Hong Kong-based N-Tech is running an Indiegogo project for its portable 4K consumer projector. As of March 24th, this project had raised $808,246, which represents 3098% of the original funding target of $25,000, which had been reached 15 minutes after the Indiegogo project had been launched. The projection engine is a pixel-shift DLP engine and is actually UHD, not true 4K. LEDs are used for illumination and the Indiegogo project page claims 1500 ANSI lumens output with 50,000:1 contrast. Since the stretch goal of $700,000 had been reached, the company says they will upgrade the LEDs to increase the output to 2500 ANSI lumens, plus throw in a free ceiling mount.
N-Tech 4K projector. (Credit: N-Tech)
The portable projector is stackable. An interesting feature is it uses wireless charging technology to transfer poser between the modules. The top part in the image is the projector itself, the middle piece is the battery and the lower piece is the sound system. (Note: While the text implies the battery can be separated from the projector, all the images and videos show them together. MB) There is also a separate turntable base for the projector (not shown), allowing it to rotate 360°. In addition, the base will hold the projector on its side so it will project on the ceiling.
N-Tech 4K portable projector with remote control. (Credit: N-Tech)
The projector part will show UHD images at 60 frames per second. An Amlogic S912 SoC does the audio and video decoding for the system. This chip does HDR10 and HLG HDR processing, and the HDR features of the processor have been activated in the N-Tech projector. With shutter glasses, the projector can be used to watch 3D content. It has a lens with a 1.4:1 zoom ratio, from a throw ratios from 1.3:1 to 2.0:1. The battery is said to be good for up to 7 – 8 hours of operation, although presumably that is not at the full 1500 (or 2500) ANSI lumens. Specifications for the battery Amp-Hour rating are not given.
Exploded view of the N-Tech projector. (Credit: N-Tech)
The projector is said to produce 25dB of noise. In general, this is pretty quiet but to have the projector next to you in bed to watch on the ceiling, this is likely to seem louder. The complete projector stack weights 2.5Kg and is 6.75” (17.1 Cm) width (presumably meaning diameter) and 4.5” (11.4 Cm) in length (presumably meaning height).
Exploded view of the N-Tech speaker module. (Credit: N-Tech)
The speaker unit has four 3W speakers arranged around the periphery of the unit. N-Tech calls this “surround sound” although I don’t believe that is what others would describe as surround sound.
The projector has an Android 7.1 operating system with 3MB of memory, allowing it to run Android apps, play games, stream video, etc. Connectivity includes Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, HDMI and USB. While the projector comes with a remote control, it can also be controlled via a smartphone app. The AC adaptor will work with 100 – 240V 50/60Hz power.
Different parts of the Indiegogo project page list July and September 2018 as the ship date for the projector. It’s probably safe to say the later date is the more likely. The list price is $1099 and the price on Indiegogo is $609, with additional discounts for purchasing multiple projectors. The company has posted a promotional video describing the system on its Indiegogo page and YouTube and a video of the demonstration unit on Indiegogo and Vimeo. –Matthew Brennesholtz
Analyst Comment
I was surprised to see the small lens on this projector, given the output. I hope this project is closer to delivery than the crowd funded one that I signed up to a couple of years ago, as an experiment. I’m still waiting for the product, although I have had lots and lots of emails describing problems and glitches! (BR)
