Tech review: Emotn N1, a projector with Netflix built-in
Jim Rossman | Tribune News Service
My wife is enamored with the idea of outdoor movie nights.
We’ve all seen it on TV or in commercials — throw up a sheet on the side of the garage, toss a blanket on the ground or perhaps lawn chairs for the older folks and fire up the projector to watch a movie outdoors.
I think I found an affordable projector that’ll finally make outdoor movie night happen at our house.
I’ve been testing the Emotn N1 1080P Smart Projector for a few weeks and I’m really impressed with its ease of use.
The projector is the first I’ve reviewed that’s an officially licensed Netflix projector.
What does that mean?
When you turn on the projector, it’ll ask you to connect it to the internet, through Wi-Fi or Ethernet, and then you’ll Netflix launch and ask you to log in.
Once you log into your Netflix account, you can stream all the Netflix content without having to connect a computer or phone.
In fact, after you make the internet connection (I used 5GHz Wi-Fi), you can press shortcut buttons on the N1’s remote to launch Netflix, Amazon Prime Videos or YouTube. You’ll need your own subscription to watch Netflix or Amazon Prime Video.
If you press the home button on the remote, you’ll see there is an operating system running on the N1 (it runs Linux).
The home screen shows app tiles, much like you’d see on a Roku streaming stick or Amazon Fire TV.
There is an internet browser app, and an app store, but after Netflix, Prime and YouTube, there isn’t much on the app store that I’ve heard of. You won’t find apps to stream Hulu or YouTube TV or DirecTV Stream. It doesn’t run Android, so you can’t get to the Google Play store.
If you want to add other streaming services to the N1, I’d invest in a Roku, Fire TV or Apple TV.
Specs
The N1 features 1080P resolution (1920 x 1080 pixels) with a brightness of 500 lumens.
It can project an image from 60 inches to 120 inches and it supports HDR10.
A big part of what makes it a good candidate for outdoor movie night are dual 5-watt speakers that provide decent sound without having to connect external speakers.
I will say, if you have the N1 set up in your house, you’ll be happier attaching almost any external sound system. The internal speakers are fine for the back yard, but they aren’t going to fill your living room with immersive sound, although they do have Dolby Audio compatibility.
The N1 has Bluetooth, which means you can connect Bluetooth earbuds or speakers. You can also use the N1 as a Bluetooth speaker to play music from your phone or computer, if you like.
The projector has laser auto focus, which worked almost every time, but occasionally I needed to manually focus the lens, which is done through the remote.
Focusing is a quick and easy process. Long press on the focus button to bring up a target and then press the arrow keys on the remote to focus the image. The projector also automatically adjusts the keystone, which squares up the sides of the image if the projector is pointing slightly up or down.
Note, the only button on the projector is to turn it on or off. Every other interaction and adjustment is done through the remote.
The N1 has a built-in stand that tilts the projector up by 12 degrees if you need it.
Besides streaming from the built-in apps, connections include HDMI, USB (to watch videos stored on flash drives), Ethernet (for wired networking), Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
The LED lamp has a lifespan of 30,000-hours. That means you can use the projector for four hours per day, ever day for the next 20 years.
Physically, the N1 looks like a bookshelf speaker. It is taller than it is wide, with the lens sitting above the speakers. It measures 7.17 inches by 4.92 inches by 7.56 inches, and it weighs 4.24 pounds.
It is easy to place on a table or shelf, but it also has a 1/4-inch tripod mount if you’d like to mount it.
Screen mirror
You can project your Android phone’s screen wirelessly directly to the N1 using the Screencast app on the projector’s home screen.
iOS users can use an app called HomeShare to “cast” videos from supported apps to the projector.
Conclusions
The Emotn N1 is a nice projector for the price, which is $399 (available from Amazon). I’m not sure I’d use it as my main TV, but as a secondary TV or to use in the backyard or on vacation, I’d be happy with it.
Even after being on for a few hours, I didn’t sense a lot of heat or hear any loud fan noise.
The image looks good in a darkened room, but if you watch during the day in a room with windows, you’ll be shopping for blackout curtains. Remember, placing the projector closer to the wall will give a brighter, but smaller picture.
If you’re shooting for a 120-inch image in a room full of sunshine, you’ll be disappointed.
I like how easy it was to unbox, plug in, set up and begin watching Netflix. That whole process took less than five minutes. Once your Wi-Fi network credentials and Netflix, Amazon Prime logins are stored, it is really easy to use.
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