In a world where things are being done on the move, the new Samsung SP-H03 Pico Projector seems to be a godsend.
This cube-like projector is small, highly-portable and light; suitable for business and personal users on the move.
The projector comes in an equally small carrying case, although when moving around one will need an extra carry case for the AC adapter and a few cables.
Setting up the projector is fairly straightforward. All you need to do is find a wall or a screen about three metres away, connect the SP-H03 to a video source or use the touch-screen to navigate the internal memory, and hit play.
The projector can connect to a computer or video source but can read files from its 1GB internal memory device that works like a USB drive.
Although it is small, it gives a smooth motion as well as crisp and clear pictures. This is good for presentations or slide shows like photos. It can also show video without the need of a laptop or video source.
Given a dark room with a good screen, the device works wonderfully as a PC projector - the colours are bright; text is sharp; while DVD movies play smoothly.
Fancy controls
When using this projector, one will not find fancy controls like white balance and keystone adjustments, but there are several test pattern and solid-colour screens available to help fine-tune the image.
The left side of the projector features a focusing slider as well as an SD card slot. It also has a built-in speaker, which delivers good sound even though mono. One can plug a headset into the stereo audio output to have a more intimate sound.
On the back is a plastic hatch that covers the 15-pin connector, mini-USB port, composite AV jack, headphone jack, and power.
What I liked about the projector is the fact that it is designed to be as self-contained as possible. The SPH03 Pico Projector sits on top of a rechargeable battery, which last up to two or three hours depending on the use.
The downside about this projector is that users cannot charge it via USB or access the external micro SD card via USB either. The USB only gets you to the internal 1GB memory device.
There's 1GB of internal memory, but one can also play files from microSD cards up to 16GB and USB flash drives of any size. Unfortunately, it doesn't support portable USB hard disks.
Notably, a VGA cable to plug in a notebook is not included. The other flaw in the projector's presentation is that it does not have a remote control, which makes it difficult to deliver PowerPoint presentations. There is also no way to adjust the projection angle and it does not come with a tripod.
It has a backlit touch-sensitive selection and menu buttons on top which glow blue when pressed and this makes it easy to read in the dark.
However, touch key control always lags; this can be annoying and one has to be patient. There is a delay between pressing the buttons and the projector's response.
Vexing menu
The other thing I found annoying was that some aspects of the menu were hard to follow. It took me several tries to understand it. I had to get help to choose an image source from the menu structure.
The manual's instructions are not easy to follow; I had to use my imagination to navigate through the functions of the projector.
Switching off the SPH03 Pico Projector is also a nightmare. I struggled to switch it off and to be honest, I still don't know how to shut it down because I switched it off accidentally.
I would greatly recommend this projector to business executives who are always on the move as well as for home use.
This tiny projector offers appealing looks and great presentation combined with good battery life. It also gives above-average performance and more features than many projectors.
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