Torpedo Digital Projector – Review

• 12th Aug 2007 • Technology

Last night, we went to a friend's house to watch Peter Pan out in their backyard via a projection system. When Laura told me about this, I thought it was a great idea and something we could use quite a bit at home. Imagine laying in the pool, watching Jaws. Or hanging out in the hot tub in the winter, watching White Christmas. Not to mention, when the guys go off to play cards at the block party, we could set-up a movie for the kids. So this morning, I went to Target and bought a Torpedo Digital Projector for $160. I know... you get what you pay for, and this is especially true with the Torpedo Digital Projector. I quickly set it up with a DVD player in the kitchen, and could barely see the picture on the wall. Now I'm used to those business-use projectors that are used in meeting settings. So, this afternoon, when the rain came and it was darker, I set it up in the front hall and projected the picture on a bed sheet. It was looking pretty good, but Laura mentioned it looked pixelated. I thought it was just the sheet, but sure enough, when we shot it on the wall, same thing. I'd rather do this right, rather than spend a couple hundred bucks on something we're not happy with. It's going back tomorrow. I considered the Epson MovieMate, which has a built-in DVD player, but it can't flip the image. Instead, I went with the Optoma DV11, which has a built-in DVD player and can flip the image. That way, we can project it on a sheet, and watch it from the other side. I've done some more searching, and you can find a Torpedo Digital Projector on eBay and save a few bucks. Here are some of the current auctions: