It’s been a week since I was on the ground at IFA 2026 in Berlin, and there was a whole range of home cinema equipment that I got to see while at the huge convention.
But there’s one demo that I experienced on Xgimi’s stand that will not leave my head, and it involved a prototype 3D projector system.
And I really do mean "prototype": this isn't a product you can buy, but more of a Frankenstein’s monster combining various products.
There was quite a lot going on behind the scenes, so let’s break it down: Xgimi had two of its newly announced Titan Noir Ultra Max projectors set up side-by-side, each hooked up to the same laptop.
In front of each projector, Xgimi positioned a polarising filter. Essentially, one projector produced the image for the left eye, while the other handled the right. Once you put on the polarised passive glasses, the picture came together to create an incredible 3D experience.
Just one of these projectors will set you back £4799 (around $5000 / AU$9040), but the Titan Noir Ultra Max does boast some impressive specs.
Xgimi claims it delivers up to 8000 ISO lumens of peak brightness and a native contrast ratio of 12,000:1, for starters, and the brand says this results in an “impressive contrast performance for true cinematic depth”.
There are some promising specifications for gaming, too, with Xgimi claiming input lag of just 1ms, which seems preposterously low, but will need proper testing once we get a sample in for review. VRR and ALLM are also on board.
My demo wasn't about gaming, though; it was about 3D movies.
The team had the trailer from Avatar: Fire And Ash on a loop and, even though I had seen it countless times by the end, I was captivated by the video every time it played.
The sense of three-dimensionality was simply breathtaking. When the majestic flying Leonopteryx swooped into the frame, the creature’s wings and tail appeared to flick into the audience with a stunning sense of immersion.
Surrounding the winged animal were floating islands in the sky, and they came out of the frame like a pop-up book.
Instead of feeling limited to the screen on the demonstration room's wall, it really felt as though the picture reached far beyond the frame. I almost thought that if I reached my hand out I could brush the animal's wing.
During the blue-tinted nighttime water scenes, the picture looked detailed despite the movie's lower-light presentation. The bioluminescent spots on the skin of our blue protagonists stood out against the dark woodland instead of getting lost in the background, too.
The picture was bright and punchy as well, and this was in a reasonably well-lit environment. Imagine it in a blacked-out room. That all transported me away from the busy convention space to the world of Pandora in seconds, and it was really a sight to behold.
The sound was less impressive, with the projector's speakers struggling to cut through the bustling showroom floor. But that would obviously change in a more ideal environment, and you could hook up a separate sound system.
It's been a while since I have seen a projector brand, or really any brand at all, running a 3D movie demo. That's hardly surprising, considering that fewer and fewer movies are getting a 3D release.
But even though you won't find it on shelves anytime soon, Xgimi's experiment has still given me renewed curiosity about the world of 3D. Perhaps we gave up too easily, and perhaps it's not too late for a thrilling, three-dimensional renaissance.
MORE:
Check out the best projectors
These are the best soundbars on the market
And here's our review of the Horizon 20 Max
