Confused about suitable media consumption hardware

[RageTester]

Current smart tv isn't very smart since it was based on vewd OS, basically it's mostly used for YouTube now, and the advertisements are getting more and more annoying.
Raspberry Pi 3B+ with just 1 GB of RAM is still able to run minimal KODI. YouTube add-on from within KODI  has no ads, but has problems of it's own, will not go in details. I don't know if I can really blame it for slowdowns when everything we watch is online content that relies on servers and my own router.

Android does offer more options, but how much RAM would one need for it to be responsive? Shield only having max 3 GB of RAM, that's the same amount as my 12 year old laptop. From my experience android uses more RAM compared to win 7( phone uses almost 2GB with nothing launched, while win 7 around 600 MB) . Will $3000 laser projector perform worse than $150 android tv box device with 4 GB of RAM? Projector I am considering: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B08FXN1SVR?th=1
The details they provide is a joke, floppy for crying out loud... I assume bright enough laser projector might be used outside in the fresh air, that's a plus during summer heat wave.

 

I don't care much about widevine certification, because it's no good for non English content anyway, and I am trying to improve experience of users that don't speak English(my parents). Having official google play services support would save a lot of headache on the other side, so that's another reason not to order from China.
I wouldn't buy new TV, when I got nowhere to put my old ones, yes multiple, already. I might get both projector and a tv box, if someone can suggest great device that ships from within EU. And I don't trust wireless too much, so device better have RJ-45 port.

I know alternative is downloading a ton of content and running local media server, but that's only good for classic good stuff that you know you will want to watch again.

[Electronics Wizardy]

15 minutes ago, RageTester said:

 I assume bright enough laser projector might be used outside in the fresh air, that's a plus during summer heat wave.

 

Probbaly not, projectors normally suck in high ambient light areas, and will be basically useless outside during the day.

 

15 minutes ago, RageTester said:

Shield only having max 3 GB of RAM, that's the same amount as my 12 year old laptop. From my experience android uses more RAM compared to win 7( phone uses almost 2GB with nothing launched, while win 7 around 600 MB)

Sheild should play media fine. They aren't fulling the full versions of the apps, so they can get away with much less resouces than a normal pc can.

[wanderingfool2]

2 hours ago, RageTester said:

Will $3000 laser projector perform worse than $150 android tv box device with 4 GB of RAM?

Well it would depend...honestly I think the best way would be if you got the projector and aren't happy with how it's playing the media files then just buy an android tv.

 

As a question, is this your first projector you are purchasing?  A note few notes if it is your first time

1) Projectors do let out a decent amount of noise when running. (It produces 37 db)

2) This particular projector sits 15 inches away from the screen (when doing 100 inch screen) [the projector is also 15 inches thick...so the back of the projector will be 30 inches away]...so keep that in mind as you might need to keep it more away from the wall.

3) Measure your room.  My 120" screen just barely fits in the intended room

4) Lighting is a killer.  4000 lumens will still let you use it in ok light conditions, but the difference between lights on and off is night and day.  (Direct sunlight will be a killer for image quality)

5) You will need a sound setup

6) In this case, it has a focus lever...but that means you need to line up the projector to be perpendicular to the screen (and have to set the height of the projector to it projects to the area you want)

[wanderingfool2]

Oh, forgot to mention...black out blinds make a huge difference (I bought cheap ones on amazon that was big enough to cover my windows, and just put in hooks around the windows so I could quickly hang them up when I wanted to use the projector in theatre mode).

 

While not for everyone, I bought a cheap refurb computer (it came to about $150 and came with Windows)...it wasn't great, but swapping in a SSD into it, and I was able to easily play 4k files, emulation of older systems, and just used a wireless mouse and keyboard.  That way I could just install the apps I wanted, and had the flexibility of a computer.  (MS teams/zoom calls look pretty epic on a 10 foot screen btw)

[RageTester]

24 minutes ago, wanderingfool2 said:

4) Lighting is a killer.  4000 lumens will still let you use it in ok light conditions, but the difference between lights on and off is night and day.  (Direct sunlight will be a killer for image quality)

So how bright do I need to go? Yeah ok maybe I got too carried away thinking I could simply project onto grey wall that is in the shadow side of the house. I am not trying to build a theater, sound is not a problem indoors, I never complain even about cheapest speakers. Something portable just sounds more fun than old fashion projectors that had to be mounted to ceiling.

I do have a desktop computer, that is shared among family, but it's fans can get loud for sure, so it's not in the same room as the TV. I got HDMI cable going through wall if I really have to launch something on the bigger screen, that Raspberry can't handle.

I want something that older people could figure out, HDMI CEC control and no pop up advertisements are the lovely side of KODI.

 

Gonna start looking into black out blinds! Or maybe even get a new proper tent.

 

 

"Direct sunlight has a luminous efficacy of about 93 lumens per watt of radiant flux. Multiplying the figure of 1050 watts per square meter by 93 lumens per watt indicates that bright sunlight provides an illuminance of approximately 98 000 lux (lumens per square meter) on a perpendicular surface at sea level."

[Stahlmann]

So if i understand it correctly, youtube ads are your main problem in the first part of your post? Why not just get Youtube Premium before you buy stuff worth a lot of money?

 

Also, why not get rid of an old TV (selling?) and then get a new one if you want a newer display device. A good TV is better than a good projector in 99% of cases. To make projectors work you have to be able to heavily control lighting in the room and if possible get a proper screen to project on.

[RageTester]

1 hour ago, Stahlmann said:

So if i understand it correctly, youtube ads are your main problem here? Why not just get Youtube Premium before you buy stuff worth a lot of money?

They are a problem on top of problem. Parents can't figure out how to get the most out of KODI on my RPi. Who wouldn't get frustrated of only having YouTube as their entertainment source.

You have a point though, the TV still works fine, might get a better projector for the same money next year.

Nvidia shield with soon to be outdated android 8 or maybe mini PC with more RAM that I could install whatever OS I need on, but have to deal with sideloading apks?

[LogicalDrm]

-> Moved to Home Theater Equipment

[Stahlmann]

4 hours ago, RageTester said:

You have a point though, the TV still works fine, might get a better projector for the same money next year.

Nvidia shield with soon to be outdated android 8 or maybe mini PC with more RAM that I could install whatever OS I need on, but have to deal with sideloading apks?

I'd just get a good smart TV, then you have no reason for a Shield imo.

 

For example LG's and Samsung's newer TVs have a very nice smart OS that can do most of what a Shield can do, but integrated into the TV itself.

[wanderingfool2]

7 hours ago, RageTester said:

So how bright do I need to go? Yeah ok maybe I got too carried away thinking I could simply project onto grey wall that is in the shadow side of the house. I am not trying to build a theater, sound is not a problem indoors, I never complain even about cheapest speakers. Something portable just sounds more fun than old fashion projectors that had to be mounted to ceiling.

I honestly don't know.  Everything is your mileage may vary with this.  If you live in an area where it's typically bright, then aside from commercial equipment it's likely not going to ever work.  The projector I use, for reference, is a LS510U 5000 lumens and outdoors it doesn't perform that well (in my opinion).  It's still usable, don't get me wrong, but yes you would need to make sure the wall is fully covered by a shadow.  Any sunlight, even reflection of light, will likely wash out the image.   Effectively you lose contrast in brighter environments until it reaches a point that you can no longer see it.

 

With that said, my projector with the lights on I can currently see the image no problem (but it's just so much better with the lights off).

 

Actually a note as well, it's a short throw projector so having a flat surface can be important as well.  If it's ripply then you can get weird distortions (not everyone cares about it).  It's also 20 pounds and measures nearly 1.5feet by 1.5 feet by 3/4 feet...movable yes, but still a bit weird carrying around sometimes

 

For blackout blinds, you could always see as well.  Maybe your room will be dark enough...but it's not like it's necessary (just helps improve things if you use it on a bright day).  Before I purchased my blackout blinds, I literally just hung up a quilt over the window and it worked really well.