Optoma Pico PK-101 pocket projector February 2009

Despite being only the size of a mobile phone, the £250 Optoma Pico pocket projector can project displays large enough to rival big screen TVs. We gave this innovative product a First Look hands-on test to see if the Pico lived up to its promise.

It’s certainly a light and compact device, weighing a mere 115g. Yet the Pico projector incorporates a 0.5W mini speaker, and the tiny LED projector can cast an image as far as 2.6 metres.

The Pico projector is small enough to fit in a pocket.

Depending on how far back you are from the surface you are projecting onto, the Pico can create a display as large as 60 inches (measured diagonally across).

We found the Pico’s displays to be rather weakly lit at the outer limits of its projection range, though displays are good when projecting at distances less than 1.5 metres. You can attach the projector to an additional tripod stand to better position it.

We found that focusing the projected images is a little tricky, as the Pico’s focusing dial is extremely small and rather stiff to operate.

It’s essential to use a completely dark room and a white projection surface to get the best out of the projector. Even a relatively small amount of light in the room can ruin the effect of the Pico’s projected displays, as the light source simply isn’t strong enough to deal with a dimly-lit room.

Connecting devices to the projector

Optoma suggests that the Pico is best used for connecting to an iPod, a digital camera, or a mobile phone for displaying the images or movies stored on these devices. The projector comes packaged with a composite lead adaptor – this will not directly connect to any of these devices, so you will need an additional composite out lead as well.

A specially-designed iPod to composite out adaptor is necessary in order to connect the Pico to an iPod, and disappointingly this lead isn’t included in the box with the projector.

Though Optoma doesn’t specifically recommend that the Pico is used to project DVD movies at home, it’s possible to connect the projector to a DVD player using a composite out lead. We tried this and found that Pico did a decent job at displaying a movie from a DVD player.

The colour reproduction in the Pico’s displays is adequate, though the contrast seems a little off. But if you don’t need crystal image quality, then the Pico becomes a fun means for watching a DVD without the need for a TV screen. You can even project a film directly onto a ceiling – great for watching DVDs in bed.

You can connect the Pico to a DVD player using a composite cable.

The sound quality of the tiny built-in speakers was weak, but for basic use it will probably be sufficient. Unfortunately, there is no means for varying the volume on the Pico itself – you have to buy an adaptor cable with a volume dial of its own.

The Pico isn’t able to connect directly to a laptop – a shame, as this could have been a great portable device for the workplace, letting you project computer displays without the need for bulky equipment. The lack of out-of-the-box direct connectivity prevents this.

It’s perfectly quiet in use, and Optoma claims that the bulb has a 20,000 hour lifespan. One of the problems of buying a larger home projector is they tend to have bulb lives of around 4,000 to 6,000 hours, and replacement bulbs are extremely expensive.

The Pico includes two batteries – each with a 90 minute running time from fully charged. Although you only need a single battery at a time, you cannot charge the Pico from the mains when it’s in use, so you may need both batteries to be fully charged to watch a longer movie.

While it is packed with potential, the Pico projector is let down by a few design flaws. Being unable to charge the device when it is running is an oversight, and it’s a shame not to be able to connect directly to a computer.

We saw a similar pocket projector from Samsung at the 2009 CES show in Las Vegas, and we’ll be keeping an eye out as this interesting new technology develops and improves.

Pros: can project a display up to 60 inches, very portable and light

Cons: cannot connect to a computer, requires darkness for best results, weak speakers