Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
79 of 82 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Far exceeds my expectations, November 19, 2008
This review is from: Sharper Image Wonderwall Entertainment Projector
As I chose to pick up this unit at Kohl's, I did so confident that no matter how low my expectations, this would probably disappoint me. Upon reading the limited reviews and board comments, I was convinced it would be bad. Therefore, I started testing the projector as soon as I brought it home. To my pleasant surprise, this device was actually really good.
First off, sound. The sound is actually pretty good. It does a mono sound, but at full volume, it was ok in a quite room. The sound could be heard clearly from another room. I could see it failing in a loud or crowded room, however it comes with a headphone jack. You can also plug certain external powered speakers into this jack to supplement the sound if you feel the need to.
Now more importantly, the video. I tested the video with two movies on my standard DVD player. In order to see the projector at it's best, I tested it on the simpsons, a high bright picture with low detail. It functioned splendidly. I shot the picture at close range (about three feet) to produce a 27'' TV equivalent. Then I shot it across the room, about 10 feet, and received about a 130 inch TV equivalent. The image was shot on a white wall for the three foot, and white drawn curtains for the 10 foot. I also ran it both with and without the lights on in the room. At three feet, the light on did very little to effect the image. At 10 feet, the image suffered substantially(grew paler), but seeing as how this is 4 feet and 60 inches bigger than even they recommend, I am still impressed. I have not tested this product during the day as of yet.
The simpsons was clear and crisp at both distances. It did have some blurring, which seemed to appear and go away, and was mot prevalent at the center of the screen. As another reviewer mentioned, the screen has crisscrosses on it, which is unavoidable. Anyone who has dealt with a slight amount of snow when watching TV has faced worse. The "crisscross" is simply dark lines that appear in a crisscross pattern across the image, which is a result of the low resolution of the screen. The larger the image, the larger the dark lines. I can't say it bothers me, it is solidly there and unchanging, and doesn't effect the picture (except perhaps making the image appear darker). And depending on the angle and distance you watch from, you can't even see the crisscrosses
The second movie I tested was Final Fantasy, spirit within, a detail orientated dark movie. I could say it was watchable at the 10 foot distance. The darks and lights didn't show very well, and significant detail is lost. At three feet, their was still a lot of lost detail, but the dark scenes show up a lot more clearly.
All in all, the projector works great. It has a moderately loud fan, but the sound more than makes up for it. It is a $100 projector, and everyone who gets it needs to keep that in mind. The bottom line is that if you are looking for an HDTV or hi res experience, this is not for you. If you are looking for a replacement living room TV, this is probably not for you. If you are looking for some portable tv replacement, or something that lets you watch tv on the ceiling or some other wierd area of your house at the drop of a dime. This would be great. This is great for snuggling up at night with some popcorn in a movie theater experience, or even outdoors in the backyard watching your favorite romantic comedy or something like that.
Simply put, know what you are getting, it works, as a toy. Like it says on its box, it is typically for video games (high contrast, low detail, bright colors), and thus works well for them. It is more than I expected, and in my opinion, well worth the money. And when the next level of projector is 6 times the price of this one, this is the closest any of us low income guys are going to get to owning our own projector to play with.
Update:
Please note that I did NOT review a sharper image wonderwall projector. It shows the same picture... It is NOT worth the price tag of $300 some dollars I see, I got it for less than $100, which is why my review was geared as such. I am not sure if amazon has messed up, or if the product got bought out by sharper image, but you could buy a high quality "real" projector for that price.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
 
|
|
|
|
|
|
20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
For less than $100 it does what it's supposed to do but not very well, November 14, 2008
This review is from: Sharper Image Wonderwall Entertainment Projector
We just bought one of these from Kohls on sale for a fair amount under $100 and I was hoping that it would be better than it was. For the price I paid, I will most likely keep it but if I had to pay $100 or more then I'd highly reconsider.
I bought this with the intention to use when the family goes on camping trips(at a campsite with electric). Rather than being couped up in a tent where the kids use a portable DVD player I thought what better way to get kids outdoors to watch a late night movie. While I have not yet done so, I plan to create a screen using a heavy-duty, bright white shower curtain liner having no texture).
I tried the Shift3 unit and it can project up to a 42"-50" movie with fair clarity -- that is, if you sit far away. You can get one of those cheap small profile Colby DVD players for about $20 or so and your all set (just plug in the RCA video, left and right jacks and your ready to go). I also was able to use my Zen Vision MP3/Video player using the RCA jack adapter accessory - probably sold here on Amazon) and it worked OK.
The audio is in mono, relatively low and you really need to sit in front of the projector to hear sound from the tiny, not powerful speaker. The projector has a built in fan toward the back of the unit which is pretty loud (why I suggest you sit in front of the unit) . The bulb is not very bright and apparently projects a distracting criss-cross pattern which further degrades the picture (this is not pixelation but an actual pattern projected). The image projected is fairly dark so only bright/vibrant movies are recommended. Also viewing MUST be done in nearly total darkness to see the movie. There is some ability to change the contast and color but the hue options are mostly red and the contrast works OK but but you have to set the contrast high to try to make it clear which then causes the picture to be too dark. I believe the bulb is halogen and cheap to replace.
The unit itself didn't get hot which is probably good with kids around. The focus lens was dirty upon opening the box and I had a hard time telling when the picture was optimally focused since the image is dark and the project pattern was present.
Mine makes a rattling sound as if something is loose inside and I may see see if it's something with mine or all Shift3 projectors. This is by no means a high-end projector and for $100 or less, it's basically a toy. If you can pay $100 or less, willing to forego clarity, and want a portable unit for use with kids in the backyard, on a white wall/ceiling in a dark room in the house, then this might be for you. Currently this seems like the best option for me to use on camping trips. (at a campsite with electric).
If anyone buys one, I'd be interested to know if the criss-cross pattern exists for you and how it might be removed (different bulb?). I may buy another one to use as a test to see if the same problems exist.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Exceeded expectations, easy to use, lots of fun, June 11, 2009
This review is from: Sharper Image Wonderwall Entertainment Projector
After reading the reviews, I decided to go ahead and buy this since the next model was far out of my price range. I love it! I am a stay at home mom of two small children, 3 and 5, and I bought it for them to watch their cartoons on outside. We project it from our back deck onto a white matte vinyl shower curtain that we hang with a couple of hooks. Now, if you are looking for a reach-out-and-grab-you experience, be willing to shell out the big bucks. But if you want something portable, cheap, easy-to-use and hassle-free, this is great. The bulb is a standard bulb you can get at Lowes for a couple bucks. If you have researched the price of standard projector bulbs, then you know this feature alone makes the Wonderwall attractive. I also bought a cheap portable Coby DVD player to keep with it for $20. To settle down for the evening, my kids love to be treated to popcorn and a movie (cartoons are best, as the contrast shows up better) outside before bed. I have also shown movies for the family and friends after an outdoor cookout and projected Pixar movies onto the ceiling above my son's bed when he was sick. Like I said, it isn't a high-def experience. It reminds me of the images those old big screens from the 80s, with the tri-color lights and all. But it is worthwhile fun for the family and very simple to move around. I pack it up after every use, about the same effort as putting up the hair dyer. I like it much more than I thought I would, and my children think it is the greatest thing we have. As for the loud fan, sound can be difficult if people are chatting. But there is a simple port that I use to connect it with my Mp3 player speakers. No problem!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
Saving...
