Just a few short years ago, we marveled at the release of the first 4K home theater projector from Sony that carried a retail price of US$26,000. Now, flash-forward to 2018 and we have the release of the N-Tech wireless, portable 4K projector that boasts built-in surround sound speakers and is going for a remarkable $475.
Currently the subject of a crowdfunding campaign, the N-Tech projector is a compact modular system comprising three separate stackable pods – a speaker, battery and projector. The top projector module can rotate 360 degrees, allowing for quick directional calibration as well as an optional adjustment on the mount to project upwards onto the ceiling.
The projector offers a resolution of 4K UHD 3,840 x 2,160 at 60 FPS, and brightness of 1,500 ANSI Lumens, while delivering a projection size of between 32 in (81 cm) and 360 in (914 cm) from a distance range of 2.6 ft (0.8 m) to 29.5 ft (9 m). The battery module also delivers up to eight hours battery life off a single charge, while the speaker module packs four 3 W speakers.
In addition to the optional HDMI input, the projector offers full wireless functionality using either Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. There is built-in storage of 32 GB and a USB input so you can either load it up with multimedia content or quickly plug in a flash drive. It measures 6.75 in (17.1 cm) wide by 4.5 in (11.4 cm) long.
The current early bird price is a pretty startling $475, and the company estimates a delivery date of September 2018 after finalizing the product design recently in December. As with all crowdfunding campaigns there is a degree of risk involved for the customer and this one certainly has a whiff of “too good to be true,” but as of right now the crowdfunded campaign has smashed its modest goal.
There isn’t a notable precedent from this new Hong Kong-based company but if they pull off what they promise it will be an exciting new benchmark for cheap, portable 4K projectors.
