JAVION LED 2600 Lumens Projector

This is the second projector in this price range and of the two it is by far the better one. It came in a fairly large box with a whole bunch of cables enabling you to hook up most devices without having to purchase anything extra. You do still need 2 x AAA batteries to use the remote.

  • JAVION LED 2600 Lumens Projector
The Projector

The first thing that struck me about this projector is that the build quality is very good. It’s plastic and a little larger than my mini one. But the fit and finish are excellent and, as a result, it feels really solid. The buttons have no give in them; they don’t wiggle loosely and have a precise solid action when pressed making them seem good quality. The lens is recessed and has a silicon lens cap that sits almost flush against the opening. My other projector required you to extend the lens every time you wanted to put the cap on. Here, the cap covers the hole with about ¼ inch overlap instead. This means you can put the cap on without touching the lens so you don’t have to readjust the lense and focus it every time you use the projector.

The controls on the top of the unit are very simple. A directional D pad with an Xbox like glowing ring around the on/off button in the center. The ring glows red in standby mode and is green when on. A remote is included and is definitely the recommended way to control the projector. It has extensive features and it’s far easier to navigate menus with it. In use, the remote is responsive and reacts quickly to presses.

Adjusting the lens’ focus is very easy. A tab attached to the lens protrudes from the top of the case. You slide it left and right to adjust the focus. It’s quick and simple. My other projector has a similar design but dual function where you can also slide it back and forth for tilt angle. This projector has a separate knob on the back of the unit for setting the tilt angle (up to 15 degrees)  so you only have to set it once for the projectors location and then forget about it.

As well as the tilt knob, there is a small speaker and a fairly extensive collection of ports on the back of the projector.  It has:

2xUSB Ports

2xHDMI Ports

Composite RCA Input

RCA Audio Left and Right inputs and output

VGA Out

RF TV Antenna input

There is no headphone out, but you can purchase a RCA to 3.5mm adapter if you really need it.

Setup

The projector can work upright on a stable platform or upside down on the ceiling. I don’t have a mount for the ceiling although this would me my ideal method. My other projector doesn’t allow the projection to be flipped for ceiling mounting. This Javion Projector doesn’t have any obvious VESA type mounting holes underneath so I’m not quite sure how you mount it to the ceiling. At the moment it looks like you need some kind of harness to secure it upside down.

In Use

For the review, I set up the projector in my studio. I attached an old monitor mount to a rafter in the ceiling with a plank of wood attached to the VESA mount to make a shelf. I hooked up my micro PC that runs Windows 10 and connects to the projector via HDMI for initial tests and also a desktop gaming computer.

When you plug a PC into the projector, Windows recognizes the Projector and defaults to 800×600 resolution which is closest to its built in 800×480 native resolution. You have to change resolution in Windows settings to 1080p to get the impression of a higher resolution display. it is downscaled but it still looks good.

The PC video source was not recognized automatically but pressing the source button on the remote and selecting the correct input from the drop down list was simple and worked the first time. I set it up to project the equivalent of an 8.5 foot screen and was very pleased with the brightness and color saturation of the image projected on the wall. Even in low light, the projector is bright enough to still be usable and looks much like a giant TV in a blacked out room. I have an 800×600 projector but it is only 1200 lumens producing less distinct and muted colors compared to this 2600 lumens one.

Adjusting for tilt and focus takes a moment and is pretty much set it up and forget about it. However, the tilt function is not perfect. It does make the image square on the wall if the projector is at an angle but you will lose some focus towards either the top or bottom edge. You need to project straight on for perfect focus across the entire screen. Once set up, the projector is maintenance-free and can be completely controlled using the remote. This is very handy if the projector is mounted on the ceiling.

I was quite pleased with the fan. It’s not silent but nowhere as loud or intrusive as others I have tried. The tiny speaker which looks like it is only about 2” in diameter and can be turned up surprisingly loud and still sounds good for its small size.

Conclusion

If you want something affordable, this is pretty cool. It’s not a true HD projector. The image gets downscaled from 1080p but it still looks really good. It’s clear and bright with decent contrast and color balance with some tweaking. I use it primarily for watching videos and playing games so I produced a video showing the projector in action showing a trailer on youtube and playing Tombraider and Dirt 3 on the PC. The projector is great for gaming, especially driving and flyling sims where the larger scale really enhances the sense of scale and realism.

The image quality of the projector actually looks better in real life. Unfortunately the video camera on my cell phone has a blue cast that can’t be dialed out in low lighting conditions.

As an artist, it’s also a handy tool for projecting sketches onto canvas when you want to blow up a sketch to a larger size.

Overall I’m very happy with the projector and really like that it is mounted in the rafters in the ceiling of the studio out of the way when not in use.

 

Disclaimer: This projector was provided in exchange for an honest and fair review.

An affordable projector with good brightness, contrast and saturation
JAVION LED 2600 Lumens Projector

Product Name: JAVION LED 2600 Lumens Projector

Product Description: JAVION LED 2600 Lumens Projector that can be mounted upside down and can support a 1080p source

Offer price: $138.99

  • Build Quality
  • Ease of Use
  • Features
  • Picture
  • Value
4.2

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