Xiaomi Mi Ultra Short 5000 ANSI Lumens Laser Projector

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I am super tempted to replace my my old 50" Panasonic TV with this but is it too risky of a purchase? Are any UK owners on here? I got a feeling all the youtube reviews are probably biased and got a freebie.

Price wise it looks good and the Chinese menu can be mostly replaced.

It goes without say that I would only purchase using a credit card but still might be more headache than its worth.

Any thoughts?

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I'd go with the Xiaomi if your CC covers you. I've never had an issue with gearbest but I've never purchased anything that expensive. The reviews and other forums all speak highly of the Xiaomi as well.
 
I'd go with the Xiaomi if your CC covers you. I've never had an issue with gearbest but I've never purchased anything that expensive. The reviews and other forums all speak highly of the Xiaomi as well.
The only thing putting me off is the delivery time and returns policy. At least with Amazon you get no hassle returns.

Having said that I have no idea about laser vs dlp
 
The only thing putting me off is the delivery time and returns policy. At least with Amazon you get no hassle returns.

Having said that I have no idea about laser vs dlp

I have never had an issue with returns.

Laser is the light source. It is still a DLP projector.
 
I emailed xiaomi directly and they are planning to sell the item in UK soon. I might hold off until they do. They said they have forwarded my email to to the UK region team who will keep me updated.
 
I hope that's the case but I fear the price will be far higher than what gearbest are selling them for.
 
I am debating whether to get this projector or the LG HF85JA
 
What about customs tax? I'm 50/50 on checking out don't want to order then have it stuck at airport until I pay extra tax.
 
I can get this for $1839 shipped or the LG 85 for $1599 shipped.
The pros of the LG are: price, English language/easier menu, 120v, reputable customer service/warranty. However the LG is labeled at 1500 lumens and no 3D :(
 
The other thing I am concerned about with purchasing the Xiaomi Mi projector is having to purchase an additional voltage converter. Considering the projetcor is 250W I would need a converter of at least 500W capability-another $50 :(
 
Well I got to checkout page and having never used gearbest before I was surprised not to see any credit card payment option, only PayPal or Wire transfer...

So close yet so far!
 
Well I got to checkout page and having never used gearbest before I was surprised not to see any credit card payment option, only PayPal or Wire transfer...

So close yet so far!
PayPal checkout is a good sign. PayPal has a great purchase protection plan.
 
This guy measured 3300 actual lumens. That's pretty good!

 
This guy measured 3300 actual lumens. That's pretty good!

Just be aware that the chap in the video measured whilst displaying a white image, the projector likely has a clear section on the DLP colour wheel which is bypassing the RGB elements thus appearing to be much brighter when displaying white only (hence the 5000 lumen ANSI lumen figure.

As you mentioned in your previous post, if he was to display an image with colour or watch a movie for example his actual brightness would likely be around a third of that figure.

So 3300 Lumens from a 5000 Lumen rated projector isn't great but I'm not all that confident in his measurement device.
 
Just be aware that the chap in the video measured whilst displaying a white image, the projector likely has a clear section on the DLP colour wheel which is bypassing the RGB elements thus appearing to be much brighter when displaying white only (hence the 5000 lumen ANSI lumen figure.

As you mentioned in your previous post, if he was to display an image with colour or watch a movie for example his actual brightness would likely be around a third of that figure.

So 3300 Lumens from a 5000 Lumen rated projector isn't great but I'm not all that confident in his measurement device.
But even if we were talking about 3300 lumens, or even 1500 lumens (like the LG UST laser projector), we have to keep into consideration that the beam is not traveling a long distance from the projector itself to the screen, but just a few inches/centimeters. Don't you think that 3300 lumens or even less from a few inches away from screen yeld a much brighter picture than the same or more lumens from 15 feet away?
 
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But even if we were talking about 3300 lumens, or even 1500 lumens (like the LG UST laser projector), we have to keep into consideration that the beam is not traveling a long distance from the projector itself to the screen, but just a few inches/centimeters. Don't you think that 3300 lumens or even less from a few inches away from screen yeld a much brighter picture than the same or more lumens from 15 feet away?

We're getting away from the original point but I'll go along with what you've stated.

The brightness quoted for these projectors (5000 and 1500 for the Xiaomi and LG respectively) is in ANSI Lumens which involves measuring brightness at various points across a screen, therefore the distance from the screen has already been factored into the measurement.

How much would you anticipate the brightness of a projector to reduce with distance?
 
How much would you anticipate the brightness of a projector to reduce with distance?
A significant amount. Point a flashlight to a wall from 15 feet away, then point it again from 12-15 inches, and you tell me which one makes the wall look brighter
 
A significant amount. Point a flashlight to a wall from 15 feet away, then point it again from 12-15 inches, and you tell me which one makes the wall look brighter

I had a suspicion you thought this was the case.

In the situation above when deciding between projectors in a living room it's significantly less.

The reduction in brightness you refer to follows the inverse square law where brightness is reduced by an order of 4 times every time you double the distance as you are projecting the same amount of light over a much larger area.

In this case however the size of the screen or area that is being illuminated remains constant so as you move further away there is a (much less significant) reduction in light output but this is caused purely by the F-stop of the lens and how this varies depending on how much you zoom in.

At min zoom the lens will lose more light than if it was much closer to the screen (wide angle or max zoom) but this can affect contrast etc (another argument).

If my workings correct, in your example above the torch shining 10 Lumens at 15 inches would reduce to 0.07 lumens at 15 foot, or a 99.3% reduction. In the real life example, I've read you would expect a 10-25% reduction in brightness depending on the amount of zoom the lens is capable of.
 
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I had a suspicion you thought this was the case.

In the situation above when deciding between projectors in a living room it's significantly less.

The reduction in brightness you refer to follows the inverse square law where brightness is reduced by an order of 4 times every time you double the distance as you are projecting the same amount of light over a much larger area.

In this case however the size of the screen or area that is being illuminated remains constant so as you move further away there is a (much less significant) reduction in light output but this is caused purely by the F-stop of the lens and how this varies depending on how much you zoom in.

At max zoom the lens will lose more light than if it was much closer to the screen (wide angle or min zoom) but this can affect contrast etc (another argument).

If my workings correct, in your example above the torch shining 10 Lumens at 15 inches would reduce to 0.07 lumens at 15 foot, or a 99.3% reduction. In the real life example, I've read you would expect a 10-25% reduction in brightness depending on the amount of zoom the lens is capable of.
I currently have a Sony 45 projector labeled at 1800 lumens. I tried to place it at 15 feet away from screen and then at 9 feet away from the screen, and I can see a noticeable increase in brightness on the screen surface at 9 feet. My logic tells me that if we could move light source even closer-like 12 to 15 inches as in the case of UST projectors-the brightness could only be increased on the screen surface
 
I currently have a Sony 45 projector labeled at 1800 lumens. I tried to place it at 15 feet away from screen and then at 9 feet away from the screen, and I can see a noticeable increase in brightness on the screen surface at 9 feet. My logic tells me that if we could move light source even closer-like 12 to 15 inches as in the case of UST projectors-the brightness could only be increased on the screen surface

You would be correct in your observation, if you look at a throw distance calculator for the Sony HW40 (45 wasn't listed) a 96" image at 15' is 25fL (1.00x zoom) but a 96" image at 9'6" is 31fL (1.59x zoom) so there's a definite increase in brightness but you need remember that this change is down to the lens.

The point I took issue with was;

...we have to keep into consideration that the beam is not traveling a long distance from the projector itself to the screen, but just a few inches/centimeters. Don't you think that 3300 lumens or even less from a few inches away from screen yeld a much brighter picture than the same or more lumens from 15 feet away?

You wouldn't add on extra brightness when considering the UST projector just because it's closer to the screen or vica versa. A 3000 ANSI lumen projector should get you around that level of luminance regardless of whether it is ultra-short throw or long throw.
 
You would be correct in your observation, if you look at a throw distance calculator for the Sony HW40 (45 wasn't listed) a 96" image at 15' is 25fL (1.00x zoom) but a 96" image at 9'6" is 31fL (1.59x zoom) so there's a definite increase in brightness but you need remember that this change is down to the lens.

The point I took issue with was;



You wouldn't add on extra brightness when considering the UST projector just because it's closer to the screen or vica versa. A 3000 ANSI lumen projector should get you around that level of luminance regardless of whether it is ultra-short throw or long throw.
So all things considered, and from the data available, will this UST projector be just as bright as my Sony VPLHW45ES?

Here is my current Sony 45:
https://www.amazon.com/Sony-VPLHW45...=1514562912&sr=8-1&keywords=sony+45+projector
 
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So all things considered, and from the data available, will this UST projector be just as bright as my Sony VPLHW45ES?

Here is my current Sony 45:
https://www.amazon.com/Sony-VPLHW45...=1514562912&sr=8-1&keywords=sony+45+projector

While I remember and we're on the subject of brightness, another issue with these UST projectors is brightness uniformity, the Dell 4k laser UST projector I read a review of recently has 72% brightness uniformity meaning the outer edges of the screen are 28% dimmer than the centre which I understand is visible during normal viewing. This again is due to the light hitting the furthest parts of the screen at a much steeper angle so the light is spread over a larger area. For a standard projector this figure is around 85% and isn't visible in normal viewing.

In response to your question, it depends on how much you care about accuracy. I don't see info for the Xiaomi but the Dell S718QL is a 5000 ANSI Lumen Laser UST projector (so similar enough) and in the most accurate sRGB mode it measured at 1237 ANSI lumens (Highest brightness setting) and the Sony HW45 in it's reference mode gave 1365 (High Lamp). This information is all taken from reviews of the relevant units done by Projector Central.

If we don't care as much about colour accuracy and just want brightness if we are just watching TV in a lit room for example, the Dell DLP projector can utilise the Cyan and Yellow parts of the (RGBCY) colour wheel which allow it to create brighter highlights and 'mid-tone' colours but these are not as accurate and can appear washed out when compared to the more accurate picture modes.
 
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