With the success of their 100L5F, which we reviewed a few months ago (click here to read the review), Hisense has just announced that it will be bringing an even larger cinema experience to a home theater near you. Their latest model in the L5 Laser Cinema series, the 120L5F, comes with a new 120” ambient light rejecting screen and it offers a complete and affordable home theater solution.
Hisense’s line-up of Ultra Short Throw laser projectors, also known as Laser TVs, are designed to make front projection more accessible and appealing to a wider range of consumers. The term “Laser TV” has also been adopted by other manufacturers to describe projectors in this category. The Hisense 120L5F Laser TV is a 4K DLP Laser ultra-short throw Smart projector that can reproduce 4K UHD resolution (3,840 x 2,160) via pixel shifting.
Hisense rated its Laser light engine at 2,700 lumens for 25,000 hours which equates to several years of worry-free operation. The 120L5F uses Hisense’s EX-Fusion™ laser system which utilizes a blue laser with a phosphor wheel.
The included 120” screen uses StarBright CLR material which allows viewing during the day or in higher ambient light. The ALR screen allows for the 120L5F to maintain good contrast and rich saturated colors in most, even sub-optimal, lighting conditions.
The projector’s chassis sits directly below and just a few inches from the 120’ screen, so it can sit on a nice credenza or table in the front of the room. There’s even specialty AV furniture designed specifically to hold the Hisense Laser TV Chassis.
The 120L5F Laser Cinema comes equipped with the Android TV platform, which gives you access to all the games and streaming services you have come to enjoy including Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, Prime Video, Disney+, HBO Max and more. With the Android TV also comes built-in Google Assistant, so you can use the voice remote to quickly access your Smart home devices.
Since the 120L5F is designed to be a viable alternative to a flat panel TV, the unit even has an onboard digital TV tuner.
Hisense Laser TVs include better sound systems than most TVs or projectors that I have encountered. Built into the cabinet of the 120L5F is a dual-channel sound system powered by a total of 30 watts. While the 120L5F is no match for a good soundbar or component system, I found during my review of the 100L5F, and both of these units include the same system, that the projector had more than enough volume and punch to be a satisfying listening experience.
Other Hisense 120L5F Notable Features Include:
Laser Light Engine – Hisense rates its Laser light engine at 2,700 lumens for 25,000 hours, equating to years of worry-free operation. The 120L5F uses Hisense’s X-Fusion™ Laser Light Source which utilizes a blue laser with a phosphor wheel to create a more natural viewing experience.
4K UHD Capable -The 120L5F utilizes the Texas Instrument DLPTM Theater Technology to reproduce perceived 4K UHD (3,840 x 2,160) resolution. I use the term “perceived” because a 4K DLP chip does not actually have 8.3 million mirrors. Hence, the projector utilizes pixel (mirror) shifting to deliver the perceived sharpness of native 4K.
Smooth Motion: The Digital Micromirror Device (DMD) reacts faster to movement than a traditional LED or OLED, creating a more fluid motion. MEMC Technology further enhances the experience resulting in smooth and precise movement in sports, fast-action movies, gaming, etc.
120″ Ambient Light Rejecting Screen – As mentioned, the projector is bundled with a new, larger ambient light rejecting screen designed specifically for ultra-short-throw projectors. The StarBright CLR material allows viewing during the day or in higher ambient light and can be positioned at 13.8 inches from the wall.
dbx-tv® Sound System – The 120L5F includes a dual-channel sound system powered by a total of 30 watts, which provides rich and detailed sound.
With the Hisense L5 series of Laser TVs being designed as a replacement for a Smart flat panel TVs, it has all the Smart features customers have come to expect without the bulk or limited viewing size (and portability) of a traditional TV. Making it a compelling reason for utilizing a projector as a TV replacement, especially since Laser TV’s have the ability to produce a massive picture from a compact chassis, they are a great solution for an apartment, dorm room, or other small space. The Laser TV was not designed for a home theater, but for a living room, den, family room, media room, or anywhere you have some lighting control.
Projection systems, like this latest release from Hisense, are enticing more and more customers to move away from traditional TVs, making Laser TVs an increasingly popular option in many homes today. In fact, Hisense recently announced that they have seen a 325% increase in sales of their series of Laser TVs in 2020. For more information on how the Laser TV industry is growing, check out my article on this topic here or click the image below.
Read our article on the growing Laser TV market
The Hisense 120L5F is now available for a suggested retail price of $4,999.99. The smaller 100L5F remains in the Hisense lineup with at a MSRP of $3,999 ($2,999 street price)
