Pico Projectors - More Features Found on Some Projectors, Plus, A Typical Pico Projector Tour
7/19/2009 - Art Feierman
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Features found on Some Pico Projectors
Pico Projector Input Options
As noted earlier, all the pico projectors we've looked at so far offer a composite video input, but other inputs are found on some models.
VGA input:
So far we have looked at one pico projector that offers a VGA input, the 3M MPro110. This direct analog computer input allows that model to provide a better image for business type presentations, not to mention being able to hook up to virtually any computer. (For example, I had no problem outputting from my MacBook Pro's DVI output using the Apple DVI - VGA short adapter cable.
I suspect we'll see VGA inputs on more future pico projectors if the manufacturers believe that these small projectors are viable for business type presentations, and that there are sufficient buyers out willing to pay for this ability.
Card slot input:
So far we have seen one pico projector with a card slot. That one, the Aiptek V10 Plus, offers an SD card slot, which is compatible with SD, SDHC, MMC and MS Pro.
Keep in mind that having a card slot in its own right, does not necessarily determine what you can do. The V10 Plus, for example has a built in media player so that it can show images and videos on a card (or loaded onto its internal memory).
Without a media player, most likely the card itself would have to have some sort of application on it, that could work with the projector to do something with the content.
The combination of a card slot (or lots of memory) and a media player solution is that you can use the projector without having to lug the source with you (DVD player, computer, camcorder, etc. Certainly the ability to leave a laptop behind is tempting for presentations.
USB input:
While two of the three pico projectors we've reviewed actually have a small USB connector, it's not used for USB data. Rather, in both cases, the connector is used to plug in the AC power supply for running the projector or for charging up its battery.
I do expect that USB inputs will start showing up in the next generation of pico projectors. Thumb drives / flash drives are just too common and widely used for portable devices for them not to be an excellent solution for pico projectors. In addition many other portable devices have USB outputs. When recently reviewing the larger "mini-projector" the BenQ GP1 - a 1.5 pounder, I found the USB input to be a great way to use the projector. Several of my portable devices including my dSLR, backup drive I use for images, have USB. It was just plug and play!
HDMI input:
An HDMI input is probably too much to hope for anytime soon, but why not. More and more home devices, notably DVD players, and higher end game machines now sport an HDMI output.
S-video input:
I'm not aware of any pico projectors that have one, and most likely that will continue. Although there are some advantages to S-video, over composite video, I would suspect that USB, and even HDMI would be higher priority than S-video.
Pico Projectors - Audio Capabilities:
Built in Speaker(s)
Two of the three pico projectors reviewed have sound. The Optoma Pico has a single 0.5 watt speaker, while the Aiptek V10 Plus has two 0.5 watt speakers. Don't expect a really hi fidelity sound. The better of the two, the Aiptek, offers sound comparable to some laptops and that's pretty impressive, even if I'm talking about laptops with lower end sound.
I do believe audio will become a fairly standard feature. Afterall, without audio, watching a movie becomes complicated (you'll need a separate sound solution such as a powered, battery operated speaker), ditto for most video clips, and possibly some portable game machines. Then there's that whole business presentation world. While most presentations don't include sound (when they do, its usually a video clip that's embedded), some folks do need sound for their presentations.
Audio Out - Including support for headphones / ear buds
One would think that any pico projector with a built in speaker or two would also hae an audio out capability, at least one capable of plugging in headphones. Afterall, the projector is ultra portable. I can definitely see someone wanting to shine their projector on the seatback in front of them on their next airplane flight. If they want to watch a movie, or video clips, it sure would be handy to plug in a headset, instead of not being able to play the sound as it would bother the folks in nearby seats. And, that's just one example.
Of the three projectors so far, one, the Aiptek V10 Plus has the ability. There's a catch, however. The audio out is the same connector as the AV In. That means you can only feed audio out to your headset if you are viewing content already loaded on its internal memory or an SD card. If you are inputing composite video from a source, then you obviously can't use the same jack to output at the same time.
Pico Projector Resolution
While all three reviewed pico projectors are 640x480 resolution, there are others out there with different resolutions. Samsung for example has one that has lower resolution. More importantly, TI (Texas Instruments) is now shipping (I believe) a new DLP engine for pico projectors that is 854x480. That's the same resolution as a standard DVD player. Look for several to hit the market soon, if not already. TI announced the 854x480 engine back in the Jan-Feb 2009 timeframe.
Ultimately, I'd like to see widescreen become pretty much the standard for this class of projectors. (See the showcase on the Microvision Show WX below. The general shift to widescreen is pretty much complete in "TV" space with essentially all LCDTVs (except some really small ones) and Plasmas, being widescreen for years (hey, the HDTV standard is widescreen). Even business projectors are shifting more and more to widescreen, as many presenters realize that for most presentations a widescreen format works best.
Will we see HDTV resolutions? I'm talking about 720p (1280x720)? I'd be surprised if we didn't. My best guess though is that it will be at least a year. The pico projector industry has other priorities that are probably more important, and the first of those is brightness.
Microvision Show WX pico projector - A showcase
This soon to be released, is unique in many ways, here's a brief description of this interesting pico projector:
- Laser light source instead of LED
- No need to focus
- 10 lumens claimed
- Widescreen - 854x480 - same resolution as a standard DVD
- One of the thinnest
- 4.3 ounces
- Claimed battery life of one full movie (2 hours) compared to the one hour on most others
- Comes in decorator colors (think iPod), red shown here
- Both VGA and composite video port
- Claims largest color "gamut" for richer, more stand out color
- No speaker, but can route sound out, through its audio out, to powered speakers or earbuds...
- Unlike other pico projectors the image is tilted upward (lens offset) so that the bottom of the image is not projected below the height of the projector
- More expensive, could sell for up to $500 (Price not yet determined)
Pico Projector Brightness
Just as many would say that black level performance is the holy grail of home theater projectors, one could say that more lumens - brightness, is the most important challenge for these pico projectors.
Let's step back about three years to the early days of mini-projectors. Mitsubishi's one pound plus, PK20 hit the market, and, other than a few specialty niches that projector and competing models from other companies, have gone nowhere.
The number one reason, in my opinion was lack of brightness. Yet most of those mini-projectors managed to put out between 25 and 40 lumens, compared to today's pico projectors, which are running 8 - 12 lumens. In fairness to those mini-projectors, they may have been a lot smaller than the smallest traditional business projectors (mostly DLP projectors), there are business portables starting at under 2 pounds, with more than 1000 lumens. Not much of a contest.
The pico projectors, by comparison, are drastically smaller than the mini-projectors, and fit into a whole new world of portability. Still, 8 to 12 lumens isn't much to get all worked up about.
I think the longer term goal has to be to get these projectors up to say, 40 - 60 lumens. What a difference that would make. What it will take to get that many lumens out of projectors of this size, I can't say. History shows, however, that whatever size projector you look at, a few years later, there are smaller ones that are significantly brighter: Note, this is a fairly random sampling, not necessarily the absolute most lumens per pound projector available at that time, but chosen from the lightest business projectors around at that point
1994: 19 pounds - 110 lumens - 5.8 lumens per pound
1996: 17 pounds - 330 lumens - 19 lumens per pound
2000: 5.8 pounds - 1000 lumens - 172 lumens per pound
2002: 3.0 pounds - 1100 lumens - 333 lumens per pound
2004: 2.0 pounds - 1100 lumens - 550 lumens per pound
2007: 3.5 pounds - 2200 lumens - 628 lumens per pound
2009: 3.2 pounds - 3000 lumens - 937 lumens per pound
By comparison two mini-projectors:
2006: Mitsubishi PK20 - 1.1 pounds - 25 lumens - 23 lumens per pound
2009: BenQ GP1 - 1.4 pounds - 100 lumens - 60 lumens per pound
And the brightest (so far) of the pico projectors:
2009: Optoma Pico PK101: 0.3 pounds - 11 lumens - 37 lumens per pound
OK, I might have gotten carried away with the lumens per pound, but it gives you an idea of the progress we've made in projector brightness. As you can see, however, when it comes to these pico projectors, they are roughly at the same lumens per pound as was available in portable projectors in the late 1990s.
Keeping this all in mind, it really is conceivable that we will see 50 lumen pico projectors and perhaps 100 lumens and more in the next few years.
Going hand in hand with the lumens, however, is power consumption, and power source issues...
Battery Power as Related to Brightness
Above I showed two mini-projectors in the lumens per pound info.
What is important to note, is that the older Mitsubishi PK20 had a rechargeable battery included, while the new GP1 runs only on AC power, with a power brick (not included in the weight).
The important point here, is that while we can now cite several mini-projectors that claim 100 or even 200+ lumens, those models generally do not run on batteries, or if they do, it's going to be a hefty external battery pack. To get out 100+ lumens you need some sizeable batteries, and those batteries alone, are physically much larger than today's pico projectors. Thus, we need much smaller batteries than today, with the same amount of juice, or we need to make the pico projectors far more efficient. Most likely we'll need both.
I can tell you, right now, that my opinion is that more brightness is the key for success for these tiny pico projectors. If they have to add an extra quarter pound, or even a bit more, to triple or more their brightness, I think that the market will move in that direction.
I do, however believe that for this class of projectors, battery power is almost mandatory for success. Perhaps adding an inch to length and 1/2 inch to height would allow a big enough battery to get us to that 40 - 50 lumen range that I think most people would be fairly comfortable with for this class of product.
What I'd really like to see, however, is a 0.5 - 0.75 pound projector as just described, that can match or come close to the mentioned BenQ GP1. That projector's 100+ measured lumens produces an image drastically brighter, and bright enough to satisfy most portable projecting requirements, including presentations to small groups. I should note, however, that the BenQ's weight jumps to a bit over 2 pounds when you add in the weight of their power brick (remember - no batteries for the GP1).
Pico Projectors - Control Panels and Menus
Well, so far, only one of the three pico projectors reviewed has a control panel, and a menu system for adjusting the projector. The other two are just plug and play.
I imagine that over the next year, we'll see most new models having at least some controls that are adjustable. The Aiptek V10 Plus is a good example of what to expect down the road. That pico projector has a control panel (with menu button), and when it comes to menu options, it has brightness, contrast, other image controls, the ability to select between SD card and internal memory.
There really is no reason why these pico projectors shouldn't have the circuitry and controls to affect image quality, as well as other features. As pico projectors mature, no doubt they will have many, probably most of the features found on larger projectors.
Remote Controls
Once again, only one out of the three we have reviewed so far has a remote control. Nice touch, and it offers full control of everything that can be controlled from the control panel. Is a remote critical? No, but it's certainly a fun option for folks flipping through pictures, or even doing a presentation. As pico projectors add features, remote controls will become more common. Expect to see only "credit card" type remotes, as there's little logic in having a remote control larger than the projector!
Physical Tour of a Pico Projector
OK, let's look at one of the most feature laden pico projectors. It doesn't have everything, but it does have more features than most others.
The projector I have in mind is the Aiptek V10 Plus.
Let's start with the image to the right. You can see the lens, which in the case of this projector is in the center, but may not be on others. Harder to see, on the left side corner is the dial for focusing the lens.
All of the pico projectors we've seen have fixed lenses, and manual focus.
On the top, is the control panel shown here, but also some venting for heat.
Some pico projectors have inputs on the side, others on the back. The same is true for the input jack for power.
The last image, below shows one side of the V10 Plus, you can see the partially exposed SD card slot, 
as well as the holes for one of the two speaker.
Between the two is the mini-jack for inputting a composite video signal, or outputting audio to headphones or a powered speaker system.
Here's one last image. This one from the 3M MPro110. In this case you are looking at the back of the MPro110 pico projector.
The 3M has it's composite video in the back, but of greater interest is the small VGA input connector, that allows the MPro to connect directly to any computer with the usual analog VGA capabilities.
That's true, as long as the laptop can, in this case, limit it's resolution output to no more than XGA (1024x768) which is about two steps up from the standard 640x480 resolution of this projector.
