3M Streaming Projector has integrated Roku Streaming Stick, fits in your hand (hands-on)
If you have a Wi-Fi signal and a large flat surface, then you can watch your streaming content anywhere you want.
Updated with hands-on impressions below.
Compact streaming video boxes like the
3M and Roku are trying to go one step further and take the TV out of the equation. The two companies have teamed to create the 3M Streaming Projector, an intriguing gadget that combines a pico projector small enough to fit in your hand with Roku's tiny Streaming Stick.
The idea is you can watch your streaming content anywhere you have a Wi-Fi signal and a large flat surface. The Streaming Projector has a customized slot in the back, where the included Streaming Stick is connected, without it sticking out the back of the projector. (I'll be adding more photos shortly; it's a slick design.) And because the Streaming Stick connects via a standard MHL input, you can connect other MHL and HDMI devices to the Streaming Projector, as well as remove the Streaming Stick to connect to another MHL-compatible device.
I've covered the
The Streaming Projector itself has a built-in, rechargeable lithium battery that 3M claims lasts up to 2 hours and 45 minutes, which should cover you for most movies, although you'll have to break out the included AC adapter to make it through "The Godfather II."
The projector uses a DLP chip, with a quoted brightness of 60 lumens and 800x480 resolution, which is about DVD-quality. Sixty lumens may not sound like much, but it's a welcome boost over the 8-12 lumen pico projectors that have underwhelmed CNET in the past. There's also a built-in speaker, along with a minijack output for connecting to headphones or an external speaker.
The 3M Streaming Projector will be available exclusively at Amazon for $300, with preorders receiving a $20 Amazon Instant credit. 3M expects the Streaming Projector to ship on October 22.
Initial hands-on impressions
The Streaming Projector is a charming little device. Its design is well-thought-out, from the encased Roku Streaming Stick slot to its small size that makes it easy to throw in a bag without thinking twice about it.
After you set up the Roku Streaming Stick on your Roku account, it's just like using a Roku box. All the same channels are there and wireless performance (thanks to the dual-band antenna) was rock solid in during my testing, even in the iffy CNET office wireless environment.
I was skeptical about the built-in speaker, but it performed better than I thought it would. It's tinny, but loud enough for a few people to hear, as long as they're fairly close to the projector. Sound really only becomes an issue when the Streaming Projector's internal fan kicks in, which can muffle the audio a bit.
The Streaming Projector's image quality ranges from acceptable to mediocre, depending on your expectations. I leaned much closer to acceptable, especially having seen the truly lackluster image quality from a handful of pico projectors CNET's tested in the past. However, the lack of resolution was definitely noticeable, especially when you start to increase the image size. You're also at the mercy of in-room lighting; lights off without much natural light really helps image brightness.
But even my videophile nitpicks couldn't distract from the fact that the Streaming Projector is just plain fun to use. Streaming Netflix and Amazon Instantly wirelessly on the nearest wall is an undeniably cool trick and surprisingly enjoyable. Some of the real-world demos 3M showed at its press conference were legitimately neat: lying in bed while projecting on the ceiling or backyard movie-watching against a draped sheet. Honestly, I can't think of too many instances in my own life where I'd get a lot of use from the Streaming Projector, but it seems like a great "TV anywhere" solution for parents.
As fun as the Streaming Projector has been in the first few hours, there's a potential dealbreaker looming on the horizon. Our initial battery-life tests topped out at 1 hour and 35 minutes -- well short of 3M's quoted 2 hour and 45 minute battery-life. True, our testing was done while streaming over Wi-Fi for the entire time, but that doesn't seem unfair since that's the typical way people will be using the Streaming Projector. We'll continue testing battery life, but if it doesn't improve, it's certainly a disappointing asterisk to an otherwise enticing product.
The real question with the 3M Streaming Projector is whether it's just a product that demos really well versus something worth buying. I'll need more time with it before I've settled on my final thoughts, but at the very least 3M and Roku have introduced an intriguing new concept.