I love projectors. They're certainly are an acquired taste and sometimes require a ton of TLC to function properly, but they can turn your living room space into an experience all its own.
And that's exactly what the Hisense L9Q did when I saw it at an event in New York City.
The upgraded set, which takes over for last year's Hisense L9H, improves upon its predecessor with a 5,000:1 contrast ratio and 150-inch screen size, outpacing all of the best TVs in terms of screen real estate.
But can the full package deliver in a way that's comparable (if not better) than the conventional display experience? More than that, is the price of entry truly worth it?
Hisense L9Q: The good
One of the largest pictures in its category, plus it sports 5,000 ANSI lumens of brightness.
When you peek under the hood, the L9Q has a lot going for it as far as UST projectors go. A maximum 150-inch screen size makes it one of the largest pictures in its category, plus it sports 5,000 ANSI lumens of brightness.
That's remarkable performance and one of the highest we've ever seen on a UST projector in this price bracket. The next closest we've seen to the L9Q is the Epson LS800, which can beam an image at 4,000 ANSI lumens.
Even the Hisense PX3-Pro, one of my favorite UST laser projectors, tops out at 3,000 ANSI lumens and tackles ambient lighting quite well. It would be even better with an ALR screen, of course, but what makes the L9Q really shine is its throw ratio.
Essentially, throw ratio pertains to how close the projector has to be to the wall in accordance with the largeness of the screen. The L9Q's is 0.18:1, which is very good and means you can tuck the projector closer to the wall for more living room space (depending, again, on the size of your screen).
And while design doesn't correlate to performance, I can't hold back in saying just how sleek the L9Q looks. Compared to other offerings, like the Formovie Theater or Epson LS800, the L9Q stands out thanks to its imperial copper gilt finish. It looks like it belongs in a museum, and from what I've seen of its picture quality thus far it sure might find itself among the best projectors.
Hisense L9Q: The bad
In an era where TVs are getting bigger (and cheaper), projectors are facing an uphill battle. It's borderline impossible to get excellent performance out of a projector during the day, even one like the 3,500-lumen projector from Nebula. You'd have to set up your home theater in a way that mirrors a conventional movie theater, with blackout curtains and an ALR screen, to get the best possible picture.
Hisense projectors are better than most when it comes to audio, but you'll still need one of the best soundbars.
Add to that the middling sound found on most projectors. Hisense projectors are better than most when it comes to audio, but you'll still need one of the best soundbars. There's just no way you'll get good sound out of the box, even when it's "tuned by Devialet" and takes inspiration from the Roman amphitheaters.
And the cherry on top? A $5,999 asking price. Even looking past the economic uncertainties in the world right now, that's a hard sell in the face of some of the best OLED TVs — let alone the best 85-inch TVs.
The Hisense L9Q is definitely a promising entry and one of the most exciting projectors of the year, but it's facing tough competition from cheaper rivals and even budget TVs.
Its 5,000 lumen brightness and an improved throw ratio are exciting performance specs, but we'll just have to wait and see if it can live up to its exorbitant asking price when we get it into our labs for testing.
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