My Thoughts on the Black Warrior Cinematic Laser Projector (after using it for 2-weeks)

The Black Warrior strives to be a budget-friendly 4K projector that seems to have a lot going for it. We here at NerdTechy were lucky enough to borrow a sample from the manufacturer to test it out for ourselves.

We’ve spent the past 2 weeks using it and in that time, we’ve come to some conclusions. Today we’re going to specifically discuss what we liked and what we didn’t like about it.

Ultimately, it’ll help you decide whether or not the Black Warrior Laser Projector is worth investing in or passing by. Let’s jump right in.

What We Liked

• Super simple setup – Unboxing it was very straightforward. Inside the box I got the projector itself, an AC adapter, power cord, remote, stand (optional), and two microphones (optional). After plugging it in, the keystone automatically adjusted and displayed beautifully on the wall, only 3 feet in front of the unit. After clicking Google TV on the remote, it walked me through the setup process which only took about 15 minutes. This consisted of installing Google Home on my smartphone, linking it to the projector, and answering a few questions about which app subscriptions I wanted it to pre-install.

• Google TV and Apps – Since the Black Warrior is based on the Google TV interface, you can connect to and stream virtually any content that you can think of. Download apps is a snap and opens up the content to a huge realm of options. Many of us are quite used to using Google TV, or at least Google products, so you can rest assured knowing that the interface is familiar, easy to navigate, and smooth as can be.

• Beautiful video quality – I have used this exclusively with YouTube, Netflix, and Hulu. Ultimately, I’m impressed with the crispness of the picture, the auto keystone adjustment, and the clarity of the colors. Even in a bright room, I’m able to see the “screen” clearly and without any blurriness or distortion around the edges or corners. I found that fast paced movies and even high-end gaming with a PS5 don’t create any ill-effects in terms of video quality.

• Excellent build quality – I love the fact that it’s built mostly from aluminum. To put it bluntly, it looks and feels great; very high-end. There’s nothing “cheap” feeling about it; no excess of plastic or cheap parts.

• Metal desktop stand – While it’s an optional accessory, I find the desktop stand to be a necessity. It’s made out of solid aluminum, which feels and looks very high-end. The functionality it carries is much appreciated. The stand allows you to fully spin and tilt the projector vertically or horizontally, with ease. The base of it has small rubber feet that keeps it gripped in position and also eliminates any vibration that would otherwise occur from the speakers.

• Auto keystone adjustment – One of the nicest features I found was the keystone adjustment that automatically occurs when you move the projector. It’ll auto-compensate the display surface angle and tweak the projection angle so that the picture remains truly flat, level, and non-distorted. A lot of projectors I’ve tested in the past struggle with this, and typically end up with blurry edges or corners. But not with the Black Warrior, it quickly adjusts and casts a clear picture on virtually any surface.

• Great audio quality – I’m impressed with how much “oomph” and power the built-in speakers provide. They’re crisp and clear, regardless of the volume I have it set to. That said, it gets very loud and can easily provide immersive audio for the entire room, without issue. I don’t think you’ll ever need to hook-up an external speaker to it.

• Virtually no fan noise – Even when I operated the Black Warrior projector for 4+ hours, I never noticed the fan noise. It does indeed move a solid amount of air, and keeps the projector running warm to the touch. Thankfully, the fan noise is almost non-existent so it does not interfere with the sound of your entertainment.

• Lots of rear ports – The backside of the projector is equipped with a plethora of inputs to allow you to connect media players, speakers, and mostly anything else you’d like. Notably, there’s an S/PDIF port, HDMI, Ethernet, two USB-A, an update port, and 3.5mm auxiliary. I find this to be plenty, allowing users to connect virtually anything modern to it.

• Microphones – We received two microphones with our review unit that essentially allows us to turn it into a full-fledged karaoke machine. I’m not much of a singer, but I did test them out and they work well. They pick up voice just fine and add a new element

What We Didn’t Like

• No lens cover – I was a bit bummed to find that there’s no way to cover up the lens. After just a few days of use, I noticed a lot of dust accumulating on the lens. Without a lens cover, this is going to happen. Luckily, a quick wipe from a microfiber cloth was all that was needed to remove it.

• Expensive – While it’s cheaper than other projectors with similar specs, it’s still a hefty investment for most people. Thankfully, it can easily replace a TV and cast a massive display that is definitely cinema-like. That said, there’s definitely justification in the price.

Overall Thoughts

All in all, the Black Warrior Laser Projector checks-out as a very nice, high-end unit. It displays beautifully with amazing crispness and vivid colors that are true-to-life. The audio quality is excellent, clear, and never distorted, and the integrated Google TV feature is much appreciated, bringing all of your apps and media players into one shiny, easy to use interface.

Regardless of whether you use it to replace your TV or improve your at-home cinema experience, it’s definitely a worthwhile investment if you can justify the initial cost. Just do yourself a favor and make sure that you purchase a stand with it; it makes a real difference!