Optoma’s Photon Life PK31, a compact optoma pk31 projector, projects a 4K image up to 150 inches wide, and it sells for about $599. That is roughly what a midrange Android phone costs. The phone gives you a 6-inch screen. The projector fills a wall.
When I was starting out, my first apartment had a living room wall the size of a parking space and a TV budget far smaller than that. A home projector like this would have meant a month of instant noodles. The math is different now, and the wall is the same size.
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The optoma pk31 projector weighs 5.2 pounds and has a matte black body with a smooth top shell. A perforated grille wraps the side, and the lens sits inside a deep circular cowl. It uses a Texas Instruments DLP chip with red, green, and blue LEDs, and Optoma rates it at 95 percent coverage of the DCI-P3 color space.
An optoma pk31 projector built to sit on a bookshelf
The body measures 9.37 by 8.46 by 4.64 inches, or 238 by 215 by 118 millimeters. That is about the footprint of a hardcover cookbook lying flat. A shelf between the plants and a Bluetooth speaker can hold it without any trouble.
The lens sits off to the right. On the left, a pill-shaped window houses the infrared receiver, which gives the front a slightly lopsided face. Optoma prints its logo in copper on the top panel. All ports sit in a recessed panel on the back, so the front stays clean.
The lens has a 1.5 to 1.65 throw ratio. Optoma’s figures put a 100-inch image at about 11 feet, or 3.4 meters, from the screen. A 150-inch image needs roughly 17 feet, or 5.2 meters.
Focus and the 1.1x zoom use manual rings. A twist-adjust foot handles tilt, and a standard tripod thread sits underneath. Digital keystone correction works horizontally and vertically.
The optoma pk31 projector’s light source life is rated at 30,000 hours.
Sharp 4K with low input lag
The chip’s microscopic mirrors direct light toward the screen. The optoma pk31 projector uses XPR pixel shifting, which nudges the image by fractions of a pixel to produce a 3840 by 2160 picture. The projector supports HDR10 and HLG for high dynamic range content.
Brightness is where sources disagree. Optoma’s US product page rates the PK31 at 900 lumens, and the review by Projector Reviews measured 862 lumens in the brightest mode.
The same reviewer recommends about 90 inches for everyday viewing and 75 to 80 inches for HDR. Expect less brightness at the full 150 inches. Use the big size for dim rooms and movie nights.
Gamers may find the bigger surprise here. Input lag is rated at 4.6 milliseconds at 1080p and 240 hertz, 8 milliseconds at 1080p and 120 hertz, and 16 milliseconds at 4K and 60 hertz. Projector Reviews confirmed those numbers with its own lag tester. The catch: low-latency mode turns off keystone correction, so set up the projector square to the screen first.
How it compares with TCL, BenQ, and Hisense
The TCL C1 costs about $250 and includes Google TV, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. Its resolution is 1080p, though, and its “4K support” accepts a 4K signal and scales it down. The PK31 produces a true 4K image but has no built-in smart system, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth.
The PK31 has one HDMI 2.0 port, a USB-A port, and a mini audio-out jack. A Roku or Fire TV Stick can plug into the HDMI port, and the USB-A port can power the stick. A 5-watt mono speaker handles built-in sound, and the audio jack connects external speakers.
Once the picture is sorted, sound is the next upgrade for a projector setup. Insta360 Mic’s Affordable Audio and E-Ink Screens is worth a look for budget-conscious creators and home viewers.
BenQ’s GP520 has a higher 2,600-lumen rating and includes Google TV. It launched at $1,499 and now sells for closer to $999. Optoma’s PK32 adds an amber LED, autofocus, and a second HDMI port for $1,299. The Hisense M2 Pro costs the same and runs Android TV.
The PK31 launched at $1,099 and now sells for about $599 at Walmart and Amazon. At that price, the optoma pk31 projector and a streaming stick still leave you well under the cost of the three rivals. For a wall-sized picture in a dark room, that gap is hard to ignore.
Via yankodesign.com
Frequently asked questions
How large of a picture does the Optoma PK31 project?
The Optoma PK31 projects a 4K image up to 150 inches wide. It sells for about $599.
How far should the Optoma PK31 sit from the screen?
Optoma’s figures put a 100-inch image at about 11 feet (3.4 meters) from the screen. A 150-inch image needs roughly 17 feet (5.2 meters).
Does the Optoma PK31 have built-in Wi-Fi or streaming apps?
The PK31 has no built-in smart system, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth. A Roku or Fire TV Stick can plug into its HDMI port instead, with the USB-A port powering the stick.
What is the input lag on the Optoma PK31?
Input lag is rated at 4.6 milliseconds at 1080p and 240 hertz, 8 milliseconds at 1080p and 120 hertz, and 16 milliseconds at 4K and 60 hertz. Low-latency mode turns off keystone correction, so the projector should be set up square to the screen first.
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