German TV brand Metz is offering an unusual alternative to portable projectors with the debut of its new 24MPE7002Z, which it claims is a “portable” 24-inch TV model that’s designed for “smart streaming” and comes with an integrated battery.
The TV is said to deliver Full HD resolution, which is about the best one could hope for with a TV of such small stature, and comes with an affordable price tag that undercuts many of the best portable projectors on the market.
Metz said it envisions people taking the 24MPE7002Z with them on their travels – such as if a family goes camping and wants to be able to stream some entertainment around the campfire in the evening, or if they want to spend a few days by the beach without missing their favourite TV shows. It can also act as a portable second-screen in the home.
The TV comes with the Google TV platform and has all of the major streamers built in, including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV and Disney+, but it doesn’t support the ability to receive terrestrial TV channels and other on-demand content.
According to Metz, the TV is bright enough to be viewed outside, and though it didn’t specify the display’s brightness, it did talk about the anti-glare matte LED screen, which helps to absorb any rays of sunshine that might cause distracting reflections.
In terms of portability, it weighs just four kilogrammes, and there’s an integrated handle so it should be fairly easy to carry around when required. The integrated battery supports more than three hours of uninterrupted viewing on a single charge, and this can be extended with the help of a few power packs, we suppose.
As for audio, the Metz 24MPE7002Z features a pair of front-firing 6-watt speakers that support Dolby Digital Plus surround sound, delivering what the company said is “exceptional performance”. It’s unlikely to beat many soundbars, but it should be enough to hear the dialogue while watching movies in an outdoor setting, assuming the viewer doesn't sit too far away.
The company said the 24MPE7002Z can be bought online at various retailers for just £299. At that price, it’s certainly a lot cheaper than any of the better portable projectors around today, although there are some extremely affordable big screen alternatives. However, any projector that costs less than £299 is going to have extremely limited brightness, meaning it can’t really be used outdoors during the daytime. With a projector, there’s also the need to find a wall or other surface to project the image onto, or else bring along a proper projector screen.
Of course, the advantage of projectors is that the picture will be much larger than Metz’s 24-inches, with even the cheapest beamers capable of hitting between 80-inches and 120-inches.
