What does the KODAK or Kodak Luma 150 Ultra Mini Pocket Pico Projector bring to the table? Well, it’s a pico projector that belongs to the “ultra mini” type of pocket projector. Ostensibly, a pocket projector is a palm-sized or smartphone-sized projector that can fit into your shirt or pants pocket.
Learn more about this device and ultra, mini, pocket, or pico projectors with this set of KODAK Luma 150 Ultra Mini Pocket Pico Projector reviews. We’ll specifically cover why you should specifically go for Kodak Luma instead of other brands of a pico projector.
KODAK Luma 150 Ultra Mini Pocket Pico Projector Reviews
Kodak really outdid itself with the 150-inch Ultra Mini Projector. This is the HD version of its line of pocket projectors that can reach up to 60 ANSI lumens of brightness, in turn, to compensate for the high resolution (the higher the resolution gets the higher the brightness it requires to fully display itself).
Yet again, this addition to the Kodak pico projector line represents everything that’s amazing with such a portable device. In fact, its extra features are able to counteract many of the detriments of going this small, such as lower resolutions and lower brightness.
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DLP Mini vs. Single-Panel LCD
The main point of getting a pico projector is having high-quality imagery on a mobile device. With that said, Digital Light Processing (DLP) mini projectors offer you more than single-panel Light Crystal Displays (LCDs) pound-for-pound.
You can get smaller DLPs than LCDs yet the DLPs have higher quality projections. To wit, here are their pros and cons in comparison with each other:
- Brightness: DLPs use more advanced technology, resulting in highly reflective imagery. Therefore, even though its ANSI lumen count is comparatively lower than daylight or outdoor projectors that number by the thousands, it’s quite decent at around 45-60 ANSI lumens.
In contrast, single-panel LCDs have lower ANSI lumens possible if it’s the same size as a DLP pico projector. You need a standard-sized LCD to go above the 60 lumens of a pico projector due to it only offering 4% to 6% light transmission (in extra-dark theaters).
- Portability: Both single-panel LCDs and DLPs can achieve pico projector ultra mini smallness. However, DLPs like the ones manufactured by world-renowned company Kodak offer superior portability with micro-mirror technology and the smallest of microchips possible.
This means that your pico DLPs can offer even HD quality projection while LCDs are more limited. To achieve the same quality of a pico DLP, they either have to go palmtop-sized or even go outright standard size due to LCD chips measuring 5 to 6 inches in size.
Therefore, LCD projectors can end up having the size of lunchboxes to achieve HD quality available to smartphone-sized or card-sized DLP pico projectors.
- Image Quality: Hands down, DLPs offer better quality in all the key aspects, especially when it comes to the KODAK Luma 150 Ultra Mini and its 1080p Full HD resolution. However, pixel density aside, DLP projectors do have cones.
They suffer from the rainbow effect where you get rainbow-colored afterimages during fast movement on video. However, DLPs have superior brightness, better resolutions achievable relative to size, and better contrast ratio to boot.
Meanwhile, LCDs have tech repurposed from smartphones versus DLP microchip pro-tech that give you quality imagery without smartphone hardware refurbishing.
- Price and Affordability: LCD mini projectors are more affordable than their DLP counterparts, in fairness. This is due to the fact that their components aren’t explicitly made for pico projector use. The single-panel LCD projector uses screens initially designed for smartphones.
From there, the device shines a powerful light through the LCD screens using a series of lenses in order to protect the screen image. Alas, in exchange for this affordability is a light that’s only 4-6 percent reflective. DLPs are more designed for pico use.
- Tiny DLP Projector Chips: DLP chips have been used for projectors for decades. Yes, LCD tech has also been used for projectors for decades to (since the 1960s, in fact), but not for pico projectors. DLP chips are small and can fit better with smaller handheld projector types.
Even commercial movie theaters are going for DLP tech instead of LCD. After all, DLP works using shifting micromirrors that reflect light from a bright lamp. These mirrors are microscopic and so are the DLP microchips controlling them. Every mirror forms pixels for good measure.
- Every Mirror Forms Pixels: How small are DLP micro mirrors? Every mirror forms pixels. Even pixel-dense resolutions like 1080p HD is possible using DLP microchip and micro mirror technology.
The reflected light then passes through the color wheel that adds RGB (red, green, and blue) into the mix to form the final image. The series of lenses projects the colorful light unto the screen into a final image of the movie or photo you’re attempting to project.
Because DLP works by light reflection instead of passing through LCD panels, the light reflection is transferred without waste. The brightness of the small lamp is perfectly shown on the screen versus LCD projectors that rob the light a little bit using its panels
Why We Recommend the Kodak Luma 150 Ultra Mini Portable Projector
DLP mini projectors are brighter, have better light reflection, offer better contrast, and produce higher quality pictures at higher resolutions However, what does the Kodak Luman specifically bring to the table?
- Smartphone Tech and Kodak Projectors are the Perfect Fit: Smartphones give people incredible power and imaging at their fingertips. These devices have become so advanced that you can use them as TVs, radios, and cameras. Kodak Luma gives you the big picture. Literally.
The Kodak Luma is what you need in order to display smartphone media. It has DLP tech that accurately shows on the big screen what you can see on your smartphone touchscreen, particularly when you’re viewing pixel-dense HD videos.
- Colorful Picture: Kodak innovators assist you in looking at the big picture with their Luma Portable Projector and its 150-inch image. This device is considered revolutionary because it delivers an audiovisual experience with super-bright LED and 60 ANSI lumens of brightness.
On top of that, its LED lamp transmits 16.7 million display colors partly because the color wheel is assisted by pixel-sized microscopic mirrors. This can result in the rainbow effect, but for the most part the results are gorgeous.
- Versatile Entertainment: You can take the Kodak Luma with you for business or pleasure purposes like one of Kodak’s classic film cameras. With the Luma, you can enjoy yourself watching funny Youtube videos, the latest blockbuster films on Netflix, and so forth.
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You can stream or download movies in your smartphone or laptop hard drive for later viewing without the need for Internet. It also comes with a built-in speaker that delivers surprisingly high-fidelity songs for a tiny sound device.
- Powerful Portability: The Luma also differentiates itself from other DLP pico projectors with its powerful portability. What this means is that it’s small but definitely not terrible. It can deliver HD resolution (native is at 480p though) while having the size of a cellphone.
It’s so small it weighs 7.75 ounces and has the dimensions of 3.9 inches by 3.9 inches by 0.89 inches. Yet it isn’t detrimentally small because it can still fit in ports for the HDMI cable, USB cable, or microSD card slot.
- Wireless Capabilities: The Kodak Luma also enjoys integrated Airplay and Miracast screen casting. This allows you to work with Apple or Android devices in order to view mirrored displays without the need for a USB or HDMI cable.
You can also use this portable projector to project on full-sized theaters even though it’s a pocket-sized device. After all, its image has the size of 150 inches. It has an ultra-short ratio of 1:2, an aspect ratio of 16:9 (widescreen), and a contrast ratio f 1000:1 to boot.
Things of Note
Kodak outdid itself in finding a way to make an affordable DLP projector of its class and size that’s HD and decently bright for a pico projector. This ensures you high-quality viewing from its imagery that should benefit on-the-go entertainment like movie viewing or gaming.
The resulting image from this Kodak DLP pico projector can fit the largest screens around while the device itself remains at a manageable size. You’ll commonly see this projector use for confectionary tracing but it’s mainly designed for HD viewing of games or films as well as TV shows.
It also comes at a handheld size so small you only need a tabletop or even a tripod in order to mount and watch it on your wall or screen.