Lumio Arc 7 projector review

Designed to emulate a portable form factor, the Arc 7 is actually not and does need to be plugged in for operation. But its small size and relatively light weight of 2.3kg does make it easy to carry around from room to room, so the binging never stops. With a marketing department that coins terms quicker than a Gen Z skateboarder, the Arc 7 press material has a sprinkling of smile-inducing nomenclature. But thankfully, it’s also backed by thoughtful design that helps to make it stand out from this rapidly ballooning category. The plastic chassis is very well put together, and accents of lime green around the lens ring and logo give up a distinct look. A mesh grille just below the lens houses the ToF sensor for auto calibration, and each of the sides houses a speaker driver that delivers 8W of power to the full-range drivers while the low-end response is augmented by a passive radiator.

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A small kick stand cheekily labelled “under stand” can be pulled out from the bottom to angle the Arc 7 up at a screen or a vacant, white wall. A sole button on the top panel switches the unit on/off, keeping things as simple as they can get. 

Following up on the brilliant Vision 7 television, Lumio has ensured total transparency in specs and has to be commended for that. 400ANSI lumens may not sound like a lot, but this is the actual level of brightness available for viewing at the screen, which may be at a distance of 6-10ft from the projector. Similarly, they could’ve gotten away with mentioning a higher value for Rec709 coverage but instead, chose to go with a DCI-P3 colour space coverage which is a much more accurate depiction of the actual colour gamut of the projector with HDR content. The LED-based ARC engine is sealed to withstand the typical Indian dusty environment and extend life without having colour fade or patches over time. And yes, even though it maxes out at 1080p resolution, it does offer HDR10 and HLG support as long as you feed it compatible content.

Projectors of this form factor are usually victims of a lot of handling and positioning abuse, more often than not causing them to project images that look like funhouse mirrors rather than a serious threat to TVs. Lumio has picked up on these vagaries and kitted out the Arc 7 with auto keystone, auto focus and auto obstacle avoidance. The Time-of-Flight sensor collects information like the depth of the room and distance from the screen and even positioning of the projector relative to screen height and within a matter of seconds, resets and recalibrates the image every time someone moves the Arc 7 even by an inch. It’s a great way to bypass manual calibration and get the show started on time, but for this review, I did have to dig into the manual settings and adjust the four corners individually to avoid pin-cushioning and get the picture geometry just right. Obstacle avoidance is a hit or a miss, no pun intended. So while in theory it may be a plug-and-play device, if you want to get something done right, you will have to do it yourself. 

Setting up the Arc 7 with your Google account is as easy as on any Google TV device, and this being an officially certified product, it comes with Netflix the way it’s supposed to be. Not some pared-down version without HDR. The Royals may be questionable in its script and direction, but it does paint one helluva colourful Rajasthani image on screen and the Arc 7 managed to keep the skin tones realistic and keep the contrast alive. Sharpness is admirable too, from edge to edge and that is an impressive quality, especially for a projector of this size and price. Although Lumio doesn’t specify any particular screen, an ALR (ambient light rejection) screen would do wonders to increase the perceived dynamic range even further. On our Milan acoustically perforated screen, the picture quality was entertaining and bright enough, but most importantly, very well processed. From motion processing to handling both SDR and HDR content, there was never any unnatural tinting that plagues lesser HDR projectors. Image size will depend on where you can place the Arc 7 in your room, obviously, and we could easily get an 80in image from a mere 7ft from the screen. 

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Having built their reputation on speedy processors and the subsequent UX, the Arc 7 feels markedly slower because of a different processor and a different set of priorities. However, it’s not going to make you pull your hair out either, it’s just not as snappy as their TVs and as far as projectors with Google TV go, it’s par for the course. After booting up, navigating through the settings does feel laggy but give it time and it picks up pace. 

A USB and an HDMI ARC port allow for some expansion and connectivity, along with a 3.5mm aux jack. But if its a speaker that you want, Bluetooth connectivity it is and the Arc 7 will switch its video circuitry off during audio-only playback for those late night podcasts. 

Lumio’s Minion remote makes an appearance too, with hotkeys for Netflix, Prime Video and Youtube while giving centrestage to TLDR - their homegrown platform of curated sports and music content blended with a live dashboard giving your scores of football, cricket and now, tennis games. It’s a fun concept and one that holds a lot of potential once its learning algorithm becomes even more sophisticated and more sports or genres are added. In its current state, it’s a value add-on and nothing more. 

The kicker here is obviously the price, which during the introductory period will be south of Rs. 30,000 and if you consider that you can potentially have a 120in image in your living room for the price of a 42in television, it’s a no-brainer! The Lumio Arc 7 is phenomenal value for money for anyone looking for a well-rounded big-screen experience on a budget. It’s not for gamers and its not for 4K freaks but it is for movie and sports fans wanting to dip their toes into the world of projection and that job, it does to perfection.