Previously we have published some informative articles on projectors such as Is It Feasible to Build an LCD Projector at Home and What to Look For When Buying a 4K Laser Projector. Laser projectors are a breed of superior technology but most of us can not afford multiple laser projectors at home or office. For various reasons, we need to think about saving money. This article is for helping you to think about a product which I have purchased and used.
The above-linked previous articles explain how these LCD-based projectors work. In simple language, they are a special version of a smartphone with a lamp, motor and lenses inside the package. $250 to $500 is a decent budget for purchasing an LCD projector. Above that budget, you should think about laser projectors. The lamp of these projectors will die sooner or later and you have to replace it. So before you purchase any LCD projector, make sure that the manufacturer will provide on-site repair service and is capable to supply spare parts.
Zebronics started as a small Indian company and they are dependent on Chinese companies for manufacturing the main components. Phillips, Sony, Panasonic, Samsung, Hitachi etc are OEM brands, that have sophisticated multi-layer PCB fabrication units. ICs and Microcontrollers used by them are often proprietary. Some of the components they directly sell for usage by others. For ordinary electronic stuff, choosing products from Zebronics, Boat like brands is often sufficient for home usage. You can not expect state of art results from these brands. These brands tend to use known stable technologies. Their way of thought is like DIY electronics in a sophisticated form.
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Review of Zebronics Pixaplay 16
You’ll get the official declaration of the specifications on their website:
1 | https://zebronics.com/products/zeb-pixaplay-16 |
The price mentioned there is about $750 but in reality, you can purchase it for $280. I am discussing their claimed features. The build quality is enough good at that price. There is no filmy feel of plastic components, and the remote control unit is well-designed. It comes with Android 9 running with a few commonly used apps installed such as YouTube, and Amazon Prime.
1080p FHD Smart LED Projector : It does work at 1080p for YouTube videos. Some brands claim as 1080p FHD, but YouTube videos are played at 720p.
App support: In reality, with the limited ROM size and RAM, you can install 1-2 apps more than what comes pre-installed. If you install a bunch of apps, then the system will become sluggish. The thing is the same for Samsung Smart TVs.
Screen size up to 508cms: You can easily view at 65-inch to 100-inch screen size. The more the size will become bigger, the lesser will be the actual brightness. For 80-100 inches, you can use a projector screen and try to use it in a darker room. At 65 inches, you will get enough brightness. This is true for any LCD projector.
4000 lumens: It is a bright projector at that price. Probably they want to mean 4000 lumens of the lamp. You’ll easily get 300 lumens of light from the projector.
Electronic focus via remote: The focus system is great since there are dedicated buttons on the remote control unit. It can not remember the last used settings and you have to focus every time you start the unit.
Multi-connectivity options like AV in/ AUX out, Dual USB, Dual HDMI: Enough number of ports plus WiFi, Bluetooth. You can mirror your smartphone’s screen too.
Built-in speaker: The mono speaker is not bad but also not great. You’ll need external stereo speakers.
Keystone correction: It has manual keystone correction plus digital keystone correction. The corners of the projected image remain enough sharp.
The UI is Android and there are not many settings.
Final Words
The colour of the output is natural and professional which gives a premium feel. The quality of the actual output of the music videos is better than entry-level Epson projectors. Overall, it is a good package at that price point to watch movies and music videos. I will suggest purchasing a good projector screen and stereo speakers for the optimal experience.
