Nebula Portable Home Theater

Product Description

Model Number：D2322

NOTE:
*Copyrighted content from Hulu, Netflix, and similar services CAN NOT be mirrored or screencast. Download and use the apps directly through Mars II video projector to view copyrighted content from these providers.
**Chromecast is not supported.
***150" is the maximum picture size and will only be clear in very low-lighting.

Display
Display Technology: 0.3" DLP
Native Resolution: 1280 x 720 (HD)
Brightness: 300 ANSI lm
Lamp Life: 30, 000 hours
Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Throw Ratio: 100 in at 10.1 ft; 80 in at 8 ft; 60 in at 5.7 ft; 40 in at 3.8 ft
Offset: 100%
Focus Adjustment: Automatic
Projection Mode: Front/Rear/Front Ceiling/ Rear Ceiling
Keystone Correction: Auto (vertical ±40°)

Interface
HDMI: HDMI 1.4
USB: USB 2.0
DC-IN: 19V, 3A DC-In
Control: Physical Buttons
IR Remote: D-pad mode/mouse mode
Dedicated App: Nebula Connect for Android & iOS

Hardware
CPU: Quad Core A7 Smartphone Chipset
GPU: Adreno 304
RAM: 1GB DDR3
ROM: 8GB eMMC
Battery: 12,500mAh / 3.85V
Speaker: Dual 10W Speakers
Wi-Fi: 802.11a/b/g/n
Dual Frequency 2.4/5GHz
Bluetooth: BT4.0 Dual Mode/A2DP
Fan: <32dB

Software
OS: Android 7.1
Working Modes: Projector Mode and Bluetooth Speaker Mode
OTA: Supported
App Store: Supported
Movie Playtime: 4 hours in Battery Mode
Music Playtime: 30 hours in Bluetooth Speaker Mode
Charging time: 3 hours
Video Formats: H.264 BP/MP/HP-up to 1080p;
MPEG-4 SP/ASP-up to 1080p;
DivX 4x/5x/6x -up to 1080p;
H.263 P0 - WVGA;
VP8 - 1080p;
(HEVC) H.265 MP 8-bit - up to 1080p
*Specifications and design are subject to change without notice.

What's In The Box
Nebula Mars II, power adapter, manual, remote, 12-month warranty, and our friendly customer service.

Features

• Sensational Clarity: Experience your favorite content in a whole new light. 300 ANSI lm brightness and 720p DLP IntelliBright technology combine to create a crisp, clear picture.
• Stunning Sound: Dual 10W audio drivers generate cinematic stereo sound and deep pounding bass.
• Ideal in the Home: Stay entertained at home with Mars II’s 150-inch image. Watch movies, take online classes, or keep the kids entertained with hours of cartoons and educational videos. The possibilities are endless.
• Binge-Watch in Style: Watch YouTube, Netflix, and more wherever you go on Mars II movie projector. Seamlessly display your favorite Android 7.1 content for endless hours of entertainment.
• NOTE: Copyrighted content from Hulu, Netflix, and similar services CAN NOT be mirrored or screencast. Download and use the apps directly through Mars II portable projector to view copyrighted content from these providers. Chromecast is not supported.

Top Reviews

Some serious hidden limitations to know before you buy.
by Zach P (2 out of 5 stars)
October 28, 2018

This is *almost* a great value, but unfortunately, after some heavy use, there are several big limitations that move this into a "do not buy" for me.

You've probably heard all of the good things. Small, portable, some apps, somewhat usable built in speaker, bt connectivity, etc. Those are all true. It's not the brightest or 1080, but it seems like it would be great for simple, fun family use.

However:
1.) While the projector is 720p the built in Netflix app (and any side-loaded app) will NOT DISPLAY MORE THAN 480P. It's not a certified device I guess? But whatever the reason, you CANNOT stream Netflix HD. Huge deal breaker.
2.) Well no problem! Just plug in a laptop or Roku to the HDMI in! Yes... except the HDMI presents about a 1 to 2 second audio lag no matter the source. Completely unusable.
3.) I could never get the Nebula Connect phone app to work. Connected both to the same Wi-Fi and paired them via BT but they would never communicate.

All in all that makes this projector good for... well basically emergency boardroom PowerPoint projections where audio isn't a necessity and that's about it.

If Anker can fix those giant glaring issues (seriously how can you advertise it's HD and then the streaming apps are gimped to SD?!) then it would instantly go to a value that's definitely worth the price.
↭ 🍁 ↭
The best portable projector on the market, with Anker's customer service!
by Kindle Customer (4 out of 5 stars)
July 31, 2018

This projector is AWESOME, but there are definitely some tricks to getting the best out of it.

I've had the Mars 2 for about 1 month at this point, and have used it about 10 times, so I'm not writing a review after my first use. I'll list everything out separately below, for ease of searching.

PICTURE - When I ordered, I was worried about the projector only being 720p, instead of 1080p, and was afraid I would get a "Screen Door" effect, but 100% I did not. When you are playing a movie, there is absolutely no way to tell it's not 1080p.
**If you are going to watch Netflix directly from the Mars Android as an App, you are NOT going to get a HD picture, as Netflix limits the Android App to 480p. I know this because I thought the picture looked fuzzy for a good two weeks, before I figured this out. The easiest work around for me was to use a Fire Stick and run Neflix through that. Once you do that, it's a night and day difference with the picture.**

BRIGHTNESS - It absolutely is 300 ANSI Lumens. There is a bid difference between Lumens and ANSI Lumens, so make sure you look for ANSI Lumens when you are shopping for projectors.

PORTABILITY - It has a handle and a battery. It doesn't get much more portable than that.

EASE OF USE - The mars runs an Android OS, which makes it pretty uncomplicated. There is an remote included, which is very good, and there are also controls on the top of the machine, which give full functionality. There is also the Nebula Connect app, which allows you to use your phone screen like a mouse pad, and also gives you keyboard functionality. The app is OK, but can sometimes be laggy or have difficulty connecting. That being said, it's in no way a huge issue, just reconnect, and all is fixed. The link below is for a touchpad/keyboard controller that works with my PS4, MARS 2, Fire TV, and maybe works better than the official remote.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06X9J8NG4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1&tag=c-t-20

Audio - The two 10w speakers work great for a small room, but if you're watching outdoors or in a larger room you may need an external speaker. If you plan on using a bluetooth speaker, just know that there is going to be about a 1 second delay between audio/video. As of right now there isn't software on the MARS II to fix the audio/video over bluetooth. That being said, if a speaker is connected by cable, it syncs perfectly. Also, if you use apps like Kodi, they have a feature to allow you to manually fix the issue.

Customer Service - So I called about the Bluetooth issue, and spoke with Kevin (I think, but it was over a week ago) who was great. I expected to be on/off the phone in 10 mins, without actually getting an answer, but our call lasted 45 minutes. While there is no current fix, they did work to give me access to the Google Play store to beta test it. I very much like the fact that I can call customer service, and speak with a live, us based person within 5 minutes of dialing the phone.

Overall: The projector is perfect for a movie night, either indoors or outdoors. The resolution and portability you get for the price, make the MARS 2 absolutely worth it!
↭ 🍁 ↭
tl;dr A device of many compromises... that I actually kind of love.
by David Fay (4 out of 5 stars)
July 12, 2018

What I was looking for:

I hate televisions. To me, televisions are a big, black rectangle that sit in your living room and you end up structuring the layout of your living room around the television. I've been dreaming of a TV-free living room for a while now... not because I want to watch less TV or play less games or anything - just because I don't want to own a physical TV.

So this projector was designed to be my TV replacement, and I was willing to put up with a lot to make that vision happen.
---

About our setup:

The projector is stored in / on a little side table unit. It's effectively invisible when it's been put away. This was far and away the most important thing for me. I pop it on the coffee table when it comes out each evening. It usually has an HDMI cable and the power running out the back.

The projector projects upwards at a fairly sharp angle above our fireplace. This introduces keystone artifacts, but they're not too bad. The autofocus feature is very, very good.

The projector sits about 4 feet from the projection surface and creates a large image. At 6 feet or ten feet the image is huge. (I haven't measured it, sorry.)
---

The pros:
* It's summer right now, and we leave all the shades open in the living room. It doesn't get dark until 9:30ish. We will start watching TV at 7, and while it's by no means a perfect image because of all the ambient light, it's definitely not unwatchable. The image quality only gets better as it gets darker, and when it's dark out I find myself blown away by the strength of the image. We frequently leave lights on, but, like all projectors, this thing definitely shines when the space is as dark as possible.
* The sound is loud!
* The portability is great. The projector frequently travels to different rooms in our condo. Running it off the battery at full power kind of feels like magic.
* Playing games. I'm a casual gamer, and it's so fun to play my Nintendo Switch on this thing. I haven't noticed any lag.
* The image is 720p, and that can be pretty damn crisp. I'm not one to get all that excited about ultra HD.

The cons:
* Software. The Youtube app doesn't currently let you log into your account. (Nebula said they're fixing this). The Netflix app can't play HD content, because of some kind of hardware signing issue. I even side-loaded the newest Android Netflix app and it didn't make a difference. I don't think there's a workaround here. So, for the best experience you'll probably want to connect an Apple TV or similar (we had one lying around from 2012. It works great.)
* I know I said I'm happy with the brightness - but I feel like it could have been just a touch brighter. I'd been following the Mars I for quite a while and was disappointed to see that the projection brightness had been reduced for the Mars 2.
* The sound is loud, but not that high quality. Not distractingly bad or anything - it might be a bit too heavy on the bass.
[EDIT]: Nebula's support is fantastic. They've been super responsive to questions about the product, and really helpful each time. Shout-out to Wendy for all your help!!
↭ 🍁 ↭
Perfect Portable Projector
by Andrew (5 out of 5 stars)
June 26, 2018

This thing is fantastic.

A bit of background for more than a decade I've had a dedicated home theater projector setup in my home... Mostly Panasonic equipment over the years... I recently moved to a property with a rooftop deck... and was interested in this device to create the opportunity for movies under the stars... and this thing delivers.

Keep in mind this device has its limitations... its meant for complete/near darkness... it won't be very effective at all with the lights on... but it performs fine on a dark night with some minimal ambient light from my neighborhood...

Speakers are more than adequate for this type of setup. Android can be updated. Has the streaming apps I need (Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, YouTube). One downside is that while it supports chromecast and airplay, it won't play any copyrighted material via those mechanisms... but I have an HDMI adapter for my iPhone that I've used to play material from my iTunes library...

Perfect size & portability.

iPhone Remote App improves the overall experience.

Great job Nebula/Anker!
↭ 🍁 ↭
skip it.
by Jared Zimmerman (1 out of 5 stars)
August 21, 2018

I usually like Anker products but this one isn't very good, its very dim, the room has to be pitch black for the colors to render at all. Its also even more dim when its on battery rather than plugged it. It runs android but you can't cast to it or install most android apps, the built in Netflix app doesn't work well, and even though you log in, basic functionality like lists and resuming don't work. Build quality seems fine but the brightness is a break it feature. You also can't zoom, in case the device is too close to the wall, and while it does autokeystone, it doesn't rotate so your surface has to be perfectly flat.
↭ 🍁 ↭
Major Flaws Spoil an Otherwise Decent Projector
by D. Rathbone (3 out of 5 stars)
August 16, 2018

The Good Stuff

Video quality is great when there is very low ambient light in the room, and the projected image is bright (a daylit scene, for example). The audio quality from the built in speakers is descent, considering their size.

However, there are three major flaws which I wish I had know about before my purchase.
1. Audio Lag

There is no lag when playing videos via the built in Youtube app, but when videos are played through HDMI the audio lags about 0.25 seconds. When videos played through HDMI and via Bluetooth the audio lags about 0.7 seconds. I have tested this with a variety of devices HDMI and Bluetooth devices with the same result (tested HDMI input via Chromecast Ultra and cable to laptop, and tested Bluetooth output to Yamaha YAS-107 soundbar and Aukey Latitude headset).
2. Nebula Connect

The Nebula Connect app often takes several minutes and attempts to connect to the projector, and often fails to connect at all. Problem occurs with Nexus 6P, Nexus 5X, Pixel 2, and Pixel 2XL but not with iPhone X.
3. Low Brightness

Details in dark images (photos/video) disappear (tested in a pitch black room, projecting onto white wall).

I like my Mars 2, and I'll get some good use out of it, but if I'd done my homework and been aware of these issues before the purchase, I don't think I'd have made the purchase.
↭ 🍁 ↭
Best Portable Projector on the Market Right Now
by Snow-Okami (5 out of 5 stars)
January 30, 2019

I have owned projectors since 2009 and had many that range from very high end to very low end. I have a JVC NX7 / RS2000 coming very soon as well as a Da Lite High Power 2.8 gain 120" so I know what a good picture is suppose to look like. I also have many asian pico projectors that I have been trying over the years. Many of these projectors even have faster processors, ram and ROM space than the Mars, but that is all meaningless is you don't have the software to back it up. The Mars II is buttery smooth and responds to all commands very quickly. Other projectors normally fail in this regard when trying to use the home button on a resource intensive app. Also many of the pico projectors are strictly SVGA / XGA or some form of this resolution. The picture with text is very pixelated that smooths out a little when watching cinema quality content. This picture however is extremely lacking at usually a high price tag (~$100-$300) It simply isn't worth the trouble. Go with a reputable company that be there when things go wrong and will actually update their devices as time goes on. I have had nothing but things to say about all the Anker products I own (which is a lot). They are all very high quality and so far none of them have broken yet (except a battery charger that I dropped, but still functions though the indicator button is busted now)

Pros
* Compatible with all the apps I require:
* Youtube
* Hulu (Updated versions of this require Google Play Services)
* MX Player (This is broken on many Chinese projectors)
* Emby
* VRV (This is RARELY compatible with other android devices)
* Netflix
* Kodi
* Xfinity Stream
* Very bright image, easily viewable on an off-white color wall
* Auto keystoning / focus
* Very long battery life (usually lasts a movie of 1h30 to 2h)
* Excellent customer support with potential access to early beta builds
* Aptoide version of Play Store is superior to any Chinese variants you'd find in other small projectors
* Ability to side-load apps
* HDMI in has auto switching that will sense an HDMI signal and switch over to it
* Buttons on the actual unit so remote is not required
* Nebula Connect App lets you control the projector with your phone
* Casting from a OnePlus 6 just works WITHOUT the need for any other software (This is not the case for ANY other projector I have tried - usually Miracast or some other form of app is needed, and the app is not native, so it is slow and only works much like Google casting, where it must be a compatible video from a service like Youtube, rather than the desktop. I cannot stress enough how rediculous this has become - for some projectors I have tried nearly 10 programs, which all fail to do even the most basic of streaming well. With the Mars II I have streamed with Wi-Fi direct video games, such as Sonic Dash | To do this go to Settings -> Display -> Cast [at the bottom of the list]. Also under Settings -> Wi-Fi -> Advanced -> Wi-Fi Direct, select the 'NebulaXXXX' device.)

Cons
* Fan can be noisy compared to other small form factor projectors (it becomes more in-audible the louder the movie is, if playing content at even 1/4 max volume it will drown out the fan. This is to be expected with the amount of lumens this thing puts out)
* Carrying strap is not detachable or hide-able (would be nice to have it depress into the unit so it doesn't look so tacky while in use or not needed)
* Google Play Services is not available on the base firmware (this is needed for a lot of apps, which makes them un-usable without it)
* Mouse mode on the remote control is cumbersome, you must press the button and then move the cursor with the directional pad. A better alternative to this is to buy a USB remote that allows you to point at the projector screen in order to move the mouse, this is much more intuitive. This is what I use: https://www.amazon.com/Backlight-Wireless-Controller-3-Gsensor-Projector/dp/B076BRLHZT?tag=c-t-20. However, if you simply use the Nebula app, which has a mouse mode by moving the screen this works your finger over the screen - this works just as well.

The customer service is fantastic. I sent a message to them about a firmware update to address the issue with Google Play Services, and even on a weekend they got back to me within hours. They allowed me into their beta program and so far the new firmware is great. Thanks very much to Helen for assisting me in this matter, she has gone above and beyond in making sure I was satisfied with my purchase.

Overall this is the best projector for the small form factor market I have tried. I currently have 5 projectors and 4 of them are small form factor. This one is superior to them all by a mile. Best of all, these projectors use LEDs which has lamp hours in the 10s of 1000s. Basically, you will never need to replace the lamp (you can't you will just need to buy a new projector) unless you watch it 24 hours a day for the next 3.5 years. With my new JVC projector coming the lamps normally last 3000-4500 hours in which you will need a replacement which will cost us around $800, nearly twice the price of this entire projector!

NOTE: The video / images are not accurate to what you will see in person (it looks much better) but I hope it gives people some better clue of what to expect!
↭ 🍁 ↭
Movie night is a GO!!
by Steven H. (5 out of 5 stars)
June 29, 2018

To say that I'm happy with my purchase would be a massive understatement!

I've been researching portable projectors for a long time. Community movie night has been discussed a lot but never happened. My goal for 2018 was to change that. After reading a bit on WireCutter about the differences between projectors and seeing what they recommended, I settled on the Mars II.

This projector is super easy to setup, taking a few minutes. The controls are very intuitive and responsive. The autofocus and keystone correction work great and is super fast. It is amazingly light and you can easily move it around and see how it performs on various surfaces and sizes. I've watched several shows and it is still showing a full charge, so the battery life seems to be very good (I haven't had a chance to run it all the way down and see how long it actually lasts).

As for content, the easiest way seems to be to just log into the apps on the projector. Streaming YouTube from an iOS device is flawless, but it won't stream from DirecTV Now or HBO due to copyright reasons. I'm going to do some more testing with the HDMI connector to the iPhone and iPad, but I anticipate they will work just fine -- having something wired will definitely prevent hiccups in playback if there are other devices on the wifi network. I saw some skipping once when I was casting from my phone via VLC. For movie night I'm planning to just plug the phone into the projector via HDMI, just in case.

The built-in speakers are pretty good and totally usable for small groups. I'm not sure how loud they'll be if you have a larger group with some people deciding to chit chat. The connection to bluetooth headphones was super quick and easy and I'm still waiting to try the headphone jack with some external speakers.

I'm waiting for my screen to arrive and I have a feeling that the picture quality will be vastly improved versus just projecting onto a white wall. Once we have our official movie night I will update this review with any other observations.

The only thing that didn't work right out of the box was the physical remote. It wasn't really an issue since I have the app on my phone and the buttons on the projector are super convenient. I reached out to Anker to ask them if there is a way to reset the remote to the projector and the customer service rep very helpfully gave me some things to try and, when those didn't work, told me that she was sending out a replacement and that I'd have it within the week. Great customer service as well!!

Couldn't be happier with my purchase and would buy one again in a heartbeat. I've been showing the projector to friends and family and everybody has been super impressed and a couple people are even going to buy their own!!
↭ 🍁 ↭
I do like this projector, but...
by Mitch (4 out of 5 stars)
July 12, 2018

The picture and ease of operation are great. The fan noise isn't obtrusive. It streams Netflix and Amazon content perfectly. I can play movies from a flash drive. The sound is very nice for its size. I can even watch while in bed projecting a screen on the ceiling, which is awesome for really lazy people such as myself.

Mirroring on my iPhone X failed the first night, but started working the second night...not sure what changed.

My primary complaint is that Vudu does not work. I can install the app on the projector, but it simply does not work. There is a warning that the app requires "Google Services"...but that's doesn't mean anything to me. This is a pretty big bummer since most of my video library is on Vudu.

So, depending upon where you consume your video content, it'll be great or just medium.
↭ 🍁 ↭
Slightly misses the mark
by RUCKUS (3 out of 5 stars)
September 23, 2018

The lack of AptX Bluetooth on this is it's Achilles heel. The delay issue I have found is minimized by using a firetv stick and linking my Bluetooth speaker directly with the stick as opposed to with the projector. There is still a delay, as the firetv stick is also not aptX but it's significantly better. The other bit of truly unfortunate issue issus is the non official app store. This product would have been a 5 star had Anker added AptX Bluetooth, integrated Amazon's firetv platform into it, and made this USB-c rechargeable. With all these limitations you may as well buy the lite version. Last note is the Netflix app available from the unofficial store is limited too poor quality 480p video, and you can clearly see the difference between built in and when running from a fireTv

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

*If this is not the "Nebula Portable Home Theater" product you were looking for, you can check the other results by clicking this link.  Details were last updated on Mar 31, 2024 17:55 +08.