arnprasad
Well-Known Member
Hi All,
I do see some threads on Egate projectors, but I did not see a dedicated owners thread. Given the extended periods of lock down expected and more people wanting to get into projectors, but not wanting to spend big bucks on branded ones, a dedicated thread will help them make the right decision.
Regarding my experience with projectors - I own an Acer 5360 which is 8-9 years old and used sparingly - around 3-4 times a month. I am very much impressed with the picture quality of this projector on a 120 inch screen although its only 720p.
As mentioned elsewhere in this forum, my kids have managed to destroy a wide range of gadgets since March from tablets to phones to LED Tvs. Since I wanted a large display to replace my TV at first floor, I thought a cheap projector should do the trick for occasional movie watching. I am an Aliexpress/Banggood/Gearbest bhakt when it comes to electronics(when begging my friends to get stuff from USA is not feasible). Now with the Pandemic and anti-China measures in place - I was checking out Amazon and Flipkart and only one affordable brand seems to rule the roost, claiming to be an Indian manufactured brand and all that. Given that some of the models have 4 star ratings by 100+ reviewers and also having good reviews on youtube and this forum - I felt happy that for once, I can buy something desi at reasonable prices.
Given my experience with Acer, I felt a 720p projector below 10K should do the trick. While I did not expect Egate to match Acer - I went with the analogy of 10-15K mid range Xiaomi phones vs 30-40K One plus phones. Having used both mid range Xiaomi phones and also phones with flagship processors like Nexus 5, Essential and now Redmi K20 - I was expecting Egate to perform like a Redmi 8 or 9.
I managed to haggle a 19K MRP ten month old Egate 531 for below 10K and bought it home today. To be fair to the person who sold me - he did mention that this projector is really bad compared to his Epson but I still went ahead as my expectations were very low
My initial thought of starting a thread was to tell people what a piece of crap this one is vis-a-vis my Acer. However I went through some of the threads of this particular model on this forum where people seem to be pretty happy with its performance and hence for now, will not rant - but would rather hear from people who have experienced this model to let me know what wrong I am doing.
1) Firstly I am not sure if Egate 531 is same as 513 - On the Amazon website - both are used interchangeably with the model claiming to have a mini computer inside it.
2) While my Acer is ceiling mounted and properly setup, the Egate was placed on a sofa and projected on the same screen.
3) My first impression is that the Egate does not even hold a candle to Acer. I am not even sure if this has 720p resolution as claimed
4) While some amount of calibration, focusing and proper physical setup will improve quality - I still do not think this will comes close to the Acer.
5) Also while the brand claims to made in India - the sticker on the box says this is an imported piece from China!!
Posting some pictures - one from Acer, one from Egate and one of the sticker.
Do let me know how I can make the picture quality better without buying additional calibration tools. My desktop is my HTPC.
First is Acer followed by Egate. In these photos it may seem like Egate video grab has more clarity when you look at the hair on his hands - but in real life - it looks really awful
Note: Pardon the bad english..no josh to edit this late in the day!
I do see some threads on Egate projectors, but I did not see a dedicated owners thread. Given the extended periods of lock down expected and more people wanting to get into projectors, but not wanting to spend big bucks on branded ones, a dedicated thread will help them make the right decision.
Regarding my experience with projectors - I own an Acer 5360 which is 8-9 years old and used sparingly - around 3-4 times a month. I am very much impressed with the picture quality of this projector on a 120 inch screen although its only 720p.
As mentioned elsewhere in this forum, my kids have managed to destroy a wide range of gadgets since March from tablets to phones to LED Tvs. Since I wanted a large display to replace my TV at first floor, I thought a cheap projector should do the trick for occasional movie watching. I am an Aliexpress/Banggood/Gearbest bhakt when it comes to electronics(when begging my friends to get stuff from USA is not feasible). Now with the Pandemic and anti-China measures in place - I was checking out Amazon and Flipkart and only one affordable brand seems to rule the roost, claiming to be an Indian manufactured brand and all that. Given that some of the models have 4 star ratings by 100+ reviewers and also having good reviews on youtube and this forum - I felt happy that for once, I can buy something desi at reasonable prices.
Given my experience with Acer, I felt a 720p projector below 10K should do the trick. While I did not expect Egate to match Acer - I went with the analogy of 10-15K mid range Xiaomi phones vs 30-40K One plus phones. Having used both mid range Xiaomi phones and also phones with flagship processors like Nexus 5, Essential and now Redmi K20 - I was expecting Egate to perform like a Redmi 8 or 9.
I managed to haggle a 19K MRP ten month old Egate 531 for below 10K and bought it home today. To be fair to the person who sold me - he did mention that this projector is really bad compared to his Epson but I still went ahead as my expectations were very low
My initial thought of starting a thread was to tell people what a piece of crap this one is vis-a-vis my Acer. However I went through some of the threads of this particular model on this forum where people seem to be pretty happy with its performance and hence for now, will not rant - but would rather hear from people who have experienced this model to let me know what wrong I am doing.
1) Firstly I am not sure if Egate 531 is same as 513 - On the Amazon website - both are used interchangeably with the model claiming to have a mini computer inside it.
2) While my Acer is ceiling mounted and properly setup, the Egate was placed on a sofa and projected on the same screen.
3) My first impression is that the Egate does not even hold a candle to Acer. I am not even sure if this has 720p resolution as claimed
4) While some amount of calibration, focusing and proper physical setup will improve quality - I still do not think this will comes close to the Acer.
5) Also while the brand claims to made in India - the sticker on the box says this is an imported piece from China!!
Posting some pictures - one from Acer, one from Egate and one of the sticker.
Do let me know how I can make the picture quality better without buying additional calibration tools. My desktop is my HTPC.
First is Acer followed by Egate. In these photos it may seem like Egate video grab has more clarity when you look at the hair on his hands - but in real life - it looks really awful
Note: Pardon the bad english..no josh to edit this late in the day!
