Anker Nebula Capsule II
Portable projector convenience comes at a cost
Think portable projector and it’s likely that the stubby, cylindrical form of the Anker Nebula Capsule II will spring to mind. This device is one of three Nebula Capsule projectors made by Anker Innovations, and its 720p resolution, 200 Ansi-lumens light output and Android TV 9.0 smart platform make it the top-spec model of that trio.
The build of the Nebula Capsule II might be its best facet. It’s not just the compact size, it’s the solidity, sturdiness and shape that make it so portable. There’s no water or shock-proof certification, but it feels well made enough to survive a few bumps.
Inside is a one-chip DLP projection solution, backed by a 200 Ansi-lumen LED light and a single-driver 8W sound system. There are control buttons on the top and one for power on the rear, but the small remote control, which can also be voice operated, is your main interface.
Streaming options
Video and music streaming services are a good option for the Anker Nebula Capsule II, with its Android TV 9.0 OS offering access to more than 5000 apps on the Google Play store. As long as you’re in range of a wireless network, the likes of Twitch, Hulu, Plex, Youtube, Tidal, Spotify, BT Sport and Amazon Prime Video are all on the menu. Chromecast will stream most other apps, including All 4, BBC iplayer, Rakuten and Now. The Nebula Manager Android app brings a mobile version of Netflix along with a web browser and an app for mirroring content from IOS devices.
If you have a decent source of content, loading local files onto the Capsule’s 8GB internal space or playing media from a flash drive may also be an option. There’s a battery on board for that true portable projector experience. It lasts 2.5 hours at low brightness; don’t expect much more than half that at full beam.
Setting up the Capsule II is easy. It boasts a one-second autofocus feature, which is easy to adjust manually. There’s no auto-keystone feature or horizontal movement of the picture. Fortunately, the device is so small that projecting straight on is rarely an issue. As with most portable projectors, it’s a fixed lens device, so no zooming in and out.
It has a 1.3:1 throw ratio and can create a picture between 20-100 inches. Anker recommends a projection distance of between 1m-2m, giving an image of 36-71in. While there’s more sharpness and detail to be had in the sweet spot, a 100in picture still looks good.
It’s not exactly a hi-res experience – you won’t get any picture at all from a 4K input – but it can handle a Full HD signal despite its 720p maximum output resolution.
There’s a pleasing enough tonal balance to The Martian on Blu-ray when downscaled to the Nebula Capsule II’S 720p output. Black depth is reasonable, and there’s enough skill with dark details in the shadows made by the harsh sunlight on the red planet’s surface. There’s an evenness to the handling of mixed lighting with differences in the reds and oranges and some texture to the sand and rocks. Colours work well too.
It’s easy to impress with these off-world hues, but more prosaic staples such as grass and trees look correct too.
We watch Minority Report on DVD at standard definition, but contrast control takes a dive, as dark and light areas become oversimplified. The sky is a uniform white and any detail in the backstreet scenes is lost in the shadow.
Sound compromise
The Anker Nebula Capsule II has a side hustle as a Bluetooth speaker, though it just about out-performs a mobile phone. However, this presentation isn’t a bad compromise for film. The score of The Martian swells and shrinks with the drama, the midrange is good enough to convey emotions in the dialogue, and there’s enough precision for the Capsule to portray the sandstorm. It’s a little bright but passable.
The Nebula Capsule II is not a bad projector and we can imagine relaxing into a perfectly good mini cinema experience on the go with it. But it’s too expensive, and better performance is available in the similarly priced Nebula Mars II and Nebula Solar Portable. If portable convenience is your prime concern, you might choose the Capsule II over the others. However, it would need to be significantly discounted before we could wholly recommend it.