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We've tested many different types of projectors over the years, but when we were looking for the best portable projector, we needed to see a few key considerations. The process worked without issue, and we couldn’t see the blend between the two projectors when looking at photos or watching videos streamed from a mobile device. At present, only the Android version of SmartThings allows video streaming, but the iOS version does support photos.
Everything about Samsung's The Freestyle projector is geared towards ease of use. Starting with its streamlined setup process, which we found a breeze to use as it had us up and running in moments. Something else to consider is resolution. Smart projectors are much smaller than standard projectors, this makes resolution the first thing to go. For those who enjoy camping, and just want some form of entertainment next to the campfire, a lower resolution works. Mini projectors have the hardest time with resolution. But, not all smart projectors suffer from poor resolution. 4K Smart LED projectors are now on the market. If home entertainment is your preferred use, opt for 4K resolution. The highest-end smart projectors will call themselves “True 4K” projectors. For this second-generation model, Samsung has included its SolarCell remote control, which means no changing batteries, and added a Gaming Hub to access cloud gaming. The Tizen smart system offers a greater choice of streaming apps and is more responsive, the built-in audio has been tweaked, and the luminance and longevity of the LED light source have been extended. The Samsung Freestyle 2nd Gen is reasonably bright but will struggle in daylight, so for the best results you’ll need to pull the curtains or use it at night. In general, the picture quality is very good, with images that appear clean and detailed. Since the projector is limited to a resolution of 1080p, it can’t display 4K and this content is downscaled without introducing any apparent imaging artefacts.Most smart projectors have to compromise on sound. This is the only way to fit all the components into such a small size. If you don’t already have a premium sound system integrated into your home theatre, opt for premium speakers. In short, there’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all projector. How we test the best portable projectors For one thing, the image we expect to see will be nowhere near as bright nor colorful as a QLED or Neo-QLED display, and it will likely be a step down from what we saw with Samsung's The Premiere LSP9T projector too.
Casting– If you have a Chromecast or an Apple TV, you can wirelessly connect to your projector and mirror your screen.You will need to be on the same network as the receiver, then use your built-in screen mirroring to send it to your projector.This is a nice option when you want to show photos or videos on your device, or for occasional use. Before I dive into it, let me just say for three projectors of similar size and intended purpose, these look radically different. You'd think that'd be directly related to price, but nope. Furthermore, you can easily connect The Freestyle to the smartphone through Tap View and Airplay2. With Wi-Fi direct connection, you can mirror your main TV to The Freestyle. The ambient mode allows you to project from a choice of images or your own photos, which is handy for holding parties or creating a relaxing environment. You can even leave the lens cap attached if you fancy turning your Freestyle projector into a stylish if rather expensive LED lamp. At the front, where the lens is located, you’ll find some basic touch-sensitive controls for power on/off, volume up/down and casting, along with sensors for automatically adjusting the image.The Freestyle combines these key features with a built-in sound system and smart platform, allowing you to enjoy your favourite shows anywhere, while Smart Calibration can counter off-white surfaces for on-point colours too. But just how good is it? First off, you need to think about the situations you’re going to be using your projector in and find one that fits your requirements. Taking your smart projector on-the-go? Consider how well the projector achieves a portable design. Does it come with a carry handle? Or can it fold into a travel-ready container? If your projector is going to sit on your coffee table, make sure it says it’s a “short throw.” It can retain that sharpness when there’s motion, too, thanks to the LSP9T carrying a projector-optimised version of the motion processing systems Samsung has been refining on its TVs for years now. You need to handle the motion processing with care, as the higher powered settings can cause distracting processing side effects. But the lowest setting does a good job of reducing judder without causing too many unpleasant trade offs. The Samsung Freestyle 2nd Gen is incredibly easy to set up, thanks to automatic keystoning, levelling and focusing. Point it where you want to project and it will do the rest. This proved flawless in testing, although you can manually fine-tune the keystoning, levelling and focus if necessary. The Freestyle 2023 also received some hardware upgrades, or at least more memory, which will come in handy when using advanced features such as Gaming Hub. On the other hand, this could also mean that the original model released in 2022 may never receive support for Samsung's cloud gaming platform. We'll keep you posted if we find out more on this matter.
Its gloss white finish looks and feels premium, and is offset nicely by the grey fabric that sits over the speakers. Its rounded corners are a welcome domesticated touch too, and build quality is impressive. This keystone correction works with both offset vertical and horizontal projection angles, and the range of angles it can correct for is startling. Another exclusive picture feature of the LSP9T is its HDR10+ support. This means it can work with the extra scene-by-scene metadata the HDR10+ format provides, rather than merely the ‘static’ data you get with the industry standard HDR10 format. The result when playing HDR10+ sources is enhanced contrast (more distance between the darkest and brightest parts of the picture) and more detail refinement. As well as, more unexpectedly, reduced video noise in dark picture areas. There are effects you use in conjunction with the translucent lens cap. I want to say that it has a little bit of the lava lamp flavor to it; you could dim the rest of the lights and bliss out on the soft, organic, changing, colorful diffuse patterns put out by this cool little projector. Of course, you can also have it play music simultaneously, so simple relaxation and meditation are among the potential uses. And while it would be extravagant to have multiple Freestyle projectors acting as ambient lights in the same room, it would also be unbelievably awesome. Once you free your mind of what you normally expect from a projector, the ingenuity of Samsung's design becomes apparent. It's not just a projector and a smart speaker; it's also a smart lamp with the ability to put on fancy light shows. Can your projector do that?Samsung Account required to access our network-based smart services and apps. If you choose not to log-in, you will only get connection to terrestrial TV (applicable to devices with tuners only) and external devices, e.g. via HDMI Next, up, apps. Your projector is only as smart as the apps running on it. So, it makes sense to have an app store enabled on your projector. Does the projector you’re looking at come with app store integration? To work with apps, enable voice commands, and stream movies (all at the same time) look for a smart projector with ample processors, memory, and storage.
The Freestyle carries an optimised version of the motion processing Samsung uses on its latest TVs, and so long as you use this on a relatively mild Custom setting it can help the sharpness hold up even during action scenes or camera pans thanks to some gentle but effective judder reduction. Projector Stand - You can easily adjust the angle by using the included projector stand. From the wall to the ceiling, make the screen whatever surface you want. Thankfully this greyness doesn’t stop The Freestyle from reproducing a decent level of shadow detail in dark areas. But if you were hoping that the projector’s casual cred might convert into something truly cinematic for serious movie nights, you need to think again. Another issue that impacts the Dynamic and Standard presets is the loss of color finesse in very dark scenes. Skin tones and color blends can lose some of their subtle shading, looking a little rough and unnatural. However, content dark enough to really exacerbate this problem is pretty rare. This makes it easy to hook up the M1+ to a range of different devices and means it's easy to carry this palm-fitting projector around with you.
The Premiere 4K Laser Projector
The Tizen-powered smart platform offers all the main streamers including Netflix, Prime, Disney+ and Apple TV+, plus all the UK TV catch-up services. It also includes other smart features such as Samsung TV Plus, Samsung Universal Guide, Samsung Health and Remote Access. This Samsung has the general look and feel of a Samsung TV in terms of color balance, which I'd attribute to the picture processing and tuning. And the sharpness—the apparent resolution on screen—kept surprising me, which I attribute to Samsung using a very sharp lens. If you magnify the pixel grid, each pixel is very clearly defined, even in the corners, as you'd expect from a flat-panel television but not necessarily from a compact lifestyle projector. And the quality of the lens itself goes a long way to making this projector usable as a computer display because that sharpness translates to easily readable text. I wish that Samsung had included a 3.5mm aux input; I feel there's still a place in this world for a simple analog input on any AV device. Nevertheless, I was able to use the HDMI input to send some test tones to the projector from Room EQ Wizard and measure the result using a miniDSP UMIK-2 calibrated microphone. What I saw is a speaker that, despite its diminutive size, can cover a frequency range of 80 Hz to 20 kHz cleanly, though at higher volume levels there's some audible distortion in bass below 80 Hz. The ultimate cutoff appears to be around 60 Hz, below which there's basically no output. There's really not much to discuss here beyond what was described under SDR viewing, except to say that video game graphics don't need motion enhancement or noise reduction, so those features were not missed in any way. Video games look detailed and vibrant with the Standard color tone setting that is the Game Mode default, and even more wonderful when the projector is fully calibrated with a 2-point adjustment (10-point and 20-point are not available in this mode).
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