ESSENTIAL REVIEW

HISENSE PX1-PRO: ULTRA SHORT THROW LASER PROJECTOR

Richard Stevenson assesses the merits of one new generation short-throw home cinema projector.

UST or UItra Short Throw projectors might not be the obvious video solution for a dedicated cinema room install, but improving technology means they certainly have a place in a wholehome project. Capable of throwing images up to around 130in diagonally from a desktop position just in front of the screen, means a very simple install that (in a lot of situations) can replace a traditional TV screen.

Modern laser-light models like the Hisense PX1-Pro work well in ‘dimmed’ rooms with a standard projector screen or even a white wall. For lit rooms or those with a lot of light spill, ambient light rejecting screens, specifically designed for UST projectors, are also available. For an add-on games room, kids bedroom or sports shed, they offer the sort of bang per buck that make for an easy add-on sale.

The Hisense PX1-Pro is a thoroughly modern laser-based UST projector with a 4K native resolution DLP chipset, great connectivity and built-in speakers for a onebox AV solution. It uses a true triple laser RGB projection engine capable of 107% of BT.2020 Colour spectrum and strong 2200 Lumens peak brightness. Being a laser, that brightness is instant as soon as the unit is powered up, and laser life is quoted as 25,000 hours.

This is one of the few WISA enabled video products on the market that alongside TVs from Hisense and LG, runs Android TV OS with all the Google Play store features, and offers Dolby Atmos sound processing – albeit output to its relatively basic soundbar-like on-board speaker array. Other video features include a DTV tuner, Filmmaker Mode and HDR10.

The Android TV platform offers voice control and apps like Amazon Prime, YouTube, ESPN and Disney+, but thanks to a GoogleNetflix disagreement, there is no native Netflix app. That can be fixed with an inexpensive USB dongle such as an Amazon Firestick. Connectivity includes a pair of HDMI 2.1 ports, one with eARC, optical digital output, twin USBs, analogue output and an RF antenna connection. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth cover the wireless bases and the Ethernet port offers Serial/IP control and dedicated Control4 integration.

The only let-down in the otherwise stellar spec list is the remote control. For a device you are almost certainly going to be using in a darkened room, its lack of backlight is a big omission.

Set up should be simple, as long as you have a solid platform at the right height and correct distance from the screen - given its chosen projection size. There isn’t a ‘zoom’ per se, but a convoluted eight-point geometric adjustment in the menus that gives some scope for altering projected image size, squaring up the image and correcting keystone. In an ideal world, you would slide the PX1-Pro back and forth to achieve correct screen size, and lock it into place with the pair of semi-circular stickdown foot cups supplied.

Hisense also provides an Automatic Geometric Correction feature. Using an Android smart phone, you scan an on-screen QR code, enter a four-digit code to link to the projector and take a photograph, the preadjusted matrix projected onto the screen or wall. The theory is that the PX1 then automatically sorts out the geometry and

How does this affordable option stack up?

gives you a perfectly rectangular grid image on the screen. I tried this several times with the projector in slightly different positions, and every one threw up an error that the auto geometry correction could not be completed. Back to that manual eight-point adjustment then.

The PX1’s menu system is comprehensive but lacks any explanation text as to what features do, and the manual is no better. So quite what the difference between ‘Noise Reduction’ and ‘Digital Noise Reduction’ is on an all-digital projector is a mystery, as is the setting labelled ‘Small Scene’ and several other modes that require a bit of trial and error.

The top line video settings include three screen type options, including two ALR versions but no ‘white wall’ mode, plus eight pre-set picture settings including standard, eco and theatre night/day. Core calibration settings are available for gamma, white balance, game calibration and RGB, and you get a very fine adjustment digital focus. Sound options include lip sync and basic five-band EQ. Slightly frustratingly, the PX1’s setting menus is locked out from the Android home screen, so you have to select an input before going into settings.

Given the frustrating set-up, a remote control that you can’t see in the dark and several unfathomable menu options, first-time set-up is likely to present a challenge. I’ve set up standard 4K projectors, including ceiling mounting them in half the time. Once installers know the Hisense’s quirks and idiosyncrasies, it’s going to be a whole lot easier.

In a come-back that would put The Who to shame, the PX1-Pro’s picture is a real stunner. This UST projector produces a vividly sharp, highly detailed and richly coloured 4K image that competes well above its (relatively affordable) price point. In standard mode, the image packs a real visual punch, with a brightness that delivers a near TV-Like experience (in a darkened room) at 126in diagonal in our set-up. The theatre settings do a solid job of giving scenes a film-like texture, and the more overt setting punches up the fun and entertainment factor on sport and animated movies to the max. DLP colour banding is minimal to invisible.

Edge-to-edge sharpness and the lack of distortion is extremely impressive given the acute projection angle, and the on-board sound, while a long way from full-blown home cinema audio, can easily put a few dedicated soundbars to shame.

While I didn’t get a chance to run a full video calibration on our set-up with a Screen Excellence AT screen, there are enough menu options to get a good picture balance on a range of screens or even a white wall. The latter might be the obvious choice for those secondary rooms to keep the costs low and fun-factor high.

While the likes of JVC and Sony’s latest laser projectors deliver smoother looks and more detail in both bright areas and shadows, the Hisense is a fraction of the price and delivers a big, eye-popping image with decent sound. This is a device that begs to find a home in any rumpus room or man cave and could make for a very easy value-add sale to main install projects.

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