India, July 31 -- There was a time when using a projector meant finding a large table, dealing with cables and spending a few minutes getting the picture straight. My earliest memories go even further back, to school screenings of Pather Panchali and Charlie Chaplin films, where hundreds of us watched a wall washed in silver and white light. The picture was hardly perfect, but seeing a movie projected at that scale had its own charm.

Projectors have changed considerably since then. Some now belong permanently in elaborate home theatres, while others are small enough to travel in a backpack. The ViewSonic M1 Max belongs to the latter camp, and after spending time with it, I think its compact size is only part of the story.

The M1 Max has...