As we spend more time at home, it might actually be more convenient to bring the cinema to you rather than heading out to one. We take a look at the LUMOS AURO home cinema short throw projector that might just be the all-in-one solution for your movie fix.
Lumos is a Singaporean brand which strives to deliver quality projectors at a highly competitive price. Leveraging on cost savings derived from a direct-to-consumer business model, without the middleman, Lumos is able to provide consumers better specs at a cheaper price.
Out of the box, the Lumos Auro has a very traditional white boxy look with a white matte finish and grey fabric front and back grill. It’s not going to catch your eye, but that’s what I want from a projector – not distracting, functional and accessible.
An Ethernet port, 2 USB ports, A/V jack, VGA port, two HDMI ports and a SD Card reader are easily accessible at the back and along one side of the machine which allow you to connect to consoles such as the PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, PC, soundbars and other peripherals.
It is definitely not small or light when compared to other “slim and portable” projectors. That being said, I feel that the Lumos Auro’s form factor is solid and stable, and the machine itself can quite easily out perform most “portable” projectors.
Projecting at 1080p, full HD resolution, and at 6000 lumens (market average being 3000 lumens), you get an image that’s bright and clear. Of course, like any other projector, the darker the room the better the visual quality. That’s not o say that doesn’t do a good job in a semi-bright room as well, but your colours will look more washed out. A flat-textured wall or screen is recommended as well.
Being a short throw projector, the Lumos Auro doesn’t need to be too far away from the projection surface as well. Lumos states that a distance of 3 metres can get you a 100″ projection. Our test at 2.1 metres got us a 80″ projection – which goes to show that Lumos’ claim is quite accurate.
The LUMOS AURO Home Cinema Short Throw Projector is available in two versions – regular and smart. The regular version uses an in-house interface while the Smart version runs on Android 6.0 OS and has apps like Netflix and Youtube and Kodi for your streaming and media needs. It is also able to connect to WiFI and Bluetooth.
What really blew me away was the audio quality out of the box. Most TVs, let alone projectors, don’t have quality sound systems. I would almost always recommend an external audio system. The sound from the Lumos Auro though is full, round and filled the whole room that even though it can connect to a Bluetooth speaker, there really is no need.
You can also cast your iPhones, Samsung and Android phones and mirror your screen on the projector via AirScreen and MiraCast app with the Smart version of the Lumos Auro.
Quality audio packaged with on streaming apps onboard means that the Lumos Auro really is a standalone media system that punches way above its price point.
The Lumos Auro projector (base version) is available at SGD 299. The smart version with Netflix, Youtube and Kodi is available at SGD 398 – which I think is amazing value for money.
While not the smallest of projectors, the Lumos Auro isn’t too bulky and has a build that breeds confidence. The projected images are sharp, clear and vibrant. Combined with great audio and the media apps that come with the Smart version, it is a top-performing “media center” rather than just a projector.