The world of projectors has often meant compromise: making space, juggling cables, begging for darkness from the weather… and battling with a remote control to find your movie. Forget all that! The ETOE Starfish shakes things up with a refreshing approach: flexibility, simplicity, and fun. Yes, fun! It’s not every day that a high-tech object makes you want to turn your ceiling into a cinema room. This is exactly what made me decide to take the plunge and replace the broken TV in my bedroom. One strong requirement, though: that Netflix is natively integrated, not some convoluted adaptation where navigating the menus is a hassle. With its Android 11 system, integrated Netflix and YouTube, the ETOE Starfish seemed to meet all the needs on paper. But how does it perform in reality?
Unboxing the ETOE Starfish Video Projector
The packaging clearly sets the tone, featuring a beautiful projector under Android TV, equipped with Netflix and Prime Video!
Inside, everything is perfectly secured with thick foam. No worries about transport!
Upon opening, the first thing that strikes you is the compactness of the machine. Gone is the basic parallelepiped, replaced by a cylinder with smooth lines, enhanced by a very successful matte white color.
It feels designed to proudly sit on a bedside table or a shelf in the living room. You no longer feel ashamed to leave your projector lying around in the middle of the room… It bears a slight resemblance to the Xgimi MoGo 3 Pro that we tested previously, but we won’t hold that against it!
Regarding accessories, the selection is complete and well thought out: power cable, all-white remote control with direct access to Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, and YouTube, a cloth (perfect for polishing the lens), and a well-translated mini manual.
The compactness is impressive: at just 1.7 kg and 23 cm high, the Starfish can fit on the edge of a window, the corner of a desk or, if we dare, be suspended from a small tripod in the bedroom. In hand, the device feels trustworthy, the plastic is pleasant to the touch, and the whole seems incredibly sturdy.
But where the unboxing makes its mark is in terms of interactivity. On top of the projector, surprise: a touch surface to activate the night light. Yes, you read that right. This projector also serves as an ambiance lamp!
Multiple colors and brightness levels, touch control, and a cozy ambiance when it isn’t projecting.
Setting up the ETOE Starfish
Everything is designed for a hassle-free setup. Once plugged in, the ETOE Starfish displays a stylish welcome animation and prompts pairing of the Bluetooth remote control.
The installation of Android TV 11 starts quickly (if you already have a Google account, it’s a delight: everything synchronizes in a few minutes) and updates happen right after. No bloatware, no invasive ads, and everything is clear, including the integrated Chromecast waiting patiently for your requests from your smartphone or PC. A real pleasure!
What do we find in the menu? Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, YouTube, all accessible via clearly visible icons on the home screen.
But also more than 9000 applications via the Play Store (hello, TikTok and Molotov!), compatibility with Chromecast, AirPlay and Miracast, Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity for your speaker or headphones, all managed from a single remote control. A Google Assistant button lets you command the machine by voice: “Launch Stranger Things on Netflix” and voila, the magic happens!
But the great strength of the Starfish lies in its mechanical flexibility. The head of the projector pivots on a 140° arc to project onto the wall, ceiling, or slanted surfaces… In practice, this versatility, especially in ceiling mode, is excellent for (young) children who love to watch a movie in their pajamas, cozy and without moving from bed. No need to craft improbable supports; it’s the projector that adapts to your wants, not the other way around. However, in this position, one tends to fall asleep more easily before the movie ends :p
Another benefit of the setup: automatic trapezoidal correction in 0.1 seconds, automatic focus adjustment, and a digital zoom of 50 to 100%. Just set it down, and it adjusts itself. If you like to tweak, you can make manual adjustments from the remote (the 4-point correction is great when dealing with odd ceilings).
On the connectivity side: one HDMI port, one USB port, one headphone output, and that’s it! Minimalism accepted, but you won’t leave hungry. To connect a console or a box, everything works without a hitch. Oh, and I’ve tested it; launching an Apple TV or a Fire TV on it works too, of course.
User Feedback: ETOE Starfish Faces Real Life
This ETOE Starfish projector proves to be extremely versatile, and that’s what we appreciate about it.
First typical case: Friday movie night with the kids. Rather than crowding in front of the PC or monopolizing the main television, we place the Starfish on the coffee table, pivot the head towards the living room wall, dim the lights… Immediate “wow” effect. The image stretches from 40 to 150 inches depending on the distance (1.1 to 4m in practice), sharpness is good with the native HD resolution (720p), and the colorimetry is well balanced. The contrast, given at 3000:1, highlights both bright scenes and nighttime sequences.
Well, no 4K here, but at this price, the upscaling does the job: Full HD sources and even 4K (by passing the box or Chromecast in 1080p) come out with nice details. Streaming platforms launch in the blink of an eye, and navigation is ultra-smooth. I must say that the responsiveness of the interface amazed me, much more pleasant than some entry-level connected TVs. The light output? 300 ANSI lumens, which is far from market leaders but sufficient as long as you darken the room a bit. Forget about projecting in broad daylight, but as soon as the light dims, the Starfish shows its full potential.
Another test: a football match with friends on a white sheet stretched in the garden at nightfall. Result? Stadium atmosphere in nature! The 5G Wi-Fi connection stabilizes streaming without a hitch, and the sound from the built-in speaker (5W) adequately fills the room for 2-3 people. For true sound immersion, it’s better to connect a soundbar or a Bluetooth speaker, but for a solo Netflix episode or for two, it does the job without frustrating. Special mention to the “Bluetooth speaker” mode, which turns the Starfish into a background speaker when you stop the video (handy for listening to playlists or hosting a gathering with friends).
Master bedroom, cocooning mode activated. Its definitive place, as it was intended to replace the broken TV. Here, nothing beats lying down, head on the pillow, and launching a series directly on the ceiling. The automatic focus correction works wonders, no need to get up every 5 minutes to adjust. We just would have liked a backlit remote control, as we tend to struggle a bit to find the buttons in the dark :p
In a children’s room, the colorful touch night light is ideal in the evening before putting the kids to bed, or for creating a dim ambiance. Unfortunately, it’s not powerful enough to serve as a bedside lamp for reading at night in bed. Shame.
Speaking of kids, the projector also has an “astral” mode capable of projecting a milky way on the ceiling.
Add the wide-angle lens to the projector, and the ETOE Starfish creates a dreamlike atmosphere in the room :p
Returning to movie mode, the brightness of the projector makes daytime use a bit limited, but for a “bedroom projector” as it likes to present itself on its packaging, or for nighttime sessions, it checks all the boxes. Less intended to definitively replace a main television than to multiply occasional and mobile uses (bedroom, living room, garden, camper…). Oh, and the ventilation is ultra discreet: at 24.5 dB measured, the projector’s fan quickly becomes forgettable as soon as the video starts.
I also attempted to use a laptop via HDMI for some family slides: no connection or compatibility issues there either. The Starfish excels in versatility.
A nice touch: several image modes (soft, standard, game, movie) and different sound profiles (standard, music, film) are accessible to suit your tastes, a luxury rarely found at this price. Automatic trapezoidal correction is mainly vertical, but there is also a manual “4 points” mode to fine-tune the corners as needed (perfect for odd configurations or not-so-flat surfaces).
My Verdict on the ETOE Starfish
With its compactness, mechanical flexibility, flawless Android TV interface, and ability to transform any room (and even the ceiling!) into a dark room, the ETOE Starfish stands out as the ideal ally for all family nights, friendly gatherings, or cozy sessions. Perfect as a first family projector, multifunctional as we like, it imposes a style that stands out while not sacrificing the essentials: the user experience. It’s hard to go back to a simple television or a “school” projector after this. Of course, we don’t reach the brightness of a €2000 projection room, but for the quality-price ratio, it’s a little gem of its kind. Currently at less than €120 with the code NNNFRESP on Geekbuying (free shipping from a European warehouse, thus without customs fees), it’s hard to do better at this price! Personally, it’s adopted for the bedroom, replacing the TV. It’s more aesthetic, more fun, and ultimately cheaper :)
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