Josh Hendrickson
With many theaters still closed and more content going straight to streaming services, it’s tempting to buy a huge TV to emulate a theater. But sometimes a projector is the better way to go. And as LG’s latest 4K CineBeam proves, projectors have come a long way. On top of 4K HDR support, it can automatically adjust to match the brightness of your room.
Projectors and TVs have different advantages and disadvantages. TVs reflect glare from ambient light sources, but that same light source can wash out the image coming from a projector.
In the case of a projector, you have two options: block out ambient light or make your projector brighter. The latter option may work fine during the day, but when the sun goes down and you turn off the lights, the image might be too bright, and the colors will suffer.
But blocking out light isn’t always feasible, and frequently adjusting the projector’s brightness can quickly become frustrating. That’s where the latest CineBeam comes in—it will do that hard work for you.
With the ability to pump out 2,700 ANSI lumens, the HU810P 4K UHD Laser Smart Home Theater CineBeam Projector (quite the name, we know) can get plenty bright. But it can also detect ambient in the room and automatically increase or decrease the brightness as appropriate. You just stand back and watch.
As the overly long name suggests, the CineBeam can handle 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) resolution. It also supports HDR10 and HLG HDR modes. Unfortunately, you won’t get Dolby Vision or HDR10+, but that’s typical for projectors.
It runs LG’s webOS software, which just saw a revamp, which gives you access to Netflix and other streaming services without installing a streaming stick. If you do want to connect a device, like a Blu-Ray player or game console, it supports HDMI 2.1.
If you have enough space, the projector can manage up to a 300-inch “display,” making it a near theater-like experience. But it’s not an ultra-short-throw or a short-throw projector, so you will need room. LG says the laser light source will last for 20,000 hours, so you won’t need to worry about replacing light bulbs.
The HU810P 4K UHD Laser Smart Home Theater CineBeam Projector will arrive in stores on January 18 for $2,999.
