Want to enjoy fun movie nights at home with your family and friends? The LUMOS RAY Home Cinema Projector makes the cinematic experience easy and hassle-free for Pinoy movie buffs who may have limited space at home. With its minimalist design and plug and play system, the projector packs the essential specs you need for a home theater, instantly transforming any room in the house into your own micro-cinema.

In case you’re interested to buy a home projector for yourself, here’s the lowdown on the LUMOS RAY and what you can expect from the product.

Product features

Massive screen with little space

Those who don’t have enough space at home for a large TV set can still enjoy watching movies and shows with a massive screen. The projector’s short throw (1:3:1) is good for smaller bedrooms or small living spaces, making it ideal for condo-dwellers. Around a 3-meter distance can project an impressive 100-inch screen. It can even project up to a 150″ screen, if you have the space. However, the size of the screen depends on how far you place the projector.

The LUMOS RAY offers 720p HD clear resolution and great visual clarity (1080p Blu-Ray Support). While most smart TVs come at sharper and higher resolutions, the difference isn’t really that noticeable when watching on the projector due to the brightness setting.

While normal portable projectors have around 1,000 lumens, the LUMOS RAY projector has a bright 3,000 Lumens offering high brightness, making the colors more vivid in the darkness. The images don’t come out grainy or washed out. Colors were very vibrant.

Built-in Netflix + YouTube

Using bulky projectors usually involves having to attach other devices like a laptop or phone, which can be more time consuming to set-up as it requires more plugs and outlets. The LUMOS RAY projector comes with built-in YouTube and Netflix, the two most used movie watching apps by Filipinos.

The projector actually has its own Android operating system which makes it literally plug and play. After turning it on, you can just watch YouTube videos or log in to your Netflix account and continue watching all your favorite movies and shows immediately, with no need to install anything or attach another device.

But aside from the built-in apps, you can also plug in a USB, SD card, or attach another device with the HDMI cable to watch from other devices.

Wireless Mirror Casting

The LUMOS RAY projector also allows wireless mirror casting from your device. Use the inbuilt air screen app and connect via WiFi to mirror your Smart phone. This means that you can show your screen while playing mobile games. You can also use the feature for Spotify, watch the videos you took on your phone, or make Zoom Calls over a huge screen while lying in bed if you want to.

Built-in Dolby Audio Speakers

Another feature is that the LUMOS RAY comes with an inbuilt Dolby Audio speaker system, which provides decent cinematic surround sound that is powerful enough by itself. There’s no need to attach an external speaker, but if you want, you can also attach headphones for a more private audio experience when you’re watching shows.

Real User Reviews

Since its launch, the LUMOS RAY projector has received many satisfied user reviews on its website with 5-star reviews from professional Youtubers and tech enthusiasts. Check out the demo video below to see the LUMOS RAY projector in action.

Design

The LUMOS RAY comes in a premium and elegant cube-like package. The design is very minimalist, sleek and modern. Unlike typical bulky and heavy projectors of the past, the design of the LUMOS RAY and handle makes it very portable and easy to carry around.

The LUMOS RAY actually looks like a speaker and is the type of gadget you wouldn’t mind keeping on a bookshelf or displaying instead of hiding away all the time. It doesn’t take up too much space either.

Review notes

First of all, to get the best viewing experience, you need a blank white wall to serve as your screen, which might actually be the main challenge for those who live in small spaces. The projector works best in complete darkness, so save your movie watching at home at night or make sure to watch in a really dark room.

You’ll need an extension cord and a platform to make sure that you can place the projector in the best position possible. Some minor adjustments can be done to fix the keystone using the remote, but you can’t have the projector at a very crooked angle. No blank walls at home? You could also project the screen to your ceiling and just watch in bed!

I tested it out on different parts of our condo with blank walls like the living room next to the sofa. The screen easily took up the whole wall which is about 6 feet or 60 inches wide. Just like in a movie theater, it’s much better if you’re seated a couple of meters from the screen so the image doesn’t look too blurry or grainy.

Setting up the projector was intuitive and easy. Even if you’re not too tech-savvy, the manual is easy enough to follow, making the device easy to use for young millennials and Gen Z users. The apps are all immediately displayed and with the remote, you can easily find what you need. You just plug it, turn it on and you’re good to go.

First up, we tested out a few cat games and videos on YouTube and my cats were immediately hooked. Instant movie night for the furbabies!

The quality of the sound was pretty good for a small device. While it won’t beat the sound and experience of watching movies in an actual theater or on a Smart TV, it’s good enough for home viewing for those who don’t have space for a TV set or just want a cinematic experience at home for a change.

Take note that the LUMOS RAY was designed as a home cinema model and not really for business or school use. Business use cases like EXCEL or text-filled PowerPoint presentations with LUMOS RAY is not recommended.

I tested out the mirror casting with some of Netflix’s games on my phone, but there was a noticeable lag on the screen because the network data transfer speed between my phone and the device did not meet the requirements of AirCast. Just browsing through phone’s photos was fine, but I wouldn’t recommend you set-up the projector to play mobile games. It might work better to just connect your device directly with a cable to the projector to avoid lagging.

Verdict

The pandemic has changed people’s movie watching habits drastically. While nothing beats watching movies in real cinemas, families with kids and seniors who don’t want to be be confined to indoor spaces for several hours or want to save costs and don’t have space for a large-screen Smart TV can consider getting a projector for home use.

Watching one movie in a cinema these days costs roughly P400 to P500 per person, without counting the transportation and snacks. For a family of of 4, you could easily spend more than P2,000 every time you watch a movie together.

The LUMOS RAY is priced at only P8,999 while the RAY SMART at P11,999, compared to international brands which go for P20,000.

We all know that it’s really much cheaper and more practical to watch movies at home, and with the sheer amount of shows available on Netflix alone, you will never run out of new shows to watch.

The thing I like the most about the LUMOS RAY is its size and portability. Unlike typical projectors which are very heavy, this is very light and you can easily carry it with one hand. You also don’t have to lug a whole TV set to a different room and you can easily bring this when you travel or visit other people’s houses.

Since we only have one television in our condo, the LUMOS RAY projector offers an alternative screen so other people can watch on a larger screen instead of their phones or laptops. It does take some setting up, so if you already have a Smart TV at home or don’t mind watching stuff on tiny screens like your phone, you’ll probably be taking this out just for special occasions. But if you want a big screen experience and don’t have a Smart TV yet, it could be a real space-saver.

I’m looking forward to using this for an outdoor movie night with extended family later this summer. I think it would be fun to have friends and kids over to watch shows on this, without them having to take over the main TV.

Also, my cats really seemed to love watching YouTube videos of fish and birds on different walls in the house with the projector, so that alone makes me happy. Haha.

Pricing and availability

The LUMOS RAY is priced at only P8,999 and the RAY SMART at P11,999 with a one-year local warranty.

The LUMOS RAY Home Cinema Projector is now available for purchase directly from LUMOS Projector via their website at www.lumosprojector.ph/ray.

The company only ships locally in the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore.