Business News/ Lounge / Business Of Life/ Formovie Xming Page One review: A compact projector for movie nights
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Before you decide to buy a projector, you need to decide its primary purpose. Are you looking for a projector for watching movies or sports, playing games, or displaying business presentations? Many of the lowest-priced projectors are best suited for business use, such as PowerPoint or whiteboard presentations and company video chats. They offer a decent amount of brightness and various options for connecting to a computer, but the resolution may not be full HD (1920×1080 pixels) or in the correct shape (16:9) for movie and TV watching.
Before you decide to buy a projector, you need to decide its primary purpose. Are you looking for a projector for watching movies or sports, playing games, or displaying business presentations? Many of the lowest-priced projectors are best suited for business use, such as PowerPoint or whiteboard presentations and company video chats. They offer a decent amount of brightness and various options for connecting to a computer, but the resolution may not be full HD (1920×1080 pixels) or in the correct shape (16:9) for movie and TV watching.
If you are looking for a projector to watch movies and TV shows, then you need, at the very least, a full HD projector, a 4K projector or better. The most important thing after that is picking the room where the projector will be placed and the number 1 rule for this is it should be dark. Depending on the room’s size, you can choose between a traditional projector or an ultra-short-throw projector (projectors that can produce a large image on a wall from a short distance). The next thing is to decide the screen size. The bigger the screen size, the more light output the projector needs to produce for a crisp and well-saturated image. Lastly, ensure that your projector comes with an HDMI port (for connecting your Amazon FireTV stick, Google Chromecast, and more) or, at the very least, a built-in streaming platform (Google TV or something similar).
If you are looking for a projector to watch movies and TV shows, then you need, at the very least, a full HD projector, a 4K projector or better. The most important thing after that is picking the room where the projector will be placed and the number 1 rule for this is it should be dark. Depending on the room’s size, you can choose between a traditional projector or an ultra-short-throw projector (projectors that can produce a large image on a wall from a short distance). The next thing is to decide the screen size. The bigger the screen size, the more light output the projector needs to produce for a crisp and well-saturated image. Lastly, ensure that your projector comes with an HDMI port (for connecting your Amazon FireTV stick, Google Chromecast, and more) or, at the very least, a built-in streaming platform (Google TV or something similar).
Let’s take a look at the recently launched Formovie Xming Page One projector. Formovie is far from being a household name in India, having launched in the latter half of 2023. The Xming Page One looks to change this. It’s compact, has Google TV integration (along with native Netflix integration), and at ₹39,999, feels more premium. The build quality is top-notch. It may be small and unobtrusive, but it makes a statement with its matte finish, keeping those fingerprints at bay, and air vents and speaker grilles on the front and rear. Inside the box, you get the projector, a power cord (and charging adapter), a Bluetooth remote control and a user manual. The ports—a USB-A port, an HDMI 2.1 port, a 3.5mm audio out and the power cord port—are neatly hidden at the rear end.
A projector needs to be positioned in a good spot to get the optimal projection angle. To that extent, Formovie missed a trick here. There’s a lack of any built-in stand/adjustable feet but it can be mounted on to a tripod, thanks to the threaded hole at the bottom. It’s a trade-off that Formovie made in exchange for keeping the Xming Page One’s design compact and visually appealing.
Setup and features
Running on Google TV means the Xming Page One is one of the easiest projectors to set up. Just plug it in, power it up, and your Android smartphone (if you own one) will ping with a notification to set up the projector. There’s an option to set it up via the Google Home app (also available for those on iOS) as well. The Bluetooth remote is minimalistic and features a dedicated button for YouTube and Netflix. It also supports voice commands through Google Assistant.
Also read: Optoma L1+ review: A compact, all-in-one projector
The image is crisp and vibrant. Since it uses an LCD for projection, the Xming Page One eliminates the rainbow effect (a phenomenon where a rainbow aura trails the moving objects on the screen for a brief second or two) that comes with traditional Digital Light Processing projectors There are inbuilt dual 5-Watt speakers (with support for Dolby Audio) that provide a clear sound. The Xming Page One outshines most rivals at this price point, but let’s take a look at the competition.
In the running
There are two clear winners when it comes to the top-end projectors in the market: the BenQ W5800 (retailing for ₹6,50,000) and the Epson EH-LS12000B 4K Laser Projector ( ₹5,90,000). These are long-throw 4K projectors. They come with plenty of brightness, serious build quality, and impressive image quality.
The Optoma L1+ is an ultra-short-throw projector to consider. It delivers one of the best picture outputs I’ve seen, but one must invest in an external speaker.
For ₹1,99,999 (discounted price on Amazon), one can also get the XGIMI Horizon Ultra 4K Projector (with 2300 ANSI Lumens, Google TV, integrated Harman Kardon speakers and built-in Chromecast). The similarly priced BenQ TK860i offers 4K picture quality with great details and good brightness.
In the ₹50,000 to ₹1 lakh range, it is mostly ViewSonic that dominates the market share, with the ViewSonic CPB701HDH, the ViewSonic LS500WHP and ViewSonic PA503W that are worth checking out. If you do fancy a 200-inch screen (though not of the best quality), then be sure to check out the BenQ MH560 priced at ₹59,990.
Within Formovie’s portfolio, the V10 4K projector (with 2500 ANSI Lumens and a free Amazon Fire TV Stick), is another good option. This one retails at ₹1,60,000.
The LG CineBeam Qube (with up to 120-inch screen size and 4K projection) is another projector to look out for. Launched in the US at $1,300 (just over ₹1,00,000), this projector is expected to make its way to India over the next few months. This is a highly portable 4K projector that was well-appreciated earlier in the year at the CES show in Las Vegas.
Sahil Bhalla is a Delhi-based journalist. He posts @IMSahilBhalla.
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