As mentioned, we organized this guide by price point, to make it easer for you to find a projector that fits your budget.. In this section, we look at the higher price-point projectors, which will give you more premium features including multichannel laser light sources and better optics - for an outstanding viewing experience.
LEICA CINE 1 LASER TV
Price
$8295 (100-inch screen) $8995 (120-inch screen)
Brightness
3000 lumens (manufacturer’s claim)
Resolution
3840 x 2160
Imager Type
DLP
Light Source
RGB Laser
Light Source Lifespan
20,000 hours
Inputs
3 HDMI
Smart
Google TV Operating System, Google Assistant for voice control
Sound
2 x 25-watt speakers
Bundled Screen
Yes (100-inch or 120-inch)
TV Tuner
Yes
For those looking for an ultra-premium Laser TV, Leica has introduced the Cine 1 Laser TV. Leica is a 100-year-old German manufacturer known for its high-quality cameras and lenses. The projector's aluminum body is stylish and includes a motorized dust cover for improved lens protection. In addition to its beautiful design and fine craftsmanship, the Leica Cine 1 delivers class-leading picture and sound quality.
The Leica Cine 1 can deliver 3000 ANSI of brightness and reproduce over 100% of BT2020 color space. Triple RGB laser technology is paired with the Leica-engineered Summicron lens with four aspherical elements has been manufactured according to Leica’s exacting standards. While these tighter tolerances increase cost, it ensures Cine 1 delivers the crisp, sharp image that Leica customers demand. Also, during our initial testing, we noticed a significant reduction in visible chromatic aberration and color fringing compared to every other RGB UST we evaluated.
Leica will be offering two Cine 1 models optimized for either a 100" ($8295 SRP) or a 120" ($8995 SRP) screen. With a retail price of $8,995, the 120-inch Leica Cine model will be the most expensive 4K UST projector on the market, but the performance and build quality justify its premium price.
The Leica Cine 1 includes Leica proprietary image processing (Leica Image Optimization - LIO™) which optimizes the image quality using special algorithms with the goal of achieving natural color reproduction, detailed color gradations, and enhanced contrast.
The Hisense L9G is a Tricolor laser-equipped smart ultra-short-throw projector with a brightness rated at 3,000 ANSI lumens. Color performance is one of the best examples of how the Hisense L9G ultra-short-throw projector sets itself apart from other displays. Specifically, the TriChroma RGB 3 Laser light engine enables the L9G to achieve an astounding 107% of the BT.2020 color space resulting in images that are more realistic with improved color accuracy, depth, and brilliance. To be clear no existing flat panel television, either OLED or LCD is capable of displaying this much of the BT.2020 color gamut.
When designing the L9G Hisense placed a heavy emphasis on accurate color reproduction. The unit includes several picture presets that deliver a good-looking image right out of the box including Filmmaker Mode. Filmmaker Mode was created by the collaboration of filmmakers, Hollywood studios, consumer electronics companies, and the UHD Alliance. Hisense can offer Filmmaker mode on the L9G because they have agreed that the mode will abide by specific industry standards. The goal of Filmmaker Mode is to display SDR and HDR content exactly as the creator intended by switching off all post-processing for a more cinematic experience on a projector or flat-panel TV.
To further optimize the picture quality in any room environment, the L9G is available in three different options each paired with a Hisense Ambient Light Rejecting (ALR) screen. The projector is packaged with a fully assembled 100″ ALR Daylight screen with a gain of 1.2 designed to maximize brightness and ambient light rejection capabilities in a room with higher ambient light. The L9G is also available; with 100″ or 120″ ALR Cinema Screen designed for use in a dedicated media rooms, man caves, and light-controlled spaces. The ALR Cinema Screen provides exceptional color accuracy with a wide viewing angle.
For a truly immersive theater experience, you need big sound to go with the big picture. The built-in 40W Dolby Atmos sound system gives the L9G is a significant soundstage upgrade over the typical speakers found in most televisions.
For the true audiophile, high-speed HDMI with Enhanced Audio Return Channel (eARC) allows for pass-thru of high-bitrate audio to your surround sound system. HDMI eARC supports multichannel audio, including Dolby Atmos. If you do not use eARC, the only other option would be to connect the optical audio output. Like most smart flat-panel televisions, the optical output cannot pass the latest immersive surround formats to an external sound system. Apps like Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, and Amazon Prime are loaded with multichannel content. eARC is very important because the alternative, using the optical output, will only provide your external sound system stereo or Dolby Pro Logic information.
The Hisense L9G includes a nice sound system but for those interested in even higher performance the projector is WiSA ready. Products bearing the WiSA Ready logo are “ready” to transmit hi-resolution audio to WiSA Certified speakers when an optional third-party WiSA transmitter into one of the projector’s USB ports. Because every WiSA Certified component is engineered to work together seamlessly, the setup couldn’t be more straightforward. Unpack, plug-in power, and enjoy. Forget the speaker wires and confusing setup.
WiSA transmits 24 bits at 48 kHz/96 kHz. That’s twice the quality of CD audio. It does all this at less than 1/10th the latency of a Bluetooth audio device which means no visible audio sync issues will occur. All speakers used in the WiSA system are certified to be synchronized within 1/1,000,000 of a second even when using all eight channels. The system also automatically recognizes audio configurations from 2.0 to 7.1 and even 5.1.2.
Removing the need for speaker wires eliminates one of the biggest hassles in installation hassles and can significantly reduce labor costs if you are having your system installed professionally. In this application as long as the speaker can be plugged into a wall outlet, you can place them anywhere in the room you like. This makes it much easier for anyone to set up a complete home entertainment solution without a tremendous amount of effort, whether it is a simple stereo system or a robust 5.1, 7.1 surround. It also supports Dolby Atmos and DTS:X systems.
The Hisense L9G is designed to be a viable alternative to a flat-panel TV, so Hisense Laser TV units have an onboard TV tuner which is a must-have if you want to replace your flat-panel TV with a projector. On the back, with the other connectors, you’ll find the standard 75-ohm coaxial connector used by TV antennas. You can also plug in the coaxial cable signal from a set-top box, although most of today’s boxes will offer the best performance from HDMI.
LG Smart TV, ThinQ, Google Assistant, Alexa Built-in
Sound
5W + 5W Stereo built-in speakers
Bundled Screen
No
TV Tuner
Yes
The LG HU85LA is a 4K DLP projector that retails for $5,999. It utilizes a single DLP (0.66″ DMD) chip to reproduce a perceived 4K UHD resolution. Its dual-channel Laser engine is rated to deliver at 2,700 lumens for up to 20,000 hours.
The HU85LA sports a dual Laser light engine using both a red and blue Laser. This increases the projector’s color gamut coverage and eliminates the need for a spinning phosphor wheel, which reduces the rainbow effect common on many DLP projectors.
Since the HU85LA is designed to serve as a TV replacement, it includes most of the features you would find in a Smart flat panel TV including a TV tuner, internal speakers, and of course Smart features. To make the HU85LS as Smart as possible, LG utilizes the same ThinQ AI webOS that is offered in their lineup of Smart flat panel TVs. Like their Smart TVs, the HU85LS can be voice controlled and offers a wide variety of apps.
The HU85LA is loaded with all the popular streaming apps like Netflix, HULU, Disney+, YouTube, and Fandango Now. Looking for access to local broadcast channels without a 3rd party set top box, the HU85LS also has a built-in digital tuner.
The HU85LA is compatible with both HDR10 and HLG content and it is even equipped with Dynamic HDR Tone Mapping. The LG HU85LA Laser TV combines all the Smart capabilities of flat panel TVs with the long life of a high-quality Laser light engine and 4K resolution to create a true flat panel TV replacement.
The LG HU915QB is an ultra-short-throw laser 4K smart DLP projector with retails for $6499. It utilizes a multi-channel laser light source that can reproduce nearly 100% of the DCI-P3 color space and deliver up to 3000 ANSI lumens of brightness.
While LG is a leading manufacturer of flat-panel TVs, they understand that some customers are looking for a bigger and more immersive image than even the largest OLED or LCD TV can provide. The HU915QB is the part of LG CineBeam projector lineup and is the flagship UST model in their assortment. The CineBeam series of projectors are designed to make front projection more accessible and appealing to a wider range of consumers.
Since this model is targeted at people looking for a TV replacement so it includes a very good sound system and all the smart features you would find in one of LG’s smart flat-panel TVs. The HU915QB uses the latest version of LG’s WebOS, which is what is found in their latest flat-panel TVs. This feature makes the projector very smart, so you have all the apps and capabilities also found in a Smart TV. It is nice that WebOS supports Netflix, the app is not available on many smart projectors.
It also includes Google Assistant, which allows you to control not only the projector, but a wide variety of compatible smart home devices, like your lights, or blinds, using only your voice.
The price point of the HU915QB is higher than most Laser TVs but its picture quality, user interface, and build quality make it worth its premium price.
