UST projectors
want your whole wall, please
The ultra-short-throw (UST) projector is not a new concept in itself, but over the last couple of years it has undergone a transition from a projection sideline to a genuine consumer alternative to a large-screen smart TV — although there are still some significant things to consider before fully imbibing the UST Kool-Aid.
Firstly, while they’re brighter than ever, their images will still wash out in a room subject to significant ambient light, which is most lounges in Australia during day time. And while the pictures you’ll find on company websites tend to show a nice little box tucked against the wall, throwing a simply enormous image onto the wall surface or preferably screen, the boxes are actually significantly bulky, and for the largest possible images they may need to be so far out from the wall that the average TV-style bench struggles to accommodate them.
However, the plus points of UST projectors can be so persuasive that we confess we are happy to enjoy some day-time wash-out in order to relax before their wall-filling presentation after dusk.
Two new UST releases show the evolution taking place. Firstly Epson has a new model to complement the EH-LS500 (see page 64) in the even more affordable EpiqVision EH-LS300, priced at $3999, or bundled with a 100/120-inch ALR screen for $5099/$5699. It has apps built in (but oddly not Netflix) and an internal sound system designed by Yamaha, delivers white and colour light output of 3600 lumens from a laser light source and Epson’s 3LCD panels — though resolution here is 1920 × 1080, not 4K. More info: www.epson.com.au
Samsung’s The Premiere (pictured above) loads on the smarts, installing its full smart TV interface into the UST projector so it operates and streams just like one of their high-range TVs, including a TV tuner and two built-in voice assistants Bixby and Alexa, as well as a built-in sound system. There are two models: the single-laser LSP7T with 2200 lumens, priced $5999 (this uses a .47-inch DLP chip to deliver four-flash UHD resolution up to 120 inches), and the premium triple-laser LSP9T with 2800 lumens, priced $10,999 (.66-inch DLP for two-flash UHD resolution and HDR10+ up to 130 inches, though locked to 60Hz). Samsung will also be bundling screens with light rejection from ceiling reflections. More info: www.samsung.com.au