LG - CineBeam PF510Q Full HD 1080p Wireless Smart DLP Portable Projector with High Dynamic Range - White

The first thing you notice about the LG CineBeam Projector PF51Q is its compact size. A far cry from the first computer projectors that I worked with; you’d need a suitcase to haul those around. This is a very manageable size. It has enough heft to be sturdy but portable. You could put this in a backpack or computer bag. (I wish it came with a storage bag, but that’s a minor gripe of mine.) It comes with a remote that is easy to handle. Your hookups, though, are limited to USB, RCA, or HDMI. It does not pair with a phone or tablet via Bluetooth; you have to find a cable to use. There is a diagram in the manual showing what you can use to connect a portable device with the projector. I was disappointed that my device of choice could not link with the projector wirelessly, but it is what it is. For my review, I used an Acer Spin 714 Chromebook. The Chromebook had an HDMI port, so I used an HDMI cable to connect it to the projector. The audio did not play through the Chromebook, though, so I was able to connect the CineBeam via Bluetooth to my Samsung soundbar. Tip: While the projector will run seamlessly on your computer, you may need to adjust the settings on your device. At first, I only saw my home screen being projected – no apps or anything, just my background. I had to go into the Display settings to adjust the settings so that it was mirroring my laptop screen. Nothing tells you to do this. I have a large blank wall in my living that I used for the screen. The room was well lit, as it was daytime. The curtains we have allow light to pass through. The projector can be installed in the ceiling, used on another surface, or mounted on a tripod. I didn’t have a tripod that would work with it, so I tried to use a small stool (about the height of an average end table). It was not quite tall enough, so I had to extend the legs on the unit to try to clear the sightline of my couch. When you begin set up, you will need to create an LG account, if you don’t already have one. The set-up process was relatively painless. You can download your common apps (such as Disney+ and Amazon Video) to use through the LG interface. There are a LOT of apps; I’m not sure if there are a lot of useful ones (at least, for me) but you do have options. I am a NASCAR fan, and it was Sunday, so I decided to watch the race. I needed to watch the race via my cable provider’s app. However, the Spectrum TV was NOT available on the LG interface, which was a disappointment. I used the Spectrum app on my Chromebook to get the race on my screen. One thing to note here. The focus lever. It was so easy for me to accidentally hit while I was setting up. I had to keep adjusting it. Annoying. Once I got the video and audio working (I initially had an issue with the audio being delayed, but I worked it out), I wasn’t terribly impressed with the quality of the picture. Yes, it was daytime, but I thought it should be crisper than it was. The wall is a neutral, platinum color, so that shouldn’t have been much of a factor. I toggled through the various picture settings with very little difference. I used “Expert Bright Space, Daytime” setting the most. I did try the “Sports” setting as well, but the Bright Space seemed to be a better fit. The manuals that came with the unit were useless. I downloaded the full manual from the LG website. It goes into deeper detail of all the settings you can play around with to really home in the experience. It is a nice projector overall. I think I need more time to figure out how to best use it in our household because there are so many things you can do with it. I wasn’t crazy about the quality of the image, but I may need to get a screen and/or wait and use it in a darker setting than I used for my test.

Excellent picture, beautiful clairity, easy to focus, easy to set up everything. Speaker is just ok, definitely need own bluetooth/ external speakers

The Good? The size of this projector is space saving and makes it very easy or portable to carry around. Even the setup wizard easy and straight forward that a non-computer person can do setup. The projector speaker is good if you don't have speakers lying around. This projector supports Bluetooth speakers and HDR with 2 HDMI ports for connecting devices. This would be great for a game console and PC configuration. The Airplay, media player, and mobile connect features are a plus in my book as well. Lastly, the remote is easy to use and has Amazon Prime and Disney Plus shortcut buttons. The best thing about this projector is the built-in home dashboard that allows you to install apps making this a smart projector (that means you can run this projector like a TV without connecting any devices to the projector). I did not test the accessibility features. The Improvements? I think putting in the zip code for during the setup wizard is confusing and the setup does not explain to the user why it is needed, so that was confusing. The web browser interface is not easy to use without a mouse and there isn't much benefit browsing the internet from a projector but that's just me. I would connect my PC to the project 2nd HDMI port for Internet browsing. Final Verdict? This LG projector amazes me because I have a few projectors before this one. From a scale of 1 to 10 (10 for best), I would give this projector an 8 out of 10 because it would get a 9 if it supported 4K and I don't give out 10s at all. I would recommend this projector to my friends and family who are on a budget.

The first thing that you would notice about this is how small the box is. On opening further, you would notice how compact the projector itself is. It's incredible how compact and light weight this is. The package contains the projector, remote w/ batteries and a power adapter. Everything including the projector, remote and adapter has a very modern design to it. I think it should fit in any place. Connecting the projector with power adapter and starting it up is straight forward. After some basic initial setup, I was up and running and less than 5 mins. The first thing that I noticed when the projector turned on was how vivid and sharp the picture looked. We have truly come a long way in the last 10-15 years that is when I looked at a projector closely. The projector emits a little bit of fan noise which is not too noticeable. The speakers are puny though and leave a lot to be desired. On the other side, pairing the projector with an external Bluetooth speaker was easy and considerably improved the viewing experience. One may also hookup external speakers through audio out port at the back or through HDMI 2 port which supports ARC. The projector comes up with its own app manager and I found all the popular video streaming apps available there. Other than that, the user has the option to connect external input source(s) through HDMI 1 or HDMI 2 port or both. If one is hooking up soundbar through HDMI 2 ARC, they will be left with just 1 HDMI port. The projector also provides a USB port for connecting peripherals like mouse/keyboard and USB storage device. In my experience I found the support for external USB devices finicky. Not all old videos present in the USB drive were supported by the projector. The projector emits hot air while it's on. However, it's not too much. Maybe a bit more than a laptop. The projector is rated to consume a max of about 65W of power. The remote is very sleek thought I had some trouble using it since the icons shown were not super intuitive to me. However, I think the learning curve for the remote won't be too bad. I had some problem with it's sensitivity as well. Note that the IR receiver is located the back of the projector so one needs to make sure that the remote is facing the right direction (which might be behind you) to make sure it works properly. I hope that would switch to a RF remote in the future. Overall I am very pleased with the package and would highly recommend it to someone in the market for a projector.

The LG cinebeam is a good portable projector that is perfect for family get togethers and to travel with. I used the cinebeam at the beach, in the living room, and in my family’s backyard with no issues. The cinebeam has streaming apps built in that are very convenient and you can also stream content from your phone easily enough. Set up is easy but the only issue is adjusting the angle/height of the projector. Other projectors have a built in monopod type system that lets you easily adjust the height, not so with this projector. I can easily connect Bluetooth peripherals but the height adjustment is the most annoying aspect. This is not a super HD projector, but it is very good at 1080P due to the portability and the simplicity of the cinebeam. At the end of the day, I can take this projector with me, the image is good, wireless capabilities are good. The only thing that would have made this better would have been a battery so I can use it completely wirelessly but the small package and all the nice features are worth the lack of battery.