Verdict
The Dangbei Mars Laser is a mid - range projector that has a muckle going for it , with strong picture calibre , high brightness and a agiotage intention . But for a wide selection of in - built apps and issues with vomit it would be an easy recommendation .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
spur by a serial of launches from Chinese manufacturers both bounteous and modest , theprojector marketis heat up up . Traditional players like Epson and Optoma are being confronted by upstarts like Dangbei , hungry for success and ready to fight .
The Mars Laser is the previous offering from the firm and is a definite statement of purport . As the name suggests , it feature laser projection , up to 2100 ISO lumens , an official Netflix license and 10W speakers , all for just under £ 1000 .
That ’s more than a lot of the competition offer , if not dramatically so , and picture Dangbei want to move its brand name into more ‘ premium ’ water supply .
With stack of competition , at and below the price point , does it do quite enough to earn a station in your home cinema put up ? Read on for our full review .
Design
Though not an absolute dictum , the blueprint of the standard ‘ smart ’ projector tends toward portability as a mantra . They are often intended to be machine that can be taken and plugged in anywhere , even if they mainly lack battery packs .
The Dangbei Mars Laser is decidedly not of that like , at 4.5 kg it is portly rather than portable . That is n’t an progeny if it will spend its life story in one spot or be moved around the home , but it is important to note disregarding .
Weight aside , this is a mostly expert looking projector , made of eminent quality glossy plastics and metals . The heft lend it a tough feeling , and on the rear it has a generous survival of ports , with twoHDMI slot , an optical audio pass through , USB and more . It is a gimmick that should fit into most dwelling house telecasting set ups well , being at once expensive look and discreet . Not that most will demand it , but it also has as an Ethernet port .
put the machine up into position is a little more complex . This is a projector that wish to sit at verbatim angles to its intended silver screen . There ’s no little metrical foot as there is on the likes of theEmotn N1to prop up it up at an angle to project . Though this is far from an essential inclusion , it is definitely a nice duplicate that gives a projector a little more flexibility in use .
On the control front the Dangbei make out with a Bluetooth remote control that match on set up and work quickly . It has dedicated buttons forNetflix , Amazon Prime Video and YouTube , and was generally reliable in testing . The on - equipment controls are limited to a touch - sore big businessman clitoris on the top of the equipment . Power is supply via a drum - pin plug .
In all the Dangbei Mars Laser looks deserving the price of entry , but lacks a little of the versatility that could have made it an easier sell for those with unlawful set - ups .
Features
If there is one profound peak to the existence of smart projector over a ‘ dull ’ projector , it is the promise of cutting out the middle man , of associate like a shot to Wi - Fi and launching an app without a pour stick or the like .
The great promise of the Dangbei is its in - build up support for Netflix , which is considered such a big selling point it is plaster over almost everything else . It also has Prime Video and YouTube build - in , which are prissy to see .
Within the pre - installed apps , carrying out was placid and content there looked great . There come a few hiccups however , which negatively impacted the experience of using the projector . The first was a proper lack of Chromecast support . Despite being tested on two disjoined Wi - Fi connexion , only YouTube worked for cast , Netflix did n’t fiddle globe . Casting is n’t an essential characteristic , but it is a quality of lifetime addition that caters to different kinds of substance abuser and their preferences .
Second came the tone of the apps that are n’t Prime Video , Netflix or Youtube , there are a few set up and they are terrible . Particularly egregious is ‘ TikiLive ’ which sport One America News as its main post when set up . None of the other apps put up any form of comprehensiveness of cognitive content , and in the included ‘ app ’ store the only cellular inclusion worthy of mention is Plex .
So if your wake habits consist solely of YouTube , Prime Video , and Netflix , you ’ll be able to just plug - in and act with the Dangbei . For people who desire to watch out the likes of iPlayer or Channel 4 , a streaming stick secure in the back will do the needful .
There ’s a few baked in options to cast to the gimmick too , predict HomeShare and MirrorCast . In my experience none of these function faithfully , often simply failing to recognise a gadget trying to connect , whether Android , iOS , or Windows . This can potentially be fixed with an update , but it is worrying on a twist costing just diffident of £ 1000 .
On a more prescribed note , the 10W speaker that the machine sportswoman green goods strait that is powerful and clear , function well to fill up a room when take . Although they wo n’t challenge the like of a proper strait legal profession or surround strait arrange up , they get the job done when see motion-picture show on the fly .
Performance
Beyond anything else , there ’s one expectant hope bake into the very name of the Dangbei , that coming from the word ‘ Laser ’ . Laser projectors are a superior breed of equipment to many more traditional types , offering better brightness level , improved colour and more noticeable contrast .
In plus the projector offers multiple automatic mode of adjustment , include auto - focal point , keystone correction , ‘ healthy cover set ’ and ‘ level-headed obstacle avoidance . There ’s also a Time of Flight ( ToF ) sensing element on the front that helps when adjusting the image .
Starting with this , no matter the surface projected onto , the Dangbei managed to correct quicky and confidently . There is a slight caveat to this however , that being when project at an angle . The gimmick needed a bit of help with keystoning in these situations , though this of course wo n’t be a job if you keep it in a motionless emplacement and practice a static surface to project onto .
Set up in worldwide was a air , and should present no difficulty for most people .
Coming to the interrogative sentence of picture quality , on the whole it is very incontrovertible . Starting with brightness , 2100 lm is stated as the maximum , and I found this was enough to deal with ambient Inner Light if not unmediated sunshine . There is the provision that these lumen are not your grandpa ’s lumens , they are ISO lumens , rather than the more common ANSI measuring stick . Assuming 1 ANSI lm is equivalent to 0.8 ISO lumens , that means a maximal output of 2520 ANSI lumens for the Mars Laser .
colors are bold and punchy , blacks exhibit some dissonance though it is n’t especially obtrusive – it was hardly a day of high cinema but Paw Patrol : The Movie shine and stand out on the big screenland , much to the delight of a house physician toddler .
As might be expected from the size of the casing , the Dangbei has a large rooter include , though for the most part in operation it proved to be quiet . The medulla include with the projector is rated for 30,000 time of day of use .
HDR10 compatitibility is push , and indeed tolerate subject looks corking , though you ’ll find this easiest from the soma in apps . As regards gambling , I found that twitchy shooters did n’t play peculiarly well , with the gadget exhibit just a bit too much input signal lag . Pretty much any other title work well however .
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Should you buy it?
The Dangbei offers optical maser engineering , which is n’t coarse at the damage point and derive with multiple advantages .
It has some apps in - progress , including Netflix and Prime Video , but lack many pop streaming apps or the power to set up them .
Final Thoughts
Making it great in the projector grocery is no prosperous labor , there ’s a lot of powerful traditional players around who are making self-aggrandising strides to innovate . Smaller players like Dangbei need to do quite a muckle to remain firm out , but with the Mars Laser it has a chance .
Featuring laser applied science , bang-up picture quality , strong speakers and a premium design , for the entry price of £ 1,000 it proffer a surprising amount in counter . But for more apps installed and a more polished molding experience it would be an instant good word . If you are looking to upgrade your apparatus but do n’t want to go too far into the post-£1000 price zona , this will serve as a capable and rewarding alternative .
Trusted Score
How we test
We prove every projector we review thoroughly over an extended period of time . We apply industry standard examination to compare feature properly . We ’ll always tell you what we find . We never , ever , take over money to review a production .
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FAQs
For the best performance , Dangbei recommends that the trope prove is between 80- and 150 - inches , with 100 - inches key as the most optimal sizing .
