Formovie’s Theater took the projector world by storm when it first came out, offering triple lasers, a 150-inch ultra-short throw (UST) image, and Dolby Vision for $3,000. This was a relatively unheard of price for such a feature set, especially for a product from a brand that almost no one knows about.
This model helped make Formovie a household name, but $3,000 is still quite expensive for a projector. To appeal to more buyers, the company recently launched the $1,800 Cinema Edge, a much more affordable option with a laser light engine, crisp 4K images, Google TV for streaming, and 15-watt stereo speakers. announced.
However, there are some pretty serious trade-offs, most notably the lack of a triple laser engine and Dolby Vision, as well as mediocre color accuracy and brightness. This new model also faces stiff competition from companies such as Hisense, Epson, and Optoma. All of this adds up to a projector that isn’t as exciting as Formovie’s first attempt.
Formovie
Formovie’s Cinema Edge offers crisp 4K video at an affordable price, but it lacks performance compared to similarly priced competitors.
Pros Compact size Sharp 4K video Google TV integration Advanced picture customization Cons Not as bright as some rivals Color accuracy Mediocre and difficult to set up $1,799 on Amazon
Main features of Formovie Cinema Edge
As a reminder, Formovie is a joint venture between Xiaomi and Appotronics (the latter makes laser engines for high-end brands such as Barco). Formovie currently offers three projector models: Cinema Edge, $2,400 Theater, and $3,000 Theater Premium. They also sell a cheap and cheerful $199 Episode One Google TV projector, a 120-inch floor-mounted screen, and a 100-inch wall-mounted ALR screen.
Cinema Edge is more compact in all dimensions than Theater, with a square design and a subtle dark gray exterior. For a 120-inch image, you can project it onto a wall or preferably a dedicated glare-reducing ALR screen at a distance of about 13 inches. Therefore, it is unobtrusive and can be installed in relatively small spaces.
Steve Dent of Engadget
The Cinema Edge comes with a pair of 15W speakers, but projector purists will no doubt want a 5.1 audio system to take full advantage of the built-in Dolby Atmos and DTS-HD. The Google TV system includes Netflix (unlike Theater at launch), but the processor is a little behind. This can make navigating and adjusting settings a pain, but this is commonplace with other projectors I’ve seen, especially the Optoma and HiSense models. As a result, some users may still prefer to use Google TV or other streaming devices.
Like the theater, the Cinema Edge sits on three rubber feet instead of four, which can make it difficult to level when setting up. It supports fine-tuning digital keystone correction to square images, but it should be used as sparingly as possible as it slightly reduces image resolution and increases game lag. As a result, setup took longer than expected, along with configuring various apps.
Steve Dent of Engadget
Fortunately, there are three HDMI 2.1 ports (one with eArc for returning to a high-quality audio system), 3.5 mm and optical audio connectors, two USB-C ports, and more for accessories like Blu-Ray players. There are plenty of inputs to add. Media/streaming stick power and Ethernet ports (and Wi-Fi support, of course).
The included remote control is required to change most settings, control playback, etc. Additionally, it uses standard batteries without a charging port. Like most ultra-short throw projectors, the Cinema Edge is equipped with a sensor that automatically dims the output when someone gets too close, so the laser beam never hits your eyeballs.
image quality
Steve Dent of Engadget
Like most modern projectors (aside from Epson), the Formovie Cinema Edge uses Texas Instruments’ DLP technology that projects the 1080p image twice and uses so-called fast-switch pixel shifting to create a crisp 4K image. I will. This, combined with the RGB+ monochromatic laser, keeps the price down compared to triple laser setups like Formovie Theater and Hisense’s $3,500 PX3-Pro.
Cinema Edge delivers crisp 4K video with up to 2,100 lumens. That’s decent, but not as good as rivals like the 2,400-lumen Hisense PX2-Pro or Epson’s EpiQVision Ultra LS650. The latter model outputs 3,600 lumens. Still, the Cinema Edge’s brightness levels were good enough to watch some content in sunlight, such as Netflix’s Drive to Survive and Amazon Prime’s sports coverage.
The 4K detail is great, and I appreciated it when watching sci-fi series like Silo, The Expanse, and The Three-Body Problem. The strong contrast also makes it easier to see movies with dimly lit scenes, such as “Joker” or “Batman.”
Steve Dent of Engadget
Where the Formovie Cinema Edge struggles compared to the Theater model is in color rendering. With a single laser light source, it lacks the incredible 100%+ BT.2020 color gamut found in the Formovie Theater and Hisense PX2-Pro. It’s also limited to HDR10 support, rather than better modes like Dolby Vision found on the slightly more expensive Hisense PX2-Pro.
As a result, the visuals in movies like Transformers: Rise of the Beast and Air are a bit more monotonous, and the primary colors don’t really pop off the screen like we’ve seen with other models. That said, colors are accurate by default, and there are extensive image quality settings if you want to tweak everything. We noticed other issues related to the lack of good HDR performance, namely blown highlights and artifacts in the shadows and dark areas of the image, especially in Batman.
Unfortunately, motion smoothing (called MJC in Cinema Edge) is enabled by default, but it’s relatively easy to disable. However, without it, the projector may experience motion artifacts during high-speed action sequences. This is common with DLP projectors. For these types of movies, I found the low-motion smoothing setting to be a good compromise, limiting melodramatic effects while removing choppiness from high-octane action scenes.
Steve Dent of Engadget
Cinema Edge isn’t bad for light gaming, but its refresh rate is limited to 60Hz and the input lag is around 40ms, so you won’t be able to play anything demanding like fast-moving FPS shooters. For example, I played Resident Evil Village from my Mac through a projector, and the lag, tearing, and artifacts made gameplay difficult.
The speaker provides decent audio quality with clear voices, music, and sound effects. However, the bass is a little thin and there’s little soundstage to add realism. Those serious about audio will want to add external speakers or at least a soundbar, considering the projector supports Dolby Atmos and HDMI 2.1 eArc.
summary
Steve Dent of Engadget
Cinema Edge is disappointing considering how good Formovie’s Theater is. Performance is decent for the price, brightness is relatively low, and color rendering is mediocre. The built-in Google TV has a bit of a lag, and the lack of a fourth foot makes setup more difficult than it needs to be. The speaker setup is also fine, with better sound quality available on some Optoma and LG projectors.
The Cinema Edge is still a decent mid-range UST projector, but the problem with Formovie is that there’s a lot of competition in this price range. For just $200 more, you can get the Hisense PX2-Pro Triple Laser UST Projector with high brightness (2,400 lumens) plus Dolby Vision and over 100% BT.2020 coverage. Another option at the same $1,800 price is the Epson LS650, which offers similar specs but is nearly twice as bright at 3,600 lumens. If you want a versatile projector with a small, delicate design, the Cinema Edge is a good choice, but if brightness and image quality are paramount, look elsewhere.
