Today, Philips launched a crowdfunding campaign for its Screeneo U4, an ultra-short-throw projector that’s capable of delivering an 80-inch True Full HD picture while just being 12-inches away from the wall. This product is exclusively available on Indiegogo right now and has a starting price of $625. What features do you get with the Philips Screeneo U4? Let’s take a closer look.
Philips Screeneo U4 ultra-short-throw projector is perfect for movie night
Philips is expanding its Screeneo lineup, this time with the U4. On the heels of the U3, Philips said the following about the upcoming projector.
After witnessing the runaway success experienced by the Screeneo U3, we understood from the get-go that the Philips Screeneo U4 would need to take ultra-short-throw projector technology further, all the while in a more compact design. We believe it ticks all the boxes for providing users picture precision and versatility, perfect for movie marathons and gaming sessions.
Dan Mamane, President of Screeneo Innovation SA.
Made to deliver a “true cinematic experience at home,” this projector is made to get the most of out every square inch of your space. You can place the Philips Screeneo U4 7.7-inches from the wall to get a 60-inch projection, while landing 12-inches away nets a larger 80-inch screen. The Philips Screeneo U4 packs autofocus, auto-keystone, and 4-corner correction so you can “eliminate crooked and distorted images for a perfectly proportioned picture.”
The Screeneo U4 can also reach 108% Rec.709 HDTV color coverage and has the ability to project HDR10 content. This comes from the AMlogic T972 processor, XPR technology, and the Texas Instrument DLP tech here. Plus, the LED light source can last up to 30,000 hours before it’s time to be replaced. That means you could watch 10,000 three hour movies before replacing it.
For I/O, the Philips Screeneo U4 has two HDMI ports as well as USB-A and a 3.5mm so you can easily plug in any device, like an Apple TV or Chromecast, Xbox or PlayStation, or anything else. The USB-A port is specifically made to help power some streaming sticks like the Chromecast or Roku as well. Plus, if you’re using it portable, the Philips Screeneo U4 has dual 15W speakers so it can be used without any external audio device.
The Philips Screeneo U4 can be backed on Indiegogo from $625 with shipping slated to start in August of this year, which is just two months away. After the crowdfunding campaign completes, it looks like the retail price will be $1,250, so if the U4 sounds like a projector you’d be interested in, now’s the time to pick it up.
Electronicsforward’ Take
The Philips Screeneo U4 looks like it could be a solid projector for compact setups, as a 60-inch screen is perfectly fine for most shows or movies and can be had just 7.7-inches from the wall. However, the area that I think it might fall a bit flat in is pricing. While $625 isn’t that bad, the thought of it being over $1,200 retail is a bit much for what it brings. Sure, it’s a 1080p projector and ultra-short-throw, but at $900 on Amazon, you can get a 4K 3,200-lumen 240Hz projector from ViewSonic with many similar features, like auto keystone, dual HDMI, and more. It’s not ultra-short-throw at all, of course, but it’s a few hundred less and a much higher resolution. Even Optoma’s True 4K 240Hz Gaming Projector is $1,299 on Amazon, for instance. So, if Philips does end up bringing the Screeneo U4 to market at $1,250, it’ll have an uphill battle to fight for dominance in the space.
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