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SubscribeThis article was updated with additional information on 10/19/2020
Samsung, a brand long absent from the home theater projector scene, has announced its re-entry with The Premiere, a 4K UST laser projector intended to compete for your living-room space with bigscreen TVs and similar projectors from LG, Epson, Optoma, VAVA, and others.
Samsung says two dedicated projector models with different specs are available. The LSP9T flagship, priced at $6,499, projects images up to 130-inches diagonal, while the LSP7T, $3,499, maxes out at 120 inches. The Premiere models join other products in Samsung's design-centric Lifestyle TV series and are shipping now. Neither model ships with a UST ALR screen.
As its price implies, the LSP9T (rated at 2,800 lumens) utilizes the larger 0.66-inch DLP XPR chip to achieve its 4K resolution and, critically, is based on a three-laser discrete RGB design. This allows Samsung to claim coverage of 147% of the DCI-P3 space used today for the mastering of 4K content, and even 106% of the full Rec.2020 gamut that remains a distant target for most consumer displays today. It should also reduce or eliminate the usual single-chip DLP rainbow artifacts. Contrast is rated at 2,000,000:1 full on/off (peak), and 1,500:1 ANSI.
Perhaps not surprisingly, the LSP9T is specifically cited as the first projector fully compatible with HDR10+ high dynamic range content. Samsung was instrumental in developing HDR10+, a more advanced form of HDR10 that offers dynamic metadata (similar to Dolby Vision) to assure a better result than is usually found with the static metadata found on regular HDR10 titles.
It's also the first projector to support the UHD Alliance's Filmmaker Mode, which recognizes metadata in compatible content to automatically or manually engage an image preset mode that optimizes color, frame rate, and other parameters according to the creator's intent so it can be viewed without the alterations typically imparted by the default picture modes on consumer displays. Several TV makers have announced support.
Furthermore, the LSP9T's optics offer a very short 0.19:1 throw ratio, allowing it to throw a 100-inch image with the back of the projector just 4.5 inches off the screen wall, or its maximum 130-inch image from 9.4 inches away. This should prevent many users from having to move their credenza or TV stand back from the screen in order to acheive a large 120- or 130-inch image. The projector has an integrated 40-watt, 4.2-channel sound system that utilizes Samsung's Acoustic Beam steering technology to provide a more enveloping image.
By comparison, the LSP7T, rated at 2,200 lumens, features the smaller 0.47-inch DLP XPR 4K-resolution chipset, and a single blue-laser with yellow phosphor wheel to acheive the three primary colors. Consequently, gamut is claimed at 83% DCI-P3, which is in keeping with competitively priced single-laser UST projectors. It's slightly longer throw ratio, at 0.25:1, throws a 100-inch image with the rear of the 13.5-inch deep projector about 12 inches from the screen wall.
Both the LSP9T and LSP7T will feature Samsung's well-developed smart TV operating system and streaming platform, which should be a notable advantage given the tepid platforms offered by most UST projector makers to date, with LG's HU85LA entry being the exception. Both manufacturers have obviously honed their technology across years of smart TV development for their panel television lines and built solid relationships with the key streaming providers.
But producing two differenent models that one caps at 120' and the other at 130'... that I do not undestand. What would be so degraded if I used the 120' model to project an 130' image?
PS. Any ETA on the Optoma P2 review? Thanks!
The ANSI lumen rating alone between the LSP7T and the Cinemax P2 is quite substantial--and an order of magnitude lower than the Epson LS500UST (which includes a screen). The only thing consumers may find more compelling about Samsung's offerings are the smart features.
Keep in mind that we do not yet have specs on the chip size (presumably .47 on the LSP7T, possibly .66 on the LSP9T?). We also don't have data on input lag. Audio is listed as 40 watts on the P1 and the LSP9T, but is 30 watts on the LSP7T.
All of which adds up to my tentative recommendation that from a value perspective the Cinemax P1 is still king of the hill. Prices on it will come down over time as newer and newer offerings keep popping into the market, but there is nothing--yet--that offers the same dynamite package you can get with the P1. If the LSP7T has better quality sound, lower input lag, and more ANSI lumens (and possibly a .66 chip)--all at the same price point, THEN we'd likely have a new winner. But the Cinemax P1 can probably be found for close to it's ORIGINAL MSRP of ~$3200 right now (P2 is listed at $3300)...making it still $300 cheaper than the LSP7T that is brand new to the market.
I have a P1. I'm 100% certain I made the right choice. Brightness is sufficient for a lit room. Onboard audio effectively transforming a 2.1 into a 3.1is just icing on the cake.
p.s. I HIGHLY recommend an ALR UST screen.
For reference, the LG is 15.5" for 120" image, so they are pretty similar. I wonder if the unit to unit variance is as great as the CinamaX P1 or if they have better control.
