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The LG Minibeam LED Projector (PH550) ($549.99) is an attractive and lightweight entertainment projector with an excellent set of connection choices. It even has a built-in TV tuner for connecting to a set-top box or an over-the-air antenna. Video quality is among the best I have seen in an LED projector, and data image quality is above par, too. It’s a clear pick as our Editors’ Choice portable palmtop projector.
Design and Features
The PH550 is a DLP-based model with an LED light source rated for 30,000 hours, so it should last the lifetime of the projector. It provides 720p (1,280-by-720) native resolution at a 16:9 aspect ratio, and has a rated brightness of 550 lumens, which is typical for palmtop projectors and somewhat lower than the 800-lumen rating of the LG Compact Pebble Design Smart Minibeam Projector PW800 ( at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) .
Measuring 1.7 by 6.9 by 4.3 inches (HWD) and weighing just 1.4 pounds, the PH550 is a compact and lightweight projector. It is also pretty, with a glossy white case with rounded covers and the lens inset in a copper-colored ring. On top, just behind the lens, is a focus lever with which it is easy to bring the projector to a good focus. It lacks a zoom, however. Also on top is a four-way controller with a central button. Pressing the button powers up the projector, but only after you have turned on the On-Off switch in back.
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Also in back is a good selection of ports. The single HDMI port also supports MHL for streaming video from an MHL-enabled smartphone or tablet. There is a USB Type-A port, which fits a USB thumb drive from which you can show photos or videos or play music files. An AV-in jack lets you connect to a DVD player or other source via composite audio/video, using an included adapter cable. An audio-out jack fits a plug for headphones or powered external speakers. There’s also a VGA port for connecting to a computer, and a slot for a Kensington lock.
Television Too
Last but not least, a coaxial connector for the projector’s built-in TV tuner lets you connect to a cable box or an over-the-air antenna, in order to project TV programming onto your screen. The PH550 is capable of substituting for a flat-screen TV in a family room, though its relatively low resolution (720p, in an increasingly 1080p and 4K world) and modest brightness make it less than ideal for that role. LG does offer brighter 1080p projectors with TV tuners, such as the LG Portable LED Projector With Smart TV and Magic Remote PF1500 ( at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) , which is rated at 1,400 lumens, and the 1,000-lumen Editors’ Choice LG Minibeam Ultra Short Throw Projector With Smart TV (PF1000U) ($1,599.99 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) . They are somewhat larger and heavier than the PH550 but still portable, though neither has a built-in battery. The PH550’s video image looked bright when it filled our test screen, about 80 inches measured diagonally, though when ambient light was introduced, a more comfortable viewing size was about 64 inches.
The PH550 has built-in Bluetooth—rather rare on a mobile projector—for connecting to an external Bluetooth speaker. Through the projector’s Screen Share function, you can wirelessly mirror the screen of an Android or Windows computer or mobile device via Miracast or WiDi.
A full-size remote lets you access Screen Share or Bluetooth, switch between TV channels, change input sources, and control many other functions. The projector can be powered by a built-in rechargeable battery, which can get you through most normal-length movies; LG estimates it can last 2.5 hours on a charge, and my experience bears that out. The LG PW800, which has a similar feature set, lacks a battery.
Data, Video, and Audio
Data image quality is above average. The PH550 fared well in our text testing, with white text on black easily readable down to 7.5 points, and black text on white easily readable down to 9 points. Color balance was also very good.
Video quality was strong for a portable projector of moderate brightness. I saw occasional rainbow artifacts—little red-green-blue streaks that typically appear in bright areas against dark backgrounds—but fewer than typical for an LED-based DLP projector. It’s doubtful that most people sensitive to this so-called rainbow effect would be distracted by it. Color balance was excellent, and colors were well saturated without being overly so. (Frequently, colors from low-brightness LED projectors are oversaturated to the point of garishness.)
See How We Test Projectors
Sound from the PH550’s pair of 1-watt speakers is soft, suitable for a very small room. Should you want louder audio, you can always connect a set of powered external speakers to the audio-out jack. Even better, you can connect wirelessly to a Bluetooth speaker.
Conclusion
Small, versatile, and capable of both home and portable use, the LG Minibeam LED Projector (PH550) has unusually good video quality for an LED-based projector, and good data image quality as well. Its built-in TV tuner and coaxial connector let you connect to a cable box or over-the-air antenna for home or portable projecting of TV shows onto a screen, and there’s also a wealth of other connectivity options. The PH550 doesn’t quite manage the brightness of the LG PW800, but can be powered from its rechargeable battery and connected to a Bluetooth speaker, two features that that model lacks. Our longtime top pick for best palmtop projector, the InFocus LightPro IN1146, is no longer available, and the PH550 is a worthy replacement as Editors’ Choice.
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