Do you need a TV anymore? I used the Lumio Arc 7 to get a better picture

Indian Express

17 hours ago

I have noticed that the TV is being used less in our household these days. Of course, it has a pride of place in the living room and is almost always on, but it is now rarely the screen in front of which the family congregates. It is more of an on-demand screen, which makes its real estate allotment in the living room a bit awkward. My hypothesis is that a projector, which is essentially an on-demand screen, makes more sense for chord cutters like me. The Lumio Arc 7 tried to tap into this smarter post-idiot-box generation of viewers.
The Lumio Arc 7 is a compact tower-shaped projector that has been designed to impress as well as to be practical. There is just a power button on top that fires up the projector, and all other settings are managed using the remote. Below is a kickstand — smartly called the Understand — which lets you change the angle of the projector. However, this gives you just one tilt and does not stop at any angle before.
The remote is very easy to use and comes with buttons for YouTube, Netflix, and Prime Video. There is also Lumio's own TLDR app, which is like a hub for sports and entertainment. Set up is easy using Google Home, and the projector takes you there as soon as you power it on for the first time.
Like all new projectors, you don't need to bother about focus or keystone as the Lumio Arc 7 will do all of that itself. However, this is not a short-throw projector and needs a distance of at least 8 feet from the wall to give you a sharp image, so keep this in mind if buying.
I have a space issue in my small apartment and do not have a wall that is ideal for a projector. So I projected on my living room wall, which unfortunately was behind my sofa and facing the TV. As this was a temporary arrangement, I could manage. But if you have the Lumio Arc 7 or any other projector, it is best to invest in a screen and find a room where the projection will be the best.
The Lumio Arc 7 has a 400 ANSI Lumens 1080p projection with 1500:1 Contrast Ratio, and even with my biscuit coloured walls, the colours were clear and striking. Placed about 10 feet away from the wall, I could get a 100-inch image. This big screen experience takes your screen time to a whole new level, even with a 65-inch TV at home.
There is no learning involved in using the projector as it runs Google TV out of the box. The interface is the same as you see on any Android TV. For me, it was exactly like using my OnePlus TV, just with a much larger screen. The settings, too, are accessed like you would on a TV, and you can use presets for movies, gaming, and the like for picture quality. You can adjust brightness, too, though there isn't a lot of leeway there.
When it comes to using projectors in place of TVs, there used to be a few hurdles, such as the lack of native access to popular streaming apps like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, as well as low audio output in most projectors. The Lumio Arc 7 solves both these problems. It offers native apps—including Netflix and Amazon Prime Video—and allows you to download additional apps from the Play Store. I have to say the Netflix experience is as good as on any TV, and there are no stalling issues like those encountered with the skinned apps that came on earlier projectors.
The audio is loud, and the Lumio Arc 7 works almost like a Bluetooth speaker of the same size. The audio matches to the size of the screen and you can hear dialogues. There is a decent surround effect with Dolby Audio, though this will also depend to a large extent on the size of your room. Plus, like a good TV, you have options to show content from other sources using the HDMI or USB ports at the back.
There is a counter too. This is not the brightest projector I have used, and if you don't have a good white wall or a screen, the chances are you will start missing the comfort of a TV screen. Also, experience is not that great during the day if you are not able to darken the room well. Compared to 4K projectors, this is a disadvantage and one reason why you might still need a TV at home.
But a lot of my context of how a projector should work goes out the door when you realise that the Lumio Arc 7 costs just Rs 34,990 at the moment. And even if you add a good screen and a tripod, you will not spend more than an additional Rs 3,000. At that price, you should consider this more as a backup for the TV, one that can bring the family back together for a movie night or a match day. For this price, you cannot get a better projector. Period.