TABLE OF CONTENTS
When it comes to purchasing a Projector, the details are important. You need to have knowledge about what it does in order to make the correct buying decision. But, the details are often complicated, especially for first-time buyers. So, in my reviews, I tend to avoid being over-technical and instead focus on simple facts. I toss out the jargon and throw in bitesize information that anyone can understand. In this review, I’ll be picking apart the DBPOWER T22 HD Video Projector 2400 Lumens.
PROS
- Nice Design
- Massive 50,000-hour Lamp Life
- Upgraded LED Light Source
- Great Throw Distance
- 2400 Lumens
- Images are clear and excellent for movies, games, and internet surfing
- 1000:1 Contrast Ratio
- All Photo and Video Formats Accepted
CONS
- HDMI Cable only 1 Meter Long
- You have to purchase a Wireless Dongle or an adapter separately for wireless connection
Size/Design
The T22 is a higher specification version of its predecessors the T20 and T21 but they’ve kept the design roughly the same. The Keystone Wheel is in the same position on the top left, but your basic controls have been shifted to the back right. You have reasonably-sized Vents on either side of the unit and the large Lens with the Dial DBPOWER is always used. The measurements are 6.77×8.58×3.6 inches, which means it’s a little smaller than the T20 making it slightly more portable. A little larger than the T21 though it should be noted. The weight is 2.6 pounds putting it directly between the T20 and T21. Though all three are light in comparison with other portables available. The bottom line on DBPOWER design is nothing is outstandingly beautiful but it’s all functional and honestly, that’s all you can expect in these price ranges.
Special Features
Lamp Life
This is 50,000 hours and by any standard that is huge. There aren’t many projectors on the market for any price with Lamp lives that long. So you’ll save money on replacements. I imagine that this has been a huge selling point for DBPOWER. If you’re interested in how they achieved such a long Lamp Life; it‘s because they used upgraded LEDs. LEDs usually last longer than LCD as a light source but these leave all other technology in the dust.
Throw Distance
You should bear in mind that this costs more than most super-portables. It’s priced at around 165 dollars. The Throw Distance here is 1.1-5 meters but you can get a good 176-inch image at 3.5 meters back which is among the best throws on the market. At 1.1 meters back you can get 65 inches and that’s pretty competitive too. Is this worth paying the extra money for? Only you can answer that but if you have a small room it is. If you have a large room for viewing then you might be better getting a T21 for under 100 dollars and set the Projector 5 meters back.
Lumens
They’ve raised the Lumen count for this model and it does make a difference. The room doesn’t have to be completely dark in order for you to view movies. But you’ll still need a certain amount of darkness so no curtains or blinds open. It’s a good Lumen performance though and this is helped by the upgraded LED’s which make it seem brighter than the Lumen count might suggest. In all likelihood, though you’ll only notice the difference in the evening for movies outside when you can go out an hour earlier than usual.
Connections
In theory, you can connect almost anything to this including PCs, Laptops, Games Consoles, Tablets, and Phones. But you can’t do this right off the bat. You need either the Wireless Dongle which is unfortunately sold separately or in the case of Phones, an MHL cable, or an adapter. If you have an Android 5.0 or higher you’re in luck as you can connect it directly out of the box via the USB. This Projector does come complete with an HDMI cable to connect up Games Consoles but again there’s a snag. It’s only 1 Meter long so you’ll probably have to buy a replacement. They do come cheap though. PCs are easy to connect and you do this via the VGA port.
Image Quality
Better news comes in the form of upscaling. It upscales better than its predecessors and so you get a little closer to full 1080p HD, although not quite all the way there. There are very few distortions or rainbow effects and it’s great for movies and games. But, the text doesn’t come across with much clarity on this meaning it’s not good for presentations although internet articles are readable. If you’re using this for movies and games you’ll have a nice experience that is well worth the money. If you’re doing any sort of reading on this then it won’t be quite so good. It is better than the T20 or T21 though when it comes to text and that’s because of the extra Lumens.
Noise Levels
Copper Tubes and heat dispersal reduce noise levels to below that of the market average and so you’ll experience something below 30 Decibels, which is good for any user.
Formats Supported
It’s Multimedia Projector so as you may expect it supports the most known video, audio, and photo formats including MPEG-4, RMVB, H.264, MP2, MP3, Wav. aaa, OGG, JPEG, GIF, and PNG. If I’ve blinded you with seemingly untranslatable abbreviations then my apologies. What all this means in laymen’s terms is that you’ll be able to play flash video, as well as stream movies from most sites. You’ll also be able to view and send pics from your Facebook or Twitter accounts. This is the complete gamut of the internet formatting world so whatever you do on your Phone, PC, or Tablet, you’ll be able to do when they’re connected to the T22.
Contrast Ratio
The Contrast Ratio is 1000-1 which is very competitive for this price, though not amazing. Without the upgraded LED’s it wouldn’t be acceptable for the money but with them, you get some nice bold blacks and whites. Not spectacular but adequate.
Final Thoughts
It’s priced higher than the T20 and T21, and higher than most other super-portables. What you’re paying the extra money for are more Lumens and a better throw distance. It’s fair enough if that’s important to you but you could save 50 dollars sacrificing the Lumens and the throw. I loved the range of connections and formats this takes. You really can hook up anything to the DBPOWER T22 and play any internet video, or view any photo. The Lamp Life is of course outstanding and the upgraded LEDs made that happen. 50,000 hours is phenomenal. And, the images do appear clear in 2D if you’re viewing a movie, surfing the net, or playing a game. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to do presentations on this. Overall, it’s good effort and worth the money. Thank you for reading.
