Because I’m fascinated by new display technologies and improvements in image quality, I’ve never been a fan of home projectors. Projectors lack image quality compared to good TVs and monitors, and they are quite needy. Without getting into the specific requirements of different models, you’ll generally want a dark room with a large, blank wall to make the projector look its best. That might be a lot to ask, especially in small, intricately decorated homes like mine.
That said, a projector can be a space-efficient alternative to a big-screen TV or can help you watch TV or movies outdoors. A projector can be versatile when paired with the right location, especially if that projector ensures that the device includes the “right location.”
The Splay was crowdfunded in 2021, and its manufacturer, Arovia, describes it as “the first fully collapsible monitor and projector”. In short, it’s a portable projector with an integrated fabric shroud that can serve as a large-screen (24.5 or 34.5 inches diagonally, depending on the model) portable monitor. Or, you can take off the fabric shroud and use the Splay as an ultra-short-throw projector and mount a display up to 80 inches diagonally on a wall.
At its core, the Splay is a projector, which means it can’t compete with high-end LCD-LED or OLED monitors. It costs $1,300; The device is currently sold out, but a representative from Arrovia told me it will be back in stock this month.
According to a patent from Arovia, the device works as follows
… collapsible, portable display device, consisting of a housing member having a sliding member mounted on an exterior portion of said housing member, and sliding along an exterior portion of said housing member between two operating positions, a collapsible screen having one or more sheets of flexible, wrinkle resistant silicone or rubber material having optical enhancing components and capable of displaying an image in the extended operating position, and a plurality of collapsible members connected to said screen …
An Arovia representative explained that Splay is being used for enterprise use cases such as mobile workspaces, gaming and trade shows.
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