If you thought you need a large screen 4K TV to get that theater-like experience at home, think again? The exciting new form of big TV, the Ultra Short Throw (UST) projectors are making a parallel intrusion into home entertainment with their easy setup approach and big screen delivery without tangling wires and impeding shadows.
These projectors feature a very wide-angle lens and can be placed just under or above – inches away from the screen – to project images as large as 150-inches diagonally. Given their 4K resolution, the projectors can deliver a bright and an immersive experience perfect for any home theater at a much more affordable price to comparably sized TVs.
Ideal for large and small rooms, these projectors allow high-performance viewing in ambient light. Whether you like watching TV or playing video games on a large, responsive screen that doesn’t compromise the viewing experience, you’d want to consider the following 4K UST projectors.
Hisense UST 4K laser projector
Introduced just recently, Hisense 120-inch L5F Laser Cinema is a UST projector with 4K UHD resolution that offers true-to-life picture quality. The Cinema device includes a 120-inch ambient light-rejecting screen and short-throw laser projector with blue laser light that delivers theater-like experience at home.
What We Like:
– Large 120-inch screen
– 4K UHD projection from 13.8-inches away
– Android TV built-in
What We Don’t Like:
– Limited 2700 lumens brightness
– Slightly expensive
Priced at $5,000, the Hisense 4K projector supports HDR10 and DLP Theater Technology for sharp pictures while playing or binge-watching on your favorite OTT platform. The projector comes built-in with Android TV to open you up to a range of entertainment apps. To complement the immersive visuals you get dual 30-watt speakers with dbx-tv offering optimal audio quality as well.
Samsung Premiere 4K laser projector
Samsung made a remarkable entry – after being away for a while – into the 4K UST projector space with two premium options – the Premiere LSP9T and LSP7T – both featuring 4K resolution. Offering massive 130-inch picture for a cinematic experience at home, the elder sibling LSP9T is HDR10+ certified and equipped with triple laser technology.
What We Like:
– Rounded edge design and fabric finish
– Brightness of 2,800 ANSI lumens
– Alexa and Bixby voice assistant support
What We Don’t Like:
– Very expensive
– Some image blurring on the edges
Retailing for $6,499, Samsung Premiere LSP9T offers excellent 4K image quality at peak brightness of up to 2,800 ANSI lumens. Vouching for its picture quality, the projector comes with a 40-watt, 4.2-channel audio system and Filmmaker mode allowing you to watch movies in quality that the director intended.
VAVA 4K UST laser projector
Capable of casting a 100-inch 4K image from only 7.2-inches away from the screen, the quick and easy to setup VAVA UST laser projector can even be adjusted to change projection width instantly. About five inches from the wall it can produce an 80-inch image, while going 10-inches away it projects a massive 150-inch image.
What We Like:
– Massive 150-inch projection
– Harman Kardon soundbar built-in
– Adjustable projection
What We Don’t Like
– Digital settings
– Image bends slightly on the sides
Priced at $2, 800 the VAVA projector comes with 6000 lumens light source to produce 4k UHD clarity even in the living room’s ambient lighting. With 2500 ANSI Lumens of brightness, HDR10 and 3000:1 native contrast ratio, the projector offers brightest whites and deepest blacks. This cinematic experience is enhanced by a built-in 60W Harman Kardon Soundbar, Android compatibility and provision for seven multimedia ports on the projector that lets you connect various devices to it. VAVA delivers its projection genius in black and white colors.
Optoma 4K HDR short-throw projector
Thriving on the success and features of the award-winning ZU720T projector, Optoma introduced the ZU720TST 4K HDR projector with short-throw capabilities. Dubbed as the first fixed-lens short throw projector touting 7,000 lumens of brightness, the Optoma can even dim the brightness by almost 50-percent if an application requires.
What We Like:
– 7,000 lumens laser projector with fixed lens
– IP5X dust-resistant optical system
– Estimated 30,000 hours of use in eco-mode in 24/7 operations
What We Don’t Like
– Bulky design and complex setup
– Projection distance from the wall
Priced at $5,999, the high brightness short throw projector offers 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio. It can project 100-inch 4K HDR image from 2.63m away from the screen. The fixed lens of the ZU720TST is complemented by 1.26x motorized zoom, focus, and fully motorized lens shift, which according to Optoma helps them keep the cost lower in comparison to interchangeable-lens projectors but with the same flexibility in use.
Epson EpiqVision Ultra projector
One of the more interesting 4K UST laser projectors promising to be a living-room TV replacement is the Epson’s EpiqVision Ultra LS500 that offers stunning pictures on 120-inch screen from a relatively further distance as compared to some of its competitors in the list. Extremely compact for a laser 4K TV in the living room, the projector touts brightness of 4,000 lumens and an incredible dynamic 2,500,000:1 contrast ratio.
What We Like:
– Claimed 4,000 lumens brightness
– Compact design
– Runs Android OS, has Google Assistant equipped remote
What We Don’t Like
– Low 60Hz frame refresh rate
– Only 10 Watts built-in audio output
– Projection distance more than most 4K USTs
Available in black and white colors, the EpiqVision Ultra LS500 is on the higher side at $5,999, but this includes the ultra-short-throw laser projector and ambient light rejecting 120-inch screen, together comprising the Epson LS500 Laser Projection TV. The screen is equipped with optical layering to help produce vivid colors and sharp pictures in any viewing environment.
