Entertainment Box –Brand New EBox Air i Review – Mini Projector/TV Box

best-for-kodi

Grendel takes a look at Entertainment Box –Brand New EBox Air i Review – Mini Projector/TV Box, Brand new upgraded Projector released today with HDMI input for big screen gaming and loaded with keystone correction for the perfect picture.

Well guys, once again we have been truly blessed by our friends over at Entertainment Box once again. We have been given by the chance to take a sneak peak at the the updated version of the EBox Air.

The device will be called the Ebox Air i.

This device will be available from them for you to order very soon. Would make an ideal Christmas present.

To read the review of the original device click here.

Updated ? What have they done?

How have they improved this already hugely popular device?

First lets just remind ourselves of a few of the things that made the original Ebox Air so good.

Introduction

Customers can purchase the original EBox Air from here.

Where do I start on this one?

When I first had a look at the original EBox Air it I thought it was a neat little wireless projector. Well of course that is exactly what it is but little did I realise it’s so much more than just that!

The EBox Air is in fact not only a full 720p wireless projector it is a fully functional Android device (running 4.4.2) and you know what that means!

The guys over at Entertainment Box have loaded this bit of kit up so its ready to go as an all singing and dancing device.

OK before I get carried away, let’s start at the beginning.

Out of the Box (Upgraded Ebox Air)

When the upgraded EBox Air arrives on your doorstep it’s neatly packaged and suitably protected form your local delivery person.
A top layer of foam sits perfectly on top of the peripheral items of a remote control, HDMI cable and power adapter / charger.

These are all individually boxed in smart boxes with finger holes somewhat akin to the majority of modern day Apple products. All done very nicely in a a cool looking black and green colour scheme much like our own Bestorkodi logos!

If you’ve read the Bestforkodi blog on the original EBox Air you will remember my comment on the power cord being a bit on the short side. I am pleased to say this has been rectified and the power cord is now a much more usable length – thank you guys !

img_5132

IMG_4488

img_5133

img_5134

The device also now comes with an additional power cable which allows charging via USB – nice touch guys.

A basic information / instruction leaflet in the box has had a re-vamp and is now larger and easier to read .
The upgraded EBox Air also comes supplied with the very popular small but perfectly adequate three legged stand.

This screws directly into the base of the EBox Air and I’m pretty sure this thread is standard and will fit just about another similar stand / tripod device.

img_5135

img_5136

img_5137

I would highly recommend using this or a similar stand as the EBox Air does need to breathe and like all projector units with powerful bulbs, can get warm during use.

Ok. My upgraded EBox Air came straight out of the box and got hooked up to the power cable / charger for a blast of juice. Of course you can use it right away while charging but I want to take a look at the performance of the battery so I’ll let it fully charge.

Specifications

Meanwhile let’s have a closer look around the device and checkout the specs.

Measuring up at approx 145mm x  80mm and at just 15mm thick with a weight of 576g this really is a mini device in all senses.

The front of the unit houses the lens and air outlet. As with all lamp projectors an internal fan keeps things cool but needs circulation. The fan does seem a little quieter than on the original EBox Air but either way, I certainly did not find it off-putting. The fan, as with all projectors is a necessary evil.

I have to say, I’m a big fan of the new white glossy look. On the top of the unit is the cool Entertainment Box decal.
This is where you will also find the on/off button together with some basic navigation buttons. The back button as always comes in very handy.

img_5138

On one side you will find the ports consisting of 2 x USB, 1 x HDMI, Power Inlet & Earphone Jack.

img_5139

Unlike Previous model you can not connect TV or monitor to override the projector lamp. But this device has an added feature of hdmi in and will cover below the advantages of this.

This is a real shame that it does not have both HDMI input and output but i guess you cant have everything.

The guys have stated that both models will be sold side by side so you can pick the option that best suits your needs.

 

Here’s where Ebox have made one of the big upgrades to the device.

 

I know that one thing people really wanted to do with the EBox Air was to use it for Big Screen Gaming.

Well guess what! The new version of the EBox Air has the facility for HDMI input! This means you can now throw your favourite formats up onto that huge HD format.

Of course it’s not just limited to gaming on Xbox or PlayStation. Any HDMI output will work so maybe you want to connect up your DVD or Blue Ray player to the EBox for some big screen entertainment.

On the other side is the fine focus adjustment, lamp power switch and TF slot for external memory cards up to 32Gb.

I used both USB ports for Air Mouse and keyboard without any problems. I also used a USB stick in one of the ports for some file transfers without any issues.

img_5140

The rear of the unit is the remote IR and some cool blue lights indicating power.

img_5141

The front of the unit houses the lens and air outlet. As with all lamp projectors an internal fan keeps things cool but needs circulation.

img_5143

Underneath is the built in speaker, air inlet and screw thread for stand/tripod etc.

img_5149

Remote

The remote control supplied with the device is neat and stylish. (Its very similar to Roku device remote.)  It does what it says on the tin. Functions are all there but can be fiddly.

For simpler and more seamless navigation and controller experience I would certainly recommend the use of and Air Mouse such as the S77 Pro.

During testing I plunged my S77 dongle into one of the two USB ports on the EBox Air and was up and ruining immediately.

Entertainment Box - EBox Air Review

Display

Right, let’s fire it up.

The three colour RGB lamp delivers a powerful display.

I have tried at a close range of no more than 12 inches to a longer range of around 6 feet. Clarity is clear with the built in auto focus, also the fine adjustment makes it crystal clear.

The clarity and definition of the display when reaching 100 inches far exceeded my expectations. The quoted figures in the full spec state it can go much bigger.

You just need a wall or screen big enough to show it!

Several projection modes offer choices. A cool feature is that if you rotate the EBox Air it will correct the displayed image to always be the right way up.

Entertainment Box - EBox Air Review

Another Big upgrade function

Another feature added to the new EBox Air is Keystone Correction. This is “state of the art” technology as far as projectors are concerned and I’ll do my best to explain how it works.

Traditionally when using a projector, if you don’t have it perfectly leveled the projected image becomes tapered either at the top of bottom.

This can go from being almost triangular at times to just enough out of square to mess with even the mildest OCD. Either way it can lead to endless fiddling with your set up to make sure your image is not distorted.

Well, with Keystone correction, all this is taken care of for you and you will always get a perfect rectangular image. This means your set up is now a complete piece of cake!

See below is an example without the Keystone correction

img_5148

And now with the Keystone correction. Wow, and that is without touching the device !

img_5147

Awesome !

The guys have also increased the size of internal memory by a sweet 100% from 16 to 32GB.

Internet connection

I had no problem at all connecting to my wireless network at home. The EBox Air found all available networks very quickly and once I entered the password we were up and running with all date and time functions automatically correcting themselves.
EBox Air can be connected to your network via Ethernet but you will need an RJ45 Adapter which is not supplied with the device.

The home screen is concise and clear with quick links to major use functions such as Social Media and Web Browser. Miracast is here as well and ready for you to hook up your other devices.

You can also use the Airpin Airplay app to airplay stuff from your iOS device.

Entertainment Box - EBox Air Review

2016_07_12_08.59.48

The Apps Center takes you to some favourite places which you can customise to suit your own set up. With full playstore so the sky’s the limit.

Entertainment Box - EBox Air Review

The online EBox Air Manual is very good

Entertainment Box –Brand New EBox Air i Review – Mini Projector/TV Box

Smart Apps contains a vast array of pre-loaded apps for your pleasure and this is also where any new Apps you add will show up. I downloaded a couple such as File Manager HD and Screenshot Easy in order to complete this review.

Entertainment Box - EBox Air Review

Settings is where you will find the necessary pages to hook up Wifi and further customise your own set up.

2016_07_12_08.53.43

2016_07_12_08.54.48

The EBMC Kodi fork is a nice touch beautifully branding the Airbox like a hot iron.

Entertainment Box –Brand New EBox Air i Review – Mini Projector/TV Box

This takes you to what is effectively a fresh install of Kodi 16.1 ready for you to customise.

Using an Air Mouse

One thing I did notice which took me back a few years was regarding the use of and Air Mouse with the EBox Air.
I used an S77 pro Air Mouse and would certainly recommend using this is a similar device with Air Mouse to make navigation smooth and simple.

With the Air Mouse active I was often bumped out of EBMC as it was starting up. Make sure the Air Mouse is turned off during the EBMC start up to rectify this. I have no doubt the guys at Entertainment Box will have a fix for this very soon.

I have loaded several builds onto the device and all have worked well.

Wookie New Look and Retro both run well but for a device such as this I see no reason why the Wookie Lite build would not be perfect.

I currently have a Sportsmania build from Kodi master builder and skinner Dicko the Geordie on my EBMC and it runs perfectly.

With all builds I loaded onto the EBox Air, I had to be patient. The loading and extraction process is as quick as any other device I have used but it just takes a few moments more for the RK3128 Quad-core ARM Cortex-A7 CPU to sort itself out and properly configure.

This may mean you initially have more than one attempt to fire up the EBMC after loading a new build before it is fully functional.

Entertainment Box –Brand New EBox Air i Review – Mini Projector/TV Box

screenshot001

Sound

Regarding sound, yes the EBox Air has a built in speaker, but where as it does serve the function adequately. It is a bit “tinny” and not great quality.

I guess there is only so much good stuff you can cram into a mini device like this.
To enhance your viewing and listening pleasure why not use the EBox Air built in Bluetooth 4.0.  It seamlessly connects to an external audio device.

I have a pretty standard Bluetooth speaker which paired seamlessly with the EBox Air. It delivered a superb audio perfect to match that big display.

Sparky has decided to connect his to his Sonos in ceiling speakers. I can see him now thinking he is in Cineworld. The popcorn machine will be next.

Entertainment Box - EBox Air Review

Hdmi In – Big Screen Gaming

As I stated earlier in the blog this new Ebox Air i has an Hdmi Input which allows you to connect any device to it being a PS4, an Xbox 1 or PC or even a dvd player. This gives you the option for big screen gaming.

I personally don’t own a gaming console so we set the task of checking this feature out to Sparky’s two boys.

So what was there findings and feelings on this new feature?

The excitement of this new feature could not be contained and literally 5 minutes after receiving the air i they had it setup and connected to their Xbox One. They sent me these screenshots from their mobile phone. Bearing in mind that these were taken daylight with just curtains pulled, they still look impressive. The size of the screen also above the 120 inch recommended size.

They said it was SICK!! which i believe means that it was good. This new feature will be a major seller of this device.

Below are some screenshots of them playing Fifa 16 Just how it should be on a massive screen. Apologies to Damo just seen its his team that they smashed.

Quick click on this Hdmi icon connects to the device.

image5

 

 

image2

 

 

image3

 

image4

The shadow at the bottom of each photo is a 4 seater sofa so just shows how big they had projected the image.

We have been playing and testing this brand new device for the last 2 weeks and it is superb and the features added make it even better than the orignal and i never thought i would say that.

The device should go live on the Entertainment Box website at some point today. So if you are interested be sure to check it out.

Entertainment Box – EBox Air Review Summary

As far as portability is concerned the 4000mAh battery delivers a fair performance. Battery is good for a few hours which is something that could be improved.
I would therefore recommend when possible, using the device connected via the mains adapter.

A slightly improved performance using the power adapter if you are doing more than just viewing streams or movies anyway.

This is the ideal gadget for those parties and get together’s and with the wireless and battery capabilities. Why not enjoy your favourite movies on the big screen.

We at Bestforkodi know that so many of you out there really enjoyed scaring the wits out of people over Halloween with the EBox Air.

To see how you can have some real fun with the EBox Air, click here.

This device also has airplay/Miracast Capabilities. You can connect your iPhone/iPads any android device, laptops and stream all your videos. The options are endless.

We loved this device first time around but the upgrade takes it to another level. A projector and Smart TV in one make this a great combination.

Thank you Entertainment Box

With the Entertainment Box 12 month warranty and 30 day money back guarantee what have you got to lose?

Stand by for news from Entertainment Box for when this device goes on general sale. If this does hit the market before Christmas, it’s sure to be a big seller. Get one while you can, there gonna disappear like hot mince pies !

Keep you eye on Entertainmentbox.com for all the latest. Device Released Today get yours in time for Christmas – HERE

If you don’t follow us on Twitter you can do so by clicking HERE.

Why not Bookmark our page and check in with us on daily basis to see what’s new. We appreciate every one of you that follow us or read our articles. The feedback has been amazing. So, thank you. We really appreciate it.

 

new-ebox-air-banner

 

More Stories
How to install the OCW Reborn Kodi Addon
error: Alert: Content is protected !!