LG HU80KA 4K Home Theater Projector Review - Hardware: Overview, The Lens and Lens Throw, The Control Panel, Inputs/Connectors

The HU80KA is certainly one of the most unique projectors we’ve seen in years. It doesn’t look like other projectors. It uses a large mirror to aim the beam (the last time that was popular was with Proxima and Polaroid projectors in the mid-‘90s) and it has a carry handle! Cute! And practical, considering LG markets this as a projector that can be moved around easily, indoors or out, for movie nights, sports, whatever.

The most common setup of the LG will likely be people standing it up on the floor, although lying it down horizontally will work if your table you rest it on is about the same height as the bottom of your screen (or any other surface you want to project on).

Either way, there’s a 1.2:1 manual zoom lens, with controls on one side.

The mirror allows you to adjust the height of the image on the screen, but if the angle is a lot, then you’ll see a trapezoidal image. That’s normally made into a rectangle by lens shift (which the mirror can sort of do a bit of), or keystone correction, which the LG has, but we always say, don’t use keystone correction unless you must, because it softens the image and reduces detail.

There are four screw-on feet that can be used when the projector is intended to be lying down flat. You can see the four screw thread holes are on the same side of the projector as the cutout for most of the connectors. The two pairs of holes (left side and right) are about 5 inches apart, with one set just above the cutout, and the other “higher up” (closer to the mirror and lens). Those will protect your tabletop, and the bottom surface of the projector when it is used horizontally.

The projector can even be ceiling mounted horizontally, in the same fashion as most home theater/home entertainment projectors!

If the projector is set up vertically, and you are standing behind it facing the screen, the focus and zoom controls will be on the left side, just behind the front (lens area).

The mirror, as noted, is hinged and can be moved out of the way, rotated, etc.

There’s a cable cover close the opening (except for the back). The power cord, interestingly enough, is about 10 feet long (a guess). What’s interesting is it is hard-wired to the projector instead of using a typical, standard power receptacle.

There’s a button just above the bottom, on the opposite side of the lens controls, which, when pushed, reels in the power cord. Nice touch, although a little more tension might be better. Sometimes it just doesn’t have enough muscle to reel it all in, especially if the projector is on a table, and has to pull the cord “up” to the unit. Still, count it as a nice extra thought, great for those that plan to move the HU80KA around a lot.

As noted, it is a 1.2:1 manual zoom lens. The zoom and focus controls are on one side of the LG projector. The throw distance seems pretty typical:

Obviously, if a screen is 10% larger (110” diagonal), then both distances would increase by 10%. With a calculator, you can quickly and easily figure out the distances for any sized screen, larger or smaller.

There isn’t enough zoom range to pair with a Cinemascope type widescreen, and there is no lens memory, to make that easy, even if it had enough zoom to be viable.  Of course, very few DLP projectors offer lens memory, mostly because the typical single DLP chip design isn’t conducive to having a large amount of lens shift, or the 2.1:1 zoom ranges offered by non-DLPs as many Sony, JVC and Epson projectors over $2000 offer.

The control panel of the HU80KA is minimalistic, something up until now, was a term I only really applied to Sony’s control panels.

The control panel sits on the top surface in the front right corner, just a few inches from the lens. It is a round affair, with a center button and four arrow keys for navigation, as seen in the photo above. Its operation is pretty strange, so please don’t lose the LG’s Magic Remote (as they call it).

If the HU80KA is powered off, pressing the power button in the center will turn it on.

Once the projector is on, when you press the center button on the control panel, (it has a power marking on it), you get an image of a similar wheel, with each arrow’s purpose designated.

It comes up on screen pointing to the X – for cancel. Or the left arrow, will bring up Inputs, the top arrow, Power Off, and the right arrow is the Setup symbol which brings up the main menus. After pointing to the one you want, pressing the center button executes it, as it acts as an Enter button.

 (I hope that made sense – art).

Casio XJ-A257 Portable Laser Projector Review – Performance: Brightness, Contrast, Audible Noise

The contrast ratio for the Casio XJ-A257 Portable Laser Projector is advertised at 1,800:1.  Contrast ratios are not something we are able to measure, so what we’re really concerned with is the projector’s performance in terms of black levels.  Blacks are more of a dark gray, but are still recognizable as black.  The black level performance is on par with an entry-level home entertainment projector – not great, but good enough.  You will find them suitable for your business and education needs.  The photo below gives you a good idea of what to expect.

Casio XJ-A257 Portable Laser Projector Review – Summary: Summary, Pros, Cons

The Casio XJ-A257 Portable Laser Projector is intended for business and educational uses.  It is extremely portable, being the size and weight of a single ream of copy paper.  This projector has an internal storage capacity of 2GB, coupled with a versatile onboard media player; it is able to meet the needs of anyone who requires a bright, clear image in an easily carried package.  It’s automatic, digital, vertical keystone correction makes setup a snap, and it’s lampless Laser & LED light engine with a lifespan of 20,000 hours make this projector virtually maintenance fee.

Though the XJ-A257 fell short on its advertised brightness of 3,000 lumens with a top brightness of only 53% of its claim, I believe it is bright enough and it’s other features, such as its ease of portability, internal storage capacity, ability to serve as an access point for mobile devices allowing for control and presentations from a smartphone or tablet, and quality audio make up for this.  This Casio projector is offered with a price tag of $1,509, making it a great choice for an entry level portable laser projector.

The Casio XJ-A257 has five standard color modes, and two ECO Off color modes: Standard, Game, Graphic, Theater, Blackboard, ECO Off, and ECO Off Bright.  Colors are generally good, with Theater mode being the best.  This projector also allows for five brightness settings in the five ECO On modes, allowing you to make your presentations as eco-friendly as you like, but the darker modes are suited only for extremely dark environments.

• Loud fan
• Doesn’t even come close to its advertised 3,000 lumens (1,575 lumens in ECO Off Bright)
• Focus, zoom, and position of the projected image shifts between uses when the project hasn’t been moved and I can’t find an explanation for it (projectors often fall out of focus between uses, but the image shifting is a bit odd - if you're constantly moving the projector, as is the case with road warriors, this won't be so noticeable)

Casio XJ-A257 Portable Laser Projector Review – Special Features: Linkage to Casio Digital Equipment, Networking, PC Free Presentations/Onboard Media Player with 2GB Internal Memory, Laser & LED Hybrid Light Engine

The Casio XJ-A257 is able to connect to Casio EXILIM point-and-shoot digital cameras without requiring images to be offloaded from the camera to another storage device.  A great feature for mathematics classrooms is the ability of this projector to connect to Casio graphing calculators, projecting an otherwise small screen in to one the entire class is able to follow along with.

The Casio XJ-A257 projector does not have a LAN (RJ-45) port, nor does it have built-in-wireless.  What it does have is a USB port with built-in support for a wireless module, which is included with the projector.  This allows presenters to connect to the projector as an access point via PC, Mac, smartphone or tablet.  Apps are available for iOS and Android.  This Casio projector allows for control via C-Assist, for smooth meetings and presentations.

The Casio XJ-A257 features 2GB of internal memory, storing presentations, videos and graphics onboard, adding to the portability of this already ultra-portable projector by reducing the need for external storage.  If you are using an external storage device, the projector allows a card reader to be connected to the USB port in addition to the ability to use a standard flash drive.

Casio XJ-A257 Portable Laser Projector Review – Hardware: Overview, Inputs and Connectors, Lens

The Casio XJ-A257 is a slim series portable laser projector, best suited for business and educational applications.  It measures just 1.7 inches tall, 11.7 inches wide and 8.3 inches deep, and weighs 5 lbs; roughly the size and weight of a ream of copy paper.  This portable projector is designed to be placed on a table top, but also has hardware built into the bottom to accept mounting bolts for use on a stand or from the ceiling, and supports front and rear projection.  This projector comes equipped with automatic digital vertical keystone correction, which makes setup a breeze.  For this review, I used the table top option, so descriptions will be written as this projector appeared when sitting on a table top.

The front of the Casio XJ-A257 portable projector houses the lens.  Next to the lens, you will find the Front IR Receiver, which is the receiver for the projector’s wireless remote control.  The front of the projector also features the hot air exhaust vents. When looking at the projector from the front, the cool air intake is on the left side.  The top of the projector is where we find the control panel and indicator lights, and the Casio logo.  The rear of the projector is where the connections are located, as well as an additional IR sensor.  The right side is ventilated and has logo port and a serial connection, which allows the projector to be controlled for an attached computer.

The Casio XJ-A257 features a lens with 2X power zoom, and power focus.  There is a lens cap included, which is tethered to the projector via a piece of black nylon string, helping to reduce the likelihood this small part would be misplaced.  The lens cap is affixed to the lens and remains in place during transport via an internal magnet.

Optoma ZU660 Projector Review – Hardware: Overview, Inputs and Connectors, Interchangeable Lenses

The Optoma ZU660 is a large venue projector that measures 7.2 inches tall, 19.1 inches wide and 20.0 inches deep, and weighs in at 37.4 lbs. This commercial projector can be mounted on a table top or ceiling mounted, and supports front and rear projection. For this review, I used the table top option, so descriptions will be written as this projector appeared when sitting on a table top.

The front of the Optoma ZU660 houses the bayonet-style lens mount, which allows easy installation of the different interchangeable lenses. As is typical with these commercial projectors, a lens is not included. To install a lens into this bayonet-style mount, simply insert the lens and twist to the right. To remove, just twist to the left. Next to the lens, you will find the Front IR Receiver, which is the receiver for the projector’s wireless remote control.

When looking at the projector from the front, the cool air intake is on the right side, and the hot air exhaust is on the left. The top of the projector is mostly featureless, save for the Optoma logo and another IR Receiver toward the rear. The rear of the projector is where you can find the control panel and an array of connections.

Optoma’s  ZU660 offers a healthy array of inputs for a variety of media devices. There are two rows on connections, and I’ll be describing them left to right. The top row offers a standard RJ-45 port for LAN Networking, and an HDBaseT connection, which supports HDMI signals from a compatible device via a LAN cable.

Next are two HDMI connectors, which allow connectivity with modern computers, BluRay players, steaming content, etc. A DVI-D port offers compatibility with older computers. Next, we have an old-school VGA-IN port, which doubles as a connector for YPbPr, allowing connectivity with an even wider variety of devices, and lastly, on the top row, there is a connection for a wired remote control.

The second row offers a 3D Sync In and a 3D Sync Out connector for use with 3D equipment. Next to the 3D ports, there is an RS232-C connector for older command and control units. Following that is a VGA-Out connection, which allows connection of a computer monitor or television directly to the projector. The bottom right corner of the back panel also houses the connection for the A/C power cord, and a port for an equipment lock. There are no USB ports on this projector.

Optoma’s ZU660 projector does not come with a standard lens. You’ll need to choose one for your application, or several if you’re in the rental and staging industry. The bayonet-style mounting system allows for quick changes in lenses as applications and venues change. Fortunately, there is no shortage of choices, as Optoma offers eight lenses (BX-CTA16, BX-CTA15, BX-CAA01, BX-CAA06, BX-CAA02, BX-CAA03, BX-CTA13, BX-CTADOME) to suit just about any need. From the ultra-short throw, to the Dome lens, you are sure to find exactly what you need.

JVC DLA-RS440U Projector Review – Performance: Brightness, Contrast, Audible Noise

If there's one thing JVC home theater projectors have long been known for, it's their having the projectors with the highest native contrast.  Even without, the RS440U's dynamic iris engaged, there are few projectors (mostly more expensive) that can come close to handling dark scenes, like this JVC.

Iris engaged, you have to start looking at some Sony projectors that start at about double the RS440U / X590's to find comparable blacks.  (Of course, in fairness, that Sony - the VW685ES, is native 4K, not a 1080p pixel shifter, so it is inherently sharper, for that extra price difference as well.)

Still, the point is, you love deep blacks on very dark scenes, you can't beat this JVC without spending a lot more!

We take most measurements with a projectors's zoom lens set to its mid-point. On projectors with a lot of zoom range, like this JVC with its 2.1:1 zoom lens, means a significant change in brightness depending on where you place the projector relative to your screen.  The closer you place it, the brighter.  How much?

Well, most modes including Users 1-5 (which we used here) measured 1894 at mid-zoom.

Brightness ncreased just over 5% to 1986 lumens at full wide angle (closest position possible).

At maximum distance (relative to your screen size) the JVC drops to 1601 lumens, or a drop of almost 20%. That's actually a total range of about 25% and that's not a big drop for a 2.1:1 zoom lens.  (In a perfect world you don't want to be at the exact closest or furtherest, based on the simple logic, that no lens is going to be performing at its best at the extremes of its range!

Per Eric's measurements:

The JVC DLA-RS440 produced 25.2% less lumens in its eco mode than at full power.  User mode (pick one) was measured at 1412 lumens, still plenty of brightness.  The good news is, unlike most projectors

RS440U Projector Review – Picture Quality: Out-of-the-Box Picture Quality, Skin Tones, Black Levels, Dark Shadow Detail

Other than the brightest mode, JVC modes all look to offer various degrees of color accuracy, but overall very good looking picture quality. That said, there is definitely some room for improvement, so you might want to try our published settings…

To give you an idea how good they are, in addition to the few general uncalibrated images here, look in the Skin Tones section below.  There you can see the same HDTV image on each of the JVC’s modes, both calibrated and not, for comparision.

Those same brighter modes, with all that pop and wow, aren’t perfect on skin tones, often they are oversaturated at least a little, but then that’s the goal when you have selected a mode that is geared to cut through a lot of ambient light.  You can take any of those modes and dial them back down, but remember, these are the modes for looking spectacular. Some of these modes might give you a bit too much contrast too, but even the Victoria Secret models (only HDTV) looked really good in those modes.

Photo and Caption Player

Switch to the better modes, and skin tones are more natural. But the BenQ improves with our calibration settings to be even better, and typically a little warmer.

While all our images are compromised and never look as good as the projected image (for many technical reasons), our skin tone collection gives you an excellent idea of what to expect.

All the HDTV sports images were taken in either Vivid TV, Sports or Football, with more than a little ambient light present.  The other HDTV images focused on skin tones (except 4K from Netflix), were taken off the projector using either our best mode for non-4K or the user mode labeled by Eric - 4K HDR when he calibrated the projector.

The $7999 Sony – the VW385ES, improves on its sibling, by adding a dynamic iris. It still comes up a little short, I put it right with those two Epsons.
Then finally, also a few thousand more than the JVC, is Epson’s laser LS10500. Overall black levels aren’t as good, but it does black frames, so when a scene for whatever reason is supposed to be black the Epson shuts down the lasers completely. No light hits the screen at all! Yet overall, I’d slightly favor overall, the end result of this JVC. I can live fine with either’s performance. That’s it, except I do believe Sony’s VW885ES – at $15K rivals this JVC. Of course, it too, is native 4K, while this JVC is merely a 4K capable, lower res pixel shifter. Get up into Sony’s $25K native 4K laser projectors, they should match, probably beat this JVC.

Why are great black levels important? It’s relatively easy to reproduce typical medium and bright scenes, overall, the differences between sub $1000 entry level, and most $5K and $10K projectors (we’re not talking 4K), are slight. But first really dark scene, and the difference becomes huge, looking dramatically better on the dark scenes. Enough said. This is the JVC RS440U’s forte. There are other trade-offs but it is this where it really stands out.

No issues here, either.  The limits to dark shadow detail come down to the coarseness of the controls – between the two best results.  Either you end up, crushing just the tiniest amount of the deepest near blacks, or you end up with a smidgeon more overall brightness if the control is set one higher. That’s pretty typical.

In the photo player are some of the usual images, but definitely also look at the Bond night train in the section above, where you can compare with "the competition". 

The JVC handled the darkest scenes extremely well, capturing virtually all of the darkest details.

DLA-RS440/X590 Projector Review – Hardware: Overview, Inputs and Connectors, Lens, Lens Throw and Shift

The JVC DLA-RS440U and its twin, are rather large home theater projectors, easily several times the size of some of the smaller DLP projectors.  It comes finished in black is pretty rectangular with some angles on the front corners for the venting.  This is a projector designed first and foremost for a home theater/cave, so the black finish is the right choice, since most home theaters have dark ceilings.

Let’s take the quick tour, then get into the details of the JVC’s hardware.   From the front:

The recessed, and motorized, 2.1:1 zoom is centered on the front.  Since everything is motorized (including having Lens Memory) there are no physical controls for zoom, focus or lens shift.  Speaking of that, the JVC has a whole lot of vertical and horizontal lens shift, for excellent placement flexibility.

Other than the venting, the only other thing on the front of the JVC projector is the IR sensor for the remote control.  Well, there are three LED indicator lights – the usual Power, Lamp, and Warning!  They are small, of course, located up at the top, and wrap around to the top.  Should their be a problem, there’s a list of warning codes in the manual.

The top of the projector – is black.  No controls. The Control Panel, found on the top of most projectors is located on the back, in the center.

Also located on the back, but to the left of the control panel are all the inputs and related connectors.  To the right of the control panel, is the door for replacing the lamp. Four, screw thread adjustable feet are found on the bottom, for those rear shelf mounting, or setting up on a table top.

The large casing for the JVC helps keep this projector especially quiet, compared to much of the competition, a nice thing to report.

The JVC RS440U and X590U come with a backlit remote control.  We’ll go into full detail about it on the 2^nd hardware page.  Also on that page will be photos of most of the projector’s menus, with some appropriate comments on a number of the menus.

Let’s start on the far left side (as usual): 

At the top left are a pair of HDMI 2.0, HDCP 2.2  (If JVC has upgraded to 2.1 they don’t reflect that on their spec pages.   2.1 primarily expands bandwidth and standards for future 8K, so unneeded) for a pixel shifting 1080p projector.

Next over, to the right, is the RJ-45 jack for standard Ethernet networking.  

Below and under the HDMIs is a traditional serial RS-232C port (DB9 connector) for “old school” command and control.  Of course “newer” school command and control can be done over HDMI, etc.

To its right is the rear infra-red sensor for the JVC remote control.  

Next row:  A DIN connector for the optional 3D module, and a single 12 volt trigger, intended for controlling a screen, but could control a lens sled for an anamorphic lens, or even properly equipped motorized shades.

That only leaves the recessed power receptacle, which is lower down.

As is common, many old “legacy” type inputs are gone, including a standard analog computer interface (aka VGA input) or component video, although those can be brought through an HDMI input, when set up properly I believe.  Also not found here – S-Video.  There is no internal speaker, as is traditional for “serious” home theater projectors, and no audio outputs.  That’s fine, lacking the audio out, because this projector does not have a media player, nor can it stream directly, etc., so any audio is coming from sources like an AV receiver, or a blu-ray player / UHD player.  In other words, no problem.

The next page takes a close look at the control panel, the remote control, and the JVC menu system.

When it comes to placement flexibility, the JVC is definitely first class.  Most projectors for home have zoom lenses with 1.1:1 out to 1.6:1, depending on brand and model. This JVC offers 2.1:1 an excellent amount, and about the maximum zoom range available today.  Others that tend to have that much range are mostly Sonys and Epsons, JVC's primary competition.

Lens shift is pretty much the same. Lots of range - both vertical and horizontal.  Most 3LCD and LCoS competitors also offer quite a lot, but most DLPs offer very little lens shift if any at all, and rarely offer horizontal shift.  Thus projectors like this JVC, rule when it comes to give you the option to ceiling mount, rear shelf mount or table top the projector.  By comparison, since DLP's have limited zoom (almost all) they can rarely be placed far enough back to sit on a rear wall shelf, and worse, because of limited lens shift, they can't be mounted on a high shelf (unless inverted and then normally that would call for a ceiling.

RS440U Projector  – Picture Quality:4K HDR Movies/4K Streaming, 1080p movies, HDTV and Sports, Overall Picture Quality

Virtually all consumer 4K content so far on Blu-ray UHD uses HDR, but there are some exceptions.  Additionally, so far, most Netfix streaming (can’t speak for other streaming) 4K content does not support HDR.

My primary focus is on 4K content with HDR and expanded color space, which is to say, these days, is primarily content on 4K Blu-ray UHD discs.

But I am not routinely checking out 4K streaming on Netflix, relying primarily on Blacklist for my analysis.  Unfortunately, after I sent the JVC back, I realized I had never taken photos form Blacklist on Netflix, or have misplaced them. (probably forgot)!

It was a pretty great experience.  With the HDR adjusted to provide respectable brightness (read Eric’s comments on the calibration pages), it was certainly the best viewing experience since the Sony VW385ES (native 4K).  As noted skin tones were near excellent post calibration, but the RS440U has a little more trouble trying to get to P3, than more expensive laser projectors.  Still, I was never unhappy. Like predecessors to this model, once again, it rocks, and in this case, it rocks on high quality 4K content.  If, as Eric points out, technically his HDR mode, with P3 calibration proved a little less accurate than his 1080p/REC 709, but then its doing a really good job with great color space, as opposed to excellent with an inferior color space (REC 709).  That certainly earns JVC a pass.  

A quick note if comparing against the Epson 5040UB.  Eric indicates that the Epson has the slight edge when it comes to tackling P3 color space.  Not enough to matter. The more important aspect today is preventing dimness in the mid-lower ranges as HDR tries to stretch out the dynamic range.  

Until Epson’s last firmware upgrade, this would have been no contest, as the Epson started out seeming dim in those mid and lower ranges, when first released.  Even, the last calibration settings we posted on the Epson with custom gamma, etc. it’s still was a little dim.  The most recent firmware version, though, is close enough with regular gammas, and that can be customized, .  Either way, reasonably close to the JVC in this regard, based on direct comparisons.  

(The two projectors features and capabilities wise are very similar.) 

Excellent.  I do wish the images did a much better job of reproducing the color on the screen.  My expectations were on the money.  It may be roughly three years since I reviewed this series last, but it must be the 4^th or 5^th one in the series that I have reviewed in a decade.  What’s new here?  Support for 4K with HDR since my last visit to an RS4xx series projector.  Great, but when it comes to your basic 1080p movie on Blu-ray, there is virtually no difference, and, that’s good thing.  

You will find the usual images from Hunger Games, Casino Royale, and a few other photos from other movie content.  As noted elsewhere, there is some color shifting, so these aren’t the best representatives of how good this JVC RS440U looks in person.

Great black levels combine with overall great color even if you haven’t calibrated or tried our settings. As Eric pointed out, the JVC starts out a lot better than most.  Best movie viewing I’ve seen in my theater since I had the $8K Sony here.

Excellent.  I do wish the images did a much better job of reproducing the color on the screen.  My expectations were on the money.  It may be roughly three years since I reviewed this series last, but it must be the 4^th or 5^th one in the series that I have reviewed in a decade.  What’s new here?  Support for 4K with HDR since my last visit to an RS4xx series projector.  Great, but when it comes to your basic 1080p movie on Blu-ray, there is virtually no difference, and, that’s good thing.  

You will find the usual images from Hunger Games, Casino Royale, and a few other photos from other movie content.  As noted elsewhere, there is some color shifting, so these aren’t the best representatives of how good this JVC RS440U looks in person.

Great black levels combine with overall great color even if you haven’t calibrated or tried our settings. As Eric pointed out, the JVC starts out a lot better than most.  Best movie viewing I’ve seen in my theater since I had the $8K Sony here.