Do you want a big video picture but without the big bucks for a big screen? Here I introduce BenQ Joybee GP1 mini projector to you. The $500 1.4-pound pico projector uses a 20,000-hour LED lamp for illumination, and includes a USB port. Put your media (movies, photos, business presentations) on a thumb drive and you can leave your laptop at home.
The tiny unit comes with a carrying case, but you have to carry the separate, equally sized power supply by itself. Fortunately, the GP1 really can be set up without reading a manual. It took me about five minutes to connect the cords and figure out the commands on the wafer-sized remote.
You can connect a camcorder, DVD player, TV, video game console or — with an extra-cost dock — an iPod to the Joybee. But if you want to watch videos, you first must convert your files into the AVI format, using the included Mac and Windows software.
The company claims that the projector can create an image up to 80 inches in diameter, but don’t expect that size during the day. Even in a dimly lighted room, the weak light output meant that I had to put the unit quite close to the wall to see a bright-enough image.
As a pico projector, the Joybee lacks an optical zoom, which means you have to move the entire unit to change the picture size. That may not be practical in a business setting, but if you’re planning on watching a movie in your hotel room with all the lights out, it may not be a big deal. Once set up, the colors were well-saturated, with acceptable black levels.
The menus are intuitive and the remote works well, but the on-unit touch controls were erratic, often not responding to multiple hard presses and then jumping into action with a very light tap.
So it is a low-cost way to get a big picture in a dark room, won't rely on this projector for your PowerPoint presentations.