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Anker Nebula Solar Portable: We didn't like the Solar Portable as much as the BenQ GS50, Xgimi Halo Plus or even its sibling, the Mars II Pro. Its main disadvantage compared to others on this list is its relatively dim image, which means it can't project as large a picture and still look good. If you want a sleek, budget-friendly portable with 1080p and plan on keeping the image on the small side, however, this is a solid choice. Read our Anker Nebula Solar Portable review. That said, if you're looking for a big picture then the price differences start to disappear. 4K TVs become very expensive at their largest sizes, and projectors effortlessly deliver bigger images than even the biggest mainstream TVs. We do often recommend that you budget for a speaker when shopping for a projector, as although many options here include on-board speakers, they are invariably pretty poor. Similarly, while some projectors do now feature built-in streaming platforms, they're often a bit patchy in terms of performance and app selection, so it's often worth keeping some cash aside for a dedicated streamer. How we test projectors The VPL-XW5000ES combines Sony’s 4K SXRD panel and a 2000 Lumens laser phosphor light source, which, along with wide dynamic range optics and its Triluminos Pro colour processing, gives a 4K image so crisp and colour-rich that you could soon forget about the price tag. Throw in the X1 Ultimate Processor, with HDR Remaster and Dynamic HDR Enhancer processing, and you get the kind of picture quality that wouldn’t disgrace your local cinema.
One of the best TVs is generally a simpler affair: you put it in your home, on a wall or stand, and it stays there. It's a set screen size, and will offer the likes of 4K resolution or HDR at a cheaper price point than a projector. The W1800 sits squarely in BenQ’s CineHome section, where its focus on serving up a cinematic experience on a budget serves it extremely well. If space is really tight, you might want to consider a short throw or ultra-short throw projector, which can create big images on your screen or wall from incredibly short distances – as little as 10cm for a 50in image in some cases. The downside is the projected image tends to suffer more from geometric distortion. Other things to consider: Nearly all projectors have some form of correction to sort this out. The best portable projectors do it automatically, so you can spend less time setting up your screen and projector and more time enjoying what you want to watch. The same goes for auto-focus features, although most models have a manual slider or wheel. What about sound?I couldn’t say whether it meets all of the specs given but I can say that I very pleased with it. The standard and vivid picture settings are a bit washed out when it comes to colour but you can get a very decent picture if you play around with user settings. I turned up saturation and turned down sharpening and contrast. Needless to say, budget is a factor. As a rule of thumb, the more you spend, the brighter the image and the higher the resolution, giving you a better experience overall. What else should you look out for? However, the compact form and flexibility that a projector affords does make it a better choice in a lot of cases, and the ultra-large, cinematic image they can provide makes them well worth the investment for die-hard movie fans. How important is ultra short throw? Keystone correction is another must-have. Projectors are best positioned with the lens facing directly at the centre of the screen, but in practice this isn’t usually practical, so the projector has to be placed above or below – or even to one side – and angled up, down, left or right. This distorts the picture so that the rectangular image looks like a trapezoid (or worse) – an effect known as keystoning. The second-generation Nebula Capsule projector takes everything that made the first one so great and adds to it. It’s a similar shape to the original, albeit slightly larger, and just as easy to sling in a bag or pop in a cupboard when you’ve finished using it. It has a built-in rechargeable battery so you can use it on the go without having to faff around with a power cord, and it comes with integrated speakers and a range of connectivity options.
At the forefront of this UST revolution is Hisense, which has been developing ultra short-throw models for over six years now. The PL1 that we have before us today is the latest model in Hisense’s line of Ultra Short-Throw Laser Cinema Projectors, not to be confused with its separate line of Laser TVs, which act in a similar fashion but specifically come with a dedicated screen.Then there are portable projectors, which are ideal of taking on the go or using outside to create a grab-and-go cinema experience. They might not match up with the performance of dedicated home cinema projectors – the fact that none have made our list should tell you that – but you're paying for the experience and versatility here. You can't beat an open-air cinema experience under the starry night sky after all.
With its clean, punchy and solid image, the Hisense PL1 is a gem at this price. Undercutting many of its UST rivals and even its own Hisense siblings, it's a TV alternative that actually lives up to its promise. You’d be hard-pressed to find a 100-inch TV for this price, let alone one that features such a punchy and crisp image. While we wish it had a couple more HDMI ports, it’s a compromise we’re willing to make, as its picture performance more than makes up for it. It can be difficult to stand out in the crowded 4K projector market, so many manufacturers have begun to include innovative new features to help differentiate their best models. If you’re looking for a 4K projector that can go the extra mile, keep an eye out for models with these features. BenQ GS50: The GS50 is roughly the same size as the Xgimi Halo Plus, and is also 1080p and has a built-in battery. You can even use it as a Bluetooth speaker. However, it's dimmer than the Xgimi Halo Plus for similar money. Read our BenQ GS50 review. What’s more, the auto-focus and auto-keystone correction features mean you don’t need to spend hours tinkering to get a high-quality image; a real plus with a projector that might not be set-up permanently. Meanwhile, the built-in 15W audio system gives you sound that’s good enough for casual entertainment, if a little brash and shouty if you turn the volume up too high.DLP projectors do have a downside, though. As most display colours sequentially use a spinning, segmented colour wheel (there’s the odd exception to this rule), they suffer from what’s called the “rainbow effect”, where small areas of the image appear to splinter into small rainbows when you shift your gaze from one side of the screen to the other. Some people are less sensitive to this than others, though, so if you haven’t experienced a DLP projector, make sure you get a demo before spending your money. We conduct these tests in our state of the art testing room in Bath, which is outfitted with a 100-inch screen and a plethora of external sources to hook the projectors up to, including 4K Blu-ray players, video streamers and games consoles. This is also where each of these projectors meets its rivals, as every product is tested side-by-side with the competition to ensure it meets expectations and so that its place in the market is considered as a whole – no product exists in a vacuum after all. Chances are good that you’ll want to place your projector behind your main seating or on the ceiling. If that’s the case, you’ll need an extra-long HDMI cable to connect your projector to a video source.
As good as its picture performance is, the projector stumbles in a couple of places. Its attempts to adjust brightness on a shot-by-shot basis for some content can mean its overcorrecting in a way that makes the lighting quite jarring. Its motion smoothing can also be trouble as it helps reduce panning judder sometimes but introduces some glaring motion artifacts for everything else on screen. Fortunately, the Hisense L9G has a ton of available settings to adjust these features and many more, effectively letting users dial in the display however they like. To the untrained eye, one projector usually looks much like another. However, there’s a whole world of technology inside these often plain-looking boxes. The PROJEXMini projector is a great option for a projector that's perfect for a casual environment. It delivers a crisp 1080p image, whether you're watching big movies or intimate TV shows.Ultra short-throw projectorsare becoming much more frequent within the projector market at large, and for good reason. Designed as a TV alternative that can reach up to 100 inches without costing nearly as much as a super-large TV would, as well as having the added benefit of being practically plug-and-play (obviously with some fiddling required), a UST projector strikes a nice balance between practicality and theatricality. You’ll need a screen for your projected image, and there are hundreds of different options available. If you have room for a projector screen, buy one that can be pulled down from the ceiling. If you don’t have room for a dedicated screen, consider using projector paint on a bare wall. Projector paint creates a reflective surface that’s ideal for a minimalist setup. Extra bulbs The estimated delivery times for the above forms are for the continental United States only. Delivery to Alaska and Hawaii may take an additional 1-2 days.
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