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Philips Screeneo UL5 video projector: test / review

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Published on: 12-06-2024 / Modified: 15-08-2024
Philips is undoubtedly one of the best-known brands for a variety of reasons, but it's not the first that springs to mind when I think of video projectors. I first came across a Philips projector in 2023, during a very successful crowdfunding campaign. A year later, Philips decided to go down the same route again to launch the Philips Screeneo UL5, and this time I'm not going to miss the opportunity to present it to you.

Crowdfunding always involves a dose of risk, and that's the main obstacle to buying a new product. You have to put up the money for a product that doesn't yet exist, in the hope that it will be delivered to you. But here we're talking about Philips, the multinational company that needs no introduction, so the likelihood of this campaign being unsuccessful is nil. Why should you go through this campaign to buy a product that will undoubtedly end up being available on Amazon? Simply because the Philips Screeneo UL5 is offered at a much lower price.

What's special about this projector? I can think of two. The first is that it's an ultra-short-throw (aka UST) projector designed in a portable format. Products of this type are often heavy and cumbersome, but once they've been installed, they can't be moved. The Screeneo UL5 has a portable format, not so portable as to fit in your pocket, but small enough to be carried in a suitcase or moved from room to room in your home. The other interesting feature is the triple-laser light source, which theoretically offers much wider color coverage than other projectors

Should we get carried away and rush out to buy it at a discounted price on Indiegogo? I'd say yes, but bear the following in mind:

- if you're just looking for a cheap UST projector for a home cinema setup, this might not be the projector for you

- the brightness is low, so you'll have to use it in total darkness

- it uses a DMD 0.23 chip, so image sharpness is likely to be average on larger screen sizes

- sound power won't be extraordinary

- don't forget to count the shipping costs (and taxes if applicable for your country)

Is it serious? No, not at all, these are conscious choices. If you're tall and buy a small car because it's cheap, that won't work either.

I should be able to test the projector before the end of the participatory campaign, but the number of projectors available at the lowest price is limited. If you're in a hurry, you can probably pick it up and cancel your order before the deadline

To take advantage:

Philips Screeneo UL5 / Indiegogo

Important note

Most of the photos taken for this test will have a reddish tint and this is normal, in fact it's a good sign. When a projector is capable of reproducing a wide range of colours, cameras are generally not able to reproduce as many colours and the image takes on a reddish tint. The image generated by the projector is not reddish; it's the camera that is responsible for this.

Site where I have bought or received the Philips Screeneo UL5: https://philips-proj...

Price Philips Screeneo UL5

The list below shows the prices for the Philips Screeneo UL5 from more than 50 sites around the world. If you are not satisfied with any price, you can subscribe to a price alert to be the first to be notified when the price drops.

Timeline

21/06/2024: Projector received, test can start.

Why this projector?

I've tested several triple-laser projectors, but this Philips Screeneo UL5 Smart stands out from the rest in two ways. First, there's the size. UST projectors are usually massive and heavy, so once you've set them up there's no moving them around. I was surprised by the small size and light weight of this Philips projector. It doesn't fit into a pocket, but can easily be carried from one room to another, and even taken on vacation with a small satchel. The other special feature is the price. A triple-laser UST for under €1,000, I've never seen that before.

The price is attractive, especially in pre-sale on Indiegogo, but it's low for a reason. This projector can't compete with projectors like the Formovie Theater or the Xiaomi Laser Cinema 2. It's a portable projector, so it's not as bright as most other projectors of this type, and there are a number of other weaknesses to consider, which I'll detail in this test.

You have to see this projector for what it is: it's a portable projector, so don't buy it with the idea that it will fulfill the role of a classic UST projector, because you'll be disappointed.

Unpacking

At the time of writing, this projector is only available for pre-order on Indiegogo, so the final product is not yet available. The Philips Screeneo UL5 Smart box gives absolutely no impression of being a product in development, and you'll see that this impression doesn't stop at the box.
The box contains the projector, a manual, a 100-watt charger and network adapters for Europe, the USA and the UK. The type of charger already gives an indication of the projector's power consumption, and the fact that it's powered by a USB port will no doubt give you the option of using it with an external battery

Operating system

The Philips Screeneo UL5 Smart runs on an alternative version of Android TV called LuminOS. The interface is quite similar to that found on Android TV, but with a few differences to be aware of. Philips has integrated a large number of popular applications (YouTube, Amazon, Netflix,...) to make them directly available from the home screen, but the Play Store is not accessible. To install other apps, you need to use an app called APK, which will allow you to view apps from a source other than the Play Store. For example, I had to install Kodi using this method, and everything worked without a hitch, including installing the latest version of Kodi.

The LuminOS operating system is easy to use, just as user-friendly as Android TV, and for some things even better (e.g. connecting to a phone). The available apps work on the projector, but if you're used to using an unavailable app, you'll have to wait for Philips to test it and make it available to their users. I'm seeing conversations on Indiegogo about this and Philips seem open to adding apps on demand

I still find it a little hard to understand why some brands persist in offering an alternative version of Android, as it brings a whole host of restrictions. I imagine there's probably a cost issue behind this decision, but if that's the case, perhaps there were other solutions like marketing a projector without an operating system and reducing the overall price

Finish

I had seen many photos of the Philips Screeneo UL5 before receiving it, and yet the first thing that struck me was its size. I thought it would be bigger. This projector is really tiny, so you can hold it in one hand and manipulate it as you like. It measures just 20 cm by 8 cm and weighs just over a kilo!

The front panel is covered with fabric, as is often the case with projectors of this type, and the ignition button is on the front, along with an operating indicator.



On the left-hand side, there's a huge grille for heat dissipation, with a fan visible through the grille. There are also 2 USB type C ports, one to power the projector and the other to accommodate a hard disk or USB key



On the other side, the same heat dissipation grille is used, but this time there's a USB type A port and an HDMI port. This HDMI port is the only one available. It's not much, but don't forget that this is a portable projector, so it's not intended to be combined with many other devices



The projector can be used in a vertical position, a rather interesting concept since you could use it to project the image onto a table or ceiling, provided you can place the projector close to it. Board game enthusiasts will undoubtedly appreciate this format, as it allows them to display a playground for their miniatures, provided they're willing to play in the dark



The optical blog is oriented towards the projection surface at a significant angle to reduce the offset between the bottom of the projector and the bottom of the image. By placing the projector against a wall, I measure an offset of 7 cm, and if I move it 30 cm away, this offset will be about 15 cm. I also had to place the projector on a cardboard box so that it could project an image on my screen and not underneath it.

This Philips Screeneo UL5 Smart video projector is therefore a curiosity with a rather unusual format that will enable you to use it in many conditions where a traditional projector could not be used





The remote control is quite large, almost like a TV remote control. The buttons are very large, and the relief makes it easy to learn the most important buttons. The remote control is powered by 2 AAA batteries, which are included in the box

Projection room

My projection room is rectangular, 4.6m by 2.9m (height 2.2m). I have two projection walls, one white wall 2.9m wide with just white paint with a possible 4m setback. I then have a 133 inch ALR screen on another wall with a possible setback of 2.8m. I mainly use the ALR screen except when the layout or type of projector is not suitable for this situation.

Battery autonomy

This projector doesn't come with a battery, but as it's powered by a USB port, you should be able to power it with an external battery and free yourself from the constraint of having access to electricity.

Power consumption

I measured the projector's power consumption with a 100% white screen and came up with a consumption of ... 37 watts! This is by far the most energy-efficient projector I've tested to date. I've tested other projectors with the same brightness level, but none were as economical.

Operating noise

The heat dissipation grille gives a clue to the projector's heat dissipation requirements and its type of ventilation. If I place a decibel meter close to the projector, I get just under 50 db. At this noise level, the projector is clearly audible. If I take another measurement at one meter from the projector, the decibel meter no longer reacts, indicating a value below the sensitivity of the device



The projector is still audible at one meter, but the noise level is quite acceptable

I've noticed that after a certain time of use, the fan tends to ventilate more and the noise it produces goes up a notch.

Connectivity

This projector has rather limited connectivity, with 2 USB C ports, one USB A port and one HDMI port. This is a typical configuration for a portable projector and should suffice to cover most of your needs.

Image settings


The Philips Screeneo UL5 is a fairly easy projector to use, the menus aren't complicated at all, but the downside is that the adjustment options are limited. I've gone through all the available settings in the video to show you what's available



If I change the picture mode, the changes are visible to the naked eye but not on this video (or very little). Projectors with a wide gamut like this one render colors that can't be captured by a normal camera, so the image is super reddish. In reality, the image is more natural and the transition from one mode to another is much more visible.

Image quality

Not yet available / tested

Colorimetry

I measured color fidelity on all available configurations and obtained the following results:

With brightness in standard mode and color temperature also in standard mode:

Standard mode: dE 10.09 colors, dE 12.14 for grays, gamma 2.09

Presentation mode: dE 10.35 for colors, 10.29 for grays, gamma 2

Film mode: dE 8.35 for colors, dE 11.84 for grays, gamma 2.28

Game mode: dE 8.65 for colors, dE 12.54 for grays, gamma 2.01

User mode: dE 8.46 for colors, dE 12.21 for grays, gamma 2.09

You shouldn't get too hung up on the accuracy of the figures, as you'd need a spectrometer to get the exact values, but these figures show a truth that can be verified very easily with the naked eye. Film mode is clearly the best, and it's literally obvious when you switch from standard to film mode. The "presentation" mode is to be forgotten, the image is really ugly.

This projector is not equipped with a CMS for fine calibration, but it is possible to improve colorimetry a little more

I started from film mode and changed the following:

- color temperature: warm

- gain R 53%

- gain B 51%

- contrast 48

- brightness 51

With these values, I obtained a delta E of 6.42 for colors and 2.1 for grays with a gamma of 2.28. Although this is not yet comparable to what I've obtained on other projectors, it's already a huge improvement over the basic configuration. These values work with my screen, but for better color fidelity, choosing film mode in combination with a warm temperature should improve colorimetry whatever your screen.

With a value of 6.42 (+ margin of error), this projector ranks as average, but bear in mind that it's a portable triple laser projector.

I should also mention that the colorimetric deviation on certain colors remains significant, and it's the white at 2.8 that brings down the average.

Brightness

This projector has a theoretical brightness of 550 ANSI lumens, and with this level of brightness, this already gives you an indication of the maximum recommended screen size. If I apply the standard rules for calculating the maximum image size for this brightness level, I arrive at a screen measuring 1.92m by 1.08m and therefore with a diagonal of 2.2m and therefore 86 inches

That's for the theory..

In practice, brightness is lower than this value, I measured brightness between 250 and 450 lumens depending on the configuration used (normal mode, eco, ...). In film mode with standard brightness, I get around 420 ANSI lumens by playing around with the brightness setting. Presentation mode is the brightest, but the image turns greenish and is absolutely unusable. If you push the brightness setting all the way up, you'll lose all the image detail, so don't play around with it too much either.

If I start from this base of 420 lumens, the recommended maximum screen size is 1.66m by 0.93m, which translates into a diagonal of 1.9m (74 inches). In reality, you'll probably still have to go below 400 lumens to get a good image, but I think you'll get my point: limit the screen size and use the projector in total darkness

Sharpness



I took a close-up photo of the Windows notepad to illustrate several things. The first, which is not directly related to sharpness, is pixel spacing. I've come back to this point several times in this test, because it's something to keep in mind. This projector uses a small DMD chip, and this chip is not designed for large-area projection. I tested this projector on a 100-inch screen and it's clearly too much, as the gap between the pixels is very clearly visible and you lose any form of natural sharpness in the image

As I indicated in the paragraph on brightness, you should ideally limit the size of the image to avoid accentuating this problem.

Sharpness can also be modified in the projector's menus, but you shouldn't overdo it, as this won't solve the pixel gap and you'll also see contour marks around shapes on the screen.

Contrast

The Philips Screeneo UL5 Smart datasheet states that it should have a native contrast of 1500:1, which is already much better than most projectors found in the 500 to 1000€ price bracket. I measured the contrast in all the available configurations and obtained the following values with brightness at 50 and contrast at 50 (basic settings):

Standard: 960:1

Presentation: 1012:1

Film: 894:1

Games: 931:1

User: 918:1

As I started from the basis of the "film" mode to adapt the colors, I also started from this basis to try to increase the contrast. Unfortunately, film mode is where contrast is lowest, so the gain isn't going to be spectacular. I obtained a contrast of 935:1 by lowering the contrast to 47 and raising the brightness to 51. I'm going to do a few more tests to see if I can do better, but to adjust contrast without measuring tools, there are test patterns on YouTube that allow you to adjust contrast on sight. The room for manoeuvre is fairly limited, but if you can gain a few points fairly easily, you shouldn't deprive yourself

So contrast with the right settings isn't as high as advertised, but that's almost always the case with the projectors I've tested. If you keep the "film" mode as a reference, you'll get a contrast that exceeds most led projectors in the same price category. I've obtained similar values with a Formovie S5 or Dangbei Atom.

Motion compensation



This projector has no motion compensation mechanism, so rapid horizontal movements are subject to tearing, as you can see from the white rectangle at the top of this video.

Image size and projection distance

The Philips Screeneo UL5 Smart has a projection ratio of 0.23, which means that at a distance of 50 cm, you'll get a diagonal image of almost 100 inches. The distance is measured from the optical compartment to the projection surface. The distance between the edge of the projector and the optical compartment is 16 cm. The projector must therefore be 34 cm from the screen or wall to obtain a 100-inch image.

This type of projection ratio allows you to obtain a large image with relatively little recoil, but don't forget that this projector uses a DMD 0.23 chip. The size of this chip will quickly show its limitations on large screens. With a 100-inch screen, the gap between pixels is already visible. This gap will be less noticeable during a film, but if you're projecting a very bright image, the gap will be more visible.

Audio quality

I used songs for which I don't have the rights to illustrate the video quality, so this video may be blocked on my site but if you watch it on YouTube it shouldn't be a problem.
This projector uses 2 speakers with 2x3 watts of power. I thought this was a mistake when I saw the specs, but no, it's the real thing. This is the least powerful projector I've tested so far, and you can hear it very loudly (or not) in the video above. I've turned the volume up to maximum and I can still hear the click of the remote control. I filmed this sequence less than two meters away from the projector,

so it's very, very, very weak. Using the video projector's Android layer, I tried to detect my Mi Soundbar via Bluetooth to test the sound through this type of channel, but the video projector never found my soundbar. Bluetooth seems to be working well, however, as it detected my lawnmower, which was outside and at least 20 meters away.

Video games

I tested input lag for all image modes and obtained an input lag of over 150 ms in "standard" mode and an input lag of less than 30ms in "game" mode. This means that with "gaming" mode you'll be able to play fast-paced games with no delay between your controller and the in-game action.

Encoutered bugs

Not yet available / tested

ALR/CLR Projection screen

Are you looking for a good ALR/CLR screen for your projector? I may have what you need:
ALR/CLR NothingProjector Screen

Test / Review conclusion

Update 08/07/24: Philips has confirmed that the final version of this projector will be capable of reaching 450 lumens in film mode and contrast should reach 1500:1. I won't be able to measure this as my copy doesn't match the final version of the projector

As I wrote in the introduction, this projector has been designed for nomadic use, meaning that it can be easily transported from one room to another or taken on the move. This choice has a number of consequences. If you think you're getting a good deal on a UST triple-laser projector to replace your TV, you're bound to be (very) disappointed. If you were thinking of using this projector as a back-up solution for use in total darkness and a reasonable image size, then yes, this projector may be for you.

Contrary to my usual tests, I haven't published a demonstration video because filming a sequence with a wide gamut results in an image that's too red when in reality the image isn't so red. I don't want to give this projector a bad name, because it's undeserved.

To get the most out of this projector, you need to be aware of its limitations. It uses a DMD 0.23 chip that will quickly show its limits on a large screen size, and the same goes for brightness. Even if the projector is capable of generating a 100-inch image, I'd recommend limiting it to a screen size of 70 to 75 inches, so as not to obtain an image that's too dark, or to make the gap between pixels visible. If you respect these conditions, this projector will give you a beautiful image, rich in color and with above-average contrast for this price range. Its ultra-practical format means you can use it just about anywhere, even on a table, where a conventional projector would require a minimum distance that's not always possible. It's so light that you'll quickly forget about it when you need to move it

The use of a triple laser enables the Philips Screeneo UL5 to achieve higher color coverage, which is quite rare in this price range. In particular, the triple laser will enable you to better enjoy HDR content, although Dolby Vision is not available. The projector's basic configuration is not optimal in terms of color rendering, but if you switch to film mode and a warm color temperature, you'll considerably improve color fidelity.

Contrast was advertised at 1800:1, but I didn't manage to achieve such a value. Measured contrast hovers around 1000:1, depending on the configuration chosen. In film mode, contrast drops slightly below 1000:1. This level of contrast is comparable to what I've obtained with a Dangbei Atom or Formovie S5, but it's much better than with any XGIMI projector (except the Aura). The low luminosity doesn't allow you to play around with the whites and blacks to achieve greater contrast. Nor did I manage to achieve the brightness indicated, which is more likely to be between 350 and 450 ANSI lumens, depending on the configuration chosen. It's the presentation mode that offers the most brightness, but the image quality is appalling, so forget it.

Sound is pretty weak, with 2x3 watts you can't expect wonders. The click of the remote control makes almost as much noise as the projector at maximum volume. I wasn't able to send sound to my Bluetooth soundbar, so I stuck to the projector's base power. In gaming mode, I measured input lag low enough to be able to use this projector to play with an HDMI console.
The low brightness and use of laser technology offers an undeniable advantage when it comes to power consumption: I measured less than 40 watts for a totally white screen, making this the least power-hungry projector I've tested to date. In eco mode, it consumes even less, but the image is really too dark.

Philips is innovating by marketing a triple laser UST that's both light and practical, and it's a very interesting product that in some ways addresses a new market segment, with users who like to take their content with them wherever they go in the house or on vacation. XGMI had already opened up this niche to some extent, but never in UST format. Although this projector has a few limitations, it offers viewing comfort far superior to that of a tablet or small TV. It needs almost no set-back, so it will work just about anywhere. I used to use an XGIMI Halo+ for my vacations, but this Philips could very well replace it, as it offers greater placement flexibility

Strengths

Portability

Flexible placement

Wide gamut

Contrast (for a portable projector)

Input lag for games

Weaknesses

Brightness

Pixel spacing

Sound power

Basic colorimetry

Motion compensation

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