Following successful crowdfunding campaigns for the U4 and U5 laser projectors, Philips Projection has returned to Indiegogo for the launch of its first portable UST triple-laser projector – the Screeneo UL5 Smart.
Where the U5 before it was a 4K ultra-short-throw (UST) projector, the UL5 Smart rolls back the resolution to U4 territory – maxing out at 1,920 x 1,080 pixels.
Movies and shows are served up by a DLP projection unit with a 0.23-in DMD working with a triple-laser light source that's assigned a separate laser for red, blue and green colors. The projector has a throw ratio of 0.23:1, and can snuggle as close as 7.2 inches from the vertical surface for 35-inch visuals, or pull out to 24 inches to produce a rectangle of 120 diagonal inches – though Philips recommends stopping at 100 inches for best contrast and brightness.
But even then it's likely to be after-dark viewing only as the brightness tops out at just 550 ANSI lumens (native contrast comes in at 1,800:1). The projector's color support is much better though, boasting 200% of the Rec.709 gamut, 108% of the BT.2020 and 150% of the cinematic DCI-P3 space – plus HDR10.
Focus can adjust automatically thanks to a Time-of-Flight sensor, zoom is digital and keystone correction is manual. Though pitched as portable, this refers to its compact size and weight of 8.11 x 3.7 x 3.4 in (206 x 94 x 86.6 mm) and 2.3 lb (1.05 kg) rather than being able to operate on batteries as a standalone unit. In fact, users will need to plug it into a wall outlet before sitting down to movie night.
However, the UL5 does include a pair of 3-watt Dolby speakers, as well as dual-band Wi-Fi with support for casting and Bluetooth 4.2 to pair with wireless speakers. It runs "Android-compatible" LuminOS and comes pre-loaded with popular apps like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Disney Plus and YouTube.
Those who need to cable up a media source will find a single HDMI port with a USB Type-A power port close by, as well as two USB-C ports (though only one is used for data/video). Usefully, the unit can be flipped to vertical position to create a projected virtual computer monitor on the floor or desk (when connected to a laptop or PC).
There's only one perk level shown on the Indiegogo page for the UL5 at the time of writing, which has been set at €699 (about US$750). The usual crowdfunding cautions apply, though Philips Projection being an established company probably makes this already funded campaign a pretty safe bet.
If all goes to plan, shipping is estimated to start from July. The company expects regular consumers to get their hands on the portable UST projector from October. The video below has more.
Source: Philips Projection
