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JUDGEMENT: 9/10
Positives
- Watch in large format without the need for a large TV screen
- Excellent soundstage
- Sharp 4K resolution
Disadvantages
- Significant price
- Televisions are still brighter
The TV space currently belongs to OLED and QLED TVs. And while these are great displays in their own right, they are often limited by the size of their screens. So if you want to have an extensive cinematic experience, it is best to choose a projector. However, you don’t want to just buy any projector, especially if you have limited space. Instead, you want a short-throw projector that gives you the largest possible viewing area without taking up a lot of space.
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One such brand offering high-quality luxury short-throw projectors is Formovie, and its line of premium ultra-short-throw projectors has always delivered the best in entertainment. Still, the company sees room for improvement; that’s why it just launched the Formovie Theater Premium. This ultra-short throw projector keeps the best features of the previous models, but adds necessary upgrades like brighter output and Google TVwhich means you no longer have one Google TV streamer or Chromecast.
Formovie provided the Formovie Theater Premium for this review and we used this laser projector for a few weeks to get the most out of it. So let’s take a look at this laser projector and see if it outperforms its predecessor.
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A quick setup
What I like most about the Formovie Theater Premium is that it took me less than five minutes to physically set up the device. All I had to do was take it out of the box, place it on my TV rack, plug it in and it was ready to go. However, the projector is a bit heavy at 10 kg, so I recommend having someone with you to help you set it up.
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After placing the projector where I wanted it, I turned it on and went straight to setting up Google TV. It took me about 15 to 30 minutes to log into my Google account on the TV using my phone. Once I finished the initial setup, I was happy to see that the most popular streaming apps are already pre-installed on the system.
This includes YouTube, Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, and Apple TV, so I was able to watch my favorite shows right away after completing the setup. YouTube Music has also already been added to the device to take advantage of the excellent built-in speakers for listening to music (although I still prefer Spotify).
Main projector features
Since the Formovie Theater Premium is still a projector, it has several features that you only find on such devices. For example, it has keystone and focus correction in the settings menu, so that you get the most perfect image shape. It also has a pair of manually adjustable feet to keep it flat.
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Adjusting these settings was quite easy, even if I didn’t have a projection screen. However, I was slightly disappointed that the Formovie Theater Premium did not have automatic keystone and focus correction – a feature I expected at this price.
In addition to these basic adjustments, you can also set the Formovie Theater Premium as a front or rear projector. You can also choose between desktop or ceiling mounts, although you’ll need to purchase a third-party mounting solution as Formovie doesn’t offer one on its website.
One more thing I appreciate about the Formovie Theater Premium is the included infrared body sensor feature. It contains two sensors on either side of the laser projector’s lens and reduces the projected image to a minimum brightness when someone is detected nearby. This helps prevent accidental eye damage, especially considering how bright the Formovie Theater Premium can get.
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Darkness is a must
The Formovie Theater Premium is quite bright at 2200 lumens, making it usable even when there are ambient light sources. However, you can’t use it if the overhead lighting is on or if there is direct sunlight streaming into the room, even if you set the Brightness Mode to Office Mode, which is the highest setting.
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But to get the brightest and sharpest images from your projectorHowever, I recommend extinguishing all possible light sources. I even bought blackout curtains for my living room to ensure I can enjoy the ultra-short throw laser projector in the best quality.
When all light sources are extinguished, the image quality of the Formovie Theater Premium shines through. You might appreciate the 4K resolution when all the lights are off, as the darkness helps bring out every fine detail on the screen. Plus, it also uses Dolby Vision to deliver highly accurate colors so you can experience movies and TV shows as the director intended.
First-class sound experience
Sound effects and music are the other half of the viewing experience, and Formovie Theater Premium’s built-in Bowers & Wilkins speakers provide an excellent soundstage to match what you see. The projector’s speakers convey every detail of Michael W. Smith’s “In Christ Alone” with extreme clarity and sharpness, but its quality also made me feel every emotion in Panic! At The Disco’s ‘Don’t Let The Light Go Out’ and James Blunt’s ‘Monsters’.
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In addition to their prowess at playing music, the Bowers & Wilkins speakers also excel at transporting you into the movie you’re watching. I loved how it was able to recreate the intensity of the Heat shoot-out and fight of Saving Private Ryan’s Omaha Beach scene.
This level of sound quality is brought to you by four drivers – one tweeter and woofer on each side – using the Bowers & Wilkins Gen 2 system. But if you’re an audiophile and built-in speakers don’t satisfy you, the Formovie Theater Premium also offers line-out, S/PDIF, and HDMI eARC ports for connecting your stereo and surround sound speakers.
Sufficient connection options and ports
In addition to the two audio ports, you also get three HDMI and two USB ports, plus an Ethernet port for better internet reliability. This means you can simultaneously connect three HDMI devices to the Formovie Theater Premium, such as a console, your gaming PC and a home media streaming server built from your old PC. All HDMI ports are also HDMI 2.1, so you can enjoy 4K at 60Hz regardless of USB.
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The two USB ports are for displaying photos, music and movies via an external storage device. It’s a shame it doesn’t have USB-C ports, though, especially since many devices use that standard now.
If you prefer wireless connectivity, the Formovie Theater Premium has 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 connection options. Wi-Fi 6 should be fast enough to let you stream 4K HDR content, while Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity goes beyond just connecting the included remote (batteries not included). If you have a wireless Bluetooth controller, keyboard and/or mouse, you can connect them to the projector and play games via Steam Link.
Ultra-short throw distance saves space
The biggest advantage that ultra-short throw projectors offer is the reduced space requirement to get a hugely immersive screen. The Formovie Theater Premium has a minimum distance of 3.75 inches (or 9.6 cm) from the projection surface, giving you a huge viewing surface of 80 inches. But if you push it to the maximum distance of 16.5 inches (or 42.2 cm), you end up with a 150-inch screen.
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Right now, the largest readily available TV on Amazon is 98 inches. However, they are difficult to set up and transport, mainly because of their thin, fragile displays. These large flat panels also pose a safety risk to children and pets, making it preferable to mount them on the wall. However, this is not always possible, especially if your TV is in front of a window.
On the other hand, the Formovie Theater Premium projector will not fall over as it is a small box that is placed on your TV rack. It would work with any blank wall or projection screen that rolls away when not in use. You can also mount the projector yourself on the ceiling, so that even if you do not have sufficient floor space, you can still enjoy a gigantic viewing experience.
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Conclusion and judgment
The Formovie Theater Premium is a great ultra-short throw projector for those who want to step up their game from smaller TVs. It offers both excellent visual and audio quality that immerses you in whatever you’re watching or listening to, and Google TV features make it easy to stream on the most popular platforms.
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However, it comes at a significant price, at $3,499 Amazon. You will also have to spend more on a projection screen (or projection wall) plus a few other accessories to get the best quality out of it. This makes it about $1,000 to $1,500 more expensive than the average 98-inch TVbut it does come with premium Bowers & Wilkins audio. Furthermore, most TVs don’t exceed 100 inches – the Formovie Theater Premium will easily break this barrier.
I won’t recommend any ultra-short throw projector for the average buyer who will only place it in a living room. But if you have a dedicated entertainment room (or plan to make your living room one) where you have control over all light sources, you might want to consider the Formovie Theater Premium Ultra Short Throw instead of an OLED TV.
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