BOB SHARE

The Optoma ML550 is one in all the tiniest DLP projectors we’ve ever seen. consideration a mere 380g and measure simply 39x105x106mm, this small recording machine is even additional compact than our greatest Buy-winning Asus P1M projector. It’s good for slotting in your bag if you’re on your thanks to a business meeting, however you’ll ought to take its power device with you as there’s no internal battery. Its crystal rectifier lamp will manufacture a really bright five hundred ANSI lumens and its large lamp lifetime of twenty,000 hours suggests that it’ll last a protracted time.

We had no drawback viewing pictures projected by the ML550 in our bright lit room, therefore you won’t ought to use it in black to urge the simplest image. In our check PowerPoint presentation we have a tendency to might browse black-on-white text and white-on-black text terribly simply, and hues were bright and vivacious. we have a tendency to were even able to fathom an honest level of detail in our high-contrast check photos.

Its native one,280x800 resolution looked sharp, however its short vary of 55cm to three.23m suggests that it’s best suited to little meeting rooms wherever youll be able to place it on a table simply ahead of the projection surface. we have a tendency to still managed a 66in diagonal screen size at 2 metres, though, and atiny low, height-adjustable foot at the front of the projector helps angle the projector upwards. Sadly, there’s no optical zoom, however its digital zoom goes how to form up for it. Its lens ring helps you to change image focus.

Its image settings area unit rather restricted, however its four planned modes, together with Cinema, Bright, picture and computer. we have a tendency to {preferred|most popular|most we have a tendency toll-liked} exploitation computer Mode as we felt this provided the simplest balance between bright and correct colors and smart distinction. picture created terribly similar results, however Bright was way too yellow and Cinema was alittle oversaturated.

You can conjointly use the onscreen menu to regulate the brightness, distinction and ratio settings exploitation the remote or the buttons on the highest surface of the projector. Luckily, all the menu buttons have little crystal rectifier backlights therefore they’re straightforward to choose move into low lightweight conditions and exploitation them to navigate the menu didn’t build the projector bounce up and down an excessive amount of either.



The ML550 incorporates a fantastic vary of inputs around the back and it caters for people who don’t wish to hold a laptop computer with them very well. There’s a microSD card slot, associate degree HDMI input that conjointly supports MHL therefore youll be able to show content from associate degree MHL-compatible phone or pill whereas charging it at an equivalent time, and a USB2 port. The ML550 conjointly comes with a universal I/O cable that incorporates a VGA device and a three.5mm audio input device.

If you’d rather not have the effort of connecting external devices, the projector has one.5GB of internal memory for storing little documents in addition as photos and audio and video files. The projector had no hassle displaying PDF and Microsoft workplace files, however it usually took a couple of seconds to load every page, significantly if we have a tendency to were scrolling through long documents. It compete most of our check videos too, together with MP4, H.264, XVID, WMV, MOV, MKV and AVI clips.

The ML550 conjointly supports Optoma’s WU5205 mini Wi-Fi electronic device. This’ll set you back another £50 (from WWW.projectorplanet.co.uk), however if you connect this to the projector’s USB port youll be able to use it to project documents and media from your phone or pill once you’ve downloaded the free EZ read app for iOS and mechanical man.

If all that wasn’t enough, the Optoma ML550’s conjointly 3D-ready, which implies youll be able to use it to play 3D films. {the only|the thereforele} draw back is that it doesn’t escort 3D glasses so you’ll ought to get Optoma’s ZD301 DLP-Link active shutter glasses one by one (£55 from WWW.projectorplanet.co.uk).

Its single 1W speaker is another welcome addition as these area unit still quite rare on transportable projectors. The sound quality isn’t significantly sensible, and it’s never adequate for looking films, however it’s higher than not having any speakers in any respect.

The Optoma ML550 definitely incorporates a wide selection of options, however such flexibility comes at a high worth. It’s way more costly than the Asus P1M, however we predict the ML550 justifies the additional expense because it not solely connects to a way larger vary of devices, however it may also be utilized in all kinds of lighting conditions. It wins a Best get award.

The particle Air professional two is AN action camera with attention on simple use. like the Contour Roam2, beginning and stopping recording is as easy as flicking the turn on prime of the camera. The Air professional two has the bonus of an obsessive single shot button, too, therefore you do not have to be compelled to connect the camera to your pc to change to picture mode.

This is undoubtedly an honest factor, as were not affected with Ions computer code in any respect. youll install the computer computer code from the cameras microSD card by plugging the camera into your computer, however this didn’t seem to survive wiping the Mount Rushmore State card and particle bizarrely does not provide the computer code for transfer from its web site. theres the choice to transfer waterproof computer code, however this refused to recognise our camera.

The iOS and automaton apps werent far better. These need you to own the optional  Air professional two Wi-Fi adapter, that helps you to create a right away association to the camera. The iOS app allow us to amendment settings, like flicking the camera mode between single shot, burst and 5/10/30/60s time lapse modes, however as shortly as we tend to tried the remote camera read itd drop the association. The automaton app would allow us to read a (jerky) feed from the camera, however the app was slow and poorly-designed.

This is a shame, as we tend to just like the cameras basic style. As mentioned higher than, it is easy to begin and stop recording and take photos with the rubber buttons on prime, and therefore the camera is waterproof up to ten metres down without having a further case.

The Air professional two comes with a helpful stand, that has bendy legs to assist it match on a range of surfaces. not like tripods like Jobys Gorillapod, though, you cannot bend the legs all the far to wrap it around objects like poles. the most equipped mount could be a sticky base with a ball socket that you clip the cameras mount into.

The ball and socket style definitely makes the camera simple to position at the angle and elevation you would like. sadly, it is less proof against being jolted around than a rigid mount, as found on cameras like the Contour Roam2 and Drift HD Ghost.

This was evident throughout our testing. we tend to mounted the camera on the bonnet of AN HPI athletics Bullet MT guided wheel and took some high-speed runs through the woods. The Ions footage wobbled and sheared because the camera enraptured vertically on its mount, and infrequently over the speed runs inform down towards the ground rather than straight ahead.

This was a shame, as its static footage was a number of the better-quality we tend to had seen, with saturated colors and an affordable level of detail. There area unit variety of alternative mounts out there from the computer network.ioncamera.com shop, like a suction mount for £27 and a motorbike mount for £18. The bike mount uses constant ball and socket joint, which can be a tangle if you are going cross-country, however the suction mount screws directly into very cheap of the camera. The Air professional two additionally includes a customary stand screw mount on very cheap, therefore you will be able to use third-party mounts and tripods.

Despite its attractiveness, out-of-the-box toughness and helpful enclosed stand, were not fans of the Air professional 2s mounting system, computer code and apps. The Contour Roam2 could be a more sensible choice at this value.