The Leica Cine 1 delivers outstanding picture quality from a beautifully designed package.

Leica Cine 1 is a 3000 Lumen 4K Tri Laser ultra-short throw projector. These types of projectors are commonly referred to as Laser TVs. However, Leica describes the Cine 1 as a Cinema TV.

There are two versions of the Cine 1 available in the US, which have been optimized for either a 100" ($8,995 SRP) or 120" ($9,495 SRP) screen. A third model sold in Europe is designed for use with an 80" screen. All three models in the series are nearly identical. However, their lens assemblies have been precisely adjusted to maximize the sharpness and edge-to-edge focus for a specific screen size. Leica provided me with a 120” version for this review.

Leica is a leading manufacturer of high-quality optics and ultra-premium cameras. While Leica is known for its cameras, it has decades of experience projecting 35mm photos and film. In the past, they have even offered professional video projectors under their Pradovit product line. The Cine 1 is the first Leica projector designed for home use.

The Leica Cine 1 is one of the most expensive Laser TVs, but its design, construction, and picture quality justify its premium price. To learn more about Leica's storied history and why their products command a premium, check out our article entitled " Leica Cine 1: Premium Performance in a Beautiful Package"

Leica Cine 1 Specs
Price	100” ($8,995), 120” ($9,495)
Technology	DLP (0.47” DMD)
Displayed Resolution	3840 x 2160 Pixel Shifting
Brightness (Manufacturer Claim)	3000 ANSI Lumens
Light Source	Tri-Laser
Contrast	1,000:1 (2,000,000:1 Dynamic)
Zoom Lens Ratio	Fixed
Lens Shift	Fixed
Sound System	2 x 25watt
Dimensions	23.6 x 14.9 x 5.9 in
Weight	33.3 lbs (15.1kg)

Overview

There are reasons why you would spend more for a premium projector, which includes a beautiful design, exceptional build quality, accurate picture quality, and a well-integrated user interface.

The beautifully designed aluminum chassis exudes quality. There is a motorized lens covers that slide open when the unit is powered up. When closed, the lens cover protects the lens from dust and grimy fingers.

While many Laser TVs are bundled with a screen, many manufacturers give users the flexibility of choosing the screen that works best for their environment. When a Laser TV is sold without a screen, the projector's manufacturer usually provides a recommended range of screen sizes.

However, while a manufacturer may state that you can use between 80 to 120-inch screens, the reality is that the projector image quality is only truly optimized at one size. Optical focus adjustment can improve edge-to-edge clarity, but it is still a compromise.

In an ultra-short throw projection system, the bottom of the screen is much closer to the projector than the top, which makes lens design extremely challenging.

To meet Leica's high standards, the Cine 1 uses a fixed lens design optimized for a fixed image size. While optical zoom and adjustable focus do help picture quality, to maximize edge-to-edge clarity and screen uniformity, a fixed lens is best.

Leica leveraged decades of experience when designing the Summicron lens used in the Cine 1

Leica Cine 1 sizes are fixed to ensure maximum edge-to-edge focus and detail. Based on their decades of experience building lenses for photography, Leica believes that fixed-focus projector lenses provide optimal sharpness and clarity for each screen size. They don’t recommend shifting the projector closer or farther away from the wall to attempt to enlarge or reduce the image because it would just reduce the sharpness and create a flawed image.

The projector's Summicron lens includes four aspherical elements that are manufactured at higher tolerances to fit Leica's specific needs. The benefits of the high-quality lens assembly are noticeable. It delivers excellent edge-to-edge focus and reduces the amount of chromatic aberrations and color fringing, I have seen in other tri-laser-equipped ultra-short throw projectors.

In addition, the Cine 1 is equipped with Leica Image Optimization (LIO™). This proprietary Leica video processing optimizes the unit’s picture quality by delivering natural color reproduction and maximized contrast ratio.

In the US, the Leica Cine 1 is available in a 100" and 120"

The projector HDR10, HLG, and HDR10+, to fully maximize the projector’s HDR picture quality, the Cine 1 also supports Dolby Vision®. This format's metadata provides the Cine 1 with information (metadata) about the content's color grading and brightness levels on a scene-by-scene basis. Cine 1 can adjust its settings in real time, optimizing the HDR viewing experience for each scene.

Since the Cine 1 is a Laser TV designed to replace a large flat-panel TV, it needs a good onboard sound system. The Cine 1 comes equipped with built-in 50W Dolby Atmos® Surround Sound for a truly cinematic experience in the home. Its sound system easily surpasses the audio quality of any flat-panel TV available on the market.

The US versions of the Cine 1 utilize the latest Google TV operating system, which is a step up from the Android TV found in many smart projectors. It is quick and responsive and supports a wide range of apps and streaming services, including Netflix. The Cine 1 also supports voice control via Google Assistant.

Many “smart” projectors ship with an external smart dongle, so their smart features are not fully integrated into the unit’s operation system. Often, you must utilize two different menu systems, one to adjust the projector and one to access the unit's smart features. In fact, several smart projectors ship with two remote controls.

The Leica Cine 1 projector settings, including calibration adjustments and all the unit's smart features, are seamlessly integrated into one menu system. This is closer to the experience offered by smart flat-panel TVs.

HIGHLIGHTS

Two versions available: 100" ($8,995) or 120" ($9,495)
Leica designed Summicron lens with Leica Image Optimization™
Tri Laser RGB laser light source
Can reproduce over 199% of the BT.2020 color gamut
3,000 ANSI Lumens of brightness
4K UHD (3840 x 2160) displayed resolution.
1,000:1 native contrast (2,000,000:1 dynamic)
25,000+ Hours of light source life
Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HLG and HDR10 support
Filmmaker Mode is designed to display content the way the creators intended
Built-in 50W Dolby Atmos® sound system
HDMI-enhanced Audio Return Channel (eARC) allows high-bitrate audio pass-thru
Fully integrated Google TV OS with a single remote control
2-year parts and labor warranty

HARDWARE

CHASSIS

The Leica Cine 1 measures approximately 23.6” inches wide x 15.9" deep x 5.9" high and weighs around 33 pounds. Leica is known for producing beautifully designed and precisely crafted products and the Cine 1 lives up to that reputation. I have reviewed dozens of Laser TVs over the past several years, and the Leica Cine 1's fit and finish is significantly better than any unit I have seen. The unit’s chassis is constructed entirely of aluminum and feels as good as it looks.

The Cine 1 includes a motorized lens cover that glides open when the unit is powered on. It protects the projector’s lens from dust and the sticky fingers of small children (or adults!).

Like most Leica products, the Cine 1 projector’s design is clean and clutter-free. On the front of the unit, there is just a status LED light and a Leica logo. The speaker system and IR receiver are hidden behind the perforated aluminum grill that covers the entire front of the unit. The Cine 1 doesn’t have a control panel on the chassis. There is just a power button located on the top left corner of the chassis.

Leica Cine 1 Laser TV - Projector Reviews - Image

Like the projector’s chassis, the unit’s remote control is made of metal. The remote is solid but well-balanced. The remote is the main way users interact with their projectors and every time you pick up the remote, you are reminded that the Cine 1 is a premium product. However, I wish the remote was backlit. The remote is also Bluetooth so you don’t have to worry about aiming the remote at the projector.

In addition to the common buttons used to operate the projector, it includes a built-in microphone and a button to activate Google Assistant. There are also dedicated buttons to directly access popular streaming services, including Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime and Disney+.

The inputs and connections are all located on the rear of the unit, facing the screen. There are three HDMI inputs. There are two HDMI 2.1b inputs and a single HDMI 2.0 input, which allow playback of 4K HDR content with 12bit color at up to 60fps. The HDMI 2.1b supports 24Gbps of bandwidth, which is more than enough to maximize the full capabilities of the projector.

Leica Cine 1 Laser TV Inputs - Projector Reviews - Image

Also, HDMI #2 input supports eARC (enhanced Audio Return Channel) to send uncompressed multi-channel audio from the projector to a compatible sound system. The Leica Cine 1 can also control connected devices, such as an A/V receiver via CEC. This is a very convenient feature because you can use a single remote instead of having to have several different remotes to control each connected device and risk losing or mixing up the remotes.

Other available inputs include a USB port, gigabit Ethernet, optical-digital and mini-jack audio outputs, and an RF antenna input for the unit’s built-in ATSC 1.0 tuner.

LENS ASSEMBLY

The optical systems of an ultra-short-throw projector like the Leica Cine 1 differ from a traditional projector. A UST optical system uses a complex series of mirrors to project images at a steep, extreme angle. Even with the projector being placed only a few inches away, the Leica Cine 1 did an excellent job spreading light evenly across the screen. As we recommended earlier the Cine 1 models are optimized for one image size, so moving the projector forward or backward to increase/decrease image the size would compromise picture quality.

The throw ratio of the Leica Cine1 is just 0.25:1, so the Cine 1-100 can project a 100” image from 10 inches away while the Cine 1-120 can display a 120” from 14.3 inches away.

MENUS

The US version of the Leica Cine 1 utilizes a Google TV operating system which is a step up from the basic Android TV OS used in several smart projectors. Unlike other projectors, the Google TV interface runs as smoothly as a Smart TV from a major TV manufacturer. The menu system is well laid out and responsive.

Smart features on many projectors often seem like an afterthought, thrown in by manufacturers just to check a box on a spec page. A lot of companies just include a Roku and Android TV USB dongle and call their projectors “smart”. Often you have to side-load any apps like Netflix, which can lead to unreliability and frequent crashes.

The Cine 1 supports most popular streaming apps including Netflix, which many Android TV-equipped projectors still struggle to support. The best part is that all the apps run flawlessly without any issues.

The projector’s smart features and picture adjustments are seamlessly integrated together. The Cine 1 projector’s operation system includes a full suite of picture calibration adjustments, including multi-point White Balance and CMS controls so the image quality can be fully optimized based on exact room conditions.

PERFORMANCE

COLOR REPRODUCTION

The Leica Cine 1 was one of the most accurate Laser TVs I have ever reviewed. All the unit’s preset picture modes looked good. The most accurate picture modes were THEATER DAY, THEATER NIGHT, and FILMMAKER MODE. The STANDARD mode is a good option when viewing content under ambient lighting.

Projectors like the Cine 1, equipped with RGB laser light sources, can reproduce over 100% of the BT.2020 color gamut. However, when brighter colors are displayed by many Tri-Laser projectors, they look oversaturated. While this is sometimes pleasing to the eye, it makes things look cartoonish.

To ensure that content looks accurate, a wide color gamut display like the Cine 1 needs to precisely adjust its color output to match the type of content being viewed. Out-of-the-box, the Cine 1 did a fantastic job reproducing the Rec709 color gamut found in SDR content.

Many viewers would be satisfied with the picture quality of the Cine 1 whether it was calibrated or not. However, since the Cine 1 is a premium projector, I took the time to measure the projector’s picture modes and calibrate the projector’s FILMMAKER Mode.

Since your room and screen material significantly impact the overall picture, we don't recommend using someone else's calibration adjustments. If your room is brighter/darker or your walls are a different color, your settings would probably be different. Also, the color characteristics of different individual projectors can vary. Therefore, copying someone else's results can be detrimental to the picture quality rather than improving it. However, I am including my specific room before and after calibration results.

If you want to make BRIGHTNESS, CONTRAST, and SHARPNESS adjustments to optimize your projector for your room, several free test patterns are available on Murideo’s website and YouTube channel. Check out our YouTube video on utilizing several of these test patterns called Optimize The Image of a Projector or TV Using Free Murideo Test Patterns. Murideo also has written instructions located under the resource section of its website. We use Portrait Displays Calman color calibration software to test the projector's color accuracy.

Pre-Calibration Color Tracking and Grayscale

Leica Cine 1 Calibration Graph - Projector Reviews - Image

Due to the characteristics of their light sources, many Tri-Color Laser projectors emphasize red, which results in a bluish image. When measured, the RGB balance of the Cine 1 was excellent, and it was just a few hundred degrees off my color temperature target of 6500K. The projector’s projector gamma was around 2.0, which is brighter than my gamma target of 2.2.

The projector also did well-tracking colors in SDR, even at higher IREs. Out-of-the-box, the Cine 1 was the most accurate Tri-Color Laser projector that I have measured.

Picture Mode: FILMMAKER
Gamma: 1.96
Color Temperature: 6880K
Average Grayscale dE: 1.7
Average Color Tracking dE: 4.57

Post-Calibration Color Tracking and Grayscale

The Leica Cine 1 includes a complete suite of calibration adjustments, including 2pt White Balance and Color Management System (CMS).

Since the color temperature was already close to my 6500K, I left COLOR TEMPERATURE set to the default of Warm. I increased the RED GAIN and BLUE GAIN slightly to finetune the grayscale further.

To achieve my Gamma target of 2.2, I switched the Gamma adjustment from BT1886 to 2.4 and reduced the BRIGHTNESS setting slightly.

I used the CMS to increase saturation and brightness of red, blue, and magenta resulting in a great color sweep and color checker measurements.

Picture Mode: FILMMAKER
Gamma: 2.2
Color Temperature: 6573K
Average Grayscale dE: 1.1
Average Color Tracking dE: 1.45

Delta E measurement of 3 or less is considered ‘Excellent’ and imperceptible by the human eye. Before calibration, the grayscale average DeltaE was just 1.7, which many projectors struggled to achieve even after calibration. Once adjusted, the Cine 1 had a grayscale average dE of 1.1, which is outstanding. The average post-calibration Color Tracking dE was just 1.45, which is also great.

HDR Grayscale Measurement Before and After

HDR has its own setting adjustments per mode. There are also dedicated COLOR TEMPERATURE and CMS adjustments for HDR. In addition to the eight SDR picture presets, the Leica Cine 1 includes several HDR modes. While the THEATER DAY and FILMMAKER modes delivered the best-looking HDR picture, based on our measurements, the FILMMAKER MODE was the more accurate.

Like SDR, when viewing HDR, the grayscale and color reproduction was outstanding. When set to HDR FILMMAKER mode, the average grayscale Delta E before calibration was just 2.6 which is great. Delta E measurement of 3 or less is considered ‘Excellent’ and imperceptible by the human eye.

I used the projector's 2Point RGB balance adjustments to finetune the projector's white balance further and it only took a few minutes. After calibration, the grayscale Delta E was 0.4 which is outstanding.

Leica's factory calibration results in out-of-the-box color accuracy that few home theater projectors can match. Whether it is HDR or SDR, the Leica Cine 1 is the most accurate Laser TV that I have ever evaluated.

BRIGHTNESS

The Leica Cine 1 has a rated brightness of 3000 ANSI lumens, which is more than enough to deliver a good-looking picture in a room with low to moderate ambient light.

We took the time to measure the maximum brightness of the Cine 1, I selected its brightest picture mode which is FILMMAKER, and ensured that the unit’s laser lamp output was at its maximum. When tested, I measured about 2974 ANSI Lumens, which aligns with the manufacturer’s brightness rating.

While Leica could have pushed the unit’s RGB laser harder to increase the projector's brightness further, this would’ve had a negative impact on the projector's color reproduction. Leica was unwilling to sacrifice the unit’s overall image quality for a higher brightness specification. As a result, even the brighter preset picture mode looked good. Leica’s target customers care about performance more than the big numbers.

Since the Leica Cine 1 is Cinema TV, I paired the unit with a 120” Screen Innovations Solo Pro 2 equipped with their ambient light-rejecting UST screen material.

The screen material I was utilizing had a gain of 0.6. While the screen does reduce the image’s overall brightness, this combination looked great in complete darkness and under ambient lighting. In addition, this screen material improved black levels in both situations. The Leica Cine 1 delivered more than enough brightness to make SDR and HDR content look good in my space.

For those who require more on-screen brightness to combat higher ambient light and black levels are not as critical, you can opt for a higher gain ambient light rejecting screen.

HDR (HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE)

The Cine 1 supports several High Dynamic Range formats, including HDR10 and HLG. In addition, the Cine 1 also supports Dolby Vision and HDR10+, These two formats include dynamic metadata about the content’s color grading and brightness levels on a scene-by-scene basis which the Cine 1 can use to adjust its picture settings in real-time, optimizing the HDR viewing experience for each scene. Video games, UHD Blu-ray discs, and several popular streaming services, including Netflix, Apple TV, HBOMax, and Disney+, support Dolby Vision and/or HDR10+.

There are several HDR preset picture models to choose from. I choose to do most of my viewing using the FILMMAKER mode which is the brightest and most accurate. Regardless of the HDR format, the Leica Cine 1 produced an excellent HDR picture. The unit delivered accurate colors and good onscreen brightness while maintaining bright highlight detail.

BLACK LEVEL AND SHADOW DETAIL

The black levels of the Leica Cine 1 were closer to dark gray than deep black, but this is expected from a DLP-based UST projector. I didn’t expect this Projector to produce the deep inky blacks delivered by a premium Sony SXRD or JVC LCOS home theater projector.

This is fine because this type of projector is often utilized in a family room or media space with low to moderate ambient light. In brighter rooms we are less sensitive to black, so deeper blacks probably wouldn’t make a major improvement to the projector's picture quality.

Leica lists the Cine 1 native contrast at 1000:1. While this does not seem like much, it is actually pretty good. This is more than enough contrast to produce good shadow detail in dark scenes. There are very few Laser TV manufacturers that list their projector's native contrast. Usually, they only provide highly exaggerated dynamic contrast numbers. The Leica’s native contrast and black levels were better than most laser TVs I evaluated. When Dynamic Laser dimming is engaged, the unit dynamic contrast is approximately 2,000,000:1.

Overall, I was impressed with the black levels of Leica Cine 1, when viewing all types of SDR and HDR Content.

SOUND QUALITY

Since the Cine 1 is designed to replace a large premium flat panel display, it includes a nice sound system. The 2 x 25-watt speaker system is powerful enough to produce impactful sound in most rooms. To deliver an immersive audio experience, the Cine 1 also supports Dolby Atmos. The sound quality was on par with better Laser TVs that I have reviewed. We do not measure audible noise but Leica says it is about 32dB. The Cine 1 is very quiet, I did not notice any fan noise from my viewing distance.

While the Cine 1 has a good sound system, some owners may want to utilize a bigger, higher-quality audio system. The Cine 1 includes an HDMI connection that supports Enhanced Audio Return Channel (eARC) so you can send a high-quality audio signal to an external sound system.

The Leica Cine 1 is also WiSA (Wireless Speaker and Audio) ready. WiSA is a hardware and software specification that allows wireless transfer of up to eight (8) channels of uncompressed 24-bit, 96KHz audio. Extremely low 5.2ms of latency, along with less than 1 microsecond of synchronization between speakers, provides for a high-quality surround sound experience.

SUMMARY

With a retail price of $8,995 and $9,495, the Leica Cine 1 is one of the most expensive Laser TVs on the market. Due to its outstanding build quality, accurate color, reproduction, and impressive list of features, the Cine 1 is worth every penny.

Out-of-the-box, the Cine 1 color reproduction was excellent. It was the most accurate laser TV that I have measured to date. There are several Laser TVs available that are equipped with Tri-Laser light sources so that they can deliver over 100% of the BT2020 color gamut. However, many of these projectors have a problem mapping this massive color range down to Rec709 to display SDR content accurately.

The Cine 1 supports all major high dynamic range video formats, including Dolby Vision. Regardless of the HDR format that I viewed; the picture looked outstanding. Whether I was watching wide color gamut, HDR Content or SDR Content, like broadcast TV and older Blu-rays, the picture quality and color reproduction were top-notch.

The Leica-designed lens system was manufactured to meet their high standards, based on their decades of experience with premium cameras and fine optics. The lens delivers excellent edge-to-edge focus and reduces optical artifacts commonly seen on other Laser TVs.

Remember that each Leica Cine 1 model is designed to be used with a fixed-size screen - either 100 inches or 120 inches. Designing the projector to work with only one screen size optimizes its overall picture quality.

Due to the projector’s price point and Leica’s reputation for building high-quality, high-performance products, I had high expectations for the Cine 1 and was not disappointed. While the Cine 1 may be out of the price range of some customers, for those who demand the very best and can afford it, the Cine 1 is the obvious choice.

While there are several good Laser TVs available today; the Leica Cine 1 is the best model that I have personally reviewed. Due to its performance and build quality, I have awarded it our editor's choice award for Laser TVs (ultra-short throw smart Laser projectors) and look forward to seeing what else Leica has in store for the projection market.

PROS

Outstanding build quality
4K UHD resolution provides great detail even in huge projected images
Excellent out-of-the-box color reproduction
Rated brightness of 3,000 ANSI lumens
Tri-Color Laser light source can reproduce 100% of BT.2020 color gamut
20,000 hours of rated performance and virtually maintenance-free operation
Support HDR10, HDR10+, HLG and Dolby Vision
Smooth responsive Google TV smart interface
Supports all the major streaming services including Netflix
Good built-in sound system
Several gaming-related features including GAME mode, Instant Game Response mode, and Freesync,
Full suite of calibration adjustments

CONS

More expensive than most Laser TVs
Remote is not backlit

LEICA CINE 1 - SPECIFICATIONS

Full Specifications
Projector Model	CINE 1-120 /CINE 1 – 00
Price	$8,995 (100") $9,495 (120")
Imager Type	DLP (0.47” DMD)
Displayed Resolution	3840 x 2160 pixels (4K e-shift)
Native Resolution	1920 x 1080 pixels
Brightness (Manufacturer Claim)	3000 ANSI lumens
Light Source Type	Tri-Color Laser
Light Source Life	20,000 hours (ECO)
Contrast Ratio	1,000:1 Natve (2,000.000.1 Dynamic)
Zoom Lens Ratio	Fixed
Power Zoom/Focus	No
Lens Shift	No
Interchangeable Lens	No
Ultra-Short Throw	Yes
Native Aspect Ratio	16x9
HDTV/4K	Yes
DVI or HDMI	Yes
3D	No
Blu-Ray 3D	No
Speakers	2 x 25 watts
Noise Level (-dB)	32 dB
Low Lag Gaming	Yes
Smart Functionality	Yes
Business	No
Classroom	No
Portable	No
Special Features	Dolby Vision, HDR10+, Google TV, Leica Image Optimization
Networking	LAN
Dimensions (HxWxD)	15 7/8 x 13 1/8 x 5 1/4 (405 x 145.8 x 341 mm)
Weight	23.1" x 8.3" x 19.4
Warranty	3 years

Leica Cine 1 Tri-Color Laser TV Review

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