With mobile projection no longer relegated to the realm of fantasy or science fiction, many top electronics manufacturers have added portable and inexpensive projectors to their inventory. Magnasonic is one of those companies. The Magnasonic PP60 Pocket Pico LED Video Projector makes mobile projection incredibly affordable and for the price, what you get is nothing short of amazing. Depending on the distance the unit is placed from the wall or screen, it will project an image up to 60 inches in size (this is of course measured diagonally from corner to corner).
No longer does the notion of having a projector on your person require something that likely wouldn’t fit in an airline’s carry-on sizing template as you can simply slip the PP60 Pocket Pico Video Projector into a shirt or jacket pocket. Now, you may default to the idea that travelling professionals might like this in their briefcase for client presentations, and it could fulfill that task, but that is not the ideal job for this device. The role is in fact directly in the name as the Magnasonic Pocket Pico “Video” Projector does works better for video than it does for text.
Features and Specs
The Magnasonic PP60 is tiny. Weighing only 4.5 ounces and measuring a scant 3.8” X 2.9” X 0.5”, the unit could conceivably fit in a shirt or pants pocket and is essentially the same size as most smartphones. In the box, you get the Projector, an HDMI cable, a Micro-HDMI adapter, a soft bag to keep it in, a mini tripod, and the manual. It has a rechargeable battery built into the unit that will last a full 2 hours of use. The LED light source is rated to last for 20,000 hours of use which is significant life at this price point. There is a threaded mounting socket so, in addition to the supplied mini tripod, you could attach to any tripod you might have laying around which gives more flexibility in use.
The PP60 unit itself features an HDMI input on the back and the included Micro-HDMI adapter (compatible with most Android mobile devices) which makes it easy to connect smartphones, tablets, laptops, DVD players, computers, or even streaming devices like Apple TV, Roku, or Chromecast. To connect iPhones or iPads you will need to get the appropriate adapter, likely lightning to HDMI adapter. The Pico Pocket Projector will accept any input video up to and including 1080p but can only display the video at a resolution of 640 X 360 pixels. One use that didn’t occur to me was to use it for gaming. I quit playing games several years ago simply because they consumed too much of my time and I am an all or nothing kind of person. I would start playing a game on Thursday evening to wind down and the next thing I knew, it was Sunday. But if gaming is your thing then with an appropriate adapter or docking station, you could connect your gaming device to the PP60 and play away.
Using the PP60 Video Projector is Ease Personified
Setup couldn’t be simpler as it is almost literally “plug ‘n play”. I had the unit plugged into the wall rather than using the built-in rechargeable battery, connected my Chromecast dongle to the HDMI input, and turned the PP60 on. I connected it to my Wi-Fi network and the PP60 automatically went through an update that took a couple of minutes and I was ready to go. I mounted the projector on a camera tripod, set it about 9 feet from the wall and produced a 60-inch image. There is no “zoom” on the PP60 but there is a focus dial on top to ensure that all is crisp and easy to see/read. The focus dial is sensitive and a minor movement seemed to have a significant impact but I quickly got used to it and didn’t have any issues after.
I opened YouTube and started to stream some videos. A couple of things became apparent almost immediately. The sound from the built-in speaker will do in a pinch but for any serious projecting and viewing, you will want to connect an external speaker or headphones through the 3.5mm audio input on the back of the device. Another option, if you are watching video from a phone or other device that has Bluetooth technology, is to use an external Bluetooth speaker connected to your phone or tablet bypassing the need for wires altogether.
The PP60 is “only” 25 lumens and it is difficult to see the projected image in a bright room. As such, I found that the darker the room was, the better the picture looked so depending on what you ultimately hope to do with your portable projector, keep in mind that ambient light is your enemy. And while you can make the image up to 60 inches in size, the smaller it is, the crisper it is based on the 640 X 360 resolution. Not that the larger screen image is horrible by any means, but it does sharpen up as it shrinks.
The Final Word
If you understand that at this price point you aren’t ever going to get a 4K projector with a projected image of 60 inches (or frankly, any size 4K projector) but are realistic in your desire for an easy to use mobile projector, then you should definitely check out the Magnasonic PP60 LED Pocket Pico Video Projector (that is quite the mouthful). Whether using it to project video in a business setting or to project movies or games at home, the PP60 gets the job done with ease at a friendly price to boot. Maybe you want to hang a sheet outside and invite the neighbours over for popcorn and a movie under the stars. The PP60 will let you make that a reality. Just remember, you will likely want an external speaker (absolutely so for the outdoor movie party) or to use headphones. And the darker you can get the room the better, but if you think this may be the unit you are looking for, I encourage you to drop by your local Best Buy store and check it out. Happy shopping!
The projector is really a relief. Also thanks for the information’s, the details really helpful.
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