Philips PicoPix 1430 Projector - A review

There's a lot of PicoPix projectors on the market so I took the opportunity of testing one. I selected the PicoPix 1430 projector from Philips as it's a multimedia projector and seems to pack quite a punch.

Now I know this is a portable unit but I couldn't resist connecting it to the PS3 and testing it for gaming - after all that is my thing!

Before I tell you about the performance and connectivity let me tell you what comes in the box.                                                      
                           


 - The PicoPix projector itself - it's a neat little box (dimensions 10cm x 10cm x 3cm) and it's very lightweight
 - A carry pouch
 - USB Cable
 - composite cables (male and female)  -   one of which was then was connected to the composite cable of my PS3.
 - tripod
and  power cable.

It's also worth mentioning that the projector also has an SD card slot so you can share images and videos straight from memory cards.

After charging the PicoPix projector I connected it up to the PS3. Simply by connecting the Sony composite cable to the Philips PicoPix composite and switching the display output on the PS3 from HDMI to composite out the image was displayed in full on the wall.  The focus wheel on the top of the projector enabled me to make the display clearer, the Philips 1430 does have a little bar foot that helps stabilise the projector but I chose to use the tripod stand to raise it a little higher.   Once satisfied with the display I selected a game to test.   As I was in the process of reviewing Crysis 2 I thought I might as well stick with it, plus that'd help show how this portable projector coped with 'dark' images.

The PicoPix menu is easy to use, you simply select the correct icon for what you want to use (e.g videos, images or connected device). Once selected, right there on the wall was Crysis 2 on the big screen in my lounge.

The picture was clear and certainly playable even in the shadows of a game which is often quite dark. This would be great if you had it connected to a Sony PSP and were on the road or connected it to a Nintendo Wii for two player tennis.

As you know I've just returned from Florida with the family,  I had over 3000 photo's and almost 50 short video clips to look through.  So aside from testing the gaming connectivity my wife and I thought we'd take a look at the videos and pictures.  This was great, it was like being in a drive in movie for a moment. We laid on the floor and beamed the projector onto the ceiling of the lounge.   The colours from the Disney videos and images were projected clearly and brightly, The sounds of laughter were clearly heard.

This is one of the true callings of the PicoPix 1430 from Philips. This to me was what would really appeal to me and would be a major part of the purchasing decision for this device. Imagine taking this small projector and your memory cards to your family and friends. It's got a 2 hour battery life when charged so more than enough time to 'wow' your friends.   There's just no other way that you could share those images and videos in a reasonable amount of time, on a big screen whenever and wherever you want.

I can also see that this projector would be good for business people on the road for presentations etc, but that's just not my thing.

The Philips PicoPix 1430 is available from Argos for £249.99 it's a lot of money but if you like to share videos, images or presentations, have kids who like to watch movie's and be amused outside of the house, or you want to enjoy big screen gaming (although it's no substitute for HD TV but I can't take that on the road) then it's well worth the money!