LG's second generation CineBeam Projector is a 4K DLP design that features a ultra-short throw lens, allowing it to be placed mere inches from a wall.
Is there still a space for projection in the living room? With today's 4K TVs available at approachable prices and sizes up to 85 inches, the days of setting up a projector on a coffee table to get a big picture up on the wall are of a bygone era. Projection has retreated to dedicated home theater rooms, or more casual gaming applications. But now, thanks to multiple offerings in the UST (ultra short throw) category, projection appears to be making a bid to reenter the living room. For example, the new LG HU85L that will make an appearance at CES 2019 sporting a 2500-lumen laser light source and 4K resolution.
The main selling point of this new model is the UST capability, which allows it to project a 90-inch (diagonal) image while sitting only 2 inches away from the wall. If you give it 7 inches of space, the maximum image size increases to 120 inches.
“The new CineBeam Laser projector marries spectacular 4K viewing experience with the convenience of AI technology,” said Jang Ik-hwan, head of LG’s IT business division. “There is no other product like this on the market, illustrating how LG continues to deliver unique value to consumers.”
Unlike some projectors, this consumer friendly device is loaded with smart features, including voice recognition using LG ThinQ AI. You'll be able to control functions, such as powering the unit down, as well as request content such as videos on YouTube.
I took a good look at this new projector while at CES 2019 and what I saw was encouraging. This is a DLP projector, which means its black levels are not as deep as a dedicated home cinema unit. But, the demo was held in a fairly bright area adjacent to the show floor in LG's booth and the light pollution would render a home theater projector useless. What you get instead is a lot of brightness at 2500 lumens, enough to create a 120" 16:9 image that can overcome typical living room lighting.
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I'm an avid AV enthusiast, photographer, video producer, and drone pilot who spends his spare time exploring cities, listening to music, watching movies, and playing video games.
I'm an avid AV enthusiast, photographer, video producer, and drone pilot who spends his spare time exploring cities, listening to music, watching movies, and playing video games.
From my reading and personal experience, very few people on this forum who have setup a UST with a proper screen have had issues with geometry. I’ve been following pretty much every UST thread for well over a year now. Also I have an inexpensive 1080p UST and have no issues either. It is true you have to have a perfectly flat screen or wall which is rarely the case unless you buy a screen specifically for a UST projector.
I know they haven't released the specs so no one can give a definitive answer. But for those are are familiar with ultra short-throws.... is this expected to be a true 4K or e-shift? Are these things DLP, LCD? What kind of contrast can one expect from something like this. Any idea if these will be competitive with Sony or JVC offerings... ?
I know they haven't released the specs so no one can give a definitive answer. But for those are are familiar with ultra short-throws.... is this expected to be a true 4K or e-shift? Are these things DLP, LCD? What kind of contrast can one expect from something like this. Any idea if these will be competitive with Sony or JVC offerings... ?
It will be “true 4k”, a term coined by Texas Instruments for DLP projectors that shift pixels 4x per frame to create a 4k image on the screen. This is nearly indistinguishable from native 4k in terms of resolution. “e-shift” is a term coined by JVC, it can only shift twice per frame to create a 2k image. This is still noticeably higher resolution than 1080p and noticeably less than 4k.
As far as contrast, it will almost certainly have substantially lower contrast than JVC and Sony. However UST projectors can be paired with UST specific screens that can enhance the contrast in ambient light. If you are setting this up in a living room with a proper UST screen it will likely have a much better picture than a JVC or Sony projector in the same environment.
So it’s not really fair to compare this with JVC or Sony. Those are designed for a home cinema where the LG is designed to replicate a very large tv.
When i hear of single chip DLP I assume there will be the rainbow effect (which drives me crazy). Does laser illumination minimize (eliminate) rainbows?
When i hear of single chip DLP I assume there will be the rainbow effect (which drives me crazy). Does laser illumination minimize (eliminate) rainbows?
So far laser based single chip dlp projectors have been a little more prone to RE. I am guessing this is due to having a phosphor wheel in addition to the colorwheel.
You should consider context. A house that’s $100,000 would be considered low cost or affordable by most people, yet $100,000 is still a lot of money to most people.
$1200 is almost bottom of the barrel for UST pjs...this is where they start. Most are in the $3-5K range and some are $25K. Its about time someone came out with a 4K UST laser...shame on Optoma, BenQ, Viewsonic for letting an outsider show them up...bravo to LG. (seriously hope it has functional laser dimming). I don't think HDR is spec'd for projector HT use...I guess they could say its HDR but it wouldn't really be truthful. It's also less meaningful now that players like the Panasonic UB820 can tone map so well...makes my 5 y.o. JVC 4910 "HDR compatible" (with a Fury). I seriously hope it puts out >2000 lumens calibrated, that will be marvelous for daytime use (and helpful to drive lenticular ALR-UST screens).
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