Just bought a micro projector - I love it!

UPDATE!!!!!!!! 1/12/10
I got more pictures .... Didn't want to start a new thread so I'm just gonna edit this one..

My m1 vs my samsung flat screen.










1/4/10
First post here. I usually lurk but I never really have anything of importance to say. I tried to put time in to this so please be gentle!

I recently went to my friend's christmas party where he was using one of the old fashioned projectors (the loud ones that get really hot). Being that we're all pretty poor college students, I'm sure he got this one for free. Oh, we also don't have a TV at his or my place, so we set up his projector to watch movies via his laptop.

I decided to go and buy one that is similar but couldn't shell out the cash for one of the home theatre systems. I decided to go with the Aaxa M1 micro projector because it was only $300 and pretty small (portable). I also bought myself a netflix subscription to grab movies easily online. I know i could just stream things but 15 bucks a month isn't TOO bad and I like to see what comes out on video as they come out. Pulled the trigger on both over the weekend.

I'm pretty stoked on the set up. The micro projector shoots 66-lumens which is the best one in the micro category. The next category up is way bigger, only produces 100-lumens, and is doubled the price. Again, I'm not rich.

The other reason I opted for this one is that it runs on an extended battery pack which apparently only this one offers. I figure I can go out with it and bring it to my friends, dorm rooms, dates, etc. The bonus to it is that it has built in memory so I can store downloaded movies on to it.

I thought I'd share considering I'm really excited about how much I won't get done in the next few months. My purchasing decisions usually come from nbreview. hope this helps someone!

http://www.aaxatech.com/products/m1_micro_projector.htm

 

The problem with projectors is the cost of the replacement lamps and how long they last for.

It looks great though.

 

I've always wanted a projector so I can watch football on the living room wall.

Life size cheerleaders FTW.

 

That thing looks awesome! Imagine playing/watching anything life-size.

 

ACTUALLY

this one is LED powered. It doesn't use a lamp and is rated at like..10,000 hours or something? maybe 100,000? I forget what I've read before. It is supposed to be leading technology that is getting rid of lamp powered projectors me thinks.

This was another reason I went this route, actually.

 

Technology FTW.

 

1280x960 is not bad and the size and LED is nice as well! Just wish it had a higher resolution for HD movies, tv and gaming.

 

For $300 you can barely find a decent monitor for HD movies, let alone a projector.

 

I don't even have a TV

 

Wow, that is pretty damn awesome

 

Life size Alizee?

 

Oh boy. All the sudden I'm getting dizzy......

 

Thanks stackenna. I was thinking of getting a micro projector too. Are you sure this is the best / cheapest? Is there one with a little less lumens, and thus a little less in price?

 

:laugh:

10char

 

Lamp Life = 15,000hrs.

So if you use it 10hrs a day you should get 4 years out of it. Pretty good if you ask me.

 

I don't know if its the best/cheapest but the only two I looked at were this and the dell m109s. I do not believe the micro category has any other active players between the pico category (11 lumens and around 2-3hundo) to the projector projectors. The dell is about the same price, but it lacks a bunch of things I wanted: no onboard player (operating system), no onboard sound, no onboard memory, etc. I know a lot of the pico projectors are about the same price as this micro but only throw out like...11 lumens or so? aaxa has the p2 pico with 33 but its about the same price that I paid for my micro. also, the dell, i don't believe, can be run battery powered.

I definitely hesitate to buy things and do a lot of research so I'm almost positive its the cheapest/best micro. Its too late for me to change my mind anyways

 

i want one!

 

that's a dam good buiz. I want one too. looks amazing. I'm willing to pay a but more to have fullHD though.

 

yeah, after a little research I have to agree. Most are almost there like the Nixar Z10, but are not there like the AAXA. I think you have the best bang for the buck and brightness.

 

Bra, that's pretty cool. All the homies in the 'hood can come over to your crib to watch movies.

 

haha nah man. they can sit outside and watch movies

no one is spilling stuff on my carpet!!

 

I got more pictures .... Didn't want to start a new thread so I'm just gonna edit this one..

My m1 vs my samsung flat screen.

 

Mmmm, Micro projectors. So hot right now.

 

haha....that hansel. he's so hot right now.

 

He's no blue steel ;-)

 

That looks awesome. Projectors are going to take off in the next couple of years, these micro ones are extremely tempting.

I may have to buy one of these. No more external monitors for me.

Thanks for taking the time to post - welcome to the NBR boards, glad to have you onboard.

 

These are great for video games and sports.

Imagine, Fat Princess on my wall......

 

Thank you! I do enjoy that the forum isn't purely tech/buying and that there is a lot of light hearted humor around.

 

LED too? That is sooooo cool! Now I want one!

 

Light hearted humor?? They are suppose to be stinging piercing insults...

I do enjoy reading certain Member's posts. Like Lithus, who's humor always is golden.

 

Nice buy! Can't wait till LED projectors get cheaper and better still!!

 

Very cool. I think I want one.

 

I know. Must..... join...... the..... club.

 

Well you might want to mention some of the features OP? Not to mention the make, price and why you bought/need it?

 

I agree. What sort of inputs does it have?

 

So what has a better picture, a projector or a LED-LCD 240 Hz samsung ?

 

Apples and oranges brah. Projectors are good when it comes to projecting a larger than life size picture. But they still have one obvious limitation: you have to view them in a dimly lit environment.

 

That's a good question. I wonder. I would think that the samsung would have a better picture, better contrast, better color gamut, but I'm not sure a projector wouldn't have all that either. Hmmm, time for OP to chime in.

 

Yeah, this is a poor question. Comparing a little dinky screen to something 70" wide.

like, OMG, which is more fuel efficient??? MACK truck or Camry?????

 

TV's still have the superiority over projectors when it comes to picture quality. mainstream projectors are slowly catchin up to TV/LCD/Plasma quality. maybe within the next few years the gap will be a little closer, but don't hold yur breath on it.

 

Still, the technology is impressive; and has come a long to give you such a big picture out of a small package you can virtually carry around in your pocket.

 

I have the AAXA PICO p2 projector, I have to admit, i'm not impressed with it. I'll take some pictures of it soon.

 

def on my list of cool things to buy

 

oh, of course. i wasn't takin anything away from projectors. i was just answering the poster's question. if i wasn't on such an HD/1080p high right now, i would've prolly invested in a projector a long time ago. i can't wait til the technology progresses a bit more and the day where mainstream micro projectors will have picture quality that will rival TV's. when that day comes, i will definitely be investing in one.

 

Would love to see that too, although from the reviews on youtube that I've seen, the pico projectors seem to be lacking in brightness. But the micro projector the OP is talking about, IMO is impressive. I'd get one over a 20+ inch LCD.

 

Not just you; I think a lot of folks here see it purely as an entertainment device and forgot about it's value as a presentation device. Therefore, unless your presentation IS media, it doubtful a higher resolution would matter that much.

Not this one?

<param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/03W9bhstAUc&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/03W9bhstAUc&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width='425' height="344"></embed></object>

 

I am impressed that they come in high rez models now - I want one for work but need 764/768/800 vertical rez.

This fits the bill!

 

That's one of them that I've seen, and as you can see, in regular light, the projected images/texts look somewhat pale. Look at the other image the OP attached in his original post, the outside shot on the garage door. That's the least brightness that I want.

Considering both the micro and the pico are about the same in size and price, and the micro wins. If the pico can put out around 50 lumens, it's more attractive IMO.

 

OP here.

well, as far as features, it has a gig of built in memory and speakers. It also has a slot for an SD card.

The one I have has a/v and speaker inputs as well as a usb input.

I don't really know what other features there are but it works for me. I take it around and watch movies. It is "usable" in the daytime but you're not gonna get spectacular results unless you close the curtains. I think the downfall of all projectors is exactly that. They won't compare to a television. For the price, however, it works for me. I use mine in dorm rooms and friends' houses at night.

Its also more convenient than carrying around a flat screen in my car.


I thought I had linked the site but I got mine for $299 here: http://www.aaxatech.com/products/m1_micro_projector.htm

 

I think that the pico's limitations are in size of the unit itself. honestly, i don't mind the extra size the micro takes to give me a decent image. it would be rad for a pico to put out 50 lumens, though.