BenQ Joybee GP1 Mini-LED DLP Projector

by BenQ

Product Details

User's Guide [5.24mb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 7.5 x 10 inches ; 1.4 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B002DUD1UQ
• Item model number: GP1
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,948 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
  • #87 in Electronics > Camera & Photo > Projectors > Video Projectors

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

The BenQ Joybee GP1 Mini Projector is a palm-sized, pocket projector, designed to go wherever you go--business or pleasure. Plug in a variety of devices--laptops, MP3 players, cameras, gaming consoles, and more--to project your media up to 80 inches in size. The GP1 also comes with an integrated 2-watt speaker to further enrich your multimedia enjoyment. Sit back, relax, and enjoy your media.

A palm-sized, pocket projector, designed to go wherever you go. Click to enlarge.

Weighs just 1.4 pounds.

Illuminated touch-panel controls.

USB port with wide format support.

Easy Set-Up
The Joybee GP1 gets you going in a matter of seconds. Plug it in, insert your USB device or connect other media, raise the device to the desired viewing angle, focus your image and you're all set.

VGA and Composite Video
Connect your laptop using the GP1's VGA connection for Power Point presentations, streaming video, slideshows or anything else you can display.

A composite video input allows connection of video game systems, DVD players, and various other A/V devices. Devices with component outputs can be adapted to VGA.

USB Connectivity With Wide Format Support
On the back of the GP1 you'll find a USB port. Plug in thumb drives and USB devices with your favorite media for enjoyment on the GP1. Enjoy AVI/MOV/3GP/3G2/DivX/Xvid videos, JPEG/BMP/GIF/TIFF images, or just listen to your favorite MP3s.

LED3 Projection
Powered by BenQ's LED3 Technology, the GP1 is built to deliver a cinema-quality image, giving you clear, brilliant images with optimized brightness and contrast ratio.

Tripod-Ready
Stacking books under your projector may be a good idea when you want to get the projection height and angle you want, but here's a better idea--a tripod. The GP1 can be easily attached to a tripod for precise angling and adjustment.

100% Lamp-Free
The GP1 utilizes RGB LEDs as the projection light source instead of traditional projection lamps. Enjoy vivid, stunning picture without worrying about issues such as decrease in brightness, color fading, or expensive lamp replacement.

The LEDs also consume less power than traditional lamps, and are mercury-free, making the GP1 a greener choice.

Wall Color Correction
Can't find a smooth white wall? Not a problem. BenQ's Wall Color Correction technology offers a selection of five wall colors for various surfaces--even blackboards. Get outstanding projection quality wherever you go.

Built-in Speakers
BenQ completes the self-contained multimedia experience with a built-in 2-watt speaker, so you don't need to be next to an audio system to enjoy audio.

Of course, an audio output (stereo mini jack) is also included, so you can connect to a stereo or other system for a little more power.

Keystone-Perfect Viewing
Say goodbye to misshaped images, graphics, and charts--with the automatic keystone adjustment, a perfect square is all you'll see.

A Delightful Sight in Black and White
It always helps when your multimedia devices take design to heart. The GP1 features a sleek, high-gloss finish with smooth, rounded curves. It weighs in at just over a pound. The illuminated touch-panel controls are functional and attractive. It's a pico projector that doesn't skimp on looks.

Optional iPod Dock
Add the optional iPod dock for charging and enjoyment of your iPod. Without the dock, you can still enjoy iPod content via the RCA composite input (adapter needed).

What's in the Box
BenQ Joybee GP1 Mini Projector, Quick Start Guide, Soft Carry Case, Remote Control, Power Supply, Manual, CD, 30-Pin Cable With VGA/Composite Inputs

Product Description

BenQ Joybee GP1 Multimedia Projector GP1 Projectors

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Who knew I could find so many uses for a mini projector?, April 12, 2010

By 

Susan Tunis (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: BenQ Joybee GP1 Mini-LED DLP Projector (Electronics)

(What's this?)

I tend to make jokes about being a dinosaur. I'm not what you'd call real tech-savvy, and I don't generally purchase the newest and latest gadgets. Though my collection seems to be growing of late, one way or another, and I have to admit I'm having fun! Last month I was given the opportunity to review the BenQ Joybee GP1 Mini Projector through the Amazon Vine program. I'll be honest; I wasn't pining away for a mini-projector. Clearly, I didn't know what I was missing.

Now, you may be wondering if I'm even qualified to review this product. As it happens, I am. In my professional life, I'm an organizer of academic conferences. Out of necessity, I've had to learn how to jury rig the most creative AV set-ups, with never quite enough equipment to meet every professor's needs. I've been using full-sized, very expensive LCD projectors in every way it's possible to utilize the machines.

The BenQ mini project is mini indeed. It is a fraction the size of a traditional projector. It's almost exactly the size of a CD case, and about two and a half inches tall. It weighs about a pound and a half. It is insanely portable! Obviously, it's a great choice for anyone who has to travel and make presentations. It won't even cause a dent in your carry-on luggage.

I've found the machine to be reasonably intuitive to use. I say this, because the instructions were useless. The instruction booklet that came with the mini projector has no words. Literally. Just pictures. Seriously, there is only so much you can do with that. Aside from the picture book, there's a CD with extremely, extremely detailed information. I've got no time for that. I haven't even looked at it. So, the good news is I was able to figure everything out on my own. It took a few minutes of playing around, but it was very do-able. For someone more tech-savvy, it'd be a piece of cake.

Straight out of the box, I stuck my thumb drive into the back of the machine. It sort of automatically found the file where all my photographs were, and with basically no effort on my part, I was projecting a slide show onto the wall.

Next, I hooked it up to a laptop, and tested it in a proper darkened room. It was at this point that I discovered what I consider to be the machine's biggest (and possibly only) weakness. I'd say the focus is the worst feature of the machine. Don't get me wrong--it's, absolutely fine, but only up to a point. Despite claims that it will project "up to 80 inches in size," I wouldn't count on really tight focus much more than 60 inches. So, by my reckoning, that makes this an ideal machine for a smaller conference or screening room, but not for a really large one. Smaller machine, smaller projected image. It seems reasonable to me.

Since I never have enough equipment for my conference needs, the BenQ projector seems like a perfect back-up machine. It costs a fraction of what the LCD machines cost and has other advantages as well. This uses LED lights, not the very expensive LCD bulbs that need to be changed every couple of years. Also, this machine doesn't heat up like those do. If I accidentally turn off an LCD projector, I have to wait 20 minutes for it to cool down so that I can turn it back on again. Not so the mini projector. I can turn it off and then right back on again, or pack it up without waiting.

While it's great to have my own projector as a backup for conferences and other presentations I may need to make, that's not what I really use this for. Being me, I have a tiny little 19-inch television at home. Now I can hook up the mini projector to a mini DVD player I have and project DVDs 5-feet across! It's like suddenly having a huge, wide-screen television without trying to fit some monstrosity in my studio apartment. I love it! I have hundreds of movies in my home, and I find myself searching for the ones with the most gorgeous scenery just for the pleasure of seeing them projected huge on my bedroom wall.

Oh, and no screen is necessary. The picture looks quite good against my boring white wall. But get this, the projector even has color correction settings in case you're projecting against a pink, yellow, green, or blue wall, or even a blackboard! There are several other nice features I discovered after I'd mastered the basics. From the on-screen menu, you can control the volume of the speaker (which is adequate for a small conference room without external speakers), a sleep timer, and many other features.

This projector may not be the ideal tool for every person's needs, but it meets mine very well. I'm delighted by how many different ways I can see putting it to use in my life. And it's an affordable option for anyone looking for a good quality, highly portable machine.

38 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars MIGHTY MINI PROJECTOR, August 11, 2009

By 

Omer G. Wilson (ORLANDO, FLORIDA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: BenQ Joybee GP1 Mini-LED DLP Projector (Electronics)

I'm very satisfied with this projector. I set it up in my bedroom with a portable projector screen (60" wide) and fed it 720P and 1080i inputs thru the component outputs of my HD satellite receiver and DVD player,(Toshiba XD-E500, available on Amazon, DVD upscaled to both 720P/1080i)to the VGA connector on the projector and it performed admirably. I moved the projector back to fill the entire screen width (60") with a 16X9 picture and the clarity/sharpness when receiving 720P/1080i signalling was better than I expected. The picture with a dimly lit room was very watchable and with the room darkened was outstanding. The colors were bright and vivid and the brightness/contrast were excellent. I used a RCA component male x 3 to VGA female adapter cable, 1 ft. long,(vendor description-HD15 VGA female to RCA x 3 male double shielded, HD15 to component video, available from Wholesale Cables on Amazon), that mated to the projector's VGA male connector plus a 12 ft. component cable that mated with the adapter's 3 male RCA's thru 3 RCA female to female barrel connectors. I also used a video switching box for the video, 4 inputs/1 output, and audio switching box, 4 inputs/1 output for the L/R stereo audio (available from Radio Shack) so I wouldn't have to keep unplugging/plugging cables all the time. I connected the L/R stereo audio switcing box output to my video/Aux audio inputs on my Aiwa home stereo/CD unit. Setup was very easy as the projector has auto-keystone adjusting feature. The projector has pre-programmed selections for movies/photos/pc/brightest/user. The user setting allows the user to set their own desired picture settings as they wish. The projector distance from the screen to fill the 60" width of the screen was about 9 ft. Although the projector has a tripod mounting hole, I used a music stand available from any music store and velcro'd the projector to the music stand. The music stand is adjustable in all three dimensions, pitch/yaw/height with locking adjusters when you get it where you want it to stay. This setup sure meets my needs/requirements completely and no lamps to replace periodically on the projector (it uses LED's). I was concerned about the 100 lumen output of the projector prior to getting it home and trying it out, but my concerns were relieved when I set it up and actually saw the picture for myself. It's not washed out or too weak to watch. I was extremely pleased with the video quality of the projector. I watched a MLB baseball game on it and fast moving objects (the ball,runners) were not blurred at all. I'm satisfied. One note: the projector pictured on Amazon doesn't look like the present BenQ Joybee GP1 model that I have. Mine is white with a black top and is almost square. Perhaps the version shown on Amazon is an earlier or another version of the product.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Joybee makes me Joyful!, November 23, 2010

By 

Ameripino - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: BenQ Joybee GP1 Mini-LED DLP Projector (Electronics)

The Joybee is small and light but it makes a huge screen and does very well for brightness. I am a teacher that travels to six different buildings and I like to project my computer on the wall. With the Joybee I can carry it in my bag (along with the cords that do not fit in the case with the projector) and use it in all of my buildings.