This post was most recently updated on June 29th, 2019
The dbpower t20 projector with 1500 lumens is one of the lower priced projectors under $500 mainly suited for personal home use movie viewing enthusiasts. Its attractive price of under $200 and features cannot be overlooked if what you’re looking for is just a decent projected image. More than likely, the majority of users who purchase this projector will be satisfied with what this projector can do, regardless of how low cost it actually is.
This projector certainly can be used outdoors for small venues and small outdoor movie screens. It would probably perform better indoors in very dark rooms due to its low lumen limits(1500 Lumens).
Do You Get What You Pay For with Projectors?
Generally speaking, the answer is yes, and more specifically it’s with its durability over the course of time. As previously mentioned in other reviews, projectors with lamps can tend to get dim over time, what’s even more problematic is when the picture image starts to show vertical lines.
This is something that really has to be considered when buying one of the lower priced projectors.
You certainly have the advantage of just replacing the projector due to its low cost, but some buyers prefer to have projectors last long term.
That would be one of the few caveats should you decide to go the low priced route.
Regardless, many users still get the satisfaction of owning this projector. The savings is the main reason.
You can even buy an extra projector as a backup. Or just get some other equipment like DVD players and sound system equipment with the money you saved from passing upon other high-end projectors.
As a very small sized projector, some users who travel or need to pack a projector would really appreciate this sometimes overlooked feature. On certain locations where I attend movie nights, I’ll normally carry 2 projectors. Technical glitches can happen with projectors. A smaller sized unit is definitely a plus when I have to carry at least two projectors.
Not everyone needs the brightest and the best. I’ve seen businesses spend thousands for the top of the line laser projector. The setup is so poorly done. Most times the overall picture quality from a high-end projector suffers and the money invested in such an expensive projector is basically nullified. It’s money wasted really. In the same way, families and small groups that just want to show movies, DVD’s and use the the dbpower t20 projector for occasional movie nights or Apple TV will usually be fine with its picture quality.
Brightness and Picture Quality
At 1500 lumens this would certainly be one of the lowest in the brightness spectrum if we’re comparing this to other projectors. Having used more mid-range and high-end projectors, I certainly notice the lower picture quality and sharpness. Even under optimal dark conditions, the picture just doesn’t jump at you. If outdoors and there are lights or sun in the nearby area the lower picture quality becomes that much more apparent.
Now the DBPower T20 boasts 50,000 hours of lamp sustainability. This is extremely surprising because this is nearly 2 to 3 times longer than very expensive projectors. On this claim, I’d be highly skeptical, and even if its lamp life is very long, I would suspect the picture quality would degrade long before you reach that time threshold. This is not a heavy duty projector.
What Will You Be Primarily Using the dbpower t20 projector for?
Answering this question will tell you whether or not the dbpower t20 projector is a fit for you as an owner. Think of this projector as something really entry level. Maybe you’re not sure and don’t want to dump hundreds of dollars on a high-end projector.
Maybe you feel a more expensive projector will not fit your budget because, you will only use it sparingly. In that case, the DBPOWER T20 will be fine.
Light use, very small groups. A group that won’t be very discerning about picture quality. Yet just cares about image or information they’re seeing for fun or following a slide presentation. I don’t know many owners who have been unhappy with this device. The DBPOWER T20 gives you great value at its price point. So it’s very difficult to be overly critical. It performs the functions many users will need it to perform.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does it connect to wifi?
This particular projector does not have that capability. At this point in time, that feature is with mid-range and higher priced projectors.
- Does it have a DVD player built-in?
This projector is an entirely separate unit, not a DVD player. As with the sound system, you would have to connect this via HDMI to a DVD, and what most users do is connect a separate high-quality audio sound system to the DVD player. The projectors role is just to throw the image from your DVD player and/or other devices.
- Can this projector rear project behind the screen?
Yes, just change the default front project setting on the project to rear
- Can I view pdf files using it?
You can pretty much project whatever document, office, slideshow, powerpoint presentation you like, so long as you connect a laptop to the projector. The projector stand-alone will not do that. Also, bear in mind that documents that require really fine resolution to read are not always sharp with this projector. Reading documents with very small print may not be the best quality
- How well do you think this would work for showing year-end team videos at a high school banquet?
It should be fine. You would probably be expecting a larger audience than a home theatre perhaps a few hundred. I don’t know if I’d use this for an outdoor venue, it just doesn’t have enough lumens and brightness for the image, especially videos. An auditorium, ballroom or something like that where you can dim the lights would better.
- Is 32″ really the smallest it can go? I want to use it for tracing my drawings on canvases smaller than 32″.
This is the type of application that would probably not suit using this projector. Movies, in general, are fine, even pictures, but once you need to view detail and high resolution, this projector starts to really show its limitations.