Brightest And Most Colorful Lights – ForMovie Xming Episode One Google TV Projector
XMing Episode One is a $299 USD Video Projector designed with a Native 1080p Resolution, True 150 ISO Lumens, 1500:1 Contrast Ratio, and which works for projection on a screen between 40 and 150 Inches. It includes Dolby Audio, and Automatic Correction and Focus, so today we will review it and see how it compares to consuming multimedia content on a smartphone, tablet, PC Monitor or large 65″ QLED TV.
Introduction
As this is our first review exploring a ForMove product, I am trying to see how the company responds to customers and how they are perceived, but so far everything has been brilliant. All customers gave 5/5 perfect ratings to both the Xming Episode One Projector and also for the company, which always answers questions, is open to discussion and made a product that is actually solid and reliable.
As an Amazon Influencer, I earn from qualifying purchases, and using the purchase links in my reviews helps me maintain this website and Youtube Channel. Huge thanks to ForMovie and Xming for providing us with the sample for this review.
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/41erF62
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_okcVbow
Official Link – https://eu.formovie.com/pages/xming-episode-one
Build Quality/Aesthetics
I always wanted to get to review some projectors because the tech always made me wonder if there is more to multimedia than large and expensive TVs, but the rather high price of projects and tons of diasdvnatages made me decide not to test them so far. The new ForMovie Xming Episode One comes to solve all of the issues that scared me away from projectors, and create a product that is both affordable and excellent in every way I always dreamt a projector would be.
Starting with the Fully Enclosed Custom Light Engine, most projects tend to have an issue with dust entering the light engine, and in time the image would degrade and get a lot of black spots and screen burn, so the fully closed engine of the Episode One Project solves that entirely by having a custom light projector that you can simply clean with a lens wipe on the outside, and with nothing being able to get inside and beneath the lenses.
Another thing that kept me away from Projectors has been the low native resolution, and even most high-end options tend to be 720p at maximum, which simply does not look sharp and is instead blurry, so Episode One sports a true 1080p native resolution that looks crisp, sharp and beautiful between 2 and 5 meters between you and the projector. The contrast ratio is also insanely high for a projector, at 1500:1 native contrast, higher than most IPS displays, higher than what I get on my Red Magic Nova Tablet, which is very visible when watching both anime and real life content. Sadly, the color gamut coverage is low, at 38% NTSC, which translates to about 50% sRGB. Most deep and dark colours are represented well, but bright colors are generally not as brilliant as they can be.
This being said, projectors come with a trick, and using a highly reflective curtain or projector screen will heavily increase both the maximum brightness and color highlight / perceived gamut of the projector. The maximum ISO Luminance is very low at 150 ISO Lumens, and like all projectors you have to sit in a pitch black room to really enjoy a good image quality, but once you get the conditions right, it actually looks as bright as most midrange and high-end projectors from popular brands that I have tested including Optoma, BenQ and Sony.
The final trick up the sleeve of ForMovie for their Xming Episode One is the auto correction which makes using and placing the Episode One leaps ahead in convenience compared to most projectors. So the idea is that to set a projector properly, getting the perfect keystone and alignment can be extremely difficult, and getting the right Focus can also take a really long time and is a stressful operation. This focus is also lost if you move the projector or the screen, but For Movie was smart about things, and they literally have a separate sensor that detects the wall, and auto keystone, auto aligns and auto focuses the image. You can manually change all of those, but the auto settings have an accuracy rate of 98% in my tests, so unless you have objects in between the screen and the wall, things will work perfectly. In fact, the image is still crisp and sharp even if you place the projector at an angle, so you really get a superb and excellent usage experience with the Episode One.
Subjective Usage
First thing I would recommend you to purchase for Episode One is a stand, as leaving on a table is not ideal, and a stand that has a fluid head would be fantastic, as it would allow you to fine tune the position and angling of the projector to match that of the projection screen. You always hear the cooling fan of the Episode One, but it is quiet relative to most projects, much quieter than laptops running at full speed, but louder than a TV or a Tablet both of which have no self noise. We get two 3W speakers that provide a clean and crisp midrange, but roll off in the bass at around 80Hz, so no sub bass, and mostly no bass rumble or punch.
As ForMovie knew they can’t design that good of a software as a smaller company, they played it safe, and Episode One comes with a Fluid User Interface that moves smoothly, and it is basically a google TV in every way possible with both the advantages and the limitations of Google TV. For example the 2GB of RAM and 16 GB of Internal Storage are more than sufficient for streaming Youtube and watching NetFlix or other Streaming apps, but you cannot read an external HDD using the USB port at the back.
You will mostly use Episode One via the HDMI input at the back or via Wifi to stream movies and Youtube. There’s an Aux 3.5mm output that actually sounds great, and Episode One has Wifi support for both the 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz bands, which means very fast, up to gigabit speeds for the internet. I personally do not use the Google Assistant or any type of AI feature and recommend you to leave them disabled, and I have not found any way to use the USB port at the back.
On the bright side, I was able to use Episode One for gaming and real-time playback, and while for gaming there is a bit of extra delay compared to my 65QN90D Samsung TV in Gaming Mode, you can still play casual games okay, and for multimedia content there is no noticeable delay, and things load pretty much instantly, including 4K 120fps videos that I have upscaled for watching.
Image Quality
Episode One has a fairly sharp, detailed and crisp image, but I cannot take a photo of what I am seeing, with the contrast ratio being much higher in person, and sharpness much better than what I was able to capture while reviewing it.
The viewing experience is less detailed than using a 4K QLED TV, but that is only natural, as the TV has more pixels and a much higher brightness to work with. You need a reflective screen to really take advantage of Episode One, although the image it creates in pitch black darkness allows you to sit farther away and enjoy content in a better quality than a smaller 11″ Tablet.
As the price of around 299 USD, or special price of 199 USD makes it very affordable and it is compact, easy to transport, it offers a far more pleasing viewing experience than any smartphone, so it can be a reliable way, even without a projector screen, to enjoy your content if you’re on a tight budget. I prefer sitting farther away from the screen, and when I visited a friend who owns an entry-level TV that also has a FHD resolution, we both felt like Episode One has a sharper image with a stronger contrast and better colors. It basically wins hands-down against other viewing experiences you get at the same price point, having better color gamut coverage and better
Value and Conclusion
ForMovie Xming Episode One was a steal at 299 USD and an excellent projector, but the company is currently selling the projector for 199 USD making it one of the most affordable, yet high-end tech and useful projectors you can purchase today.
At the end of the day, for your image and multimedia consumption, there are lots of options while staying in the ~200 USD price range, but ForMovie Xming Episode One will have a higher maximum brightness, better color, and sharper image than an Azorpa external monitor, or entry-level TVs, so you can have a cinematic experience right at home, for a low price, with most issues that we see with projectors solved for less than the price of midrange headphones. I fully recommend the Xming Episode One, it has both excellent software and hardware, and for the 199 USD price tag it has right now, it is a darn perfect projector.
PROs
- Brilliant Image Quality
- Exceptionally quiet fan and cooling
- Sturdy and reliable build quality
- Outstanding auto keystone correction and auto focus that actually works
- Automatic curtain alignment that works very well
- Fully Enclosed design with a custom light engine, so no fear of dust
- Low price and high performance
Cons
- It needs a pitch black room to work well
- Needs a reflective wall or curtain to achieve the highest contrast and image quality
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/41erF62
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_okcVbow
Official Link – https://eu.formovie.com/pages/xming-episode-one
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Full Playlist used for this review
We listened to more songs than those named in this playlist, but those are excellent for identifying a sonic signature. I recommend trying most of the songs from this playlist, especially if you’re searching for new music! The playlists are different for Spotify, Tidal and Youtube, and based on the songs I enjoy and are available on each!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_cjBXGmwSHSdGcwuc_bKbBDGHL4QvYBu
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5J3oloz8Riy9LxEGenOjQ0?si=979ba4f082414be7
https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/330fd544-8e5b-4839-bd35-676b2edbb3d5
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