We have covered the portable CINEMOOD projector several times before, most recently last year (Cinemood2 Projector Shows Big-Screen Content for Kids and Grownups), and there has been a huge upgrade that may give anyone stuck in COVID-19 isolation a small taste of the outside world.
What’s the Same?
The CINEMOOD 360 still uses a soft lumes projector (very limited blue light, which protects users’ eyes and circadian rhythms) to project up to a 12-foot image in dark or dim environment. The form-factor remains the same as previous models: a super-compact 3-inch cube that only weighs a half-pound. It still has clear sound from a built-in 2.5W speaker and a noise-free cooling system, and most importantly… the battery life is still an impressive five (5!) hours.
Image Credit: Cinemood
The CINEMOOD 360 retains its predecessor’s compatibility with Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and YouTube, and features iOS screen mirroring – so you can get all your streaming content in big screen format, no matter where you are (either inside or out, travelling or home). There is also a library of preloaded educational content, including stories and videos from Disney.
What’s New?
The game-changing update that makes the CINEMOOD 360 so special is the unique method that the projector displays virtual reality (VR) content. Instead of using a VR headset (like Google Cardboard, Oculus, or others), the content is sent outward with the user at the center of the image – allowing everyone to see the virtual world. This new interpretation of VR allows for a much more physical interaction with the virtual environment than most systems allow.
The CINEMOOD 360 comes preloaded with 360-degree educational games and videos, and many more are readily available for download. Users can search for and scare away phantoms with the included Ghost Hunt game or pursue the famous Om Nom character in a 360-degree video story of the same name. Using the 360-degree projections, entire rooms can be transformed for nearly limitless exploration, everywhere from national parks to outer space, by accessing 360-degree YouTube videos. Educational games are also brought into the VR environment, including the pre-loaded Uniword game, teaching young students to read as ABCs come to life on the walls and ceiling around them.
Of course, users can upload their own content to the CINEMOOD 360 to share 360-degree videos with an audience.
Hardware improvements in the CINEMOOD 360 includes technology that allows the 360-degree content to track twice as fast as the projection of earlier models. Finally, the CINEMOOD 360 boasts expanded internal storage of 32GB, so users can download content for viewing when WiFi is not available.
What Did We Think?
We were sent a review unit of the CINEMOOD 360 for purposes of this review; of course, all opinions are our own. The adult users still loved the portability of the projector, particularly because it can be brought outside for movie night in the back yard while still being kid-friendly enough to stand up to younger users. The younger kids loved playing the games in a 360-degree world (especially chasing that crazy Om Nom around their virtual room). The teenagers were torn between being able to bring big screen Netflix into their bedroom and exploring Yellowstone, particularly in these trying times while COVID-19 has travel all but forbidden.
Get One…
A special $100 discount right now on the CINEMOOD 360 brings the cost to $399.99. Click here for a direct link to purchase on Amazon – and it’s a Prime item too (Affiliate link).
