Digital WiFi projectors equal affordable quality entertainment
‘You got any recommendations?’
‘Have you seen…’
‘Ooh, not seen that yet. How many episodes?’
‘Seven seasons, I think. 78.’
’78!! Too many! I’ll just stick Line of Duty on again’
Does this sound familiar to you? Maybe binge-watching 78 hours of TV is normal to you now. All in a long weekend’s work.
Due to the events of the last year, our viewing volume has increased exponentially, while the digital water cooler gossip is spreading the next ‘must-see TV’ like wildfire. When it comes to home entertainment, we’ve never had it so good. And boy have we needed it!
So what’s your go-to lockdown box set? Tiger King? Too crazy. The Queen’s Gambit? I haven’t even seen it yet! The truth is, I haven’t had the time.
Don’t apologise, embrace your guilty pleasures
The reason I’m so behind with all these cultural highlights is because I have a secret. Sure, I’ve been at home watching TV, just like the rest of you. But I’ve been feasting on the cultural lowlights. A couple of guilty pleasures I’ve been using as a sort-of entertainment safety blanket. These are shows no self-respecting box set aficionado would ever admit to watching. But that’s not going to stop me.
My secret guilty pleasure has been Poirot and Dave’s….Death in Paradise!
Okay, so Poirot might have aged a bit, but I think it still holds up as a classic portrayal of Agatha Christie’s most famous character.
Death in Paradise, I know there is no excuse. Well, there is — pure escapism. Wooden acting, flimsy plots, murder investigations confined to only four suspects. None of these reasons dulled Dave’s enjoyment of the beautiful, balmy images of the Caribbean when viewed from the depths of a cold, dark miserable UK winter.
There’s always a vanlife solution
When our TV started exhibiting signs of an imminent demise last month, it certainly wasn’t a death in paradise the Bennett household was enjoying. With full-time Vanlife on the horizon, we didn’t want to spend heavily on luxury items we wouldn’t need soon.
Enter Dave, my saviour in smelly boots. After 10 minutes he came huffing and puffing back from Irene, with a seriously smug looking face. A few minutes more and we were back up and running.
A new spin on old-school tech, literally!
The source of our joy was an item I’d clean forgotten about. Something that takes me back to days of dull repetitive lessons copying down notes and skiving off afternoons to hit the cinema. I’m talking about a Mini WiFi projector of course! Because Digital WiFi projectors equal affordable quality entertainment.
Sitting in our tiny home watching movies using our ELEPHAS 2020 WiFi mini projector (£76.49), made me realise that living this life and aiming for geographical and financial freedom has taught me a lot about what we think we want and what we actually need.
Watch movies under the stars, or anywhere
We first encountered this idea when visiting friends in Dubai. Many expats like to camp out in the desert to escape the cityscape with a BBQ and a not-so-legal alcoholic beverage or two! But they also use these to project their movies in supersize, the darkening dunes and fading burnt skies providing the perfect backdrop to the evening.
And so we found ourselves lost in a sea of sand, except with Inception written large across the electric pink sky. Magical.
Wi-Fi projectors are the perfect vanlife viewing solution
It seems funny to rely on such technology when you look at the quality and size of TVs today. But then you realise that for something to watch in the back (or on the back) of the van, these are the perfect solution and exceptional value for money.
They take up very little room and you don’t have to worry about damage and storage of a big screen. Everywhere is your screen. They are very small and only weigh just over a kilo.
In next to no time, you can set up inside or outside of the van, and with built in speakers and up to date Wi-Fi technology, connecting these projectors doesn’t require a bundle of confusing cables.
Minimal cables, minimal confusion
These devices can now operate on Wi-Fi alone, and it only takes three or four button presses to set up connectivity to sources such as your laptop, mobile phone, PS4 or Xbox, in fact anything with Wi-Fi connectivity. This means you can also use Firestick/HD, Chromecast, and other USB streaming devices such as Roku.
Streaming services like Amazon Prime and Netflix have smart technology which prevents use with mirroring devices, but you can still use a hard-wired connection, which removes this obstacle. The ELEPHAS 2020 WiFi mini projector comes supplied with the required cable, but they’re relatively cheap if you need a device specific one.
With great cost, comes great quality
But do you really need it? There are undoubtedly a couple of limitations buying a cheaper projector. Firstly the bulbs are not quite as bright, and they struggle to give pin-sharp images when you want a very large projection image. But neither of these considerations should affect your choice for a device which costs only around £70 and which you can happily use in the Vanlife environment. Our projector still has the potential to project out to about 4 metres squared, (better resolution when smaller) — still bigger than any TV I’ve ever owned!
There are much more pricey projectors out there (around the £250–300 mark) which offer extended features and increased performance if money is not an object.
Sometimes we need an escape, even from the vanlife
The idiot box has been absolutely essential in managing our happiness, relaxation, and mental health during this crazy period. However much you look forward to hitting the road full-time, it’s still important to have some method of escapism close to hand. Digital WiFi projectors equal affordable quality entertainment
