Review of Crenova's XPE660 1080P HD LED projector
Crenova and projectors
Crenova has a wide and deep selection of home theater products. When I was looking for a budget projector to do Halloween projected effects I ran across their 1080p-native model which did an impressive job last Halloween season (when the world was normal and we still had holidays).
Since then, I noticed they released the Crenova XPE600 projector which is less expensive, has a newer design, but makes a sacrifice in native resolution at 1280x800. This resolution was fine for what I was planning on using it for as long as everything else like focus, brightness, and sound were solid. So I reviewed it in detail in both sunny day conditions, dark room, and night to see how clearly the projected video could be seen.
Crenova XPE600 specifications
- 1280x800 resolution
- VGA (x1) and HDMI interface (x2) and USB (x2)
- LED illuminated
- 140 watt power consumption
- 6000 lumens
- 6000:1 contrast ratio
Installation and Setup
The Crenova projector setup is simple. Just plug in the power cord, remove the lens cap, toggle on the back power switch and you are ready to go. The remote control will require two AAA batteries.
To project content from something like an Amazon FireTV stick you plug the HDMI cord from the FireTV into one of the HDMI ports on the projector and the USB cord into one of the USB ports to supply power. The Crenova projector will autodetect the new video source and will project it on your screen or wall. From there, you can use the FireTV remote to navigate the menus.
The one negative is there isn't a threaded tripod attachment to mount the projector to. You need to find a convenient platform or table to put it on at least 61 inches away from where you want to project.
Video and Audio Quality and Performance
The audio quality was not bad, but it wasn't home theater quality. For a cinematic experience you'd want to use external speakers. The XPE660's speakers sound about as good as other projectors in this range. They are loud enough to hear and not muffled.
The video quality, however, was very impressive for 1280x800. Text appeared very crisp and clear. I could get a good focus on the projected image. The projector does not output enough lumens to use outside during the day, but at night it looked fantastic. The projector would work great for movie night by the pool.
This is not a short-throw projector so you need a good bit of distance to fill a 120" projector screen. I needed to place the projector about 154-156 inches away from the screen.
Final Thoughts
The Crenova XPE600 projector would make a good budget projector for someone not needing native 1080p. Even at 1280x800 it was easy to read menus in the Alexa navigation and the video looked good. It isn't loud and is more compact than other options so it won't completely take over your room, but you do need a bit of distance between the projector and the screen to get a nice large projected image.