Can't decide... :( (choosing a projector)

[icardwell]

Hey guys I'm new to the forums here but i have REALLY been wanting a pico projector lately to play little imovies i've made on the go from my iphone...

I'm trying to decide be tween these... do any of you have one you like?
The 3M "mpro 120"


The Aaxa Tech P1jr.


The Optoma Pk101



I not super concerned with resolution considering none of them are HD.... what are your thoughts?

 

[elan123]

I not super concerned with resolution considering none of them are HD.... what are your thoughts?

the 3m looks nicest, does that help?

 

[icardwell]

the 3m looks nicest, does that help?

yea, but it the prices vary so much while the specs don't...?

3M = $320
aaxa = $109
optoma = $160


from what i can tell the only difference between the optoma and the aaxa is that the optoma has 11 lumens and the aaxa is 10.

and the 3M is only 15 lumens and a slightly higher resolution.... but that does not seem to justify the 190.00 price jump...?


i have not decided yet but will for sure let you know when i do!

 

[dontworry]

I would try the lower priced ones out first. You don't want to spend a lot of money on these 1st gen devices when you know better ones are right around the corner.

The optoma seems like the best deal since it comes with the connection kit and the aaxa iphone cable is $20 extra. Optoma makes good projectors so the quality should be the same.

 

[icardwell]

I would try the lower priced ones out first. You don't want to spend a lot of money on these 1st gen devices when you know better ones are right around the corner.

The optoma seems like the best deal since it comes with the connection kit and the aaxa iphone cable is $20 extra. Optoma makes good projectors so the quality should be the same.

Hm... I already have the cable so maybe i'll just go with the axxa...?

and of course right when i have decided i come across this...
http://mini-projectors.net

looks pretty impressive...

 

[techFANboy]

Hey Cardwell,

I posted a review of the aaxa a while back... (https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1144101/)

all in all it's got pretty good spec's for a unit that is only around 100.00…

I orginally got it to take camping but after we got home we moved and made this little video... i thought it might be helpful

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmdSfBTm_Vc

I was pretty impressed with the quality and it was pretty rad to put this tiny thing on his bookshelf and blow his mind. (it made me happy to say the least...)

overall...for $109, it projects a decent picture that easily keeps my son entertained. And I like how it's so easy to connect to my iphone with the iphone cable i bought from www.aaxatech.com

 

[iApples]

Depending on where you're purchasing it from, you could always take it back if you don't like it, or if you think one of the others would be better.

I sorta like the aaxa.

 

[TL427]

If you're looking for something casual, I'd go with the AAXA P1jr. I've been comparing it to some of the even cheaper models and tbh, it balances performance and price nicely. The 3M has some more "professional" features, but honestly, at that price range, you can get other professional projectors that are easily 3-5x brighter than the 3M one. The optoma one is nice too, but it does about the same as the P1jr if you're looking for something casual to use.

 

[icardwell]

If you're looking for something casual, I'd go with the AAXA P1jr. I've been comparing it to some of the even cheaper models and tbh, it balances performance and price nicely. The 3M has some more "professional" features, but honestly, at that price range, you can get other professional projectors that are easily 3-5x brighter than the 3M one. The optoma one is nice too, but it does about the same as the P1jr if you're looking for something casual to use.

I'm sure you all waiting on pins and needles to hear my reviews...
so, as most of you are... i'm a sucker for new toys... I got a decent bonus this past week and splurged a bit and bought the aaxa P1Jr. AND the M1 ultimate! I stuck with aaxa mostly because they seemed like such a good deal for my money... and after giving them a test run i was mostly happy with both.

This is my mostly short review of the m1... (since @techFANboy posted up a review of the P1Jr.)

light test: (and the light was not that orange... the camera white ballance is doing that...)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us
The good:
performance -It was pretty dang bright @ 75 lumens…* I really could not believe dang small this thing was while being decently bright… It was pretty sharp. and color was pretty smooth… I'm not to familiar with all of the Projector terms but it did look great as far as i'm concerned…
the looks - Now, design i know… The build was nice, and the weight felt great, not like some products that look rad but when you pick them up they just feel cheep… on the contrary, this felt pretty rad. There are touch controls on the top that look good and then look great when you activate them cause they are backlit with a blue led!
perifrials - The M1 ultimate contains built in media player… I was not to big on this cause i have all my media on my iPHONE/iPAD but i could see me using it in a pinch… There is an SD card reader on it, which seemed nice due to the fact that media is always getting bigger and my library is ever expanding….

The bad:
The remote had to be pretty close to the unit for it to work well… and all that did was tempt me to use the rad onboard touch controls… The menu was not as bad as some of the reviews i had read…. but not my fave...

**Over all i like this thing a lot. suits my needs pretty well… and i'm also pretty happy that it did not leave my wallet crying in the corner begging for mercy…

 

[dontworry]

Thanks for posting the pics. The last picture looks pretty dang good for a $100 projector. How does a widescreen movie look when playing? Glad you found one.

 

[kuebby]

Yeah, thanks for posting pics, that last one really does look surprisingly good. I'd also be curious how a widescreen movie looks with it.

 

[icardwell]

Yeah, thanks for posting pics, that last one really does look surprisingly good. I'd also be curious how a widescreen movie looks with it.

Those photos are of the M1 ulitmate.... not the P1 Jr to clairify i got both projectors (one for a gadget/toy and the other to use at home with movies...)

ill post some pics of the p1 Jr. later today...

 

[icardwell]

Those photos are of the M1 ulitmate.... not the P1 Jr to clairify i got both projectors (one for a gadget/toy and the other to use at home with movies...)

ill post some pics of the p1 Jr. later today...

here they are... they both don't really compare to eachother... mostly because it is apples to oranges... but i was pretty impressed with each of the projectors' outputs.... since the M1 has 75 lumen and 800x600 Res and the P1Jr. has 10 Lumen. all in all they are both pretty bad ass.

The AAXA M1 Ultimate:

The P1Jr.:

 

[iJays]

how about this showwxplus

 

[dontworry]

Oh wow. The M1 is much clearer. The jr is still not bad for the money.

 

[b0blndsy]

I've read optoma review somewhere and it sounds to be nice.

 

[touchmonkey]

I have an optoma an love it.
Still looking for raw video to do some building projections.
The possibilities of these devices are limited only by the imagination.

 

[icardwell]

I have an optoma an love it.
Still looking for raw video to do some building projections.
The possibilities of these devices are limited only by the imagination.

Im not to sure about the optoma... mostly because you basically get the same thing with the aaxa P1jr but the p!jr. costs around 70-90 less....

and the Showwx looks cool but is only 15 lumen and that seems freaking pricey at 350.00 and that is a reduced price...

 

[iJays]

Im not to sure about the optoma... mostly because you basically get the same thing with the aaxa P1jr but the p!jr. costs around 70-90 less....

and the Showwx looks cool but is only 15 lumen and that seems freaking pricey at 350.00 and that is a reduced price...

Showwx is on a different league as it uses laser for projection so won't be needing a really dark room and you do not have to stand back to get a good projected image.

 

[techFANboy]

Showwx is on a different league as it uses laser for projection so won't be needing a really dark room and you do not have to stand back to get a good projected image.

while it DOES not need to be focused cause it is a laser... it still needs a super dark room... (and yes i have played with one in person so i am speaking form experience)

 

[touchmonkey]

while it DOES not need to be focused cause it is a laser... it still needs a super dark room... (and yes i have played with one in person so i am speaking form experience)

I have used the optoma to project onto surfaces (buildings, walls) in not "super dark" conditions (obviously) with very acceptable results
it depends on what you're using it for
if its to watch a movie with friends then you want optimal conditions
if its to do incredible things in public you can do so with less than "super dark" conditions.....speaking only from experience with my device....but i'm guessing they are all comparable
these things are limited only by your imagination
you can do mini versions of the building projection projects you see on youtube and elsewhere at a fraction of the cost
get one
do it

 

[the.sheepdog]

isn't it funny how the only 7 posts for this spammer are about this thread talking about selling his products?

I dislike dishonest spammers. If he was honest he would be up front with his products like so many good people here are.

A lie does not help sales much spammer!

 

[Shenaniganz08]

ahahaha this posts/pictures are hilarious

can someone guess what the average home theather projector brightness is

Oh yeah its close to 1000-2000 lumens
10-15 lumen = 100x weaker than an average home theather projector

These pico projectors are just so terribly weak. Maybe for around $100 they are fine but I wouldn't spend $300+ on something dimmer than a flashlight.

 

[icardwell]

isn't it funny how the only 7 posts for this spammer are about this thread talking about selling his products?

I dislike dishonest spammers. If he was honest he would be up front with his products like so many good people here are.

A lie does not help sales much spammer!

yikes you are quick to judge... just cause i have not posted anywhere else doesn't make me a spammer...

All i wanted to know was which to get or if any of you had any advice... no one really did, so i made a judgement bought em and since no one knew i posted a picture review...

I'll make sure and get my post count up so the[Sherlock]sheepdog can relax...

i hope not everybody on this forum is like this...

 

[icardwell]

ahahaha this posts/pictures are hilarious

can someone guess what the average home theather projector brightness is

Oh yeah its close to 1000-2000 lumens
10-15 lumen = 100x weaker than an average home theather projector

These pico projectors are just so terribly weak. Maybe for around $100 they are fine but I wouldn't spend $300+ on something dimmer than a flashlight.

im pretty sure no one mentioned replacing their home theater system. Hence the "on the go" references i made in the opening post...