LG HU85LA Ultra Short Throw projector review 2023

LG HU85LA Ultra Short Throw projector

Before we go deep into the LG HU85LA Ultra Short Throw projector review, lets start buy look at the cons and pros of this 4K projector.

Pros

Viewing in ambient light requires high brightness

For dark-room viewing, color is largely accurate out of the box

This product type requires extensive picture adjustments

Tone mapping for HDR10 with effective dynamic functionality

For close placement to a screen, this throw ratio is exceptionally short at 0.19

Cons

Compatibility with HDR HLG is not available

UST projectors require a challenging setup

What we think

The LG laser-driven UST projector offers surprisingly good performance, features, and build-quality for a projector of its price range, even though it has a $5,999 price tag. This is pretty compelling considering its impressive features and enhanced performance.

Installation

Whether you are a big screen enthusiast or not, installing a projector can be challenging. You probably realize how difficult it is to spread the magic of a projector as far as the eye can see. It’s okay to place a compact short-throw projector on a coffee table and hang a picture. The high quality of projections, however, requires sophisticated advance planning and a lot of hard work to hang them up and run the cables for power, video signal, and control in walls and ceilings in order to get the highest level of projection. Then, there is also the screen, which must be properly researched, constructed, and hung if you expect the best images from your new projector.

The problem is that, unless you are one of those lucky few who can hide your projector behind your dedicated theater room back wall and allow the light to pass through a porthole, you are probably going to have to live with a big black or white box hanging down from your living room…something that your resident interior designer will usually not appreciate. Regardless of the fact that these are all significant obstacles, a serious geekazoid or movie fanatic may still be deterred from using front projection and may doom themselves forever to watching their favorite movies on a boring, 75-inch flat-screen.

ultra-short throw

There is a solution to these issues in the form of ultra-short throw projectors. In addition, USTs are lightweight, compact units, which sit on a credenza that is just inches from the screen wall, so there’s no need for long cables to connect the source components, which are typically located within the same cabinet where the projector sits.

In terms of the sharp images they can project from such a close distance, they are capable of projecting images up to perhaps 130-inches diagonal, so a cinematic experience can be provided without transforming your room into a construction zone or modifying your aesthetics in any way. UST cabinets are even being built now with recessed compartments that hide the projector completely, leaving only a giant image for the viewer to focus on.

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contrast accuracy

As far as the home theater market is concerned, UST projectors are hardly new. Most USTs were initially commercial products designed to project graphics on whiteboards in bright classrooms without any regard for color or contrast accuracy. In countries where living space is at a premium, Hisense proved with its Laser TV introduction a few years ago that UST was in demand by consumers, and it has helped to pave the way for the nascent home UST market.

Some years ago, Sony introduced UST projection as a luxury consumer product—in an original 4K laser model that cost $50,000, but was eventually replaced by a less expensive model. There have also been some minor successes in recent years with the sale of UST for home theaters from some other brands.

DLP projector

However, this year’s UST projector offerings are more special than ever because both major and secondary projector manufacturers are introducing projectors that are specifically designed to replace a flat-panel TV in the family room, with greater emphasis on color accuracy, contrast, media streaming, and audio on board. A DLP projector with a 3840 x 2160 pixel UHD resolution and a laser light engine, LG CineBeam HU85LA is reviewed here. The projector with no screen is among the most expensive of the new projectors at $5,999.

The laser-driven P1 from Optoma is aggressively priced at $3,299, and the LED X1000-4K from ViewSonic is expected to come in even lower later in the year when it is released. The VA-LT002 model is being offered at $2,549.

Price

VAVA started up in early October and is currently offering its product for $2,549 at this writing. A 100-inch ambient-light-rejecting UST screen using Epson’s 4K-Pro UHD pixel-shifting will cost $4,999, or a 120-inch screen for $5,999. Epson’s upcoming LS500 laser UST will boost images to 4K by combining 1080p imaging chips with 4K-Pro UHD pixel-shifting. As an alternative, the Hisense Laser TV sells for $7,999 and comes with a 100-inch ALR UST screen. A smaller and less expensive 4K UST would be welcome for Sony’s family of LCoS-based SXRD projectors, but at some point I won’t be surprised if it releases it at a competitive price for its VPL-VZ1000ES.

ambient light conditions

My view is that these new UST projectors should be evaluated from two points of view. The properties of these projectors should be evaluated under ambient light conditions, ideally in a screen that rejects ambient light. Even a serious home theater enthusiast may be able to live with and love these new machines for dark-room viewing if they are the first in a generation of higher-performing UST models. The ISF and Joel Silver did a great job ensuring that television manufacturers provided color-accurate modes in their CRT-tube televisions in the mid-1990s (thank you). In an environment of controlled light,

UST projectors designed for home use can be made to produce images that respect content creators’ vision. Also, remember that “ambient light projection” is not a standard definition—everybody has different lighting conditions as well as different color temperatures that will affect how images appear on the screen when using ambient light.

The true performance of any projector, however, can be judged fairly by comparing it to a single standard of ambient light: total darkness. Keeping this in mind, I examined the HU85LA’s picture quality and ambient light settings, as well as its dark room performance.

Features

weighs 26.8 pounds

This HU85LA weighs 26.8 pounds, has a solid construction, and has a 26.7-inch girth out of the box. I don’t think that this projector is a good fit for a projector so close to the screen that it could reflect light, but it never seemed to have a problem. A pair of approximately 3-inch stereo speakers for audio are hidden within an attractive gray-cloth grille on the front. The projector gives the impression of being in an Ikea showroom from a Scandinavian perspective as a whole.

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thumbwheel for adjusting focus

Moreover, the recess where the light is emitted, the HU85LA has a manual thumbwheel for adjusting focus, with a spring-loaded cover over it to prevent accidental jogging after setting it. In this LG HU85LA Side400most UST, there are no autofocus or motorized controls or zoom, so you just need to place the projector at the appropriate distance to get the desired screen size.

In terms of very ultra-short throw ratios, 0.19 is an extremely aggressive ratio among UST projectors, and was not selected by chance. A typical TV stand or credenza is about 16 inches deep, so LG advises placing the projector on a deeper piece of furniture or moving it farther away from the screen wall if its throw ratio is greater than 2.0, as is found on some competitive products. The optics had to be designed so that they would work correctly from short distances.

Throw distance

In accordance with the manufacturer’s specifications, the projector is rated to throw an image of 90 inches just 2.2 inches away from the screen, or a 120 inch image up to 7.2 inches far away from the screen (as measured from the projector’s front). I was able to attain a diagonal image of 100 inches in the review sample by placing the projector approximately 4 inches back from the screen and with the top panel about 8 inches below the image at its bottom. Add about 6 inches for the full height of the projector and its adjustable feet, and you get 100 inches of screen, with the projector resting on a platform about 14 inches below the screen’s bottom edge.

A 92-inch image was established at the same platform height 14-inches below the screen, with the projector’s front edge 2.5 inches behind the screen surface. In order to see the distances required for different image sizes, you can check out ProjectorCentral’s LG HU85LA projection calculator. However, be aware that the throw calculation on ProjectorCentral is based on the distance between the lens and screen, not the front as LG does. To determine the distance between the projector and the screen, subtract approximately 10-11 inches from our total.

DMI 2.0b port

UHD content is protected by HDCP 2.2 copyright management on the HDMI 2.0b port around the back of the jack-pack. This unit has two USB ports that accept flash drives. One of them has HDMI ARC and can be used to transfer lossless audio signals, including Dolby Atmos or DTS-HD, to a receiver or soundbar. Those thinking about cutting the cable cord will appreciate the micro USB-C port for connecting a computer or smartphone, as well as the antenna input for the built-in ATSC digital tuner. To replace the on-board WiFi, there is an RJ45 LAN port, which is also used for network control. There is also an optical digital audio out for feeding a sound bar or other sound system.

A DLP imaging chip is the larger, 0.66-inch version of the Texas Instrument’s 4K XPR devices inside LG’s cabinet, which provides good quality parts as well as sophisticated electronics. In contrast to the 0.47-inch chip, this chip only requires a two-phase shift to display all the pixels of a UHD video frame, whereas the 0.47-inch chip requires a four-phase shift.

2,700 ANSI lumens

As a result of the laser light engine, this projector delivers 2,700 ANSI lumens, which is much higher than the standard. According to LG, it is actually a three-laser engine with a red laser for the red primary, a blue laser for the blue primary, and a blue laser for the green primary that excites a static phosphor. I never noticed any rainbow artifacts during my many hours of viewing, because it avoids the need for a sequential color wheel. I will talk more about LG’s Dynamic HDR feature later in this review. It offers extensive picture adjustment menus for several color modes.

LG HU85LA Rear

As a result of the extreme angle at which light strikes the screen, initial setup with UST projectors is notoriously difficult; without the use of keystone control or more advanced geometric correction, it can be difficult to get everything to line up. The throw ratio is even shorter than normal here, making this even more true. With the LG HU85LA projector, LG provides 12 points of warping to fix any misalignment that cannot be fixed by moving the projector because there are adjustable feet under all four corners to assist.

With this, LG helps you to fix any misalignments that can not be massaged out with movement of the projector. It was very easy to use, and even though I didn’t use it on my review sample so as to avoid the usual artifacts associated with digital keystone correction, I was able to see if there was any evidence of those artifacts with test patterns, as there were no other indications.

If you aren’t a hardcore enthusiast, or a system integrator, you need not worry about this option during installation.

LG’s webOS 4.5

I also like the ergonomics of the HU85LA. LG’s webOS 4.5 is one of my favorite graphics user interfaces on televisions, so I always use it. To choose inputs, open streaming apps, access the integrated Web browser, or access your off-air channel guide, you can easily navigate scrollable tiles across the bottom of the screen. In addition to the Bluetooth-enabled Magic Remote, LG also provides a clickwheel and directional keypad that help navigate on-screen menus. It’s a bit less appealing, especially when it comes to calibrating the display, but it works pretty well here.

You get to the home screen, the settings, and the input selector with ease by lifting the remote, which has an automatic backlight that turns on when you lift it. Of course, all the necessary buttons are clearly marked and nicely spaced within the remote. In addition, LG claims that its HU85LA is Netflix-certified, which means that it is able to stream Netflix and Amazon Prime directly, and it also features Netflix-certified buttons for Netflix and Amazon Prime. This ensures that the integrated application can run at full HD resolution and UHD resolution, which may not be possible with competitive streaming platforms (although that can easily be resolved using an external media player).

AI ThinQ technology

You can use what LG calls AI ThinQ technology to control your projector by speaking into the top of the remote when you hold down the microphone key and speak into the top. With Google Assistant, you can ask for information on the weather or to search for James Bond movies by saying things like “volume up,” “Netflix,” or “HDMI 1,” or you can ask Google Assistant for the weather. Using that last command, the tiles at the bottom of my screen filled up with every 007 title, allowing me to directly navigate to any one of them. As a leading provider of TVs that provide a highly-polished user experience, LG holds an advantage over other projection manufacturers in terms of offering this kind of highly-polished user experience.

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integrated soundbar

However, LG does not advertise the HU85LA as being equipped with an integrated soundbar or implying that its speakers can eliminate the need for outboard audio universally. For a projector worth such a lot, the built-in audio was disappointing. There was no bass depth or dynamic power of the small, 5-watt x 2 stereo speakers—not even enough to add the right fullness to male vocals—or volume or dynamics to perform much beyond newscasts and ballgames.

During my testing, I used the volume control just short of maximum on TV and Blu-ray movies at a distance of about 10 feet. Several sound profiles and an equalizer were available in the audio menu, which made dialogue easier to read. However, an ancillary audio system would be needed for the image quality to be fully appreciated. The optical audio connector and HDMI ARC connections make it easy to connect one. Another nice feature is the ability to use Bluetooth headphones via the built-in transmitter.

Performance

A number of different color modes are available for the HU85LA. When it recognizes HDR10 content, it will offer a different set of specially tuned picture presets. However, HLG is not supported at the moment. Although that does not pose a problem right now, it might become a problem in the near future when more and more UHD broadcasts and streaming services adopt that format. Additionally, LG’s HU85LA projector doesn’t support 3D playback, which may disappoint some projection fans who may be accustomed to watching 3D films, but it is unlikely to bother most of the target audience LG is targeting.

As far as traditional high definition content based on standard dynamic range (SDR) is concerned, there are eight color modes available: Vivid, Standard, Cinema, Sports, Game, Expert (Bright Room), Expert (Dark Room), and HDR Effect, the latter of which creates an impression of HDR with content based on standard dynamic range. While the standard mode is quite powerful for bright room viewing, it was not even close to being accurate out of the box, nor was there any other option other than Cinema or the two Expert settings.

UST projectors in particular, the Expert models, start out lower in brightness, but they offer one of the most comprehensive picture adjustment options that I have ever seen in any projector, including any other UST projector.

Full range of color temperature

It includes a full range of color temperature and gamma controls, as well as a multi-point grayscale adjustment with either two points, eleven points, or 22 points of fine tuning across a wide range of brightness settings. A Color Management System (CMS) is also available in order to adjust the RGBCMY colors. If you’re an experienced TV reviewer or own a set from LG’s latest generation of flat-panel TVs, you’ll be familiar with these buttons because they come with the best flat-panels LG has to offer.

LG HU85LA Remote

Taking 1080p/SDR content into account, I chose the Expert (Dark Room) mode, which out of the box looked great, but clearly it pushed flesh tones a bit too rosy, even with its default Medium color temperature, which gave off a cool (blue) tone to whites. When I was not able to complete a full calibration, it worked to reduce the red push on my 92-inch diagonal, 1.3 gain, white screen by lowering the color control to 42, and switching the color temperature to its Cool position (which made whites even bluer) and reducing the overall Color control to about 42.

This resulted in a very impressive picture when viewed in dark rooms on the screen. As a result, I started from scratch and refined the grayscale and color points using the two and multi-point white balance controls and the CMS.

As a result of this, the red push was completely eliminated, the whites were neutralized to an appropriate match of D65, and the image quality had been pushed into a whole new category. The peak white on the screen from the calibrated image was measured at a very puchy 27 foot-Lamberts.

multiple color present

There are few HDR projectors that offer multiple color presets, as most projectors offer one or even two HDR color modes and then add a variable brightness/gamma control to supplement them. A variety of HDR color modes are available on the HU85LA, including Vivid (the default setting), Standard (the default setting), Cinema and Cinema Home. Generally, the latter two modes default to a Medium color temperature, but only the HDR Cinema mode allows for an extended color adjustment that is found in the SDR Expert mode, which is usually more accurate out of the box.

SDR Expert modes

In the same way as with the SDR Expert modes, the skintones out of the box were too rosy and could muck out fine differences in faces; however, by adjusting the color temperature to Cool and adjusting the color saturation to a lower value, I was able to achieve a more realistic picture that was more liveable. This image turned out to be quite impressive after the HDR dark-room calibration using Warm color temperature as a starting point. As I will explain below, I used the Dynamic Tone Mapping feature of the HU85LA to improve the quality of the image and to achieve the final calibrated peak white level of 40.4 ft-L, or 137.1 nits.

When viewing SDR content in bright-room ambient light, viewers have the choice of one of the less desirable color modes or one of the more accurate color modes with a bit less (but still robust) light output. When the projector was set to its Minimum Energy Saver power setting (the brightest option), I measured the maximum brightness as 60 to 63 feet-L off my screen center with a matte white, 1.3 gain material. With the more color-accurate modes, it measured about 45 feet-L. As for the latter, it’s probably a good idea to start with the Expert (Bright Room) preset and tweak it until it works in your environment.

basic control features

For SDR on a 100-inch screen, it’s recommended to select the Expert (Bright Room) preset first. SDR did not have all the color modes it needed to make it exactly right, but the default Standard mode was one of the best available and it was possible to make it watchable in my studio—at least after tweaking the basic control features (Contrast, Brightness, Color, Gamma, Color Temp) to make it more watchable. In order to properly optimize an image for ambient light, it is important to take into account both the amount of light in the environment as well as the color temperature of that light. It is not guaranteed that you can get things to look right without extending your color adjustments in order to achieve the best results.

In my dark-room viewing, the Cinema mode provided a maximum brightness of 52 feet-L with all the fine-tuning adjustments that a calibrator would need. The Cinema Home mode, on the other hand, does not disappoint and actually produces the full lumen output of the projector right out of the box. It is important to understand that while you give up grayscale and CMS adjustments with this option, you also have options for color temperature, gamma, and a menu called the Preferred Color, which allows you to adjust some subtle adjustments for the colors of skin, grass, and sky.

Then you can adjust these using your own intuition with content you are familiar with. All of these things can be used as a tool to assist you in tuning your image by yourself.

SD/High Definition 1080p

Watching Deepwater Horizon on SD/High Definition 1080p. As the documentary opens, there are bright, punchy outdoor images with recognizable colors and clearly defined faces that depict the ill-fated oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. All hell breaks loose at the end of the movie and everyone gets soaked in oily rain. Before that, though, the movie really displayed the capabilities of the tuned-up HU85LA. Early in the film, when Wahlberg and his crewmates board a helicopter at an oil refinery to head to the floating rig, a close-up shot shows a worker fueling the helicopter, which has a neutral tone in its white body and a shiny stainless steel band joining the rubber filling hose to the nozzle that looks perfectly natural.

In addition to the orange vest and neon-green rubber gloves, the worker’s appearance did not scream cartoonish or artificial. There were also some impressive aerial shots of the refinery, including the green grassy area and the giant white tanks, as well as the marshy areas surrounding them. Later on, as the crew was chatting from their seats while flying, it was now evident that their faces had differed since the calibration, from the olive skin of Gina Rodriguez to Wahlberg’s ruddy skin to Kurt Russell’s orange tan.

Deepwater Horizon Rig2

As well as the 1080p-to-UHD scaling of the projector and its excellent optics, I was able to see fine details on their skin textures and facial hair in this scene. While the rest of the image was crisp, I did sometimes have trouble getting perfect focus in the far upper corners of the screen when I had not used the warping correction and had not quite dead-on image geometry for my temporary installation. In contrast, letterboxed movies like this did not suffer from this problem, as the LG projector produced a stunningly sharp image that was clearly superior to a pixel-shifted 1080p image from my JVC DLA-X790 reference projector from close up

. A native 4K projector with a better lens than it, I also had a JVC DLA-NX7 on hand, which offered greater organic sharpness. However, I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised by seeing an image of this crispness and clarity with a UST projector.

SDR and HDR

In both SDR and HDR, the HU85LA also provided excellent contrast and shadow detail on all but the darkest content. The ripples in the black fabric of the flight worker’s shirt sleeve at the point where it meets the shirt’s body were clearly visible in the aforementioned scene in which she filled the chopper’s fuel tank, despite the fact that the image was shadowed in that part.

La La Land, for instance, had a great contrast between light and dark images. There was no way the low blacks on the HU85LA could reach the depths of the JVCs, and there was a pretty obvious gray haze that obscured much of the detail I often use to assess black level on the demanding ultra-dark torture scenes. The projector, however, was capable of producing a solid contrast and decent black on most scenes with mixed brightness.

HDR Viewing.

On the HU85LA, you can adjust the contrast and tone of HDR using Dynamic Tone Mapping. Besides Off, there are three other settings for Dynamic Contrast (Low, Medium, High) and it behaves exactly like what I have seen on TVs and other projectors, boosting the highlights but not enhancing black levels in any way. While I left it off most of the time, I occasionally used it to give it a little extra punch without negatively affecting black level. Bright objects against black backgrounds, such as credit and title screens, made the effect particularly noticeable.

The Dynamic Tone Mapping option, however, was universally effective and always turned on. The brightest highlights master into HDR content cannot be displayed at the full intensity on any of today’s consumer displays—especially not on projectors. Therefore, the projector’s gamma settings must be adjusted to maintain as much intensity and detail as possible while keeping the highlights within the projector’s capabilities. Furthermore, blacks and shadows should be maintained in the darker parts of the image.

HDR brightness controls

Because HDR movies are mastered in a wide variety of ways, the majority of HDR10-compliant projectors come with HDR brightness controls that can be manually adjusted for the best image with any given content. In most cases, this means adjusting the HDR brightness of each title first by playing a bit of the movie. On the other hand, LG’s Dynamic Tone Mapping feature determines the best HDR settings for every given scene by analyzing the content frame by frame. As for the subjective evaluations, I found it very good for the vast majority of my HDR viewing, and if it works well, that’s a big plus.

It looks great on the HU85LA thanks to its amazing brightness and HDR support, which is evident even in aquaman’s mock underwater scenes. As the queen of Atlantis, Nicole Kidman, washes up in a storm on the coast of Maine, and is taken in by a lighthouse keeper as a result of the storm, the HU85LA beautifully captured all the colors and fine details of that sequence.

Despite being a stunning combination of gray and white, this suit had a scaly texture; her blonde hair had a magnificent shine, and her flawless, fair skin had an accentuating highlight that made her appear not only other-worldly, but still somehow normal.

As you can see from the outside scene showing the happy couple, familiar colors, such as the worn brown leather couch in the lightkeeper’s quarters, came across well, as well as the rocky coastline and the lighthouse itself. I was struck by the wooly texture, the open weave, and the vibrant colors of the wavy stripes on the blanket that he wrapped around her while facing the ocean winds. I couldn’t help but notice it.

Aquaman ~LG HU85LA Ultra Short Throw projector

Aquaman’s many bright highlights were handled well by the HU85LA’s Dynamic Tone Mapping feature.

My experimentation was to use Dynamic Tone Mapping (DTM) on a few different scenes. As an example, when turning off the DTM on a close-up of Kidman, the brightest highlights on her cheek and under her eye looked blown out and pasty, and the scaly shoulder of her wetsuit seemed to lack color saturation and detail. The scene looked brighter and more vibrant after turning back on DTM, as well as having more color and detail. There was no dramatic sacrifice in brightness, as all the color and detail returned as a result.

As the young Aquaman was training to become a warrior with his mentor on a bright beach in a challenging scene shot on a bright beach, the DTM did a fantastic job managing the wide range of light, finding a balance between the sun-drenched characters dueling near the edge of the water and the backlit cliffs behind them, while maintaining a pleasing balance of light. A scaly, black wetsuit worn by his mentor was able to reveal its texture and details with great clarity. As soon as I turned off the DTM, I observed that the entire scene was washed out, but it was also the same as what I experienced with a similar scene on my regular day-to-day projector, a JVC DLA-X790.

In order to bring this challenging scene into line with the JVC’s HDR gamma adjustments, I could have done that, but the general tone-map I had calibrated for this projector before was just not appropriate for the title or this scene without me having to manipulate the controls a lot of work.

That’s the key point.

In spite of the fact that the LG’s Dynamic Tone Mapping sometimes turned things darker than I would have liked in scenes with bright highlights, it still managed to capture a good balance between punch and dimensional contrast with its choices. HDR should be as simple as setting it and forgetting about it. JVC’s native 4K projectors offer automatic tone-mapping, and they recently updated their firmware to read frame-by-frame and make adjustments instead of relying on fixed HDR tone-maps based on embedded metadata. This key area should be taken note of and other manufacturers should raise their game.

Bright Room Viewing.

A bright, overhead fluorescent lightroom provided the perfect environment for my informal evaluation of the HU85LA with an 80-inch diagonal, ST (short throw) screen from Screen Innovations. The new demo room at ProjectorScreen.com in New Jersey hosted me, and I was impressed by how bright and punchy the image looked, and how well the screen retained contrast in an extremely demanding setting.

My preference was for the Standard color mode under those conditions and in that type of lighting; the inaccuracies of the out-of-box color modes as noted above were still visible in the same way, but they were much less noticeable. When we cut the overhead lights and provided ambient lighting from the sides with two floor lamps, we found the Expert and Cinema modes to be significantly better than the SDR or HDR modes.

92-inch, non-ALR screen

My image held up quite well in my calibrated dark-room mode, using my 92-inch, non-ALR screen in my home studio. Despite the moderate ambient light coming from sideways or behind the seating area, I was able to keep the image very sharp in my dark room mode (i.e. a spotlight reflecting light onto the ceiling, but not directly flooding the screen with the light). Despite the fact that a UST ALR screen would help prevent some weakening of the black level under these conditions, you can clearly see that color saturation and contrast remained quite good in these conditions.

Switching over to the default Expert Bright mode helped boost the blacks after turning on the recessed high-hat three feet forward of my screen. In that case, however, I would never recommend putting one of these on a screen that expects a lot of light, even if the screen is designed to reject overhead light massively, like the SI or recently reviewed Elite Aeon CLR. In its mostly default settings, the Expert Bright Room mode worked quite well with the milder lighting from the side or reflected from the ceiling and was eminently watchable with movies; better yet with bright sports and news programs.

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Final thoughts on LG HU85LA Ultra Short Throw projector

This are the last of my thoughts on LG HU85LA Ultra Short Throw projector. The LG CineBeam HU85LA wowed me with its ability to show what’s possible in this product class, even though I had low expectations and little experience with UST projectors. While LG does not claim to provide the best audio quality, a more powerful speaker system would have been nice, even with its arduous setup. However, I was able to cut LG some slack despite its warping function.

I would have liked to have seen a little bit less red from the box in the SDR Expert mode, the HDR Cinema mode, and the Cinema Home mode, so that the color of the SDR Expert mode and HDR Cinema mode would be more easily tuned in without professional calibration – though it is not unreasonable to spend about a hundred bucks to calibrate a projector of such a price.

The HU85LA may be disputed for its value quotient, but to put it in perspective, it is currently the cutting edge in ultra-short throw, laser-driven projectors. The study illustrates the possibility of making a simple-to-install UST perform reasonably well in a bright room for daily viewing, while transforming it into an exceptionally good home theater projector when viewed in a dark room. Whether or not the emerging competition can meet that bar remains to be seen, and I believe manufacturers may have vastly underestimated the need and desire for a good dark-room experience in their push to promote these machines as the replacement for a bigscreen TV.