LG's latest 4K short-throw laser projector delivers a 100-inch image from 20cm

(Image credit: LG)

LG has unveiled two new additions to its CineBeam 4K laser projector line-up, which are expected to launch in the coming months.

First up is the LG HU715Q Ultra Short Throw (UST) laser projector, which can produce a 100-inch diagonal image when positioned just 21.7 cm from a wall – ideal for positioning in smaller spaces. With unobtrusiveness in mind, it also features a fabric cover courtesy of Danish textile company Kvadrat, which should help it blend in with the rest of your home furnishings.

Underneath, the LG HU715Q houses four built-in speaker drivers in a 2.2-channel configuration which can be expanded into a "surround sound" set-up with the addition of one or two Bluetooth speakers. Rated at 20 watts the sound system is four times more powerful than that on LGs current UST 4K model, the LG HU85LA. However, with three HDMI ports, one of which supports eARC/ARC, the HU715Q can also be connected to an external sound system or soundbar for more sonic punch.

Meanwhile, the LG HU715Q uses laser-LED hybrid technology and can throw a 100-inch diagonal image from 2.9-4.6m, with a maximum image size of 300-inches. Its lens shift capacity of up to 60 per cent vertical movement and 24 per cent horizontal, as well as keystone correction with 4-, 9- and 15-point warping, offers users flexibility for off-centre placement. The projector also sports three HDMI ports (one eARC/ARC) and a stereo sound system rated at 5W.

Both models deliver 4K resolution with a 2,000,000:1 claimed contrast ratio. There's a peak brightness of 2500 ANSI lumens for the HU715Q and 2000 lumens for the HU710P. They are rated for 20,000 hours of use which translates to around 40 hours a week for a decade. That's a lot of films.

There are plenty of picture processing features onboard, including Dynamic Tone Mapping, which supports HDR performance to continually fine-tune colour and contrast, and Filmmaker Mode. The latter setting, found on LG TVs, aims to preserve the original aspect ratio, frame rate and colours of the original cinematic release. And if you plan on watching films both indoors and outside, then LG's Brightness Optimiser setting can help by making adjustments to the picture according to ambient light conditions.

LG says that both models will be available in the first quarter of 2022 but pricing has yet to be released. LG’s existing CineBeam 4K UST laser projector, the HU85LA, retails for £4500 ($5000, around AU$8570) while the HU810PW is currently priced at £3000 ($3000, around AU$5713).

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Mary is a staff writer at What Hi-Fi? and has over a decade of experience working as a sound engineer mixing live events, music and theatre. Her mixing credits include productions at The National Theatre and in the West End, as well as original musicals composed by Mark Knopfler, Tori Amos, Guy Chambers, Howard Goodall and Dan Gillespie Sells.