I used to be one of them For a long time, those “I don’t have a TV” people. Literally my entire adult life, except for those times when I shared my living space with people who brought their own rooms to parties.
After all these years, my exact motivations are a bit hazy, but to some extent it’s a lifestyle you get used to – one that can occasionally make your job as a hardware reviewer a bit troublesome .
The truth is, however, that over the past decade, the distinction between owning and not owning a TV has become increasingly blurred. Perhaps as vague as the definition of television itself. Think of this cord cutter’s journey as a kind of overhead Ship of Theseus. At some point along the way we severed our last ties first to terrestrial television and then to the cable companies.
Movies, live television, sports—all these familiar paradigms have been adapted to the digital age. Ultimately, it’s entirely up to you how similar you want your home setup to be like previous models. Personally, I have no allegiance to live television, and John Fisher, owner of the Oakland Athletics, watched firsthand as my primary connection to professional sports was severed.
All my home movie/TV viewing happens first on my laptop, then my tablet. Over the next few years, any initial stance I might have taken against owning a TV became virtually arbitrary, except for two: space and money. Of course, TV prices continue to drop over time—though that doesn’t include sound systems and all the other ephemeral stuff. On the other hand, as long as I live in a city like New York on a journalist’s salary, space becomes an issue.
I’ve been thinking about projector lifespan for years – and I’ve tested a few here and there. The large screen is very attractive and you can put it away when not in use. Until recently, however, price and ease of use seemed to lag significantly behind when compared to more popular TV options.
Founded in Shenzhen for more than ten years, Anker has grown into an accessories giant. Overall, the company does a good job of balancing price, quality, and creative design. I’ve recommended many of their products over the years and have been wanting to check out the Anker Nebula projector for some time.
Just before the holidays, I contacted the company to review review equipment and purchase a reasonably priced projector screen. My original goal was to purchase something in the 70 to 80 inch range, not sure at all whether anything larger would fit in my living room and/or bedroom. Even low-end televisions are much larger than average televisions, which range in size from 30 to 65 inches.
The story of how I ended up installing a 100-inch projector screen in my bedroom is a completely underwhelming combination of pricing, comparison shopping, and reading reviews. But now, we’ve gone from watching all our TV shows and movies on iPads to having to bypass the movie screen every time we wake up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom.
Image Source: Brian Hitt
However, screens are like many other things in technology: once you get used to it, you suddenly wonder how you survived all these years without it.
The Anker Nebula Capsule 3, released earlier this year, is more or less the projector I’ve been looking for. It’s compact (the company compares it to the size and shape of a soda can), simple to use, and very self-contained. The price issue is an interesting one here. The device retails for $800 (although you can often find it for $50 less on sites like Amazon).
You can find a 60-inch 1080p smart TV for a few hundred dollars. As with any big purchase, a cost-benefit analysis must be done here. A 100in TV can cost over £1, but the Capsule 3 can output up to 120in. Including the projector screen, it’s still $70 for me. Like many screens, mine is actually a frame of PVC pipe supporting a taut, silky white sheet.
The Capsule has a nice Bluetooth speaker and Chromecast built-in, which is its plus point. However, to deal with this issue head-on is the fact that even with a laser projection system, the image will only give you the effect you need in a completely dark room. You’ll also need to find the right place to place your projector to avoid potential obstacles. You also have to deal with the calibration process every time you move the projector or screen.
That last bit isn’t as daunting as it sounds. The system does a great job of automatically calibrating and reducing screen size to avoid obstacles. However, I often found myself using the included remote or the Nebula app to better fit my screen size.
Image Source: Brian Hitt
For compact design and portability, you can’t beat the Nebula right now. I only use it at home so it’s basically plugged in. But it can play for about 2.5 hours on a single charge, so you can watch a lot of movies not directed by Martin Scorsese. When the weather warms up, the idea of rolling up your screen and taking your projector outdoors is certainly appealing.
At $800, it should probably be viewed more as a TV replacement than a secondary screen. For many, the need for total darkness and the problems with the calibration process are enough reasons to argue against it. If you’ve been seriously considering purchasing a home projector and want something that’s portable and easy to use without breaking the bank, the Capsule 3 is undoubtedly your best choice.
