With our scholar on the brink of return dwelling it was time to setup the den upstairs. The timing couldn’t have been higher as a result of BenQ acquired in contact and requested us if we’d like so as to add one in all their transportable projectors to the Automated Dwelling.
What Is It?
Described because the ‘World’s First 2.1CH Audio Moveable Projector’, the GV30 is an all-in-one projector with sound, roughly 12cm x 20cm x 2cm and weighing in at 1.6 kg. It makes use of a DLP chip to supply its native 720p picture (1280 x 720) and might deal with as much as a 4K UHD enter (3840 x 2160).
With brightness rated at 300 ANSI Lumens, you want a darkish room to get essentially the most from the GV30. BenQ quote the lifetime of the LED mild supply as 20,000 in regular mode. To place that in actual world phrases, for those who used the projector for five hours a day, 6 days per week, it ought to final for over 12 years.
The noise ranges of the cooling fan are very low so to not intrude with the motion and the highest mounted buttons permit for straightforward management of the unit. There are 3 audio system on-board, a 4 watt unit for every of the left and proper channels, plus a 3rd 8 watt woofer for some decrease frequencies. Which means this one field transportable answer offers a 2.1 channel setup.
The audio system create a sound that’s a step above many flat display screen TVs and it’s a lot loud. There’s additionally a 3.5mm audio-out jack if you wish to feed the sound into an exterior system. With onboard Bluetooth it’s also possible to ship you music out of your cellphone and so on and use it as a Bluetooth Speaker.
As a part of the setup course of you employ somewhat guitar-pick formed software to prise the case aside and set up the BenQ QS01 Android TV Dongle on the interior HDMI. The duvet snaps again on giving a clear look with out something protruding of the unit.
There’s a second HDMI on the facet (1.4b/HDCP1.4) if you wish to use your individual streaming stick or different gadget. The USB-C socket can be utilized as a DisplayPort enter too.
The round formed projector then sits onto a magnetic base, permitting it to rotate to the specified angle. Eradicating the magnetic base reveals a helpful tripod socket, making it even simpler to mount in case you have one handy.
On the Films
As soon as the blinds are closed the image involves life, together with the wow-factor that a big projected picture brings. We’re projecting the picture onto a plain painted wall, which works rather well with none particular paints or a ‘correct’ display screen.
There’s no zoom perform on the GV30 so the picture dimension is decided by how far-off you place it out of your wall. The BenQ suggest a picture between 30″ and 120″, and with its 135° projection angle, you’ll be able to web site it nearly wherever. On a espresso desk, a shelf, and even on the ground. Anybody that’s used a transportable projector earlier than will in all probability recognise the state of affairs the place you might be searching for a stack of books, simply the suitable peak, however this straightforward however intelligent swivel base means it’s simple to regulate. In our room the very best image dimension / high quality was obtained by placing the unit behind the couch which gave us the 118″ diagonal within the photograph above.
There’s auto-focus and a Vertical Keystone function that straightens these trapezoid’s into rectangles routinely (+/- 40°) and there are 6 image modes – Vibrant, Cinema, Day Time, Residing Room, Sports activities and Recreation with an enter lag of 51 ms ([email protected]).
Streaming Media, Native Recordsdata
Among the finest issues in regards to the BenQ GV30 is that in-built Android TV, together with the wi-fi streaming that the onboard Wi-Fi brings (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 2.4G and 5G).
You possibly can solid out of your cellular gadget to the projector, or play from Android apps straight. To put in Netflix first you’ll must seize the “Apps Supervisor” from the Google Play retailer. Subsequent, open the apps supervisor and discover and set up “Aptoide” and use it to obtain “Netflix”.
The built-in battery means you’ll be tempted to take your films on the go, and even attempt it outdoor or perhaps even on a tenting journey. You possibly can play your individual media plugging a reminiscence stick into the USB-C port if you’re off grid too. In testing we acquired round 2 hours use on battery energy. The projector comes with a very nice carry case too which holds the included distant management and energy lead.
Verdict
We’ve tried a couple of transportable projectors through the years and this one is a step above. Whereas it prices a bit greater than somebody of the cheaper choices round, in our opinion it’s properly price the additional.
The transportable GV30 feels properly constructed and has the advantages of that in-built Android TV and the pliability that the onboard battery energy offers too.
It has already offered hours of leisure and has shortly develop into a everlasting fixture in our den. When you’ve watched a film on a giant display screen it’s arduous to return to a traditional TV!
