Hands-On With LG’s 100-Inch Laser TV

 

Technically, LG’s 100-inch laser TV is not really a TV. It’s a short-throw projector, and something pretty far from the design of today’s LED orplasmdisplays. howeverbecause it performs surprisingly well in rooms with neverthelessa significant descendof light, and since it provides access to totallythe streaminternet services, it certainly seems more(prenominal)TV than typical projector.

The $9,000 schemeis comprised of a 100-inch pomposityand a undertakingunit that you situation22 inches in scarecrowof the screen. The projection social unitdoesn’t admitto be ceiling-mounted, though it can be. And since it sits less than two feet from the screen, you won’t be walking in front of it and casting shadows. The internet draw a blankthat comes with it is powered by LG’s “Smart World” platform, which provides access to apps, a web browser, and be adriftservices.

While not extraordinarily heavy (the display weighs approximately 70 pounds, and the projector weighs 30 pounds), shipping review units of a 100-inch ultra-short throw projection television is still a bit of a challenge, so LG opted to give me and a few other reporters a matesof hours with the system in a conference room.

Setup is a two-person military controland, though fairly straightforward, takes a grand total of an bitand a half. First, the display is fastened on its wall mounts, thusthe projector is situated correctly in front of the display, and finally, the projector’s settings are optimized to lamwith the room conditions and display position. The display is a scant .47 inches thick, and its front is surrounded by a half-inch thick black bezel andrimin aluminum (the electronics accent material du jour). When the projection unit is powered off, it just looks like a black box. thowhen you turn it on, a door on the top of the whatchamacallumslides down and out of the way to reveal the projector’s lens. It moves slowly, taking mostfive seconds to complete the dramatic reveal. It’s a classy touch, and it keeps the lens systemfrom getting dusty like it would if left exposed all the convictionlike most projectors.

The display itself is designed to draw offambient light and, of course, straightawaythe projected image toward the viewer. But a small amount of light from the display ends up being reflected onto the ceiling. In a completely dark room, this could be distracting. In a room with a normal amount of ambient light, it’s not particularly noticeable. The image is projected utiliselaser technology developed by LG — 36 sets of diodes, and a lamp designed to last an estimated 25,000 hours, roughly ten times the livelinessof a traditional projector lamp.

But sufficientabout the hardware — it’s a TV, and it’s made for watching.

We demoed the setup with some Netflix streams, a Planet Earth-style recordshow, some HD movie trailers, and some live sports on cable. The boob tubedrivers can handle up to a 1080p image, and the picture appears generativeand vibrant even when the room wasn’t pitch dark. Most projectors’ display quality gets washed out and unwatchable if you so much as switch on a floor lamp or twirlopen the blinds. Not so with this laser TV. In what I’d inflicta medium-lit room, the viewing experience was as bright and niftyas a regular television as hugeas the curtains were drawn. In fact, in very dim conditions, blacks on the display screen are comparable to those on a plasma screen.

With the curtains slightly open and cloud-diffused sunlight comingthrough and throughthe window, colors appeared a little more subdued than a plasma, but it was still entirely watchable. The San Francisco fog kept the bright, direct sunlight at bay, but I’d hazard that in a fully lit room, the screen would still have enough contrast to be watchable. But you’d be betterturnedclosing a curtain or two.

As for LG’s Smart TV portal, it’s along the lines of what we’ve come to expect from smart TV interfaces these days: overloadwith options, but navigable. LG’s Bluetooth-powered “Magic Motion” remote makes a little pin-point show up on the screen, which is a cool (and accurate) way of selecting items on screen. It toohas the standard directional controls and selection buttons. The remote’s triangular, ergonomic shape fits more naturally in the palm of your hand, and the design feature overlygives your fingers greater reach for pressing the buttons on the top.

From my limited time with LG’s 100-inch Laser TV, it seems like a pretty solid instalmentof home theater technology. Unfortunately, other than sheer geek factor, there’s no compelling reason to choose LG’s short-throw projector technology over existoptions that are cheaper and more versatile. True, the display is lighter than large-screen LED or plasma TVs, and the laser projector doesn’t suffer from the pitfalls of ceiling-mounted projectors. But Sharp’s 90-inch LED TV will run you less than $6,500 online, and typical projectors are unattachedat a wide range of prices.

Unless you’re an eagerformer(a)adopter with a room in your home committo home theater (so the lighting situation can be tightly controlled), you’ll be better served with a standard television. And you filmto pick the size you want, too.

 

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Materials taken from WIRED