The LG Short Throw Projector is an excellent example of a quality ultra-short throw or UST projector. It’s certainly better than those projectors you need to install in the middle of the ceiling or at the back of your room to work. It works like a regular media display in that it’s placed right in front of you.
Regardless, the CineBeam LG Short Throw Projector Review will cover everything you need to know about the device. It’s not perfect but it stands out in a positive way for the most part. More on this later.
The Score
Our score for the CineBeam is 8.2 out of 10. This is mainly because LG’s line of UST projectors makes it easy to switch from HDTV mode to projector mode for your home theater needs. This is compared to other projectors that require you to install them on your ceiling or at the back of your living room.
As for the image quality itself, we have no complaints. 4K is more pixel dense than 1080p but at 100 inches of screen size it’s more than serviceable for the needs of a compact mini projector.
What I like
- Full HD resolution at 1080p.
- Up to 100 inches of projection.
- Easy image adjustment and setup.
- It’s compatible with the LG Smart TV.
- Up to 1,000 ANSI lumens of brightness.
- Its battery life can reach up to 30,000 hours.
- You can stream the audio easily with Bluetooth tech.
- It includes the Magic Remote and LG Smart TV Interface.
- At only 15 inches of distance, you can get a sufficiently big screen.
- Regardless of screen size, you’ll get vivid, detailed pictures at every turn.
- Screen mirroring or sharing from all Windows and Android devices across the board.
What I don’t like
- It has zero 3D support.
- It offers no screen sharing from iOS devices.
- It requires a completely dark room to work since it’s weak against ambient light.
- At least one device ended up with white dots or dead pixels after only a year of use.
Great Things Come in Small Packages
For a UST projector with decent brightness, the LG HF65LA Short Throw Projector is remarkably compact and portable. It weighs less than 5 pounds, which means it isn’t limited to home use alone. What does limit it to home use is the requirement that you need a dark theater room to use it.
If you’re going to use it while camping, you have to do so at nighttime or inside your tent so that ambient light exposure is limited. It’s amazing that a 5-pound device no bigger than a lunchbox can give you a wireless and portable cinematic experience.
It Delivers on the Projector Performance Front
The main thing you want out of a compact, handheld, or mini projector device isn’t necessarily have the same quality as a standard-sized device. However, like a smartphone that at times can handle 60FPS better than your laptop, LG HF65LA exceeds expectations quality-wise.
The serious limitations the CineBeam has mostly has to do with things that the average user doesn’t absolutely need, like 3D features, the ability to connect to iOS devices or the ability to project in an environment filled with ambient light.
How Good is LG CineBeam’s Picture Quality?
The LG HF65LA has excellent picture quality because of its high contrast ratio typical of DLP projectors along with 1080p FHD resolution and TruMotion tech for smooth frame-by-frame transitions, among other topnotch tech.
- Contrast Equals More Detail: The contrast helps you decipher letters, detailed textures, minute details, and black spaces better instead of ending up with a muddy and blurry picture. The crisp 1080p Full HD or FHD resolution also helps.
- 1080p Full HD: The extra pixels assist in rendering the HD video in its fullest quality as opposed to 480p projectors that cut down the pixel amount significantly even if you were playing a 1080p video. The frames smoothly transition as well.
- TruMotion Technology: The DLP projectors of LG like CineBeam offer smooth frame transitions to assist 60 Fps gaming and whatnot. With it, you can watch action-packed scenes with zero motion blur or skipped frames like in a slideshow.
- Picture Consistency: This particular LG CineBeam gives you a consistent picture overall with no detail loss in the darker portions. The projector takes full advantage of the DLP tech’s ability to give out the deepest blacks and high contrast so you have zero hotspot issues in bright areas.
The Issues with CineBeam’s Brightness Levels
Yes, the HF65LA gives you a consistent picture such that there are no hotspots in bright areas and no detail loss in dark areas. However, it stumbles in regards to brightness levels.
As typical of a compact DLP with FHD resolution, the CineBeam HF65LA can only reach 1,000 ANSI lumens of brightness. You need at least 2,000 to 3,000 ANSI lumens to deal wit outdoor or classroom level ambient light.
This LED projector is fine in a completely dark room or a typical theatrical setting. However, if you want to be wary of ambient light when playing your games or viewing your movies, you’ll need to invest in blackout curtains for good measure.
A Modern Touch with Its Wireless and Cable-Free Connectivity
The LG CineBeam is a convenient and modern projector because of its wireless connectivity. Many other projectors available also offer sound connection through Bluetooth. However, not as many devices share the CineBeam’s full streaming and mirroring features.
The LG Smart TV interface should assist you in downloading most streaming apps directly to your LG CineBeam HF65LA. Meanwhile, the Wi-Fi connectivity is necessary for screen-sharing from Android phones and tablets as well as Windows machines.
However, it’s not iOS compatible. Of course, it still has wired connection options such as USB and HDMI.
A Straightforward Setup and Installation Process
The LG HF65LA doesn’t need installation. It’s a freestanding type of projector you can place down on any table and turn on immediately with little setup necessary. You can mount it on the ceiling or the wall provided that it’s a nearby placement of about 2 meters away.
This is because the UST lens can produce from 15 inches away a full-sized 100-inch image. Its throw distance range is 1.4 meters to 2.3 meters as well. It’s for this reason that the HF65LA is one of our top UST projector picks on the 1080p FHD category.
Long story short, it fits easily on any shelf, end table, or entertainment center without any tools required while at the same time it uses the same LG Smart TV interface to allow you to get all the software apps it needs for streaming and mirroring purposes.
Other Observations
Here are our extra observations regarding the HF65LA.
- Wattage: It has 6 watts of wattage to ensure energy savings. This also explains its battery life longevity.
- The Best Cable Management is No Cable Management: You won’t have to tie yourself up into knots with spaghetti wires and cables using the CineBeam’s wireless capabilities.
- Overall Performance and Quality: Only truly 4K projectors can outdo the portable LG CineBeam HF65LA at the cost of all that portability, battery longevity, and compactness.
- Tabletop Mounting: The HF65LA can be mounted on a table. This means it’s a freestanding device that you can practically place anywhere for ultimate screen adjustment versatility.
- Slightly Reduced Value: It doesn’t score a perfect 10 out of 10 in terms of value due to its limitations. It can’t do 3D and ambient light makes its image hazy, dim, and weak for roughly $1,150.
- Hardware Interface: You’ll get to deal with the usual connection standards of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth due to it being a wireless projector type. It also has traditional USB and HDMI wired connections as well.
- Ultra Short Throw Distance: The HF65LA also offers 1.4 meters to 2.3 meters of throw distance to deliver 60 inches to 100 inches (diagonal) of image size for even the biggest of projection screens out there.
- Full HD and Decent Brightness: Yes, the HF65LA isn’t the biggest or brightest projector out there but it’s pretty decent at 1080p in resolution and 1,000 ANSI lumens in brightness for a compact and portable device.
- Smart TV Compatibility: Usually, TV to projector connectivity is redundant because they’re both displays. However, a compatible LG smart TV should be able to mirror its media feed to a separate LG UST projector with no problem.
- High Contrast and More Details: As expected of a DLP projector, you’ll get an unusually high 150,000:1 contrast ratio out of the HF65LA. This means there’s less muddy blurring and artifacts to deal with when using your sharp and striking HD video projector.
Concluding Thoughts
Performance-wise, we had no problem with the LG HF65LA Short Throw Projector. It works more than fine. It performed superbly for a 1080p FHD portable UST projector. We do recommend that you find the best screens around to use with it, particularly the high-gain variety to maximize its brightness.
Moreover, invest in an all-angle micro-adjustable table to ease alignment issues and limit the need to do lens shift or keystone correction. It’s best to adjust it by hand with the right mount or table elevation to get the best end results image-wise.
References:
- “LG Short Throw Projector“, Amazon.com, Retrieved June 30, 2021