Formovie Cinema Edge review: a compact 4K projector that gives you big pictures on a budget
Formovie Cinema Edge: One-minute review
Formovie Cinema Edge is the follow-up to the critically acclaimed Formovie Cinema Edge movie theaterthis projector was famous for its support for Dolby Vision high dynamic range when it was launched, which is a rare feature in projectors. The best 4K projectors. The Cinema Edge isn’t a shiny new upgrade, but a stripped-down model at a lower price point. While it was launched for around $2,199 (approximately £1,420 / AU$2,775), it has since been priced at $1,799, making it a true budget ultra-short throw (UST) projector offering.
Formovie Cinema Edge’s ALPD (Advanced Laser Phosphor Display) laser engine delivers a fairly bright and sharp 4K image that looks great in the dark and looks great in well-lit environments. It has Google TV for streaming and a pair of 15-watt speakers, giving you the complete package, although both elements could perform better.
Although it is relatively cheap compared to other examples The best ultra short throw projectorFormovie Cinema Edge is very competitive. I recently reviewed Hisense PX3-Pro ($3,500), the difference in image quality between the two is stark, with the PX3-Pro’s image beating the Formovie Cinema Edge in dazzling brightness, color, and contrast. PX3-Pro is much more expensive but still available even though it is older Hisense PX2-Pro (about $2,000) There are better looking pictures.
Formovie Cinema Edge review: price and release date
- Release date: September 2024
- MSRP: $2,499
Pricing for Formovie Cinema Edge is a bit mixed. It’s available on pre-order for $2,199 (around £1,650 / AU$3,250), but the Formovie will retail for $2,499. Meanwhile, Amazon and ProjectorScreen.com in the US are both currently selling it for $1,799 – a significant drop.
Formovie Cinema Edge review: Specs
| Supported screen sizes: | 80-150 inches |
| Brightness (specified): | 1,900 ISO lumens |
| HDR support: | HDR10, HLG |
| Optical technology: | ALPD laser, DLP |
| Smart TV: | Google TV |
| connect: | 3x HDMI 2.1 (1x eARC), 2x USB, Ethernet, optical digital audio, 3.5mm out |
| aspect: | 17.9 x 3.6 x 12.1 inches (H x W x D) |
| weight: | 15.4 pounds |
Formovie Cinema Edge review: Design and features
- All-in-one design creates a simple theater setup
- Front adjustable feet limit angle correction
- Google TV is cumbersome to navigate
The Formovie Cinema Edge is a compact UST projector, just over 3.5 inches tall. The width is 17.95 inches and the depth is just over a foot. With a 0.22:1 throw ratio, it can get extremely close to the wall, projecting a 120-inch picture from just 33 centimeters away.
The Formovie Cinema Edge has a height of three feet, with only the front two feet offering height adjustment. This means that, unless your stand and wall are perfectly perpendicular to each other (or at a slightly higher than 90-degree angle), you’ll need to install an adjustable console underneath the projector. The projector does support digital keystone adjustment, but only after physical adjustments have been made, as digital keystone processing increases latency and reduces image resolution.
Cinema Edge features the Google TV smart TV interface and 30-watt speakers to get you up and running quickly for all your theater needs. That said, it can be difficult for an all-in-one package to do everything well.
The processor running Google TV on Formovie Cinema Edge is quite weak. An error occurs when opening settings while content is playing, which can be troublesome if you try to adjust picture settings while assessing the impact of adjustments on the picture. Navigating the operating system can also be a bit tedious. Sluggish responsiveness is a common problem for projectors running Android or Google TV, and Cinema Edge suffers from it.
It’s a piece of cake, but if you’re hoping to take Formovie Cinema Edge out of the box, put it down and experience its magic right away, you’ll need to temper your expectations. Whether you want a full Google TV streaming experience or just a basic HDMI input setup, configuration takes a long time.
On the back, you’ll find enough HDMI 2.1 ports for a solid home theater setup, with one port supporting eARC. Optical digital audio output is also provided. There’s a pair of USB ports on the back to provide power for a streaming stick or external storage for local media playback.
Like many laser projectors, the Formovie Cinema Edge has a feature that detects when someone is too close to the laser output and automatically dims the display. It activates immediately but strangely it doesn’t turn black like some others.
- Design and functionality score: 4/5
Formovie Cinema Edge review: Picture quality
- 1900 ISO lumens are enough for low-light environments
- Not as colorful as RGB laser competitors
- Motion smoothing by default, but can be compensated for with picture controls
Formovie Cinema Edge can easily project 100-inch images with crisp 4K detail. It looks best in a very dim or dark room, although it’s also bright enough for some viewing during the day. RuPaul’s Drag RaceFor example, it’s generally bright and easy to watch even in a well-lit room, although there’s still a bit too much sunlight.
The contrast is also quite strong. alien The ship is a joy to watch, with the intricate mechanical details of HR Giger’s design gleaming while the nooks and crannies are effectively plunged into darkness.
Unfortunately, the Formovie Cinema Edge is a simple ALPD projector that doesn’t offer the same color richness as the Formovie Theater or Hisense PX3-Pro, both of which are expected to achieve around 100% of the BT.2020 color gamut cover. watch Avatar 2By comparison, the visuals are painfully decidedly drab, with many of the blue tones looking dull and the flora and fauna never able to exude their characteristic vibrancy. That’s not to say Formovie Cinema Edge looks bad, but there are better image quality options on the market.
I also noticed that there were a lot of over-the-top highlights in the early scenes after the Sully family joins the Water Tribe. Avatar 2. In our real-world testing, Formovie Theater had some tone-mapping issues, and that seems to be the case again here. HDR on Cinema Edge is also limited to HDR10 and HLG – no Dolby Vision or HDR10+.
Formovie Cinema Edge has a fairly aggressive motion smoothing feature (called MJC) that’s enabled by default in most of its image settings. It’s not the worst implementation of motion smoothing I’ve ever seen, but it looks better set to low or disabled entirely. Either way, the projector has a bit of difficulty when in motion. Whether MJC is enabled or not, battle sequences can seem choppy at times. On “Low,” it smoothes out camera movement subtly, although the action still looks a bit overdone.
For what it’s worth, Formovie Cinema Edge includes a ton of image settings to tweak. It does little to explain what they are, though, so it might be difficult to adjust them to your liking. Thankfully, the photo overall looks good and doesn’t get stuck in the weeds.
The sound from the Formovie Cinema Edge’s modest built-in speakers isn’t explosive, but they provide decent volume levels for a small living room. The soundstage isn’t very wide, and the bass isn’t deep, but it’s still fine for casual viewing. For a more serious movie-watching setup, external speakers would be a clear upgrade.
- Image quality rating: 3.5/5
Formovie Cinema Edge review: Value
- Judging from the current price reduction, it’s good value for money
- Older UST projectors pose competitive threat
The Formovie Cinema Edge had a suggested retail price of $2,499, but has since dropped to $1,799. This discounted price is crucial to the value of the projector, as it compares to the Hisense PX2-Pro, which is now cheaper thanks to the launch of the PX3-Pro. It also competes with Formovie’s high-end projector, the Formovie Theater, which has also dropped in price since launch and is currently discounted to as low as $2,299.
| property | notes | grade |
|---|---|---|
| Design and features | Formovie Cinema Edge has a compact design and offers everything you need for home theater in one package. It could benefit from better adjustable feet and a faster processor, but it gets the job done. | 4/5 |
| Image quality performance | You get a large, clear image that works well in the dark and good in the light, with the right content. But limited HDR support, a more limited color gamut than some competitors, and excessive motion smoothing hamper the experience, and the speaker performance is underwhelming. | 3.5/5 |
| value | When competitors like the Hisense PX2-Pro drop prices to be closer to it, the $1,799 price tag isn’t quite where it should be. | 3/5 |
Should I buy Formovie Cinema Edge?
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Also considering…
| Header Cell – Column 0 | movie edge | Hisense PX2-Pro | Epson LS650 | Hisense PX3-Pro |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| price: | $1,799 | $1,997 | $1,799 | $3,149 |
| Supported screen sizes: | 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 support | HDR10, HLG | Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG | HDR10, HLG | Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR10, HLG |
| Optical technology: | 1 Laser DLP | 3 laser DLP | Laser 3LCD | 3 laser DLP |
| Smart TV: | Google TV | Google TV/VIDAA | Android TV | Google TV |
| connect: | 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 tested Formovie Cinema Edge
- Test it at home in a variety of real-world viewing conditions
- Present presentations in a variety of media and formats
- Over the past five years I have tested many projectors and monitors
I tested Formovie Cinema Edge under real-world conditions at home. It faces ambient light from numerous windows, room lighting, and ambient noise that both the projector and speaker system must overcome. Projector on bare white wall and Akia screenCineWhite screen. It offers SDR and 4K HDR streaming content.
My testing evaluates the projector’s performance, price, and competition against other models that my TechRadar colleagues and I have tested.
I’ve been testing projectors since 2021, and monitors for even longer.
First review: December 2024
