Sony, Panasonic, Samsung, Philips, and LG are some television manufacturers that have not missed the opportunity to introduce the latest projectors in their portfolio. We are about to review an ultra-short throw device equipped with a DMD array with native 4K UHD resolution and a laser light source that adds to LG’s high-end projector offering.
This brand has other ambitious home theater solutions, such as the incredible 4K UHD HU810PW laser projector. However, it is the protagonist of this analysis that somehow consolidates its presence in the high range. And it does so not only because of its benefits; but also because it has been designed to facilitate its installation in domestic spaces where a conventional projector hardly has a place.
Its optics allow us to project a 100-inch image at a distance of only 21.7 cm (moving it a little further from the projection screen, we can reach 120 inches). In addition, its 2500 ANSI lumens allow it to perform well, although without fanfare, in spaces with some ambient light. It can also handle HDR10 content and has HDMI 2.1 connectivity. In any case, these specifications only invite us to scratch the surface. Under the hood of this projector, there is more. Much more.
LG offers us the same experience as its televisions. And if it works.
The adjustment parameters that this projector puts at our fingertips to help us get the most out of it are comparable in their ambition to those we can find in a TV of the latest generation from LG. It comes reasonably well calibrated from the factory. Still, the idea is that we fine-tune these settings ourselves, keeping in mind the characteristics of the surface we will project (there are significant differences between some projection screens and others).
As we will see in the section where we will analyze its image quality, when using the filmmaker mode (filmmaker), this projector gives us intense blacks and manages to recover a lot of detail in the shadow regions. Of course, in my opinion, the parameter that acts on the brightness level has an excessively conservative value, so I have been forced to increase it perceptibly so that the images acquire the richness I like.
LG CineBeam HU715Q Review
Anyone who wants to get the most out of this projector will be suitable if they resort to a professional calibration tool and probe. On the other hand, its approach is motorized and precise, so it is easy to leave it impeccable. Finally, critical image geometry adjustment can be performed using up to 15 actuation points so that keystone correction can be dealt with precisely. In this section, I have nothing to object to.
We took this photograph while adjusting the geometry of the image using the maximum 15 action points proposed by this projector.
The operating system that LG has integrated into this projector is webOS 6.0, essentially identical to what we can find on the televisions that this brand placed in stores last year, such as the still very interesting OLED C1. The hardware in this device moves the interface lightly, though perhaps not as nimbly as LG’s OLED TVs.
In any case, the experience that it offers us when we move through the interface and launch applications is very satisfactory and almost traced to the one that televisions of this brand give us. And suppose we stick to its webOS design. In that case, I like it, although this operating system, Tizen OS, and Google TV, which are its most relevant alternatives, have reached remarkable maturity. Hence, all three offer us a well-cared experience.
The connectivity that this projector offers us fits well in a device with a domestic vocation. It has three HDMI inputs (although only one of them implements the 2.1 standards), two USB connectors, an optical digital audio output, and a Gigabit Ethernet port. It also implements Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, although, interestingly, LG does not specify which versions of these standards it has developed in this device.
The remote control that LG gives us together with this projector is practically traced to that of its televisions. Its ergonomics are well resolved, and, unlike the TV control, in the lower part, it incorporates three buttons that allow us to access the main parameters directly.
LG CineBeam HU715Q Review
This is an ultra-short throw projector, as we have just seen, so we can place it very close to the surface on which we want to project the images. The merit of this feature lies mainly in the projector’s optics because it manages to expand the image restored by the DMD chip, introducing an acceptable distortion and largely rectifiable through the adjustment options included in the menu.
Sure, this is an essential feature because it makes locating this device so much easier, but the spec that makes it interesting is its laser light source. Adopting this technology entails significant advantages that allow the projectors to outperform the devices that use mercury vapor lamps, which is the most frequent option due to its lower price.
Although LG does not offer us much information about the transducers responsible for reproducing the sound in this projector, we know that it incorporates two 20-watt class D amplifiers accountable for driving as many speakers. Beyond the technical details, what is essential is that this projector sounds good. Unusually good.