LightShow Multi-Color Personalized Message Projection Stake

I picked up a Multi-Color Personalized Message Projector with Stake, by Gemmy Industries, for some outdoor cheer during the upcoming Christmas season. When I first received the projector, I read the instructions, downloaded the necessary app from Play Store, and plugged the unit in. First caution is to download the proper app. Gemmy Industries has two apps listed. The correct one is labeled Personalized. The other app will not work. The unit projected several seasonal images, snowman and snowflakes and “Merry Christmas” in red. I could get the app to pair with my S-9 but the app had no effect on the message or images. The image will only project 10 foot wide and the message has to scroll since the words are too long for one line on the projection. A nice little display, I was not able to change the images or message.

I do lots of decorations for the Holidays and decided to obtain the Lightshow Multi-Color Personalized Message Projection Stake. It includes the projector and a multi-purpose base which can be setup as a tripod or pointed stake for placing in loose soil. The app downloads to your smart phone or other mobile device with bluetooth connectivity. Multiple Icons and symbols are available to enhance your personal message, and you can also select the color and scroll speed. The lens has a focus adjustment for projecting the image on the wall.The only thing I would have liked to see is an adjustable scroll width to show the entire message. It’s fixed and is not that wide. Other than that, it’s a nice decoration that adds a personal touch to the holidays.

This is a really fun item for Christmas decorations, something the whole family can enjoy. The projector comes with some pre-set messages and images, but the app (available for IPhone and Android) allows you to customize messages. The app connects to the projector via Bluetooth so you can change it up from your phone as long as you are in range. You can experiment with colors to get the best results for the surface you are projecting on. Note that water drops on the lens can distort the image so try to protect it from rain if possible. The included manual is simple but well written / illustrated, and the app is easy to use. The projector has a clever tripod for indoor use that can fold up into sturdy stake for outdoor use. It requires 120 volts so make sure if it goes outdoors you use an appropriate weatherproof extension cord. The kids (or grand kids) will love making up messages, choosing colors, etc. and then seeing their ideas projected on the house.

The Gemy multi-color personalized message projection stake is a big kid’s Christmas toy. Like all mobile apps that can be quickly and easily downloaded from Google Play or Apple App Store the Gemy Applights app is available. Once downloaded the “Personalized” icon appears on your cell phone. Tap the icon the app opens immediately scans for bluetooth devices. Make sure you have bluetooth active on your cell phone so that the app finds your phone. The app is easy and intuitive – five simple selections – Connect to Bluetooth, Create Message, Image and Color Selection. You can choose from several preprogrammed messages or you can create your own and use various Christmas images much like adding punctuation to a sentence. You can choose the projected color of your message and even speed up or slow down. You could even program Holiday Cheers, then switch over to the 12 Days of Christmas and on Christmas Eve herald the birth of the Child. Or you could host a Christmas Party and welcome your guests by name. The Gemy multi-color personalized message projection stake allows for infinite projected messages. Once you close the Applights app, the projector is programmed and your message selection or creation will play until you select another preprogrammed message or create a new one. Gemy has designed this app to project digitized messages similar to what Pacman looked like. The unit is simple and easy to use. Kids, both you and old, will have a ball with this. I plan to project on a 6’x 24′ fence that I have in my side yard. It’s a perfect complement to Holiday Yard Art.

This thing is AMAZING! OK, maybe I’m just a dork, but my kids and I are having a ton of fun coming up with different messages to display with this projector. Once you download the app to your Android device or iPhone, you can write roughly 180 characters of text, or select from a palate of Christmas-y images like reindeer or Christmas trees. You can make it say literally whatever you want to, from a simple “HO HO HO” to “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!” and anything in between or not. You can select from a fairly full range of colors, though you are limited to one at a time. You can also control the speed at which your message scrolls. The only drawbacks I’ve noticed: The projection is fairly small, about 8-10 feet if you make the letters about 3 feet high. And the app is not named exactly what Gemmy says it is in the instructions. At least in the Google Play store, it’s called “Applights Personalized,” and it shows up in your apps as “Personalized.” But once you find it, you can easily connect to the projector via BlueTooth and have a personalized merry little Christmas!

The led light is nice for what it is. Had I paid full retail for this instead of the clearance price I would have returned it.

The app that they tell you in the instructions to download is the wrong app. Took a while to figure that out. Even on the companies website there does not seem to be any mention of the correct app and they link to the wrong one. You need the one called “Applights Personalized”. Also, I would like to have seen a way to create your own pixel images in the app.

Nice novelty item. The brightness is not that great, so I had to use it to shine a message on the front door only with a distance of about 6 ft from the door.My son likes the fact that he can customize the message.

Too dim for my house, ended up returning it. Cool idea and in the right spot could be a great Christmas accessory.

This projector comes with 10 preset Christmas scenes (stationary) and 8 moving scenes. You can also adjust the whiteness or color from cool to warm. There are 12 available color options along with white. You can enter your own text message that will scroll across as well. Of the preset moving scenes, you can pick multiples and they will scroll through in the order you selected in a continuous cycle.The projector is all plastic including the stake. Being that the primary use is for Christmas and the stake is short, using this projector in colder areas where the ground is frozen or the snow is deep is probably going to be difficult. You’ll have to figure out some other way of setting up the projector to remain stationary and upright. The cord is also relatively short. For example, if you plug in to the outside wall outlet, you won’t be able to move the projector far enough away from that same wall to shine the image. An outdoor extension cord will be necessary. The packaging states that the image can be projected up to 10 ft away. The projected images are fine. Turning the rim around the lens is supposed to clear up the image, but I found that it really didn’t make much improvement. The display image is also quite narrow — meaning that wider images cannot show in their entirety. With the text messages, you basically see up to 2.5 capital letters at a time as they scroll by. So if you wanted a message like, “WELCOME HOME, DAD!”, you’re going to have to remember a lot of the letters since you’ll see “WE” first, then “EL”, then “LC”, etc. You get it. You can adjust the speed at which the letters scroll by, so if Dad was just arriving, he may figure out it’s a welcome home message for him pretty quickly. All of the controls for this projector are in the app you have to download to your cell phone. You can set a passcode to use the Bluetooth connection to the projector. This prevents others with the same app installed changing your projected display. I do wish the displayed image was a little wider or there was a way to adjust the letter font size to see more of the word even if it displayed a little smaller. I also wish the library of preset icons and moving scenes covered more holidays than just Christmas. It would be really fun for Halloween images. I’m planning on using this projector inside for Christmas unless the humming sound gets to me. In that case, I’ll have to make a stand and set it up outside.