By Anuj Bhatia

Portable projectors have always fascinated me. They may not be replacing my 55-inch TV on the wall but the whole proposition of a device that’s portable yet powerful enough to project a 100-inch screen from a distance is intriguing. Adding to the list of portable projectors is the BenQ GV30. An all-in-one home entertainment solution with a Bluetooth speaker and a streaming device, its look is inspired by a wheel of cheese. It’s all plastic, with a circular shape that is designed to sit vertically in a circular base. BenQ supplies a high-quality grey coloured case that includes the projector, a remote control, an AC adapter, a streaming stick and manuals and documents. The mustard coloured carry handle helps you lug it around.

The projector comes with a small stand, which magnetically attaches to the bottom of the projector. I’d say it’s a clever design, making it easy to change the angle of the projector through a 135-degree range. On the top of the projector are four physical buttons, including a power button, two volume buttons, and a Bluetooth pairing button. On the right, there’s a handful of connectivity ports.

The GV30 also comes with an Android TV streaming stick that fits inside the projector housing. Remote control is also a part of the projector. It has the basic set of controls, a button for Google Assistant and a dedicated button for Amazon Prime Video.

Setting up the GV30 projector is simple. Plug in the adapter, place the dongle, turn it on, set up the Android TV, and it’s running. The GV30 runs Android TV, but it’s not baked into the projector. Instead, the Android TV dongle (Android 9.0 software) is the key to unlocking all the entertainment apps. Natively, Amazon Prime Video and YouTube are preinstalled. You can also stream movies and shows on Disney+ Hotstar through Google Play Store. However, Netflix is not available.
While the 720p resolutionmay seem on the lower side, the image quality is crisp and clear. In fact, the projector does a great job becoming a TV but can’t really replace the TV you already own. When projecting a 50-inch image, it’s sharp, with vivid colours.

I was surprised by the audio quality of the projector, thanks to the 8W woofer and two 4W drivers. The speakers can take any genre of music you throw at it and give you better sound than the regular Bluetooth speakers I have used. For its size, it’s a quality speaker, producing capable sound and clarity in higher frequencies.

Overall, the BenQ GV30 tries to offer everything you need in a portable projector with built-in stereo speakers, including a woofer and a mid-range tweeter on both sides. It’s not cheap, but you are paying Rs 52,500 for the portability and that sound quality.