WEBVTT - Monologue: The Anker Nebula X1 Is The Best Projector I've Ever Used 0:00:01.840 --> 0:00:07.680 All Zone Media. Helen, Welcome to this week's Better Offline Monologue. 0:00:07.720 --> 0:00:16.919 I'm your host ed ZiT Trunk, and today I'm talking 0:00:16.920 --> 0:00:20.279 about stuff I actually like, specifically the Anchor Nebula X 0:00:20.320 --> 0:00:23.439 one projector. For many years, I've dreamed about a projector 0:00:23.440 --> 0:00:26.320 that you could just kind of sit down and project with. 0:00:26.440 --> 0:00:28.200 You don't have to fuck around with it too much 0:00:28.360 --> 0:00:31.000 done to suspend it from a ceiling or sit perfectly 0:00:31.000 --> 0:00:33.640 in front of a scream inasmuch as poss but you 0:00:33.680 --> 0:00:35.280 could just point it out a wall or a screen 0:00:35.320 --> 0:00:37.839 and it would work, and you could just start watching stuff. 0:00:38.080 --> 0:00:39.760 And the X one is about as close as I 0:00:39.800 --> 0:00:42.639 think we're ever going to get. It's fairly compact. It's 0:00:42.640 --> 0:00:44.640 maybe the size of a subword for or half the 0:00:44.680 --> 0:00:47.240 size of a carry on suitcase, weighing in just under 0:00:47.240 --> 0:00:49.360 fourteen pounds, with a handle that pops up with a 0:00:49.400 --> 0:00:53.320 satisfying click. It does four K resolution, uses something called 0:00:53.360 --> 0:00:55.960 triple laser technology that Anchor has a great deal of 0:00:56.000 --> 0:00:58.400 marketing material about that mostly just comes down to it 0:00:58.440 --> 0:01:02.120 looks very very good, and it bloody well should. Because 0:01:02.120 --> 0:01:04.520 the X one cost just over three thousand dollars with 0:01:04.560 --> 0:01:07.240 the wireless speakers, which you'll get to in a little beer. 0:01:07.319 --> 0:01:08.880 And yes, I bought it with my own money. I 0:01:08.880 --> 0:01:11.479 don't really spend money on myself outside of diet coke 0:01:11.560 --> 0:01:15.920 and baseball tickets anyway. Really though, it looks really really good, 0:01:15.959 --> 0:01:18.520 like a very high end four K TV, though perhaps 0:01:18.560 --> 0:01:21.480 not as contrasty as a high end O LAD. It's clear, 0:01:21.520 --> 0:01:24.199 it's crisp and looks that way if you're projecting onto 0:01:24.200 --> 0:01:26.240 a wall or in my case, something called an EPSOM 0:01:26.360 --> 0:01:29.080 duo eighty inch screen. I chose the duo because I'm 0:01:29.120 --> 0:01:31.440 using this projector in a cramp New York apartment with 0:01:31.520 --> 0:01:34.520 no big water project onto and the duo literally clips 0:01:34.520 --> 0:01:37.200 onto a tripod and pulls open in fifteen seconds. I'll 0:01:37.240 --> 0:01:39.360 link to it in the episode notes I love this screen. 0:01:39.640 --> 0:01:41.720 It's just you put the tripod down, you slide the 0:01:41.760 --> 0:01:43.480 thing on, and you pull it open. I had a 0:01:43.480 --> 0:01:45.959 few bolts pop out on mine, but you can just 0:01:45.959 --> 0:01:48.960 screw them back on. It's very much a working presenter 0:01:49.040 --> 0:01:52.600 type thing. You can imagine some horrible salesman wheeling it 0:01:52.640 --> 0:01:55.520 around and trying to sell you. I was going to say, ties, 0:01:55.640 --> 0:01:57.680 I don't think you really get door to door salesman 0:01:57.720 --> 0:02:02.520 of ties. Anyway One, for the most part, just works. 0:02:02.840 --> 0:02:04.840 It runs on Google TV, meaning that it has all 0:02:04.840 --> 0:02:07.920 the apps you'd expect, like Netflix, Hulu, to b Poo Boo, 0:02:08.120 --> 0:02:10.520 brung Us and funt Of course, though I will say 0:02:10.560 --> 0:02:13.120 that while playback is great, the user interface lags and 0:02:13.200 --> 0:02:15.680 chugs far too often for a projector that costs as 0:02:15.720 --> 0:02:18.480 much as a gaming laptop. I'm actually genuinely calling this 0:02:18.520 --> 0:02:21.639 out as bullshit. I have an Apple TV even five 0:02:21.720 --> 0:02:24.000 years ago, that runs smoothly. I don't know why the 0:02:24.160 --> 0:02:26.440 X one chugs so much, and I refuse to believe 0:02:26.480 --> 0:02:28.440 that there was no way of making it work. Well, 0:02:28.560 --> 0:02:31.000 they've crammed it full of crap. It's full of all 0:02:31.000 --> 0:02:34.400 of these classic Google TV like random windows of stuff 0:02:34.400 --> 0:02:37.280 from recommending me stuff I'm never gonna watch. I don't 0:02:37.280 --> 0:02:39.760 know if this is a Google problem or an anchor problem, 0:02:39.880 --> 0:02:43.119 but again, three thousand dollars, you need to get this right. 0:02:43.880 --> 0:02:46.680 I can forgive this, though, because the X one also 0:02:46.720 --> 0:02:49.720 has several incredibly useful features, like this built in gimbal 0:02:49.919 --> 0:02:51.639 that allows you to move and adjust the image so 0:02:51.680 --> 0:02:53.520 that you can have the X one shooting from the 0:02:53.560 --> 0:02:55.840 side of a room rather than directly onto a surface, 0:02:55.840 --> 0:02:59.400 with the ability to digitally enhance enlarge and keystone, meaning 0:02:59.440 --> 0:03:01.680 you can pull the corners of the image to make 0:03:01.720 --> 0:03:04.160 it look right on a particular surface, to make it 0:03:04.400 --> 0:03:07.600 project just about anywhere. And it really does work. When 0:03:07.639 --> 0:03:10.400 I was first using it, I quite literally had it 0:03:10.440 --> 0:03:12.960 crammed in the corner of the room, had it project 0:03:13.040 --> 0:03:16.360 onto the surface, it looked awful. But with digital keystoning, 0:03:16.400 --> 0:03:18.520 you could just pull the corners on so it looked 0:03:18.520 --> 0:03:20.080 like it was meant to be there. And when I 0:03:20.120 --> 0:03:24.079 say gimbal, I mean it quite literally has the focus 0:03:24.120 --> 0:03:26.640 element inside it, the actual lenses you can hear it go. 0:03:27.280 --> 0:03:30.360 It's kind of cool. Genuinely, at a time when I 0:03:30.400 --> 0:03:33.040 bitch a lot about how bad technology has become, the 0:03:33.200 --> 0:03:36.480 X one genuinely is actually innovative. It's a cool piece 0:03:36.480 --> 0:03:40.040 of kit, and it really just it can go anywhere 0:03:40.200 --> 0:03:42.160 that you want it to. For the most part, you 0:03:42.200 --> 0:03:45.160 don't have to have this perfect setup, this perfect amount 0:03:45.200 --> 0:03:49.400 of space. This is why I've generally not liked projectors, 0:03:49.680 --> 0:03:53.000 because projectors require you to have, even with a good screen, 0:03:53.360 --> 0:03:56.240 exactly the right positioning. If you're off even by a little, 0:03:56.760 --> 0:03:58.720 it can kind of look like a dog's dinner. I'm 0:03:58.720 --> 0:04:01.280 thinking of the various short threat projectors I've used, where 0:04:01.360 --> 0:04:03.040 the whole thing is They say, oh, it just projects 0:04:03.080 --> 0:04:05.440 them below it. Yeah. Maybe if it's not exactly the 0:04:05.520 --> 0:04:08.800 right height, the exact distance, even a small distance, you 0:04:08.840 --> 0:04:11.600 don't have the right table, you're screwed. With the X one. 0:04:11.640 --> 0:04:14.360 I had it on some random coffee table in the corner. 0:04:14.480 --> 0:04:16.760 I didn't do nothing fancy like, it was great. I 0:04:16.839 --> 0:04:19.960 really enjoy it, which is why I'm immediately going to 0:04:20.040 --> 0:04:23.520 start complaining about something. Yes, the X one, and this 0:04:23.600 --> 0:04:26.760 is a marketing problem, has some automatic setup features, and 0:04:26.800 --> 0:04:30.000 seemingly every single reviewer that I watch said they were excellent, 0:04:30.200 --> 0:04:33.120 But in my experience they don't work. They just they 0:04:33.120 --> 0:04:37.560 don't work. It's crazy. Everyone would show you this thing, 0:04:37.600 --> 0:04:39.679 and I think it's the I'll get to the exact 0:04:39.760 --> 0:04:41.640 terms in a minute, but they would just point it, 0:04:41.640 --> 0:04:43.440 they'd click a button, and it would know the exact 0:04:43.480 --> 0:04:46.880 screen size. This was not my experience. Perhaps it's that 0:04:46.960 --> 0:04:49.279 my projector screen is in front of two windows, or 0:04:49.480 --> 0:04:51.680 maybe everybody else testing this did it in some sort 0:04:51.720 --> 0:04:55.159 of ideal scenario. But these setup features are useful. I 0:04:55.240 --> 0:04:57.120 find to get you close enough to something you can 0:04:57.160 --> 0:04:59.800 digitally adjust to fit your surface. But they are not. 0:05:00.000 --> 0:05:03.520 It's a cure all thing. I will also say this 0:05:03.560 --> 0:05:06.560 is still the most single most versatile projector I've ever used, 0:05:06.560 --> 0:05:07.919 and I was able to project from the corner of 0:05:07.920 --> 0:05:10.920 my room where no other projector would have worked. It 0:05:10.960 --> 0:05:13.320 does work, it just does not work as easily as 0:05:13.320 --> 0:05:15.800 Anchor says. And I only harp on about this because 0:05:15.880 --> 0:05:18.960 Anchor's website says and I quote set up in ten seconds, 0:05:19.160 --> 0:05:23.480 which is complete and utter bullshit. It's just nonsense. Anchor 0:05:23.560 --> 0:05:27.400 massively overstates their AI spatial adaptation as one click perfection, 0:05:27.680 --> 0:05:29.640 and other reviewers should have done a much better job 0:05:29.680 --> 0:05:33.560 making sure this was true. That being said, once you've 0:05:33.560 --> 0:05:36.040 found a spot that works, the X one does generally 0:05:36.080 --> 0:05:39.039 remember it. However, if you adjust the screen or you 0:05:39.080 --> 0:05:42.120 are just where the projector is even slightly, it doesn't. 0:05:42.200 --> 0:05:44.440 And yeah, you can physically move it. I'm being a 0:05:44.480 --> 0:05:47.080 little bit of a prick about this because this costs 0:05:47.080 --> 0:05:50.520 so much money and Anchor's website repeatedly states that this 0:05:50.680 --> 0:05:53.240 is just something you click one butoner and it works. 0:05:53.400 --> 0:05:56.240 It does not do that. It does not, and all 0:05:56.279 --> 0:05:57.839 the other if I don't know how any of the 0:05:57.839 --> 0:06:00.120 other reviewers who have reviewed this would hear this, But 0:06:00.120 --> 0:06:02.240 if you were one of them, you fucked up. You 0:06:02.360 --> 0:06:05.919 fucked up bad here. You really haven't sold people something dangerous. 0:06:05.960 --> 0:06:08.719 It's still a great product. But stop doing marketing for 0:06:08.760 --> 0:06:12.240 these companies. Try these products when I am eventually going 0:06:12.279 --> 0:06:15.479 to get into more regular hardware reviews, and when I do, 0:06:15.800 --> 0:06:17.520 I am going to try and set stuff up in 0:06:17.560 --> 0:06:21.240 the unideal space. We should not be trying to do 0:06:21.279 --> 0:06:24.320 these things, these reviews in a space that exactly fits 0:06:24.360 --> 0:06:27.520 the marketing request. No no, no, no, no no. We 0:06:27.600 --> 0:06:30.599 need to be harder on these people, especially companies that 0:06:30.720 --> 0:06:34.640 claim one click setups. But I should also be clear 0:06:34.680 --> 0:06:37.920 that compared to literally any other projector I've ever used, 0:06:37.920 --> 0:06:40.480 this the easiest to set up and most adaptable projector 0:06:40.760 --> 0:06:43.680 I have ever seen. And you also get these wireless 0:06:43.720 --> 0:06:46.080 stereo speakers with it, where you have to pay for them, 0:06:46.520 --> 0:06:49.679 and they truly do set up in seconds. The ones 0:06:49.680 --> 0:06:52.000 that I think they even came pared, you just put 0:06:52.040 --> 0:06:53.839 them down in the corners. They have L and R 0:06:53.880 --> 0:06:55.800 on them, So if you're like me and you forget 0:06:56.000 --> 0:06:58.479 they just have it in a big letter and you 0:06:58.640 --> 0:07:01.040 hit a button and bang that cat and they create 0:07:01.080 --> 0:07:04.479 a really convincing surround sound environment. Combined with the speakers 0:07:04.480 --> 0:07:06.760 that are actually baked into the X one's body, they 0:07:06.800 --> 0:07:09.320 sound fantastic. And when you've found a consistent spot for 0:07:09.360 --> 0:07:11.640 the projector and the screen, yes, you can be up 0:07:11.640 --> 0:07:15.240 and running in ten seconds. Also is another thing I'm 0:07:15.240 --> 0:07:17.960 gonna harp on about as on the side. Anchor should 0:07:18.000 --> 0:07:21.120 absolutely be ashamed of themselves for keeping motion smoothing on. 0:07:21.640 --> 0:07:25.840 It's on by default. What year is this anchor? Is 0:07:25.840 --> 0:07:29.840 it two thousand and seven? Is it two thousand and nine? 0:07:30.160 --> 0:07:33.480 What are we doing? It's motion smoothing? Nobody likes? Who 0:07:33.520 --> 0:07:36.040 wants this? Tom Cruise is going to get very angry 0:07:36.040 --> 0:07:38.200 when he hears this. I assume Tom Cruise is a 0:07:38.200 --> 0:07:40.640 better offline listener. Anyway, If you buy this thing, and 0:07:40.640 --> 0:07:43.640 I do recommend it seriously, it's called me EMC, go 0:07:43.760 --> 0:07:46.080 into the settings. It's in there. I do not know 0:07:46.120 --> 0:07:49.440 why this feature is present. It's so annoying. It's so 0:07:49.680 --> 0:07:53.120 very annoying, and again, would not be this harsh if 0:07:53.160 --> 0:07:56.520 this was not three thousand dollars anyway, Anyway, I know 0:07:56.560 --> 0:07:58.280 I've gone into a lot of negatives here, but I 0:07:58.320 --> 0:08:00.800 truly adore the X one. I do not recommend it 0:08:00.800 --> 0:08:03.040 for gaming, as the input leg is bad, but for 0:08:03.120 --> 0:08:05.440 everything else, it's one of the single coolest pieces of 0:08:05.480 --> 0:08:08.560 hardware I've ever used. It looks good, it works well, 0:08:08.600 --> 0:08:12.480 it's beautifully engineered, it feels nice and hefty, has its 0:08:12.520 --> 0:08:15.320 wit like. The kit is all nice, it's smooth surface, 0:08:15.600 --> 0:08:18.120 and the UI generally is great, and when you've set 0:08:18.120 --> 0:08:19.720 it up in the right place, it really is as 0:08:19.720 --> 0:08:22.560 turnkey as Anchor says. But that's a big if. And 0:08:22.600 --> 0:08:24.960 while I've been quite critical of the auto set up 0:08:25.000 --> 0:08:27.120 in general, the X one will work in many, many 0:08:27.120 --> 0:08:30.320 more environments than any other projector. I've watched several films 0:08:30.360 --> 0:08:33.480 and TV show episodes on it. They looked and sounded great. 0:08:33.720 --> 0:08:36.280 I even watched the Steven Seagal movie called A Good Man. 0:08:36.520 --> 0:08:38.480 It was a very bad movie. But if you want 0:08:38.480 --> 0:08:41.440 to laugh, if you want to really just laugh, laugh 0:08:41.480 --> 0:08:44.240 yourself silly. I recommend I don't know pirating it. You 0:08:44.240 --> 0:08:48.760 shouldn't give them any money anyway. It's also relatively portable 0:08:48.840 --> 0:08:52.320 fourteen pounds it's thirteen point seven based on their website. 0:08:52.400 --> 0:08:55.040 It has the lovely little handle. Everything runs off a 0:08:55.080 --> 0:08:57.960 single power adapter, and Anchor sells a chunky carrier case 0:08:57.960 --> 0:09:00.560 that fits both the X one and speakers. I also 0:09:00.600 --> 0:09:03.480 recommend anchors gimbal, which is just a fancy way of 0:09:03.520 --> 0:09:06.280 saying thing you click it onto, which lets you tilt 0:09:06.320 --> 0:09:08.480 and turn it to make it even more adaptable, in 0:09:08.480 --> 0:09:10.680 my case, allowing me to project up from the floor 0:09:10.760 --> 0:09:13.280 rather than the table in the corner of my apartment. 0:09:13.880 --> 0:09:16.320 So I really do love the X one. I adore it. 0:09:16.440 --> 0:09:19.120 I'm so glad I bought it. It's great, great value 0:09:19.120 --> 0:09:21.160 for money. I know that sounds weird at the price point, 0:09:21.200 --> 0:09:23.000 but it just works. I'm going to take it with 0:09:23.040 --> 0:09:27.440 me on a little romantic trip going on, going to 0:09:27.480 --> 0:09:29.480 the woods, going to project onto the screen, and with 0:09:29.520 --> 0:09:31.880 the duo, you could just block it up there. I 0:09:32.000 --> 0:09:34.000 use it to watch all sorts of movies and TV. 0:09:34.440 --> 0:09:37.360 I really do like him, and especially at a time 0:09:37.440 --> 0:09:40.480 when tech has become so negative, when I spend so 0:09:40.559 --> 0:09:42.640 much of my time complaining about the tech industry, with 0:09:42.679 --> 0:09:47.120 good bloody reason, it's nice watching a company build something cool. Now. 0:09:47.120 --> 0:09:48.920 I haven't done too much of a deep dive on 0:09:49.080 --> 0:09:52.200 to Anchor, so I'm sure that there's something someone won't like, 0:09:52.360 --> 0:09:54.560 but I've used a lot of their products. I like 0:09:54.600 --> 0:09:56.040 a lot of their products, have a bunch of their 0:09:56.080 --> 0:10:00.520 battery packs. In general, it's nice watching a company build 0:10:00.559 --> 0:10:04.000 things that actually help people and that people like. I'm 0:10:04.040 --> 0:10:06.679 sure people email me saying they found something they don't 0:10:06.720 --> 0:10:08.240 and of course I do want to hear about that 0:10:08.280 --> 0:10:10.560 easy at better Offline dot com. But I look forward 0:10:10.600 --> 0:10:13.160 to doing more hardware stuff in the future. Thanks for listening.