Cheap Portable Projector for Bedroom Ceiling and Walls

As a family, we love watching movies after a long day at work and school. So we like to make sure we have the best value gear in our home theatre room to enjoy our time together.

Recently with the children often taking over in the home theater room, we decided to purchase another cheaper projector that can be moved around the house easily. This portable projector can then be used to show movies onto bedroom ceilings and walls. We would then save our new expensive Epson 4010 4K projector for special occasions.

The problem was we only had a budget of $150 and we needed a projector that had a native resolution of at least 1920 x 1080 pixels in quality. Any less and it will just be a fuzzy experience.

We came across the AuKing 2023, 1920 x 1080p which was being used at my local church group for presentations. It’s a new upgraded version for us which will replace our older Aging Abox A2 which is only 1280 x 720p. This will be a big improvement in resolution and lux output. So I just had to get one for myself and boy was I impressed.

AuKing Projector, 2023

With the latest 9500 Lumnes and 1080p Full HD resolution supported, this AuKing portable projector brings you clear and sharp detailed images. The powerful cooling system cools the heat of the bulb effectively. This then takes the lamp’s life up to 55,000 hours. 

There is inbuilt noise reduction technology, and the fan noise of the AuKing projector is reduced by 80%. I like that the built-in dual stereo speakers provide you with loud and crystal-clear sound. But you can also add in external speakers if you want.

This Auking 2023 cheap portable projector for bedrooms, ceilings, and walls is one of the best products we have ever purchased. The 2-year warranty is also a nice touch. Plus it comes with a remote.

I find that I can get 30 to 200 inches projection screen size with a minimum distance of 3.2ft out to 18.5ft projection distance.

It is very bright for such a small projector at 9500 lumens and the contrast ratio is 2000:1 which makes good blacks. It supports Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu, etc. but they can only be played on a TV Stick such as Roku or google chrome, etc

It is replacing our old Abox A2 mentioned below. I have kept the review up for those that want to know more.

Abox A2 Review

We have been using this Abox A2 projector for a few months now and it has been great. With a native resolution of 1280×720, it will downscale 1080p videos and images. This is a big improvement over the older T22 which only did 800×480 resolution. We like to use this projector for bedroom ceiling viewing. This way its a big screen image on the ceiling while lying down in bed.

I like how there is a manual focus ring right next to the keystone correction ring. These were easy to turn for fast image clarity. With multiple connection methods, such as HDMI, VGA, AV, USB, SD card, and Audio Out 3.5mm. This means you can hook this projector up to anything.

This projector will play the following video formats AVI, MPEG, MKV, RMVB, RM, MP4, and others via the USB or SD card slot. If you plug in a chromecast or another wireless dongle you will get access to streaming on-demand services like Netflix and youtube.

Many cheap projectors will have a loud internal fan. This is not the case with the Abox A2. There still is a fan, (two I believe) but its advanced cooling system means the fans can run slower so it is a lot quieter. This was a big drawcard for us as we wanted a quiet projector for the bedroom.

There are one inlet and one outlet for the removal of the generated heat from the LCD diode globe. This advanced cooling system blocks up to 90% of dust and particles which is great for such a cheap unit. Just be sure not to block off these vents.

Sound Quality

Most high-end movie projectors don’t include a speaker. This is because they are designed to run through a sound system or a set of external speakers. What I like about the Abox V2 is that it has two built-in 8Ω 3W Dual Speakers for Stereo Sound. These are mounted under the projector and actually sound good.

In a space like a bedroom, the sound is actually quite loud. I could turn it up without any distortion at the higher levels. This makes it a totally portable home projector that everyone can use without having to worry about hooking it up to external speakers. Although if you want better sound it’s best to hook it up to your home amplifier.

Because this projector has been designed to be quiet the sound won’t need to be blaring loud to overcome the fan sound. This makes for a more pleasurable experience. Especially when you are lying down in bed projecting an image onto the ceiling, the projector will be close to you so it needs to be quiet.

Optical Parameters

• Optical Resolution 1280×720
• Color Gamut NTSC >=75%
• Luminance Uniformity >85%
• The Lens has a high penetrating plating lens.
• Display technology uses LTPS and LCS combined.

I find the brightness excellent good in dark rooms, and it is totally usable in semi-dark rooms as well. This makes it great for the kids to use it on the Xbox One during the day. The Abox website claims it has a 200 ANSI lumen brightness (3000 standard lumens) and I tend to believe this claim as it is super bright. This is different to basic lumens which many other projectors seem to display at.

Its short throw means you can have an in-focus, large 33-inch image from up to 1m away. We like this as we can stand the projector on the bead head and point it at the ceiling. This way you can watch movies in bed displayed on the ceiling.

You can even use it as a rear projection with a setting to flip the image. This is good if you put up a low thread count white bed sheet in your backyard to view the movie on to. Otherwise, we just use a portable white projector screen to display the movie outside. Check out some of these other cheap backyard movie projectors.

Projection Screen Image Sizes at Different Distances

Depending on the distance of the projector to the wall or ceiling will determine the size of the image. This is because the Abox A2 mini projector has a fixed focal length. This cuts down the price. With a throw ratio of 1.4:1 it will give you a large bright image at a short distance.

This way if you are using the A2 projector for bedroom ceiling viewing then its perfect as you could have up to 2m from the bed head to the ceiling. Projecting onto the ceiling is a fun way to spend time in bed.

• 1m – 33 inch screen image.
• 1.5m – 50 inch screen image.
• 2.16m – 72 inch screen image.
• 2.52 – 84 inch screen image.
• 3m – 100 inch screen image.
• 3.6m – 120 inch screen image.

Dust Protection

All projectors can suffer from dust particles on the lens and the LCD. This is because they use fans to cool the internal diodes and globes. GooBang Doo and Abox have solved this problem by using an advanced air circulation cooling system to output the internal heat and block up to 90% of dust and particles. This significantly extends the projectors’ lifetime to over 50,000hrs.

The primary Lens is made up of 7 high-quality sealed focusing lenses which will give you up to 3000-1 high contrast ratio. Richer colors and darker blacks are some of the best in this price range of projectors.

Specifications:

The most important specifications for a bedroom projector is Brightness, Image Quality, and Quietness. The A2 projector has it all.

• Native Resolution: 1280×720, compatible for downscaling 1920*1080p
• Contrast Ratio: 3000:1 richer colors and darker blacks.
• Aspect Ratio: 4:3 and 16:9
• Throw Ratio: 1.4:1
• Work Noise: =<15dB quite.
• Power: 50W
• Power Supply: 100-240V, AC 50/60 Hz
• Weight: 3.85 lbs

Package Contents

• ABOX A2 Projector.
• Remote Controller – Batteries AAA not included.
• HDMI cable.
• 3 in 1 AV cable.
• User manual in various languages.
• Power adapter 110v to 240v AC.
• Mounting Screw for projector height adjustment.

Mounting options

There are 3 ways to mount this projector. Either by a surface mount which most people will do. There is an adjustment screw in the front which will lift the front of the projector up around 1 inch for fine adjustments. Be aware that you will have to do a fine keystone adjustment if using this method. Otherwise, I like to just put a few books under the unit to lift it up.

By using a tripod mount. Just make sure that your tripod can handle the weight of the Abox A2 projector which is 3.85 lbs.

The last way to mount the projector is by ceiling mounted. This A2 projector would be able to use a standard roof mount kit. As your projector’s image will now be upside down you have to change this flip image feature in the settings. Now the only issue I see here is the screw mounts. Usually, there are M3 nuts secured into the projector’s outer casing. I presume because of the cost saving to make this projector these M3 bolt secure points are missing. There are 4 deep screw holes that you could use a self-tapping bolt. This should work well.

How to select a video input source.

This Abox projector makes it easy to select which video source you want to play a file from. All that you need to do is turn on the projector and press (S) to select the input hardware source. This can be either USB, AV, Computer, SD card or HDMI. From here you can select which files you would like to play.

I have yet to find a video file that the A2 Abox couldn’t play. We usually play .mkv and .avi files through a USB stick.

You have the option of playing Music, Video, Pictures, or Text files. You can also use the included remote control to select the input source and select files and settings.

Connecting Tablets and Phones

You are able to connect your phone and tablet to this projector but you must use a Wireless HDMI adapter. For Android phones that support MHL you will need an MHL to HDMI Adapter or a USB3 (USB C) to HDMI adapter depending on your phone’s capabilities.

Apple phones and tablets will be able to use the Apple lightning AV digital adapter. The Lightning to Digital AV Adapter will mirror exactly what you see on your iPad or iPhone. This way everyone in the room can enjoy your pictures and files on the big screen. 

Adjusting the Image Quality

You can adjust the image quality by using the two round rings on the lens. The first ring is for focusing the image for different distances. The second smaller ring is for the Keystone correction.

Keystone correction is when the image looks like a triangle. This is because the projector is not lying totally flat but on an angle. Keystone correction will fix this problem. Also if you have slightly blurred top and bottom images try the keystone correction ring.

Abox A2 Projector user manual

You can download the Abox A2 Projector user manual here. As well as English it will also include sections in French, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, and Chinese. Be aware you may need a magnifying glass depending on how good your eyes are. This manual is small with really tiny writing.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, I wanted a cheap lightweight mini projector that could output a native 720p video image onto a bedroom ceiling. The Abox A2 has delivered that and more. Don’t get confused about the cheaper no-name projectors that say they can support 1080p. This is only the input resolution, not the output which is often around 800×600 or less.

Its small enough to transport but I would get a case to keep it safe. Something like a pelican case works well. You can also get great hard cases at your local hardware store and you just cut out the internal foam to suit this projector. Otherwise, just keep it in the box it came in for protection.