Tuesday, April 7, 2009

AAXA P1 Pico Projector. My Review.

Do you own an iPod, Zune, or any other media player with video output and wish the device had a larger screen? For $239 or less you can have your own projector to increase the video size up to 50" diagonally. With 640 x 480 pixel resolution the AAXA P1 Pico Projector does a fine job so long as you have a white surface to project on and a dark room to project in.

Included in the package is a red/white/yellow RCA to 1/8" 4- conductor audio/video cable, 100 to 240 vAC to 5vDC 2.0 amp charger, a simple owners manual, and the P1 with it's (removable) lithium battery inside. The AAXA P1 is one inch thick, 4.1 inches long, and 2.3 inches wide.
In addition there are accessory A/V cables for several devices. Below is the one for iPods. The P1 comes with one video file and 3 photos already using some of it's 1gb of internal memory. On the right side there is a microSD slot which will read up to 2gb microSD cards. The rear panel has a 5vDC jack, A/V input, headphone output, and the power switch (Battery/Off/DC). There is a micro USB jack next to the volume dial on the left side. There is a rubber lens cap that stays attached but will pivot out of the way of the lens when the P1 is in use. The top of the player has a focus bar and a 5-way button array for software control. You'll also see a reset hole next to the charge/usb LED status light in the bottom right corner. The P1 doesn't even need an external device to entertain you. Although files space is limited you can put a movie or two, several photos, music files, and even a few text documents on board. The P1's software alone can play several media formats:

Video: AVI*, MPEG1, MPEG2, MPEG4 3G, WMV9/VC1, ASF, RM/RMVB*, and FLV formats.

* The RM/RMVB video play only supports video files which are below 720 x 576. The bigger the volume file is, longer will be the time to start playing.

* AVI video play only supports video files below 800 x 480. The bigger the volume file is, longer will be the time to start playing.

Audio: MP3, WMA, WAV, APE, FLAC, AAC/AAC+, and MPEG1/2/2.5 formats.

Photos: JPEG, BMP, and GIF formats.

Text: The documentation doesn't mention any form of document display, but the Rockchip Software includes an ebook option. I threw a TXT file onto the P1 and it was easy to read. I'll have to play around a bit more to see if it supports any other ebook or document formats.

Light is provided by very bright LED rated for 20.000 hours of life. There's an internal fan and several vent holes around the body to keep the P1 cool. It does generate a bit of heat when running. The fan noise is minimal and easily covered by the sound of your movie or music.

Battery life is rated for 1.5 hours of continous use, but I haven't had a chance to test that.

I'm very impressed with the quality of projection. It will project even larger than the rated 50 inches but you'll need a bright screen and pitch black room to appreciate it. The P1's speaker is small, but serves it's purpose. Headphones will give you a better audio experience. There is no tripod mount which would be useful. To get an un-distorted image the P1 needs to be centered in front of your projection surface. You'll have to be clever to find a way to hold it in place while you enjoy your movie.
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So is AAXA's P1 Pico Projector worth $239? With support of so many video and music formats and 640 x 480 resolution I consider it a bargain. Now I just need a 50" piece of white foam core board for a projection surface. No white walls in my house.

4D

18 comments:

  1. Thanks for posting this. I've been looking for a projector to use with my Iphone to remotely log into the home computer. The Iphone screen is really too small to maneuver through Finder. This might do the trick.

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  2. Although the iPhone and Touch will display photos and videos, even youtube through the AAXA, I don't believe the browser will display through the dock connector. Sorry.

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  3. I think I have a micro USB, does it work with Dell laptops? What are the specifiations in order for it to work via USB? Does it support MP4 video files?

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  4. I don't have a Dell laptop to test, but I don't see why not. It's not a PC projector, but via USB you can copy media to it. It does play MP4 files natively.

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  5. Hello - You have given an excellent review. I am a bit confused about a few things though. If I understand correctly, the reviews I have read said that This device can be hooked up to one's PC to project images. Sounds like you are saying that it can't be done. Also I don't understan the mini-USB concept. Would I have to buy a mini usb cable? I am thinking that cable would be used to take media from my OC to load onto this device...is this correct?? Thank you.

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  6. Karen,

    The AAXA only has video input. No VGA or other PC path to get your PC's screen to project. Resolution is also limited to 640 x 480.

    AAXA "may" be working on a newer model that can be used with PCs though. You'll have to research that youself.

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  7. Aaxa now has a video harness for use with a laptop.

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  8. looks ok, i might give it a try. although its alot of money and seems no so sturdy.

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  9. thanks for the detailed review.
    I just purchased the P1 and am very impressed so far. However, I discovered that the P1 does not play MP4 videos recorded with certain codecs (e.g. avc/H264), even if they are below 640 x 480. The instruction manual is pretty minimal. Is there a list somewhere about which codecs it plays?

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  10. these settings worked for me, for encoding with a mac:

    Free software encoder: FFMPEGX (http://www.ffmpegx.com/)

    Preset: AVI Xvid
    Video: mencoder xvid, 640x480, 1500 kbps, 29.97 fps
    Audio: mp3, 48000 Hz, 128 kbps

    ***The file's resolution MUST be 640x480 or smaller or it won't play.

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  11. AAXA P2 is supposed to be a lot better:
    http://wiki.microprojector5.co.uk/index.php?title=AAXA_P2

    Imagine what the P3 will be like, HD pico projector? I would love it if they make one!

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  12. just looking around for a projector...will this one allow me to play my xbox...thanks

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  13. AAXA has an updated model out now. The P2 I think. Either should work with the xbox, but they aren't very bright and require a dark room shaded from sunlight.

    4D

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  14. Is there any way to make a video file loop?
    Thanks!
    FPT

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  15. Not with the onboard software. If you are using it to play video of an external device then it is up to that device to do the looping.

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  16. I have the pico projector (P2 I think, because it doesn't look like your photos, and it is able to connect by VGA to a laptop). I've had a lot of frustrations with it. Have you had any experience with not being able to access the MP4 player? After I used mine connected by VGA to my Mac laptop for a while, when I went back to try to play from the onboard memory, simple photo projection from what should be the photo folder, it just won't come up. It is trying only to recognize a computer. I can't access a Menu of any kind.

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  17. It this the same model as this? http://www.aaxatech.com/products/p1jr_pico_projector.php
    They look a bit different. Anyone know which one is better?

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  18. Your link is to a later model, the P1 jr.. Specs don't look much different, although the Jr. is quit a bit less expensive than the P1 was when I wrote this review.

    4D

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