the MOST Accurate Projector I have Tested - Dangbei Mars Pro 2 (Dbox02) Projector

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Is it the DBOX02 or the Mars Pro 2? I just call it accurate. It has the best out of the box color calibration that I have seen to date. Making this a great projector for those that do not want to calibrate it. But it isn't all perfect. Find out if this is the right proejctor for you and let me know your honest thoughts.
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[@edicspaz]

Great, informative review. Thanks!

[@danrussell9357]

High praise for a projector to move into the theatre room and bump the Ultimea out- Excellent video! I appreciated the notes about fan noise and lumens as well as the comments about gamma settings. You have the best reviews of lifestyle products. Thanks for the extra effort.

[@Toid]

Thanks, Dan. I’m really trying if there’s anything you ever think you’d like to see in a future review just let me know.

[@danrussell9357]

@@ToidIs DA sending you there new Opal1 speakers? I saw Erin measured them. It would be interesting to see you measure them since you had a Epique build.

[@FilipeMelo-ry2ty]

Hello, great review. I have one question, the calibration settings, when i click the link i cant find it. Is there any problem with the link? Thank u

[@adrianbarac3063]

Excellent review! How would this compare to the Benq ht4550i? Pitch black room. 3m-wide screen zoomed out for 2:35,, then zoomed down for 16x9/1.85:1. Occasional 3D use.

[@ludwigwittgenstein2422]

Nerd

[@larrykubiayk5746]

How good is it as a UST projector? How far from the screen for a 100 inch image?

[@sunilgungi11]

Thank you for the review bro. How about a comparision video with Jmgo n1s ultra?

[@Toid]

If I can get my hands on one, I would definitely do it

[@user-ev3rr6rt3w]

What is the input lag?

[@CaliDude-w9q]

Can you post a direct link to your calibration settings? Not seeing it on your page.

[@juanavila1860]

Would you recommend this projector over the Hisense C1, im aware that this projector is much brighter but how are the contrast levels compared to the C1, high contrast can sometimes lead to a crisper and perceived brighter image so i find it pretty important. I ask because the original Mars Pro had dissapointing contrast numbers compared to the C1 so I just want to know if they have improved on that with this second iteration. Overall tho this is a great review and really appreciate you taking the time to color grade it with the custom preset.

[@Toid]

If you were not happy with the black level on the Mars Pro, then you will not be happy with it on this one. It has very similar contrast with the black floor being the main culprit. It would be classified as more of a grey than black. And I appreciate that reminder, I will remember to put that in the review next time.

[@knfall97]

I compared this to the Hisence c1 and noticed the the red, blue and green were a little off. Have you noticed this? Or have you compared the Dangbei to other projectors around the same price range?

[@Toid]

They were a little bit off. Movie mode was the best out of the box with my projector screen. I’d have to look at all my results to see what each color was off, but as you can see from my tests in movie mode I was getting excellent average delta errors. In fact, the best I’ve seen to date out of box. Unfortunately, I haven’t tested the Hisense C1, but would love to sometime. Probably the one closest to this that I’ve tested is the Xgimi Ultra. Between the two it would be a tossup. The Xgimi produces more colors and has a better black floor. And the Mars Pro 2 offers better color accuracy out of the box and better shadow details.

[@user-iq5wg8kg4d]

Just bought the Mars Pro 2....upgrading from my Xgimi H1. One thing I noticed is Alot of movies play in an Aspect ratio that leaves a black bar along bottom and top....I understand the movie was filmed 8n this aspect ratio, but sometimes I like to watch movies in screen fit mode where the movie fills the whole screen. In my old Xgimi H1 there was a zoom function to make the movie fit the full screen.I can't figure out how to do this on my new Mars Pro 2 ???

[@singcan5024]

Mars Pro 2 also have digital zoom function. Or what you mentioned was the auto zoom to fit the screen?

[@adrianbarac3063]

How would this compare to the Benq HT4550i / W4000i Pitch black room. 3m-wide screen zoomed out for 2:35,, then zoomed down for 16x9/1.85:1. Occasional 3D use.

[@ludwigwittgenstein2422]

Nerd

[@jeffreymiranda3094]

Which 3D glasses work with this? Tried DLP-link one but it’s not working.Thanks

[@mora503]

Did you download the new update? Try playing the 3D movie or whatever 3D then push and hold the home button then go to picture 3D and change it from there you have to do it after playing the 3D content

[@big1cam]

The GREAT state of Tennessee! Knoxville checking in. #GBO Also great vid! Love your work with Dayton audio speakers. I’ve replaced all my car, and home audio with Dayton products.

[@Toid]

Nice! I have a build coming out soon that uses some Dayton woofers. I hope you like it.

[@danrussell9357]

It is nice to see that the state of TN is not afraid to make flag shirts. You are following the lead of TX & MD who have recognizable designs. Sadly, in PA things are blue.

[@iandeleon8132]

I think that product confusion may come from Anker Nebula having their own "Mars" projectors before Dangbei did.

[@metaldreams3595]

Yes you may be right. Although in terms of performance, value and quality Dangbei should be given full rights for the names use.

[@ford1546]

It uses cold light diodes exactly like on a led TV screen or many IPS screens on mobile phones. This is what gives the cold blue/red color tone which is also difficult to adjust away.

[@Toid]

Tasks for the great and valuable input! I appreciate it!

[@shawnwade4062]

You’re using this projector over your JVC?

[@ChickenNuggies]

i'd love to see this tested vs something in the similar price like the epson 3800, or benq ht3560

[@Toid]

I agree. I’ll have to test it against some more projectors as I get them in.

[@DIYhyfy]

That gimbal is slick!

[@Toid]

Agrees! We’ve had a lot if fun with it

[@DavideStiff]

Link for gimbal? ​@@Toid

[@totalplonker824]

I'm here because I prefer the perfect placement of a centre channel. However, is this convenient projector box able to pass a Dolby Atmos signal.

[@76jmlaw]

can you clarify if this supports (or should soon support) 3D? I was confused by some of jargon you were throwing around... 3D would be great - seems projectors have stopped supporting it - would be a shame to render my collection of 3D BluRay useless...

[@Toid]

It currently has it implemented, but frame packing 3D (what Blu-ray’s use) isn’t currently working properly. They are updating it to fix the issue. The update should arrive later this month. I’ll update when I get a chance to test it.

[@76jmlaw]

@@Toid that is cool! How about the 'smart' nature of the projector? Makes me a bit nervous - the way I use my projector is like a monitor - my different sources go into a receiver, which sends the HDMI signal to the projector. therefore, I essentially just want a projector that turns on & off and shows the source, without having to navigate any unnecessary menus. I hope that makes sense...

[@Toid]

@@76jmlaw that makes perfect sense sense. That’s exactly how I use it. It defaults to starting the built in OS. So you do need to select the input. There may be a setting to get it to default to HDMI 1, but I haven’t looked for it. I will update you later if I find a way to default it to HDMI

[@Toid]

@@76jmlawI looked more into the settings. There is a setting under the main Google settings that allows you to start the projector up with the last input used. I switched it over to that and it works. I don’t have to worry about changing the input anymore.

[@76jmlaw]

@@Toid oh cool - thanks for following up! the stated contrast ratio (600:1) is incredibly low by current standards, as many projectors are 300,000:1 or even 1,000,000:1. This would normally mean dark scenes suffer, but your review does not suggest this to be a problem. Can you reconcile this difference?

[@ericong7815]

Would you recommend mars pro 2 or xgimi horizon ultra?

[@Toid]

That’s a great question. You’ll get a little lower black levels wit Xgimi and a wider color gamut. But you’ll get better shadow detail with the Mars Pro 2. So it really depends on what you’re looking for. If you want more colors and better blacks go with the Xgimi. If you’d rather have the shadow detail out of the color accuracy go with the Mars Pro 2.

[@christopheporcher2892]

Hi . I own also this projector and agree all the remarks made during the test. For sure an excellent projector. Except One thing: color staturation is too high in the different profiles . I needed to put it to 30 instead of 50. Please can you share the custom settings that you had after calibration ? I don’t find them. Thks

[@Toid]

I’ll have that out in a few days. Are you using the built-in OS or an HDMI input? My saturations were fine out of the box. However, I am using an HDMI input as that is how I calibrate it. I don’t have a way of testing the internal OS. So it’s possible that that might be oversaturating. If you’re using an HDMI, it’s possible it could be the device. What device are you using?

[@christopheporcher2892]

@@Toid yes I'm using the internal OS for my tests (Netflix or KZbin which are included). What is weird, is that the switch from a display profile to another (vivid to movie fo ex) doesn't change anything once in the interface. It changes only in the videos, but not in the OS interface. I didn't really test with HDMI input, except a little with my PS5. So I cannot be sure. But clearly in the internal OS, the color saturation is very high. the skin was too red, not natural. I had to reduce from 50 to 30.

[@Toid]

@@christopheporcher2892 I just tested it myself. At first everything looked pretty good. But when I put something with skin tones on it, there was a very noticeable red shift. Which, as you stated if you turn down the saturation to around 30 it tastes it away. That is odd the HDMI does not do this. This is the first time I’ve seen this type of behavior from a projector as well.

[@christopheporcher2892]

@@Toid yes I agree. It is too weird, because a lot of people will use the internal GoogleTV for their videos. And a lot of people want to use one the preset profiles like Movie or standard . But clearly the skin is much too red. I hope that they will fixe that, because for the other parameters it seems OK: Contrast and brightness are OK for ex. Do you know if Dangbei use to have a strong support followup , with regular firmwares releases ?

[@Toid]

@@christopheporcher2892 they do typically. But I would mention it to them if I were you. The more people that tell them the more likely they are to look into it faster.

[@eduardodacosta4670]

"It works flawlessly, but it's not without its flaws", say what? 😆

[@Toid]

lol, not my finest sentence for sure 😂

[@eduardodacosta4670]

It happens to the best of us 😂

[@tc-home]

Looking awesome but does it look just as nice on plain white long throw projector screens?

[@Toid]

This is a white long throw screen. I like the exact screen in the description of the video. So if you wanna see how it compares to what you have.

[@tc-home]

​@@Toid oh the screen in the video is not an ALR screen?

[@Toid]

@@tc-home it is not. The Vividstorm one at the end is an ALR designed for an UST projector. Which is why I moved that screen and projector to another room.

[@tc-home]

@@Toid that's cool! Good to know without ALR screen still this good. I am very tempted but too bad the Amazon discount code doesn't work for Canadians... bummer.

[@ChadAV69]

This looks pretty awesome for the price of $1500. I hope someone can compare it to the 5050 and 3800

[@Toid]

I really need to get a 5050 in to test it against some of these. That way you can know if it’s worth it to you to pay twice the price. Thanks for the feedback

[@mora503]

I tried 3D side by side and top and bottom the projector was unreadable and garbly image had to turn it off and back on. I have 30 days to return might have to with the 3d's not working by then

[@Toid]

They just updated the 3D. It should be released in early July. I only do 3-D frame packing. I should have a test version of that soon. But I’ll probably only be testing 3-D frame packing. Either way, I’ll update and let you know how that works.

[@mora503]

Thank you for the info! Great it's really good just that 3D is all I need and I'm keeping it

[@Toid]

@@mora503 I completely understand that

[@ChihuAudioMan]

Dis you notice any laser speckle?

[@Toid]

Great question! I did not.

[@sage11x]

Shadow detail and black levels/contrast are two different things. All these single chip DLPs struggle with contrast especially in low APL content. But these pico models are the worst of all. I haven’t seen the Pro 2 myself but even if it doubles the contrast of the original it would still be poor. About the best contrast I’ve seen in a single chip DLP (without the aid of contrast boosters) is the BenQ HT2060. But that’s a 1080p model. BenQ’s own HT4550i- a projector I use in my own theater- only has about 65-70 percent of the contrast performance of that model but benefits from 4K, a higher lumen output, a wider color gamut and impressive HDR tone mapping. That last part is important as that’s likely what you’re seeing with the Dangbei. Tone mapping of hdr content can really play to a projectors strengths. Especially DLP with its rich mid tones and good ansi contrast. It’s why the HT4550i works as well as it does in my blacked out theater despite having relatively mediocre black levels versus something like the Epson 5050UB.

[@sage11x]

Coming back after Greg’s instrumented review. 600-700:1 FOFO contrast. That’s completely in line with every other .47” 4K DLP. Contrast is mediocre. If you’re watching in a dark room I’d seek out a .65” DLP. BenQ’s X3100i will get you over 1000:1. The BenQ HT4550i will get you 1300:1. Ironically their X500i will get you over 1700:1. If you want better than that you’ll need to jump ship to the one of the Epsons: 3800, 4010 or 5050ub. Which I’m not sure I’d recommend in 2024 as they are all bulb, NOT 4K and, with the exception of the 5050, lacking in color gamut.

[@bradwalker1259]

Just FYI, DCI Cinema uses a gamma of 2.6 in theaters. Might be too much for home theater.

[@Toid]

Great point! I believe that’s designed specifically for the specific projectors they are using. But there are quite a few people that use gamma 2.4 for home theater. And I honestly don’t mind that. It will be darker, but you will lose some shadow detail. So I guess it really just depends on what type of image you are going for

[@swyue951]

The buyer need to compare it with the smart projector,not the traditional part.Because the DLP tech. ,its product with the small size,high brightness,long life,low noise,nice image,auto image correction....BenQ,Epson and other old brand,big size,high noise,not move easily.If you want to get a projecter,need to think about what you need,and what is the scenarios you use it.I like the Dangbei DBOX02,4K,Google TV system,high brightness.No speckle.

[@DavideStiff]

This is insane, I mean this is 1500$ is giving 3k quality. Just prepare your wall, flat a good flat white wall projector paint and enjoy full 200 inch

[@rick5078]

yeah... i'll go for an optoma, similar price, well established good brand.

[@pulDag]

No optical zoom is actually bullshit.

[@HowDareYouu]

1500$ neahh