![]() To my mind, there are two use cases to address in evaluating these new UST projectors. Earlier options include the Hisense Laser TV, which sells for $7,999 accompanied by a 100-inch ALR UST screen, and the aforementioned Sony VPL-VZ1000ES at $25,000-though I wouldn't be surprised to see Sony release a smaller and more competitively priced 4K UST at some point for its family of LCoS-based SXRD projectors. Epson's upcoming LS500 laser UST, which uses 1080p imaging chips combined with Epson's 4K-Pro UHD pixel-shifting to achieve a 4K-like image, costs $4,999 with a 100-inch ambient-light-rejecting UST screen, or $5,999 with a 120-inch screen. At this writing in early October, start-up VAVA is offering up its VA-LT002 model at $2,549. ![]() Optoma's just announced laser-driven P1, by comparison, is agressively priced at $3,299, and ViewSonic's X1000-4K, an LED model, is expected to come in even lower upon its release later in the year. At $5,999 for the projector with no accompanying screen, it is among the more premium of the new offerings. The LG CineBeam HU85LA, reviewed here, is a DLP projector with 3840 x2160-pixel UHD resolution and a laser light engine. What is different this year, however, are the number of UST projectors being introduced by both major and secondary projector-makers that are specifically engineered to replace a family-room flat-panel, with more consideration given to color accuracy, contrast, on-board media streaming, and audio. And some other brands have had modest success selling UST for home theater in recent years. Sony also introduced UST projection as a luxury consumer product a few years back-in a $50,000, native 4K laser model that was eventually replaced by a version costing half as much. But Hisense proved some years ago with its Laser TV introduction overseas that there was consumer demand for UST in countries where living space is at a premium, and they've helped grease the skids for the nascent home UST market in the States. It's true that most USTs till now have been commercial products intended to blast graphics onto whiteboards in bright classrooms with little regard for movie/TV color accuracy or contrast. UST projectors are neither new, nor new to the home theater market. Some A/V furniture makers are even building UST cabinets now with recessed compartments that hide the projector completely, leaving nothing to look at but a giant image. With the ability to project sharp images of up to perhaps 130-inches diagonal from so close a distance, they can deliver a cinematic experience without turning your room into a construction zone or leaving much imprint on your aesthetics. With an unimposing, console-style chassis that sits atop a credenza just inches from the screen wall, USTs require no long cable runs to the source components, which are usually situated in the same cabinet upon which the projector rests. Bottom line: any one of these obstacles can be enough to deter even a serious geekazoid or movie fanatic from embracing front projection and doom them forever to a boring, 75-inch flat-panel.Īn ultra-short throw projector solves these issues. And, unless you're one of the lucky ones who gets to hide your projector behind the back wall of your dedicated theater room and poke the light-path through a porthole, there's a good chance you'll be living with a big white or black box hanging down in your living space.which doesn't often go over well with your resident interior designer. Then, there's the screen, which must also be properly researched, constructed, and hung if you expect to enjoy the best images from your new projector. But enjoying projection at the highest level takes sophisticated advance planning, and usually some arduous construction work to hang the projector and run cables in walls and ceilings for power, video signals, and control. Yes, it's one thing to plop down a little compact short-throw projector on a coffee table and toss a picture on the wall. If you believe, as I do, that the bigscreen magic of projectors should be spread as far as the eye can see, you probably know what a challenge it is to install one. Though its $5,999 price will be a deterrent for some, LG's laser-driven UST is a serious home theater projector that delivers surprisingly excellent performance, features, and build-quality for its product class.
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