Projectors can often be big and heavy, often requiring a dedicated spot in your home theater. LG wants to make things easier on customers with its new compact smart home laser projector, the LG ProBeam, which launched Wednesday.
One of the ProBeam’s defining characteristics is the advanced laser engine that gives it the ability to project a full HD, 120-inch picture at 2,000 lumens of brightness. While most projectors require either very dim to dim lighting, this level of brightness allows for viewers to watch even in bright rooms. If you’re looking for a projector you can use instead of a TV rather than alongside one, this is a big deal.
The ProBeam does not support 4K, which may disappoint some customers, but at $1,500 it’s much more affordable than many 4K projectors out there, some of which cost tens of thousands of dollars. The ProBeam does include some cool picture features, however. Projectors can be fickle and touchy, often getting bumped out of alignment, but the ProBeam Auto Keystone Alignment can detect any distortion in the image and automatically correct it. A similar feature, Manual Keystone Alignment, gives users the ability to fine tune the image themselves.
Another feature often found in TVs but not projectors is “smart” functionality. The LG ProBeam is unique here as well, as it packs in the company’s webOS smart TV platform. This includes the LG Magic Remote, one of the major selling points of the company’s smart TV offerings, and plenty of streaming apps like Netflix, Hulu, and YouTube.
Connections include two HDMI ports, two USB Type 2 ports, 3.5mm analog out, optical audio out, Ethernet, and digital TV tuner. While the project has two 3 watt speakers for stereo playback, it also supports Bluetooth, so it can be paired with Bluetooth speakers and headphones.
While the vast majority of users will likely never take the LG ProBeam out of their living rooms, it’s not because they can’t. Weighing in at just 4.6 pounds, LG says the ProBeam is capable of allowing customers to entertain with backyard viewings of movies or sports events.
“As a leader in LED projectors worldwide, LG is confident its expertise in the home entertainment sector will make its first compact laser projector a hit with consumers,” LG Electronics USA head of product marketing Tim Alessi said in a statement. “LG is proud to continue pioneering the home cinema experience in dynamic new ways.”
The LG ProBeam is available for $1,500 from online retailers like Amazon, and Newegg.
Updated 5-31-2017 by Brendan Hesse: Updated to announce the ProBeam projector’s launch
