Last January we announced the MPJ-101, a Pico LED projector with basic PMP features. Last week we finally got a sample to play with for your greatest pleasure.

First let’s refresh your memory. The MPJ-101 is a 3M like LED compact projector with an average 640×480 resolution, but with 1GB internal memory, an SD slot and basic PMP features including MPEG-4 H.264, M-JPEG, basic JPEG, and MP3 audio support.

Slightly larger than my own “no name” Pico projector, the MPJ-101 comes with basic control buttons on its top, a 0.5W speaker, and a remote control. The package also includes a compact tripod, and video and audio cables for plugging into any video source.

Once powered on you can play any of your files, then choose between various menus including the SD slot and the Setting Menu. The overall UI is DEAD simple… Want to watch movies? Go to the movie folder, that’s IT.

The MPJ-101 is pretty easy to use, but you’ll have to work on your files and make sure they’re compatible with MPEG-4 H.246 format… I tried some files that were stored on my iPOD and they worked immediately, not the case with DviX file I ripped from my DVD collection.

Video quality is average. I couldn’t see a difference between my Pico projector and the MPJ-101… Nice if you’re are on the go, but useless at home… You also have to be in very dark room to view movies adequaetly. As for audio, don’t pump it up too much otherwise it will sound horrible.

Bottom line, if you already own a Pico projector there’s no need to get this new version with basic PMP features. However, if you’re looking for a simple all in one solution, the MPJ-101 is a nice challenger, but its VGA resolution makes it ONLY acceptable for movies and nothing else.

Watch the video below to see this baby in action.