Dangbei DBX3 Pro 4K Projector, 1800 ISO Lumens, DLP Projector with Android 4GB+128G, 2x10W HiFi Speakers, Auto Focus, Keystone HDR10 Home Theater

*8/23/2023 Update*After using the projector for several months, I'm raising the review. The only other problem I had after setup was an issue where it was getting stuck with "MEMC" frame interpolation on, but that seems to have been fixed with a software update. I've been using it with first a Fire Stick then an Apple TV into one HDMI input, and a gaming PC on the other. I use HDMI-ARC to pass audio OUT to a Denon receiver that handles the sound, and I like that setup since my Denon doesn't do 60FPS 4k if I let it do the switching. I use the projector > 80% for movies and shows on streaming services and the rest is PC content and gaming. Before this projector, I've had an Optoma, a Benq, a Viewsonic, a 4k Optoma, and now the Mars. The Mars is a dramatically better picture than the others (not LED/Laser), generates less heat, much less fan noise, comes on and off faster, has more vibrant color and contrast, and has a true, sharp 4k picture instead of doing it with pixel shifting. I think at the price point, and now that it has been reliable for several months, it is worth a bump to 5 stars IF the user reads this in advance, is aware of the units size and distance constraints to the screen, and has the right mounting hardware. If you want a quality 4k projector that is affordable AND this fits your room constraints AND you have the right mounting hardware in advance, I don't think you'll be disappointed. If you've gotten used to the heat, fan noise and bulb replacement cost of a bulb projector, you'll be surprised how much of an improvement this is vs a traditional 4k, even before factoring in the better colors and sharpness from the laser.*Original Review*This is an early review to help others that might be considering purchase. I'm still working on the install and plan to update once I have more time with the projector. Short version so far - out of box experience and documentation have been very poor for my setup but would work fine for others. Picture quality is very impressive for the price.My initial impressions have been spoiled by these problems. They won't affect everyone, but they kept me from using it on day 1.1 - Mounting problems. Over the last 12 years, I've had 2x Benq, an Optoma, an Epson, and a Viewsonic projector. They have all had standard VESA mount holes, and it didn't really occur to me that a new projector might not have them. As a result, my existing projector mount that has worked with every other projector won't work with this one. This unit uses a camera-style 1/4" single hole mount. That's fine, I guess, but how hard would it have been to drill and tap 4 more holes to be more compatible with the last 20 years of projector installs? I checked and Dangbei sells their own ceiling mount, but it has some limitations I don't like. 1 - it is $100 and not as good as generics that are $30. 2 - it only adjusts tilt. 3 - it only has room for a wire run for the power cable, and not also for an HDMI. My solution is to 3D print a mount plate with a VESA pattern and a 1/4 hole in the middle to use to secure the Mars Pro to my existing ceiling mount. I also saw a VESA to 1/4" adapter here on Amazon intended for vertical photo shoots that may work, but I'll try the simple mount plate first. This all should have been avoidable for very low manufacturing cost and I have no idea why the broke with the standard.2 - The documentation available both with the unit and online is infuriatingly terrible. Would you like a setup guide showing how close/far/and to what angles the projector can be placed? No - just a minimum distance chart and a vague promise that "You can place it anywhere!" Not true. Would you like a description of the menu options in the software? Nope. Would you like info on how to enable or test features like HDR, check current resolution and refresh, etc? Nope. What about info on where to find projector placement and orientation options? Nope. They should just ship it with a plastic middle finger instead of the pamphlet that it has. It would be more honest and more amusing.3 - Once you poke around and figure things out, the software is ALMOST really good. For some people, it will be great, but they took the Apple approach of ditching advanced and manual setup options for wizards that are supposed to "just work" but if they don't you are kind of screwed. It is also another area where there are missing options that all of my other projectors have had.Examples:A - The auto-focus option is probably the best one I've seen, but it is not good enough to get 4k text in focus from my placement. There is a manual focus, but it is the worst one I have used. It is remote control-only, and its adjustment increments are too large. The bigger problem is that when it auto-focuses it has a nice, high res test pattern that it uses. When you manual focus, it inexplicably puts a useless low res pattern on that doesn't have enough detail to see if you are dialing it in. You can't manual focus with a background of your choosing or just your current projected image. Why!?!B - I first tried to work around the above mounting issue by placing the unit on a high shelf (about 6') that I had laying around to install on the room's back wall. I put the projector on the shelf, but the image was now pointed at the ceiling. I poked around and found the mount options in the settings, and it was missing a key option (again, one that my other projectors have had) in the interest of trying to be user friendly. It has an option for ceiling mount that flips the image and changes the projection angle, but if you don't invert the projector and instead just place it on a high shelf, there isn't an option to lens shift / project downward without inverting the image so everything is upside down. Simple separate manual controls for flip top/bottom, flip left/right, and lens shift would fix this. Grrr. Off to the 3d printer.C - The keystone correction is pretty good too, but since there is functionally no manual and the test pattern sucks, it isn't clear how it works or if you lose effective resolution if you place the unit well off center and it has to heavily compensate. Some systems will make an image fit and de-skew by sacrificing pixels and resampling the image to fit. I don't know if this one does that, or uses optics, or both. Since I want a real 4K 60hz image from a PC and want to be able to read fine text, this matters to me more than most, but I think most users would also like to know where to place their projector to get the best image quality and if sacrifices are being made when it has to compensate more.So... setup for me has sucked, but to see if I even wanted to keep messing with it, I set it up on an ottoman + a box and pointed it at the 110" screenfrom about 10 - 12 feet away. When placed that way, the unit set up and worked fine automatically and pretty flawlessly. They clearly designed and tested it for the kind of user that is willing to plop a projector in the middle of their room, which is normal for portable setups, outdoor, bedroom use, etc., but not for a dedicated media room. The picture was honestly pretty great for the price, so I decided to spend more time trying to make it work.Pros -1- Real 4k picture quality, as opposed to the pixel shifted pseudo-4k trash my last DLP tried to do.2 - Laser light source is quiet and cool compared to LED and traditional bulb units I've used.3 - It is the quietest projector I've had which is a big plus since my last one was so loud it was distracting and took away from the movie.4 - Brightest image I've seen in a <$3k projector.5 - If it weren't for the lack of manual controls and documentation and some missing features, their software would be pretty amazing vs the competition at this price. The UI is fast and responsive and it has more digital controls and automatic settings than any other projector I've used. They just didn't work for my setup.Another concern is gaming. My first test was from a high end PC that I've used for 1080p and 4k gaming on my last projector, and the input latency was REALLY bad. Like > 1000ms. Something was wrong there, so that isn't reflected in the review, but it is another thing I'll need to troubleshoot and figure out. That is a deal killer though if I can't at least get it down to <50ms or so. They advertise 20ms.Side note - this also doesn't affect my review, but I didn't comment on the built-in software's app ecosystem and what content it plays because I don't care. I want my projectors, TV's, and monitors to just focus on displaying a really good picture. I think "Smart TV's" are a waste of time because whatever features they have get abandoned and outdated in a few years (just look at all the Vizio TV's that won't play Netflix anymore and have horrible input lag if they work at all), and they are rarely, if ever, as good as a dedicated Apple TV or top end Roku, Firestick, or Chromecast. I would really rather manufacturers focus on just making a good display device and leave the software to the software companies. The same thing goes for speakers. I hate paying (in money, space, and weight) for crappy (or even good!) built in speakers. Doesn't almost everyone buying a $1k+ projector at least have a good soundbar if not a 5.1 or 7.1 setup? Why would you want to try to get good sound from your tiny awkwardly placed projector? It would at least be nice if they offered a smaller, less expensive model without streaming app support or speakers for customers that see those as a minus instead of a plus.I've never given a review this high to a product that frustrated me this much, and that is a testament to the image quality, low noise, and low heat at the price point. I'll probably raise it another star if the ceiling mounting works out and I figure out how to dial in the focus a little better.

We purchased this as a wedding present. BEST decision. It's beautiful we have really high ceilings in our bedroom and we project on the screen. After about a year, there was one spot, we contacted the company and they were PHENOMENAL responding and sending us a new unit! I HIGHLY recommend. In fact, I've decided to project on a wall rather than place art work, I will purchase another unit from them!

The price is what compelled me to buy this projector. First and foremost: yes you should buy it, but if you are a gamer, don't bother (read more below). at this point in time (2023) you will never find a better true 4k projector for this amount. In the future that may change. I have been using it for about two months now, and its been great. The colors are bright and vivid even in a decently lit room, its quiet, and the manual keystone does the trick for just about any wall space. Auto focus works amazing.There are some things to note though:The UI is awful, which doesn't matter if you just use external devices. If you want streaming apps, you absolutely will need a third party dongle. Dangbei offers one for free, but its about as trash as the UI of the projector, so I'd recommend a chromecast or something. As of now, I have been unable to mirror my Mac or my iPhone. I have been in contact with Dangbei and they provided me with a new software update. Ill update this review to see if that resolves the issue. Now the other concern I have is input lag. I haven't been able to measure it, but I'd place it at around 40-50 ms based off of feeling. I have a PS5 hooked up to it with the HDMI cable that Sony includes. Fifa and GTA are great and the input lag isn't all that noticeable. if youd like to play competitive FPS like COD, the input lag will kill you. I'll try to do precise measurements and update this review with exact input lag figures, as well as if a different HDMI cable helps any.