Another manufacturer exhibiting their product assortment was Formovie. Formovie Technology is a joint venture between Appotronics, the maker of the projection industry’s most popular laser light source technologies and Xiaomi Technology.
We just reviewed the Formovie THEATER, a smart UST projector that utilizes the latest ALPD® RGB+ triple-laser light source to deliver 2800 ANSI while reproducing over 100% of the BT2020 color space. In addition to Dolby Vision video playback, the projector also features a Bowers & Wilkins-designed sound system to decode Dolby Atomos audio content. Formovie THEATER smart features include Android TV 11 so you can access all the popular streaming services such as Youtube, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, HBO Max and Disney+.
Formovie Theater
The Formovie Theater sells for an MSRP of $3,499, and its picture and sound quality rival the best Laser TVs on the market. In addition to their award-winning Formovie Theater, they were also displaying several other models, including two portable laser projectors.
Formovie S5
The Formovie S5 Laser Full HD (1080p) portable projector can deliver 1,100 ANSI lumens of brightness. This compact projector is feature packed. It includes dual-band Wi-Fi, smart TV OS and an HDMI 2.1 input, along with USB type-A and type-C inputs. The projector includes auto keystone adjustments to simplify setup and a Denon-designed 2 x 5-watt sound system.
Another notable product shown was the Formovie V10 which is a 4K UHD gaming projector. Due to its design and feature set, the Formovie V10 was selected as a CES 2023 Innovation Award honoree.
The V10 is quite compact, but Formovie says the unit can deliver 2500 ANSI Lumens of the brightness of 2500 ANSI Lumens.
The V10 would be an excellent option for a gamer due to its ultra-high refresh rate of 240Hz and low latency of 12ms. The V10 is also equipped with an impressive sound system that includes dual 7.5W full-range speakers and a 15W subwoofer
Formovie V10
Leica
Leica Booth
For those looking for an ultra-premium Laser TV, Leica was showing off their 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 should deliver class-leading picture and sound quality.
Leica Cine 1
The Leica Cine 1 is based on a Hisense TriChroma Laser TV so it can deliver over 2500 ANSI of brightness and reproduce over 100% of BT2020 color space. 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.
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 should justify its premium price. We are working on being one of the first review sites to evaluate the Leica CIne 1 when it is available in the US around Q3 of 2023.
ASUS
ASUS Booth at Harrah's Hotel
ASUS, a leading computer and display company, has entered the projector market and we just reviewed one of their battery-powered portable projectors called the ASUS ZenBeam Latte 1. This smart DLP portable projector can display an HD (1280×720) resolution image and Its LED light source can deliver 300 LED lumens of brightness While the ZenBeam Latte 1 is a good little projector, some customers desire higher performance.
While their space in the Harrah's was mainly focused on their computer, monitors, and components. ASUS was showing off its new ZenBeam L2 projector. Like the ZenBeam Latte 1, it is a compact portable projector with a built-in battery, it offers Full HD (1920x1080) resolution and 600 LED Lumens of brightness.
ASUS ZenBeam L2
To improve the projector’s smart functionality, the ZenBeam L2 includes Android TV 11, via included dongle, which should be a notable improvement over the Aptoide TV app utilized in the older ZenBeam Latte 1. This should make it easier to access your favorite streaming services like Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon Prime Video. The projector even includes 26 different built-in cinemographs (motion backgrounds) including fireplaces and virtual window scenes.
JVC
JVC-DLA-NZ9
I also took the time to stop by the JVC suite on the 29th floor of the Venetian. For several years, the upper floors of the Venetian were where you would go to explore the latest offering for premium Audio and video manufacturers. This year JVC was one of the last few holdouts and they would demonstrate their awarding winning DLA-NZ9.
Congratulating JVC on winning all three long throw categories at the 2022 Value Electronics Projector Shoot Out
It gave me the opportunity to congratulate JVC on winning all three long throw categories at the 2022 Value Electronics Projector Shoot Out. They swept the shoutout due to their 4K DILA projector's class-leading native contrast and black levels, along with their outstanding detail/sharpness. In addition, due to their Dynamic HDR tone mapping capabilities, the JVC model delivered the best HDR picture reproduction.
While JVC is known for the 3-chip DILA projector, JVC has just announced the LX-NZ30 ($3499 SRP) which is a new 4K capable DLP laser projector. The projector is equipped with a 0.47 DMD and its BLU-Escent laser light source can deliver up to 3300 ANSI lumens of brightness.
The new JVC LX-NZ30
Like the previous model, the JVC LX-NZ3 the new model supports both HDR10 and HLG (Hybrid Log Gamma) and includes horizontal and vertical lens shift for enhanced installation flexibility.
Due to its low latency and support for frame rates up to 1080p/240Hz the LX-NZ30 is an excellent option for those interested in big-screen gaming. The LX-NZ30 input lag is just 6.25ms when gaming at 1080P/240fps which should satisfy even the most demanding gamers.
Overall Impressions
CES 2023 was a success so we expect next year's show will be even bigger.
While we are sure that other prototype projectors were being displayed in manufacturers' private suites around Las Vegas but hopefully this article gives you a good overview of several exciting models, that you will see for sale in 2023.
At a pre-CES event, Samsung announced a new 8K version of their Premiere Laser TV, but since it wasn't displayed in their booth, we didn't get the opportunity to see it in person. The Premiere 8K utilizes the same native 4K UHD (3840×2160) DLP (.94″ DMD) chip as Hisense's upcoming 8K Laser TV. When this DLP chip is combined with Texas Instruments XPR technology should result in a crisp 8K image on screens as large as 150 inches. I am sure we will get the opportunity to evaluate the unit when it is available in late 2023.
Due to COVID CES 2021 was canceled and many manufacturers chose to skip the show in 2022. This year’s show was noticeably larger than last year, while the attendance was not as large as it was pre -COVID, it was still very good. Based on what we saw this year it seems CES is coming back and it was an excellent opportunity for Projector Reviews to see some exciting new products. I am confident next year’s CES will be even bigger and better.
