Hisense is pushing the concept of ultra-short-throw projectors as a TV replacement into new territory with the launch of the Hisense PX4 Pro projector. It’s positioning the device as a premium home cinema offering that can throw up TV-like pictures at anywhere between 80-inches and 200-inches.
The PX4 Pro is a 4K TriChroma RGB triple-laser UST projector that’s intended to be used as a dedicated living room fixture for movie lovers that want to be totally immersed in whatever they’re viewing, without the hassles that come with installing a traditional projector. The hardware stands out for its light engine. It utilises Hisense’s LPU Digital Laser Engine 3.0, features a pure RGB triple-laser light source with 4K UHD resolution, and a 0.47-inch DMD chip. According to Hisense, it can output a respectable 3,500 ANSI lumens and cover an impressive 118% of the BT.2020 colour gamut, with Delta E colour accuracy of ≤0.9.
Darker scenes are rendered through a 7-level iris lens, which enables a 6,500:1 native contrast ratio, ensuring incredibly deep blacks, the company said. To ensure this, Hisense has added its CineBlack Pro, Enhanced Black Level and Dynamic Grayscale technologies into the mix, which all combine to extract more detail from darker scenes. Hisense reckons that the PX4 Pro is therefore bright and accurate enough to support daytime use, though clearly the best quality images will be had when there’s minimal ambient light around.
The UST lens is the other major selling point here. Because of its tight 0.2:1 throw ratio, the PX4 Pro can be placed right up close to the wall or projection screen, if you have one. It can achieve the maximum image size of 200-inches from just a few inches away, and there are also features such as Auto Screen Fit to help with optimising the picture, though this works best on 100- to 120-inch screens, the company said.
It’s a fairly hefty device, weighing in at 8.3 kilograms with dimensions of 540 x 288 x 142 mm, which means it’s nothing like the more compact, portable projectors that have flooded the market in the last couple of years. While those devices are all about flexibility, being able to watch big screen pictures in any location, the Hisense PX4 Pro is a serious piece of home cinema hardware that’s really meant to be left where it is – though, of course, there’s nothing stopping you from lugging it around if you desire.
Hisense said the PX4 Pro supports Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR10, HLG, Filmmaker Mode, IMAX Enhanced and Active 3D content. The audio system is integrated with the device, but it’s powerful, with six strategically placed onboard speakers that provide a total output of 66-watts. Dolby Atmos and DTS:X surround sound are both supported, and the speakers are tuned by the French AV specialist Devialet.
The inclusion of such a powerful sound system suggests Hisense wants to minimise what’s needed to create a dedicated home theatre environment. Generally, external speakers have always been seen as an essential requirement, and they will indeed still provide better results, but the PX4 Pro can still punch out very good sound without them.
Hisense also wants to entice gamers. It says the PX4 Pro is the first FreeSync Premium-certified UST projector in the world, with support for VRR, MEMC blur reduction and sub-one millisecond latency at 2K/240Hz. It also comes with the Xbox Cloud Gaming app preinstalled, and there are two HDMI 2.1 ports that support ALLM, together with a pair of HDMI 2.0 ports.
Aside from gaming, the PX4 Pro also comes with all of the usual streaming suspects, including Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube and others. It features Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, Miracast, AirPlay 2 and Control4 for connectivity.
The Hisense PX4 Pro is on sale in the U.K. now priced at £2,499 from Hisense’s official website, Richer Sounds, Nothing Projector and other retailers now. In the U.S., it can be found on Amazon, BestBuy and others, priced at $3,999. It’s expensive, but if you’re in the market for a dedicated home cinema unit that’s bright enough for daytime viewing, with powerful onboard audio and high-speed gaming support, it has enough appeal to merit your consideration.
