The Formovie Theater is a Digital Light Processing (DLP) projector using a triple laser light source that displays 2,800 lumens of brightness and 107% of the BT.2020 color gamut.
This projector displays up to a 150-inch max 4K image with a native contrast of 3,000:1 in HDR mode. To match the Formovie Theater's big picture, the company has partnered with Bowers & Wilkins to provide big sound with a built-in Dolby Atmos sound system.
The Formovie Theater can be purchased from the company's website and authorized resellers for an MSRP of $3,499.
OVERVIEW
| Formovie Formovie THEATER Specs | |
|---|---|
| Price | $3499 |
| Technology | DLP w/ XPR (0.47” Single-Chip DMD) |
| Native Resolution | 1920x1080x4 |
| Brightness (Manufacturer Claim) | 2800 ANSI Lumens |
| Contrast | 3,000:1 |
| Zoom Lens Ratio | Fixed |
| Lens Shift | No |
| Lamp Life | |
| Weight | 21.6 |
| Warranty | |
Formovie Technology is a joint venture between Apotronics, the maker of the projection industry's most popular laser light source technologies, and Xiaomi (SHA-O-mee) Technology. Based in China, Xiaomi is one of the world's largest technology manufacturers.
Formovie projection products include ALPD laser imaging technology. ALPD lasers are used in more movie theater projectors worldwide than any other brand. Chances are, the last movie you saw at a theater was shown on a projector using an ALPD laser light source.
The Formovie Theater is an Ultra-Short-Throw (UST) projector, also called a Laser TV, and is capable of being placed just inches away from the screen. Having the projector close to the screen eliminates the risk of someone blocking the image by walking between the projector and the screen. UST projectors also remove the need for ceiling mounting and long wire runs between sources and the video projector. With massive improvements in picture quality and price decreases, Laser TV projectors are now starting to replace the living room TV.
I've reviewed Formovie portable projectors in the past; read my full review of the Wemax Dice which was designed and produced by Formovie.
Honestly, I was surprised that the company had introduced a Laser TV projector and that it won first place at the 2022 Ultra Short Throw Laser TV Showdown organized by projectorscreens.com.
The Formovie Theater beat thirteen other Ultra-Short-Throw projectors to take first place in the competition. I want to thank Brian at projectorscreen.com for supplying the Formovie Theater sample I'm using to write this review.
Let's take a closer look at what you get with this award-winning Ultra-Short-Throw projector.
The Formovie Theater uses a Texas Instruments 0.47 Digital Micromirror Device (DMD) and an Appotronics ALPD 4.0 RGB+ triple laser light source. The estimated light source life at full output is a competitive 20,000 hours. This laser light source provides a whopping 2,800 lumens of brightness which should mean that this projector does not need a completely dark room to produce a good picture. I'll put this to the test in the PERFORMANCE-BRIGHTNESS section of this review.
Formovie rates the native contrast of their projector as 3,000:1. Combining this native contrast with the Formovie's ability to detect and process Dolby Vision encoded signals should deliver a true-to-life viewing experience. Think of it this way, HDR10 is currently the most affordable and frequently used HDR format, while Dolby Vision is a premium option.
The Formovie Theater can project a screen size of up to 150 inches which is impressive since most Laser TV projectors max out at 120 inches.
When it comes to sound, Formovie says that it wanted to build a sound system for people who love music. Formovie partnered with Bowers & Wilkins to design the projector's 30-watt Dolby Atmos sound system to achieve their goal.
The Formovie Theater uses a certified version of Android TV 11 as the projector's operating system. Google Play and Chromecast compatibility provide users with a smooth big-screen entertainment experience. Android TV 11 supports apps like Disney+, HBO, Hulu, and YouTube. Unfortunately, this projector does not natively support Netflix.
For this review, I used a variety of sources, including an Apple TV 4K, a 4K Blu-ray player, and a computer. I projected onto a 100-inch Elite Ambient Light Rejecting (ALR) screen.
The Formovie Theater is not purpose-built for gaming but provides users with a GAMING mode. Casual gaming performance is excellent on this projector, and even for some, first-person shooters play well. This projector is not a serious gamers display where input lag ratings of 16 ms or lower are required, but it does the job for casual gamers.
The Formovie Theater features three HDMI 2.1 inputs. It supports Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM), which automatically allows a game console, PC, or other devices to switch to a low-latency, low-lag mode for gaming. ALLM could benefit other uses, such as karaoke and video conferencing. The projector also supports Motion Estimation and Motion Compensation (MEMC). MEMC is a motion smoothing technology that artificially adds frames to a video with a low frame rate so that it has a higher frame rate and gives the image a smooth effect.
The Formovie Theater sells for an MSRP of $3,499, which makes it competitively priced with other similarly specced Ultra-Short-Throw/Laser TV products.
HIGHLIGHTS
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- 4K image resolution and quality on-screen
- Appotronics ALPD 4.0 triple laser light engine
- The Tri-color Laser light engine can display 107% of the BT.2020 color gamut.
- 2800 ANSI lumens allows lights on viewing
- 3,000:1 native contrast
- Supports Dolby Vision with HDR10+ technology
- MEMC motion compensation image-smoothing technology
- ALLM detects gaming devices and switches to the projectors GAMING mode
- Dolby Atmos sound by Bowers & Wilkins
- Offers specular artifacts suppression technology
- Android TV 11 integration
- Built-in Far-field voice technology
- Supports various Google technologies like Google Smart Home and Chromecast
