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The menus provide seven predefined picture modes for SDR and HDR10 input, including a Custom mode, plus three additional modes for Dolby Vision—for bright rooms, for dark rooms, and a Dolby Vision custom mode. Concerning audio, the Horizon Pro is equipped with stereo 45 mm drivers (by Harman Kardon) which, in my opinion, sound pretty good. Compared to the built-in speakers of most TVs, the Horizon Pro's sound much fuller, and they're able to get pretty loud—enough to get a small party going. I'd say that they're a step up over a good pair of portable Bluetooth speakers, but still falling behind some entry-level bookshelves. To sound their best, I recommend disabling the "DTS Studio Sound" audio processing and keeping the default "Movie" sound preset. Refer to the theoretical data from XGIMI laboratories: the power saving mode is calculated based on the average power consumption of HORIZON Pro (180W) and the power of a 98-inch TV (550W), viewed 8 hours every day in one year.
The XGIMI HORIZON projector boasts impressive brightness levels that make it a powerhouse for indoor use. It delivers vibrant, clear images that truly bring my favorite movies and shows to life. While it may struggle a bit in direct sunlight, it's an absolute star in well-lit indoor environments. Xgimi says this combination delivers a wider color gamut (range of colors) than LEDs provide by themselves—a rated 99.9% of the Rec.709 standard for HDTV and 95.5% of the DCI-P3 standard for the film industry—and is also less tiring on the eyes than a laser source by itself. But as someone who stares at laser-based projector images for hours at a time on a regular basis for testing, I have to point out that I've never felt the images were tiring to look at. The rated life for the hybrid light source is 25,000 hours.As well as the XGIMI Horizon on review here, the Horizon Pro is the same size and weight but has a native 4K resolution, rather than the Full HD resolution here. Both projectors are otherwise identical. Another clutter-free aspect of this projector (but perhaps not in an ideal way) is the minimalist remote, which arguably reduces the button count too far. The remote features navigation controls for the Android TV system, access to the Google Assistant, as well as buttons to control the volume level and settings – that’s your lot. There’s no direct access to switch between HDMI inputs, picture modes or shortcuts to access streaming services. It's barebones, to say the least. I recommend turning off motion smoothing, since it’s distracting and can add artefacts into the image, particularly on the higher settings. XGIMI has added two USB ports on the rear, which can be used for external storage, allowing you to watch films without the need for an internet connection. Automatic keystone correction can be activated any time the projector senses motion. It was too sensitive for my needs as any bump would start a new hunt and override my carefully constructed rectangle.
This is an Android TV projector, so the initial set up requires a Google account, with out one you can't use the pj. The typical value of ΔE≈1 for color accuracy in the factory production of XGIMI HORIZON Ultra is obtained from the XGIMI Optical Laboratory. The calibration parameters will take effect when the high color accuracy mode is correctly activated in the system. Color accuracy may vary slightly depending on factors such as projection usage time and lab testing equipment. Please refer to your actual experience for an accurate assessment. With a throw ratio of 1.2:1, you can achieve quite a big picture without having to place the Horizon too far from your display surface. XGIMI's innovative Horizon Pro – a compact, easily portable 4K HDR model with Android TV smart talents – offers a plug-and-play user experience and the ability to be installed almost anywhere.” ’EISA’ – Best Buy Projector.
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Outputting at a super-bright 2200 ANSI, the Horizon Pro is one of the brightest projectors in its class. This means that rather than just being a night-time only projector, the Horizon Pro is just as happy with daytime viewing. Delivering consistently bright colours and sharp images, the Horizon Pro matches a TV for anytime viewing pleasure. The same is true for connection with a Bluetooth speaker as a sound output. Once paired, the projector remembers the most recent output setting (internal speakers vs Bluetooth external speaker) and automatically connects on startup. The actual storage capacity is subject to change based on various factors, such as system usage, software version, and settings used. The projector's autofocus feature is nothing short of magic. It saves me the hassle of manual adjustments and ensures that every image is razor-sharp and perfectly aligned. It's a small but invaluable convenience that enhances the overall viewing experience.
It powers on and boots into Android TV in about 45 seconds, or less than five seconds from standby. There are only four buttons on the top of the projector—power, volume up, volume down, and play—and aside from the power button their functionality isn't mentioned anywhere in the documentation that comes with the projector or found online. This reinforces the fact that the remote is an absolute necessity to control the Horizon.
Have spent much more time with the projector this week, including connecting it up to a Roku Express as well as an Apple TV 4K. Both of them resolved the brightness strobing I was seeing in Criterion Channel streaming. It convinced me it’s an interpolation issue. While that shouldn’t be the case, I’ve only seen the problem on the Criterion Channel App on the on-board Android TV OS. Running the same films on the Criterion Channel app on either the Roku or Apple TV didn’t have the issue. That difference shows a problem, I’m just not sure what it is. Every image mode out of the box is very blue, which causes magenta to be more of a purple. The closest to the target 6500K white point that the Horizon Pro gets (without adjusting the white balance) is in Custom image mode with color temperature set to warm, and it's still slightly blue at around 7000K. With my Calman calibration software from Portrait Displays, an X-rite i1 Pro 3 spectrophotometer, and a Murideo Six-G pattern generator, I was able to get the white balance to 6500K by using the RGB sliders that are available with a custom color temperature. My settings were Red 49, Blue 21, and Green 30, but only use those as a starting point and don't expect them to get the exact same results as product samples vary. The color temperature adjustment also fixed the magenta color point that, under all the other image settings, was far too purple (although it was still a little oversaturated, as was blue and red).
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