Home projectors can be a lot of fun, whether you want one for your main entertainment center, an affordable outdoor projector to use while camping, or just one to have movie nights in the comfort of your own bed. Of course, TVs tend to offer a better quality picture when comparing options across similar price points, but there's something magical about projecting light onto a big, blank screen and watching the images come to life. Digital projectors have been prohibitively expensive for most people
until fairly recently. Some people might find the more expensive high-end projectors to be worth it, but we've started to see a whole host of affordable models hit the market over the last few years.
That said, not all of these affordable projectors boast the same level of quality. Some of them can be dim, blurry, noisy, have bland color profiles, and produce an uncomfortable amount of heat. Just because you're trying to save a bit of cash doesn't mean that you're looking to buy a lemon. The metrics for what makes a good projector can be a little difficult to understand if you've never spent much time with them before. That's why it's always a good idea to see what pro reviewers have to say about them. There are quite a few affordable models that have gotten positive reviews from major publications, but one name that seems to pop up more often than most is the Lisowod L61 Pro. This little portable projector was originally retailed for $699.99, but it has been available for less than $200 on Amazon for quite a while now and is regularly praised in professional and user reviews alike.
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The Lisowod L61 Pro Boasts Surprisingly Good Picture And Sound
One of the most fundamental qualities of any projector is that it has to be able to produce a sharp image. The Lisowod's listed specifications report that the L61 Pro has a native 1080P FHD resolution with 4K support and 6 color temperature modes to get the picture how you want it. The projector can produce a 60-300-inch image with a 3-14 feet throw distance. It also has electric autofocus with 4D/4P keystone correction. "The Lisowod L61 Pro has an ANSI rating of 1,200," said Clint Davis of People in his review. "To put that into perspective, the budget projector I use has a 600 ANSI rating, and I've used it to watch plenty of sports on a huge 150-inch screen with the garage door open and daylight pouring in. You're getting twice the brightness for essentially the same price with this sale."
The L61 Pro has some nice audio-oriented features as well. The projector itself has two 15W speakers with built-in Dolby Audio and 3D stereo sound available through Dolby Digital. It also offers Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity for fast and responsive pairing with Bluetooth speakers and sound systems. Add all this together and you'll see why Elena Vasquez of Eye and Pen ranked it among the best home projectors on the market today, stating that the "unbeatable blend of high-end brightness (1200 ANSI), HDR10+ support, and built-in Dolby Audio" were among the key reasons why the projector was chosen. These qualities are also frequently reported in the projector's Amazon reviews, with the device netting an average score of 4.8 out of 5 and users citing picture quality, ease of setup, sound quality, and value as top reasons for their high scores.
Critics Love The Lisowod L61 Pro's Movin 2.0 System
Another thing that professional reviewers seem to really enjoy about the Lisowod L61 Pro is its operating system. This projector is powered by an Android-based OS called Movin 2.0 -- an official Netflix licensed system that appears to be much faster and more responsive than most options at this price point. "The L61 Pro is powered by the Movin 2.0 operating system, which is designed to make every interaction feel fluid and seamless," says Review Projector. They go on to say, "With this modern operating system, navigating through apps becomes a breeze. You can launch your favorite streaming apps or switch between tasks without any lag." Ultimate Projector For You offered similar praise. "The custom Movin OS isn't just fast -- it's AI-optimized for multitasking and app performance," the site stated in its review. "From switching apps to loading Netflix, everything was buttery smooth. It feels like a significant leap from the sluggish experience you get with traditional Android TV boxes or knock-off projector OS systems."
On top of that, the projector has Wi-Fi 6 with dual-band 5G and 2.4G connectivity for high speeds and low latency. This is useful, since even the fastest processors can be bottlenecked by a slow internet connection. This is also helpful for anyone who might want to screencast from their phone and maintain a high-speed connection. It also includes HDMI, USB ports, and a 3.5mm audio out jack. So, while there may be a handful of projectors at this price point that might surpass the L61 in one metric or another, it seems that professional reviewers have favored the Lisowod L61 Pro for its balance of brightness, picture, and audio as well as its exemplary interface and connectivity.
Our Methodology
I've been rating and reviewing tech for the better part of a decade now. In that time, I've learned that one of the best ways to find a quality device is to take a look at what professional reviewers have had to say about it. There's nothing wrong with looking at user reviews, too, but pro reviewers bring a knowledgeable and experienced eye to these products and often include rigorous testing that goes beyond what you might expect from a typical user review.
In making this recommendation, I started by taking a look at the highest-rated projectors under a $200 price limit on Amazon, seeing this as a good entry-level price for a "cheap" projector. This narrowed the options quite a bit, and it quickly became apparent that there were a few options that were much better than the bulk of what was on offer. I examined their specifications to see if there were any clear standouts and then ran searches on each of the top options in order to figure out which of them, if any, seemed to get the most attention and praise from professional publications. There were a few standout models that received several favorable reviews, but the Lisowod L61 Pro appeared to be particularly popular among users and pro reviewers alike, making it an ideal candidate for recommendation.
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