scouts – Mummy To Twins Plus One

Review: Anywhere Can Be a Cinema with LUMOS AURO v2 Projector

So, 1st Blackheath Scouts had a movie night at the Scout hall, and we needed a solid data projector to show the movie. We’ve used a very old Epson projector in the past, but this time, we got our hands on the brand-new LUMOS AURO v2 Home Cinema projector. Big shoutout to LUMOS for letting us try out their latest model. Spoiler alert: It was a game-changer.

Unboxing and Setup

The kit arrived in two boxes: one for the stand and one for the projector. Setting up the stand was a piece of cake – join the two poles, attach the base plate, and top it off with the 360-degree ball head. It took less than five minutes, and voila! A rock-solid stand ready for action.

Unboxing the LUMOS AURO v2 was like opening a present. Inside, there was the projector, a remote control, a power cable, and an HDMI cable. The only thing missing? Two AAA batteries for the remote. No biggie, though.

Setting up the projector was just as easy. I attached it to the ball head adapter on the stand, plugged in the power cable, and switched it on. That’s it. Simple as that.

Projection Magic

I initially placed the projector in the middle of the Scout hall, thinking I needed some distance to fit the screen I had set up. Boy, was I wrong! The image filled the entire back wall of the hall, which is 9m wide and 3m high. Next time, I’m bringing a bigger screen to take full advantage of this beast’s capabilities. It can project up to a massive 200-inch screen if you have the space!

Once I adjusted the projector’s distance to the screen, it went into an auto-focus routine that left me in awe. In just a few seconds, the image was pin-sharp. Super impressive.

Testing and Performance

The LUMOS AURO v2 is Wi-Fi enabled, so I quickly connected it to my phone’s personal hotspot. Streaming YouTube videos was a breeze, and the preloaded officially certified apps (YouTube, Netflix, Prime Video, and more) worked flawlessly. Just log in, and you’re good to go.

The image resolution is top-notch – super sharp, with vibrant colours and great contrast. Even with the hall lights on, the brightness was incredible. A quick peek at the manual revealed why: 1080p native resolution and 6000 lumens. No wonder it was so bright!

The audio was equally impressive. Despite its compact size, the AURO v2 pumped out loud, clear sound with decent bass. Its certified Dolby Audio Dual (2) Speaker system had rich, strong bass and immersive sound. It was more than enough for a home cinema setup, though I added extra speakers in the large Scout hall to combat the inevitable Scout chatter and popcorn fights.

Next, I tested a film loaded onto a USB stick. Again, the AURO v2 didn’t disappoint. The image quality, colour vibrance, and contrast depth were superb. The Scouts started arriving, popcorn was popped, bean bags were prepped, and we were ready to roll.

The remote control was a pleasant surprise too. Easy to navigate in the dark and worked all the way from the back of the hall. A big win in my book.

Additional Features and User Experience

The projector’s user interface was a breeze to navigate. Everything was intuitive and easy to find, with no confusing menus. The remote control was just right – no unnecessary buttons, making it easy to use even in the dark.

The AURO v2 was silent during operation, a delightful contrast to the noisy old Epson. And it stayed cool throughout the movie, just lukewarm at the end, so we could pack it away immediately without waiting for it to cool down.

One standout feature was the automatic keystone and focus adjustment. Move the projector, and it quickly and accurately adjusted itself. Super handy and very impressive.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the LUMOS AURO v2 Home Cinema projector is an impressive piece of kit. The build quality is solid, the image and sound quality are mind-blowing, and it’s incredibly easy to use. At $498, it’s a steal compared to other projectors that cost three times as much. The Scouts loved the viewing experience, and so did I. It’s five stars from me.

Top marks, LUMOS. You’ve got a winner here.

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Massive Drive to Cub Camp

Last Friday the 12th of October was HUGE! Actually massive.

The twins went to another cub camp and to get them where I needed to drive about 3 hours….Yes, you read that right, 3 hours.

Let’s just hope that 3-hour drive is it not like the 3-hour tour in Gilligan’s Island.

Gilligan didn’t have GPS and I do so there is a vast difference and therefore the chances of getting lost are rather slim.

However, sometimes my stupid GPS decides to direct me to streets that it shouldn’t and does cause confusion. Read on to have a HUGE giggle at my epic fail.

I do have an idea of where we are going and hubby has camped at this site as a scout when he was younger. Due to prior knowledge of the area I have been told that it is easy to miss the turn-off and if I do, I will need to go around again and this can be painful!

So we need to keep our eyes peeled. I really don’t want to miss the entry to this place and have to go around the highway and roads again for another go.

I’ve already survived the twins packing for camp and all the silly behaviour that came with it. Their bags are in the boot of my car ready for our huge journey to the campsite.

Not only do I need to take two kids to camp on a long car trip, but I also have to pick up Alexander as I will not be able to pick him up tonight due to being hours away. So the girl’s little brother will join us all in our adventure to the campsite.

I have learnt one thing from a previous camp, I must feed them dinner. The girls last camp I assumed that they would get fed dinner, however, this didn’t happen. The organisers did feed them supper (snack) but it wasn’t dinner.

On our way, we will stop off to ensure that all kids are fully fed and happy before they will be finally dropped at the campsite for two days of fun.

I have to pack a bag of drinks and food for Alexander so that if he wants anything all is sorted.

I’m hoping that Alexander doesn’t scream all the way home as has happened before. I hope that daycare has tired him out and the adventure of the long trip will keep him busy.

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EPIC FAIL: Remember I mentioned I would be fine as I had GPS to help me find the way. Well this didn’t happen. In fact Google actually directed me to a street that is no where near the camp and managed to do this twice. Yes, I know how silly to be directed to the wrong place once but twice! The second time around it made it sound like we were actually going somewhere different, then low and behold I ended up in the same stupid street that is not where I needed to be at all.

It was not just me that did this, there was another man taking his kids to the camp and he did the same thing I did, but to his benefit he only did it once. I did yell a bit and say a few choice words but was rather concerned as the kids and I were super early and due to not knowing how to correct this navitagion failure I was worried I would be very late now.

This other dad and I looked at the map he had, one mum that was already at the camp called me and helped me out over the phone. Due to this extra help or brains trust, the kids and I and the other family managed to find the campsite and where we needed to be. I wasn’t that late and in fact only added an extra 20 minutes to my journey and to my amazement there were so many others arriving after us, so that made me feel better.

I must say I might share more in common with Gilligan than I would like to admit.

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Last Friday was officially the last day of the school holidays aside from the weekend, as Monday the girls go back to school.

Yep, term 4 starts soon! How cool is this?

Not much will go wrong on Monday morning, right? Totally tired and exhausted kids from a full weekend away and having to get up earlier to go to school. I hope they get up and get organised okay.

Oh, and did I mention that we have had non-stop rain, and it is not stopping this weekend. In fact, it might be really heavy rain on Saturday.

The kids are camping in tents and will get very wet. I am sure that all the nice sorted clothes that went of dry and clean will come back all soaked and covered in mud. I just hope that they manage to put it all in the garbage bags provided so they don’t get everything super wet.

Another massive win is one of the other parents are able to take the twins home, so this saves me dragging Alexander to another 3-hour drive to pick them up on Sunday.

Have you had massive days during the school holidays? What did you get up to that required a HUGE drive with the kids too?

I am looking forward to things going back to normal next week with school returning.

Update: The twins had a wonderful time at camp. They came home very wet with everything in their bags wet and muddy as I expected. It has taken me two days and I think I have finished the washing. Phew…. but I know that there is more to come when I tidy up other rooms and change the sheets for everyone. The washing never lets up.

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