- Is it compact? Check
- Is it easy to transport? Check
- Can it fill my big screen? Check
- Simple enough for anyone to operate? Check
- Will it project full HD video and stills? Check
Well, that about does it – doesn’t it? The Leisure 470 Pro can certainly qualify for the projector you’ll want to see before you buy anything else. It’s Vankyo’s best 2022 projector introduction.
First of all, it’s super-convenient to carry to a party anywhere with the included, padded case for projector, cords, etc. At under 8″x6″X3″, the manufacturer states that this is “the world’s smallest Full HD 1080P LCD Projector“.
Second, it’s so small it would fit in just about any backpack, so it’s easy to transport. Whether going to the grandkid’s house or having a campout in the backyard, movies are going to look great when projected in true color.
Third, filling your screen should not be a problem at all. At 4 feet from the screen it produces a 39” diagonal image while at 10 feet, it illuminates a 90” screen. Contrast is rated at an amazing 3500:1 for brilliant color.
Maximum rated projection range tops out at 26-1/2 feet where it reaches an enormous 250” diagonal picture. 10 feet is the recommended distance as brightness from this 120-lumen projector will fall off after that. While many projectors have more than 120 lumens, this one features a 3500:1 contrast ratio that makes it suitable to watch indoors even with the shades open. Lamp life is up to 50,000 hours, so I doubt you’ll ever need a replacement lamp.
The projector comes with a remote that will handle all the functions needed to play video in any of these formats: AVI/MP4/MKV/FLW/MOW/RMVB/3GP/MPEG/H.264/XVID. Native resolution is 1920×1080, but it is compatible with any of these resolutions: 576i (SD), 720P (HD), 1080i and 1080P (FHD).
Stills in any of these formats: BMP/JPG/PNG/GIF/JPEG can be projected as a slide show.
And audio in any of these formats: MP3/WMA/MP2/AAC/FLAC/PCM will play through the 3W/4ohm internal speaker.
Inputs on the unit I tested included: 1 micro SD card slot, 1 3.5mm Audio input, 1 3.5mm Headphone output, 2 Full-size HDMI inputs, 1 USB-A input.
The unit has a manual focusing wheel, that needs to be turned all the way back in if you want to put on the protective lens cover, which snaps in place. Behind the focusing ring is the keystone adjustment rotating ring which works exceedingly easily. There’s also a spin-out stand screw under the unit to adjust the height of the projection throw toward the screen.
Another nice feature is that it has a ¼”x20 screw fitting in the center, so it can easily be mounted from the ceiling or in the case of the backyard, on any standard consumer-grade tripod.
The remote allows you to turn on/off the projector as well as switch between inputs for HDMI1, HDMI2, Screen mirroring, AV, Micro-SD card, or USB stick. The remote allows you to scroll through a folder structure on your media cards, so all videos for example do not need to be in the root directory like some other projectors. Separate controls also occur on the top of the projector itself.
Using the left/right, up/down arrows on the remote, you navigate to the folder with the files you want, then press OK to go into that folder. Thumbnail images will show for all displayable assets. Press the Play button to view the videos in full screen.
For a slide show of still images, you can select individual images to display or use the menu at the bottom of the screen to Display ALL for a slide show of hundreds of images.
With screen mirroring you can try that with Android or iOS systems using your home wireless network. See the user’s manual for details depending on your operating system. Be aware that streaming from Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, etc. can’t be accomplished without a separate device like a TV stick or Fire Stick.
The remote also allows adjustment of sound volume and mute.
By pressing the hamburger menu on the remote, you’ll get additional controls like Picture Mode, Color Temperature, Aspect Ratio, Front/Rear projection, and Reduce display size, so you can fit the media to your projection screen.
For the price, you are going to have trouble finding a more full-featured device than this one, in a compact, easy-to-transport case. So, for that backyard, RV, road trip, or camping movie night, Vankyo has successfully broken the price barrier with this Leisure 470 Pro projector, coming in under $200. Actually, well under $200, it’s selling now for $149.99 on the Vankyo site if you use the code: medium. I’m not sure how long that price will last so I wouldn’t delay.
