[updated: July 2021]
I was contacted by DBPower after they read my review. They talked about each of my points from below. Originally I would have given this projector a 3.5 stars (rounded down), but now moving my rating to 4 because their customer service reached out to respond to me directly !
I'm glad that I was able to put 4 stars because I want to reiterate, this projector is really good considering its price point and the fact it is native 1080p ! For comparison, my first projector was 800x600 and $900, my second is 1280x800 and $700. This one would definitely make for a great first projector for anyone curious about the technology.
I probably would have kept it for the extra pixels, however it didn't beat my current projector in anything else. The fan noise was the biggest issue for me – it's not horrible by any means, but it's not as quiet as my Casio (in both pitch and decibels). All DBPower needs to do is use a different fan with 1. lower pitch (most important) and 2. lower decibels. As far as other comparisons – the lumens seemed about the same. The lack of image controls wasn't a dealbreaker but would be nice to have. Apparently I overlooked the zoom functionality, so I don't know if it's OPTICAL or DIGITAL.
Finally, DBPower mentioned they should be releasing a different model in the next few months with more lumens, upgraded remote, and louder volume. I look forward to seeing it on Amazon.
[original-ish: June 2021]
i'm looking to replace my current Casio XJ-A240 (1280x800, 2500 ANSI Lumens), but this DBPower isn't the one.
all in all, this a surprising amount of projector for under 200$ ! The carrying case was really nice and well made. Though overall, it didn't beat out my 9-year old Casio as a home replacement. i think it would pass for outdoor, but needs more actual lumens and a quieter fan.
some short notes about the important differences:
* BRIGHTNESS: my Casio has 2500 lumens, this one 8000, but the DBPower is barely brighter. and it could have been that it was set to more cool tones than my current warm tone setting. i also read a review that said perhaps these new projectors are using a different method to calculate lumens (ie, reporting a larger number). i would believe it
* KEYSTONE/FOCUS: the keystone correction is interesting – not digital at all (which is probably good!). it's like you're changing the tilt of an actual LCD panel inside the machine. so what happens is when it's rotated too much, the top/bottom of the image will start to get out of focus (compared to the horizontal center).
so i'd suggest to "focus" with the keystone first so that the entire image has equal sharpness, then do the final focus with the focus adjustment. (keystone and focus are next to each other on the machine)
* MENU/IMAGE: the menu has very few adjustments and lacks what i would consider some basic ones, eg sharpness, contrast, etc. it does have adjustment on Red, Green and Blue. the image is pretty good, but it seemed to lack the depth/gamut of my Casio. the resolution itself was higher, but the quality looked like what you get when an image is oversharpened in Photoshop.
* FAN NOISE: the fan noise was louder than my Casio. my Casio fan has a much lower pitch, where the DBPower had a higher tone which makes it harder to mask. this was probably the biggest deal-breaker for me.
i have included some images with the DBPower and my Casio
| Brand Name | DBPOWER |
|---|---|
| Item Weight | 3.19 pounds |
| Product Dimensions | 8 x 6 x 3 inches |
| Item model number | Q6 |
| Speaker Type | Stereo, Built-In |
