Capsule II Nebula Mini Projector: Canned TV

The new Nebula Capsule II is a box-shaped mini portable projector. It can create a 720p HD image with a maximum diagonal of 100 inches. But like all mini-projectors, it is not bright enough to work anywhere other than in dark spaces. Its speaker is integrated so you do not have to worry about Bluetooth. It also integrates Android TV, so you will not have to worry about HDMI technology or streaming from your phone (although you can also perform these operations).

I could see him getting into people's bags like a portable projector that ticks a lot of boxes. I could also see most people hesitate at its cost: $ 579. Anker's predecessor to the Capsule II Nebula was our choice for the best mini projector of last summer. This new model is so much better than it is unfortunate that it costs so much. It's a great little gadget.

Unless you want to watch Netflix with.

I love mini projectors. (You can also call them microprojectors or pico-projectors, which allows me to quickly play with the terminology of this category.) The basic idea is that you have something radically smaller than a projector to traditional bulb to your ceiling. You can go camping by mini projector or use it in your garden.

The Capsule II is portable enough to be placed anywhere, but it is a little bigger than the old one. (Imagine one of those gigantic Foster's beer cans, then increase it a little.) You can hold it in one hand and throw it into most bags, but you'll feel the weight it weighs.

Even if you do not know exactly what you want, it's fun to imagine where you could create a gigantic screen on a whim – even if it's only a matter of projecting a horse on your friend. . But use a mini projector, even a little, and you will see that they are still stuck in a particular phase of technological development: the violin area.

There is so much to play with a mini projector! You must find a place dark enough to use it (not to mention a large enough surface and flat to project). You must make sure that it is aligned, straight and focused. You must find how to get the video you really want to watch on. You have to figure out how to get enough so everyone can hear it.

With an ordinary projector, you do everything in advance. You create a permanent installation somewhere in your home for a weekend (or three), so that using your projector is as simple as turning on a traditional TV. With a portable mini projector, you face these challenges pretty much every time you want to use it.

The basic premise of Capsule II is that it reduces the number of things to handle. It's almost entirely successful in that, with some uncomfortable errors that are annoying but do not spoil the experience.

In practical terms, Capsule II solves two problems that few portable projectors manage. First, it has a built-in 8W speaker, which means you have one less thing to worry about when you're scheduled to watch a movie. You can even use it in Bluetooth speaker mode, which has the added benefit of lasting much longer than the standard three hours of operation in projector mode.

The second problem solved by Capsule II is simply inserting content into the projector so that it can project it. It has an HDMI-in port, but most of the time, you do not need it because it runs a clean and native version of Android TV. This means that you can use standard Smart TV apps downloaded directly from the Google Play Store. As long as you can get Wi-Fi, you can stream video from any application on the device.

If you have the video saved locally on your phone, it will support Chromecast from multiple apps. The device itself has very little local storage and Android TV apps are not designed for downloaded content anyway. You can also play videos in other ways, including downloaded apps that are not available in the Google Play Store for Android TV or directly from video files saved on a USB flash drive. (If you know what I mean, and I think you do.)

There is an included remote control, so you can use this projector as any smart TV. In fact, it comes with built-in Google wizard, allowing you to talk remotely for searches. If you do not lose anything of this article, remember this: it's a portable projector as easy to use as your smart TV, and it's wonderful.

All this simplicity made Capsule II's most serious term even more frustrating: the only way to play Netflix on it is a ridiculous workaround. You may remember that Netflix is ​​very picky about the devices he will certify for his video, and Capsule II has not made the cut yet. The Netflix certification block also applies to video casting, unfortunately. So, to watch Netflix, you must either be smart enough to load it yourself or you have to do it the way Anker does.

Anker's way is to install the smartphone app controller application and then send you a series of complicated steps to load Netflix directly into the device. (If you were just hoping to use Cast for Netflix, sorry, that does not work either.) From now on, you can only run Netflix by pressing the smartphone app button. Everything works technically, but it's a terrible experience. It's pretty hard to ask users to install a literal file browser application, and it's just as hard to use a button on the phone to launch Netflix.

About rough: Amazon Prime Video is not compatible with this device either. In addition to these limitations, I was able to watch all kinds of movies, HBO shows and YouTube videos. Hulu, Spotify, Pandora. Sling, Showtime, CBS All Access and many other standard smart TV apps are also available.

Beyond looking for the content you want to watch, the challenge is to get a sharp, rectangular and accurate picture. When you install Capsule II, it can use lasers for autofocus. Until here everything is fine. Unfortunately, the probability that you get the picture exactly where you want it the first time will be low, so you will move the capsule slightly to fix it. Once you have done it will become blurry.

Anker has configured the software to trigger autofocus when the device is moved, but it does not work very well. The solution is to hold down the HDMI button on the remote control to activate autofocus, which is fine. But if you do not have the remote at your fingertips, the only way to fix autofocus – and that's what Anker suggests – is to take charge of it and shake he.

The last tricky thing you need to do to get a good picture is the "keystone" setting, which gives your image the appearance of a proper rectangle instead of a trapezoid. Capsule II can only adjust vertical, not horizontal, keystone distortion. This means that you will need to position your projector directly in the center of the surface on which you want to project.

Getting vertical and horizontal distortion adjustments in something as small would be difficult, and Anker also tells me that, to "comply with the Android TV certification rules, we had to use only vertical distortion" . This is not serious, but you should be aware. There is a standard tripod stand at the bottom of the projector, so I use it with a standard Joby GorillaPod tripod to place it more easily in the right place.

All this seems disastrous, but in practice, it is not the case, at least if you have the remote control and something good to install the Capsule II. You center it on a wall, point it up, press the button to autofocus, and you're done. Then it's time to start playing a movie, and as long as you have some kind of Wi-Fi, it's as simple as doing it on your TV (without Netflix and Amazon Prime video). Professional Tip: Make sure Google Play video clips are connected to your Movies Anywhere account so you can access video footage purchased from Amazon or iTunes.

Once a video is in progress, the experience is enjoyable. The photo can become very large and does not seem to lose focus over time. From my experience, the battery life can reach a little under three hours, although you want to have a charger or a backup battery (it recharges via USB -C) just in case. There is a fan that you can certainly hear inside, but it is not loud enough to distract you from the real sound of the video you are watching.

When it comes to image quality, do not expect it to be as good as your TV. You will need a dark area and the larger the screen, the darker your room must be. Anker ranks it at 200 ANSI lumens, which means it's brighter than many other tiny projectors, but far from being as bright as a dedicated projector that you plug into. I sprayed it on many different surfaces and as long as the surface was flat, it produced a clear and sharp 720p image.

A portable projector is definitely an "ambitious" gadget. You can easily imagine all kinds of situations in which you would be the hero with a television in your bag. Personally, I like having it because I do not want a TV in my room. But sometimes, you know, you just need to sit in bed all day and eat something, or maybe you have a backyard and want to spend some time in the movies.

All this sounds good! But it also looks like the kind of thing you dreamed about, but probably will not do everything you imagine. If it was a cheaper gadget, I would advise you to go on and buy your dream – you are only going to live once – but $ 579 is way too much to spend on a daydream.

If the price does not deter you and you're also the kind of person who does not care about these video content bypass solutions (I do not judge), I think it's a great little TV in a box . I'm glad to have one. But as I said before: if you have to make several warnings before recommending a product, it's not really an enthusiastic endorsement.

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