TABLE OF CONTENTS
DBPOWER T20 Overall Impression
PROS
- Easy Set-Up
- Durable Design
- Good 1080p Upscaling
- Connections to Phones. Tablets, PC’s, and Game Consoles
- 1500 Lumens
- 50,000 Hour Lamp Life
- Low Noise Level
- Short Throw
CONS
- Must be viewed in darkness. Doesn’t handle bright ambient light.
Specs/Features
It is important to understand exactly what you are going to get for your money, and sometimes reading DBPOWER T20 mini projector reviews doesn’t give you the information you need. I have broken down this projector’s main features and specifications down so that you know exactly what to expect if you choose to buy it.
Hardware Interface
1. HDMI Adaptor – The projector has an HDMI port along with power cable connectors that make connecting to your laptop or television quick and easy.
2. USB Drives
The USB drives and ports add to its high connectivity and ease of use.
Display Resolution
This projector has a display resolution of 800 x 600, which is the industry standard for standard projectors. The image projected is 70% brighter and 50% sharper than other mini projectors on the market. Using it in a dark room gives you a life-like image that is thoroughly enjoyable to view, making this little gem a real catch.
Durable
The DBPOWER T20 has an improved cooling fan and 50,000 hours of lamp life, making it long-lasting and durable. You can use it for hours on end without the projector overheating, and it is made using high-quality and durable material that makes taking it from place to place easier for you.
Projection
The image quality and ease of use of this projector make it perfect for a home theater. You get a remote control when you purchase the DBPOWER T20 projector which is another great feature to look for in a home theater projector.
With a brightness of 1500 lumens, you will feel as if the image quality is as good as an HD projector. You should use it in a small to medium-sized room as it has a projection distance of 5-16ft.
Size/Design
At 8x12x4.5 inches this is small for a Projector so it’s definitely super-portable. You’ll have no problems carrying this around with you in a case or bag. The weight is 2.1 pounds so while it’s not the lightest portable Projector, it’s certainly below the market average for a portable. Critically, it’s not too thin so it’ll be durable. Thinner Projectors tend to break more easily when dropped. Typical of the budget range, the shell isn’t that strong so it probably needed the extra thickness to strengthen it up. The design is simple with a Keystone wheel on the top that goes out to 15 degrees and a large Lens with dials to adjust focus. Basic controls are on the top of the device and all other actions you’ll be competing with the remote control.
Performance
Its overall performance is very good; images do not lag, and the sound system is great. The projector performs at its best in low-light settings, which is why we recommend it highly if you plan on watching movies on it at home.
Installation
Plug-in and you’ll see a very easy-to-use interface taking you through the whole process. Careful with the Keystone when you try to find a level image because Keystone can import distortions. And also be careful with the Lens Dial as it’s very sensitive. Other than these points, this is a plug-in and play device and you should get the set-up done in under 10 minutes.
This easy installation process makes it a brilliant projector if you travel a lot for work (not that you will be traveling any time soon during the current circumstances). I particularly liked how once you have installed the projector once, you won’t need to refer back to the instructions and the installation time gets shorter and shorter.
Mounting
The best place to mount this projector is on the ceiling. Most ceiling mounts are appropriate for the DBPOWER projector, and you may even be able to use your old mount for this projector.
Image Quality
There’s an 800×480 native resolution but this Projector upscales to 1080p. There’s also a number of other resolution options including 720p, 800×600, and 1024×768 (PC Monitor resolution). All of these will involve upscaling. Upscaling is when your device compensates for its lack of native pixels by guessing the remaining ones. So, to get up to 1080p the T20 will intuit the pixels it doesn’t have and you’ll see them on screen. We advise buyers that upscaled 1080p is not the same as HD 1080p because there’s always small inaccuracy’s in the upscaling. But what you do get is something close to 1080p and some darn good pictures for the price. Very few distortions and hardly any rainbow effects.
Sound Quality
This projector has its own built-in speaker. Unfortunately, the speaker isn’t brilliant, but it doesn’t distort the sound which is good. If you have your own speakers, you should connect them to the projector, especially if you want to listen to music.
Throw distance
The screen goes out to a maximum of 176 inches and you’ll need to set the Projector 5 meters back to achieve this with clarity. At between 2 and 2.5 meters you’ll get a screen size of 1030 inches though. Nothing outstanding here as many other Projectors have a Short Throw like this, but not many for this price.
Connectivity
Phones, Tablets, Laptops, and PCs can all be connected up to this. Here’s the small print. You can either buy the Wireless Dongle which doesn’t come with the unit and it will recognize your other devices. Or try out these simple techy solutions: If your phone doesn’t have HDMI you can buy a Type A Adapter to make it compatible. Or even better you could buy an MHL Signal Converter which would give you an HDMI Port. Android 5.0 or higher will connect directly with USB after you’ve enabled USB Debugging. PCs connect easily via the VGA Port and most Games Consoles will connect via HDMI. Bit of a drag buying extra stuff but the price is cheap so you should expect that.
Here is a list of ports:
- USB
- HDMI
- Fire TV Stick
- VGA
- AV Port
Lamp Life
The Lamp Life is 50,000 hours which is massive for any price and amazing for the cheap price this is selling at. It means you’ll probably never have to replace the Lamp in your lifetime. They achieved this by having an upgraded LED light source. LED’s last longer and extra benefits include more colors and extra brightness. The brightness, by the way, was much needed as super-portable aren’t known for their amazing vibrancy. The introduction of LED’s however means to do get a pretty nice bright picture and this is helped by the Lumens.
See Related Article: UO Smart Beam Laser Projector Review
Lumens
There are 1500 Lumens on this which is more than the average in this price range but less than what you’d get for three times the price. What does that mean? Well, when combined with the LED light source, the 1500 Lumens give you enough brightness. So, you get a good picture in upscaled 1080p without you sitting around for 20 minutes after drawing the curtains and waiting for all the lights to go out of the room. You’ll still need darkness but it doesn’t have to be total darkness.
Noise Levels
Everybody hates noise from a Fan when they’re trying to watch a movie or play a game. Here you get less than 30 Decibels of noise because they’ve used Copper Tubing inside the device and they’ve installed a good cooling system and a heat dispersal system
Package Includes
As well as the projector, you are sent very detailed instructions, a remote control, HDMI cable, 3.5mm AUX to RCA adapter, and a small screw. The screw is used to prop the projector at an angle when it is placed on a plat surface.
DBPOWER T20 Conclusion
So, was it a hit or a miss? Or somewhere in between perhaps? For me, it’s a hit because it upscales so well to 1080p and because of that massive Lamp Life which will save you money when your friends are all rushing out to replace their Lamps. The connection options are vast and include Phones, Tablets, PCs, Laptops, and Games Consoles. But you do need to buy some extra stuff to make connections happen. The simplicity of the interface really sold it to me, along with the easy set-up, the low noise, and the recognition of all the formats you’ll be using on the internet. So playing videos, games, and using Facebook will be easy on this. Thank you for reading.
DBPOWER T20 Mini Projector Worthy Alternatives
Of course, the DBPOWER T20 projector isn’t going to tick everyone’s boxes, and because of this, I have listed two brilliant alternatives below for you to consider. Take a look and see what you think!
VANKYO LEISURE 3
If you want to use your projector in your home for entertainment or work but don’t want to disturb the rest of the household, then this projector is for you. With low noise pollution, VANKYO LEISURE 3 won’t wake sleeping children.
Projector, TOPVISION 1080P
This projector is ideal for use in a home theater for movies and gaming.
