@lichme@ViperOne Those are the standard placeholder dimensions they put in for Irks; it would be funny if one of them actually did end up being that size, but I don’t think one ever has.
@phendrick@stinks it’s really not much of a bet before it happens,…I mean, ya really don’t think phendrick is gonna pay you¿? Right, Stink[bug]¿? If he loses make Him fix ya a margarita!!
@1DisabledWarVet@stinks Yeah, I’d pay him.
I’d rather mail $20 than to try mailing a margarita. Take a check? (Besides, the $20 would probably be only worth $18 by the time it got there, the way inflation is happening.)
Welp, this is actually something I’d been thinking about (the Explore 2 specifically is one of the recommended options) because you can use it to project sewing patterns for cutting out fabric. I am sunk
@ArmchairGamer you weigh down the fabric with pattern weights and then cut straight from the projection. As long as you can move around the outside of the image as it projects down on the fabric you can cut with minimal blockage. At least that’s my understanding. There’s at least one FB group dedicated to this setup and use.
There are a few nitpicky differences between Meh’s listings and the linked competitors’ listings: nothing very important, but still odd.
Newegg indicates 40k hours of lamp life for the Explore 2, not 50k.
Walmart does not list a “charging cable” for the Explore 3, unlike Meh. What does that mean, anyway? No rechargeable components are mentioned. If it’s to power a phone or tablet, what’s the format? I’m presuming it’s just a power cord.
Walmart’s entry for the Explore 3 also lists a manual that is “not necessarily Chinese.” Yay?
@earmstrong Walmart requires manufacturers to provide a cheaper version of any given SKU offered at multiple businesses. It’s so they can maintain that “low price leader” thing they care so much about. It’s always been true of electronics with them. It’s only a problem when sometimes the Walmart version of a TV or something will actually have different ending letters on the model number and cheaper electronics inside.
@earmstrong@midnightplatinu The emperor of Make A Cheaper One For Us was the guy who ran JC Whitney for many years; I have stories. Sears had a bunch of it, too.
First, Sears. This one’s easy enough to research; for any given model of Sears Kenmore major appliance, you could find an almost identical Whirlpool - except that the Kenmore would have at least one minor feature deleted or made cheaper. I actually pored through some parts lists and spotted the diffs. Sears was pretty careful to ask for these mods in places where it didn’t make a real difference in the durability or usability of the item, but made it cheaper to produce, giving them a price advantage. At the same time, according to one appliance dealer I knew, Whirlpool used the Sears manufacturing volume to achieve economies of scale that gave them the ability to sell a better item than most of their competition at the same price point. This was the up-side end of the deal. I don’t know if it’s still going on, now that Whirlpool has given Sears the middle finger.
Then there’s JC Whitney. Back in the '70s, that outfit was run by a guy named Roy Warshawsky. I was sitting in the office of the head of one of his suppliers one day when Warshawsky returned my contact’s call, and I heard what went down. My guy had imported a quantity of a particular car part which was just plain made wrong; it simply would not fit to begin with, which was just as well because it was so shoddily made that it would have swiftly failed anyway. They were junk, and the importer knew it, and made no bones about it to Warshawsky. The response was telling; Warshawsky said he didn’t care, because for any item priced under five bucks (the modern equivalent of about $40 to $50), he’d get a return-for-refund rate of under ten percent even when the product was 100% defective. Recounting this story to one of the engineers for an automotive accessory manufacturer a couple of years later, he said they had a love-hate relationship with Warshawsky of their own. Whitney had long sold what looked like a ripoff of their flagship product, and I’d assumed that it was just that, but the reality was worse. At Warshawsky’s insistence, the Whitney version was stripped of many of the flagship’s features, including several that reduced its service life rather predictably. The Whitney version would work, and it sold for half of what the other one brought, but in reality it wasn’t even worth that lower price. Warshawsky didn’t care. It wasn’t an under-$5 item, but it would usually last long enough for the buyer to lose the invoice, so they hardly ever had one returned for a refund. The company has since changed management more than once, and ownership at least once; it’s not the same outfit that it used to be - but I still would have a hard time convincing myself to order anything from them.
@midnightplatinu Walmart reportedly also leverages their price-match policy by requiring a Wal-Mart-specific model number on certain items with no other difference, so that they don’t have to price-match with their competition. They’re big enough, and the manufacturers in China are agile enough, that they can do this a lot on large electronics and certain other lines…
because for any item priced under five bucks (the modern equivalent of about $40 to $50), he’d get a return-for-refund rate of under ten percent even when the product was 100% defective.
@w3kn I was waffling on this last night, but this linked review made me bite the bullet. Movie night is getting an upgrade!
/giphy organic-handsome-ninja
@w3kn I’m glad I read that review, if only because it contains a screenshot with the closed captions reading “and seduce your nuclear lizardy ass to partake in a sado-masochistic foreplay of brutality as your bride!”
I admit to being intrigued by the thought of having one of these, but as I look around me, I fail to find a wall on which I can project an image without there being a peculiarly textured or shaped thing distorting it.
@werehatrack And the included screen would be challenging to hang for the same reasons; I’d need to use my photo backdrop frame, and it takes up space, too.
Weird coincidence… my wife bought me the Explore 2 over a year ago for Christmas, and last night was the first chance I got to use it.
So here my quick review: the image is significantly brighter and higher quality than I was expecting. We’re using it at a campground, so it is nice and dark… but definitely better than I thought it’d be. It also handled the hard drive I plugged into it full of movies totally fine. My only complaint (expected) is the speaker isn’t at all loud enough. Great projector if you have a set up computer speakers handy though.
And it’s worth noting the Explore 3 has an upgraded speaker.
@makhay@qazxto Well hell, I woulda bought the Explore 3 to replace the V600 I Meh’d before based on that, but it’s sold out now. Sounds like the V600 is only very slightly not as good as this though.
I have horrible luck with electronics via Meh. The warranty says 90 days here, but other places list a 3 year manufacturer warranty. Is it 90 days Meh warranty plus 3 year manufacturer, or is the manufacturer warranty voided?
@bainst This may be a matter of local statute, potentially for multiple variably convenient levels of ‘local’. In general, the 90 days applies to taking it up with Meh themselves. The 3 years is the time in which you can grouse to the manufacturer, assuming that that’s actually their warranty term, that they consider Meh to be an authorized dealer for the product whose sales are eligible for the manufacturer’s warranty, and that they are still around 3 months from now.
Hoping someone can comment on the fan noise on this. I have a vankyo projector that sounds like a vacuum cleaner strapped to my ceiling and would be happy for something a little quieter.
Wallyworld has a 100in screen for $10.99 free shipping
No frame, tends to develop creases that won’t flatten out, coating starts to crack in a couple of years, but yeah, for occasional use they work just fine.
@DanTheManimal Formal high-reflectivity screens bugger than about 48" are pricey, if memory serves. Ones made for outdoor use (i.e. wind-resistant and weatherproof) even more so. If you want a reasonably priced white surface on which to project an image in full darkness, I suggest a photo backdrop; a frame (two telescoping posts with folding tripod bases plus a crossbar at the top) and a white drape cloth that is designed to hang flat. Those can be had for about a tenth of what a real outdoor screen would fetch, unless the latter have become even more expensive since I last priced one several decades back.
Specs
Product: Vivimage Explore 2 or Explore 3 Projector with 120" Screen
Condition: New
Vivimage Explore 3 1080p Projector
Model: Explore 3
Includes:
Vivimage Explore 2 w Wifi Projector
Model: Explore 2
Includes:
120" Projector Screen
What’s Included?
1x Projector of your choice
1x 120" Projector Screen
Price Comparison
$194 for Explore 2at NewEgg
$199.99 Explore 3 at Walmart
$27.99 Screen at Walmart
Warranty
90 days
Estimated Delivery
Friday, Apr 15 - Tuesday, Apr 19
First!
@mbersiam, said the
as it was being led to the slaughter!! 
@1DisabledWarVet
/giphy mmm bacon
why did they even make one without wifi
@leveytation, they made more than one without wifi!!
I’m gonna see if I get one in my IRK before I don’t buy this one
@lichme my Irk is 6”x4”x1” and under a pound according to the shipping so I’m guessing I didn’t get a projector
@lichme @ViperOne Those are the standard placeholder dimensions they put in for Irks; it would be funny if one of them actually did end up being that size, but I don’t think one ever has.
Reminds me of that song by Josh Davis.
“Picture this, I’m a bag of”
@yakkoTDI so this is the Cadillac of projectors?
@djslack @yakkoTDI Maybe the Cimarron. Maybe.
Neither of these list their image generation technology, so I assume they’re LCD. It would be almost impossible to offer DLP units at these prices.
@PooltoyWolf We’re lucky the resolution has 3 digits on the vertical.
But like are these fine for throwing up a movie for the kids outside? Can you tell the difference between Weasley and Moaning Mertle?
@mcanavino I would imagine either of these would be great for outdoor movies, provided it’s truly dark outside and you have an external sound system.
@hchavers Thanks! They buried it deep enough that my skims missed it.
@PooltoyWolf Thanks, ordered!
@mcanavino @PooltoyWolf But you didn’t get a month of membership? You paid for shipping straight up??!1!1
/giphy sad cry
There Meh goes again, projecting their (sales) fantasies upon us.
I’ll bet $20 against $2 that this DOES not sell out. (You must Place your bet BEFORE the event.)
@phendrick The event already started. Or the event is when the selling out happens? Yeah, not much of a bet afterwards, true.
@phendrick @stinks it’s really not much of a bet before it happens,…I mean, ya really don’t think phendrick is gonna pay you¿?
Right, Stink[bug]¿? If he loses make Him fix ya a margarita!! 
@stinks I intended the time limit to be the earlier of (a) When/if it sells out and (b) When this deal is over.
I’m old, but not that senile (yet).
@1DisabledWarVet @stinks Yeah, I’d pay him.
I’d rather mail $20 than to try mailing a margarita. Take a check? (Besides, the $20 would probably be only worth $18 by the time it got there, the way inflation is happening.)
“Can it make margaritas: it sure can make margaritas (appear on screen, if you’re watching something where there are margaritas)”
I am sensing a pattern here and I kinda like it
@alacrity, if you’re seeing a pattern, then you’re likely already there, don’t ya think,…& Plus, ya like it too¿?
Kind of a review on the 2:
Welp, this is actually something I’d been thinking about (the Explore 2 specifically is one of the recommended options) because you can use it to project sewing patterns for cutting out fabric. I am sunk
/giphy fundamental-unreal-pocket
@sinless I’m curious, how would that work? I would expect your body or hand to block the light while trying to trace it?
@ArmchairGamer you weigh down the fabric with pattern weights and then cut straight from the projection. As long as you can move around the outside of the image as it projects down on the fabric you can cut with minimal blockage. At least that’s my understanding. There’s at least one FB group dedicated to this setup and use.
@ArmchairGamer @sinless In tight spots, you can use tailor’s chalk to trace in the projected lines before cutting.
There are a few nitpicky differences between Meh’s listings and the linked competitors’ listings: nothing very important, but still odd.
Newegg indicates 40k hours of lamp life for the Explore 2, not 50k.
Walmart does not list a “charging cable” for the Explore 3, unlike Meh. What does that mean, anyway? No rechargeable components are mentioned. If it’s to power a phone or tablet, what’s the format? I’m presuming it’s just a power cord.
Walmart’s entry for the Explore 3 also lists a manual that is “not necessarily Chinese.” Yay?
@earmstrong Walmart requires manufacturers to provide a cheaper version of any given SKU offered at multiple businesses. It’s so they can maintain that “low price leader” thing they care so much about. It’s always been true of electronics with them. It’s only a problem when sometimes the Walmart version of a TV or something will actually have different ending letters on the model number and cheaper electronics inside.
@earmstrong @midnightplatinu The emperor of Make A Cheaper One For Us was the guy who ran JC Whitney for many years; I have stories. Sears had a bunch of it, too.
@earmstrong @midnightplatinu @werehatrack
/image well? we’re waiting
@earmstrong @midnightplatinu @stinks
First, Sears. This one’s easy enough to research; for any given model of Sears Kenmore major appliance, you could find an almost identical Whirlpool - except that the Kenmore would have at least one minor feature deleted or made cheaper. I actually pored through some parts lists and spotted the diffs. Sears was pretty careful to ask for these mods in places where it didn’t make a real difference in the durability or usability of the item, but made it cheaper to produce, giving them a price advantage. At the same time, according to one appliance dealer I knew, Whirlpool used the Sears manufacturing volume to achieve economies of scale that gave them the ability to sell a better item than most of their competition at the same price point. This was the up-side end of the deal. I don’t know if it’s still going on, now that Whirlpool has given Sears the middle finger.
Then there’s JC Whitney. Back in the '70s, that outfit was run by a guy named Roy Warshawsky. I was sitting in the office of the head of one of his suppliers one day when Warshawsky returned my contact’s call, and I heard what went down. My guy had imported a quantity of a particular car part which was just plain made wrong; it simply would not fit to begin with, which was just as well because it was so shoddily made that it would have swiftly failed anyway. They were junk, and the importer knew it, and made no bones about it to Warshawsky. The response was telling; Warshawsky said he didn’t care, because for any item priced under five bucks (the modern equivalent of about $40 to $50), he’d get a return-for-refund rate of under ten percent even when the product was 100% defective. Recounting this story to one of the engineers for an automotive accessory manufacturer a couple of years later, he said they had a love-hate relationship with Warshawsky of their own. Whitney had long sold what looked like a ripoff of their flagship product, and I’d assumed that it was just that, but the reality was worse. At Warshawsky’s insistence, the Whitney version was stripped of many of the flagship’s features, including several that reduced its service life rather predictably. The Whitney version would work, and it sold for half of what the other one brought, but in reality it wasn’t even worth that lower price. Warshawsky didn’t care. It wasn’t an under-$5 item, but it would usually last long enough for the buyer to lose the invoice, so they hardly ever had one returned for a refund. The company has since changed management more than once, and ownership at least once; it’s not the same outfit that it used to be - but I still would have a hard time convincing myself to order anything from them.
@midnightplatinu Walmart reportedly also leverages their price-match policy by requiring a Wal-Mart-specific model number on certain items with no other difference, so that they don’t have to price-match with their competition. They’re big enough, and the manufacturers in China are agile enough, that they can do this a lot on large electronics and certain other lines…
@earmstrong @midnightplatinu @stinks @werehatrack
@earmstrong @midnightplatinu @werehatrack
I hate that this is 100% believable.
Thanks for the stories. Keep em coming.
And here we see the issue with lux VS lumens.
@ohhwell And light measured at the source versus light measured at the screen, which produces two extremely different values.
@werehatrack Yep. The disparity between 6800 lux and 240 for ANSI lumens is a little… Concerning.
Review of the 3:
https://nerdtechy.com/vivimage-explore-3-review
@w3kn I was waffling on this last night, but this linked review made me bite the bullet. Movie night is getting an upgrade!
/giphy organic-handsome-ninja
@w3kn I’m glad I read that review, if only because it contains a screenshot with the closed captions reading “and seduce your nuclear lizardy ass to partake in a sado-masochistic foreplay of brutality as your bride!”
I hope they were watching MST3K or something.
@kostia I missed that when I first read the review.
Really thought the “business” picture was the meh shooped one, but no. Actual promotional photo.
Was looking for a cheap 1080p projector for a new apartment. This is perfect.
/giphy undulating-literal-coyote
@simtel20
This offering is only 720p, just FYI.
@mtb002 @simtel20 The Explore 3 is 1080P
@simtel20 @troy
And that’s why I don’t buy things in the middle of the night…
I admit to being intrigued by the thought of having one of these, but as I look around me, I fail to find a wall on which I can project an image without there being a peculiarly textured or shaped thing distorting it.
@werehatrack And the included screen would be challenging to hang for the same reasons; I’d need to use my photo backdrop frame, and it takes up space, too.
Weird coincidence… my wife bought me the Explore 2 over a year ago for Christmas, and last night was the first chance I got to use it.
So here my quick review: the image is significantly brighter and higher quality than I was expecting. We’re using it at a campground, so it is nice and dark… but definitely better than I thought it’d be. It also handled the hard drive I plugged into it full of movies totally fine. My only complaint (expected) is the speaker isn’t at all loud enough. Great projector if you have a set up computer speakers handy though.
And it’s worth noting the Explore 3 has an upgraded speaker.
@TBoneZeOriginal How far away was the screen? How big before the picture was too weak to see?
@stinks I didn’t test how far back it could go, unfortunately. I set it at the suggested 10 feet.
@TBoneZeOriginal Oh what the heck. In for one.
/giphy bowed-unusual-chlorine
@stinks Nice! I’m watching on it right now, actually.
@TBoneZeOriginal
How’s the 3 compré to the vanyko?
@qazxto Found this video
@makhay @qazxto Well hell, I woulda bought the Explore 3 to replace the V600 I Meh’d before based on that, but it’s sold out now. Sounds like the V600 is only very slightly not as good as this though.
Been thinking about getting a projector. This seems meh.
/giphy threatening-acceptable-desire
@JaBbA64 appropriate giphy
Should be good for the shop and outdoor viewing when the mosquitoes aren’t too bad.
/giphy blighted-interesting-territory
I have horrible luck with electronics via Meh. The warranty says 90 days here, but other places list a 3 year manufacturer warranty. Is it 90 days Meh warranty plus 3 year manufacturer, or is the manufacturer warranty voided?
@bainst This may be a matter of local statute, potentially for multiple variably convenient levels of ‘local’. In general, the 90 days applies to taking it up with Meh themselves. The 3 years is the time in which you can grouse to the manufacturer, assuming that that’s actually their warranty term, that they consider Meh to be an authorized dealer for the product whose sales are eligible for the manufacturer’s warranty, and that they are still around 3 months from now.
Hoping someone can comment on the fan noise on this. I have a vankyo projector that sounds like a vacuum cleaner strapped to my ceiling and would be happy for something a little quieter.
I have about 3 projectors, but no screen! Am I the only one who wants a screen, but no projector? Jeez! I guess I’m just a unicorn.
@kbandtheboys You’re not alone - I was thinking the same thing.
@kbandtheboys @mthomtech Wallyworld has a 100in screen for $10.99 free shipping
@kbandtheboys @lonocat @mthomtech
No frame, tends to develop creases that won’t flatten out, coating starts to crack in a couple of years, but yeah, for occasional use they work just fine.
Does anyone have any recommendations for a reasonably priced outdoor projector screen? Can this screen be hung on a stand?
@DanTheManimal Formal high-reflectivity screens bugger than about 48" are pricey, if memory serves. Ones made for outdoor use (i.e. wind-resistant and weatherproof) even more so. If you want a reasonably priced white surface on which to project an image in full darkness, I suggest a photo backdrop; a frame (two telescoping posts with folding tripod bases plus a crossbar at the top) and a white drape cloth that is designed to hang flat. Those can be had for about a tenth of what a real outdoor screen would fetch, unless the latter have become even more expensive since I last priced one several decades back.
@werehatrack this is super helpful- much appreciated, thank you.
Arrived with a scratch on the lens.