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Chinese projector manufacturer Xgimi creates excellent portable and high-quality projector at reasonable prices. At CES 2024, they revealed tow new models. The Horizon Max, their brightest projector yet, is IMAX Enhanced certified. It comes with a precision gimbal system for automatic keystoning and intelligent screen adaption technology.
The Aladddin is distinctive 3-in-one device serving as a smart home ceiling lamp, speaker and projector.
Xgimi Horizon Max
After the success of last year’s Horizon Ultra 4K projector, which supported Dolby Vision, Xgimi aims for another hit with the Horizon Max, Xgimi claims the Horizon Max is the first long-through projector in the world to have IMAX Enhanced certification.
Well, it can be applied to streaming services (like Disney+, for instance which has many movies available in IMAX Enhance formats, and the Horizon Max can play them), and devices such as TVs, AV receivers, speakers, and in the case, projectors. It means that the people at IMAX team up with technical experts from Hollywood to check if the device meet IMAX’s standards for resolution, color, contrast, brightness, and DTS:X’s immersive sound (both IMAX and DTS are owned by the same parent company, Xperi). The Horizon Max passes these standards.
Horizon Ultra can easily adjust itself with the auto keystone and alignment features. The customizable picture settings were also a plus. Now, with the Max, they’ve elevated these features to a whole new level.
Xgimi uses a feature called ISA 5.O (intelligent screen adaption) in the Horizon Max. It has motorized gimbal system controlled by auto mated software. With 3D ToF (time of flight) detection, the projector scans adapts to the room and the wall or screen you’re using, and adjusts the settings accordingly.
The CES demonstration was really cool. In a room with three walls and obstacle on them, the bottom part of the projector turned it side to side, and the side stand-attached part moved it up and down. This made the image move smoothly across the walls. When it reached the framed picture (thanks to the 3D ToF technology), the image just moved on to the next wall and found clear, perfect spot to view. And the whole time, it automatically adjusted the keystone as it moved, almost instantly.
Moreover, the projector will also adapt its settings, tailoring them for specific activities and surfaces and remembering them. This could be useful if, for example, you watched all your movies and shows in one room or on one screen but wanted to move the projector to another room or screen for gaming.
As for the visual experience, we’ll have to wait until later this year for a comprehensive review of the 4K projector. The 180-inch image in its demo room on the show floor was impressively bright and accurately colored. It showcased deep blacks and excellent contrast.
Xgimi accomplished this using a new special light technology it developed called Dual Light 2.O. It’s the second version of the technology we saw in the Horizon Ultra. In this iteration, it combines three MCL lasers (commonly found in commercial theater projectors for color and contrast) with a phosphor light source. The lasers handle color reproduction and contrast, while the phosphor light source helps with any imperfections caused by the laser, according to Xgimi. The outcome is a 35% increase in brightness compared to the Horizon Ultra (3,100 ISO lumens), a contrast ratio of 2000:1, and wide color range (although Xgimi hasn’t released specific details on that yet).
In terms of design, the Max borrows some ideas from the Ultra (It’s a bit larger and taller too). It has a stylish face resembling bamboo blinds, just like the Ultra. This face smoothly slides to cover and uncover the lamp. It’s also raised on a new gimbal swivel stand, making it simpler to direct and modify your image. You can control this with the remote, which is great news for those who mount projector on the ceiling!
The Xgimi Horizon Max is expected to come out in late 2024. Xgimi mentions that its new Dual Light 2.O and ISA 5.O technologies will be included in all this projectors this year. There’s no information about the exact price or additional details for the Horizon Max yet, but Xgimi mentioned it will be priced under $3,000. They are still deciding whether it will use Android TV or Google TV.
Apollo Zhong, CEO and founder of XGIMI, expressed in a press release, “With the Horizon Max, we’re changing home entertainment, bringing a movie-like experience that was usually reserved for high-end projectors. Horizon Ultra achieved Dolby Vision, and now, Horizon Max has IMAX Enhanced certification for picture performance.
Aladdin: More than a Lamp, Beyond a Projector – Unleash the Magic
Let’s talk about something a bit different. CES is a great platform for companies to showcase their unique gadgets, and the Xgimi Aladdin is definitely one of those.
Xgimi describies Aladdin as “a groundbreaking product that seamlessly combines a smart ceiling lamp, high-end projector, and connected speakers to enhance your leaving space. “We’ll wait to see if it’s truly groundbreaking, but the other features are accurate.
Derived from the design of the Popin Aladdin 2 Plus, which Xgimi acquired when it took over Popin’s home theater business in 2022, Xgimi’s Aladdin is still in development, with plans for a release in Japan this summer.
Aladdin does address several problems that projector owners might face. It tackles issues like figuring out where to place the projector, dealing with people blocking the screen as they walk in front of the light source during a movie, and the common inconvenience of having awkward and unsightly ceiling mounts with cables all around.
Only a few details about the Aladdin projector were revealed. It’s labeled as an “HD” projector with a projection ratio of O.7:1, meaning you can mount it around 6 feet from the screen to get a 100-inch image. The Popin Aladdin 2 Pus had 900 ANSI lumens of brightness, and we’ll wait to see if Xgimi’s version matches that. Similar to other Xgimi projectors, the Aladdin includes Harman Kardon 360-degree sound that can serve as a smart speaker when not in use for watching Netflix. It also has Wi-Fi capability and supports Bluetooth.
The picture looked good, like what you’d expect from an HD projector, even though the room was bit brighter. The sound from the Harman Kardon speaker was louder and fuller that the one in the Horizon Ultra, which I didn’t really like, so that’s so positive.
As for the Aladdin being a smart ceiling lamp, in North America, they said it will probably be installed like a ceiling fan. The built in speaker mean you don’t need to run any wires in the ceiling for sound, which is pretty smart.
The Aladdin’s light was really bright, and you can change its brightness using the remore or an app.
An Additional Note
About Xgimi’s plans for 2024, the Chinese company revealed that it will use new chips from Taiwan’s Media Tek in all its top-quality projectors. Moreover, Xgimi has joined forces with Google TV and instead to introduce various new products during the year. It seems these products will likely run on the Google smart TV operating system, a shift from their current use of Android TV.
