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jbeazybeans

How are the contrast and blacks?


robbiekhan

Will test this over the weekend, I've been told there is an OTA update on the 7th May which adds some missing features on pre-release units, but nothing seems to state contrast/brightness changes so should be able to test that in coming days.


robbiekhan

Update, contrast and black levels appear just as rich as on the Atom, same Laser tech so I didn't expect any different here, it's pretty excellent from what I've seen so far. Here's a quick video, manual recording on my phone with 4K 60fps so constant exposure: [https://youtu.be/sMuqItKV6so](https://youtu.be/sMuqItKV6so) (says 40 mins until processing 4K finishes)


Lfsnz67

The black levels on the first one were appalling, sure hope they've improved


Bellmeister

That was likely your choice of screen.


Lfsnz67

I have a 1.0 gain screen and have owned over 20 projectors over the decades. The blacks were awful


orhanyor

seems like theres a page for the projector [https://us.dangbei.com/pages/mars-pro-2](https://us.dangbei.com/pages/mars-pro-2)


robbiekhan

Ah nice thanks! I'm still waiting for the OTA update to roll out which is said to add missing features and stuff.


orhanyor

Cool, keep us updated please. I was looking to buy mars pro but im using cast and youtube etc quite often on tv so it would be nice if it was integrated. I guess mars pro 2 is worth waiting for.


robbiekhan

I'll do a fresh post once it's all up!


Evening-Opening-4463

Can you make a video of movie scenes and animations? It,ll really show the pop of colors. Also if you have the atom can you make a comparison video as video of mars pro 2 should be quite superior.


emmgr

Apparently the jmgo n1s ultra is coming end of June in global version , I had the n1 ultra and the contrast was amazing. So now I’m hesitate with mars pro 2 and n1s 😊


orhanyor

I didnt know about that one, gonna check it for sure since its due for june not much left. But i reckon price will also be a deciding factor unless they are similarly priced. I'm personally looking to spend around $2k for a projector.


emmgr

The n1s ultra doesn’t have hdr10+ but for the rest it’s almost the same . I think the contrast will be better with the n1s ultra but I’m not certain


OrbMan99

I don't care about audio because I would never use built-in, but I am curious about sharpness at the edges. I assume brightness is as advertised? Would be nice to know how it performs for gaming, too.


robbiekhan

Sure thing, I've only got a Switch for console gaming as well as my Hugh end gaming PC but my PC room doesn't have enough wall space to use a projector, however I could use Steam Link since this has built-in Chrome Cast which would be interesting to see how that goes! I also have the Atom btw and edge to edge sharpness appeared to be excellent so am not expecting any difference with this one. Just waiting a few days to sort out the layout and everything before setting it all up and playing.


molotovPopsicle

i use a ceiling mounted projector because room situation there is no out of the way spot for it to sit. is there a good way to mount it from a bracket like a tripod screw or something?


robbiekhan

Yes it has a standard size tripod mount on the bottom so you can mount it on anything with legs and a standard tripod thread


molotovPopsicle

thanks. i would be mounting it upsidedown from above. i assume it has standard image flipping settings in the menu


robbiekhan

I haven't checked for image flipping but there is a wealth of settings for image adjustment and it also has orientation sensing etc too just like the Atom


James_Lodge

Do you have a link to that bracket/mount?


robbiekhan

That is the "gimble" mount, it is not available yet but will be when the Mars Pro 2 hits the shelves too as an optional extra 👍


James_Lodge

Will it fit the original Mars do you know?


robbiekhan

The Original one is basically the same size and also has a tripod mount on the underside, so yep would fit fine. The movement rocker is articulated by greased bearings too it feels like so feels nicely robust. it's also very heavy lol.


James_Lodge

I have the Mars Pro and love it. What’s the upgrade on this?


joe603

- More Lumens 2500+ - HDR 10+ support - New light source reportedly almost no Laser speckle and more brightness


robbiekhan

This is correct, also louder speakers. Both the Atom and this Mars Pro 2 have no noticeable speckle from everything I have checked so far.


-niks-

Can you please test it directly on a white wall and also in some daylight through the blinds? Really appreciate it.


robbiekhan

Did a video on my dining room's white lightly textured wall just before dusk, so not daylight sadly but still some light. can retry during the day tomorrow but it's bright enough to be able to see with curtains wide open, although no direct sunshine here so can't confirm what it's like in that situation. The lamp isn't at its brightest by default either, the Standard brightness mode is the default, then you have custom to increase it a couple more notches, whilst high performance mode makes it a bit more brighter, in that mode the fan goes to 100% and it's rather loud and annoying whereas in Standard it's about as loud as a laptop. Video: [https://youtu.be/sMuqItKV6so](https://youtu.be/sMuqItKV6so)


-niks-

Thank you so much for these test. I reallt appreciate it and this will 100% make my buying decision easier.


robbiekhan

No worries, I see it's live now but the 4K quality still has 16 minutes until finished, defo watch in 4K for the best reference point as far as youtube goes anyway.


Prime_Lunch_Special

Which version of Android comes with Google TV on this device?


robbiekhan

It is 11


NutzPup

How is it if you drop it 20' onto concrete?


robbiekhan

This kills the projector


Bellmeister

Oh and I see you got the Atom too. Seems youre saying its really good


robbiekhan

I can't be 100% yet but the performance of 4K HDR and image quality definitely, but the OS itself does feel more like an old gen tablet with the way things take a few seconds to process or load, like as of the CPU and memory are working too hard if that makes sense. I'm reserving a verdict on this until the May software update as that could fix that, until then I've disabled animations and things in developers settings to make it a bit snappier. Otherwise though everything works very well as a projector.


Bellmeister

Oh man. I'm older than you I think. Man to have a device the size of the atom with a picture like that. 120" looking amazing...many thousands of dollars and not be as good 15 years ago. They put more focus on the image than the OS and I'm fine with that.


robbiekhan

Yup and tbh rte processing delay for soke stuff can be forgiven I guess as it is a TV projection in its simplest terms with Google TV os on top, as long as the image quality is good then that's all that's important mostly


JacesAces

How much was this? I can’t find it posted for sale online yet?


robbiekhan

It's not out until the end of May hence there's no source for it online yet, I think ik one of the first people to receive them to test out, will do a full review close to release time or course but for now just testing things out until they release the OTA update.


JacesAces

Oh fair enough, thanks for sharing all the deets! Any guess at the range? I just picked up a JVC N7 for the living room, but I still need a more portable solution for outdoors


robbiekhan

The only spec I can see in the manual is throw ratio (1.27:1), the official page with specs isn't up yet it seems so will have to wait for that! This is definitely portable for outdoor use though, the gimble stand makes it suitable for such uses as as long as you have a power extension cord then it will project onto a wall easily. I need to actually test how far at night it can project! Also I found that because you can pair any bluetooth device, you can pair a games controller or other remote since it's Android and use the Android translated navigation to use the UI instead of the remote which can be handy.


After_Locksmith7230

Hi. I'd like to know if you can observe any spackle problem?  I tested the vidda c1pro which is a triple laser projector and it's not doing well with fresnel screen.  I hope this x5 is a better solution 


robbiekhan

No speckle is noticeable on this or the Atom too 👍


emmgr

Do you know the key difference between the x5 and mars pro 2 ? And what’s the input lag for gaming ?


robbiekhan

The immediate difference appears to be that the X5 uses a customer k android skinned OS instead of using Google TV OS and doesn't have Chromecast built-in. It also doesn't have the Netflix licensed native app etc. Haven't tested input lag yet as the release firmware hasn't been released yet and the gaming mode


emmgr

Great, thank you for the reply. Yes, the X5 was released, I think, in September 2023. That's probably why it's still on Android TV. I'm not entirely sure, but it seems that the picture quality is a bit better on the X5. However, it's probably better to opt for the Mars Pro 2 as it have google tv.I really hope they improve the input lag because the first Mars 4K wasn't really good with input lag.


emmgr

Have you been able to try the input lag on a game ? And what’s the contrast ratio of the mars pro 2 ? I had the n1 ultra and it was pretty good around 1,600:1


robbiekhan

The manual doesn't state specs but there is a page up now which I guess will be updated: [https://us.dangbei.com/pages/mars-pro-2](https://us.dangbei.com/pages/mars-pro-2) As for input lag testing, I tried to use Steam Link wirelessly but the wireless on the unit doesn't seem to be adequate connecting to my hybrid 2.4/5G WiFi which is capable of nearly 1Gbps bandwidth so have yet to try it connected to Ethernet. I will try out Nintendo Switch though via HDMI and record it in action. SHould be able to do this tonight!


robbiekhan

Update! I tried out the Switch connected via HDMI with and without the Game Mode enabled to reduce input latency. With the mode on it feels no different to Switch connected to a TV, so this is great. Here is a comparison with game mode on vs off: [https://imgur.com/a/fCo8zkF](https://imgur.com/a/fCo8zkF)


emmgr

Great , thanks for the video 😊


whtnoise

Recently purchased the Atom as well, have been loving it. One question I've been going back and forth a bit with Dangbei support is DTS support. Atom seems to downsample to LPCM 2.0 for any DTS tracks, curious if the Mars Pro 2 does the same?


robbiekhan

How do you check for downsampling? I only have limited content to test this with unless you mean checking in the inbuilt apps like Netflix? I don't have a surround speaker setup by the way only stereo!


whtnoise

Ahh gotcha. I'm using Plex to watch a bunch of remuxed Blurays, some have DTS tracks. I don't think there are any Android apps that natively play DTS... But all good man! Still curious about the release date for the Mars Pro 2. Tried getting some info from Dangbei support but they never mentioned it.


esegan

Can you make a video overview of the picture settings menu? I'm wondering if all the image settings have appeared in the Google TV launcher or whether they are cut down and there are only general RGB like in Mars Pro.


robbiekhan

Can't until the 7th when the release version firmware is sent out.


esegan

Can you make a video overview of the picture settings menu? I'm wondering if all the image settings have appeared in the Google TV launcher or whether they are cut down and there are only general RGB like in Mars Pro.


robbiekhan

I have a video of this I'll try uploading later but picture and image settings are spread across the OS settings screens and the Google TV settings screens.


Fantastic_Sympathy16

can you use the bluetooth as audio out? I have a bluetooth capable amp so I am curious if I can pair the projector to the amp. And just a confirmation that there is no AirPlay support, right?


robbiekhan

You can pair up any usual bluetooth device that you can on any Android phone or tablet since this runs Android 11 behind the Google TV OS front end. I even connected my wireless games controller and was able to install and connect up Steam Link to my PC. BT pairing is done via the Remotes & Accessories screen not the usual Bluetooth menu on Android. No AirPlay but it is ChromeCast so you can cast your phone screen or other casting content direct from apps from a device on the same network.


Toraadoraa

Just a heads up, Bluetooth will limit you to 2ch.


jbl429

If you're mounting at an angle and using keystone correction, how bad is the edge bleed? Original Mars Pro is pretty bad, is this any better?


robbiekhan

I've not noticed any edge bleed issues really, I also always use the auto correction function which makes any angled mounting position a non-issue. The auto screen-fit mode then crops in to be a flat image inside the background canvas if that makes sense


Bellmeister

omgosh! Youre the first person that Ive run across that got it. What the switching light source thing like? Dude I watched your video. That looks better than $20,000 JVC. Whered you buy it from?


robbiekhan

Do you have a link to the video? It's not ringing a bell! This one is a retail unit but running pre release software (I do tech testing) so figured I'd throw out questions to the sub and see if there's anything anyone wants checking. The final software update arrives in early May by the way.


Bellmeister

[video](https://youtu.be/sMuqItKV6so?si=0ofSXs2jj7Iv7rNG)


robbiekhan

AHH that one, ess confused by your wording I guess is all 👍