MIni Projectors?

[jas007]

Does anyone have any experience with some of the budget mini-projectors?

 

Some of them don't cost too much and look like they might be fun.  For example, there are a few Toptro models that can be had in the $150-$300 price range.  If they actually work well, why not? 

[impulse]

6 minutes ago, jas007 said:

Does anyone have any experience with some of the budget mini-projectors?

 

Some of them don't cost too much and look like they might be fun.  For example, there are a few Toptro models that can be had in the $150-$300 price range.  If they actually work well, why not? 

 

Out of curiosity, what's your intended application?

 

[merck]

THe HY300 Pro is a real budget one I've been looking at available for about $30 on AliExpress.

 

[jas007]

30 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

Out of curiosity, what's your intended application?

 

I'm probably going to be moving to a bigger place, and I saw these and thought it might be fun for movies or whatever.  You can buy special fabric screens that can be attached to a wall with adhesives (won't damage the wall) and the sizes I've seen extend up to 150 inches.  And not much money.  Less than $25, with a slight variation price, depending on the size.  

 

So, you mount the unit on a tripod or maybe place it on a table, and so long as it has a power source, you're good to go.  The picture adjusts and focuses automatically.  With the available wi-fi or Airplay, it can play anything I'm playing on my Apple TV. The sound can come from my system speakers, or, the thing has a small, built-in speaker.  For people using a TV stick type gadget, it'll accept one of those.  Or, inputs from HDMI or USB.  

 

I guess the only limitation you might have is finding a suitable place for a screen.

 

One of the one's I've looked at can even be mounted a tripod, with the picture projected to your white ceiling, if you have one.   

 

It all sounds like fun.  There's no way I would buy a 120" TV, but one of these things? Why not? 

 

 

[jas007]

25 minutes ago, merck said:

THe HY300 Pro is a real budget one I've been looking at available for about $30 on AliExpress.

 

That may be the video I first saw, and then I started looking at them. Read all the reviews and go from there.  They now have upgraded models, and there are more than a few manufacturers.  Like anything else's, if you're not careful you'll soon be spending a lot of money as the quality and features improve. 

 

 

[jas007]

Just an update. Yesterday I got the little projector I ordered:

 

"270° Adjustable Stand & Electric Focus]Mini Projector with WiFi and Bluetooth, 2025 Native 1080P TOPTRO Portable Outdoor Movie Projector, Auto Vertical Keystone, Home Projector for Phone/TV Stick."

 

Amazon had an $80 off coupon, so the grand total, shipped to Thailand, including import and duty fees, was about $164.

 

I'm getting ready to move, so I just played around with it a little, casting it to my white ceiling at an angle.

 

Set up was fairly easy, so long as you have your wi-fi password.  But then it took me a while to figure out how it all worked. And it was finicky, at least in terms of how I wanted the setup to work. Theoretically, so long as all of your devices are on the same network, they can all work together. Apple TV for the picture, which is then sent to the projector via screen mirroring, while the sound plays through the sound system of the Apple TV.   But that was on again and off again. Maybe the signal wasn't strong enough, or maybe I had something set wrong.  I'll have to try again later.  I finally tried Airplay from my iPad, but that was also finicky.  One minute it was connected, and then it would disappear.. When it worked, it worked, butt not for long.  And the sound was coming from the small speakers on the projector.

 

I finally settled on trying the wired approach.  from my iPad to the projector via the supplied HDMI cable.

That worked the best, after I fooled around and looked for the proper adapter.  USB. to Lightning. 

 

The picture quality wasn't bad. Not the best available, obviously, but decent, and it would probably be much better with one of the special screens made fr that purpose, which can range up to 150 inches.