Formovie Cinema Edge overview: a compact 4K projector that gives you massive footage on a worth vary
Formovie Cinema Edge: one-minute overview
The Formovie Cinema Edge is a follow-up on the well-regarded Formovie Theater, a projector that gained fame upon launch for its Dolby Imaginative and prescient extreme dynamic fluctuate help – a unusual operate among the many many biggest 4K projectors. Barely than being a shiny, new enhance, the Cinema Edge is a pared-down model with a decrease value. Whereas it launched at spherical $2,199 (about £1,420 / AU$2,775), it has since settled at $1,799, making it an actual worth vary extraordinarily temporary throw (UST) projector offering.
The Formovie Cinema Edge’s ALPD ((Superior Laser Phosphor Present) laser delicate engine delivers a reasonably vibrant and sharp 4K image that seems good at nighttime, and first fee in well-lit environments. It has Google TV for streaming and a pair of 15-watt audio system, supplying you with an entire bundle, though every elements might perform increased.
Whereas it’s comparatively low-cost compared with completely different examples of the proper extraordinarily temporary throw projectors, the Formovie Cinema Edge has extreme opponents. I simply these days reviewed the Hisense PX3-Skilled ($3,500), and the excellence in image top quality between the two is stark, with the dazzling brightness, color, and distinction of the PX3-Skilled’s picture beating the Formovie Cinema Edge hands-down. The PX3-Skilled is considerably dearer, nonetheless even the older nonetheless nonetheless accessible Hisense PX2-Skilled (spherical $2,000) has a better-looking picture.
Formovie Cinema Edge overview: value and launch date
- Launch date: September 2024
- MSRP: $2,499
The Formovie Cinema Edge’s pricing is a bit far and vast. It launched at a $2,199 (about £1,650 / AU$3,250) pre-order value, though Formovie lists the retail value at $2499. Within the meantime, every Amazon and ProjectorScreen.com inside the US now have the value listed at $1,799 – a steep decrease.
Formovie Cinema Edge overview: Specs
| Show display screen sizes supported: | 80-150 inches |
| Brightness (specified): | 1,900 ISO lumens |
| HDR help: | HDR10, HLG |
| Optical know-how: | ALPD laser, DLP |
| Smart TV: | Google TV |
| Connections: | 3x HDMI 2.1 (1x eARC), 2x USB, Ethernet, optical digital audio, 3.5mm out |
| Dimensions: | 17.9 x 3.6 x 12.1 inches (H x W x D) |
| Weight: | 15.4 kilos |
Formovie Cinema Edge overview: design and choices
- All-in-one design for a simple theater setup
- Entrance adjustable toes prohibit angle corrections
- Google TV cumbersome to navigate
The Formovie Cinema Edge is a compact UST projector standing merely over 3.5 inches tall. Width is 17.95 inches and it’s a bit over a foot deep. With a 0.22:1 throw ratio, it could nicely sit additional close to the wall, with solely a 33 cm distance wished to problem a 120-inch picture.
The Formovie Cinema Edge sits on three toes with solely the doorway two offering peak modifications. This suggests till you’ve acquired a stand and wall that sit utterly perpendicular (or at merely over a 90-degree angle) to 1 one other, you’ll need an adjustable console beneath the projector. The projector does help digital keystone modifications, nonetheless these ought for use solely after making bodily modifications, as digital keystone processing will enhance latency and reduces picture determination.
The Cinema Edge packs inside the Google TV smart TV interface and 30-watt audio system, letting you shortly arise and dealing with all your cinema desires. That talked about, all-in-one packages can battle to do the whole thing successfully.
The processor working Google TV on the Formovie Cinema Edge is fairly weak. It stumbles when opening settings whereas content material materials is having fun with, and which may be problem for many who’re making an attempt to tweak picture settings whereas evaluating the affect of your modifications on the picture. Navigating the working system can present a bit tedious as successfully. Sluggishness is a regular ailment for projectors working Android or Google TV, and the Cinema Edge falls prey to it.
It’s small fries, nonetheless for many who’re hoping to take the Formovie Cinema Edge out of the sector, set it down, and experience its magic immediately, you’ll should temper your expectations. The configuration, irrespective of whether or not or not you’re going for the entire Google TV streaming experience or just main HDMI enter setup, takes a really very long time.
Throughout the once more, you’ll uncover enough HDMI 2.1 ports for a robust home theater setup, along with help for eARC on one in every of them. Optical digital audio output will be accessible. A pair of USB ports are positioned on the once more, providing vitality for a streaming stick or exterior storage for native media playback.
Like many laser projectors, the Formovie Cinema Edge has a operate that detects when any individual will get too close to the laser output and routinely dims the present. It promptly prompts, though oddly doesn’t go as black as on some others.
- Design and choices ranking: 4/5
Formovie Cinema Edge overview: picture top quality
- 1900 ISO lumens heaps for dim and darkish environments
- Not as color-rich as RGB laser rivals
- Motion smoothing by default, nonetheless picture controls to compensate
The Formovie Cinema Edge readily duties a 100-inch picture with crisp 4K component. It seems to be like biggest in a extremely dim or darkish room, though it’s moreover vibrant enough to have a look at some content material materials via the daytime. RuPauls’ Drag Racefor instance, is often vibrant, and it’s easy to have a look at even in a well-lit room, though daylight can nonetheless be a bit so much.
Distinction will be fairly sturdy. Alien was a pleasure to have a look at, with the intricate, H.R. Giger-designed mechanical particulars of the ship shining brightly whereas the nooks and crannies sank efficiently into darkness.
Alas, the Formovie Cinema Edge is an easy ALPD projector that doesn’t ship the equivalent color richness of the Formovie Theater or Hisense’s PX3-Skilled, every of which might be specced to comprehend spherical 100% of BT.2020 color gamut safety. Watching Avatar 2it was painfully apparent how far more drab the visuals had been by comparability, with the assorted blue hues making an attempt boring and the pure world all via failing to exude their attribute vibrance. This isn’t to say the Formovie Cinema Edge seems to be like harmful, nonetheless there are increased decisions out there in the marketplace for picture top quality.
I moreover noticed a great deal of blown-out highlights inside the earlier scenes after the Sully family joins the water tribe in Avatar 2. The Formovie Theater had some tone mapping factors in our hands-on testing, and evidently’s the case as soon as extra proper right here. HDR will be restricted to HDR10 and HLG on the Cinema Edge – there’s no Dolby Imaginative and prescient or HDR10+.
The Formovie Cinema Edge has a fairly aggressive motion smoothing operate (known as MJC) enabled in most of its picture settings by default. It’s not the worst-looking implementation of motion smoothing I’ve seen, however it seems to be like increased set to Low or disabled outright. Each method, the projector can battle a bit with motion. Wrestle sequences regarded uneven at events with or with out MJC enabled. At Low, it subtly smooths out digital digital camera motion, though movement can nonetheless look a bit overdone.
For what it’s worth, the Formovie Cinema Edge includes a veritable trove of picture settings to manage. It does little to elucidate what any of them are, though, so it may very well be troublesome to dial in points to your liking. Thankfully, the picture sometimes seems to be like good with out transferring into the weeds.
The sound put out by the Formovie Cinema Edge’s modest built-in audio system isn’t explosive, nonetheless they ship a half-decent amount stage for a small lounge. The soundstage isn’t very enormous, and there’s no deep bass, however it’s super for casual viewing. For a additional extreme movie-viewing setup, exterior audio system shall be an obvious enhance.
- Picture top quality ranking: 3.5/5
Formovie Cinema Edge overview: value
- Good value on the current decreased value
- Older UST projectors pose a aggressive danger
The Formovie Cinema Edge has a steered retail value of $2,499, nonetheless that has since been decreased to $1,799. This discounted value is necessary to the value of the projector, as a result of it goes up in opposition to the Hisense PX2-Skilled, which is now cheaper due to the launch of the PX3-Skilled. It moreover faces off in opposition to Formovie’s higher-end projector, the Formovie Theater, which has moreover fallen in value since its launch, now seeing reductions as little as $2,299.
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Design and choices | The Formovie Cinema Edge has a compact design and gives all you need for a home theater in a single bundle. It might acquire benefit from increased adjustable toes and use a faster processor, however it should get the job accomplished. | 4/5 |
| Picture top quality effectivity | You get an enormous, sharp image that’s good at nighttime and first fee inside the delicate with the correct content material materials. Nonetheless restricted HDR help, a additional restricted color gamut than some rivals, and pushy motion smoothing preserve once more the experience, as do the underwhelming audio system. | 3.5/5 |
| Price | The $1799 price tag isn’t just about pretty much as good as a result of it could very nicely be when rivals similar to the Hisense PX2-Skilled have fallen in value to additional rigorously match it. | 3/5 |
Must I buy the Formovie Cinema Edge?
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Moreover take note of…
| Header Cell – Column 0 | Formovie Cinema Edge | Hisense PX2-Skilled | Epson LS650 | Hisense PX3-Skilled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Worth: | $1,799 | $1,997 | $1,799 | $3,149 |
| Show display screen sizes supported: | 80-150 inches | 90 to 130 inches | 60-120 inches | 80-150 inches |
| Brightness (specified): | 1,800 ISO lumens | 2,400 lumens | 3,600 lumens | 3,000 lumens |
| HDR help | HDR10, HLG | Dolby Imaginative and prescient, HDR10, HLG | HDR10, HLG | Dolby Imaginative and prescient, HDR10+, HDR10, HLG |
| Optical know-how: | 1 Laser DLP | 3 laser DLP | Laser 3LCD | 3 laser DLP |
| Smart TV: | Google TV | Google TV / VIDAA | Android TV | Google TV |
| Connections: | 3x HDMI 2.1 (1 with eARC), 1x optical, 1x 3.5mm | 2x HDMI 2.0 (1 with ARC), HDMI 2.0 | 2x HDMI 2.0 (1 with eARC), Ethernet, USB type-B (service port), 3x USB type-A, optical digital audio out | 2x HDMI 2.1, 1x HDMI 2.0 with eARC, optical digital audio out, 3.5mm audio out, 2x USB-A, Ethernet |
How I examined the Formovie Cinema Edge
- Examined at home in quite a lot of, real-world viewing conditions
- Supplied the present with numerous media and codecs
- I’ve examined fairly a couple of projectors and reveals over the past half-decade
I examined the Formovie Cinema Edge at home, in real-world conditions. This seen it confronted with ambient delicate coming in from fairly a couple of dwelling home windows, in-room lighting, along with ambient noise that every the projector and speaker strategies wanted to beat. The projector was examined every in opposition to a unadorned, white wall and an Akia Screens CineWhite show display screen. It was launched with every SDR and 4K HDR streamed content material materials.
My testing evaluates the projector’s effectivity with respect to its value and opponents from completely different fashions that I and my colleagues at TechRadar have examined.
I have been testing projectors since 2021 and reveals for even longer.
First reviewed: December, 2024
