Once again, Chinese manufacturers confirm the fact that their equipment is able to compete with devices from famous brands. Once again, I am convinced that the phrase “China” is no longer synonymous with the word “junk”. In today’s review, I will talk about the ThundeaL TD97 LED projector.

Specifications ThunderaL TD97

• Resolution: 1920×1080;
• Support: HD, 2K, 4K;
• Brightness: 7800 lumens;
• Color Gamut: 80%;
• 3D Function: Support red blue 3D;
• Contrast: 15000:1;
• Aspect Ratio: 4:3/16:9/Auto;
• Quick-release dust filter;
• Zoom: 75-100%;
• Keystone: vertical ±15 degrees.

Packing and scope of delivery

The ThundeaL TD97 LED projector comes in a relatively small cardboard box. The box contains a schematic image of the device, the name of the manufacturer and model. The box does not carry any information about the technical characteristics.

The whole set of delivery is fixed inside the box rather rigidly. The projector is placed in two polyethylene foam trays, thanks to which the device is sufficiently protected from possible falls during transportation.

The package included:

• ThundeaL TD97 LED projector;
• Remote control;
• Power cord;
• AV adapter;
• HDMI cable;
• Quick user guide in English;
• Warranty card.

Appearance

The body of the device is made of plastic. The top and side surfaces are matte, but still perfectly collect fingerprints.

On the front surface there is an overlay sheathed with gray textiles. Here is the projector lens (covered by default with a silicone hood). Nearby is an IR receiver window.

The side ends of the projector can be called symmetrical. They have stylized, perforated grilles, behind which ventilation holes are hidden, which contribute to the effective removal of excess heat generated during lamp operation from the device body. At the bottom of one of the ends is a quick-release dust filter.

On the rear surface are the main interface connectors, namely: two USB ports, two HDMI ports, AV and miniJack connectors, an output for connecting a network cable, as well as perforated holes behind which an external speaker is hidden.

On the upper surface there is a block with mechanical control buttons, in this model there are eight of them, next to it there is an LED indicator of device activity and focus and keystone adjustment wheels. Also on the upper surface is a fairly large logo of the company “ThundeaL”.

On the bottom surface there are four rubber feet designed to securely fix the projector on a horizontal surface, an adjustment screw responsible for changing the angle of the projector relative to the horizontal plane, and an inspection hatch designed to clean the lens and internal components from dust. The hatch is fixed with three self-tapping screws. Here you can also find stickers with the model name and serial number of the device. If you remove the rubber feet, we get access to four holes designed to mount the projector on the bracket.

In general, the ThundeaL TD97 LED projector has compact dimensions, 260x245x100 mm, a strict, mature design and fairly good build quality. Some joints do not fit perfectly, but in general everything is done well.

Hardware and software

The model under consideration is running its own operating system. The device is loaded very quickly and we are presented with the familiar tiled interface. The number of sections is minimal. We have the opportunity to select one of the types of files that we want to play with the projector – these are: video, music, images, documents. Everything is simple and clear. On the same screen, you can access the device settings menu.

In the projector settings, you can find digital zoom, which allows you to change the image scale in the range of 75-100%. This feature will be extremely useful if the projection size is too large and it is not possible to change the location of the projector.

There are two wheels on the body of the device, one of which allows you to adjust the focus of the image, and the second is responsible for adjusting the Keystone in the vertical plane, in the range of ±15 degrees. This function is useful when the projector is not placed strictly horizontally, but at a slight angle.

The native resolution of the projector is 1920×1080 pixels, which allows the device to display a high-quality image on the screen, I would like to note right away that the projector reproduces files recorded in 2K resolution, and even 4K without much difficulty. In fact, the only difficulties that may arise when viewing an image are related to decoding the audio track, the device does not support the most common AC3 codec. In fairness, I would like to note that such difficulties will arise only when playing files recorded on a USB drive. With HDMI, there will be no such difficulties.

Claimed image brightness is 7800 lumens, contrast ratio: 15000:1. Unfortunately, I don’t have the ability to test this statement, but I can test the brightness of the image at various points. For these purposes, a simple test was carried out: the projector transmitted a static image divided into 9 sectors, and a measurement was made in the center of each sector. With the results obtained during the measurement, I propose to familiarize yourself with the image below.

The manufacturer promises that the projector is capable of creating projections with a diagonal of 49” (distance 1.6 meters from the screen) to 300” (distance 6.5 meters from the screen). The most preferred distance to the projection is 3-5 meters, in this case a projection with a diagonal of 93-150” is obtained. In my case, the distance to the projection is 3.1 meters, the projection diagonal is about 2.35 m. The device supports the most common image aspect ratios: 4:3, 16:9, there is also an “Auto” mode.

During testing, several additional tests were performed. The first test was aimed at assessing the heating of the device case. To do this, with the help of a projector, several films were viewed, the duration of which ranged from 40 minutes to 1.5 hours, after which, using a thermal imager, an assessment of the state of the device was made. The results can be seen in the images below.

As we can see, the main heating occurs in the area of the lens and lamp, as well as in the area of u200bu200bthe ventilation hole near the lamp. The temperature is quite high, but within acceptable limits.

The following test was aimed at assessing the noise level emitted by the cooling system during operation of the device. After the measurements of the temperature state were made, another video was launched on the proctor, and the sound was turned off. Using a household sound level meter, the noise level emitted by the device was measured. Measurements were taken at a distance of 1 meter from the projector. The measurement result was 47.2 dBA, the background noise level was 43.2 dBA, and 71.2 dBA was recorded at maximum volume. Actually, the cooling system can hardly be called quiet, but again, depending on what to compare. In general, the fan is not loud, and when watching movies it is almost inaudible.

Image quality was assessed using the classic Burosch test. In this case, a series of test images were viewed to determine the color quality, tone display, and resolution of the projector. There are no complaints about color reproduction and image brightness. The colors are rich and vibrant. Black and white colors look natural, red and yellow are very saturated, green and blue are slightly less, but there is no need to talk about the lack of color rendition. The colors are really vibrant, bright and saturated. It can also be noted here that the device has excellent image sharpness, while there is a slight blurring of the picture in the corners.

Further, the projector was tested in feature and animated films. Everything is fine with the picture. I would like to note that the brightness of 7800 lumens makes itself felt.

An attempt was made to watch a movie in 3D format via an HDMI cable, but, to put it mildly, this is not very convenient. By itself, the red-blue technology does not impress me, but in the projector … In general, of course, you can watch films in 3D, you should not count on the WOW effect.

Inside the device there are two speakers with a power of 5 W each with an SRS sound system (as the manufacturer claims). The sound quality is quite decent, the power of the speakers (speaker) is enough to provide sound for a small room, while we give the greatest preference to using an external speaker system that is connected using a miniJack. In principle, you can also use a wireless connection, for example, to watch a movie with headphones. A detailed examination of the device and listening to music in the immediate vicinity of the projector did not allow us to find out the location of the second speaker. Personally, it seems to me that he is alone in the device.

I would also like to note that the ThundeaL TD97 projector is equipped with a quick-detachable dust filter, which allows you to quickly clean the device and contribute to better cooling. Another feature is the inspection hatch, thanks to which you can quickly blow through the internal components of the projector, clearing them of dust.

You can find out the current cost of the device by clicking on the link .

Advantages

• Contents of delivery;
• Digital zoom from 75% to 100%;
• Powerful LED lamp with a luminous flux of 7800 lumens;
• Native resolution 1920×1080;
• Built-in speaker of good quality;
• Requisition hatch;
• Dust filter;
• Projection diagonal from 49 to 300 inches;
• Keystone correction ±15 degrees;
• Content playback in Full HD resolution (1920x1080p);
• Two USB ports and two HDMI ports;
• Support 3D (blue-red);
• Ability to connect an external speaker system.

disadvantages

• Mark Corps.

Conclusion

The basic version of ThundeaL TD97 cannot boast of wide functionality. This model does not support wireless / wired network interfaces, and the device does not have an Android operating system. The basic version of ThundeaL TD97 allows you to play video content via USB and HDMI ports, while if we download movies to digital media, you need to be very careful when choosing an audio track, because the most common AC3 codec, unfortunately, is not supported. At the same time, the LED projector perfectly reproduces video content transmitted via the HDMI port. There are no difficulties with playing the sound track in this case. Before buying, it is important to decide how the device will be used, if it works in conjunction with some external source, such as a laptop or TV box, then you can save money and purchase a basic model, if the device is used standalone, then I would recommend paying attention to the ThundeaL TD97 model running Android OS. The device also has support for blue-red 3D, but this feature is almost useless.