my mini theater with ACER K130 LED projector

[diplomat]

finally i got my little cute acer k130 yesterday and here are few snaps of the little master in action







i will not talk about the spec as any body can have it on net, but i will share my own experience with little knowledge i have about the quality.
basically the first two images are @ 85 inch with eco mode on and video option in display mode, playing starplus hd and normal avi movie file. the last two images are @ 105 inch size with 720p file for dhoom2 and normal xvid 640x480 file with the same setting on projector. (pl bear with me showing wall cupboard in this photos as i simply projected it on the wall without any dedicated screen).
the black level and sharpness are excellent in even 105 inch size with uniform brightness and focus all over screen area.
the output from tiny speaker may not be of any use at the time of movie, but just ok for watching tv programs like cartoon etc.
the features like image reverse for ceiling mount and wall color selection are very handy for a model like this.
adjustment option for color even in hdmi input has come as surprise for me and really useful in tuning skin tone as per own liking.
fan noise is absolutely non-irritating and the heat build up is just negligible even after 2 hrs of my testing.
I have not noticed any signal dropout in my 5 mtrs china hdmi cable even on a long run and color reproduction was at par with that of 1m long MX cable.

i will keep on posting my views as I continue to use it for longer and longer.

on the first hand, i can only say it is a very good performer for home movie watching purpose and certainly can realize dreams of many like me. who dream big with a small pocket. everybody cann't be as lucky as koushik to get DELL M110 @ 15K, but even at 32.5K this cuty is really a crowd puller with inputs from 720p and 1080p files , even HD channels from DTH on long run.

Till now I am not able to play movie from USB and mass storage, as i need to read the manual and may be change the setting on setup i feel. other inputs like microsd and vga/av etc are till now not tested, and hence I have no comments on those.
hope this little review will be use to some HFV members

sorry for my writing content as i am not regular review writer.....

thanks to all the members who have supported and encouraged me in my previous posts on LED projector being used as home cinema....

 

[manoj.p]

Congratulations. I am thinking of gifting my sister the LED projector as well, mainly because of no lamp blowing worries with LED, given the power fluctuations/dirty power in India.

 

[spirovious]

Congrats & thanks for pictures.

 

[sub]

Hi

Congrats and now search for project screen begins.

Regards

sub

 

[diplomat]

thank you all for your good wishes,
@sub, presently I am thinking of putting one typical indian dhoti, will it not be enough for 16:10 format...

 

[manoj.p]

dhoti will leak the light through it and you will lose lots of punch. Get a screen. A cheap option is primed painters canvas. see if you can get it.

 

[arunsankar]

thank you all for your good wishes,
@sub, presently I am thinking of putting one typical indian dhoti, will it not be enough for 16:10 format...

Congrats on the purchase. Regarding screen, go for a DIY screen. That's the best option for a smaller pocket I've done the same in the past couple weeks. A lot pocket friendly plus the joy of DIY.

 

[diplomat]

how did you do ur diy, some photo and guidelines pl.
I need to remove it as it can not be fixed on living room all the time
as u can see, this is simply 12x10 ft bedroom and screen of 110inch all the time will be inconvenient. I need to roll over each time after weekend usage.

 

[kg_murali]

Hi Diplomat,

That was a nice review.

For the screen how about using the material on which the digital printouts are done. The one we see our netas being honored on their birthdays or even the ones we see on the outskirts for jeweleray ads or saree ads. Can this be got from any digital printers, I mean the blank ones.

One sided printed one can be got at kabadi walas, These are being used by all the vegetable and fruit vendors to cover their cart.

Regards

Murali KG

 

[ontherocks]

Hi Diplomat,

That was a nice review.

For the screen how about using the material on which the digital printouts are done. The one we see our netas being honored on their birthdays or even the ones we see on the outskirts for jeweleray ads or saree ads. Can this be got from any digital printers, I mean the blank ones.

One sided printed one can be got at kabadi walas, These are being used by all the vegetable and fruit vendors to cover their cart.

Regards

Murali KG

That is called "Flex". Though cheap, it's a bad material for projector screens. Get matte cream/off white "Blackout" screen/cloth from a window curtain screen vendor.

 

[kaushik]

Go for DIY laminate screen , better screen in 3k .

i hope people are not upset for my Pj link but if you find a little there are many deals online.

LED Pjs do a decent job , most WXGA 500Lumens have simital TI DLP chips .

But for low budget planners .. i also suggest you can take bulb Pjs.
whre buld is say 80-90USD . in 2 years the bulb price will go even less also LED replacements will come.
notes:
*low cost bulb based PJs have good contrast ,minimum 1500lumens
for daylight viewing basic curtains are enough ,
* specially for hot regions the LED projector is less preferred < 1000Lumen LED Pj need full dark room ,blocking all light inlets blocks all vents , so the room will go very hot and A/c or cooler is required
*if TV is main source then go for LED ones

 

[diplomat]

flex is highly polished and shining, it will reflect like anything
off white/matte type seems to be better option, will try it out at chennai
any HFVians at chennai using such cloth, pl let me know source and price..

 

[diplomat]

your screen is of fixed type koushik???
heat wise, this one is really cool with just a fan with regulator at no 2 for even more than 2 hrs......hope DELL behaves similar way..
hey koushik, why don't u put up screen shots pl with action to have some idea about ur setup,
ur one of my inspiring driving force behind getting the unit.

 

[kaushik]

your screen is of fixed type koushik???
heat wise, this one is really cool with just a fan with regulator at no 2 for even more than 2 hrs......hope DELL behaves similar way..
hey koushik, why don't u put up screen shots pl with action to have some idea about ur setup,
ur one of my inspiring driving force behind getting the unit.

Yesterday we planned to take pics with help of one forum member with DSLR but there was power cut so went pending .
I took pics but as normal camera cant capture the reality well so did not post.
will do in a while!

I was taking about room temperature due to blocking all windows to make room dark, when you have LED pj ..the viewers will get uncomfy !
fan etc are noisy so will be issue for hot cities , bangalore climate is cooler so i am happy .
DELL remains cool enough , i have cut noise to 30% with a small mod
Chennai is hot how are you managing

 

[diplomat]

mine are taken in panasonic tz-7 in night mode, just to give an idea to the members
i stay 80km south down toward pondy from chennai, in a township with absolutely no power cut etc, build around sea side in prohibited area..
for me most time its night watching and hence closing window etc will not be an issue, infact the room I am using for this is non-ac and I am ok with that,
when marantz with wharfi and 12 inch monster sub, starts shattering glasses all around with 45% volume in DTS, no fan and all can disturb u ...

 

[arunsankar]

how did you do ur diy, some photo and guidelines pl.
I need to remove it as it can not be fixed on living room all the time
as u can see, this is simply 12x10 ft bedroom and screen of 110inch all the time will be inconvenient. I need to roll over each time after weekend usage.

I am at work now. I will post the pics and details of my set up by evening

 

[prosenjit]

very very good pics bro diplomat..nice black levels..:clapping:
yah blackout screens are best for diy screen.try skipper showrooms.Or if you couldnt manage that in ur locality.can paint(matt white) a plyboard.

or simply be lazy and continue the show on walls.....distemper painted white walls are really good for projection
by the way u paid total 32.5 k.or custom duty and shipping extra??U bought it online??

 

[diplomat]

its bought in person at chennai with warranty and bill, no online....

 

[prosenjit]

oh u have asus o play mini..can you give me a detail..
when u play a true blu ray rip with dts or dts hd or dolby hd sound.....and u send ur signal from o play to ur reciever via hdmi cable.then

are u getting true 5 channel sound??
also are you getting dts logo in ur reciever..or it is showing pcm??

sorry for being off topic.

 

[god2007]

flex is highly polished and shining, it will reflect like anything
off white/matte type seems to be better option, will try it out at chennai
any HFVians at chennai using such cloth, pl let me know source and price..

If you are going for flex, use the reverse side for better results.