Last Thanksgiving we went to my sisters and watched movies on a projector she had borrowed from her brother in law. Its images filled almost the entire wall.

All the kids had a blast. We all came home with the resolve to get one ourselves. No longer did we need to have a 12′ ceiling basement converted to a media room to have the movie experience at home.

Then my husband talked me out of it, space, storage, viewing area, pitch black room needed, etc. From time to time since then I reminisced about movies on the quad in college. I remember how fun the experience was regardless of the movie playing.

Then I thought of other uses. You could use it for camping out in the great backyard…

Or having friends over…

Or watching the game in the man cave…

Or playing the game.

You could even have guests over for dinner and a movie.

15 months later, I’ve decided to take things into my own hands and so here we are. Below are my top pics for projectors, all portable projector under $130.00!

If you are interested in a particular item, there is an embedded link in each picture below to make it convenient for you to click on the item and get in time for your next event. For other movies night ideas click on link to check out great ideas from a prior post. Scroll to the bottom of the link for additional ideas. (SEE UPDATE AT END OF POST TO SEE WHICH ONE WE GOT.)

1. ERISAN Pro Mini Portable Home Theater Projector: 79

What it looks like:

The Details:

• Customer Rating:         5/5 stars (4 reviewers)
• Resolution:                   1080p Supported
• Lens:                            F=125mm
• Image Contrast Ratio: 1000:1
• Brightness:                   800 (Better than those marked as 1000 lumen) lm
• Image size:                  Max 130 Inches
• Input:                           Input: AC 100-240V 50/60Hz
• Speaker:                      Speaker: 2.0W *2
• Net Weight:                  2.17 Pounds
• Size:                             7.9*5.9*2.8 Inches
• Projection distance:     3.53 to 12.47 ft (Recommend 8.0 ft)

 

Package Includes:

• 1- Projector
• 1- Remote control
• 1- 3 in 1 AV cable
• 1- User manual
• 1- Power adaptor

 

2. WhaleStone Mini Portable Home Theater Projector: 115

What it looks like:

The Details:

• Customer Rating:         5/5 stars (20 reviewers)
• Resolution:                   Native Resolution: 800*480; Supported resolution: 1920*1080
• Lens:                           F=126mm
• Image Contrast Ratio: 1000:1
• Brightness:                  1200 lumen
• Image size:                  37 to 130 Inches
• Input:                           AV/VGA/USB/SD/HDMI/TV(analog)
• Speaker:                     4Ohm,2W
• Net Weight:                1.4KG
• Size:                           212*150*78 mm
• Projection distance:   –

 

 

Pros:
+Incredible Price
+Portable
+Great Resolution (Means you can get clear image and video)
+Multiple input options (VGA, USB, HDMI, SD Card)
+Remote Control
+Easy to Adjust Focus and Keystone
+Easy to Operate

Cons:
-The Built-in Fan is abit loud
-LED make the Color cooler

Package Includes:

• 1- WhaleStone Projector
• 1- Remote Control(battery is not included)
• 1- Power Cable
• 1- AV Cable
• 1- User Manual

 

3. Crenova  Projector Mini Portable Home Theater Projector: 129

What it looks like:

The Details:

• Customer Rating:         4.5/5 stars (45 reviewers)
• Resolution:                   Native Resolution: 800×480 pixels Supported Resolution: 1920×1080 pixels
• Lens:                           –
• Image Contrast Ratio: 1000:1
• Brightness:                  Enhanced LED Light Technology * 20% Brighter than ordinary LED and provides more brightness than ordinary LED projector with 1000 Lumens
• Image size:                 37 to 130 inches
• Input:                           external hard drive, a regular thumb drive, SD cards, HDMI, VGA and RCA
• Speaker:                     –
• Net Weight:                 2.8 Pounds
• Size:                            12.4×4.2×7.5 Inches
• Projection distance:     3.53 to 12.47 ft(Recommend 8.0 ft)

 

Package Includes:

1- Crenova XPE460 Projector
1- Power adapter
1- Remote controller
1- 3 in 1 AV cable
1- HDMI cable
1- User Manual

 

4. Pico Mini Portable Home Theater Projector: 95

What it looks like:

The Details:

• Customer Rating:         5/5 stars (4 reviewers)
• Resolution:                   800x400p Supported
• Lens:                            –
• Image Contrast Ratio:  1000:1
• Brightness:                   1000 lumen
• Screen Size:                34-130 inches
• Input:                            USB*2/SD/VGA/HDMI/AV
• Speaker:                      8Ω2W
• Net Weight:                  0.9KG
• Size:                            188*146.2*54mm
• Projection distance:     3.53 to 12.47 ft(Recommend 8.0 ft)

 

Package Includes:

1 Projector
1 Remote Controller(battery is not included)
1 Cable
1 User manual
1 Power adapter

So go ahead and enjoy a great movie night outdoors…

Wondering what movies to play? Click on the links below to rent, buy, or stream the movies below.

What NYC played outdoors last summer…

• Back to the Future II – Touchdown of the 103rd St Footbridge, Randall’s Island
• One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest – Patio Garden at Chelsea’s Death Ave
• The Big Lebowski – Patio Garden at Chelsea’s Death Ave
• Dirty Dancing – McCarren Park
• Last Tango in Paris – Patio Garden at Chelsea’s Death Ave
• Dazed and Confused – McCarren Park
• Clue – Pier 1, Brooklyn Bridge Park
• Jurassic Park – McCarren Park
• Anchorman – The Roosevelt Hotel, NYC

 

What LA had playing on the outdoor big screen last summer…

• Hard Day’s Night – Hollywood Forever Cemetery
• Back to the Future – Centennial Square at Pasadena City Hall
• Hook – Bow & Truss
• !Three Amigos! – The Autry in Griffith Park
• Rocky Horror Picture Show – Exposition Park
• Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory – Hollywood Forever Cemetery
• Wizard of Oz – Granada Beach
• Wet Hot American Summer – The Autry in Griffith Park
• Raiders of the Lost Ark – Electric Dusk Drive- In / DTLA
• Avitar

 

UPDATE:

Fortuitously Santa decided to go all out and did not get the portable projector, but rather the full size projector. The projector is still very portable, just a bit pricier.   I can’t wait to take it to the lake this summer for movies on the lawn complete with s’mores.  We also got a pull down screen for use indoors where there is not a convenient blank wall. The girls could not be more pleased.  The complete Harry Potter 8 film set found under the tree did not hurt either, no more dropping everything when Harry Potter pops on TV. More about our London trip where we saw of the sites where the movie was filmed coming soon.  Also with the second Avatar movie coming out soon, that might be a fun one to watch again on the big screen!

• Native resolution: 1080p
• Brightness (Lumens): 2200 AL
• Throw & zoom ratio:1.15~1.5/ 1.3x
• Vertical lens shift: yes
• Connectivity: HDMI x 2
• Built in speakers: 10W x 1
• Light source life (hours by mode): 3500/5000/7000

Native resolution: 1080p

Images from idownloadblog.com, anyhdconverter.com, amazon.com, nvidia.com, cnn.com, and pintrest.