DBPOWER T21 LED projector review

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It seems that inexpensive projectors are everywhere. Today we’re going to look at an LED-based projector in the $100 range, the DBPOWER T21 1800 lumen LED projector.

  • dbpower T21 projector 01 Imaging technology: TFT LCD, Brightness: 1800 lumens
  • Contrast: 1000:1
  • Aspect ratio: 16:10
  • Projection ratio: 1.4:1
  • Native resolution: 800×480 pixels
  • Supported resolution: 1920×1080 pixels
  • Keystone: Manual correction 15°
  • Throw distance: 1.5-5M
  • Screen size: 32-176 inches

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The kit came with an HDMI cable, composite video cable, power cord, height screw, remote and manual. A lens cap was already attached to the projector.

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dbpower T21 projector 07The top side has the focus and keystone correction dials, as well as 9 push buttons if you can’t find the remote.

dbpower T21 projector 09Note the power plug on the side.  The AC cord goes directly here. No external power “brick”.

dbpower T21 projector 08From left to right: Headphone output, composite video input, SD card slot, USB port, USB charging port, and HDMI port.

dbpower T21 projector 10The bottom, with the height-adjustment screw in place.

dbpower T21 projector 11The handheld remote duplicates the functions of the control panel.  Batteries not included.

dbpower T21 projector 12 dbpower T21 projector 13We just finished repairing our floors in our downstairs room (note the tape on the walls), so I had a clear space to set up the projector.  As you can see, the image is easily washed out from the ceiling lights.  Turn the lights off, and the image becomes much clearer.

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This table should give you a pretty good idea on the scaling.  I found the keystone correction dial to be quick and easy to use since it’s a physical adjustment, not pixel tweaking.

dbpower T21 projector 14 dbpower T21 projector 15Since the native resolution of the projector is only 800×480, expect some strange scaling artifacts to happen. Here I’ve connected my laptop to the projector via HDMI, and you can see the “jagged” effects of scaling.

dbpower T21 projector 16 dbpower T21 projector 17The projector also accepts SD card and USB to playback images and video.  Since you’re not reading text, the results are much more pleasant.

I would probably not use the DBPOWER T21 projector for projecting web page text or Powerpoint presentations from a laptop since the native resolution of the projector is only 800×480. In fact, the Amazon page “reminders” even indicates “Not recommended for PPT, word, excel or business presentations.”  I have no way to verify if the projector puts out 1800 lumens, so you need to be able to dim the room completely for best results.  If you can control your ambient lighting and you just need simple video, the DBPOWER T21 is an inexpensive, simple to use projector.

Source: The sample for this review was provided by DBPOWER. Please visit their site for more info and Amazon to order one and read other reviews.

 

Product Information

Price:$101.99
Manufacturer:DBPOWER
Retailer:Amazon
Pros:
  • Lightweight, no external power brick, simple manual focus and keystone controls
Cons:
  • Native resolution is only 800x480 pixels (supports up to 1920x1080 with scaling). Ambient light washes the image out pretty fast.

2 thoughts on “DBPOWER T21 LED projector review”




  1. Gadgeteer Comment Policy - Please read before commenting
  2. We have one of these DBPower Led projectors at school. Can I project a series of pdfs through it? I’ve tried it through a USB flashdrive and USB connections through an older Dell laptop..and it doesn’t recognize either.
    If this won’t resad a pdf, is that the case with all projectors. Do I need to change all my files into jpgs? I’m new to the digital projector.document camera world… (I still use an overhead and transparencies.)

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