$342.16 at Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Optoma-PK301-Pico-Pocket-Projector/dp/B0039XRJ5Y
$399.99 at Office Max
http://www.officemax.com/technology/projectors-accessories/business-projectors/product-prod3111094?cm_mmc=Googlepla-_-Technology-_-Projectors%20and%20Accessories-_-Business%20Projectors&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=22386776&gclid=CLfH05iXyLECFcne4Aodr18Axw


Product website:
http://www.optomausa.com/products/detail/pico-pk301
Product Manual: http://www.optomausa.com/webresources/files/support/02e38b7cafbc419bb21d1458afb83ab7.pdf
Product Datasheet:
http://www.optomausa.com/webresources/files/support/1004_Optoma_PK301-Datasheet.pdf

4/5 stars on Amazon

Somethings to note, the battery does not seem to last long enough to watch a full movie, the unit gets hot rather quickly, and cannot play media larger then 2 gigs.

darkinc wrote:4/5 stars on Amazon

Somethings to note, the battery does not seem to last long enough to watch a full movie, the unit gets hot rather quickly, and cannot play media larger then 2 gigs.

Why can't it play media larger than 2 gigs? So I plug my dvd player into this thing and it won't play because the disc is larger than 2 gigs? Doesn't make sense... please explain.

denhideous wrote:Why can't it play media larger than 2 gigs? So I plug my dvd player into this thing and it won't play because the disc is larger than 2 gigs? Doesn't make sense... please explain.

The internal memory is 28MB with the option of upgrading to 16GB with a micro SD card. However, it may not have processing power to play any media that is greater than 2GB. That is my guess. Hope this helps.

ripf16driver wrote:The internal memory is 28MB with the option of upgrading to 16GB with a micro SD card. However, it may not have processing power to play any media that is greater than 2GB. That is my guess. Hope this helps.

...and I forgot to add that this is referring to internal memory only. You can hook your DVD player up to it and watch it all night if you want.

ive owned the pk301 before, i even did a review on youtube,

http://youtu.be/Irn90WNsxBg

sold it about a year ago since i was getting tired of focusing it over and over. if you want a perfect picture every time, you better have a calibration image saved on a micro sd card to use in the projector. it is bright for a pico projector, but the colors look alittle washed out and for gaming it can pass only if your playing in a dark room. my updated overall all score is 6/10 for being bright but failed to really improve over its predecessors.

Great write-up. Get your road trip together woot and give your dudes the time they need to do a good job.

As I have added before I did an amazon video review of this located here:

http://www.amazon.com/review/R8JXUOEYOPNI8/ref=cm_aya_cmt?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B0039XRJ5Y#wasThisHelpful

It is pretty good, but it is a niche product. I think newer better pico projectors are coming to market at this time, but this is still a contender based on price. It is really only a must have for small demonstrations on the move, and honestly a good tablet can replace that for presentations to a couple of people. I like mine and would likely buy another if it stopped working, but I have specific long term uses for such a device.

denhideous wrote:Why can't it play media larger than 2 gigs? So I plug my dvd player into this thing and it won't play because the disc is larger than 2 gigs? Doesn't make sense... please explain.

Sorry for the delay, I will explain what I mean.

When the product was designed, the internal coding used by the processor was set to use whats referred to as a signed long. What this means is the variable that holds the file you load can have a file size ranging from -2,147,483,647 to 2,147,483,647. This means that any file you attempt to load with a size larger then 2,147,483,647 KB (2.14~ GB) will be read as a negative number and cause the player to not understand what to do with it.

Since the code is only used to read files you load with the projector, if you plug in a device such as a DVD player and play from that, this will not be a limiting factor as it simply processes the current video stream as it receives it.

Simple Answer: This only effects files that you load directly with the projector, any external video source will not be effected by this limitation.

Best write-up EVER!!!!!

(I struggled with whether to put "best" in all caps for emphasis, or "ever." I went with "ever." Obviously.)

This would be a nice pair with a raspberry pi.

evilpaul2012 wrote:This would be a nice pair with a raspberry pi.

I do believe you are onto something here.

As long as you know what you are getting, you will not be disappointed with this projector. I went back and forth about whether to get a projector like this. The deciding factor was last summer when I was able to watch a movie using a friend's projector on the side of a tent in Kuwait during a normal windy day. Even with the constant door opening and the other tent-mates leaving their lights on, we were able to enjoy the movie. Since buying my own I've also watched it on a wall in a hotel that locked its HDMI ports, the side of my house and a blacklight curtain ($cheap from Hobby Lobby) hung from an RV awning.

If you are looking for extreme high def, knock-your-socks-off 3D action, shame on you for looking at a projector you can hold in your hand. This is for portable viewing on the side of a tent in Kuwait, not a home theater replacement.

Although the unit itself is quite portable, in practice you need a lot more stuff to make the experience worthwhile. First off, if you intend to use this for anything with sound, some sort of external speaker is a must. The built-in speakers are barely loud enough to hear if you keep your ear against the unit during playback.

As mentioned, the limited internal memory and the inability to play files over 2GB on memory cards means you'll probably need another source for your media. My friend in the desert used his iPad to stream media via his AppleTV to the projector. I use a DVI-HDMI cable with an HDMI-mini HDMI adapter to connect my laptop to the projector. I run Plex on the laptop and keep my entire movie collection on 3 external 1-TB drives.

Since you'll be needing plugs for the speaker and media source, you might as well plug the projector in as well, so I've never really tested the battery capacity.

In addition to these requirements, you'll probably want a tripod to help you setup the projector, although I've successfully used mine balanced on a hotel guest info book. You might want to look at a screen for those times when a white wall isn't readily available. As mentioned above, a previous reviewer recommended buying blackout curtain material at Hobby Lobby for something like $5/yd. That works great as a screen. I also carry around some of those big binder clips so that I can attach the screen to the gutter of a house or the awning of an RV. A roll of duct tape will help attach the screen where the clips won't work.

In the end, you're getting a projector that can fit in your pocket, but you also need to bring a small duffle bag worth of stuff, plus a laptop or other media source. If you're looking to have neighborhood movie night outside or watch flicks at the RV camp where quality expectations are low, this is for you.

I'm looking for a small projector to pack with a laptop to use for demos and to develop iPod videos with sample video projected on a screen while I present as I tape or stream to the net. Is this up to the job at only 50 lumen output?

Price sounds great, but there is also an LG LED micro HW300T that has 250 lumen and is a bit larger, ac only. But not sure if either could work with presenting to a rear projected screen. In fact had a hard time finding any translucent screens in the stores, just front projection.

I'm lookin for small and portable like this unit at a comfortable price point that won't break the bank...am I dreaming from the present?

I bought one of these at the last woot off (I think? Maybe it was moofi). Currently I have it screwed on to a cheap plastic tripod I got from a Brigade of Campers a while back that I lashed to my headboard in my bedroom using the cable from an old phone charger (with the ends cut off, of course). I have the inputs hooked onto hooks screwed into the back via binder clips and routed down behind the bed to the nightstand where I can hook up my netbook (VGA), my laptop (VGA or HDMI), or stream Netflix from my phone if I'm lazy (HDMI). The screen that displays on the other side of my room is around 100" and it's pretty flippin sweet for watching movies.

Sure, it should be dark in the room if you're trying to watch, but that's the same for most projectors. Now my gf and I watch movies before we go to bed, so it's pretty perfect. When I'm done with the projector, I just unscrew it from the tripod and put it back in its little pouch and into the nightstand drawer.

PROS:
- It's tiny!
- Picture is great if you keep the room dark enough
- Tons of input types
- Easy to focus
- Easy to setup
- Auto-detect inputs

CONS:
- The battery life is pretty non-existent, but that may be because I got mine refurb'd (as this one is)
- The HDMI port in back is MINI HDMI, not MICRO, as I thought it was. I had to buy another adapter. Not really a con, I guess, but it sucked when I was all ready to go and realized I had the wrong input.
- Occasionally the screen will slightly lose focus. It is really easy to focus, though.
- Even though I installed the software, I'm pretty sure it's unnecessary.
- The sound sucks, but this projector is the size of your hand and has a sound output jack. What kind of sound were you expecting from it?
- The VGA connector input cable is REALLY short. I recommend getting a VGA gender changer (http://www.amazon.com/HD15-Female-Mini-Gender-Changer/dp/B003V7BJ9U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1343930010&sr=8-1&keywords=vga+gender+changer) (link is for example only, I don't know the people selling them) and hooking up a longer VGA cable.

Overall, I'm very happy with this projector and would recommend it to someone looking to convert an empty wall into a theater experience.

I have one of these, and figured I'd go ahead and insert my two cents.
Got mine open-box at Bestbuy for more than this.
The poster above me has the pros and cons about set, but I'll chime in on battery life:
It's laughable.
If you throw the projector into Economy mode, you can milk it for about an hour or so, but you'll need a pitch black room to be able to see what's on screen.
Regular mode only runs for about a half hour, if that, and maximum brightness is locked out while on battery... probably for the better, as you would get a runtime of 10 minutes!

Also, caveats of connectors - if you wish to use the component input, you'll need to buy an adapter specifically for this projector. The miniHDMI port is so close to the power jack that adapters may not fit both at once.

Despite all this, I still love my little projector and would happily buy it again if I had to.

nuketank wrote: The miniHDMI port is so close to the power jack that adapters may not fit both at once

Oh yeah, forgot about this. It's still doable, but it's definitely tight and possibly damaging to one input or the other.

Just purchased a couple of weeks ago... not real happy. Connections are def Windows friendly. ok for movies and i haven't tried using a presentation on the sdram. not ready for primetime

edelman wrote:Oh yeah, forgot about this. It's still doable, but it's definitely tight and possibly damaging to one input or the other.

this is exactly what i was talking about in my video. the hdmi adapters are usually fat and the projectors power input is RIGHT NEXT TO THE HDMI INPUT. its better to buy a dedicated male hdmi-to-male mini hdmi cable

Just received mine last night. Amazingly small. Amazingly bright. Amazingly clear image. Amazingly loud sound. Amazingly poor build quality. Within 10 minutes of use it died.

sracer wrote:Just received mine last night. Amazingly small. Amazingly bright. Amazingly clear image. Amazingly loud sound. Amazingly poor build quality. Within 10 minutes of use it died.

Well, that's suboptimal! (suboptoma?) Anyway, please drop service@woot.com a line and see if they can help you out.

All the best!