Nathan Rizzuti, dedicated to Gadget Review for over 4 years, specializes in home entertainment technology and purchasing decisions. Outside of work, Nathan finds solace in playing bluegrass. With 50 months of consistent contributions at GadgetReview, Nathan’s expertise lies in navigating the realms of home entertainment technology and aiding purchasing decisions. His insightful articles, such as “Oh Ballers of Pittsburgh, Where Art Thou,” reflect a unique perspective that resonates with readers.
The Formovie Theater projector is a great pick for movie-watching and casual gaming. However, its lack of lens shift adjustability and poor color accuracy out-of-the-box is disappointing.
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Table of Contents
Product Snapshot
Overview
The Formovie Theater is a mid-tier projector first announced in late 2022. The projector debuted as the world’s first Ultra Short Throw projector with support for both Dolby Vision and Atmos. Even though its 2800-lumen brightness output doesn’t quite stand up to what the best projectors on the market offer, the Formovie Theater’s 3-laser design prevents any rainbow artifacts and enhances color.
Its laser light source has a 20,000-hour lamp life, and with the ability to project an image of up to 150 inches in size courtesy of its 0.23:1 throw ratio and a 50cm throw distance, the projector is perfect for a big-screen viewing experience. However, for an even larger 300” image output, check out the Epson Pro Cinema LS1200.
The Formovie Theater is a solid choice for a home theater projector, as it boasts an impressive 3840 x 2160 resolution and uses pixel-shifting technology to upscale HD or Full HD content to 4K. It is relatively easy to set up courtesy of thumb-wheel controls that are used to level it by adjusting its feet. Image quality is impressive, courtesy of a satisfying 3000:1 contrast ratio that delivers good shadow detail and both HDR and Dolby Vision content support. After calibration, colors are also sharp, thanks to its 100% DCI P3 color scale coverage, which gives it a top 25% standing on our certified, tested list.
Its 2800-lumen output works well enough for viewing in a semi-lit environment or even daytime, and with support for both a Variable Refresh Rate (with a sync range of 40Hz to 120Hz) and Auto Low Latency Mode that pushes its latency to 34ms, the projector can be used for casual gaming. The projector misses out on lens shift, but it does have an 8-point keystone correction setting.
ReasonS to Buy
Satisfying brightness rating
The Formovie Theater has a brightness rating of 2800 lumens, which is great for home theater use in a semi-lit or daytime viewing environment. Its light output rating places it in the top 40% of tested projectors.
Good image quality
The Formovie Theater offers impressive color accuracy after calibration courtesy of its 100% coverage of the DCI P3 color gamut. This gives it a top 25% standing compared to other projectors in our certified tested list.
The projector also has a satisfying 3000:1 contrast ratio for good black detail, and it can also render HDR, HDR10, and HDR10+ content
Low latency
The Formovie Theater has an Auto Low Latency Mode that it switches to once it detects interaction with a gaming console. It has a latency of 34ms, which is fast enough for responsive casual gaming.
Reason to Avoid
Poor color accuracy out-of-the-box
The Formovie Theater projector requires calibration for a better color output.
No lens shift adjustability
The projector’s lens doesn’t have lens shift capabilities.
Formovie Theater Specs
3D Ready
No
Aspect Ratio
16:9
Brightness
2800 Lumens
Contrast Ratio
3,000 : 1
Depth
13.78"
Digital Keystone
No
Display Technology
TI DLP
HDR
Dolby Vision, HDR10, HDR10+
Height
4.3"
Integrated Speakers
Yes
Light Source
Laser
Light Source Life
20000 hrs
Max Distance
19"
Max Screen Size
150"
Min Distance
5.51"
Min Screen Size
80"
Noise Level
28 dB
Portable
No
Refresh Rate
60 Hz
Resolution
3840 x 2160 (4k)
Smart Functionality
Yes
Sync Technology
–
TV Tuner
No
ThrowType
Ultra Short Throw Technology
VRR
n/a
Video Inputs
USB
Weight
21.6 lbs
Width
21.6"
Yes
–
All Specs
Test Results
These are the most important criteria to test for Projectors based on our comprehensive Testing Methodology.
SDR Brightness (nits)
124.577
HDR Brightness (nits)
105.394
SDR Brightness (Lumens)
2,837
HDR Brightness (Lumens)
2,676
SDR Color Temperature (K)
0
HDR Color Temperature (K)
0
Contrast Ratio (x:y)
1,916.6
Color Gamut % (DCI P3 uv)
106.805
Color Gamut % (Rec. 709)
100
Color Gamut % (Rec. 2020)
81.8
Color Gamut % (BT.2020)
90
Color Gamut % (BT. 709)
0
Input Lag (ms)
41
All Tests
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The Formovie Theater is a mid-tier projector first announced in late 2022. The projector debuted as the world’s first Ultra Short Throw projector with support…
The Formovie Theater is a mid-tier projector first announced in late 2022. The projector debuted as the world’s first Ultra Short Throw projector with support for both Dolby Vision and Atmos. Even though its 2800-lumen brightness output doesn’t quite stand up to what the best projectors on the market offer, the Formovie Theater’s 3-laser design prevents any rainbow artifacts and enhances color.
Its laser light source has a 20,000-hour lamp life, and with the ability to project an image of up to 150 inches in size courtesy of its 0.23:1 throw ratio and a 50cm throw distance, the projector is perfect for a big-screen viewing experience. However, for an even larger 300” image output, check out the Epson Pro Cinema LS1200.
The Formovie Theater projector has a light output of 2800 lumens, making it brighter than the JVC DLA NZ7, which has an output of 2200…
The Formovie Theater projector has a light output of 2800 lumens, making it brighter than the JVC DLA NZ7, which has an output of 2200 lumens. On the other hand, the JVC projector has a higher 40,000:1 contrast ratio compared to Formovie’s 3000:1 contrast ratio, and it also boasts a motorized zoom and focus – both of which the Formovie Theater doesn’t have. If this sounds interesting, feel free to learn more about the JVC projector in our JVC DLA NZ7 review.
The Formovie Theater has a brighter 2800-lumen light output compared to the PX1 PRO, rated at 2200 lumens. The Formovie Theater projector is also capable…
The Formovie Theater has a brighter 2800-lumen light output compared to the PX1 PRO, rated at 2200 lumens. The Formovie Theater projector is also capable of a larger 150” projection size compared to the PXI PRO’s 130” projection size. On the other hand, the PX1 PRO has a higher static contrast ratio of 1000000:1 compared to the Formovie Theater’s 3000:1 ratio. We’ve also covered the PX1 PRO in our Hisense PX1 PRO review if you’re interested.
The Formovie Theater can project 4K images upscaled from HD or Full HD quality courtesy of its use of pixel shift technology, which makes it…
The Formovie Theater can project 4K images upscaled from HD or Full HD quality courtesy of its use of pixel shift technology, which makes it capable of higher image detail than the Formovie P1 projector, which has a lower WVGA resolution. The Formovie Theater also has a brighter 2800-lumen light output compared to the P1’s 800-lumen output and a higher 3000:1 contrast ratio compared to the P1’s 600:1 ratio.
