Could this projector replace your TV?
UST projector | £2645 | whf.cm/Cinebeam
LG’s Cinebeam is about as close as a projector can get to being a TV, with a sleek design, sharp picture and built-in webOS operating system. But, while it may be close, could it really replace the television in your living room?
Ultra short throw projectors, or USTs for short, are an increasingly popular option for those who want the big screen theatrics of a projector with the convenience of a TV. Space saving is the game here, without the need for mounts or dedicated home cinema rooms to house bulky traditional projectors. A UST’s main advantage is that it can be placed very near a wall while still producing a huge image.
The Cinebeam is an attractive device, which is important as it will be sitting in eye-line while you are watching the image it produces. Its minimalist box design comes in a pleasing shade of off-white, and could easily be passed off as the centre speaker of a larger home cinema set-up. There is a small, discreet multi-function power button, giving the projector a smooth and seamless profile.
A projector at heart
At only 11kg, it is fairly easy to manoeuvre into place, and its moderate size means it should sit comfortably on any regular television cabinet. The port selection is tucked neatly into the back panel and can easily be accessed. Four adjustable feet can be screwed in or out to adjust the position of the image.
While it is strikingly similar to a TV in use, the HU715Q is still a projector at heart, and one with a laser light source. It has a native 4K resolution of 3840 x 2160, a peak brightness of 2500 ANSI lumens and a claimed contrast ratio of 2,000,000:1. LG claims that the laser should last 20,000 hours on high brightness and 30,000 on the Economic mode. Fan noise is claimed to average out at 27dB, and in practice the projector isn’t obtrusively loud, emitting a gentle hum that can be heard only when the on-screen action is paused.
HDR is supported in the HDR10 and HLG formats. There’s no love for the Dolby Vision or HDR10+ dynamic HDR formats, but that’s not unusual for a projector – and the HU715Q does have its own Dynamic Tone Mapping feature that is designed to automatically make the most of otherwise static HDR signals.
The Brightness Optimiser II feature, meanwhile, adjusts the projector’s brightness based on ambient light conditions, and there is an HGiG setting that provides a more accurate HDR performance with many modern games.
As mentioned, LG has adapted much of its TV DNA into the CineBeam US
