Review: HX-7111 Mega Pro Game Projector
08-13-05, 11:55 PM
#1
DVD Talk Legend
Thread Starter
Review: HX-7111 Mega Pro Game Projector
DISCLAIMER
I have no financial interest in Mega Pro, HX-7111 projector, or anyone connected with them. I happened to buy one of their projectors off of eBay.
If you have high standards for video projectors, please stop reading at this time. This projector is NOT for you.
BACKGROUND
Although I can affort to spend $2,000-$4,000 on a video projector, I just can't bring myself to spend that much on something that I wouldn't use very often. I picked up an ancient Kodak LC-500 video projector for $100 on eBay. It is easy to operate, well made, and uses inexpensive ($6) carousel slide projector bulbs. The downside to it is that it isn't as bright as those mega-lumen projectors, the low resolution of the internal LCD panel results in a "screen door" effect (a slight but visible grid pattern). It is also a little sensitive to macrovision so there is a slight brightness shift periodically throughout a film.
After searching for reasonable projector deals on eBay, I ran across something called the Mega Pro Game Projector. It appears to be made by a Chinese company and sold worldwide under 5 or 6 different names. There is very little information and virtually no reviews of this device on the net. The one or two comments I did find mentioned a "screen door" effect and the need to be in total darkness. And with an average going price of $350 (less on eBay), 1000 hr bulb life (w/free 2nd bulb) it seemed like a projector right-up-my-alley.
There are plenty of auctions on eBay for these projectors, and after a few contentious auctions, I eventually won one... $210 brand new. $30 shipping.
CONTENTS
The projector comes with AC adapter and cable, remote control, a spare bulb, a manual (that appears to have been translated from Chinese -> Greek -> Latin -> English), and the projector itself. The projector as expected is lightweight but seems serviceable. The remote control has the necessary buttons to control the projector. There are buttons on the projector itself capable of fully controlling it.
The HX-7111 comes with the bare minimum connectors. Fortunately, they'll be sufficient for attaching virtually anything that can be attached to a TV. I thought that the headphone jack was a nice touch.
The projector has an internal speaker. It is loud enough to use by itself. There are settings to use the projector upside down (as if this would be ceiling mounted.
It also has the ability to reverse (Left/Right) the image for using it BEHIND an opaque screen. (it was probably functions that were already programmed in the ROM being used. 
)
THE TEST
I set up my make-shift review lab in my garage. I have a vintage Da-Lite 50" silver screen. I wanted to use a high quality fullscreen DVD image for my testing. Star Trek:TOS was my preference. All of the room lights were turned off. It is extremely difficult to photograph a projected image. The image below does NOT do the actual image justice. The actual image has a bright, vibrant, and sharp image. The colors were accurate.
As expected the "screen door" effect was present. But it wasn't enough to be distracting. I knew it was there because I was looking for it, but after 30 seconds, my attention was drawn to the image itself. I have a few photos where I try to capture that "screen door" effect.
I took some crib padding (thin quilted liner... plastic on one side, a fuzzy, felt-like liner on the other) and draped it over the silver screen (fuzzy side showing). Surprisingly enough, the screen door effect disappeared without noticeably effecting image brightness. I was very impressed. (and gave me some ideas )
The onscreen menu provide controls for volume, color, contrast, and a few other settings. I really didn't have to fiddle with them at all... the image looked fine on its default setting.
The projector even has a "cool down" cycle after it is powered off. That was something that I didn't expect from a low-end/no-end projector.
FINAL IMPRESSIONS
I may not be the best person to review this projector, because I can appreciate inexpensive, low quality projectors. But I'm apparently the first one willing to write more than a few sentences, so it will just have to do.
The projector did an admirable job projecting a 62" diagonal image. The picture was sharp, colors even, and brightness (in a dark room) was just fine. It is marketed as a game projector to be used with XBOX and Playstation 2, but it actually looks better projecting movies.
I took the lab outside to my backyard and projected an 11' diagonal image on a white plastic tarp. Brightness was significantly lower (as expected) but passable. I wouldn't use it all the time for a picture that large, but it was ok.
The specs on the box claim that the projector has 300 luminous flux. Now, I don't plan on sweating copper pipes in the dark so I don't know what good that flux will do.
They probably meant "lumens". If so, it probably isn't 300. More like 150-200. But in a totally dark room, or room with a very small nite light, it is fine.
All in all, it is a pretty decent deal for $210. I doubt that I would pay $350 for it, but for about $200, I'll have an extra projector for use on special occasions.
Who would I recommend this to? The average joe who has a 27" inch TV in their living room and wants a projector for special occasions like sports playoffs or an occasional movie.
There is no way, by ANYONE's definition can this projector be considered to project a high quality image. But is it horrible to the point of being unwatchable? That depends upon personal preference. For me, it is acceptable.
I hope this review is helpful to somebody...
I have no financial interest in Mega Pro, HX-7111 projector, or anyone connected with them. I happened to buy one of their projectors off of eBay.
If you have high standards for video projectors, please stop reading at this time. This projector is NOT for you.
BACKGROUND
Although I can affort to spend $2,000-$4,000 on a video projector, I just can't bring myself to spend that much on something that I wouldn't use very often. I picked up an ancient Kodak LC-500 video projector for $100 on eBay. It is easy to operate, well made, and uses inexpensive ($6) carousel slide projector bulbs. The downside to it is that it isn't as bright as those mega-lumen projectors, the low resolution of the internal LCD panel results in a "screen door" effect (a slight but visible grid pattern). It is also a little sensitive to macrovision so there is a slight brightness shift periodically throughout a film.
After searching for reasonable projector deals on eBay, I ran across something called the Mega Pro Game Projector. It appears to be made by a Chinese company and sold worldwide under 5 or 6 different names. There is very little information and virtually no reviews of this device on the net. The one or two comments I did find mentioned a "screen door" effect and the need to be in total darkness. And with an average going price of $350 (less on eBay), 1000 hr bulb life (w/free 2nd bulb) it seemed like a projector right-up-my-alley.
There are plenty of auctions on eBay for these projectors, and after a few contentious auctions, I eventually won one... $210 brand new. $30 shipping.
CONTENTS
The projector comes with AC adapter and cable, remote control, a spare bulb, a manual (that appears to have been translated from Chinese -> Greek -> Latin -> English), and the projector itself. The projector as expected is lightweight but seems serviceable. The remote control has the necessary buttons to control the projector. There are buttons on the projector itself capable of fully controlling it.
The HX-7111 comes with the bare minimum connectors. Fortunately, they'll be sufficient for attaching virtually anything that can be attached to a TV. I thought that the headphone jack was a nice touch.
The projector has an internal speaker. It is loud enough to use by itself. There are settings to use the projector upside down (as if this would be ceiling mounted.
It also has the ability to reverse (Left/Right) the image for using it BEHIND an opaque screen. (it was probably functions that were already programmed in the ROM being used. )THE TEST
I set up my make-shift review lab in my garage. I have a vintage Da-Lite 50" silver screen. I wanted to use a high quality fullscreen DVD image for my testing. Star Trek:TOS was my preference. All of the room lights were turned off. It is extremely difficult to photograph a projected image. The image below does NOT do the actual image justice. The actual image has a bright, vibrant, and sharp image. The colors were accurate.
As expected the "screen door" effect was present. But it wasn't enough to be distracting. I knew it was there because I was looking for it, but after 30 seconds, my attention was drawn to the image itself. I have a few photos where I try to capture that "screen door" effect.
I took some crib padding (thin quilted liner... plastic on one side, a fuzzy, felt-like liner on the other) and draped it over the silver screen (fuzzy side showing). Surprisingly enough, the screen door effect disappeared without noticeably effecting image brightness. I was very impressed. (and gave me some ideas
) The onscreen menu provide controls for volume, color, contrast, and a few other settings. I really didn't have to fiddle with them at all... the image looked fine on its default setting.
The projector even has a "cool down" cycle after it is powered off. That was something that I didn't expect from a low-end/no-end projector.
FINAL IMPRESSIONS
I may not be the best person to review this projector, because I can appreciate inexpensive, low quality projectors. But I'm apparently the first one willing to write more than a few sentences, so it will just have to do.
The projector did an admirable job projecting a 62" diagonal image. The picture was sharp, colors even, and brightness (in a dark room) was just fine. It is marketed as a game projector to be used with XBOX and Playstation 2, but it actually looks better projecting movies.
I took the lab outside to my backyard and projected an 11' diagonal image on a white plastic tarp. Brightness was significantly lower (as expected) but passable. I wouldn't use it all the time for a picture that large, but it was ok.
The specs on the box claim that the projector has 300 luminous flux. Now, I don't plan on sweating copper pipes in the dark so I don't know what good that flux will do.
They probably meant "lumens". If so, it probably isn't 300. More like 150-200. But in a totally dark room, or room with a very small nite light, it is fine.All in all, it is a pretty decent deal for $210. I doubt that I would pay $350 for it, but for about $200, I'll have an extra projector for use on special occasions.
Who would I recommend this to? The average joe who has a 27" inch TV in their living room and wants a projector for special occasions like sports playoffs or an occasional movie.
There is no way, by ANYONE's definition can this projector be considered to project a high quality image. But is it horrible to the point of being unwatchable? That depends upon personal preference. For me, it is acceptable.
I hope this review is helpful to somebody...
Last edited by sracer; 08-13-05 at 11:59 PM.
08-14-05, 10:39 AM
#2
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Great review!
If I had the room, I'd think about picking one of these up for fun. Just curious, since it is a game projector and all... did you try any games on it? If not and you do later, please report back on the quality.
If I had the room, I'd think about picking one of these up for fun. Just curious, since it is a game projector and all... did you try any games on it? If not and you do later, please report back on the quality.
08-14-05, 10:03 PM
#3
DVD Talk Limited Edition
sracer, thanks a lot for the time you put into it. I'm thinking of getting one of these, not because I expect it to function as well as an X1, but because its cheap enough to offset the fact that I wouldn't use it all that much outside of occasional gaming sessions with my friends (and maybe the occasional movie night).
In the price vs performance battle, I'd be willing to give up some perfomance, as long as I knew it was at least adequate for its puropse, which it seems it is.
Again, kudos.
In the price vs performance battle, I'd be willing to give up some perfomance, as long as I knew it was at least adequate for its puropse, which it seems it is.
Again, kudos.
02-06-06, 03:49 PM
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Hi- I bought the HX-7111 game projector as a gift to my husband. Am not technically savvy. Am now trying to figure out how to connect it to my dvd player and laptop. What kinda cable do I need? Any help you can give is most appreciated.
02-10-09, 11:11 PM
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Re: Review: HX-7111 Mega Pro Game Projector
Svideo is really the only way worth trying. So it has to be a laptop with Svideo. Many have that, Dell Latitudes, Apples with the proper cord, etc. Many don't.
02-11-09, 11:12 AM
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Re: Review: HX-7111 Mega Pro Game Projector
Hi thanks for the help
My laptop's a Dell Inspiron 6400
It has a s-video port, i got a s-video cable 4 pin male to male but when i connect the projector to the laptop the projector screen is blank.
I tried to activate the tv-out function in >control panel>display>intel graphics media> display devices. It says 'Multiple Display Note:Two displays need to be connected before you can use this feature. Please connect another display.'
Also when i press Fn+F8 (CRT/LCD) it says 'No external device is attached.'
The s-video port on the laptop is a 7 pin port & the cable is a 4 pin one (as is the projector port). I wonder if this matters- i read online that it should work anyways as the 4 pin cable fits into the 7 pin female port on the laptop.
The only other thing i can think of doing is to try connect the s-video on the laptop to the component RCA on the projector. I saw a cable online that can do this.
Anybody got any ideas?
Thanks
My laptop's a Dell Inspiron 6400
It has a s-video port, i got a s-video cable 4 pin male to male but when i connect the projector to the laptop the projector screen is blank.
I tried to activate the tv-out function in >control panel>display>intel graphics media> display devices. It says 'Multiple Display Note:Two displays need to be connected before you can use this feature. Please connect another display.'
Also when i press Fn+F8 (CRT/LCD) it says 'No external device is attached.'
The s-video port on the laptop is a 7 pin port & the cable is a 4 pin one (as is the projector port). I wonder if this matters- i read online that it should work anyways as the 4 pin cable fits into the 7 pin female port on the laptop.
The only other thing i can think of doing is to try connect the s-video on the laptop to the component RCA on the projector. I saw a cable online that can do this.
Anybody got any ideas?
Thanks
02-11-09, 05:01 PM
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Re: Review: HX-7111 Mega Pro Game Projector
The 7 pin output likely includes audio on the other pins. You can find a cable to adapt this real fast via Google.
I don't think I ever tried using a Dell with Svideo. Not sure what settings are needed.
I don't think I ever tried using a Dell with Svideo. Not sure what settings are needed.
02-11-09, 05:20 PM
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Re: Review: HX-7111 Mega Pro Game Projector
I'm going on 2 1/2 years with my Epson All in one Moviemate for $799. Still has original bulb and I LOVE my unit! Its in my living room..Painted a 122 inch screen on my wall with Behr White paint and I still get a hard on when I talk about it! I'll NEVER go LCD or Plasma tvs. When I upgrade my Epson it will be for the 720p. SDE on mine cant even be noticed unless theres a pure white image on screen and ya WANT to see it.
04-17-09, 07:21 PM
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Re: Review: HX-7111 Mega Pro Game Projector
I lost the power cable to goes with my mega Game projector. Does anyone know where I can get one. I have been searching online for it and nothing. Who is the manufacture?
