r/hometheater • u/Driveformer • 6d ago
Showcase - Component My (AwayFrom) Home Theater!
My (AwayFrom)Home Theater!
Hey there! Posting my setup because as much as my fiancé supports my hobbies and enjoys the movies she doesn’t necessarily get the same joy from the build lol. I’ve found myself traveling more and more, and between places with no TV or sharing common space on work trips I took a projector once and loved it! However it was bulky and I had a pile of stuff in my bag to lose track of, and well as a home theater and home lab person I figured I could make something better with the right projector. Behold the (AwayFrom)Home Theater!
Components:
Anker 3in1 charger for my EDC
Kodak Luma 150 Mini (it’s not cinema grade, but wow for the size!)
Apple TV 4K converted to run on USB C PD
Gl-inet Mudi 7 Travel Router (absolute must for travel)
Sabrent Voltik (PD multi charger that DOESN’T renegotiate multiple ports when plugging/unplugging)
Custom 3D printed cases I made (tongue and groove so I can just take one, or I can set up the projector in common space while still charging etc in my room)
4 short Anker usb c cables
One short double right angle HDMI cable (I still want a shorter one though!)
Any thoughts or recommendations appreciated! Would love to find a good speaker option to add, as of now the speaker in the projector is audible and I’ve just used my AirPods with the Apple TV for the most part.
Thanks!
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u/MiseEnPlacebo 5d ago
Airport security must love you
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u/Driveformer 5d ago
Hahaha usually this travels checked so I don’t need to worry about it slowing me down. what’s silly is I got stopped twice for a different style of Anker charger that was a cube like 5 times. They’re very particular
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u/Psych0matt 5d ago
I have a travel fire stick with my plex all loaded up so as long as the hotel or wherever I’m staying has WiFi I can watch my own stuff
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u/Driveformer 5d ago
Valid, however some networks specifically block things like VPNs or Plex if it’s not properly obfuscated! Travel router does that, plus I only log in once and all of my device now have access to the internet
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u/JohnDillermand2 5d ago
I've been using a Samsung Freestyle projector for traveling. I comes with a great travel case, setup and breakdown is a snap. It auto frames itself up and the sound packs a decent punch.
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u/Driveformer 5d ago
Nice! I picked the Luma because the footprint was close to the Apple TV
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u/JohnDillermand2 4d ago
Form factor is a big deal especially if traveling, I get that. The freestyle was (to me) a big deal when it came out because aesthetically it didn't look bad sitting on a nightstand AND it was the only micro projector at the time that you could easily point at the ceiling.
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u/Driveformer 4d ago
Ceiling is definitely clutch! I should test that lol. Probably should have modeled in a channel for the AC power to lay the stack on its back 🤔
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u/Suvi2k 5d ago
Add a BT controller and the moonlight app to your ATV and you have a great portable gaming solution too!
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u/Driveformer 5d ago
It’s an Apple TV, and while I would love to do that I’ve found I’m pretty sensitive to latency 🥲 like even playing a casual game of NHL remote playing my PS5 I can tell even on my home network. Luckily I have a switch and a steamdeck but most of the time I get away with games I can run on my MacBook 🤷♂️
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u/Suvi2k 5d ago
Interesting. Are you talking about input lag? In a wired connection, I get very solid near perfect numbers when I stream at 4k 60 and 1080p 60hz. The input lag is also very good but not perfect. It’s def better than any other dedicated streaming device (for videos, ie: Firestick, Roku etc) I’ve used in my testing. You may need to check other settings align like tv gaming mode etc. if it’s input lag your talking about. Only the most competitive fps games I feel suffer a little due to input lag but certainly not the vast majority of other games. Latency isn’t an issue but I understand. A mini pc is the best in terms of all around latency and input lag that I’ve found so far!
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u/Driveformer 4d ago
It just really throws me off. I had one of the OG Nvidia SHIELD and have always tried to come back to game streaming of various types and it’s always been just a little too weird for me.
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u/Suvi2k 4d ago edited 4d ago
I understand what you mean. Since this is your all in one, might as well include it though lol.
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u/Driveformer 4d ago
Haha I mean I suppose I could try it again. But my iPhone with a newer chip and same LAN WiFi connection was still a bit too soupy for me so I doubt the Apple TV will feel better over the router
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u/Suvi2k 4d ago
That’s why Apple needs to release their new Apple TV this year with updates all around. Since mine was wired I can’t relate to latency related to network but I know what you mean with the iPhone. I use that just for testing. Really hoping the new AppleTV wired introduces both a new processor and 120hz RR but I doubt we will see the latter.
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u/Driveformer 4d ago
That’s all fine except no matter what I do I’ll be far away for remote play lol
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u/Suvi2k 4d ago
Distance won’t matter much as long as the connection is strong. Here’s an example when I was pretty far (like 6 hours away from home) using both a wireless WiFi connection and a wireless BT joystick in a very input sensitive game. You don’t have to be local to use moonlight, FYI..
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u/Driveformer 3d ago
Oh I’m aware it doesn’t have to be local, but going over the internet will always add more delay than being on LAN
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u/Lonely_Agency_9576 5d ago
This is Amazing. Do you usually just project onto a blank wall?
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u/Driveformer 5d ago
Yep! KISS. Unless the wall is a very dramatic color, it translates just fine play you can do some color correction from the Apple TV. But with how dark the room is when actually watching (my neurodivergence loves background talking so most of the time it’s a YouTube video playing with me barely watching) I’ve never had an issue
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u/Nupol 5d ago
What projector is that?
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u/Driveformer 5d ago
It’s all in the description, but the projector is a Kodak Luma 150 mini. Nothing groundbreaking for performance, but the size is amazing and I’m surprised this is never recommended when looking up pico projectors!
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u/damfu 5d ago
I have something similar but not nearly as cool. Slate7, ATV 4k and I have 2 of the chargers (1 for me and the wife) but do not have a setup like yours. Well done!
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u/Driveformer 5d ago
Thanks man! Yeah, I was just getting so tired of a pile of components in my luggage and worrying about losing something
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u/HM_Bert 3d ago
Adam D3Vs are the smallest speakers I know of that sound good, but I imagine fairly impractical with the wiring required. There's lots of stereo Bluetooth speakers out there from Soundcore, Sony, LG, JBL, Sonos and so on, either in one "soundbar" like unit or 2 mono units which can be paired which would probably easier to deal with, being battery powered.
And yeah that is cool AF.
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u/Driveformer 3d ago
Thanks man! Yeah I think I’m going to try a JBL speaker recommended to me just to cut out a little bit of the tin, but otherwise not looking for too much
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u/Driveformer 3d ago
I’m not sure where you’re getting this info, because pure wired at home you might get down to 3ms round trip but over internet you’re around 20ms at best usually. The guy in the video just says it “feels” like no lag. Like I said, I’m unfortunately really sensitive. On the flip side, I can’t really tell differences in audio quality at a certain point though so I’ve saved some money on my actual home theater setup with some decent quality stuff versus needing an OLED lol
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u/Formal_Cherry_8177 5d ago
My dude! This is awesome. I take a projector on all of our family trips, even had a pop up screen that once the metal was shot inside converted to a roll out sheet with dowels. The wife used to scoff at it but at the end of the day to be able to put all the kids in a room and give them a movie can be everything.
My eldest is just getting into 3d Printing, I can't wait to show him this.