One of the best ways to bring the theater experience into your home is with a projector, such as the Casiris A6 we were recently sent for review. If this is the first time you’ve heard of the brand Casiris, then you’re not alone. The brand was new to me as well, but don’t let that dissuade you because the A6 is an impressive ultra short throw 4K laser projector.
Features
The Casiris A6 is a 4K laser UST projector capable of screen sizes of up to 120-inches while only being around a foot away from the wall. It boasts a lifespan of 30,000 hours, which is enough to last you nearly 19 years if you only watch it for six hours each day.
The ports on the Casiris A6 include two HDMI 2.0 ports, one with eARC capabilities and both support CEC controls. Additional ports include, the power port, two USB ports, a mini USB service port, an optical audio out port, and an Ethernet jack.
Setup
Setting up the Casiris A6 is a fairly easy affair, despite it being quite large at 20.5 x 13 x 6 inches and weighing in at nearly 20 lbs. Regardless, that’s still smaller and lighter than many large-screen TVs these days.
One of the greatest benefits of the Casiris A6 is that it’s an ultra-short throw projector. That means you won’t need to ceiling mount it or stack it up several feet in the air while being 8-10ft. away from the wall or screen. Instead, you can place the Casiris A6 on a traditional TV stand around 12 inches away from the wall and adjust the feet on the bottom to set the angle. Not only is this convenient for setup, but it also means you won’t have to worry about people blocking the picture when walking through the room while using the projector.
After plugging in the A6 and facing it towards the wall, it will automatically focus and correct for keystone errors using an eight-point system. However, I still noticed there was a large bulge in the center of the picture after I first powered it on. That was easy enough to rectify by entering the geometric picture settings and making a couple of adjustments. While you’re in the menu, you’ll also want to take a minute to open the Wi-Fi settings to connect and check for any software updates.
The Casiris A6 runs on a heavily modified version of Android 9 that doesn’t feature the Play Store preinstalled. It does have a couple of apps bundled in for controlling the projector, but no streaming apps. When it comes to streaming, the A6 relies on a separate 4K capable Android TV dongle that has full access to the Play Store and supports every major streaming app. However, I did encounter a few issues.
The first was the Netflix app crashing occasionally if I didn’t wait 15 minutes after powering on the projector. Another issue was the audio cutting out when switching between multiple apps which required a reboot to fix. Finally, the Vudu app only supports HD playback, although that’s something I’ve experienced on some other streaming devices as well. Overall, the streaming stick worked fine 80% of the time, but replacing it with one from Google or Nvidia will clear up some of these problems.
One benefit of the included Android TV stick is that it can be powered by one of the available USB ports saving you from using another outlet. No matter what, you’re still losing one of your two HDMI ports making it difficult to connect additional devices such as multiple gaming consoles.
Without a doubt, the Casiris A6 is the easiest projector I’ve ever set up, and after an update and a couple of tweaks I was able to jump into watching movies within minutes of unboxing it. The automatic focusing and keystone corrections, in particular, take care of some of the biggest pain points of setting up a new projector. Combine that with being able to place it so close to the wall and prevent people from blocking the picture and it’s a first-class experience.
My only complaint would be that your picture size can be limited by the height of your TV stand. Since my stand is quite tall, that made it impossible for me to fill up the wall with the picture, because the further I moved it back, the higher the picture was projected until it began to creep up onto the ceiling. Regardless, I was still able to get a picture around 100-inches. Just be aware that the lower you can place the Casiris A6, the better.
Video quality
The Casiris A6 uses a triple laser system capable of producing 2200 lumens and 1.07 billion colors to create a gorgeous true 4K picture with support for HDR10 at up to 120-inches. Personally, I had the A6 set up to be around 100-inches on a blank white wall and it looked phenomenal. The contrast was good, the colors were rich and vibrant while also looking natural, and the 4K resolution made details in movies look nice and crisp.
I was also satisfied with the amount of picture settings that were in the menus. The controls were very similar to many 4K TVs I’ve used, and just like those TVs, the A6 includes MEMC processing. Most commonly known as motion smoothing and responsible for the dreaded soap opera effect. The first thing I did was disable that and you’ll want to do the same if you aren’t a fan of motion smoothing effects.
To enjoy the sharpest picture possible, I would suggest buying a screen for the Casiris A6. This is because of the steep angle the A6 projects light creating a relief map of the wall. Most walls are not 100% flat and have some texture to them which becomes very apparent once you shine a light at it from an angle. I didn’t notice this that much during live-action content because it added an almost film-like texture to the picture. However, it became more apparent with animated content.
You can purchase a screen from the Casiris website, or you could also try a cheaper option such as the one I purchased a while back for using projectors outdoors. Whichever you choose, it will make a noticeable difference with a UST projector.
One final thing to note, while 2200 lumens is a decent brightness for a dark room and viewing videos in HDR, it’s still not enough to combat the sun. On an overcast day, the picture looks slightly washed out but even with curtains on a bright sunny day, the contrast suffers. Like most other projectors, the Casiris A6 looks its best at night or in a blacked-out room.
Audio quality
The Casiris A6 uses two 10W speakers, along with DTS-HD or Dolby Atmos, to produce some of the best audio quality I’ve heard from a projector or TV. Movie scores sounded epic and voices were clear and audible.
Additionally, the fan was one of the quietest I’ve heard from a projector, and that made it easier to hear movies without needing to crank up the volume to compete with a howling fan. It also helped that the A6 was so close to the wall and further away from where I was sitting.
No matter how good the A6 speakers sound—and they sound very good—it could always sound better. That’s why the A6 provides you with an eARC HDMI port, optical port, and Bluetooth. With these options, you’ll be able to connect an external sound source such as a soundbar or AVR to take it to the next level.
No worries if you don’t have any additional sound equipment though, because I was more than pleased with the speakers Casiris used in the A6.
Final thoughts
I wasn’t sure what to expect from my first UST projector, and from a brand that was previously unknown to me. Fortunately, I was blown away by the Casiris A6. It is the easiest projector I’ve ever set up thanks to its built-in autofocusing and keystone correction.
Furthermore, I was impressed by the stunning picture quality and fantastic speakers. The A6 would be a massive upgrade to any movie fan’s home theater setup. The only downside is when you step up to this level of projector, it gets a bit costly. The Casiris A6 UST 4K HDR Laser Projector can be purchased for just under $2000 from Amazon or directly from the Casiris website when using a coupon code.
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