Cinemood Review: Portable Projector That Lets You Stream With Ease

For parents of small children, finding kid-friendly entertainment that isn’t the umpteenth viewing of “Frozen” can be a bit of a challenge.

For parents of small children, finding kid-friendly entertainment that isn’t the umpteenth viewing of “Frozen” can be a bit of a challenge. The problem isn’t finding proper content; it’s finding the right content. There are plenty of options out there, but it’s tough to keep going through all the different apps and platforms for something that won’t send your kid into a tantrum over its quality or bore them straight to sleep.

That’s where Cinemood steps in. This portable projector lets you stream video directly from your phone to a wall, giving you more room for streaming services and less worry about battery life (or if your Wi-Fi is strong enough). And because it has built-in content that ranges from bedtime stories and educational videos to classic films like “Cinderella,” there’s less searching required between trips around the world with other parents’ kids—or your own, if they’re feeling adventurous.

And while tablets like the iPad Mini may seem like a good option — just stick it in a case and let junior go to town — there are downsides.

You can’t do that with a tablet. For one thing, iPads (and other tablets) are expensive, and they’re pretty fragile: not the best combination when it comes to kids. On top of that, they’re hard to carry around and share with other people (because of all the cords). And while most kids’ tablets are mobile, the iPad Mini is still a bit awkward for young children.

As Cinemood co-founder Yegor Sukhov points out in our TechCrunch Disrupt interview above, tablets also have drawbacks like low battery life and storage capacity. And as any parent knows full well, if you forget to bring a charger or adapter along on a trip, you’re stuck with a device that’s little more than an expensive paperweight until you get home (or find an available outlet). Additionally, many parents prefer to give their child something that’s not tethered to apps like Facebook or Snapchat — which is easier when you don’t have access to wireless internet capabilities.

The Cinemood device has its own parental controls built in as well as the option for creating profiles for different users.

You’re limited to whatever your device can store, battery life can be sketchy, and have you ever handed over an iPad to a kid who then proceeded to drop it?

The idea is that you’re limited to whatever your device can store, battery life can be sketchy, and have you ever handed over an iPad to a kid who then proceeded to drop it? There are plenty of reasons why tablets are not ideal for kids’ consumption.

The Cinemood mini-projector is the first device in its class to offer a kid-friendly content library. It’s also basically the first affordable projector aimed squarely at families. (Unlike those tiny projectors you see on Kickstarter, which are often vaporware or never ship.) You can watch premium movies and TV shows from Cinemood’s library or stream content from Netflix, Hulu and YouTube Kids directly through the device. And yes, you can also upload your own videos via USB drive or microSD card.

Really though, who wants to do that?

Yes, you can put together a tablet or smartphone with a standalone projector, but who wants to do that? The Cinemood is a self-contained solution that’s safe for kids and fun for kids. Instead of having to set up a makeshift mini-cinema environment, parents can just let their small children use the device on their own.

On top of being an easier solution to the problem, Cinemood is also safer. Parents often have concerns about letting their small children use mobile devices by themselves because they might access something inappropriate on the internet or accidentally download apps or make in-app purchases—but Cinemood has none of these problems because it only has kid-friendly content built in. It’s also durable enough to stand up to rough treatment from small children and comes with a portable carry case so you can take it with you wherever you go.

Cinemood even stands out as an educational tool because it teaches children new languages through videos designed specifically for young learners. Kids love watching cartoons, so there are plenty of reasons why they might want to watch movies on Cinemood—and if parents are looking for ways to keep their small children busy while they’re traveling or running errands, giving them a portable movie theater could help solve that problem.

Well now there’s another option out there, thanks to the folks at Cinemood. The company just announced they’ve closed a $2.5 million round of funding led by AnCris Group, with contributions from angel investors Gabriel Brener (Houston Dynamo owner), Alexander Selivanov (CEO of the Yota phone) and Irina Rodnina (figure skater).

The reasons for this are many, but one is that the only way to actually tell if there’s demand for a product is to put it out in front of potential customers and see if they bite. Even then, even if you do get a great response, you still need money to manufacture your invention on a large scale. Nowadays, since crowdfunding campaigns have become so common in the tech industry, investors can look at how much people are willing to pay upfront for an idea as another data point in their decision-making process.

As far as funding rounds go, $2.5 million isn’t exactly chump change: it’s enough money to significantly increase the company’s production capabilities (which means more devices will be made and sold) while also letting them keep investing heavily in their product development.

The device is a tiny projector that does exactly what you think it does — project things for people to watch.

The company is best-known for its Cinemood device, which is a tiny projector that does exactly what you think it does — project things for people to watch. It’s small enough to fit in a backpack or purse and can last for about 120 minutes before needing to be recharged. There’s 1GB of internal storage, though WiFi connectivity means that it can also stream from Netflix, too.

It’s small enough to fit in a backpack or purse, comes equipped with 120 minutes of battery life and offers up 1GB internal storage (good for about two hours worth of content).

The device is small enough to fit in a backpack or purse, comes equipped with 120 minutes of battery life and offers up 1GB internal storage (good for about two hours worth of content).

It’s also been designed to make it easy for young children to operate – the interface has five large buttons on top, including one that allows you to record your own voice over a movie or other video. The other four buttons are used for navigating the menus. The projector itself has a built-in stand that slides out from the bottom, allowing you to stand it on its end, or you can use an included magnetic frame that lets you attach it to any metal surface.

It also has Wi-Fi connectivity so you can easily stream content from Netflix or other sources.

On the hardware side, the Cinemood is a portable mini projector with Wi-Fi connectivity, allowing you to watch media stored on your phone or tablet via an HDMI cable or through wireless streaming.

The Cinemood content library includes a number of kid-friendly videos and apps aimed at children ages three to 10. The company has partnered with Discovery Kids and Disney, among others, for this content—all of which can be accessed for free as part of the device purchase (you get one year).

Bottom Line

Cinemood is a great solution for parents with small children who have been hankering for a projector that has kid-friendly content built right in, rather than one that needs to be scouted out. The bedtime story option is just one of the great ways in which Cinemood sets itself apart from competitors. If you’re someone who always finds yourself searching for content on YouTube when you’re supposed to be looking at the cute little faces of your children, this is a fun alternative.