Dangbei DBOX02 Review

The Dangbei DBOX02 projector ($1,899) is best described as a work in progress. You can’t currently view 3D content, for example, but Dangbei says that problem will be solved in an upcoming firmware update, which will also include new features. Even the name has changed—from the Mars Pro 2 at its introduction—to avoid confusion with similarly named models from other manufacturers, according to the company. (That includes the Anker Nebula Mars II Pro, which actually isn’t a direct competitor.) That said, the DBOX02 is widely available for less than its list price, and it offers good brightness and picture quality straight out of the box. And while we still prefer the Hisense C1 as our top pick for a 4K room-to-room portable projector, the DBOX02 is good enough to be worth considering even before the firmware update arrives.

Design: A Google TV-Powered Black Cube

The DBOX02 weighs 8.8 pounds and measures 6.4 by 9.3 by 7.9 inches (HWD). As with all of its direct competition, it delivers its 3,840-by-2,160-pixel image to the screen courtesy of a 1,920-by-1,080-pixel DLP chip and TI’s fast-switch pixel shifting. The chip is paired with an ALPD light source, a term that describes several light-engine designs from Appotronics. Dangbei says it’s the laser-phosphor version, which produces its primary colors using a laser and an RGB phosphor wheel. Dangbei rates the lifetime at 30,000 hours in Standard power mode.

Initial setup is typical for projectors that offer Google TV and automatic setup features like autofocus and keystone adjustment. Optionally connect image sources to one or both of the HDMI ports, power up the projector, and run through the standard Google TV setup, with a choice of Ethernet or Wi-Fi for connecting to the internet. Netflix users will appreciate that a licensed version of the app is already installed, along with some other common apps, including Amazon Prime Video.

(Credit: M. David Stone)

The autofocus delivered a suitably crisp image in my tests, while the horizontal and vertical keystone adjustments didn’t always work well. However, our standard advice is to turn off automatic keystone adjustments and also avoid using the manual keystone and other digital adjustments—which include digital zoom and obstacle avoidance in the case of the DBOX02—since they can lower image brightness, introduce artifacts to some images, and even increase input lag, which is an issue for gaming.

Dangbei pegs the DBOX02’s brightness at 2,450 ISO lumens (equivalent to ANSI lumens). Based on the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) recommendations, that would be enough to fill a roughly 185-to-255-inch image on a 1.0-gain screen in a dark room. In my tests, using my preferred settings for both SDR and HDR viewing and a 90-inch screen, the image was appropriately bright both in a dark room and in a room with a low level of ambient light. It was also easily bright enough for my 80-inch screen in a family room with many windows on a sunny day.

(Credit: M. David Stone)

The onboard sound system, built around dual 12-watt speakers and Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, and DTS:X, delivers more than sufficient volume to fill a large family room and high enough quality that you will likely decide it’s all you need. However, you can also connect to an external system using the projector’s 3.5mm or S/PDIF audio out ports, the one HDMI port with eARC support, or Bluetooth. You can also set the projector to work as a Bluetooth speaker for other audio sources.

Testing the Dangbei DBOX02: On-Point Image Quality, Confusing Controls

In addition to SDR, the DBOX02 supports three versions of HDR: HDR10, HDR10+, and HLG. Picture-mode options include four predefined modes and one Custom mode for SDR, plus a second set of HDR modes that are otherwise identical.

Oddly, in my tests the HDR set came up only when I was testing with HDR Blu-ray discs. When I was viewing HDR10+ material streamed from Prime Video, the projector showed an HDR10+ message briefly when switching to an HDR10+ movie but did not offer any HDR picture modes in the menu. Dangbei could not replicate the problem and says that it hasn’t gotten any reports from users about it, but it’s still looking into the issue. It’s unclear if the problem was with the projector or the streaming connection, but it isn’t much of an issue for viewing in any case. The default settings for HDR deliver an image that most people will consider more than acceptable by default.

(Credit: M. David Stone)

A potential stumbling block to using the projector—or at least learning how to use it—is that the buttons on the remote for opening the menus to adjust settings for the current input aren’t labeled, even with icons. Until you know where they are (by finding them accidentally or by asking Dangbei support, if you have to), this can be frustrating. However, using them is easy enough once you know how. You can either press and hold the Home button (rather than just pressing it), or you can use one of the unlabeled side buttons.

After some preliminary tests, I chose the default picture modes for my official viewing tests—Standard and Standard (HDR). Both offer neutral, nicely saturated colors and notably good contrast in both dark and light scenes. The SDR Standard mode also has good shadow detail along with a dark black level, making it easy to see what is going on in dark scenes while retaining most of their visual impact. Standard (HDR) mode offers the best balance among the HDR picture modes between holding shadow detail and keeping the black level sufficiently dark. It also delivers on HDR’s promise of improved shadow detail compared with the SDR version of the same scenes.

(Credit: M. David Stone)

The one change I made to the default settings was to set frame interpolation (the MEMC setting) to Off. Although the feature can improve the look of live or recorded video, it also introduced an obvious digital video effect for filmed material, which many people find objectionable.

The DBOX02 officially supports 3D, but it didn’t work with Blu-ray 3D discs in my tests. Dangbei says that this is a known problem that will be fixed in a firmware update it’s expecting to release in October. It also says the update will include settings for color calibration and that users will get an alert about the new update once it’s available when they connect to the internet. The company didn’t supply the new version number, but it will be the next one after V11.1.0.83 (which some, but not all, units have already been upgraded to, according to Dangbei).

(Credit: M. David Stone)

Rainbow artifacts (red/green/blue flashes) are a potential concern for any single-chip DLP projector. I see them easily and saw them more often with the DBOX02 than with much of the competition. If you’re concerned about the issue, our standard advice is to buy from a dealer who offers easy, free returns so you can judge it for yourself.

I measured the projector’s input lag with my Bodnar meter at 34.6ms for both 1080p/60Hz and 4K/60Hz, which is suitable for casual gaming. The projector should exhibit shorter lag at 1080p for 120Hz and 240Hz, which are also supported, but it could not sync to my Bodnar meter at those settings.

Verdict: Idiosyncracies Don’t Break This Projector

If you’re considering the DBOX02, be sure to compare it with the Hisense C1, as well as the Xgimi Horizon Ultra and the JMGO N1 Ultra. All are excellent choices, and each offers something the others lack. The C1 and the Horizon Ultra support Dolby Vision, which is currently the most sophisticated option for HDR, and both handled Dolby Vision nicely in our tests. Between them, the C1 does a better job with HDR10, which is why it’s our top pick, while the Horizon Ultra offers a shorter input lag and adds support for 3D. The N1 Ultra is limited to HDR10 and HLG for HDR support, but its gimbal mount, which lets you position the picture precisely where you need it in seconds, helps make it extraordinarily easy to set up.

Note that the DBOX02 is available with a gimbal mount also. Although the mount is $139 by itself, it’s often bundled with the projector during promotions. Dangbei didn’t supply one for testing, so we can’t vouch for how it compares to the N1 Ultra for ease of setup. But even without the gimbal, the DBOX02 can be a more-than-reasonable choice. Once you get past the initial obstacle of the idiosyncratic remote with unlabeled buttons, the reward is a bright, good-quality image and onboard audio to match.

About M. David Stone

Contributing Editor

Most of my current work for PCMag is about printers and projectors, but I’ve covered a wide variety of other subjects—in more than 4,000 pieces, over more than 40 years—including both computer-related areas and others ranging from ape language experiments, to politics, to cosmology, to space colonies. I’ve written for PCMag.com from its start, and for PC Magazine before that, as a Contributor, then a Contributing Editor, then as the Lead Analyst for Printers, Scanners, and Projectors, and now, after a short hiatus, back to Contributing Editor.

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