AV News is an unabashed fan of Vivitek’s Qumi range of personal projectors, having used the original Qumi for small room presentations from day one (it’s also one of the most popular loan items from the company collection). Vivitek has expanded the Qumi series with the introduction of the Qumi Q3 Plus, an ultra-portable LED smart projector with Android.
Qumi Q3 Plus joins Vivitek’s existing Qumi projectors – including the Qumi Q6 and the Qumi Q7 Plus – which also offer Wi-Fi connectivity and PC-free access to multimedia content. Despite being only slightly bigger than a smartphone in size and weighing just 460 grams, the Qumi Q3 Plus can project a widescreen image up to a 100” diagonal size. The projector offers native HD720p resolution, 500 lumen of brightness and 5,000:1 contrast, along with its 30,000 hours LED light-source lifetime and a 1.5GHz quad-core CPU running the Android v.4.42 OS.
To test the Qumi 3 Plus our scenario was that of a business traveller with a requirement to make informal presentations to small groups in small meeting rooms or offices with less than perfect ambient light or and perhaps no blackout The first point to make about the Qumi 3 Plus is that its 500 lumens works perfectly well in a standard office with plenty of light from multiple windows. Also increased in the 3 Plus is the volume of the 2-watt internal loudspeaker. Audio volume was our only criticism of the original Qumi.
This is important because the Qumi buyer, whether for business or pleasure, is looking for the ultimate in portability. The Qumi 3 Plus combined with an iPhone or an Android smartphone and a Wi-Fi makes up a complete business presentation or home entertainment solution weighing less than a Kilo. Even the smartphone is not essential. Users with their content in the cloud can use the unit’s Wi-Fi functionality for access to files via a web browser. Easy access to preloaded online streaming content provider apps enables users to watch movies or TV programs via services like Netflix and YouTube, without having to use a mobile phone.
Capabilities
Portability is enhanced by the unit’s internal battery. The battery gives users the option of playing back video, photos, documents and other content from a PC-free reader via a USB drive, microSD cards or from onboard memory. Boosting its flexibility further, is the Qumi Q3 Plus’ built-in Wi-Fi connectivity, which gives users more choice over where the projector is situated and makes it ideal for those who travel a lot. We set it on a camera tripod using the standard screw connection in which takes up very little space and makes positioning the image very straightforward
With built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth our tests showed that the Qumi 3 Plus really is easy to instantly switch on and to project a 2.6m/100” diagonal screen anywhere you want. Mirroring was successful with both iOS and Android mobile devices, although we found Miracast easier to use than the Happycast app also provided. While he audio provided is decent for the size of the unit, we elected to enhance the sound with Bluetooth pairing to a portable active loudspeaker.
Picture quality from the 720p projector was more than acceptable, although some adjustment, we felt, was necessary to compensate for the overly warm colour hues. Defining a user set of parameters we found easy and much improved the results. Performance of the Qumi 3 Plus was generally good, with some jitters which we put down to flaky Wi-Fi. The Qumi 3 Plus has a 1.5GHz quad-core CPU running Android v.4.42 operating system with 8GB of onboard memory.
Beyond the operating system’s onboard memory, a MicroSD or USB flash drive can be utilised to provide an additional 64GB memory (e.g. for preloading media content for viewing later). Overall, the Qumi 3 Plus is an ideal consumer / B2B end-user device. It’s easy to set-up, with automatic vertical keystone correction One handy tip is to use one of the 2 USB slots to hook-up a mouse for set-up (you need to enter your Wi-Fi access codes to use many of the features described). Being a solid state LED unit, the Qumi 3 Plus overcomes that most basic end-user objections to projection – the need to replace lamps. The unit has an advertised product lifetime of. 30,000 hours
Key Features
Ultra-portable smart projector with Android OS, wireless connectivity, and built-in rechargeable battery.
Built-in Quad-Core @1.5GHz CPU running Android™ v.4.42 operating system
TI’s DLP®TRP chip technology for stable colour, image quality and low power consumptions
Native HD720p resolution with high definition Full HD 1080p compatibility
Brightness of 500 lumens and 5,000:1
Project a large a 0.7m (136”) image from about 5m (16.3ft) from the projection surface
Digital auto keystone correction and power image focus.
Connectivity options including built-in HDMI, USB, audio-out and microSD slot
Integrated media and document viewer conveniently plays office, photos, videos and audio files without connecting to a PC
Built-in 2w (x2) stereo loudspeakers with audio-out.
Price and availability
The Qumi Q3 Plus will be available in white, black, red and gold at a list price of £429 including VAT.
