Pocket projectors: PIQO and Philips PicoPix Max

[PowerGod]

First video review:
The guy point out some interesting things:
- he doesn't find all the wireless connection methods that were advertised
- the angle correction seems acting weird is some circumstances
- he says that he can see the pixels, and this is interesting

The author told to have updated the device, but Piqo still said nothing about the release of the fixed firmware.

Anyway I laughed at the "You can't login in YouTube, so you can only search for videos, but I don't know what to search, so this device has no use for me."

EDIT:
I'm already imagining it connected to the Pyra via HDMI

 

[Delightful Dude]

the angle correction seems acting weird is some circumstances

I don't think there is anything strange with the automatic angle correction, this guy just puts the sheet of paper in a wrong angle. He just doesn't know what he is doing. As he puts the beamer sideways, you could see that the picture is in the right angle to the background:

Anyway I laughed at the "You can't login in YouTube, so you can only search for videos, but I don't know what to search, so this device has no use for me."

This guy is so dumb ...

The only thing you need on a android streaming devices is KODI + addons.

 

[PowerGod]

I don't think there is anything strange with the automatic angle correction, this guy just puts the sheet of paper in a wrong angle. He just doesn't know what he is doing. As he puts the beamer sideways, you could see that the picture is in the right angle to the background

I'm not sure what kind of sensors are used to correct the image, I suppose it just uses only the gyroscope then.

 

[levi]

I suspect it was actually looking at the wooden board behind the paper. That does make sense now the Dude above mentions it. Means you always have to use a screen that's bigger than the image it's projecting, unless you're lucky I guess. Or I guess it could only be using a MEMS gyro.

I think you're being a little harsh on the guy for his youtube comment. He did immediately explain himself by saying it would take an age to enter in a search term using the projector alone.

Now personally I only ever watch youtube videos either from users I'm following (over good old RSS) or things I've explicitly searched for (usually old gameplay footage), but I guess this guy depends on the recommendation engine built into youtube if you can log in, I presume.

And it does seem to be a little brighter than I was assuming. We don't know how warm it gets in use, but no reviewer has mentioned it that I've seen yet, so that's promising.

 

[PowerGod]

I really hope that all those people shouting for a lawyer or a class action will never pre-order a Pyra... most of them aren't even in the first batch but are still complaining about not having received the projector...

 

[Hellfleck]

I'm not sure what kind of sensors are used to correct the image,

the use a small camera (also doing the auto focus) and I think they just look for a string light / dark contrast to extrapolate the image they are throwing and then trying to correct it

my guess would be the program sees the paper as the actual screen as it contrasts so much with the background and ramps the keystone correction up to maximum (way overdoing it)

as for the brightness ... a small image e.g. A4 will be perfectly bright, if the image size goes up brightness goes down dramatically

what puzzles me is that he could see pixels and the image was slightly unsharp, I tested an A4 sized projection with my Capsul II just now and there is no way he could have seen pixels ... as for the unsharp, thats possible if you get too close - the projector can not focus if you get too close

 

[PowerGod]

A user (Zikrun Badri) tested the resolution capabilities of the projector and confirm that it is 1080p capable, but there's indeed something wrong in the configuration, especially on the HDMI input.

Here the pictures of his tests:

So seems like that it is indeed a firmware issue.

Now, as far as I know, there's only an issue some people complained about, the noise of the fan.
But all of them were redirected to their email support, so it is not clear if it could be an hardware issue of some limited devices, or the normal behavior.
A user spoke in a way that seemed you can turn manually the fan off, so it is also not clear if it is controlled by the firmware or by hand.

Oh, and there's still the incognita about working wireless connection methods, but maybe those are firmware related too.

 

[PowerGod]

Every time I go to the project page I have headache reading over and over all the same comments with people asking for refunds, asking why it is not arrived yet even if they aren't in the first batch, shouting about a scam and everything else...

Luckily in the mean time, unboxing videos are starting to appear.

Still the solution for 1080p issue is unclear, but I'm pretty happy for what I already see.



EDIT:
A thing that I noted is that the guy in these videos doesn't check if YouTube is actually playing the video in the titled resolution, even at my home I can click on a 4K video, but if i'm lucky it can be streamed only at 720p, or worse... he should be really confident about his internet connection.

 

[Hellfleck]

it's so cute and tiny

has someone tested the actualy playtime yet ? the claimed 5h I still do not see with that size

 

[PowerGod]

has someone tested the actualy playtime yet ? the claimed 5h I still do not see with that size

With people constantly complaining it's difficult to get a proper time value... some says "almost" 1 hour (so you can't even watch a movie), others says "almost" 4, but without specifying all the conditions... the sure thing is that wireless connectivity drains a lot of battery, and with those active it is impossible to reach 5 hours.

Also seems like that the majority of people just uses it for YouTube, so it means that a Browser is running and with connectivity.
I suppose that the situation could change a lot if a normal player is used to watch a local file, or even just using HDMI input.

I don't even know if the battery could work better after some use.

My only complain is that this thing cannot be recharged by the Pyra
(Or at least I'm not sure if it could be recharged by USB... but I don't get why the recharger has an USB plug too...)

EDIT:

YES!! Could be recharged by USB !!
Now I imagine it plugged BOTH to the Pyra HDMI and to the Pyra USB to boost its playtime !!

 

[PowerGod]

They are promising an official update in the next 48 hours... well, it was about time !

EDIT:
Well... indeed they posted an update, but it's actually not what people wanted to know...

In short, they apologize for all the issues they are having with shipping, explaining in detail what problems they are facing with each country.

And... nothing else...

It is pretty obvious that most of the people wants an official update about the 1080p situation.

 

[PowerGod]

I'll stay short, in the last days turned out what TI chip is used for the projector, and it is DLP 3310.

So, the specifics of the hardware are indeed the promised ones.

The chip can be set for different kind of resolutions/modes, so it is more credible now that a firmware fix could solve the 1080p issues.

My only concern now is still the one that people will start a class action before I'll receive mine... just because they don't want to wait anymore.

 

[PowerGod]

Now the resolution drama could have a twist, because this user seems to know what he is speaking about:

PIQO, You claim that the PIQO projector uses a Texas Instruments DLP3100 chip which, if true, would mean the unit is capable of projecting true 1080p images. However, EVERY backer who has received the projector has said the pixels of the PIQO are diamond shaped. BUT, the TI DLP3100 chip has square pixels, as detailed on the TI website linked above. PIQO, tell us the truth. What DLP projection chip is actually used in this projector.

 

[PowerGod]

They are STILL deliberately evading answers about the 1080p issue... till now there is no official answer about the fix they are working on or the exact specifications of the chip...

They didn't even answer to questions like "Have you tried it in your lab at 1080p ?"

At least, even with an incredible amount of issues during delivery, they are still sending them to people.

Maybe at some point someone will open the device to confirm the type of DLP chip installed...

 

[Hellfleck]

thanks for keeping us updated

 

[PowerGod]

Something EXTREME happened, but still there is nothing clear... "seems" like another site they used to sell the device advised the "future" users that the product is not 1080p, but instead 480p, and gave some choices to the manufacturer to modify the product or send a refund...

https://translate.google.co.jp/translate?hl=ja&sl=ja&tl=en&u=https://earthship.co.jp/1105/

Now, the funny thing is that PIQO answers to this with "Hi <name>, we do not know the source of that post. We're still verifying it"

So, in the end the situation is a claimed 1080p product, that is reported 720p in the system info, but instead is 480p ??? WTF

Anyway, still no one opened the product to check the actual DLP chip... so there is still hope that the other one is just another chinese copy, after all on indiegogo they keep telling that they are just selling there and nowhere else...

People on indiegogo are asking like crazy the refunds right now...

 

[PowerGod]

Ok, finally someone opened the device !! So what turned out ?!

*** DRUM ROLL ***

Spoiler

The comunication is so inexistent that I really can't understand well what is happening here... I mean, if it was REALLY a proper SCAM, they should have disappeared months ago, and the entire campaign was overly well made... instead they are still there distributing the device...

So, seems to me they are just ignoring what is happening... like they tried to make a custom device from this site
https://www.wejoyledprojector.com/product/s12-dlp-mini-smart-portable-projector/
that also was showing it as 1080p

And here the DIY page:
https://www.wejoyledprojector.com/diy/

So all the issue they have in distributing it could be because they are also expecting the deliveries from that site...

In the end the chip could deliver only WVGA (854 x 480).


...STILL... there is something that doesn't make sense to me... WHY they don't run with the money ?! They stopped pre-orders months ago !! WHY they are still delivering the product ?!

If there were still people believing in the product specifications and with the will to wait longer, now almost everyone of them are shouting "SCAM" and "REFUND"... but still... they are delivering...

 

[levi]

Perhaps they also misread the product page, so they feel themselves to be conned as well. If you search that product page for 'resolution' it does say there it's 854x480 but in one of the images headed 'Big Vivid Image' it says you can expect to get 'a 84-inches picture in clear full HD 1080p quality'.

Also, maybe they've given all of the shipping details to the chinese factory, and they are all coming from there.

 

[PowerGod]

Now that all the cards are uncovered on the table, no more dramas !!

Just as a final post, at least until I'll receive the device, here the options that people have right now (just to have some fun ):

1) Ask refund AFTER receiving the device:

Sorry for the inconvenience!
As this order is fulfilled, we don’t provide a service of refund.
Thank you very much!

2) Ask refund BEFORE receiving the device:

We can provide you with a refund. However, please note that due to difficulties in opening a PayPal account as a non-US company, we are only providing refunds through international wires and will need to deduct 11% of the order total from the refund due to Indiegogo’s fees (https://support.indiegogo.com/hc/en...for-Campaigners-How-much-does-Indiegogo-cost-) and BackerKit fees (https://www.backerkit.com/plans).
Additionally, for every transaction that we make, there will be a $50 bank wire fee that is automatically charged against the refund. This fee is charged directly by our bank for international transfers. The fee is $40 if your bank is within Hong Kong. If you’re not familiar with wires, the median international bank wire is $45: https://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/banking/wire-transfers-what-banks-charge/.
For example – if your order value was $300, you would receive a total refund of $300 – $33 – $50 = $217 to be sent via wire. For further information on wire banking fees, please also see: https://smartasset.com/checking-account/average-wire-transfer-fee.
Please fill out this form if you would like a refund: https://goo.gl/forms/Th6kAlKp3OJHKe5U2. We will start processing refunds once we have finished shipping orders which will be in the next few months.

3) Ask for help to INDIEGOGO:

Thanks for writing in. I’m sorry to hear that your perk is not what you expected. Although Indiegogo is not able to guarantee perks will be satisfactory, we recommend you contact the campaigner directly to let them know details of the perk you received, as they are solely in charge of distributing their perks.

4) Filling a dispute with the Credit Card company.

Result may vary.


5) Waiting the device

 

[Silent-Hunter]

What is the brightness like? 854x480 is enough for me as I would mostly use it for pre-HD content anyway. Although I suppose they aren't selling them anymore? Is it a clone of another device?