Summer down under is just around the corner.

Camping, beaches, the great outdoors and time to get ‘Freestyling’ with Samsung.

The pint sized LED projector is good to go with it easily fitting in a small carry bag, but unless you get the rechargeable battery pack (or a third party one) you’ll still need to find an AC outlet.

Powered by the included USB-C power adaptor the Freestyle will connect up to your smart device via Bluetooth or you can cable it in with HDMI.

Ready to stream any entertainment such as Netflix, Disney+, your holiday videos and more in FHD 1080p.

Able to project on any surface from 30 inches up to 100 from just 26.5 cms away, you’re not going to need to lug around a dedicated projector screen.

With a full 180 degree tilt it is literally point and play… er, stream.

Can you game on it? Yep you can.

If you’re needing to level up some more on your mobile RPG but your folks decided to take the family to the middle of nowhere for a family vacay?

Easy as, and gaming on the Samsung Freestyle in a darker environment is that of playing on a really, really large monitor or TV screen with HDR.

The Samsung Freestyle comes with a fully rechargeable remote and also has voice assistant control; Samsung’s Bixby or Amazon’s Alexa.

The Freestyle has a smart TV user interface or you can mirror from a compatible (newer) Samsung Smart TV or smartphone and there’s a built-in speaker.

I suspected the audio quality would be slightly less than HQ… it’s not.  Audio from the Freestyle is basically on par with a mid range Bluetooth speaker with built-in Dolby Digital 360 degree sound.

There’s some very cool bonus stuff too.

You can use the Freestyle for lighting effects. Having a party? Invite your Freestyle to lighten it up.

The Freestyle doesn’t do too well in well lit environments – so you’ll need a darker area to project within or start the movie, series or gaming marathon party once the sun goes down.

If you’re traveling about, or even just at home and want to have a cinema like experience, Samsung’s Freestyle is your new travel companion or at home entertainment buddy.

The post Samsung Freestyle Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Samsung has announced its all-new portable screen and entertainment device, The Freestyle, will arrive on New Zealand shores this Friday, 15 July 2022.

The Freestyle, which sold out its pre-order sales, offers flexibility to deliver optimal viewing and entertainment for customers.

Popular among Gen Zs and Millennials, The Freestyle is a projector with 2022 UI and Smart TV apps built in, along with exclusive Ambient Mode all rolled into one powerful product. At only 830 grams, this lightweight and portable device allows Kiwis to change any space into a screen with ease and is able to travel wherever they go.

“The Freestyle is a all-new projector that provides the ultimate versatility and flexibility to meet the changing lifestyles of Kiwi customers,” said Jens Anders, Vice President Mobile & Consumer Electronics Sales at Samsung New Zealand. “Without the limitation in space and form factor, The Freestyle can be used in any way consumers prefer, whether it’s outdoors at your typical Kiwi backyard barbeque, a movie night indoors with family or friends, or those enjoying city living looking to save space without sacrificing their entertainment. Even Kiwi campers can bring The Freestyle along on any adventure to watch films, listen to music or use the ambient lighting under the stars.”

Unlike conventional boxy projectors, The Freestyle’s versatile cradle allows rotation of up to 180 degrees, enabling consumers to show high-quality video anywhere – tables, floors, walls or even ceilings – no separate screen required.

The Freestyle can be powered via the included Type C Wall charger, as well as the option to be powered by a compatible battery bank. A dedicated Battery Base will be available as an accessory later on. It also has all the built in entertainment apps customers would enjoy from a Smart TV, making this the perfect projector companion for consumers who enjoy life on the move.

Equipped with full auto keystone and auto levelling features, enabled by industry-leading technology, the features allow the device to automatically adjust its screen to any surface at any angle, providing a perfectly proportional image every time. Additionally, the auto focus feature allows The Freestyle to display a crystal clear image up to 100 inches in size.

Music lovers will be pleasantly surprised by the dual passive radiator which enables a clean and deeper bass without distortion, and its 360-degree sound radiation allows film fans to enjoy a cinema-quality sound experience no matter where they are.

For powering it up, The Freestyle is compatible with external batteries that support USB-PD and 50W / 20V output or above, so users can take it with them anywhere, whether they are on the move, on a camping trip, and more.

When it is not used as a projector to stream content, The Freestyle also provides mood lighting effects thanks to its ambient mode and translucent lens cap.

In addition, The Freestyle’s Music Wall feature analyses the music to pair visual effects that can be projected on the wall or the ceiling. Those short on space at home can use The Freestyle for their home entertainment, as the device offers all the Smart TV features available on Samsung Smart TVs, with built-in streaming services and mirroring and casting features compatible with both Android and iOS mobile devices.

The Freestyle is available in white colour variant only within New Zealand.

The post Samsung’s ‘The Freestyle’ arrives in New Zealand appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

BenQ is launching the X3000i, bringing the finest ever audio visual performance to a grand projected scale.

Gaming scenes are delivered with 100% DCI P3 wide colour gamut coverage powered by BenQ’s exclusive CinematicColor technology, paired with enveloping treVolo sound system and input lag as low as 4ms, allowing gamers to traverse to open-world games imbued with live realism.

“Leading the X series with unprecedented combination of cinematic images and realistic sounds, along with the lag free control that comes from 4ms response time at 240Hz frame rate,” said Grace Tran BenQ Australia and New Zealand Product Marketing Manager. “X3000i invites gamers to expand infinite universes and realise their full potential.”

For a truly immersive gaming experience, X3000i draws gamers deeply into the plot with authentic colours balanced with true 4K UHD, high 3000-lumen visual brightness, crisp 500,000:1 superhigh contrast with Dynamic Black algorithms, 3D readiness, and projector-optimised HDR with HDR10/HLG support ensuring futureproof visual performance, while the 4LED light source with auto colour calibration guarantees years of gaming enjoyment.

Adding to the visual with audio enhancement, X3000i fully envelopes players in powerful 5W x 2 stereo speakers that are tuned by BenQ’s treVolo audio team and enhanced by Bongiovi DSP (Digital Signal Processor) with Dynamic Stereo Enhancement, offering aural details with more surrounded, three-dimensional game sounds. Audio can be output to an external sound system via HDMI eARC for the ultimate cinematic experience.

The realness of all interactions can be further discovered through role playing, first-person shooter, and sports games as X3000i is equipped with specially-designed preset game modes. The depth, clarity, definition, and presence of the surrounding deep bass background music, approaching footsteps and clear vocals are emphasised respectively, with the true colours the games originally intend to display. These carefully calibrated settings are also applicable in models such as TK700STi and TK700 in the TK Series as well as TH Series, complementing a full projector lineup that’s dedicated to gaming.

Styled in dynamic design to complement any gamer’s décor and setup flexibility of 1.3x zoom, 2D keystone, and advanced AV connectivity, X3000i’s 4LED light source provides over 30,000 hours or 10+ years of vibrant colours and gorgeous gaming quality without lamp replacement cost. Console gamers who play for hours on can carefully explore the storyline and show the world who they aspire to be with no hassle.

X3000i is available now.

The post BenQ Unlocks World’s First 4LED 4K HDR Gaming Projector appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Epson Australia has launched its most advanced home theatre projector to date, the Epson EH-LS12000B 4K PRO-UHD1 laser projector.

Shane the Gamer’s Darren Price was one of the first to watch this new projector at the product launch in Epson’s Sydney HQ.

Epson had set up a makeshift cinema, complete with hotdogs and popcorn for a select group of technology journalists to view the EH-LS12000B 4K PRO-UHD1 laser projector in action. Whilst a price tag of the best part of nine grade Australian, its an investment that is out of reach for most, however, when you consider that LG over an 83” 4K TV for about the same money, home theatre projectors are getting, comparatively at least, a lot more affordable.

According to Epson, the EH-LS12000B redefines 4K theatre-quality expectations for home theatre viewing, faithfully reproducing all source material the way the original content creators and artists intended. The projector incorporates an all-new laser array light source, next-generation image enhancement, and processing algorithms, expanded HDR10+ and HDMI 2.1 support, and real-time scene adaptive correction.

Epson’s representative was at pains to explain that they are effectively all about the end result. As they should, and like you, the consumer, should be. It is easy to get tied up in technical specifications. It’s something that I’m really bad for, it is like a fear that you are missing out, even though you should be very happy with what you are provided with.

The Epson presentation included a few scenes from Godzilla vs Kong, a movie that for what it lacks in a coherent plot more than makes up for in the sort of outlandish action scenes that are perfect fodder for showing off a home cinema projector. The picture quality, especially the brightness of the explosions was totally immersive. There was no rainbow from the LCD projector (something that can drive me mad), and all-in-all a pretty perfect cinema experience. It did detect a cheeky bit of motion smoothing, but it was subtle, unlike that employed by the audio-visual heathens in your JB Hi-Fi and Harvey Normans.

A short clip of 1914 was also used to show off the projector’s picture processing. The device removed the artefacts caused by a panning shot across a wooden fence. Again, the subtle use of visual processing helped maintain the cinema film look but still create a better home theatre image. It made me question my usual policy of switching off all the bell and whistles that can make epic movies look like a 1980s videotaped sitcom.

The EH-LS12000B produces a beautiful image, the likes of which you’d be paying double the money for only a few years ago.

Epson explained that the big problem with a 4K projector is maintaining brightness. To produce a picture with the brilliant brightness required for HDR, Epson’s boffins have come up with a unique solution. Imagine a 1080p picture, it’s made up of two million dots, but really, it’s a grid with two million holes that light shines through. Up the resolution to 4K and you have a grid with eight million holes that light is shining through.

The more pixels (holes) on the (same sized) grid the less light can get through. Rather than go for a larger LCD or a larger, brighter lamp (and associated costs / fans / noise) the EH-LS12000B uses pixel shift technology that effectively splits the 4K image up into 4 sections and tilts the projector to produce the 4K display via a 2K output.

Before you go “hold on” (as I did), yes, you still get the same 4K image displaying 8.3 million pixels at a resolution of 3840 x 2160, but with a higher maximum brightness. Epson states that the projector is capable of up to 2,700 lumens of colour and white brightness.

As well as demonstrating the projector playing movies, Epson also put on the game, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, a favourite of mine.

The laser optical engine created a rather exceptional and vivid image for the Viking game with the brightness, contrast, colour still looking very natural. The EH-LS12000B is capable of projecting a 4K HDR image up to the maximum 120 Hz supported by both the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.

The location of the projector shouldn’t be a problem when installing. This is helped by a front-facing exhaust, so the projector can be pushed to the back of a shelf, out of the way. The motorised 3-axis lens can be precisely shifted up to +/- 96% vertically and up to +/- 47% horizontally without any loss in picture distortion so you don’t have to have the unit in a central location.

The laser engine has a lifetime of up to 20,000 hours, which is about one movie a day for 18 years. After this time the projector will likely be unserviceable. The EH-LS12000B comes with a 3-year, 20,000-hour warranty.

Whilst still not cheap, the Epson EH-LS12000B 4K PRO-UHD1 laser projector is a huge step forwards towards affordable high-quality big-screen projection home cinema.

The post Epson launches 4K PRO-UHD home theatre laser projector appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Samsung has just announced the launch of its all-new portable screen and entertainment device, The Freestyle, ahead of CES 2022.

The Freestyle offers first-of-its-kind technology and flexibility to deliver optimal viewing and entertainment for customers looking to bring video and audio content wherever they go.

Targeted toward Gen Z and millennials, The Freestyle is a projector, smart speaker and ambient lighting device all rolled into one lightweight, portable device. When it comes to portability, The Freestyle weighs only 830 grams allowing customers to change any space into a screen with ease. Unlike conventional, boxy projectors, The Freestyle’s versatile cradle allows rotation of up to 180 degrees, enabling users to show high-quality video anywhere – tables, floors, walls or even ceilings – no separate screen required.

“The Freestyle is a one-of-a-kind projector geared towards ultimate versatility and flexibility to meet the consumers’ changing lifestyles,” said Simon Sung, Executive Vice President and Head of the Sales & Marketing Team of the Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics. “Without the limitation in space and form factor, The Freestyle is a fun and versatile device that can be used in any way consumers prefer.”

The Freestyle comes with full auto keystone and auto levelling features, enabled by industry-leading technology. The features allow the device to automatically adjust its screen to any surface at any angle, providing a perfectly proportional image every time.

Additionally, the auto focus feature allows The Freestyle to display a crystal-clear image on any surface, at any angle, up to 100 inches in size. The Freestyle also comes with a dual passive radiator enabling a clean and deeper bass without distortion, and its 360-degree sound radiation allows customers to enjoy a cinema-quality sound experience no matter where they are.

For powering it up, The Freestyle is compatible with external batteries that support USB-PD and 50W/20V output or above, so users can take it with them anywhere, whether they are on the move, on a camping trip, and more. The Freestyle is also a pioneer in that it’s the first portable screen that works when connected to a standard E26 light socket without the need for additional wiring, besides compatibility with the traditional wall plug option.

When it is not used as a projector to stream content, The Freestyle also provides mood lighting effects thanks to its ambient mode and translucent lens cap. The Freestyle is also a smart speaker, analysing the music to pair visual effects that can be projected on the wall, floors and anywhere else.

The Freestyle offers Smart TV features available on Samsung Smart TVs, with built-in streaming services and mirroring and casting features compatible with both Android and iOS mobile devices. It is the industry’s first portable projector that is certified by global major OTT partners, providing customers with the best content viewing experience. It is also the first projector to include far-field voice control, allowing users to choose their favourite voice assistants when using the device hands-free.

The Freestyle will be showcased during CES 2022 from January 5th to 7th, 2022 and will go on an on-line pre-order in US market on January 4th, 2022, with availability expanding to other global markets in the following months.

For ANZ regions pre-order starts from the 9th of March through to the 5th of April 2022.

The post Samsung Launches ‘The Freestyle’ appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

A night at the cinema could be on you if you have a dimly lit living room or darkened den, with Samsung’s latest in home entertainment, The Premiere.

A tri-laser 4K projector that will give you a screen up to 130 inches (your walls may depend on this).

Surprisingly compact and light for what it is, The Premiere will emblazon your wallpapered or painted wall with the greatest of Netflix marathoning, Disney+ episodic goodness, Amazon’s prime offerings and of course, 4K gaming.

Samsung state that you’ll get around 20,000 hours out of The Premiere before the laser needs replacing – I haven’t tested THAT in the couple of weeks with the unit, but I can say the picture quality is superb, providing you have a bare wall or projector screen to beam on to.

Lighting is of course a factor.

Direct sunlight is not only detrimental to a Vampire’s wellbeing, it can also wash out the quality of The Premiere’s RGB projection.

So, if you have a well lit built-for-the-sun pad then you’ll need some heavy curtains or a dimly lit corner if you’re in for some daytime watching or gaming. Night, obviously is not an issue, again that is dependent on your home lighting conditions.

There’s 3 HDMI ports and 1 USB. The Premiere is that of a smart TV.

Free to air channels and the most used apps are already there and any that aren’t you can generally find on the Samsung Store (except Shudder – c’mon Samsung!).

Built on Samsung’s Tizen OS there’s Dolby digital for your ears, HDR10+ certification for your visual senses and of the various modes that we’ve seen on smart TVs over the years, The Premiere has a very interesting one, called Filmmaker Mode.

This aims to keep a film true to it’s original directorial debut and removes such things as motion blur. You need to have a fairly hi-res film (4K or 8K) to really see the difference.

Gaming on a super large screen in 4K in a darkened room was… well, as you can imagine. Heaven.

The Premiere is not only a super flashy projector holographic-like tele it also has a booming soundbar built-in.

Ranging at 4.2 channel and with a 40 watt max output there’s little need for anyother audio equipment.

With a modestly small footprint The Premiere is ideal for areas where you’d prefer not to have a large TV as the centerpiece of your space (or taking up space) and when it is not in use, it resembles a soundbar.

The Premiere does exceedingly well at projecting a large viewing frame at close proximity using Short-Throw technology. As a benchmark around 113mm distance from the projecting surface will give you a 100 inch ‘screen’.

Usually a projector will need to be a decent way from a surface before you can get a sizeable and less squished image. The Premiere only needs a few inches.

The Premiere is coupled with a smart remote, with voice (Alexa and Bixby) and if you have a Samsung smartphone you can integrate it into Samsung’s ‘Smart Things’ and control the unit with your phone.

But The Premiere, as great as it is (and it is) comes at a price.

STG was sent the top model to play with, that being the SP-LSP9TSAXNZ. You wont see any change in the realm of over 10K NZD for this one, but there is a cheaper model coming in at just under 6K (NZD).

So, if you’re cashed up and want to go for something a little different to impress mates or just for yourself to game the night away The Premiere is the laser projector to consider if you’re not keen on mounting a general 4K projector to your ceiling at considerable effort.

I liked it. Alot. But the price tag is a bit hard to swallow.

The post Samsung The Premiere Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.