Cozying up for a movie night is something anyone would look forward to. It may not even matter what movie you’re watching, although picking the right one can really make the night special. Sitting down and getting comfy in your home theater setup is all you want to do.
You have to have the right setup to make this happen. Most people think it all comes down to a big screen TV with built-in streaming services and a killer soundbar to make it feel like you’ve recreated a movie theater in your home. But it really doesn’t. You can enjoy a movie night almost anywhere if you have a projector. My family and I have personally loved opting for a projector on movie nights because it means we can make that movie theater setup a reality without the expensive equipment.
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Projectors can give you more flexibility
I like being able to pick it up and move it
I have the Magcubic Auto Keystone Correction Portable Projector, which cost me less than $100 when I purchased it on Amazon a few years ago. It now retails for under $60 if this is the projector that you’re interested in.
This obviously costs way less than any TV, and it has some significant advantages as well. My favorite thing about watching movies and shows on my projector is the versatility that comes with using it. It’s so lightweight, making it simple to bring with me wherever I need it. That’s generally the case with most projectors these days. You’ll get different specs from many of them, such as resolution, throw, and brightness.
But most of them are incredibly portable, making it easy to move around with them. We originally decided on a projector because we wanted to watch TV and movies outside during the summer. We have a good-sized deck and thought it would make sense to watch the Summer Olympics outside at night. It works for us to project it onto the siding of our house, which is lighter in color and, at night, it looks great.
I wrestled with buying an outdoor TV before realizing that carrying it in and out of the house or trying to mount it to our home and make sure that it didn’t get affected by storms was too much of a hassle. Packing up a projector and moving it inside if the weather turns is much easier and replaced the idea of a TV for me.
The streaming situation is similar
Many projectors let you stream with ease
A lot of projectors these days have operating systems with built-in streaming apps. The Magcubic features an Android 11 OS and comes with a few pre-installed apps but also access to the Google Play Store and over 4,000 apps.
I love watching Yankee games outside during the summer using this, thanks to being able to download that streaming app. But your main entertainment apps, like Prime Video and Peacock, can all be used on this as well. It makes it easier to take advantage of all the streaming services I pay for.
What else is nice is if I want to watch something on a site or service that there isn’t a native app for on the projector, I can screen mirror my laptop and cast it onto the screen. It does require me to take my laptop to wherever my projector is, which is a bit of a hassle when you’re watching something outside.
In the past, I’ve had problems logging into Netflix on my projector. But the way around it is to screen mirror the app through my laptop.
Regardless of what you want to watch, you’ll likely be able to find a way with a projector, as long as it can be streamed. If you want to hook up an external speaker, you can. The Magcubic, like many others on the market, connects via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to other devices. It also has built-in speakers which are decent, but not anything special.
The visuals won’t blow you away, but they are fine for the price
You have to make some sacrifices somewhere
You can buy more expensive projectors that have boosted colors and visuals. They have better support for enhanced picture quality. But for me, I’m looking to watch a movie somewhere fun, like lying on the floor and projecting it onto the ceiling or while I’m on a camping trip.
Something like the Magcubic, which supports 1080P resolution, works well enough for my purposes. If I’m able to sit comfortably and watch something, that’s all that matters to me.
This projector offers a 130″ maximum screen display, so it can fill the space that I need it to in most cases. Plus, the Magcubic itself can rotate 180º, allowing me to find the right angle to work with my area. With features like auto keystone correction, your projector can find the right picture clarity.
When finding a cheap projector, you’ll compromise on some features to accommodate not having to spend as much money as a smart TV might cost you. For example, my projector has an incredibly short power cord, so I almost always need to use an extension cord to make it worthwhile. But it’s worth it for the price.
Projectors can be a cost-efficient way to enjoy content
You’ll be able to find a projector that fits into your budget. If you want portability and a device that can fit in many spaces, a projector makes more sense than a traditional TV. With projectors that boast strong visual presentations and clear picture quality, the viewing experience on a projector can be as good as watching on a TV. The flexibility a projector provides is more than a TV can.
