Why You Can Trust CNET Uniden ULP 1000 Laser Projector review: Uniden ULP 1000 Laser Projector
Portable projectors are a solution without a problem, and the Uniden ULP 1000 is an expensive solution at that. It projects a sharp, colourful image but lacks a range of much-needed connectivity options.
If you're reading this review then you are part of such a niche category of technology users that we are having a difficult time imagining who you are. In fact, if you have a genuine use for a portable projector, either personal or professional, we'd love to hear from you. Drop us a comment below or email us at cnetmedia@cnet.com.au and tell us how you plan to use one of these. OK, social networking aside, on with the review.
Uniden ULP 1000 Laser Projector
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line
Design
For a portable projector to make sense it has to be lightweight and handbag friendly, if not pocket-sized. The Uniden ULP 1000 is both of these things; it weighs 122 grams, which is less than most mobile phones, and it fits comfortably into the pocket of a pair of business trousers.
The projector itself has a single proprietary port on the bottom for connecting it to external devices, switches on the right for powering the unit on, and switches on the left for adjusting the projected image on the fly. But the projector isn't just the central unit per se; for most usage (excluding iPhone/iPod connectivity) the projector will sit in its plastic VGA dock with a cable for connecting to laptops. The projector and the bits and bobs that come in the box all feels a bit plastic-y for our liking, especially for a unit that you're bound to lug around with you when you're travelling.
The sales package for this projector is also without any form of stand or tripod, though we strongly suggest you only use the projector after its placed on a level surface. Not only will the image warp when the projector is at an angle when pointed to a flat surface, but examining the image while wielding the projector in our hands made more than one CNET editor actually feel seasick.
On the underside of the projector you'll find a removable battery under a protective plastic cover. The battery supplied has a 1800mAh capacity, which is good for an underwhelming 90 minutes of projection. That's right, if you played a two-hour movie you would need to recharge the projector to watch the ending.
Connectivity
By itself, the Uniden projector is like a light bulb without electricity, a device like this lives and dies by the range of external devices it can connect to, and for us this is one area the ULP 1000 falls short. There's essentially three connection methods available, a VGA plug for connecting to laptops, a video-only RCA connector for plugging into DVD players and gaming consoles, and iPod/iPhone connectivity.
While this list of options covers dozens and dozens of compatible devices, it means that the smallest device you can connect the projector to is a netbook, unless you use Apple products, which challenges the portability of this mobile projector. You go from having a pocket-friendly projector to needing a padded bag for your notebook, or being tied down to wired power for a DVD player or similar. A micro USB connector for plugging into almost all new phones would have also been welcome.
The other major drawback is the lack of speakers on the unit; the Uniden projector will defer to the original sound output for audio, or will look for a compatible set of Bluetooth speakers. Depending on the kind of presentation you hope to achieve you can expect this AU$999 projector to set you back another AU$100 or more to accompany your moving pictures with sound, and you'll have to consider how you will carry the speakers around too.
The picture
So if you can figure out a use for this projector, and if you intend to use it with a compatible notebook or iPod, then you'll be happy to hear that the image is pretty respectable for a projector of this size. All of the rules of full-sized projectors apply here, you'll get best results in a dark room and you'll have to limit your throw distance to under 2 metres for the clearest, most colourful image.
The most impressive feature of the Uniden projector, and what sets it apart from the competition, is the use of the Microvision PicoP laser technology. Using lasers rather than standard projector lamps means this projector throws a consistently sharp image regardless of the distance or angle between the projector and the wall or screen. You won't find any loss of image sharpness, even when projecting around corners, and there's no focus ring to fiddle with.
The projector has a maximum display resolution of 848x480 pixels though when we connected our HP 210 netbook via the VGA dock it auto-downscaled our monitor resolution to 640x480. Uniden informs us that the projector offers 10 lumens of brightness, which sounds low compared with the 50 lumens we see advertised on a comparable Dell mobile projector, but unfortunately we don't have a Dell on hand to offer a comparison.
We tested the projector under fluorescent lights in our studio, and with the lights out in the same space, projecting against a wall, a portable projector screen and various improvised surfaces. The ULP 1000 is fine for sharing media with a small group of people, but don't expect to conduct a boardroom meeting with this unit.
Overall
In regards to the projected image, the Uniden ULP 1000 is one of the better portable projectors we've seen, though we'd love to see a similar unit with more connectivity options than are available here. However, our major reservations come from the projectors prohibitively expensive price tag. AU$999 is nearly enough to buy two brand new pocket projectors from either Dell or Maxon, and we're not even sure they are worth the money either.
For us, the portable projector, as an entire category of tech, feels like a solution without a problem. Given that a projector of this size isn't capable of displaying an image to a room full of people, wouldn't you be better off with an iPad you can pass around or a digital photo frame with a remote control? In both cases you'd end up with considerable change from the AU$999 you might have spent on this projector.