Can Xgimi’s unique optical technology set a new projector standard?
Projector | £1749 | whf.cm/XgimiHorizonUltra
In Xgimi’s Horizon Ultra we have a near cubic projector clad in leather (seriously) and equipped with a brand new so-called ‘Dual Light’ optical system.
The design is intended to make the Horizon Ultra less of an imposition on your living room, while the innovative light system combines lasers and LEDs to deliver what Xgimi claims will be a brighter, more colourful but also more relaxing viewing experience.
We have never before seen a projector that looks quite like the Xgimi Horizon Ultra. Not everyone who saw it in our test rooms found Xgimi’s attempts to make a projector feel more like furniture a total success. But even its harshest detractors have to admit that it is certainly a softer, gentler addition to your living space than most projectors. While the design is unusual enough to make it a key feature of the Horizon Ultra, it is its use of what Xgimi calls a Dual Light engine that piques our interest most. This combines laser and LED lighting systems in a way that supposedly delivers the advantages of both while nullifying their potential negatives.
This, Xgimi says, should result in a less fatiguing, more accurate image than laser-only projectors, as well as avoiding the common laser problems of over-bright hot spots and sharpness-reducing colour convergence errors. It should also simultaneously be brighter (a 2300-lumens maximum light output is quoted) and cover a wider colour gamut than LED-only projectors. The laser/LED blend also contributes to a promised 25,000 hours of uninterrupted playback life from the Horizon Ultra – enough for 12,500 two-hour films.
The innovative Dual Light system feeds into a single-chip DLP optical system capable of delivering a 4K experience courtesy of DLP’s XPR tech that sees the mirrors used to deliver a DLP picture ‘flashed’ and shifted multiple times per frame to achieve a 4K effect so convincing that the US Consumer Technology Association (CTA) considers it the real 4K deal. The Horizon Ultra supports Dolby Vision alongside the more common (and basic) HDR10 and HLG high dynamic range formats, too.
Impressively flexible
The Horizon Ultra goes much further than most projectors to make itself easy to set up. There is an impressively flexible and finely calibrated motorised optical zoom adjustment, with further installation assistance coming from an Intelli
