I love watching movies on the big screen. Who doesn’t?  Movies after all are made for it.

When I moved to a studio apartment two months ago, I didn’t have a TV nor a sound bar. It’s small, like most apartments in New York City, but I knew I wanted to have a good home theater setup despite the limited space I have. The JMGO O1 ultra short throw projector solves this problem.

True home cinema setup

When setting up your own movie theater at home, there are three essential things to keep in mind:

1. Big screen. The bigger, the better for that grand cinematic experience
2. Space. If you live in a house where you can have a dedicated room for your home theater, great. But if you’re renting a studio apartment, this can be tricky.
3. Great audio. This is something we often overlook, but should definitely be on top of priorities, too.

The JMGO O1 Ultra Short Throw Projector ticks all three of these, and more. It’s also light-weight, a space-saver, and affordable.

Space-saving big screen

One of the main reasons to get a projector is that it lets you customize the size of your screen based on the space that you have. With a TV, this just isn’t something you can do; you’re stuck with the same big black screen.

With a regular projector, and even in the cinema, anyone who walks in front will cast a shadow on the screen. This can be annoying when you’re right in the middle of the action.

With the JMGO O1, that’s simply not the case. It’s an ultra-short throw projector so I put it on my existing credenza that’s flushed against the wall and I still got a large screen.

This means my big screen movie viewing experience will never be compromised just because my apartment is small.

With a throw ratio of 0.25:1, the JMGO O1 can be placed 10 inches from the wall and you get up to 100 inches of projected screen size.

If that doesn’t scream immersive, I don’t know what does.

On weekends when I’m doing meal prep, I normally rely on recipe videos and websites and use my laptop to view them.

Nowadays, I’ve gotten accustomed to moving the JMGO O1 to my kitchen peninsula and project the recipes on the wall. The screen is smaller, around 55 inches, which is actually still pretty big, if you think about it.

It has autofocus and Auto Keystone Correction available so I’m able to quickly set it up or adjust when I want to move it around.

Eye-protection mode is also built-in, which automatically lowers the brightness of the light source. This has been especially helpful when I have guests and they look directly at the light source when checking it out.

I think another underrated feature of the JMGO O1 is that it stays cool and quiet unlike regular projectors. Since it’s placed close to the wall, I never feel the heat it emits from hours of use or hear any hums, if it even makes any.

After all, the only sound I should be hearing is that of the audio of the movie I’m watching.

Co-created with Dynaudio

Speaking of audio, the JMGO O1 is co-created and tuned with Danish loudspeaker company Dynaudio. Simply put, I get built-in cinematic stereo sound to match my big display.

So even if the projector is placed close to the wall and not beside me on the couch, the enhanced audio is powerful and immersive. It’s more than loud enough to surround me with stereo sound in my studio apartment set up.

Luna OS and JMGO app

The JMGO O1 runs on an android-based Luna OS. The app store has most of my favorite streaming apps: Netflix, Disney+, and HBOMax.

I loved watching Black Widow on this. Even though it didn’t get the movie premiere that it deserves, it’s one of those movies you’re really gonna want to watch on the big screen to appreciate all the stunts and special effects.

Seeing the animated version of Portofino in Luca made me want to book a trip to the Italian Riviera as soon as possible.

Some nights I kept up with John Oliver on Last Week Tonight, and binged reruns of Downton Abbey.

For regular TV and movie watching, I use the remote that came with the JMGO O1 to navigate. It’s small, white, and has very few buttons. It’s easy to use.

I also downloaded the JMGO app and use my phone as a trackpad sometimes. In the app, there’s a companion tab where I can change themes from Original, to Retro Neon to Ocean Waves.

With it I can also customize the music visualizer when I play my favorite songs via Bluetooth.

Another feature I love is the Digital Art Gallery. It’s like having a live screensaver on my wall, which has been a conversation starter when I have guests over.

There are different artworks  to choose from, and there’s an option to add them as widgets. This way, I can just use the remote to change the art depending on the mood.

One time, I projected this artwork called Blue sunlight by Liu Yaming on the empty wall, to the left of another piece of art. It looked like I had animated framed painting beside a still life.

There’s also a feature called Intelligent Image Flattening. With it you point your phone’s camera to align the edges of the screen. It then adjusts any plane distortion in case you have an uneven wall.

If you have streaming devices that you prefer like Chromecast, Roku, Apple TV, or Amazon’s Fire TV, you can use it with the JMGO O1. It has two HDMI ports at the back.

Outdoor movie nights

Another benefit of having a projector, apart from the big screen, is that it’s so compact and portable. When I move to another apartment next year, I wouldn’t have to worry about hauling a big TV and set it up all over again.

It’s still summer here in New York so that means we can watch movies outdoors. One night I brought the JMGO O1 over to Josh’s patio, along with an outdoor projector screen. He prepared some snacks and Aperol Spritz, and we watched Toy Story.

It’s also perfect for romantic date nights or having more friends over to watch sports.

Affordable home theater system

The thought of having a home cinema is a little bit daunting especially with all the costs it involves. Bigger TVs and other short throw projectors usually start at $2,000, and that’s being conservative.

That’s not the case here. At just $699, the JMGO O1 is not just a space saving solution when you live in a cramped space like me, it’s one that’s affordable, too.

If you’re looking to start building a home theater for yourself, I highly recommend that you check out the JMGO O1.

It’s built well, looks and performs great, and most importantly comes with a price tag that doesn’t break the bank.

How to buy the JMGO O1

JMGO has already started shipping the O1 ultra short throw projector to backers. The company is currently offering an additional $50 off for GadgetMatch fans, bringing down the price to $649 for a limited time.

Since launching the Indiegogo campaign on June 1, 2021, JMGO has received support from backers across the globe, including the United States, Singapore, United Kingdom, Canada, Hong Kong, Germany, France, Taiwan, Australia, and Japan. To date, the company has raised over half a million dollars, which is 50 times the original fundraising goal.