Projectors are one of the few products that have changed my entertainment habits. Because of room size and moving issues, I have never bought a TV. Instead, use a projector as an alternative. But because most projectors are relatively expensive. As a young man with a low income, price is also an important criterion for me to buy such products.
As a representative of high cost performance, I have been paying attention to the Xiaomi projector. So in order to meet the needs of this part of the market, Xiaomi launched the Mijia smart compact projector. Mijia smart compact projector is a very popular small projection product. Cheap with quality is their label. This kind of projector is different from the large projectors used in the past, and their volume is much smaller. Of course, it also sacrifices a lot of performance.
So how is its actual experience? Tookfun takes everyone to take a look at its specific performance.
Exterior
The Mijia compact projector still adheres to Xiaomi’s consistent minimalist style. The whole body is white. Except for the projection bulb, the rest is wrapped in black-gray fabric. There is no redundant design. And the bulb also uses a fully enclosed package design. On the one hand, it can protect the lens from accidental collisions, and on the other hand it can prevent dust from intruding.
What surprised me most was the size and weight of this projector. It is only 15cm high and its net weight is only 1.3kg. It really can be picked up at will. You must know that the current light and thin notebook computers weigh about 1.5kg, and ordinary notebooks weigh more than 2kg. If you often carry a laptop to work or study, then you can also carry this projector completely.
There is the only physical button on the top. Mainly responsible for turning on and off the power supply. There is an LED light at the bottom of the power supply, and the current operating status of the machine can be understood through the indicator light.
There are a lot of openings on the left, right and back of the projector. But the role is different. The left and right openings are mainly used for sound output, while the openings on the back are used for heat dissipation. When the projector is running, you can clearly feel the hot air escaping from the back.
Mijia compact projector supports dual-band WIFI. The back is equipped with a 3.5mm headphone jack, USB3.0 interface and HDMI interface. It can support 4K image transmission to meet various entertainment needs.
There is a 1/4 screw hole at the bottom of the fuselage, which is mainly used for bracket or hoisting. However, after a long period of use, obvious traces of use may appear on the bottom. It will be more uncomfortable for some users. Perhaps in this position, a scratch-resistant gasket can be designed?
Since there are not too many physical buttons, most operations of the projector need to be controlled by the remote control. But for Mi Fans, this controller is not a new face. The operating logic is almost the same as most remote control products in the Xiaomi family. And there is a voice operation function. If you want to search for what you want to watch, you can press the “microphone” icon to let Google Assistant search for you.
Performance
Mijia compact projector uses TI’s DMD imaging chip, which is the same as the current mainstream projector solution. According to the official introduction, the life of the light source can be as high as 30,000 hours. According to the calculation that netizens watch 10 hours a day, it can be used for about 8 years. In fact, as a projector costing about US$400, Mijia compact projector will use 0.33-inch DMD somewhat beyond my expectation. In order to save costs, the most common display chip at this price is 0.23-inch. It seems that Xiaomi once again played the role of price butcher.
In terms of super-large screens, projectors have a natural advantage. With a projection ratio of 1.2:1, the Mijia Smart Compact Projector can project more than 80 inches of pictures at a distance of about 2 meters, and 120 inches of pictures at a distance of about 3 meters.
Mijia compact projector supports 1080P full HD resolution projection screen with a brightness of 500 ANSI lumens. From the overall parameters, it seems that the brightness is not high. So how does it perform in actual experience and image quality? I will show you one by one on the following real-time shooting pictures.
Mijia compact projector supports keystone correction. However, it seems to be different from many current projectors, it supports up and down keystone adjustment on the front. So it is not suitable for side projection. This has certain limitations on placement. According to the official introduction, this is to ensure image quality. If users have high requirements for image quality, I believe they can understand such keystone correction.
The projector supports auto focus function, but does not support zoom. You can change the size of the picture by adjusting the distance. The projector will automatically adjust the focus every time it is started, and will also automatically focus when there is movement. The user can also use the voice button for voice control, say “autofocus” to the Google Assistant, and the projector will start to focus automatically. Autofocus is completed, and left and right fine adjustments can also be made.
Next, the real shooting part. The following pictures are all camera effects without computer processing. The performance of the image quality may not be 100% restored, after all, there will be a certain difference between camera imaging and visual inspection.
One of the main reasons why many people do not choose projectors is that they cannot satisfy the viewing effect during the day. The Mijia compact projector has a brightness of 500 ANSI lumens. It can barely be watched on cloudy days. For now, if you really want to improve the viewing effect during the day, adding an anti-light curtain is the best solution. However, users who choose anti-light curtains will also choose laser-level projectors. After all, anti-light curtain are not cheap.
It can be seen from the figure above. When the curtains are closed, the image quality of the projection has been significantly improved. In this state, the picture quality presented by Mijia compact projector can basically meet the daily needs of watching movies.(The second photo was taken at night with the lights on.)
Mijia compact projector claims to be able to support up to physical 1080p resolution. From the configuration point of view, it should be the 1080P resolution achieved by 0.33DMD through the jitter compensation algorithm. From the definition of the picture, it is clearer than the 720p products on the market, and it also has a certain price advantage compared with other 1080p products.(First: 720P effect; Second: 1080P effect.)
In terms of screen color performance, Mijia compact projector is equivalent to an entry-level TV. After all, it is also an entry-level projector product. Fortunately, it is equipped with the same high-performance TV chip processor as Xiaomi TV 4, which is better than ordinary projection chips in system performance and image processing. Support HDR10 high dynamic range video decoding, with richer picture details.
The projector supports viewing mode and two brightness modes, which can be selected according to personal preference. But it is not recommended to turn on the highlight mode. The first is because the brightness is essentially unchanged. The second is that the entire screen will turn very green. I am not sure if this highlight mode will damage the optical machine, but at least it looks bad.
Because it does not support MEMC motion compensation technology. The Mijia compact projector is not suitable for ball fans and car fans. Intense fighting scenes and fast scene animations will have more obvious smear. However, using it to watch some literary TV dramas, movies, and animations, the effect of watching movies on giant screens is quite outstanding.
The sound performance is a surprise to me from the Mijia smart compact projector. I didn’t expect much of its volume and sound quality, but the actual performance is quite satisfactory. The first is volume. Probably adjusted to “15” or so, it can already fully meet the normal audio-visual needs. In addition, the sense of hearing of the sound is not thin, it should be specially designed and optimized for the sound. In terms of functional support, supporting Dolby audio and DTS decoding is also a surprising performance. According to the official statement, the low frequency can dive to 90Hz. And it supports dual-channel virtual surround sound, which is helpful for watching movies. So you can also use the projector as a Bluetooth speaker. You can order songs through the voice button, which is convenient and fast, and the sound quality can fully meet the daily audio-visual needs.
In terms of UI system, Mijia compact projector uses the familiar Android TV 9.0. This makes it very easy to set up on the software side. All you need to do is log in to your Google account, download the application you want to use, and that’s it.
Feeling of using
Control experience: The support for voice remote control and the familiar Android TV system make the operation of Mijia compact projector very simple. Many functions can be achieved through voice remote control, such as focus, program search, etc.
Software experience: Although the software settings of the projector are simple, the experience is average. This is related to the overall performance of the projector. Because Android TV is a heavy operating system, this projector does not have enough processing power. Especially in the few minutes after startup, the system operation is very slow, so during this period of time also avoid using Google Assistant commands. However, after the projector works normally for a period of time, Android TV will run more smoothly.
Does not support side projection: While the Mijia compact projector achieves the ultimate cost performance, it will obviously also be castrated in terms of function. For example, left and right trapezoidal adjustment is not supported, and side projection is not allowed. I personally think that side projection is also a commonly used function of home projectors. Many families do not have a suitable place to place them directly on the wall. Failure to support side projection will affect the practicality of the projector. It is indeed a great pity.
Sound experience: The bass effect of the Mijia compact projector is quite amazing. But in a small space like a bedroom, too heavy a bass effect will cause a certain burden on the eardrum. It is necessary to adjust the sound effect parameters to achieve the desired effect. The default sound effect is more suitable for use in an empty environment like the living room. Use in a small space can improve human voice enhancement, reduce virtual surround, and adjust the equalizer to clear. After such adjustments, the auditory sense will feel much more comfortable.
Expanded function: The WLANdisplay function is also a commonly used function of projectors. Under the same local area network, you can browse pictures, videos, and demonstrate PPT. There is also the HDMI interface of the projector, although the usual usage rate is not high. But this interface is still necessary when the network is poor or when you appreciate treasured resources. For example, the HDMI interface is connected to the Switch to play games, and the large screen effect is simply too cool. Switch connected to HDMI is to output 60 frames of 1080P picture, the picture is basically smooth during the whole operation. Suitable for playing with friends.
Noise/heat dissipation: Loud noise/slow heat dissipation are common problems of micro projectors. The intelligent cooling system of Mijia compact projector can adjust the fan speed in real time according to the temperature of the components, which is smarter than other products. And the measured heat dissipation effect is very good. After running for one hour, except for the heat at the power button, there is no obvious heat sensation in other parts. The noise is also within an acceptable range.
Conclusion
After a few days of experience, Tookfun thinks that theMijia smart compact projector is quite good. The compact body and ultra-light weight also make it extremely portable. Although its picture quality and brightness are not perfect, it is simply the most suitable for ordinary office workers or friends who occasionally want to experience giant screen movies. It allows you to enjoy the pleasure of watching movies on a 120-inch giant screen at a very low cost.
Where to buy？
Product link: Xiaomi TookFun Tech Store
Hope this article helps you,
May your life get better and better.
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