Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsAwesome Value! Very happy with it.
Reviewed in the United States on December 6, 2019
Vankyo V630, projecting on a white wall. Using it with a PS4 and Laptop for movies, shows, games, etc. Projection size is about 120 inches
This is my second Vankyo projector.A few months back I needed an extra TV but didn't want to spend too much money on a it, since I already own one. With budget LED projectors getting better and better I did some research and decided on the Vankyo Leisure 510. Admittedly, it didn't look quite as good as my 1080p TV, BUT the big screen and the WOW factor made it so immersive that I really didn't miss it. I found myself watching everything on my projector. Playing video games on this thing is awesome. I can see enemies coming from a mile away. The travel bag they supply also came in very handy as I've been taking this down to my parents' house for family reunions and sporting events. Needless to say EVERYONE loves it. Having enjoyed the projector experience so much, I decided to give the 510 to my parents and buy this one (V630) for myself, given its native 1080p resolution. I was immediately amazed by how much better it looked compared to the 510 (and the 510 does a pretty decent job job). The V630 IS actually comparable to my 1080p TV. The color reproduction is better than the 510, and it's definitely sharper. The throw distance, screen size, peripherals, etc.. are pretty similar, though this one looks a little more premium and the menus feel a little more responsive. The sound is about the same, which is to say it's nothing ground breaking, but if you have a small living room like me, it's definitely good enough. A soundbar doesn't hurt (I just bought one), but this is personal preference, you don't really need it. I went months using the projector speaker and it was just fine. If I were to compare this to my 1080p TV side by side I think I think the projector takes it. Image quality may be marginally better with the TV, but the sheer size of the projected image makes it super immersive (for half the price). I also love that it is so much more portable than even a 50 inch TV.
A few things to know:
- If you plug in a Laptop to this thing you may notice that icons and small letters may look a bit out of focus towards the corners. This seems to be a pretty common thing with budget projectors. But believe me, you don't really notice it during movies, games, etc. Focus it so that the middle looks sharp and you'll be fine.
- Also with Laptops, make sure you set the outgoing video signal to RGB limited as opposed to RGB Full, which is their default. (google RGB full vs RGB limited if you're not familiar). The words limited and full don't mean one is better than the other, it's just the way the video signal is encoded. The source and the projector NEED to match, otherwise the image will look either too dark or washed out. This projector works on RGB limited, which is pretty common on TV's as well. Some devices, like my PS4 can automatically detect what the screen/monitor uses and switches to that, but might laptop didn't. It took my a while to figure out why the same videos would look different based on where the signal came from. Once I did, I just had to figure out how to manually set it up. It wasn't difficult, but if you're not aware it can throw you for a loop.
- The image defaults are pretty good but if you want to get the best out of this projector you'll have to play with the settings a little bit (brightness, contrast, sharpness, color saturation, etc). Once you have it dialed it you probably won't have to touch it again. Just pick images or videos you're very familiar with and try to cover different scenarios so that your calibration is not skewed, i.e. pick colorful images, dark images, bright images, etc. That way you can find a happy medium that will work for most things.
- A dark room will always be better than a lit room. Blackout curtains definitely help. Location matters. Keep your projection surface far from light sources if you can help it
- Throw distance is important. I believe the recommended distance from your screen is 10-12 feet. Think about where you would place your projector and try to keep it as perpendicular to the projection surface as possible. The Keystone adjustment is handy, but overusing it will cause the image to distort at the top, bottom, or sides.
All in all, I'm very happy with this purchase, especially when you factor in the price and the fact that LED projectors have a longer lamp life, meaning you don't have to worry as much about having to replace bulbs, etc. I really love consuming media in this thing. Everyone I have shown it to has been impressed by how good it looks and how big the image can get - makes going back to a 50 inch TV hard.
