved by the execution of these two features—easy cordless data input, easy adjustment when moving, really manageable size to the point of it being inconspicuous if left out on a tabletop—made me realize just how useful this thing would be for how I work in my home office. But, readers, I know nothing about the technology in this space and do not know where to start trying to become expert enough to judge this question for myself. So I come to you! I knew without checking that the thing would be expensive, but I had no idea it would cost as much as it does. Is there anything else like this on the market at a lower price point, or is everything comparable more or less just as expensive?
I'm fine if there's something like this that's a bit bigger or bulkier while still being easy to connect to various devices wirelessly (no problem with a corded power supply). I'm really set on this ability to automatically size the projection with some reasonable degree of fidelity, even if it's wonky and needs to be manually adjusted most of the time. I can't tell you how much this would improve how I work, professionally and personally, and am grateful for any insights y'all have (bonus points if you've personally used a product you refer to, but that's totally not essential if you're more knowledgable than the internet searches I've been trying and failing to use to answer this question).
The brand I'm most familiar with for these sorts of things is Nebula, which has the same parent company as the charging/battery maker Anker...their stuff is solid and reliable. They have a dizzying range of portable projectors, from small reasonably priced LED models to similarly expensive laser models. All of them run some version of "stream everything" operating system (Android, Google TV) and have app stores as well as the ability to act as a Chromecast or Airplay target for wireless 'casting. They also all do auto focus and keystone, and look from good to great depending on the ambient light you're competing with in the space.
I bought a Nebula Mars II in April of 2020, as it became evident that any socializing over the spring and summer would be outdoors. It served as a primary entertainment device for many outdoor gatherings, projecting on sheets hung between trees, sides of houses, and the like. It's still working great, and gets pulled out for my kid's sleepovers and such these days.
posted by griffey at 5:34 AM on April 26 [2 favorites]
I bought a Nebula Mars II in April of 2020, as it became evident that any socializing over the spring and summer would be outdoors. It served as a primary entertainment device for many outdoor gatherings, projecting on sheets hung between trees, sides of houses, and the like. It's still working great, and gets pulled out for my kid's sleepovers and such these days.
posted by griffey at 5:34 AM on April 26 [2 favorites]
Look at the Nebula Mars 3 Air (1080p).
For super-cheap-and-always-plugged-in there's the Xgimi MoGo2 (720p, no battery, but usually <$300).
posted by aramaic at 7:09 AM on April 26 [2 favorites]
For super-cheap-and-always-plugged-in there's the Xgimi MoGo2 (720p, no battery, but usually <$300).
posted by aramaic at 7:09 AM on April 26 [2 favorites]
We have a WEMAX Dice, though I don't know if $550US is "affordable". It is fantastic, but I will say the AndroidTV OS is a little sluggish, like after it does the self-sizing and the menu comes up it takes about 20 seconds before it recognizes our Roku stick is plugged in so we can select it from the input menu. But we travel full-time and often stay in places where the wall-mounted TVs are not in an ideal location, or we want to watch outside, so there are stretches where this is basically our primary television.
It's not really bright enough for sun-shining-directly-through-the-windows, but once we're in indirect sun or overcast it's pretty impressive. We've had projectors for 20 years and have suffered through some dim-ass bulbs that alone cost more than this projector, this is a champ in comparison.
If you happen to want a truly portable screen that isn't cinema-sized, for a smaller room, I can also vouch for this one, which can really truly stand on its own indoors (though I recommend making some kind of weight or sandbag if you have pets, small kids, or a really strong fan), and can be sandbagged and even tied down outdoors with guyline loops on the frame.
posted by Lyn Never at 8:10 AM on April 26
It's not really bright enough for sun-shining-directly-through-the-windows, but once we're in indirect sun or overcast it's pretty impressive. We've had projectors for 20 years and have suffered through some dim-ass bulbs that alone cost more than this projector, this is a champ in comparison.
If you happen to want a truly portable screen that isn't cinema-sized, for a smaller room, I can also vouch for this one, which can really truly stand on its own indoors (though I recommend making some kind of weight or sandbag if you have pets, small kids, or a really strong fan), and can be sandbagged and even tied down outdoors with guyline loops on the frame.
posted by Lyn Never at 8:10 AM on April 26
automatic image adjustment to fit the surface it was pointed at
Just to be clear, I don't think this is what this projector is doing. I believe it has an auto keystone function, which "squares" the image to compensate for the angle at which the light is hitting the display surface. It's certainly a useful feature, but it doesn't adjust it to fit the surface.
I have this projector, which has auto keystone. I have it set up 17 feet from my screen, and it fills the 110" surface. However, if I moved the projector to be 9 feet away, the keystone would not make it fit the surface. It would just make sure the horizontal and vertical edges of the image are square.
I could be wrong about "your" projector as I've never used it, but all projectors will need a certain throw distance to be able to accommodate screen sizes. There are short-throw projectors but even those have a minimum distance and a maximum projected size.
posted by dobbs at 9:22 AM on April 26
Just to be clear, I don't think this is what this projector is doing. I believe it has an auto keystone function, which "squares" the image to compensate for the angle at which the light is hitting the display surface. It's certainly a useful feature, but it doesn't adjust it to fit the surface.
I have this projector, which has auto keystone. I have it set up 17 feet from my screen, and it fills the 110" surface. However, if I moved the projector to be 9 feet away, the keystone would not make it fit the surface. It would just make sure the horizontal and vertical edges of the image are square.
I could be wrong about "your" projector as I've never used it, but all projectors will need a certain throw distance to be able to accommodate screen sizes. There are short-throw projectors but even those have a minimum distance and a maximum projected size.
posted by dobbs at 9:22 AM on April 26
My apologies, part of my response got lost (by me)...
I'm really set on this ability to automatically size the projection with some reasonable degree of fidelity.
...the Nebula Mars 3 Air will auto-keystone (fixes skew), automatically try to avoid obstacles (tries to only cast images onto large flat surfaces, avoiding household clutter nearby, like plants etc.), will auto-focus the image, and will automatically adjust "screen" fit for the size of the surface.
The Mars 3 (no "air" in the name) does all of the above as well but is larger, more than twice as bright, has better speakers, a larger battery, and costs almost twice as much, which is why I suggest getting the Air unless you're really quite sure you want the extra battery life/brightness/loudness.
posted by aramaic at 10:31 AM on April 26 [1 favorite]
I'm really set on this ability to automatically size the projection with some reasonable degree of fidelity.
...the Nebula Mars 3 Air will auto-keystone (fixes skew), automatically try to avoid obstacles (tries to only cast images onto large flat surfaces, avoiding household clutter nearby, like plants etc.), will auto-focus the image, and will automatically adjust "screen" fit for the size of the surface.
The Mars 3 (no "air" in the name) does all of the above as well but is larger, more than twice as bright, has better speakers, a larger battery, and costs almost twice as much, which is why I suggest getting the Air unless you're really quite sure you want the extra battery life/brightness/loudness.
posted by aramaic at 10:31 AM on April 26 [1 favorite]
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As a bonus make sure you end up with laser or led projectors which don't have replaceable lamps in the traditional sense and also use less power/create less heat.
posted by chasles at 3:27 AM on April 26 [2 favorites]