Optoma PK301 Pico Projector Review

The Optoma PK301 Pico projector at 50 ANSI lumens is the brightest of Optoma’s pico projector range by 250% which makes the first choice if on-the-go presentations need to be made in brighter areas such as in an office cubicle. Unlike the brick shape of the other Optoma pico projectors, the PK301 has a more recognizable projector shape. Although its a little larger 4.7 x 1.2 x 2.7 inches (120.1 x 29.7 x 69.8 mm) and heavier of 8 oz (227g) (with standard battery), the Optoma PK301 is easily held in the palm of the hand.

Optoma PK301 Pico projector

The PK301 pico projector is ideally sized for making on-the-go business presentations or casual video sharing with friends without the screen size limitations of a mobile handheld device. Importantly, the PK301 will connect with a wide range of mobile devices including; iPod, iPhone, iTouch, Camcorders, DV-Cams, Digital Cameras and DVD Players. The Optoma PK301 has 28 MB of internal memory and a micro SD card slot which will accept cards up to 16 Gb.

The PK301 projecton engine is sourced from Texas Instrument’s (DLP Pico projection technology) and delivers a native resolution native WVGA (854 x 480 pixels) with a maximum resolution of WXGA (1280 x 800 pixels) through VGA Adapter and HD (1080i) through the mini HDMI connection. The projected image can be from 5 to 120 inches (0.13 to 3.05 m) with the projector positioned between 8 to 189 inches (0.20 to 4.8 m) from the screen. Of course because of the low lumens rating compared to a conventional projector, the brightness of the projected image for the largest image sizes is crucially dependent on the ambient light level. Generally, the product is designed to use in lower light levels with a smaller image size than conventional meeting room projectors.

The excellent contrast ratio (full on / full off) of 2,000:1 contributes strongly to picture quality as does the DLP projection system to color reproduction. Due to the projectors size there is no keystone correction so, it must be manually aligned square to the projection surface. There is a manual focus ring.

The battery time for the projector in standard mode (20 ANSI lumens) is one hour or 5 making the optional extended power battery pack more or less essential if you are going to be using the brighter setting. It’s surprising that the Li-ion Rechargeable (3.7V, 1410mAh) battery is the same as for the lower brightness PK201. The PK301 can be charged through a USB connection or using the included AC power adapter. The LED projection bulbs have an extremely long life of 20,000 hours which should outlast the life of the projector as a whole.

The PK301 has a quiet 0.5W onboard speaker which is good only for quiet environments however a headphone out has been added which improves usability.

The Optoma Pico PK301 has the wide range of computer, video input, video file format and image file format compatibility as detailed below.

Computer Compatibility (with scaling): WXGA, XGA, SVGA, VGA, VESA, PC and Macintosh Compatible with Included VGA Adapter

Video Input Compatibility (with scaling): NTSC, PAL, SDTV (480i), EDTV (480p), HDTV (720p, 1080i)

Video File Compatibility: AVI, MOV, MP4, 3GP (Common Video Formats are Converted Using Optoma Pico Video Encoder)

Image Compatibility: JPEG, BMP (PowerPoint Files are Converted Using Optoma Pico Video Encoder)

A notable orphan from the compatibility list is presentation files formats like Microsoft PowerPoint and Apple Keynote. The PK301 cannot display them so they must be saved as a series of images as explained in the FAQ from Optoma Saving PowerPoint and Keynote Presentations. Of course any animation or audio will be lost. If this is unacceptable then the choice becomes Samsung’s SP-H03 or 3M’s Mpro150.

For video conversion Optoma provides ArcSoft Media Converter stored on the PK301′s memory. Installation requires connecting the PK301 to a PC (Windows) and transferring and installing the application. Once installed conversion is as simple as dragging a file onto the software’s icon. For Mac users options include two free software solutions Handbrake or SQUARED 5 (Windows or Mac).

The warranty on the Optoma PK201 is a standard one year limited parts and labor for the projector except for 90 days on battery.

Connections

24-Pin Universal Port, 2.5mm Jack AV Input (Composite Video and Stereo Audio-In), Micro USB, Mini HDMI, microSD Slot, 3.5 mm Audio-Out Jack and DC Input Jack

Optoma PK301 – In the Box

Power Adapter, Rechargeable Li-ion Battery, Male USB Cable, Standard A/V Cable (RCA to Mini-Jack), Universal to VGA Cable, Bag

Optional Accessories

iPod Kit with A/V Connector, Universal to Component Cable, Universal to Female USB Cable, Additional Standard Battery, Extended Power Battery Pack, Mini HDMI to HDMI Cable,Remote Control

One other option worth mention is the Portfolio carrying case ($50 street), which is large enough, at 14.3 by 10.8 by 2 inches, to hold the projector, power adaptor, and cables. The case comes with a small tripod and a built-in 11- by 8-inch gray screen (the gray material aids contrast). It’s designed so you don’t have to worry about finding a usable blank surface to use as a screen. Just open the case, then mount the projector on the tripod, and aim it at the screen.
a USB cable that ends in a female connector so you can plug a USB key into it ($28),

Summary

The Optoma PK301 performs well as a very portable tool for on-the-go projection of much larger images and video than the displays of similar sized portable devices. It’s ideal for small business meetings and groups. MicroSD or USB can be used for loading digital multimedia without a separate video source device. The lack of native ability to display presentation software files such as PowerPoint or Keynote should be noted.