3M MPro120 Pico Projector Review: Highly Evolved
Pico projectors were all the rage when they were in development, but as the first wave of products hit, so did a reality-induced malaise: They weren’t that great. Fortunately, 3M’s MPro120 goes far to outshine the original MPro110.
The Price
$US350, just like its predecessor.
Verdict
What a difference 10 months make.
While the 12-lumen projector isn’t noticeably brighter, the throw is substantially tighter, so at the same distance you get about 25 per cent more picture. In terms of use, I could comfortably watch a screen of about 32 inches on the 120 (as opposed to the 110’s 20 inches) and could get nearly 50 inches out of it in a very dark room before the picture just got too blurry to enjoy. A 32-inch screen size may not be great shakes in the age of $US1000 50-inch plasmas, but in a dorm room or other close quarters, it sure beats a laptop.
The MPro120 is a bit larger than the 110, owing not just to better optics, but to a larger battery—with up to four hours of juice, rather than just one—and built-in stereo speakers. (The 110 is really just a monitor.) The speakers are loud, and not as tinny as one would expect. It won’t give you the full butt-shaking DTS treatment, but I was surprised when I started a video, left the room, and heard everything clearly, six metres away through a doorway. As you can see from the slides, the video handled the Blu-ray of Generation Kill surprisingly well via composite output, and I wasn’t even vexed by the 480 x 640 resolution. Given what I was trying to pull off, it looked good.
Connections & Accessories:
• VGA adaptor for laptops
• Composite adaptor for AV sources
• Female-to-male RCA converters so any video output kit for your phone, iPod or camera will work
• Small Gorilla Pod-style tripod
• Built-in flip-down stand for just a bit of lift
When I reviewed the MPro110, I bitched that it was pretty flimsy too. Not so with the MPro120. It’s sturdy, has nice firm buttons for volume and brightness, and has a focus dial on its face that stays where you put it. The MPro110 and MPro120 are so different despite their naming, my theory is that 3M shot the guy who built the 110 and hired his arch-nemesis to build the new one.
Does this mean you should buy a pico projector? If you have $US350 to spend and find yourself in situations where a very portable 32-inch monitor that requires relative darkness would come in handy, go for it. It’s still not good enough for corporate presentations, and it’s still not a true theatre-on-the-go. My thought is, if it got this much better in just 10 months, why not wait another 10 months for even more improvements—and perhaps a tiny cost drop? [Product Page]
- Next Post: UBar Makes Mac OS X Into A Windows Transvestite »
- « Previous Post: Brain Surgery Simulator Is Like Trauma Center, But Legit
Comments (AU Comments | US Comments)
@gadam07: The SSC P7 cranks out 900 lumens at 3.6V/2.8Amps (hint, direct drive on a li-ion). That should get you going in the right direction.
sneakypoo
blue ray on that kind of resolution overkill much
Sorry for the interruption of the movie folks, my Kroger key-chain card blocked the screen for a sec.
This looks pretty good, but I will give it another 10 months. And surprisingly, I actually have a use for this. Awesome.
@Wilson Rothman: haha
@gadam07: You drive during the day??!!!???
@Wilson Rothman: Sunlight.
@gadam07: For just an HUD in your car, I think you could probably use this thing, no problem. Why would you need 400 lumens for inside a windshield?
OK.. the real test for these portable projectors should be driving around your neighborhood and seeing if you can blast a video on the front of someones house..
You get the idea here..
PORN ON SOMEONES HOUSE.
DMF
Screw battery power!! I want a pico projector with one of those crazy 400 lumen LED arrays that suck power so I can build my own HUD in my car.
Call me when this product reached it's fifth generation, 3M still has not used the best LED technology for their Pico yet..
@Jack of all Tirades R.O.A.C.H.:
Check it::
@IN THE FACE!: What's to stop you from just using a power inverter and using a plain old projector to do it with? When you talked about projecting an image on someone's house, it made me think of Talking Heads "Burning Down the House".
@switchblade saints: Hey guys! I have to go pick up my daughter from volleyball practice, and then grab some carry-out. Gonna have to take the projector with me, since, you know, it's on my keychain and all. And NO, you can't watch the projector in the car!
@IN THE FACE!: what would be even more diabolical would be to play "Suburban Commando" on houses.
irfan
@DMF: Suburban Guerrilla porn!
this is awesome. excited for the next hot tech gadget. i'm happy with the advancements in portable music players, not it's time for advancements in projectors.
bubble_gum_2010