Wednesday, July 30, 2014

AAXA Technologies P2 Pico Multimedia Handheld Projector

AAXA Technologies P2 Pico Multimedia Handheld Projector
  • Sharp SVGA (800x600) resolution
  • Bright 33 Lumen LED light source
  • 1GB onboard memory + microSD reader
  • MP4, MP3, AVI, JPG, WMV decoder; VGA, RGB, iPod, PSP, PDA, DVD input
  • Projects up to a 80" image (in low-light conditions)

AAXA's P2 is the best art projector I've used. For that application, it deserves five stars. With the P2 positioned over my desk, I can essentially turn my entire drafting table surface into a computer screen. The P2's 33 lumens are bright enough for a satisfactory image with room lights on. Like any other projector, the image needs to be shaded from sunlight, but the room does not need to be dark.

The P2 is generally marketed for business/PowerPoint presentations. Any shortcomings there are likely due to variable environments, but the projector is terrific in a controlled studio. I've used an inexpensive microphone stand to suspend the P2 over my work table. I wrapped black electrician's tape around the mini-tripod's legs for a secure attachment to the end of the microphone boom. The P2 can be pointed straight down toward a flat table or angled to match the tilt of a slanted drawing board. At 30 inches over the table it projects a bright 15x12 inch image with room lights on. At 66 inches over the surface (the full extent of my stand), the projected image is a clear 30x22 inches with subdued room lighting. The P2 produces a vivid image over six feet in width in a darkened room.

I get the sharpest image from the P2 when I set my laptop PC to 800x600 at 60Hz refresh rate. The auto-detect settings on the PC wanted to use 1024x768 resolution. While that works, the projected image is somewhat blurred. When I first switched to 800x600, my PC wanted to run at 70Hz refresh rate, but the P2 couldn't decode the signal. I had to use the graphics adapter's advanced settings to force a 60Hz refresh rate. The PC graphics adapter can also easily switch to portrait mode or mirror the image so I don't need to reposition the projector.

I prefer the PC as the source because I can easily pan and zoom the image, but my Zune also generates a clear image with the P2. Apparently, Microsoft's Zune software automatically resizes images when they are loaded on the Zune player, making them near perfect for the P2. Unfortunately, the Zune AV cable from AAXA is ridiculously short (12 inches), and so the player has to be suspended from the overhead boom with the projector. That makes it hard to reach the Zune player when I'm sitting at the table.

The P2 reads jpg files from internal memory or a micro SD card, but to get a clear image you need to manually resize picture files to 800x600 pixels or smaller before loading them in the projector. That's a hassle. As noted below, controlling internally stored pictures is also difficult when the projector is overhead.

There are a couple annoyances with the P2 design. Since the P2 projector's IR sensor is on the back edge of the unit next to the VGA connector and pointed at the room's ceiling, the P2's remote doesn't work when the projector is overhead. That's not much of an issue when I control the picture with the PC. Also, the projector's fan makes a hissing noise sort of like an overhead air vent on a jetliner, but I don't notice it when concentrating. The fan noise doesn't interfere with playing music on my audio system while I work.

Compared to traditional art projectors (huge, hot, heavy things that produce dim images by reflection off a paper source) the AAXA P2 is a wonder.

Buy AAXA Technologies P2 Pico Multimedia Handheld Projector Now

After much research I settled down with this projector as it is the brightest pico project in the market as of now. I should say it does a good job and is as advertised. I bought this one for entertainment watching moves mainly and I am not disappointed with it

Here are some pros and cons

Pros:

1. Really a small wonder

2. Glows in dark and I would stress the word dark

3. I was able to produce a 12-feet diagonal screen really a big one with decent quality.

4. Has built in memory 1 GB

5. Comes with VGA cable, remote and tripod

6. Long lamp life

Cons:

1. Loud fan noise

2. Battery stays on just for 35 mins

3. Needs a PERFECT dark room for good quality image.

4. Images are bit darker hey its only 33 lumens what more can you expect

If you are not too picky about the quality, this projector is for you.

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Read Best Reviews of AAXA Technologies P2 Pico Multimedia Handheld Projector Here

My first written review on amazon. I have benefitted so much from the amazon communities reviews that I felt compelled to return the favor. Just got this projector as a early Christmas present. Opened it immediately, hooked it up my standard DVD (component) player and wow. Let me give you a little background about me so you can rate my wow factor. I am a technophobe with little money. So i read and research things to the nth degree but rarely buy anything. I have been researching pico projectors for over 6 months. Our family doesn't watch much tv hence we have a 14" Toshiba non-hdtv as the family tv. I know shame on me but enough of the ridicule, lets move on. We have cable tv but only one show is watched if you know what I mean. With four girls all under 14, its all about the Disney channel. Now back to the P2. Hooked it up, turned off the lights and wow!. Not HDTV by anymeans but not bad compared to my 14" tube Toshiba. Next up was the Wii. Not much expected since its only component out, but 72" sure beats 14" and more wow.

Basically I had finally given in and decided to step up to a larger TV which are all prettmy much HDTV now. As a upgrade from the Toshiba I was researching Projectors, Plasmas and LCD's. I work for a company that makes both LCD's and Plasmas so it was toss-up for me. Didn't care for the glare of the plasma even though I liked the picture so it came down to a Projector or LCD. Missed all the Black friday sales but kept on researching. Found a couple of LCD's but just couldn't pull the trigger if you know what I mean. A little bird in my ear was telling me to wait. I just couldn't settle in my mind paying ~$500-700 for only a 32-40" picture. With pico technology growing I thought I'd wait a little longer. Researched the 3M, aiptek and all the other current pico's. All had little things that I didn't like in addition to poor or just fair picture quality. This fact was leading me back toward LCD's along with the fact that I couldn't justify having to replace $250-$300 bulbs every 2000 hours for regular projectors. Along comes the P2. Well actually the P1 which lead to the P2. I was intrigued by their size and 20,000 hour bulb life. More and more research (online and cr___igslist) and then to my suprise a gift arrives with the giver telling me to open it now to make sure it works correctly. That moment lead me to right now, writting this review. I can say without a doubt YOU WILL BE PLEASED WITH THIS PROJECTOR! It's worth it plain and simple. If you want HDTV then its not for you. If you want to be able to have the portabilty of this type of projector, 14" to 72"+ screen, multiple A/V hook-up options and be able to just about wow everyone that you show it to, then just buy it. This A2 is truly the best of not only both worlds, but multiple worlds. YOU WILL NOT BE DISSAPOINTED.

Want AAXA Technologies P2 Pico Multimedia Handheld Projector Discount?

Here's the dilemma: You're in a some kind of job that frequently subjects you to "death by Power Point". Yeah, I feel for you. Now for some reason, the office projector is (more often than not) out on the road or in the repair shop. Good news, right? So instead of getting a little extra nap time in the "bored" room, the boss decides he wants you to go through all the backlogged crap from 1970 to 2008 and make a detailed report that he will likely glance at for 15 seconds and then ask you why your other work is getting behind.

You'd have been better off listening to Captain Sominex deliver his presentation, but noooo... John from sales needed the projector for a conference 3 states over. Wouldn't it have been great if you could whip a projector out of your pocket so you could kick back and eat a donut while pretending to care what some windbag is mowing over? What about a POCKET PROJECTOR?!

Sounds great, but then the thing arrives and you realize you're about to unleash a new level of pain on top of something that everybody already hates.

The Aaxa P2 is currently the Cadillac of the picos. Seriously... You're not going to find a better one. Even the pocket laser projector is going to be hard pressed trying to match this puppy.

The P2 has a 33 lumen output. On the surface that really sucks, but other Picos are sadly maxed out at around 11 or 12 lumens. Still, a typical projector is going to have 1000 lumens on the low end. 33 lumens looks like a faint stain on the screen by comparison.

The P2 has a native resolution of 800x600. Still not great, but other picos are still using 640x480. On the bright side (bright?), it "simulates" higher resolutions, but the picture gets fuzzier the higher you go.

The P2 comes with a mini tripod for positioning. Sadly it's about as stable as David Hasselhoff at an open bar.

Battery life? About 45 minutes. You can plug it in, but it won't recharge the battery while the projector is in use.

Noise? Yes. The cooling fan makes more noise than you'd expect.

Built in speaker? A sad joke. The fan is louder than the speaker, so make other sound arrangements.

Image quality in a dark room? Fairly decent. Great for an impromptu movie night or gaming.

Ease of use? Getting it to turn on is a little janky. First turn on the power switch, then hold the button to turn on the lamp. Say a prayer, be sure the computer is sending output through the provided VGA cord, and check your connection if the blue screen persists.

Focus? Rather touchy. It's not easy getting it right on that sweet spot, and don't ever expect perfect focus using a resolution higher than 800x600.

The bottom line is this: The person in charge desperately wants to show their latest Power Point. Your new Aaxa P2 is going to be the only available device for the task. It's dreadfully underpowered for the job, a little clumsy to get set up, but it will save the day and afford you a nice little coffee break while the big guy draws circles on the wall with his daughter's cat exerciser in a vain effort to highlight the most relevant aspects of his washed out presentation.

It's a trolls gold.

After much research I settled down with this projector as it is the brightest pico project in the market as of now. I should say it does a good job and is as advertised. I bought this one for entertainment watching moves mainly and I am not disappointed with it

Here are some pros and cons

Pros:

1. Really a small wonder

2. Glows in dark and I would stress the word dark

3. I was able to produce a 12-feet diagonal screen really a big one with decent quality.

4. Has built in memory 1 GB

5. Comes with VGA cable, remote and tripod

6. Long lamp life

Cons:

1. Loud fan noise

2. Battery stays on just for 35 mins

3. Needs a PERFECT dark room for good quality image.

4. Images are bit darker hey its only 33 lumens what more can you expect

If you are not too picky about the quality, this projector is for you.

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