Back in June, Philips launched an Indiegogo for a Full HD ultra-short-throw projector named the Screeneo U4, raising over €6 million and attracting more than 9,000 backers. Now the company is looking to repeat that success with the Screeneo U5 4K UST laser projector.
"In our mission to improve the design and utilization of our products, we believe it is necessary that we are constantly innovating, building on more than two decades in the home projector space," said Dan Mamane, president of Screeneo Innovation SA – the company responsible for selling Philips projection products worldwide. "[The] Screeneo U5 represents our tireless efforts in technological advancements, which in turn delivers a state-of-the-art 4K Laser projector at the most competitive price point on the market."
The DLP Cinema projection unit features a 25,000-hour laser light source and is capable of 4K UHD (3,840 x 2,160) visuals at a game-friendly 60 Hz refresh rate. A throw ratio of 0.21:1 makes for 120-diagonal-inch images from 11 inches away from the projection surface, but the U5 can throw up to 150 inches if pulled away another 5.5 inches.
Viewers are promised "ultravivid colors, sharper contrast and richer details" thanks to support for 130% of the Rec.709 color space, plus HDR10, HLG and Dolby Vision, and 2,200 ANSI lumens could result in lights-on watching, particularly when used together with a light-rejecting screen (which will need to be purchased separately). FlowMotion 4 motion compensation technology adds pseudo frames between existing ones for improved sharpness in fast-moving action scenes, and there's eight-point keystone correction included along with electronic focus.
The projector has Mali-G52 processing brains, backed up by 2 GB of RAM and 32 GB of onboard storage, and runs Android TV 11 for access to the thousands of entertainment apps, though there's no mention of official Netflix approval for the device. Chromecast is built in for screen mirroring and there's voice control via Google Assistant. Interestingly, the system also comes pre-installed with a 30-day trial of ExpressVPN.
Users can also immerse themselves in 3D content from a cabled-up Blu-ray player or plugged-in USB drive, but you'll need to bring your own glasses. Other connections shape up as dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.1, dual HDMI 2.1 (one with eARC), Ethernet LAN, analog/digital audio and a RS232 port.
And rounding out the key specs is a cooked-in Dolby Atmos 2.2-channel sound system rocking a total output of 20 watts, with DSP audio optimization and support for DTS HD.
Indiegogo "pre-order" perks start at just €1,699 (about US$1,710), which represents a saving of 48% on the expected retail price. Shipping and taxes are not included. If all goes to plan with the already funded campaign, shipping is estimated to start in March 2023.
Source: Philips Projection