Z4 Aurora Projection Evaluation

In the wave of so-called "home appliance intelligence," television can be said to be at the forefront. The same as the visual home appliances - projectors slightly later than the TV, but also joined the smart train equipped with operating systems.

The domestic manufacturer of smart projectors, XGIMI, launched the "Z4 Aurora," a "non-screen TV" targeted at home audio and video centers at the end of last year. The Z4 Aurora Screenless TV is actually a smart projector that runs a customized Android system. The editorial department recently received the Z4 Aurora from the XGIMI.

Do not! It is not a vinyl record player

Just got the XGIMI Aurora Z4 Aurora, I feel that its packaging box is very weighty.

It is a well-known gift box pull-out package. After the top cover is pulled out, the most eye-catching feature is an extracting tape, which is sandwiched in a “door seam” like a double door refrigerator. The two doors were opened, so that the ingenious packaging design added a bit of "fun" and "ceremonial feeling" to this plain box.

In fact, the "two doors" on the package are two boxes. After opening, the three planes form three packing slots. From left to right, they are mainly two 3D glasses, Z4 Aurora projector body, remote controller and power supply. adapter.

In addition to the main body of the projector, Zimi also presented a 24-month Mango TV VIP member redemption card for Z4 Aurora users.

Although it has a very heavy package, it was not discovered until it was truly uncovered that it touched the aurora of the Z4 - squares less than 20 centimeters in length and width, plus a thickness of 5 centimeters were placed directly on the table. It doesn't feel like it's a place, and the weight of 1.2 kg does not make it too heavy to hold it in both hands.

Many people including the editorial team's small companions saw the Z4 Aurora for the first time as an engraved vinyl record player. Indeed, the design inspiration of the Z4 Aurora is derived from a vinyl record player. At the top is a “vinyl record” that will create a concentric luster, making it impossible for the buddies to live under the “scratch disc”.

Basic Parameters of XGIMI Z4 Aurora No Screen TV:

CPU: 4 core 1.5GHz

GPU: Mali-450MP4

Running memory: 2GB DDR3

Storage capacity: 8GB eMMC

Operating System: GMUI (based on Android 4.3 system)

Display Technology: 0.45" DMD RGB-LED

Highest brightness: 2200 lumens

Contrast: 5000:1

Color gamut: greater than or equal to 120% NTSC

Resolution: 1280 × 800

Projection ratio: 1.2:1

Keystone correction: vertical ±35° / left and right ±30°

Wired interface: AV, HDMI, USB, 3.5mm standard audio interface, Ethernet cable interface

Wireless connection: 2.4GHz / 5GHz Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0

Body size: 196mm × 196mm × 50mm

Weight: 1.2kg

Official quotation: 3999 yuan (parameter source: Polar meters official website)

The Z4 Aurora Machine does not have a physical button except the "Reset" button with its inset. The back of the main body has more extensive expansion interfaces - LAN cable interface, power interface, 3.5mm standard AV interface, 3.5mm standard audio output interface, and also equipped with two HDMI interfaces and a USB 2.0 interface and USB 3.0 standard interface.

The front of the Aurora Z4 has a pair of speakers from Harman Kardon besides the projector lamp.

With the standard evaluation of the projector's built-in speakers, this pair of speakers is already considered to be a relatively high level. Although the actual auditory energy tends to be high in the middle, but it does not feel dry, there can be such a small cavity. The performance is still very good.

In addition to being flat on the table, the Z4 Aurora can also be mounted on the ceiling projection boom like a traditional projector. To this end, the government has equipped it with a tripod attached to a boom.

Just mentioned that the Z4 Aurora has no physical buttons, so how should it be turned on for the first time?

In fact, the polar meter is equipped with a touch-sensitive switch button for the Z4 aurora. This button is located in the "XGIMI" Logo in the middle of the "Vinyl record". Touch the Logo for two seconds to turn on and off.

In addition, some hovering gestures can be used on top of “vinyl records” to achieve volume adjustment and song-cutting operations. Unfortunately, the accuracy of gesture recognition is not high. This function is more interesting than practical.

Polar also has a Bluetooth remote control for the Z4 polar cursor. The key layout is equivalent to most of today's push-button TV box remote controls. What needs to be mentioned is that in addition to ordinary remote control functions, Z4 Aurora's Bluetooth remote control also supports enhanced features such as voice and gravity sensing.

Mango TV's "Vision"

Z4 Aurora System Interface - GMUI was developed based on Android 4.3.

Since it is based on the Android system development and is located in the "home large-screen audio and video center", then GMUI can be installed like a regular TV box third-party applications, of course, there is also an application store built in GMUI.

The reality is that you are stuck with a certain policy. At present, the application of its application store is still very limited - it only has more practical applications such as WPS Office, Clove Doctor, today's headline, and good bean recipes.

However, the company also launched a mobile application called “VIP Mobile Assistant” for its projector hardware.

The "third screen" that interacts with the first screen and the second screen

The "Rice Mobile Assistant" can be said to expand the contents and functions of the Z4 Aurora.

In addition to the above-mentioned remote control and application extension functions, the "Umi Mobile Assistant" also enhances the ease of use of the Z4 Aurora, expands video, music content, and bridges the linkage between the Aurora Z4 and mobile phones.

The fewer keys on the TV remote control make it a poorer input experience in the interconnected world today (projector remote controllers do the same thing), and not many people are willing to use the remote control for input operations on the TV – Z4 Aurora It also holds the same question, just as “very mobile phone assistant” can solve this problem in another form.

Using “Rice Mobile Assistant”, you can select and search the videos provided by Mango TV on your mobile phone. You can also choose the music provided by Baidu Music. You can even directly upload the local video and music on your mobile phone to Z4. .

Of course, mobile phones, computers and Z4 Aurora Interactive can also directly use AirPlay, DLNA, and Miracast technologies and protocols to project video, images, and music content on mobile phones and computers.

The video content of Z4 Aurora is launched by the joint mango TV. The 24 month Mango TV members are randomly presented. VIP members can enjoy VOD members' free movies and on-demand content on demand.

Under the current policy restrictions of related departments, there is almost no content of an Internet TV content provider can be achieved. That is to say, there is no comprehensive content provider, only content providers with relatively large content.

To get a general idea, of the major providers of Internet TV content in China, Mango TV is dominated by Hunan TV. For this reason, Mango TV (Hunan Satellite TV) broadcasts many of its own variety shows as an exclusive online platform for Mango TV, such as Even the recent "I am a singer 4" can also be watched on the Z4 Aurora, and programs such as "Happy Camp" and "Running Bar Brothers", which are more strictly controlled, can also be watched on the Z4 Aurora.

As for the more popular mainland TV dramas and film content, although it is not the most content, but it is in the middle of several domestic Internet video content providers.

Unfortunately, overseas film and TV drama resources are similar to those of several other online video and film content providers.

Extreme also has two pairs of 3D glasses for the Z4 Aurora that supports 3D video. Unfortunately, Mango TV's 3D source is ridiculously limited. Currently, the source list is only a few one and a half pages. Of course, the Z4 pole meter also provides a 2D source-to-3D function and also supports the playback of local 3D source.

The maximum brightness of the Z4 Aurora 2200 Ming Stream is sufficient for home use. The actual perception, in a darker environment, a projection distance of about 3 meters, personally think that the brightness can still be guaranteed. Kemi official said that the projection light bulb in the Z4 Aurora has a useful life of 30,000 hours (approximately 3 and a half years).

The Z4 Aurora body's heat vent on the back is the place where the entire machine can sense the highest heat. Even after watching movies for nearly two hours, the place where the finger can feel the highest temperature is still a vent, and the rest of the host does not feel hot. The highest temperature outside the vent is only described by the word “warm”.

The rotation of the fan naturally brings about certain noise. The Z4 Aurora can adjust the wind speed of the cooling fan by 10 steps. Based on my sensory judgment, the Z4 Aurora emits low noise at wind speeds of grades 1 to 3 and can be ignored for everyday use. From level 6 wind speed, the noise emitted by the fan feels a little irritating; it reaches a maximum of 10 levels. Wind speed noise can be very obvious. After a simple test, when I watch about two hours of movies, the fan speed is basically maintained at 2 to 4 levels.

From its inception until the birth of the pole meters are devoted to the projector as its carrier of the third screen. As the third screen that is occupied by the Internet, the smart projector has the advantages of rich resources of smart TVs and strong light-weight interaction, and also has more flexible placement space.

The size and size of the Aurora Z4 Aurora are well controlled. During this period of experience, I have tried to carry it from one city to another, and I do not feel significant weight in my backpack. As a smart projector based on the Android system, the content relies on Mango TV, which can basically meet the daily viewing requirements, especially the variety and film work, but personally think that the Z4 Aurora GMUI interface is slightly simpler.