Review of 2 top movie projectors for your backyard theater
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 8 сен 2024
- Taking a look at the Anker Nebula II and ViewSonic M1+.
There's something about watching a movie outdoors. Yes, it might be chilly this time of year, but if you're going to buy a digital projector, it should be one you can take outside. Social distanced spring, summer and fall nights have been enjoyable watching movies under the stars.
This is the ViewSonic M1+, the Anker Nebula 2 and the ViewSonic M1 3 of the top projectors on the market today, each one does something better than the others. First, let's look at ViewSonic's M1+. vs the Anker Nebula II.
Each has a distinctive shape and design. The Nebula II looks kinda like a soda can but a little larger while the ViewSonic has a flat shape with the lens being covered by this piece that serves as a stand and a lens cover. You could also use it to mount to a ceiling, though you'd have to turn off this feature that whenever you rotate it to show a movie, the projector automatically switches on, and turns off again when you cover the lens.
Both are pretty hefty or solid, roughly a pound an a half for each of them. The ViewSonic comes with a case so you can transport it without it getting scratched or dented.
The ViewSonic M1+ has better battery life, about 6 hours depending on how you're streaming content. The Nebula II battery lasts about 2 and a half hours. Of course you can use an extension cord and plug it in to AC power.
Both projectors have great speakers. The ViewSonic M1+ has dual harman/kardon speakers while the Nebula II has a 360-degree speaker. Both are plenty loud enough for a small group of non-talking viewers. You can add an external bluetooth speaker or plug in a sound-bar. I think the Nebula speaker sounds a bit better
The Nebula II was easier to setup. It has Android TV built-in, so just log into your Google account and use apps to stream content onto the screen. This makes it very easy to watch Hulu, RUclips, RUclips TV, and movies from the Google Play store. It does not have a Netflix app for some reason. Both the Nebula and M1+ have remotes. The Nebula has apps for Android and iOS so you won't have to keep up with a remote. Believe me, this is a big deal. I've had to walk around the backyard with a flashlight looking for the remote that fell onto the ground at some point.
In terms of how to get content to the projector and the screen, both projectors have HDMI, USB-C and standard USB. The ViewSonic M1+ also has a micro-sd card slot along with 16 gigabyte of internal storage that's large enough for about 4 hours of movies.
Movies and shows can be streamed wirelessly by mirroring content from your phone screen. The Nebula II has Chromecast built in. I found the best, easiest and fail-safe way to project a movie, was to connect an iPad directly to the projector using an HDMI cable. You'll also need a hub like this one
As far as the picture quality, ViewSonic's M1+ has full-HD and double the lumens, so the picture's brighter which makes a difference if you start the movie outside when there's still a little light. I'm projecting to a 100" screen here with the M1+.
and now, same screen from the Nebula II. The picture quality is 720 HD, but the colors pop just as much as the M1+. At least I think so.
The Nebula II has auto-focusing. It takes a second for it to determine its distance to the screen and has gotten out of focus a few times. I have to hold my hand in front of the lens, let it correct itself, then aim it back at the screen. It works pretty well.
The M1+ has a knob for focusing manually, which I like.
So which is better?
If you're all about Android or Google TV, the Google Movie and TV app and Chromecast, the Nebula II is the better choice. It's just easier streaming from an Android app. Plus, it all feels familiar. The app is also a plus. The 360-degree speaker sounds a little better than the M1+
But, the M1+ has a little better picture. The internal storage option and SD Card input makes it more portable. The stand makes it easier to adjust the picture to the screen whether it's sitting on the floor, the ground or on a table.
If price doesn't matter, I'd go with the Nebula II. It's expensive, $580 but Amazon has dropped the price a few times in the last year to $400.
The ViewSonic M1+ is $270, less than half the price of the Nebula II
If you want to spend even less, ViewSonic's M1 Mini doesn't have as the speaker or the brightness that the others have, but it does have HDMI, the smart stand, 2 and a half hours of battery life and it's the more portable than the others. It'll even fit in a back pocket.
and it's just $150
you'll spend between 100-200 dollars for a good stand-alone screen to put in the yard, or, you can hang up a portable screen that costs around $40, or hang a bed sheet on a wall outside.
bottom line, if you're looking for a gift for the whole family, a portable projector and screen for a movie-night outside, you can't go wrong with any of these projectors.
Oh gosh, i thought that nebula is pretty good until I saw that pink faces screen :-O
very well explained!
loved it
This projector gets the job done pretty well. ruclips.net/user/postUgkxS9P8zTOcmQg-hH0QeUi3dspOLyYgQ6dH Bear in mind it's a mini projector but all things considered the picture quality is pretty good. The attached photo is of the projector projecting onto my white closet doors. I still have not messed with the settings but I can't wait for our first family movie night on a larger scale. If you have issues with volume not working with your firestick, go into volume settings and you will find your solution there.
Thanks. Very informative
Viewsonic M1+ has just 480p, not FullHD.
I have both. I bought the viewsonic m1+ first. What I don’t like about it is the flimsy door covering the ports. It gets in the way. I’ve thought about breaking it off.
If you have both, which one would you recommend? Also, is this the M1+ Gen 2 or the Gen 1. Thanks.
No boss don't break that projector if you don't like it you give me that projector please I don't have enough money i can use 1 branded projector but i like projector very much indian seller brand projector takes very high price
hello Jamey, a great video. Thanks. Could you please advise how you felt about the picture quality between M1+ and Nebula.
Also how’s the 480p on a 100” screen setup.
Please advise. Will help me big time.
Hello @Jamey Tucker , can you advise me, what is the image quality between Viewsonic M1 (480p) vs anker nebula II (720 hd ready)? Do you still have both? Isn't the image from the Anker nebula sharper? I am currently thinking about buying one of these
What is the maximum capacity micro SD card that will work on the M1?
I really want this view sonic but we don't have it here.
Please sell that to me cheaper ☺️
which one has better battery life?
Hi Jamey - could you please tell me which one shows less Pink or purple tinge. I felt Nebula picture was more pink is it ?
good question. I didn't notice either had a tint to the image. It probably appears that way due to shooting them with multiple cameras. The images shot with my Canon videocamera has a different look that the video shot with my phone and GoPro. Both have tools to adjust tint and hue using their apps.
@@whatthetechtv hello Jamey, a great video. Thanks. Could you please advise how you felt about the picture quality between M1+ and Nebula.
Also how’s the 480p on a 100” screen setup.
Please advise. Will help me big time.
@4:53 Why did will Ferrel have a purple face with the Nebula??? Looks like an alcoholic Elf
social distancing with your family ??!! I'm not watching any more of your videos
480p why even bother? Seriously. Unless you're projecting it onto your phone, this is horrible
@Problem Hole right, it just gets blurry instead of pixelated
True, I recently bought an Oculus Go for 50 dollars. It was my first VR experience and I was greatly disappointed with the 480p resolution kind of image I could get from those. I know they have 1280 × 1440 pixels per eye, but everything was 480p like blurry. The thing is, it doesn't matter if the screen size is gonna be 50, 100 or 200 inches if the image is gonna be blurry. Don't buy a projector with less than HD 720p native resolution unless you know what you'll be getting from it, and you still want it. But to be realist, it's 2022 and 480p resolution is a thing from the past already.