REVIEW: Houzetek H2 a compact low-cost projector

Today we present with the collaboration of Gearbest the review of the new Houzetek H2 projector, a simple low-cost model that is intended for a casual use. In the review we will see how it is defended in terms of image quality, sound and electrical consumption. An economic projector that can be used for secondary use on YouTube, football matches or other areas where the image quality is not critic, let’s see how it is defended in the following pages.

Buy the Houzetek H2 can be purchased on the store Gearbest.com for only $103 with free shipping

SPECIFICATIONS

Model	RKM R3
CPU	–
GPU	–
OS	Proprietary system
RAM	–
Storage	–
WiFi	No
Bluetooth	No

Projector	Technology: LCD + LED Lumens: 2500 Contrast: 1000:1 Working life: 5000 hours Native resolution: 800×480 Projection area: 30 – 150″ Projection distance: 3.2 – 13 ft Main focus: Manual Trapezoidal correction: Manual Speakers: Mono Battery: No

Ports	1x USB 2.0 2x HDMI 1.4 IN VGA IN AV IN Audio OUT L/R

Others	2x IR receivers Upper keypad

Content	IR remote control AV cable Focus cover Power cable Manual Dimensions: 8.66 x 6.61 x 3.15 inches Weight: 2.9 lbs

CONTENT DESCRIPTION

Package content

The Houzetek H2 projector is presented in a cardboard box with an image of the product and sufficient protections. Inside the box we find the projector, an IR remote control that is essential for its use, AV cable, power cord, manual in English and cover for the front lens.

Product Details

The Houzetek H2 is made of plastic, combines the colors black and white, in the front we have its optics that includes the wheels of the adjustment of focus, trapezoidal correction and an IR receiver.

The optics are covered with a piece of plastic that can be removed, the gears for focus and trapezoidal correction that behave well but have low range of movement.

In the upper area we have the control pad that allows us to turn on, move through the system menu, enter the main options and change the video input.

In one of the sides Houzetek H2 we have the air intake of the internal fan, SD card reader, audio output jack, AV connector, two HDMI input and USB 2.0 port.

On the next side we have the VGA input connector and another IR receiver that is on the back side of the lens.

On another side of the Houzetek H2 we have the power connector and an air outlet that we should not clog.

In the lower area we have a threaded hole for a lift the projector or to hang it, we have four rubber feet and behind some plastic slots we can see the integrated speaker. It must be said that the speaker is quite powerful and it sounds surprisingly good, if we connect something to the audio jack, the sound in the integrated speaker is disconnected.

Remote control

By default with the TV-Box Houzetek H2 we have a basic IR remote control that is powered by two AAA batteries. In this command we have many important shortcut keys for the projector function, zoom settings, format change, image pause, video input change and power off button.

Consumption, noiise and temperatures

We passed several tests of electrical consumption of the Houzetek H2, as we can see the system is quite contained but with the resolution of this projector this figures could be lower, the box does not heat up excessively thanks to the internal fan.

At the acoustic level, as we have been able to verify, we reached 55 db, a noise that is quite noticeable but which is normal in this type of products, it is not particularly noisy.

PROJECTOR TEST

General specifications

As we have seen in the specifications of the Houzetek H2 we have an LCD projector, with LED focus with 2500 Lumens, contrast 1000:1, its optics having a native resolution of 800 × 480 pixels, manual focus with a screen size can go from 30 to 150 inches with a projection range of between 3.2 and 13 ft, the trapezoidal correction is manual. In general, the focus distance is quite short and it is advisable to use it in a range of 8 ft.

General settings

Pressing on the menu button on the remote control, we come to the settings of the Houzetek H2 projector where we have several controls to manage the projector, on the first Picture screen we have the image mode settings with brightness, contrast, color and detail. In the color adjustment we have different temperatures and manual mode, we also have adjustment of screen format, noise reduction, screen, rotation of screen to hang the projector with the image upside down and digital zoom mode.

Inside the Sound option we have different equalization modes for the only speaker that is integrated in the lower part of the projector, audio balance adjustment and surround mode to adjust the bass.

In the Timer menu we have a timer for the system to turn off within a certain period of time.

In the Option menu we can change the menu language, restore the factory settings, transparency of the menus, duration of the on-screen menu time and mode to update the projector’s software via USB.

Integrated media player

We passed several tests of video playback in the Houzetek H2 and verified that we can only read h.264 files of a certain format, in general it is not advisable to use the integrated player, it is better to connect a TV-Box in any of the video inputs available.

Image quality

The image quality of the Houzetek H2 is basic for the price, compared to the RKM R3 with a much lower consumption does not reach that level of detail and colors. The image quality in the center of the image is correct but the focus is distorted quite to the sides if we do not have the trapezoidal angle adjusted properly.

The theoretical power of 2500 Lumens is low and when we turn on some not very powerful light we can see how the definition of the image is lost, it is advisable to use it in the dark.

Adjusting the image with manual focus wheel, the screen size can range from 30 to 150 inches with a projection range of between 3.2 and 13 ft. In our tests at a distance of 8 ft the image quality at 100 inches is correct, outside of this ideal distance the results fall quite in quality.

The colors in this projector are very saturated and there is little contrast in the illuminated areas, we can fix something in the system settings but we can not leave in an ideal state.

If we approach the image we can see the definition of the point, as we see we have a point structure correct for the 800 × 480 native resolution, we have to adjust the environment text to large size to read fine.

CONCLUSIONS

Opinion

As we can see in the analysis the Houzetek H2 projector fits perfectly into the definition of low-cost projector, we have a fair image quality for a basic use, the internal speaker that mounts on the bottom has surprised us because certainly sounds pretty good , something not very common in this type of products. A project that we can use to watch Youtube or a sports event on a big screen but for playback high quality video files is not ideal. As we have seen to hang it we will have to make do with the only threaded hole that it has in the lower part, luckily it does not weigh much. In general, a product for those who do not want to spend a lot and need a large screen without pretensions to image quality.