Formovie, the Chinese projector maker that made a splash a couple of years ago with its excellent Formovie Theater UST projector, today announced that pre-orders are open for its new, affordable compact 1080p projector, the adorable $299 Xming Episode One.
Coming under Formovie’s independent sub-brand Xming, Episode One fits in well with a portable projector set. Its light and compact design — it weighs 2.8 pounds and measures 6.9 by 4.8 by 5.6 inches — makes it great for backyard movie nights.
Inside that tiny package is an LED light source that delivers 150 CVIA (China Video Industry Association) lumens of brightness, roughly equivalent to 122 ANSI lumens, the more common measurement in the US for context. Nebula’s popular capsule projector It emits 100 ANSI lumens and while not smolderingly bright, it’s great for most indoor and outdoor movie nights. We’ve reached out to Formovie for a more accurate lumen conversion and will update this article when we hear back.
The Xming Episode One is a standard-throw projector with a 1080p resolution image that can be projected from 40 to 120-inches in size with a throw ratio of 1.2:1. That means for a 40-inch image, the projector needs to be approximately 41 inches (3.4 feet) from the screen, while a 120-inch image requires about 125 inches (10.4 feet) of distance. Formovi recommends using it in small and medium-sized rooms.
With auto keystone correction and autofocus, setting up an episode is very easy, even if you move it. And like most new projectors hitting shelves lately, the Episode One runs on the Google TV operating system, meaning you don’t need to connect an external streaming device to it; It already has Netflix pre-installed and you can add any streaming service or app available on the Google Play Store. It has Chromecast built-in so you can cast content right from a smartphone or compatible device.
Sound-wise, the Xming Episode One has two 3-watt internal speakers and supports Dolby Atmos when output to a compatible system. Speaking of outputs, the Episode One includes an HDMI 2.1 input, a USB-A input, and a 3.5 mm analog jack for headphones or speakers. Wireless connectivity includes Bluetooth 5.0 and Wi-Fi support for 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands.
The Xming Episode One projector, while compact, does not have an internal battery and must be connected with the included AC adapter. This could be a game changer depending on your portability needs, but for backyard movie lovers this summer, an extension cord is just what you need.
We’ve got episode one for review, which should be ready in the coming weeks. In the meantime, for those already interested, the $299 projector is available for pre-order starting today. Formovi is offering it at a preorder price of $229 on the Formovie website if you use the code EPPRE.
Editor’s recommendations