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Based strictly on list prices, the $799 Anker Nebula Capsule 3 Laser portable projector is a head-to-head competitor with the Xgimi Halo+. But while the two have some obvious similarities—both are 1080p mini projectors with built-in batteries—they also have different strengths. Most notably, the Halo+ is brighter enough to deliver a bigger image at any given image-brightness setting, while the Capsule 3 Laser offers much better color accuracy and shadow detail, for a better-looking picture. So while the Halo+ stays firmly in place as our top pick for highest brightness in the category, the Capsule 3 Laser earns its own Editors’ Choice designation as the 1080p battery-powered mini projector with the best image quality.
There’s a Laser in Your Soda Can!
You could easily mistake the Capsule 3 Laser for a soft-drink can—a slightly oversize, 2.1-pound soda can, to be exact. It stands 6.7 inches high, with a 3.3-inch diameter, and the lens is more or less flush with the surface.
Shoehorned inside the can, like a ship in a bottle, is a much more impressive projector than you might expect. In addition to a remarkably small laser-phosphor light source paired with a 1080p DLP chip, you get an 8-watt speaker that delivers robust audio, built-in Android TV 11 for streaming via Wi-Fi, and support for using the projector as a Bluetooth speaker. The light source, rated at 30,000 hours, is designed to last the life of the device.
(Credit: Anker)
As with more and more native 1080p models, the Capsule 3 Laser can accept up to 4K (3,840-by-2,160-pixel) resolution, supports HDR10 (but not HLG HDR), and negotiates a 4K HDR connection by default. It downconverts the 4K input to 1080p HDR, which means it effectively behaves like a 4K projector with soft focus.
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The brightness is rated at 300 ANSI lumens. More importantly, the projector delivered good image brightness in my tests at a size that was close to what I expect for the rating, even with the settings I used for best image quality. As a point of reference, the Halo+ is rated at 900 ANSI lumens and delivered good image brightness using my chosen settings for best quality at a size I would expect from about 600 ANSI lumens. The difference in projector brightness translates to a 90-inch-diagonal 16:9 image size (or a little larger) for the Halo+ in a dark room or low level of ambient light, compared with a roughly 70-inch image size for the Capsule 3 Laser at about the same image brightness. Note also that both projectors’ ratings are in ANSI lumens, instead of the non-standard LED lumens that the ratings of many smaller projectors use.
As with any projector that uses built-in batteries, the image brightness drops noticeably by default when switching to battery power. Unlike many, however, you can adjust the brightness of the Capsule 3 Laser if you don’t mind the battery running out sooner. Battery life is rated at 2.5 hours in the default battery mode, 1.5 hours in Full Power mode, or 8 hours in Bluetooth Speaker mode.
Setup consists of little more than turning the power on and running through the standard Android TV setup, which is limited to Wi-Fi as the only choice for connecting to your network. If Netflix is a go-to destination for your streaming, note that Android TV does not offer an app for it. There are ways to install one, and the projector’s web page includes a link to a video showing how to install it, but the process is both cumbersome and time-consuming. You can also connect an external video source via HDMI.
(Credit: Anker)
The projector’s autofocus worked nicely in my tests, as did the automatic horizontal and vertical keystone, which lets you go from startup to viewing in a few seconds each time you move and set up the projector. However, our advice, as always, is to turn off the auto keystone adjustments and try to avoid using manual keystone, as well. Digital keystone adjustment can introduce artifacts and lower image brightness.
The 8-watt speaker delivers surprisingly robust audio for the size and weight class, with crisp sound quality and high-enough volume to fill a medium or large family room. For still-higher quality and volume, you can connect an external sound system using the 3.5mm stereo output, the HDMI port’s eARC support, or Bluetooth. You can also use the projector as a Bluetooth speaker for other devices.
Note that I ran into a problem with the audio when I first connected the projector to my Verizon Fios box, where it would give me a short burst of sound when turning on the Fios box, then silence. The issue disappeared permanently after I changed the eARC setting from Auto to Off and restarted the projector. Anker says it has found the problem, and expects to issue an automated over the air (OTA) firmware update to fix it.
Testing the Capsule 3 Laser: Shining Quality, With a Little Tweaking
The Capsule 3 Laser offers three predefined picture modes that don’t allow any settings adjustments, plus a Custom mode with settings for contrast, color saturation, sharpness, color temperature, wall color, and gamma. After some preliminary testing with 1080p SDR material, I decided to skip the predefined modes, which were all oversharpened and had obvious color shifts. Tweaking Custom mode—by lowering the sharpening and contrast settings and changing the color temperature setting to Cool—delivered much better picture quality.
One other setting you might want to adjust is frame interpolation—for smoothing motion. It’s on by default, which can enhance the look of live sports, but it adds an obvious, unwanted “soap opera effect” to movies. If you’re among the many who find that distracting, you’ll want to turn motion smoothing off when watching filmed shows.
(Credit: Anker)
In my formal 1080p SDR viewing tests after adjustment, the projector delivered good contrast in both dark and brightly lit scenes, unusually good color accuracy for a portable mini projector, and impressively good shadow detail. Even the darkest scenes in our test suite maintained virtually all the detail I know is there, without losing the dramatic visual impact that comes with brightening the image too much and making it look washed out.
For HDR input, the Capsule 3 Laser uses the same set of picture modes as for SDR. It also retains the same settings for Custom mode for both. For most projectors, this would be a problem. Getting the best picture quality from both types of input usually requires different settings for each, so not having two sets of custom setting modes would force you to make adjustments every time you switched from 1080p SDR to 4K HDR input. In this case, however, the same scenes in HDR versions of movies on disc looked at least as good as in the SDR versions without any settings changes. My impression was that they looked a bit better, but they weren’t enough better to be sure without a side-by-side comparison.
(Credit: Anker)
As with any single-chip projector with sequential color (meaning each primary color is projected one at a time), the Capsule 3 Laser can show rainbow artifacts (red/green/blue flashes). However, I saw fewer than typical for the category. If you aren’t prone to seeing them easily, you may not notice any at all. If you’re concerned about the issue, the good news is that the Capsule 3 comes with a 30-day return guarantee, so you can test it for yourself.
There is no 3D support, but gamers will find that input lag is easily short enough for casual play. I measured it with a Bodnar meter at 22.5 milliseconds (ms) for 1080p input at 60Hz, and 29.7ms for 4K input at 60Hz.
(Credit: Anker)
Based on the Society for Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) standards, 300 ANSI lumens is bright enough to light up a 67-to-91-inch-diagonal, 1.0-gain, 16:9 screen in a dark room. I tend to prefer the higher image brightness at the smaller end of the range, and, as already mentioned, wound up with a roughly 70-inch image in my tests using AC power for viewing both in a dark room and under low light levels. In daytime viewing in a family room, using the default battery power brightness, it delivered a watchable, though washed-out, 57-inch image.
Verdict: A Projector Punching Way Above Its Weight
When we reviewed the Xgimi Halo+, we praised it for delivering the most impressive balance of features we had seen for its category. The Anker Nebula Capsule 3 Laser matches it on that score, but it offers a different balance of features. Compared with the Halo+, the Nebula Capsule 3 Laser isn’t as bright, which means you’ll need to stay with a slightly smaller image size. But it’s one of the lightest mini projectors available—1.4 pounds lighter than the Halo+—and it offers the best combination of color accuracy, contrast, and shadow detail we’ve yet seen in a mini projector.
If you’d rather spend less, consider the Anker Nebula Solar Portable (if you need a projector with a built-in battery), or the Xgimi Elfin (for AC power only). But if you want top-tier picture quality for a mini projector, combined with minimum weight for easy portability, the Anker Nebula Capsule 3 Laser is probably the projector you want. It’s an easy pick as our Editors’ Choice honoree for a 1080p mini projector with the best picture quality for both SDR and HDR.
4.0
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Barely larger than a soda can, the 1080p Anker Nebula Capsule Laser 3 mini projector is easy to set up, delivers impressive image quality, and even doubles as a Bluetooth speaker.
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Source link : https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/anker-nebula-capsule-3-laser