LG’s new short-throw projectors are as impressive as they are useful.
I’ve been watching and playing everything on the company’s new CineBeam projector for the past two weeks and if it weren’t for the critical missing connection and daylight performance, I’d be tempted to replace my living room TV with one.
That said, the technology isn’t cheap.
Setting up LG’s short throw projector is insanely easy.
Plug in the power supply, connect to WiFi and you’re done.
Depending on the distance between it and your wall, the CineBeam will display an image between 80 and 120 inches in size.
There’s no automatic key-stone to straighten that image, but you can manually adjust things in the settings or – like I did – take the easiest option and make sure the projector is straight…
Even against a wall, the CineBeam’s 4K image is undeniably impressive.
We looked happy again dr. Strange in the multiverse of madness and guess who on a night away on the peninsula.
Most people wouldn’t think of taking a 120-inch screen with them, but that turned out to be no problem with a short throw projector like LG’s CineBeam.
LG has built-in sensors that automatically adjust the projector’s brightness and colors depending on the content you’re viewing and the darkness of the room it’s being used in, but as with all projectors, the CineBeam’s image suffers considerably in daylight.
Watching Collingwood play Port Adelaide as the sun streamed through our living room windows was far from ideal, especially compared to the color, contrast and brightness of my Samsung QLED running side by side.
Closing the blinds helps, of course, but that’s not an ideal solution in rooms shared by several people or families.
The better news is that LG’s CineBeam 4K UHD Laser UST projector handles downlights incredibly well.
I had no problems starting up my PlayStation 5 and continuing to play strayed, Return and games from Rocket League while my wife kept the light on so she could read.
There are three HDMI ports on the back of LG’s short-throw projector plus two standard USB ports, an optical digital audio output and a LAN port for a wired internet connection.
You may have noticed I didn’t say there was a place to plug in a TV antenna.
Its absence is immediately amplified when you first turn on the CineBeam, as a pop-up informs you that a set-top box is required to tune into Free-to-Air channels.
Being able to download apps like 9Now helps alleviate that somewhat, but I was shocked to find there was no option to install Kayo natively on LG’s CineBeam.
Fortunately, I was able to watch Jamie Elliott’s match winner over and over again via the app on my PS5, but it’s disappointing that the projector isn’t a one-stop shop for footy fans.
Speaking of software, the projector was unable to read or display our wedding photos in a folder on a USB.
They’re JPG files that opened just fine on LG’s C2 and my Samsung QLED — and on the CineBeam if they weren’t in a folder — so I’m not sure why a folder messes up the system.
The CineBeam had no issues playing our wedding video from the same USB and ultimately, on a big screen like this, that’s the most important thing.
Short-throw projectors are the future for anyone who wants a big screen experience with minimal fuss.
I can’t say enough about the look and convenience of placing projectors like LGs on a TV cabinet (or dining table like I have).
You don’t have to screw anything into a ceiling or wall and is therefore perfectly portable.
My mind was racing with the idea of using such a projector in the background of future videos or for presentations; without the risk of blocking the image.
That extreme angle has its flaws.
Light bleeds over the sharp edges of the bright white PS5 logo and into the black background at console startup.
It’s also worth noting that LG’s CineBeam 4K UHD Laser UST projector is buzzing at a decent volume.
You can hear it from a few feet away in a quiet room, but like most projector flaws, it’s quickly forgotten when something is playing on the screen.
Whether it’s the right projector for you depends on where you want to set it up, what you want to watch and what accessories you have to play with.
But the convenience it offers coupled with LG’s slick interface and picture quality makes the CineBeam 4K UHD Laser UST projector hard to ignore.
LG lent 9News.com.au a CineBeam 4K UHD Laser UST projector for this review.
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