Blitzwolf BW-VP9 projector test - take home a movie theater!
You buy it and you may not even want to go to the movies anymore.
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Also watch the video demo on my Youtube channel!
If the resolution is poor on Youtube has not yet processed the video, the end result will be 4K.
Blitzwolf BW-VP9 Projector Test - Introduction
For a long time, projection was a kind of gentleman’s passion. Not so long ago, for companies, it was even more worthwhile to rent a projector for one occasion, they cost so much.
However, time is running out, today the prices of some projectors are below the bottom of the frog, so last summer I decided that I would try what it was like to watch movies on a wide screen at home.
My first choice fell on a cheap piece that I thought would be good for screening fairy tale movies for the kids, at least not watching TV, not hurting the eyes so much. Then it turned out that the machine was also suitable for watching a movie 1-1 times and what to say, I fell in love with the experience.
I say this because the cheap projector had relatively low brightness and “only” HD resolution. So I started looking for projectors, more serious pieces that suited my needs.
Well, I have to say that what I liked was still too expensive.
I may be too demanding, but in addition to the right brightness and contrast, I had other expectations. What were these?
- Of course, minimum FHD resolution
- Sufficiently strong hardware, memory, storage
- Android operating system, preferably Google TV
- Four-way keystone correction
- Transfer content wirelessly from your phone
These don’t seem like a big deal, but at the third point, on the regular Android system, for example, a lot of devices are already bleeding because I didn’t feel enough about Android if it was something old, a version with a gaudy interface.
Then I found the details of his latest projector, which is yet to be released, on the Blitzwolf website, and I knew it was going to be what I was going to buy.
Packaging, exterior and accessories
Don't waste time on packaging, the article will be long without it. We get a relatively large box dressed in the usual Blitzwolf colors.
It includes the necessary accessories, which is an EU plug power cable, an HDMI cable, an AV cable, the user manual, and of course the remote control.
The Blitzwolf BV-WP9 is the least innovative in terms of appearance. It practically got the VP6 housing with minor changes. It looks good, but don’t expect great form novelties from it, a typical projector with rounded edges and corners.
Only the infrared receiver of the lens and the remote control is in front. On the side is the outlet for the speakers and the cooling ribs, on the back are the connectors, which I will list later.
At the top of the machine are the controls that you can use to move through the menu. Practically only the most necessary buttons, up and down, right and left, okay and back. Since your machine is running Android, you don't need more than that.
What is important, however, is that the legs of the projector can be unscrewed, the screws of the projector holder can be screwed into the release threads, so that the structure can even be hung from the ceiling.
Paper form
For a long time, I could only rely on the specifications found on the manufacturer’s site, but as it turned out later, they were accurate.
From the images, it was clear that the machine would be an improved version of the BW-VP6 projector already on the market, some of the capabilities were the same. The improvements, of course, were aimed at keeping the projector up to date to meet customer expectations.
The Blitzwolf BW-VP9 received a quad-core processor with Cortex A55 cores and an integrated Mali G31 graphics accelerator. The system memory is 2 GB and the built-in storage is 16 GB, the latter of course can be expanded in several ways.
The expansion can always be done via a USB port, a memory card reader or even an external hard drive can be connected here, in the latter case, if the NTFS file system is used, the maximum size can be up to 2 TB.
This iron may seem small compared to a modern phone, but it’s good to know that the focus here is on multimedia, not serious games, so the hardware is plenty strong enough for the job.
VP9 also offers wired and wireless network access, meaning you can access the Internet via cable or dual-channel (2,4 and 5 GHz) Wi-Fi if you want. The capabilities of Ethernet are not covered in the specification, but I asked the manufacturer they said the connection was 100 megabytes. This will also be enough for 4K materials, so the gigabit wasn’t particularly needed here.
Of course, there is no Bluetooth connection left in the machine, which is advantageous if you want to connect a Bluetooth speaker or headphones, for example.
Using Blitzwolf BW-VP9 LCD technology, the machine has a native FHD resolution, meaning it is best for playing 1920 x 1080 pixel material. However, with the built-in hardware, it is possible to play not only 4K but even 8K content, although these need to be scaled to 1080p. Fortunately, there is enough cocoa in the machinery for this as well.
Importantly, even with 4K content, a speed of 60 frames is available, which is very good for faster movements, which is plentiful for movies, especially an action movie.
The new projector has a brightness of 6500 lumens (luminous flux) and a contrast ratio of 2000: 1. The manufacturer does not provide an ANSI value, but we know that the predecessor VP6 comes with 6000 ANSI for 500 lumens, and we can assume that the newer machine has a value higher than 6500 ANSI for 500 lumens.
It is important to note that these values (lumen vs. ANSI lumen) are mixed quite frequently in tests, price comparison sites, and other places.
Anyway, the difference between the two values is that while the maximum luminous flux is viewed at the lumen, ANSI is an average value measured at nine points in the projected image and is derived from the average of these, i.e. the value that is usually displayed on projectors.
These are decent values, especially if we look at the price of the projector, but we’ll talk about that later. The light is provided by an LED light source with an expected operating time of 40 hours. It practically means 4 and a half years, already, if we want to watch it for so long. Not a few!
The diagonal of the projected image can range from 53 to 200 inches, but for the latter value you already need to place it relatively far away from the canvas or wall, so this can be best for garden projections. Let’s say getting a canvas this big isn’t easy, or at least not cheap fun. The projected image can be 4: 3 or 16: 9.
Importantly, the BW-VP9 is capable of four-way, more precisely horizontal and vertical keystone correction, which means that, even in the corner of the room, it does not have to be directly opposite the canvas or the wall. However, I will write more about this later. Keystone correction is done from software, while focus is adjusted manually.
Importantly, the projector has quite a decent speakers, and even 2 units with a 5-watt, 50-millimeter diaphragm. The machine also knows the Dolby DTS AC3 format, so we can achieve some surround effect through it.
The projector has two USB 2.0 ports, two HDMI connectors, an AV connector, an audio output, and an Ethernet connector, which I’ve written about above.
Szoftver
As I wrote above, the Blitzwolf BW-VP9 runs Android, and even version 9-based Android TV. It deserved an endless big red dot for me, that was one of the main reasons I chose this projector.
I will write about usage in the last chapter, but in the meantime it is good to know that the program is easy to use, it can also speak Hungarian, though only half, a third, because there are parts, especially in the area related to setup, where the text remained in English. Fortunately, this is not a big problem in everyday use.
In essence, we get a completely standard Android TV interface, the same as that of Xiaomi TVs, among others. The only difference is that here we find the projector settings instead of the TV settings, so whoever has seen Android TV will not have a problem here either, but those who don't, don't have to be scared either, it's all simple.
Canvas
It doesn’t completely belong to the projector, but if I already got a more serious machine, it was worth buying a screen as well. I stayed with the brand, so the Blitzwolf BW-VS2 became the finisher.
There were several reasons for my choice. One is that I wanted a relatively large screen, and it’s also available with a 120-inch diagonal. The other is to add fixing tabs that can be glued to the wall with double-sided adhesive. They aren’t too big, so they can even stay up permanently. The third reason was the price.
The largest 120-inch canvas can be ordered from a Czech warehouse, the price is only 6200 forints, even with free delivery, so it doesn't hit anyone on the ground.
You can find the experience related to the canvas in the next chapter, I placed the link to buy at the end of the article!
Use and experience
This chapter will not be short, I have plenty to write about.
The fact that I already had several types of projectors, but somehow I hadn’t been touched by the projection so far, I didn’t feel the need for that. I know it’s weird, but the mood to buy wasn’t brought by the Blitzwolf BW-VP1 presented in my previous article, at least not directly.
The reason was that I inserted a Xiaomi TV stick running an Android TV system into the BW-VP1 projector, opening up a whole new world of usability for me.
As I wrote in the introduction, what was important to me was not the existence of Android, but the fact that Android came with a usable interface. With things like Android TV that I can easily access Netflix, HBO Go, or let’s say the Telenoros MyTV app, which is also used on Xiaomi TV, through which I hope - if hosted - I will be able to watch EC football matches.
So the bottom line was that with the help of Android TV, I had incredibly easy access to a variety of content, which made it so easy to use that I was able to watch better movies with a large diagonal, cinematic, projected.
The Blitzwolf BW-VP1 was also good for this, true, only in HD resolution, which, since my appetite comes while eating, I already wanted more.
So I started looking around the shelves of virtual stores and by the way I asked my Banggood contact if he had any tips. Volt! It was so much that with his help, I was able to get the most powerful Blitzwolf machine, the BW-VP9 in the article, weeks before the official presentation.
It is rare in the life of a tester to be the first in Hungary to receive a new piece of hardware, but it is such that this is also true worldwide, essentially never. So I felt it was no small honor to be the first to receive this structure, the official sale of which began today.
Well, so far it has been a fairy tale, now let’s see the experience!
Let’s start with the remote control, about which I haven’t written a word so far. Not too big, not too small, convenient, but we find relatively few buttons on it. True, this amount is quite enough to navigate the menu.
So far, nothing interesting, though, is something I was quite surprised at. When we turn on the projector, the remote communicates via infrared, which was quite a disappointment, I’m very used to the Xiaomi TV’s Bluetooth remote, which doesn’t have to “see” the TV to work.
I was very surprised when it turned out that the Blitzwolf remote control can communicate not only via infrared but also via Bluetooth. To do this, you need to press the right and left direction keys at the same time, and the two devices are already connected via Bluetooth.
If you switch to a Bluetooth connection, the Google Assistant will also work immediately, with which you can search for content with verbal (Hungarian) phrases, for example on Youtube.
There’s another interesting button that, if I had to guess, I wouldn’t have told you what it was for. It has a treble clef. When pressed, it turns off the picture and only the sound of the playback material is heard. This comes in handy when we just want to listen to music for some inexplicable reason. Interesting.
Of course, I was really looking forward to the courier, so when the package arrived I rushed into the living room with it. I figured out well in advance where it would be, and as I wrote above, thanks to the four-way keystone correction, it doesn’t have to be directly opposite the canvas.
This is very good because if you want to sit in line with the center of the image, with a projector with only vertical correction, the projection point will be behind your back and you will be the screen. Unless you can mount it with a bracket on the wall or ceiling.
In the case of horizontal correction, you can place the machine in the corner next to the sofa, you can still straighten the edges of the image, there will be no distortion.
However, practice shows that you will get the best image quality when the projector is as close to the center line as possible!
Although the image can be “straightened” the more you project from the side, the more blurred the corner, the more blurred the image. This is understandable somewhere, as we can adjust the focus to a distance, and with a large diagonal (320-360 centimeters), the farther part will be much farther away.
So, during commissioning, the first thing is to find the ideal location for the machine. I had no problem with this, I placed it about a meter and a half from the vertical bisector of the image, so there was no problem with the sharpness.
One more thing to consider when setting, and that is the size of the image.
I was lucky, I projected from about 4 meters, so the 120-inch screen was enough. However, if you have a smaller screen, you will be forced to reduce the size of the projected image. There is no problem with this, in VP9 you can change the image size from the software, but only within certain limits. And you can narrow these limits quite a bit by using horizontal or vertical keystone correction.
If you don’t have to adjust a lot with keystone correction, you can reduce the image size nicely, but if you take full advantage of keystone correction, you can’t change the image size anymore. This should also be considered when locating the projector.
Then let’s talk a little bit about the size of the projected image now!
With us, projected on the largest empty wall in the living room, I was able to achieve a ~ 140-inch diagonal. This is the size of the wall. This meant exactly 360 inches, meaning the diagonal of the projected image was more than 3 and a half meters. To do this, the projector had to be placed 4,5 meters away from the wall.
Since I don’t have a canvas this big, I projected it smoothly on the painted wall. This is where the VP9 really convinced me, as I got a brilliantly sharp image on the wall without any screens, and in a size that already gives an absolute cinematic experience.
To be able to use the 120-inch canvas, I need a distance of 4 meters, which fortunately gave us a point.
It would be an exaggeration to say that the difference between the canvas and the wall is skyrocketing, at least as long as you watch a movie in which, say, the sun is constantly shining. If there’s plenty of light there’s no problem, but if the film takes place at night, the benefits of the canvas come out.
Turning here to the Blitzwolf canvas, I experienced the following:
The canvas is not very thick, but has a good reflectivity. Anyone who has tried to project on a sheet may know that much of the light passes through the material, not reflected, so the quality of the image is severely compromised. There is no such problem with the screen.
The Blitzwolf canvas is made of elastic material, understand stretch. This is very good because if the mounting tabs are placed well on the wall, we get a mirror-smooth surface. It doesn't hurt the real cinema experience.
I will say that it is worth buying at least one entry-level screen next to a normal projector, of course, if you have the money, a more expensive motorcyclist can come right away. But if, after reading the article, you decide to invest in the BW-VP9, I suggest you put the Blitzwolf canvas in the basket as well!
Okay, we got to the point where the canvas on the wall, the location of the projector was figured out, we turned on and adjusted the keystone correction and image size. The cinema can come!
Movies can be fed into the machine from several sources, external storage, memory card, hard disk. If the movie you want to watch is on a networked storage device, NAS or computer, there is no problem, as we can install a player on the projector that can browse the local network.
Since Android TV is also an Android, we can install a media player on it. I use a VLC player and Kodi, the latter also runs smoothly.
At the same time, I have to say that since there has been online content at an affordable price, since then, that is, I have not been downloading anything from the net for years now. For this reason, it was important to me that the programs of the major streaming providers work on the projector, especially Netflix, which can be pretty hacky to the iron we want to run on.
Fortunately, the Blitzwolf BW-VP9 is Netflix compatible. I also like this because my Xiaomi TV also runs Android TV, and since I’m signed in with my Google profile on both the TV and the projector, I didn’t even have to bother setting up my password when I started Netflix.
Another advantage is that the materials that are favorite on the TV can also be found on the projector (and vice versa, of course), so I have no choice but to start the movie I selected even days earlier.
Android TV is considered by many to be low-cost, and they are right. The interface of Android TV is really low cost, but maybe that’s exactly what’s best about it. It’s terribly fast, and in a matter of moments we get to the content or streaming service provider that interests us in the menu.
A few words about the strength of the hardware. I couldn’t test it with 8K material, but according to the manufacturer, even at that resolution, a speed of 24 frames is guaranteed. That’s all it takes for our eyes to see the movie frames as a moving image.
As I wrote with 4K content no problem either, I can already substantiate this myself, I watched a 4K movie on external media and on YouTube as well. With such a resolution, the 60 frames already go. From this it is already conceivable that there is nothing wrong with native resolution FHD, i.e. 1080p movies, nor was it.
May come next, the game. It’s only natural that the BW-VP9’s hardware wasn’t invented for gaming. However, it is not at all impossible to use for gaming. For the sake of rehearsal, I installed a pinball, I mean, I installed a pinball machine, which I could also handle with the remote control. It was fun, next time I'm sure I'm looking for some simulator, it can be a good party to drive a car with a 120-inch diagonal.
For projectors, one of the most frequently asked questions is how loud their cooling is. Well, in the case of VP9, I was a little scared of the sound.
After turning on, the sound of the cooling was surprising, it could seem like a lot. Because of this, I took out my little instrument to measure how much that was, and it turned out that the noise remained below 50 dBA from a meter and a half. It’s not that much yet, so I came to the conclusion that if I sit in the big trash silence and wait for the movie to start, it just seems like a lot.
By setting a normal volume for the movies, the noise was 65-80 dBA, or more precisely the volume of the sound (also from a meter and a half), which already suppresses the sound of the projector cooling. Luckily, the fan noise is pretty neutral rustling, which means it doesn't rattle or click, so as the content starts, it doesn't show up anymore.
The other important question is what the image is like, what is the brightness, what is the contrast.
The 6500 lumens isn’t a little, but even that won’t be like watching TV. Not just because the TV screen projects light directly into our eyes, while the light from the projector is reflected from the wall or screen to our eyes.
At the same time, in the case of a more or less darkened room, the picture is already good, but of course it will be best if we really darken it. As I say, we watch movies with the lights off in cinemas, so why wait for a projector designed for home use?
So, the point about the picture is:
Using the Blitzwolf screen, you can even enjoy movies that are tuned specifically to the dark, which sounds natural to many, but believe me, it really isn’t. Maybe I just felt like there could be a little more light in the scenes set in space in front of the big black background in Expanse, but that wasn’t unacceptable either, it just belongs to the whole picture.
If it’s already a negative, I can mention two things. That is, one side is more, and half of that is not a real problem.
So it’s surprising that when you turn it on, the keystone setting you set doesn’t work, however, as Android loads the image recovers. So this is more surprising than annoying, I’m just describing it so you won’t be surprised if you experience this.
The other is that the apps menu item was left out of the Android TV settings, which I didn’t really understand. Of course, this doesn't matter much in normal use, but since we're talking about Android, we may want to launch a background-aware program.
I didn't find a way to do that here, at least in the factory software. Google Play Sore is sure to provide a solution to this, but I didn't look for it, I didn't understand that much.
Read also:
BLITZWOLF BW-VP11 PROJECTOR - BRUTAL BRIGHTNESS AT AN AMAZING PRICE
And then the experience, that is, the cinematic effect.
The first sentence of the article said: You buy the Blitzwolf BW-VP 9 projector and you don’t want to go to the movies anymore.
Well, that’s obviously not true, because the cinema doesn’t just have the movie, but the room, the sound quality, the other viewers, the popcorn, the bucket of cola. And of course, we’re moving out of the house at all, maybe after the movie we’ll sit down to dinner somewhere, so we’ll relax.
These are obviously not replaced by a projector, although corn and cola can still be replaced, but the others are not.
Then why is a projector good?
There is a simple reason for this, and that is the difference in image size and projected image from the TV. For a cinematic effect to develop, the image must be large and not fit into the field of view that our eyes see sharply.
You need two things for a cinematic experience. Peripheral vision and the fact that we can only see the image sharply by turning our heads to do so. In this case, when we focus on one part or the other of the image, the other parts lose their sharpness. Just try it!
Oh no, don't try, cinemas are closed!
So why is a better projector good? Nowadays, clearly because it replaces something of the cinema experience we can’t have anyway. Later, when we can go to the cinema, it’s because of every movie they say: Well, it’s only worth watching in a cinema - you might say you’re not so sure that’s why you have to go to the cinema because you have a projector at home.
Why think in a projector?
Have you ever tried to watch a football game or a good movie in greater company in the summer, in the garden, on the house wall? Well, it’s not like we’re sitting in front of the TV, really not! In this case, the community experience is already given. And yes, I know, a dozen people can sit in front of a TV, but believe me, it's not the same.
So the point is. The Blitzwolf BW-VP9 is a very well done machine. Adequate brightness, adequate contrast, overall quite enjoyable image quality. The adjustability is also very good, to say the least, the four-way keystone correction mentioned several times is a terribly useful feature.
It sounds good even without an external speaker, and there are plenty of ways to insert playable multimedia. We can put it on a stand, we can hang it from the ceiling.
Last but not least is the software that I simply cannot praise enough. I love the simplicity and possibilities provided by Android TV. Because of Android and the built-in Chromecast, it’s a breeze to stream content from our Android device, be it a movie or photos.
As usual, I left the price of the machine to the end. The manufacturer promised to keep the end-user price below $ 300, and he kept that promise, and even went well below in the introductory action!
That means exactly what it gave to my readers BGHGVP9 with a coupon code we can add it to the basket for 230 dollars, ie 69 forints. If you want the seller to pay the duty for you, choose the EU Priority Line delivery method, which costs 800 forints!
You can buy the projector here:
Blitzwolf BW-VP9 Projector - coupon code: BGPUVP91 or BGPUVP92
If you also want to buy the canvas, you can find it here:
Blitzwolf BW-VS2 120-inch screen - coupon code: BGALOFVS2
