JMGO Partners With Leica To Enhance The Optics Of Their New O1 Pro Ultra Short Throw Projector

By Ken Carter

Short Throw Projection Just Got Shorter.

Leica Camera and JMGO have partnered together to produce a new Ultra-Short-Throw Projector called the O1 Pro. For those who are not familiar with JMGO, they are one of China’s leading projector manufacturers.

Optics have a huge impact on the performance of any projector, so in 2020, Leica embarked on the co-engineering journey with JMGO. They jointly developed and optimized an optical engine to achieve the best possible image quality from JMGO’s lineup of smart LED ultra-short throw projectors.

After 12 months of development, JMGO O1 Pro, co-engineered with Leica, made its debut in April 2021 in Shanghai, China. Next, JMGO is planning to launch the product in international markets in Q2 2021, tackling North America, Europe, and Japan.

It just makes sense for Leica, a camera company, and JMGO, a projector company, to partner like they have. Leica says, “The development of cameras and projectors is based on many similarities. Optical design, luminous selection and image processing are the key pillars that play a significant role in the overall imaging quality. The JMGO O1 Pro is the result of the intensive collaboration in research and development. The LED projector combines the strengths of both companies based on in-depth technology expertise and the synergy of the talented pool of optic and imaging quality engineers.”

JMGO O1 Pro is an ultra-short throw unit so it can be placed inches from the wall/screen allowing users to enjoy an uninterrupted viewing and home cinema experience. Since the projector can be placed directly in front of the projection surface, it easily blends into the interior design of most rooms.

According to JMGO, several factors that impact overall image quality have also been refined including contrast, color gamut, stray light reduction, dynamic range, sharpness, and noise reduction.

JMGO is introducing its two new models, the O1 Pro and the O1. In addition to Leica optics, the O1 Pro is brighter, offers higher contrast and has a shorter throw distance than its little brother the O1.

With Leica’s assistance, the total throw ratio of the O1 Pro has been reduced from 0.25:1 (O1 lens) to an even shorter 0.21:1. JMGO says that the O1 Pro can project on a 100-inch screen at just 9 inches away from the front of the chassis compared to 15 inches for the O1. During production, rigid Leica standards are implemented to guarantee uncompromising high quality of the series products.

While the O1 Pro is a 1080P projector it can accept 4K signals. The O1 Pro has a rated brightness of 1,259 ANSI Lumens with a contrast ratio of 6000:1

The projector also features built-in dual speakers from Dynaudio that support Dolby Audio and DTS. Dynaudio has specially tuned and enhanced the audio so it is powerful, immersive, and surrounds the listener with stereo sound. This projector should offer cinematic stereo sound to match the large immersive image. It will also have JMGO’s Luna operating system, which features Amazon Alexa voice control, as well as Bluetooth and HDMI connectivity.

The JMGO O1 Pro has already launched in China, but the company plans to start selling it internationally starting this summer. Pricing has yet to be announced. We look forward to reviewing the unit once it becomes available in the US.