JMGO U2 Laser TV Review - Hardware

TRI-COLOR LASER DLP LIGHT ENGINE

Laser light engines that make use of discrete RGB laser diodes are capable of creating clean primary colors and should be able to display a wider color gamut. This makes them a perfect choice for consumers who require color accuracy in their displayed content.

The Triple Laser light engine's RGB laser wavelengths are specifically chosen to optimize the primary colors of red, green, and blue. That is how the JMGO U2 can reproduce 114% of the BT.2020 color gamut exceeding the IMAX color standard.

The JMGO U2 has at its heart a Texas Instruments Digital Light Processor (DLP) (0.47" DMD) chip to reproduce displayed 4K UHD (3,840 x 2,160) resolution, which in turn uses pixel (mirror) shifting to deliver the perceived sharpness of native 4K.

The response time of these micromirrors is so fast that each one can be quickly moved back and forth to form four separate pixels on the screen. This approach works very well because it is tough to see a difference in resolution. The 0.47″ DLP chip has a native resolution of 1920 x 1080 x 4 micromirrors.

Since the U2 is a single-chip DLP projector, you will never have any convergence issues such as you might have had with a 3LCD projector. The U2 images will remain sharp throughout the projector's life without periodic adjustment.

The JMGO U2 laser light engine is sealed, keeping dust and dirt away from sensitive components. One of the most significant benefits of using a sealed light engine is its impact on the projector's average life expectancy, which on the JMGO U2 is estimated at a whopping 50.000 hours!

LENS

JMGO has chosen to equip the U2 projector with a Ricoh ultra-short-throw (UST) lens. Ricoh is one of the industry's largest suppliers of optical projection lenses offering an extensive line-up of products with different focal lengths. The U2 uses Ricoh's patented lens technology for ultra-short-throw projection, which generally provides a sharp uniform image with good corner to corner focus.

The JMGO U2 UST projector's optical system uses complex mirrors to project images at steep, extreme angles. Even with the projector placed only nine inches away, the U2 did a good job spreading light evenly across the screen. The U2's lens displayed excellent sharpness on my 100-inch Elite ALR screen. I found the JMGO U2 offered above-average focus uniformity compared to other UST projectors I've reviewed in the past.

Like most ultra-short-throw projectors, the JMGO U2 does not offer any lens shift or zoom, so proper physical placement is critical. If the projector and screen are misaligned even slightly, it produces visible geometric distortion.

This projector does not feature any digital geometric correction or manual keystone correction. While these tools can simplify the installation process, they always result in a loss of picture quality. Getting the U2 squared on the screen is done manually by adjusting its position and raising and lowering its adjustable feet. JMGO has included depth rods that fold out from the bottom of the U2 to help you achieve the correct distance between the projector and the screen. The overall setup was not too difficult, although it would probably take your average consumer longer than it took me.

One complaint I have about this process is that JMGO didn't put any stops on the projector's feet. At least three times during setup, one of the feet came unscrewed entirely from its socket instead of stopping at full extension. While not a huge problem, I found it incredibly annoying because putting the foot back in required me to lift the projector, undoing all the positioning work I had already done.

MATCHED AMBIENT LIGHT REJECTING (ALR) SCREEN

Like some competitors, JMGO offers a package bundled with an Ambient Light Rejecting screen explicitly designed for ultra-short-throw projectors.

The JMGO U2 is available in one option: paired with a 100-inch Ambient Light Rejecting (ALR) screen. Its promotional price is $3,268, which will increase to $3,698 when the promotional inventory is gone.

The ALR Daylight screen offers a gain of 1.5 and is designed to replace a main TV with the U2 Laser TV. This screen configuration provides increased brightness and ambient light rejection capabilities for viewing in brighter surroundings.

INPUTS ANDCONNECTIONS

The inputs and connections are all located on the rear of the U2. There are two HDMI inputs on the U2. HDMI input 1 is a 2.0 connection, and HDMI 2 supports ARC functionality. JMGO doesn't list the maximum bandwidth of their HDMI inputs, but the most current HDMI 2.0 enabled video display supports 18 Gbps which is more than enough to maximize the performance of the U2. This increased bandwidth does not mean much in terms of video/movie content since only a few releases offer frame rates higher than 24 fps.

Other available inputs include two USB ports (USB 3 on the rear and USB 2 on the right side. The U2 offers a LAN port, an optical output, Wi-Fi at both 2.4 and 5 GHz, and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity. JMGO decided not to include a built-in tuner with the U2. I think this is a real miss by JMGO as Laser TV devices are designed to replace the television in a customer's living room or similar setting. Without a tuner, the JMGO U2 is not so much a Laser TV as it is a Laser display.
The projector can also accept signals up to 4K @ 30 Hz and 4K @ 60 Hz.

REMOTE CONTROL

I use many brands and models of Android-based smart media sticks in my home and lab. The JMGO remote has an incredibly nice feel in the hand, not cheap but similar to the quality of the earlier Apple TV metal remotes. Purely from a design standpoint, the JMGO remote control reminds me of the new Chromecast with Google TV remote (regarding button layout). This isn't surprising since its Luna OS is built on Android and offers direct access to a range of Google smart functionality such as Google search and device control.

Unlike the typical Android TV remote, the U2 remote feels substantial in my hand rather than cheap and plastic like the Chromecast remote―sorry, Google.

The JMGO U2 remote has a built-in battery that can easily be recharged from any USB Type C cable. This remote is one of the better-designed and better-built smart media remotes I've used. The button layout is intuitive and straightforward to use by feel even after using it only a few times.

MENUS

Embedded within Luna OS is the best part of Android TV, the Google Assistant, which gives you voice control for your TV content and all of your smart home products. Google's Chromecast technology is also included with the U2, letting you cast videos and initiate screen sharing from compatible smartphones, browsers, and apps.

Luna OS supports a wide variety of features, such as 4K UltraHD, HDR, and Dolby Audio.

Although Luna OS is built on Android TV, it can't access the Google Play app store. Instead, the U2 comes with access to JMGO's app library, which is limited but growing. The Luna OS interface is clean with a design language that reminds me of Android 8 Oreo. The menus are designed in an easy-to-use grid arrangement.

When you launch the settings menu, you are presented with seven options on the left side of the screen. First is Network and Bluetooth for the adjustment of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth settings. The second option is Source Signal, where you can adjust your CEC control and startup source control. Next is Audio Settings, where you can adjust one of four audio preset modes: Standard, Music, Cinema, and Sports. Video settings allow you to turn 3D on or off, Adjust motion compensation or select one of the U2's video presets tuning of Standard, Bright Colored, Gentle, and User. The U2 provides three color temperature settings: Cold, Standard, and Warm modes. The next option is the advanced settings for turning on or off the eye protection sensors, accessibility features, and shut-down timer settings. Last is the system settings where you can adjust features such as date and time and check for updates.

JMGO has made a good interface that is minimal and intuitive unfortunately it is limited, mainly by the number of apps in their JMGO store. for this reason, I prefer and recommend the use of other smart media devices, such as an Onn Android TV stick or Apple TV for a more robust experience.