My dream projector gives the most bright and fastest image. But it should also be easy and it should be easy to set anywhere – especially out. Anker’s nebular X1 long-term throw projector has promised all with a three-laser engine that excludes a category-agony 3,500 Ansi Lumens at 4K resolution. It has never been seen before on a home projector, such as liquid cooling to reduce the noise of the fan and a motorized lens gimbal that automatically automatically the setup. In addition, it provides good sound that can be upgraded with alternative satellite speakers.
Rub has a price. $ 3,000 ($ 3,298 with satellite speakers for a limited time) is one of the more expensive consumer projector, which is with a model like Epson’s LS11000 or Valerian VisionMaster Pro2. After testing it, I can say that it provides obvious, most vivid image quality that I have seen and the simplest setup to boot. However, the high price keeps it away from access to most portable projector buyers.
Engadget/Aker
The anchor’s Nebula X1 is marketed as a portable projector, but it is quite good to be used indoors. However, it is very expensive.
- Arrears image quality
- Simple automatic setup
- Crisp and loud sound
- Surprisingly portable
- expensive
- Google TV can sometime backward
- No dolby atomos
$ 2,549 on Amazon
Facilities and designs
Nebula X1 runs at the footsteps of other anchor projector, such as the original nebula and cosmos, with a long rectangular design and with a press, handle the latter. While it makes it easier to carry, it also means that the Nebula X1 hangs below more than most indoor projector when the X1 is roof-mounted.
To eliminate the tedious setup that usually affects the projector, the anchor did a clever job: it placed the lens mechanism on a gimbal that can tilt up to 25 degrees. When the 1.67x zoom, autofocus, keystone corrections and the ambient light are combined with detection, the projector completely automatically automatically setup. First of all, you have to choose a screen or wall space and, depending on the size of the screen or wall, is the position of the projector at a prescribed distance between 8 and 35 feet. You should keep the projector at the center and at the same time you can avoid any digital (keystone) improvement that can adversely affect the image quality. Then magic is on the press of a button.
Nebula X1 uses a function that he calls spatial adaptation to scan the area in front of it. Before displaying a checkerboard pattern, the lens bends up and down and then beating the final image very accurately where it should be. This is not correct, because some obstacles such as small plants or fine wires can throw it out, but it works well on both a wall and dedicated screen for me. The projector can be suitable for ambient light and even wall color, and another function called spatial recall allows you to save those settings for frequently used places.
The laser engines are heated and usually cooled with fans that can cause distracted noise. However, Nebula is the first consumer model with X1 liquid cooling that reduces the noise of the fan in a barely audible 26DB whipper. Thanks to this cooling system, the projector may also have a small footprint. This is a large quality life improvement compared to most of the competition.
For input, X1 comes with two HDMI 2.1 port, which includes an extended audio returns channel (EARC) functionality. It supports rapid refresh rates up to 240Hz at standard 4K, although the X1 4K tops the 60Hz, so it is not ideal as gaming projector. It also provides USB Type-A and USB Type-C port with S/PDIF optical audio ports.
Google is designed for TV streaming and projector control. It offers a large library of apps via Google Play with a familiar interface. You also get the official application of Netflix with the support of 4K Dolby Vision without the need to plug into Google Assistant for streaming devices, plus chromekast support and voice control. The negative side is that it can sometimes be dull, especially with the menu settings such as projector image control.
image quality
The anchor uses what it says “cinema-grade glass” to increase the shine, color accuracy and lens durability in the 14-element lens of the nebula. The 4K triple laser engine is rated up to 3,500 ANSI Lumen with 5,000: 1 contrast ratio. At the same time, it provides color accuracy with a delta E value of less than 0.8 and an impressive 110 percent of the REC.2020 color spectrum, Samsung, LG and Formovi corresponds to a high end ultra short throw (UST) model. This 4K dolby vision support I mentioned is also rare in the middle of the competition.
The result is the fastest and most bright image seen on any projector in this price range. It was sufficiently bright for me that I would comfortably look at a football match without colors on a sunny day. And if you switch it to conference mode, you can also push the glow to a viewable image with lights, but there is a negative side of a slight blue cast.
When used in a dark room or at night, the image of the nebula is the best of any projector I have tested. Even though it uses the same Texas Instruments 0.47-inch DMD (Digital Mirror device) as many other 4K models, the image is clear and sharp thanks to the glass element lens. Contrast and black levels are also at the top of this price range and are not far from JVC and Sony, with double the price. Once again, it is due to the anchor’s 6-blade dynamic iris as well as optics-one and characteristic that is usually found only on high-end projector-and the company’s “Nebulamaster 2.0” picture quality algorithm.
Both HDR and non-HDR mode are outstanding color accuracy and are reserved for more expensive projector in both non-HDR mode for ISF (Image Science Foundation) certification. In fact, I found color calibration on my unit in “ISF Night” mode almost found correct. This meant that images were close to how they were calibrated by filmmakers like TV series and films. Once in Hollywood, Internal management and, Tibba 2 And Spider-Man: No Way HomeIf the color is not enough as per your choice, you can manually adjust properly. Like this many other 4K projector of this type, light is spread in light amounts around the edge of the image in the X1. However, it is well controlled and only noticeable when the approximate image is particularly dark.
sound
The anchor also kept some extra work in sound. Audio quality is concrete thanks to four built -in speakers with 40 watt total output. Lack of fan noise is a big help here. By itself, the X1 provides the decent high end and bass, but more importantly, the dialogue is easy to hear and understand.
For a large sonic upgrade, you can add a pair of alternative nebula-branded satellite speakers of the anchor who automatically connect to the projector via Wi-Fi. Each has a pair of 40-watt drivers, a 20-wat upward-firing driver, and a 20-watt side-firing driver who combine to create a surround effect. Together with the projector, they offer an impressive 200 watt sound with dolby audio support (although not Dolby Atmos unfortunately). They are battery-powered with the use of up to eight hours, which is especially easy to see outdoor. However, this also means that you need to charge them.
To test these speakers, I chose many music-oriented films A complete unknown, artist And rocket ManWith an action film, which has an impressive score and sound effect, Tibba 2Despite its small size, satellite speakers kept elements such as music, dialogue and sound effects with crisp, clear and equally powerful dynamic bass. You can definitely improve with a dedicated 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound system, but these speakers provide very respectable audio quality, set up and sinks with the picture automatically. The X1 also supports other external Bluetooth speakers, but you may have to adjust the time in the menu to ensure the correct sink for the picture and sound.
The anchor also offers a package of $ 4,000 which includes a pair of its soundcore microphone with speakers. They also automatically connect to X1 and allow you to use it as a very expensive karaoke machine. They provide a clear sound, but you do not get general benefits of Karaoke setups such as AI vocal removal and vocal enhancement.
Wrap
Nebula X1 is a strange proposal. It is marketed as a portable outdoor projector, but is also best Indoor Projector I have ever tested. The quality of the video is unattainable, with a clearly sharp, high-contrasting and color-perfect image. The setup and ease of overall size also makes it an excellent choice if you want to move the X1 around. With alternative satellite speakers, it is the best portable projector that you can get, the hand below.
Nebula X1 does not have much competition in the portable category, besides Valerian’s $ 3,000 Vision Master Pro 2, including a 4K triple laser engine. However, the X1 beats that model on image quality, portability and ease of setup.
The thing is that most people will spend more than $ 500 in search of a portable projector, paying $ 3,000 alone. So whom is it for? I think it is ideal for buyers to see a UST or high-end Throw projector that wants a little more versatility. Some may also use it as a standalone indoor projector because it can be applied on the roof or on a stand. In other words, if you have a means, use it in any way that you want – it is versatile.
