Projectors in general

#1

Firstly, I am autistic and not sure how to check if this question has already been covered.

I own several Anker products and love them as a company so I wanted to find a way to explore the projectors they do.

My needs:
-> needs to be able to project a clear image in daylight and dusk
-> will be using for tabletop top gaming so needs to be able to project downwards to a flat [horizontal] service.
-> needs to be portable [not wall mounted]
-> needs to survive a 4 hour session without the battry conking out or not drain a power bank if there is no internal battery

I cant think of anything else yet.

#2

Your best bet would probably be the Nebula capsule or capsule 2. I’m not sure of how well it would do in direct daylight though, it would require some shade to use it, and you would need to keep the screen fairly small.

#3

thank you for the response.

When you say small, how small?

#4

It’s roughly the size of a can of Coke

#5

It would depend a lot on the amount of daylight you had, outdoors you may not be able to use it, but indoors with a window open you might be able to use it as long as the screen is under about 25 inches. Remember that what I am saying is just based off of the spec sheet of the device, I have no real world use with it so I may be wrong.

#6

Think he meant screen size.

2 Likes
#7

First off welcome to the community.

Ankers brightest portable battery powered projectors are the Mars and Mars 2 pro. They are rated at 500 ANSI lumens which is roughly equivalent to around 5,000 regular lumens and will provide you with a decent picture during the day although not on a surface that is directly lit by the sun. ANSI lumens are the true measure of light output other companies use a high lumen count as a misleading marketing strategy.

I do not recommend projecting onto a horizontal surface but if you have to this projector has a mounting screw on the bottom that will allow you to mount this projector in in a horizontal orientation. Although you would have to mount this projector at a height of three feet or more, all projectors have a minimum distance to the surface you are projecting onto, and the closer the distance is from the projector to the projecting surface the smaller the screen size. I highly recommend projecting onto a vertical surface such as a wall.

@TechnicallyWell please share your valuable insight on how screen size relates to distance from wall/projecting surface.

The (Mars) and (Mars II Pro) will only give you about 3 hours of play time vs 5 with the Mars II. More light output or lumens = shorter battery life.

EDIT the Mars mentioned above is no longer available. To clarify there are four versions of the nebula Mars. The original nebula Mars, the nebula Mars lite, the nebula Mars II and the nebula Mars II pro.

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Here is a video review of the Mars II by our very own @TechnicallyWell that will give you some idea of what the Mars II will look like during the day (video not shot during the day but was in a well-lit room). Just keep in mind the (Mars) and (Mars 2 Pro) are about 40% brighter than the Mars II.

Edit
Mars 500 ANSI lumens NO Android
Mars II 300 ANSI lumens WITH Android
Mars II Pro 500 ANSI lumens WITH Android

2 Likes
#8

Since you’re looking for a portable projector, the biggest challenges will be:

  • clear image
  • daylight

In my experience, portable projector images are never that clear. Most have VGA resolution and rarely do you find anything above 720p. And you will need an ideal screen to get the best picture. Not sure if that will be enough for gaming.

Most portable projectors don’t have enough lumens for daylight projection. You probably need at least 2000 lumens?

#9

So thank you all for the wonderful responses!

Just a clarifying question the nebula has an anker recomended tripod but it does not lift beyond 15 inches I think. Yet you said to project downwards needs 3 foot?

It may be that what I want does not exist yet then.

Regardless I still want to thank you all for the answers

1 Like
#10

You are very welcome it was my pleasure.

The smaller nebula capsule or capsule 2 would be better suited for your needs as they are nowhere near as heavy but they are not nearly as bright at 200 and 300 ANSI lumens. They are better suited for a dark room.

To answer your question the Anker tripod is simply not designed to project an image onto the floor or the ceiling.

3 feet at the very minimum but that distance will give you a very small screen. There is such a thing as a “short throw” projector which is designed to be extremely close to the projecting surface but the nebula Mars is not one of those short throw projectors. I’m not exactly sure what the minimum distance would be. Let’s wait on @TechnicallyWell to confirm the minimum distance. I don’t actually have a nebula Mars so can’t do any testing for you.

If you are interested in a smaller screen have you considered getting a portable battery powered monitor? They might be better suited for your needs.

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They do sell horizontally oriented tripods but you will need to place something that is the same weight on the other side as a counterweight to keep it stable, preferably sandbag weights at the base of the tripod as well.

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The picture of the tripod is not the best example because it does not have the bars that connect the legs at the bottom to place weights on but you get the idea.

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#11

Thanks for the shout out! I’m traveling at the moment, so I’m not sure of the exact minimum distance, but I believe it is around 3 feet. It probably is not suitable for direct daylight (maybe inside, but not outside in the sun).

1 Like
#12

@Badger_Burns Thanks for your interest in Nebula. The community is offering an exclusive discount ($180 off of the original price) of Capsule II, which is the lowest price ever! What’s more is we’re also giving away free Capsule II accessory once you have submitted your review of the Capsule II. Go check out on this post to get this community exclusive deal: Capsule II | Exclusive Community Discount ($180 OFF)

#13

Thanks for the feedback. Have a great trip and let us know about the minimum distances and screen size at that distance when you get back.

Thank you in advance.

@AnkerOfficial care to weigh in?

#14

Can you elaborate more on your question?

#15

@AnkerOfficial
What is the minimum distance the Mars can be placed from the wall? And what will the size will the projected image be? I assume when placed at the minimum distance from the wall the projected image will be 30 inches.

Also will there be a problem with the auto keystone feature if trying to project onto the floor or ceiling?

#16

The throw distance is 0.5m to 3m and the projection image size is 12 to 150 inch. Mars has been discontinued online and we recommend you can check out other product models.

#17

@AnkerOfficial
Does this information apply to all 4 Mars models? And please let us know if projecting an image onto the floor will cause a problem with the auto keystone feature.