I have been toying with the idea of a cheap projector for some time. But until recently the native resolution was awful and there was no keystone correction. That has all changed with quite a few budget projectors now giving better resolution and keystone correction.
So lets look at the specs.
The native resolution is actually 800 x 480 this is what they call WVGA (Wide Video Graphics Array ) this gives an aspect ration of 15:9 so its almost 16:9.
The manufacturer claim its brightness is 2400 lumens but after a couple of my own tests with a light meter I reckon the ANSI lumens are about 600 to 800.
The continuous use time is an interesting one, but at least is doesn't say 4 hours which I have seen on some.
So what's it like to actually set up and use.
It feels fairly solid for something that's made out of plastic, the projection lens is solid so no wobble when you try to focus. Nothing worse than a loose projection lens.
It has a small tilt adjustment screw at the front, which is useful.
Focus is manual as is the keystone correction. Both work fine for a manual system.
The imstruction manual is useless. It basicaly says you have bought a projector and this is what the buttons do, with little if any actual usage instructions. I found out most of the functions by playing around with the menus.
Another menu option is for timer functions so you can set the projector to come on/off at a preset time. Or the sleep function which can be set to say go off after 30mins right up to 6 hours.
The remote has various buttons for on/off, arrow keys for navigation, you can flip the picture, so you can mount the projector upside down, or allow for back projection. The zoom button just switches between Auto, 16:9 and 4:3 aspect ratios. I found the remote needs to be pointing directly at the front or back of the projector. I use an ir repeater and the remote works much better. So if your projector is behind you or above you then consider getting an ir repeater, I bought mine a few years ago on ebay for less than 10 euros.
Size of image depends on projection distance, so at 1.5m its about 32inch. At 2.3m the picture size is about 73 inches. There is an option in the menu to reduce the picture size by up to 25%. I would say optimal image size is about 70 to 100 inches.
Size of image depends on projection distance, so at 1.5m its about 32inch. At 2.3m the picture size is about 73 inches. There is an option in the menu to reduce the picture size by up to 25%. I would say optimal image size is about 70 to 100 inches.
There are various inputs VGA, HDMI, composite video and USB. The USB is great for inserting a USB stick with films on it. It handles most formats, but struggles with some mkv files.
Picture quality I think for the price is great. Its somewhere between VHS and DVD. Don't sit too near to the screen as you will be aware of the pixels. I have tried the projector on a 4:3 DaLite screen and on a smooth plastered wall. To me the flat wall gives a slightly better picture. Mind you my DaLite screen is at least 15 years old, and needs a good clean.
Fan noise is audible but as long as you don't sit next to it its not really a problem. Amazingly it doesn't get that hot even after 4 hours of use. Some cheaper ones I have tried get very hot indeed.
The sound from the built in speaker is ok, though can be a little trebbly at times. So external speakers would be a better option.
The specs from the manufacturer say not to be used for power point presentations or spreadsheets. I would agree the picture quality for these is not fantastic, and the text can be unreadable at times if its small. If you had to you could use it, but you would need to change font sizes to make it more readable, ok for a one off I guess.
So to wrap up.
Pros:
I think its a great piece of kit for the price.
Would I use it as a main TV source probably not. But it would be ideal in say a bedroom. My kids loved watching, films in the bedroom.
Its great for occasional / temporary home cinema use especially if you don't have a dedicated room.
Its ideal to use outside at night for alfresco picture shows.
It would also make a great back up or second projector for a small school or work place environment especially if its used more for showing videos rather than spreadsheets or PPT presentations.
Cons:
Not to be used on a daily basis for spreadsheet or other computer based presentations.
I wouldn't recommend it for a purpose built home cinema room ( I would want better picture quality).
Only manual keystone correction and focus (but at the price it is you wouldn't expect anything else).
Important question: Would I buy one ?
Answer: Yes and I already have.
Its in my bedroom projecting on to a wall. So I now have a 75inch TV for less than £50.00 .
The specs from the manufacturer say not to be used for power point presentations or spreadsheets. I would agree the picture quality for these is not fantastic, and the text can be unreadable at times if its small. If you had to you could use it, but you would need to change font sizes to make it more readable, ok for a one off I guess.
So to wrap up.
Pros:
I think its a great piece of kit for the price.
Would I use it as a main TV source probably not. But it would be ideal in say a bedroom. My kids loved watching, films in the bedroom.
Its great for occasional / temporary home cinema use especially if you don't have a dedicated room.
Its ideal to use outside at night for alfresco picture shows.
It would also make a great back up or second projector for a small school or work place environment especially if its used more for showing videos rather than spreadsheets or PPT presentations.
Cons:
Not to be used on a daily basis for spreadsheet or other computer based presentations.
I wouldn't recommend it for a purpose built home cinema room ( I would want better picture quality).
Only manual keystone correction and focus (but at the price it is you wouldn't expect anything else).
Important question: Would I buy one ?
Answer: Yes and I already have.
Its in my bedroom projecting on to a wall. So I now have a 75inch TV for less than £50.00 .
Also, check https://projectoreviews.com/mooka-projector-review-pros-cons-wifi-1080p-projector/ as well.
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