Here’s the thing about projectors: They are, generally speaking, not all that great to look at. And because they’re a projector, they, by necessity, tend to be fairly conspicuous. The new LG CineBeam Qube aims to change that.
The Qube (model HU710PB, if you’re keeping track of such things) fires out a 4K image at up to 120 inches in diagonal, thanks to an RGB laser light source. LG boasts a 450,000:1 contrast ratio here and 154% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, as well as support for HDR 10. It’s a little lacking in brightness, though, at just 500 ANSI Lumens. So you’ll want to keep that in mind if you’re considering the Qube in any well-lit room.
The Qube also sports a 1.2 throw ratio, meaning it’ll need to be a good way away from the screen (or wall or whatever) to hit that full 120-inch image size. (The minimum size is 50 inches, by the way.) So that’s another thing to keep in mind. It’s not an ultra-short throw projector. But it will automatically adjust for the keystone effect, which is nice.
But, really, that’s less of a concern given what the Qube looks like. It’s sort of a throwback to old-school projectors or even film cameras. And it looks smart enough in the press images, though there’s a good chance your home isn’t lit quite so moodily.
“Great for spaces large and small, LG CineBeam Qube is a unique lifestyle projector possessing all the qualities consumers look for when choosing a new projection solution,” YS Lee, vice president and head of the IT business unit of LG Electronics Business Solutions Company, said in a press release. “LG’s upgraded projector lineup offers a range of lifestyle-enriching devices that present outstanding spatial integration and versatility as well as immersive, cinematic viewing experiences.”
Other stats of note: The Qube weighs in at about 3 and a quarter pounds. It’s running webOS, of course, which should give it access to the wealth of streaming apps LG has at the ready. But it also will handle Chromecast and AirPlay just fine. And it has inputs for HDMI (and eARC, at that) and USB-C.
No word on pricing or availability, but we’ll be able to get a look at it for ourselves at CES 2024 in Las Vegas.
