Amovfilm HY300 Pro

The same spec sheet also lists brightness as 15,000 lumens and 9,000 ANSI lumens, figures no projector this size can reach. When one sheet disagrees with itself that widely, treat every picture number on it as optimistic until you see the image on your own wall.

The parts that are easy to verify are solid enough:

• Android TV 11.0 with an app market for Netflix, Prime Video and YouTube.
• Dual-band Wi-Fi 6 on 2.4 and 5 GHz, with Bluetooth 5.0 for audio out.
• Auto keystone that corrects the picture up and down when the body tilts.
• A 180° swivel for wall, ceiling or floor projection.
• HDMI, USB and a 3.5 mm jack, plus a 3W Hi-Fi speaker.

Amovfilm rates the light source at 5,000 hours, well short of the 30,000 to 50,000 hours other HY300 makers quote. A nightly double feature still gets roughly three years from it, but it is the shortest figure in the range.

It comes in white, black and rose gold, a wider choice of finishes than most HY300s offer, so it can match a white bedroom or a dark media shelf.

The 40, 60 and 150-inch rows are Amovfilm's figures; the 100-inch row sits between them and is rounded.

A longer throw is not all bad news. The projector sits further back, often behind the sofa, so its fan and its glow stay out of the way while the picture grows over everyone's heads.

That longer throw changes which rooms work best:

• Long lounges. A sideboard at the back of the room lands a big picture on the far wall, above everyone's heads.
• Small bedrooms. With the bed against one wall, the space may run out before the picture reaches 80 inches.
• Ceilings. Under a 2.4 m (8 ft) ceiling, a nightstand leaves around 5.5 to 6 ft of throw, good for about 60 inches overhead.

If your wall is close, a 0.9:1 model such as the Alwtniet HY300 Pro, which throws 35 to 135 inches from 0.75 to 2.65 m, fills more of it. The HY300 screen size chart shows the 0.9:1 distances for comparison.

1. Aim the remote at the back or the lens. It is infrared, and the receivers sit there, so pointing at the wall does nothing.
2. Switch to mouse mode for Netflix. The Netflix build on this projector is the mobile version; it needs the remote's mouse mode to move a pointer onto the buttons.
3. Plug in a USB mouse if the pointer is slow. A cheap wired or wireless mouse makes log-ins and search boxes far quicker.

Screen mirroring needs the phone and projector on the same Wi-Fi network. Amovfilm points owners to a TV Casting app from its app market for this. Photos and home videos cast well; paid services such as Netflix usually block mirrored video, so play those from the app on the projector or from a stick on HDMI.

• HDMI takes a TV stick with its own remote, the simplest route to every app.
• USB plays films from a stick and takes the mouse.
• 3.5 mm sends sound to wired headphones or a powered speaker with no delay.
• Bluetooth 5.0 pairs speakers, headphones and soundbars wirelessly.

The remote app guide covers phone control, and the phone connection guide explains mirroring in detail.

Choose the Amovfilm for a long room, a colour to match the décor, and the freedom to run apps with a mouse. Choose one of the others for a short bedroom throw, a newer Android and figures that hang together.

Alwtniet states throw figures that match the 0.9:1 lens found across most of the family, 0.75 to 2.65 m for 35 to 135 inches, which makes it easier to plan around in a small room. The Amovfilm is the outlier, useful where the room is long and the projector can stand well back.

Measure and decide on these first:

• Room length. Measure the lens-to-wall distance you have; under 6 ft keeps the Amovfilm near 60 inches.
• Streaming habits. Heavy Netflix viewers should budget for a TV stick.
• Support. Amovfilm covers it for a year under its own warranty and email help.
• Mounting. A tripod or wall mount helps a long-throw projector clear heads.

How the original differs from the Pro is set out in HY300 vs HY300 Pro.