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RCA Roku projector rpj133

29K views 25 replies 11 participants last post by  bud16415 
#1 · (Edited)
I've seen these and similar ultra-low-budget projectors floating around different stores after BlackFriday, and this particular one caught my eye with the startling honesty of its specs...and the roughly $100 price at the time.

I shouldn't want this. I have all the projector/s I need. More than I need. ... If it's bad I can always return it, and if it's good I can box it back up and possibly gift it to someone. Guess I'm getting a new projector. :D


The claimed specs are accurate as far as I can tell; native 720p resoution, a little over 150lm WhiteBrightness and a little over 100m ColorBrightness. I'm guessing it's using strobed RGB LEDS through a single LED panel because of the lower ColorBrightness and I don't see any color-fringing or pixel misalignment, but I also can't see any RBE nor temporal dithering on most paused images..though I'm not sure how common that is for strobed LCD VS DLP which I'm more familiar with.

This all leads to some good news and some bad news.

I'll start with some negatives:
-The fan noise, though smooth and medium-pitch, is about as loud as a modest AC (or bad central air) or a space-heater. I don't personally find it aweful once a movie starts playing or if I'm watching in a room with higher ambient noise from open windows or a loud fridge, but in the small home theater it's pretty off-putting when you first turn it on against the previously dead silent room.
-Placement flexibility is basically non-existant. There's no zoom and using the optical keystone causes poor top-to-bottom focus, so you're best location is about center screen-height and I want to say roughly 1.45:1 throw-ratio...perfect for some rear-shelf mounts onto a bare wall, terrible for ceiling-mount or particularly long or short rooms or needing to fit a pre-installed screen's size.
-There appears to be some temporal dithering in some moving images though I'm not sure if that's the panel, scaler or possibly even the source itself...I don't find it bothersome, but figured it's worth mentioning...particularly if someone else happens to know what the cause is.
-There aren't advanced color/calibration options (it still has common/typical options which are customizable for each input), the slightly higher white VS color brightness is a real thing (even if it's more subtle than most non-RGBRGB DLPs), and I think purple shades look a little weak/pastel.
-The LCD panel on mine seems to have shipped with a couple tiny spots of dust, but it's only visible as a couple small, unfocused, lighter spots when the screen goes full black in a darkened room.
-The included power cord is unusually short. It's a common "mickeymouse" style if you want to get a longer one, but still..


On the positive side:
-The brightness uniformity looks great even on full-screen solid colors or whites.
-The single panel design's lack of color-fringing makes B&W content particularly nice.
-Focus is decent as long as you aren't really using the optical keystone..none of the sides/corners look distractingly soft.
-I was pleasantly surprised at the lack of SDE despite this being a relatively low-resolution LCD PJ...it looks more like a DLP than an LCD in this regard.
-Decent input/output options including 3hdmi (one with an included RokuStick plugged in), VGA, AV (requires a 1/8" to AV adapter which isn't included), USB (fullsize for playing media), USB (micro for powering included RokuStick), microSD, 1/8" stereo AUX out, and bluetooth audio output...and a standard threaded tripod mount in a decently balanced location.
-I haven't measured it, but I'd roughly judge the contrast to be similar to a budget DLP or some of the nicer budget LCDs...around 500:1-700:1 nativeCR. Different ultra low-budget LCDs can be all over the place for CR, but this is one of the better ones.
-The builtin speakers are pretty decent compared to other portables I've tried. A little louder and fuller than some...definitely useable in a pinch.
-I have no way to measure input-lag, but it doesn't feel sluggish so I'm guessing it's decently low.
-The Standard and Soft color presets aren't aweful out of the box, and simply adjusting the User color option a little can give some nice improvements (mine has worked well set to: Brightness 45, Contrast 30-35, Color 40, Sharpness 20, WhiteBalance Warm, AspectRatio JustScan, NR OFF...though each one might be a little different and YMMV). I wouldn't call it super accurate, but it has a nice white-balance (no exaggerated green tint or cold/blue appearance) and the colors look decently natural for the most part rather than the extreme overcooked and oversaturated look of some displays.



Most of this is pretty common to LED-lit portable PJ's, but this combination of brightness, contrast, resolution (and lack of SDE) used to start closer to 3X this price just a year or two ago. This price-category tends to be dominated by 360p resolution, 50lm models with fewer options and much higher claimed specs.
This is exactly the kind of projector I'd recommend to someone on an extreme budget who wants to dip their toes while projecting onto a wall or sheet in a dim room (or at night). The price, LED lamp, wireless features and typically hassle-free returns are a lot less scary to folks just looking to try something new.
 
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#2 ·
Some pictures on the 1.0gain white screen at about 120".







There's some extra noise and grainy-ness from the crappy cellphone camera, but it looks pretty good in person.
 

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#3 ·
Some pictures on the 1.0gain white screen at about 120".















There's some extra noise and grainy-ness from the crappy cellphone camera, but it looks pretty good in person.


It’s pretty amazing what a $100 bucks will get you now days. I probably would never have gotten into projection not for a hand me down 480p projector. I still remember watching lord of the rings on a 90” picture on my wall. It’s funny too, I was used to a pretty high end 40” 1080p lcd tv. I was surprised how this old projector held up. Even though it had a quarter of the resolution I was able to see details I had always missed watching on such a small screen.

Sadly, a lot of people come to this forum looking for budget projectors like this RCA. Only to be turned away by droves of snobs who tell them if they don’t spent $5,000 on a high end projector they won’t enjoy it “it’s a terrible picture”. The irony is most of them where enjoying projection 10-20 years ago on projectors that where half as good as the ones they tell people are “terrible”.

So thanks for sharing your enthusiasm for what looks like a great picture relative to the price.

Sorry for the rant, hopefully you do give it to someone as a gift. The more people into projection the better for all of us!
 
#4 ·
I just helped my buddy set his up with my old Elite 106" pull down screen the other day.
He has it on a table behind his couch maybe 12 feet or so from screen.
For a walmart special it's pretty decent. There is a zoom feature in the menu but I just physically moved the pj to get the screen fitment. Had to use some keystone adjustment as well, and focus was good except for some softness at the corners.
He's eventually getting a real pj and moving this to his kids room.
It's decent, nothing crazy but for a little over a hundred bucks not bad also.
 
#6 ·
All of the cheap single panel TFT LCD projectors with white LED light sources churned out in a few Chinese factories and marketed under dozens of different brand names used to top out at 720p native resolution like this RCA model. Recently LCD factories in China have been churning out native 1080p TFT LCD panels so the best of the newer models have improved resolution at a somewhat higher price point than the older native 720p models. Consensus seems to be that the best of the bunch have reasonably decent performance as long as expectations are realistic. Accept them for what they are and don't tear them down as totally worthless or build them up to be more than they actually are.

By the way, for those who didn't know, RCA is no longer a consumer electronics manufacturing giant as it once was. RCA electronics products today exist under a trademark name owned by French company Technicolor SA (formerly Thomson SA). The RCA trademark is licensed by Technicolor SA to many different companies for use on many different products manufactured in a variety of production plants around the world. The RCA-branded LED projectors are marketed by Curtis International and manufactured in the same Chinese factories that produce similar models that are marketed under dozens of other brand names.
 
#8 ·
All of the cheap single panel TFT LCD projectors with white LED light sources churned out in a few Chinese factories and marketed under dozens of different brand names used to top out at 720p native resolution like this RCA model. Recently LCD factories in China have been churning out native 1080p TFT LCD panels so the best of the newer models have improved resolution at a somewhat higher price point than the older native 720p models.
Do you have a link for any of the native 720p or 1080p units? All the ones I can find (including the RCA RPJ133 & 136) seem to have a native resolution of WVGA - 800x480. They accept 720p or 1080p signals but display far less.
 
#7 ·
... I'm guessing it's using strobed RGB LEDS through a single LED panel because of the lower ColorBrightness and I don't see any color-fringing or pixel misalignment, but I also can't see any RBE nor temporal dithering on most paused images..though I'm not sure how common that is for strobed LCD VS DLP which I'm more familiar with. ...
Unlike DLP with its micromirrors, there's no need to strobe RGB LEDs with a TFT LCD panel as the panel itself is producing the colors like a laptop, tablet or cell phone screen. All of the cheap single panel TFT LCD projectors simply use a single white LED light source.
 
#11 · (Edited)
I've seen the kind you're talking about where there are RGB sub-pixels sharing space just like a typical flatTV, but this appears to be a little different. The pixels don't have visible sub-pixels but instead appear solid like a DLP or perfectly aligned 3chipLCD PJ.
AAXA sells one or two cheap/portable LCoS projectors that use a single LCoS chip (rather than the typical 3) and strobe RGB LEDs onto it like a singlechip DLP, so I'm pretty sure the same is possible with LCoS's non-reflective sister even though I can't remember seeing it advertised anywhere.

I don't think a strobing design costs much more than a single white LED design as much as it just takes a few differences. It allows for a cheaper/simpler panel (pig pixel instead of 3subpixel) but needs a different image processor/builder, but the strobing processor and the strobing LEDs (and optics) themselves have already been used in super cheap DLPs and LCoS models..while the extra simple LCD panel is likely cheaper than any DLP or LCoS. Not sure if I'm making sense, but it seems to add up in my head..for whatever that's worth. ;)

I'll try to find a link to the RGB strobing LCoS model/s if I can.

EDIT:
http://www.aaxatech.com/products/led_pico_pocket_projector.html
http://aaxatech.com/products/hd_pico_projector.html
 
#12 ·
I’m glad you succumbed to the urge to buy the RCA. I have glanced at these in Wal-Mart a 100 times and been tempted myself. I always say the same thing, “I have 3 working projectors on the shelf at home and one hanging from the ceiling why do I need another.”

These have a place and how I would have loved to find one under the tree when I was 12 years old. Of course there was no media then and color CRT was only a few years old. But just think what that would have been like. My dad had an 8mm Bell and Howell projector for home movies and under the tree I got a thing called an opaque projector I think from the Edmunds catalog that you could sit on a comic book and project the image on the wall. I was thrilled to be able to do that.

What a great way now to be able to get someone young interested in HT for a 100 bucks. I actually wish I knew someone that would like one.

Great job on the review. :)
 
#25 ·
I’m glad you succumbed to the urge to buy the RCA. I have glanced at these in Wal-Mart a 100 times and been tempted myself. I always say the same thing, “I have 3 working projectors on the shelf at home and one hanging from the ceiling why do I need another.”

These have a place and how I would have loved to find one under the tree when I was 12 years old. Of course there was no media then and color CRT was only a few years old. But just think what that would have been like. My dad had an 8mm Bell and Howell projector for home movies and under the tree I got a thing called an opaque projector I think from the Edmunds catalog that you could sit on a comic book and project the image on the wall. I was thrilled to be able to do that.

What a great way now to be able to get someone young interested in HT for a 100 bucks. I actually wish I knew someone that would like one.

Great job on the review. :)
I would like one please
 
#15 ·
^ Nicely balanced summary with good perspective. Though it's now 5 years old, projectorcentral.com's "Cheap Projectors -- how bad are they?" review still makes a good read. Since then cheap projectors have improved (including some now with true native 1080p) but so have mainstream projectors, so the balance is probably still roughly the same.

projectorcentral.com/cheap_projectors.htm
 
#16 ·
That PJC review is a really good warning even as the super cheap models get better because there are still some REALLY glitchy models and a lot of terribly false specs/advertising...so buying from somewhere with a good return policy and making sure you test everything you care about while you're still within that return window is extra important if you're trying to squeek by on a super low budget.

Having realistic expectations is also a good point, especially for folks who are just starting out. The nicer projectors around $500-700 can make things a lot easier with their placement flexibility and 4X-10X greater brightness.
I've been trying to remember to push the importance of putting good effort into the room's projector/screen and light placement whenever folks remark about how good an ALR image can look despite the lights. Emphasising that the screen/projector are setup for good brightness and uniformity while making sure lights/windows and the screen are either positioned where that light glances off the screen at a sharp angle while lights that could hit the screen at an angle roughly similar to the projector's ideal placement are dimmed or blocked from washing against the screen badly. It takes some of the "magic" out of the equation, but it gives a much more realistic expectation. Plus I like the planning and placement stuff; it uses simple math and costs little/nothing while giving really huge benefits when you nail it well.
 
#21 ·
Thank you all for the reivew, I picked one up to compliment the other 3 Chinese cheapos for football Sunday. This one however, does not hold the orientation upon changing input or powering up. I'm celing mounted and have to "flip" 4 times...Everytime...to gain correct orientation. What am I missing here please? The manual is silent on the topic.
 
#22 ·
Thanks for the review. I bought a refurb'ed/used RCA RPJ129 720p projector for like $60 about 6 months ago.



Sadly the internal fan is dying and sounds like buzz saw. I'm not sure it worth disassembling it to see if I can oil it?





But ya the image quality is quite good but the color reproduction leaves a lot to be desired. At least for the RPJ129. And its internal Android TV is junk.
 
#23 ·
@Castaa, if the cooling fan is slowly failing then internal temperatures will slowly rise until all the electronics are cooked. Since you're going to end up throwing away your $60 investment anyway why not pull a few screws out and see if the fan is easily replaceable? Just take pictures or videos to remind yourself how to put it back together again.
 
#24 ·
@Castaa , if the cooling fan is slowly failing then internal temperatures will slowly rise until all the electronics are cooked. Since you're going to end up throwing away your $60 investment anyway why not pull a few screws out and see if the fan is easily replaceable? Just take pictures or videos to remind yourself how to put it back together again.

Ya, I stopped using it once the fan started acting up. I just need to buy the proper screwdriver. :D
 
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