Believe it or not, putting together your own at-home theater is a lot cheaper than you think, especially when considering the Dr. J Professional HI-04 1080p Supported Portable Movie Projector. Not only does it come with a 100-inch projector screen bundled inside, its performance just might make it the best mini projector available on a budget.
Related: In case you want a small great projector that is almost the size of the palm of your hand, read our Ezcast Beam J2
Why We Like It – DR. J Professional HI-04 1080P
Capable of projecting a screen size of 176-inches and plenty of ports to use, this projector gives you every reason to choose it for your budget home theater, especially with the 100-inch projector screen bundled inside.
- Plenty of ports to use
- Screen size can be as large as 176-inches
- Bundles with a 100-inch projector screen
- Image quality lessens the bigger the screen is
Performance
Let’s take picture quality, for example. The Dr. J Professional HI-04 1080p has a native resolution of 1280-720, with a support resolution of 1920×1080. In both cases, it’s good video quality for movies and video games. Its contrast ratio is solid at 2000 to 1, like the Vankyo Leisure 3 Mini Projector. It can shoot a screen size of 176-inches, though the closer you get to its limit, the more the quality dips. It’s still good for outdoor movies, as its visual quality is better than the AuKing Mini Projector 2020, by far.
Design
One of the best features of Dr. J Professional HI-04 1080p is the number of ports. Along the right-hand face are HDMI USB, VGA, Micro SD, and AV. With its HDMI port and an adapter, you can stream your smart device straight to the projector. That also means your favorite TV stick can be inserted into the projector, too. At the same time, you can bypass its so-so speakers for an external pair. It has a power cable, unlike the Anker Nebula Capsule, which is battery-powered.
With that said, two other projectors might hold a candle to this one. You can read more about them in our AAXA P300 review and the PIQO smart mini 1080p pocket projector review.
Value
Like its sister model the Dr. J Professional HI-04 mini outdoor projector, the Dr. J Professional HI-04 1080p makes plenty of good decisions, most of which help downplay its little weaknesses. It performs well in both lit and dark areas, so watching during the day is still possible. It’s an overall really good projector and we can easily give it our seal of approval. This is especially true with the added 100-inch projector screen that comes bundled inside. Picking up a 4K projector on Amazon would’ve cost around $20, so it’s a nice surprise. Plus, it can be considered one of the best projectors under $1000. Now that’s a saving.
DR. J Professional HI-04 1080P Wrap-Up
For balancing a budget with performance, the Dr. J Professional HI-04 1080p Projector hits all the notes. Its picture quality is really solid, has several ports to stream from, and can project a screen of up to 176-inches, though image quality may dip a bit. In return, you get a 100-inch projector screen and enough savings that allow the purchase of external speakers.
