Leica, a company that’s best known for its premium optics and ridiculously expensive cameras, began experimenting with projectors a few years ago when it partnered with a number of different budget brands, before ultimately releasing its very own device in the shape of the Leica Cine Play 1.
Now, almost a year to the day after that release, it’s following up with a newer model that comes with a much longer throw ratio, but otherwise shares many of its specifications, with the added benefit of being a bit brighter. What’s more, it promises to be much more affordable when it launches in the U.K. and other western markets.
The Leica Cine Play 1 was an ultra-short-throw model, which means it can be placed very close to the wall or projection surface, but the Leica Cine Play 1 Plus is a more traditional projector in that it has to be located much further away. According to its Chinese language product page, it sports a 0.9-1.5:1 throw ratio, but users can expect to see the same 4K resolution visuals at a maximum image size of 300-inches, so long as their living room is big enough to accommodate it.
It has been improved in a few ways, too. It has a brighter output of 3,500 CVIA lumens versus just 3,000 on the original Leica Cine Play 1, and it also claims 110% coverage of the BT.2020 colour gamut, up from just 100% on the older model.
Like with its older cousin, the Leica Cine Play 1 Plus supports Dolby Vision and HDR10+ content, and boasts a lifetime of around 25,000 hours, the company said. It features one of Leica’s high-end Summicron zoom lens, which typically cost thousands of pounds and are used in its state of the art cameras, and this is paired with a proprietary image processing system that helps to enhance picture accuracy. There’s also the Leica Optimisation Engine or LIO, which relies on image optimisation algorithms to improve natural colour rendition and gradation and enhance the overall contrast, the company said.
The intelligent smarts don’t stop there, for the Leica Cine Play 1 Plus also supports a simplified set up experience with its smart adjustment and alignment tools, including autofocus, fit-to-screen, object avoidance and keystone correction. As for the audio, it rocks a pair of 10-watt speakers, similar to the older projector. DTS Virtual:X is supported for surround sound.
The device runs the Vidaa operating system developed by Hisense, which might not be as familiar as something like Google TV, Android or Roku, but still supports a decent app ecosystem, including all of the major streamers. And there are low-latency HDMI 2.1 ports to support physical devices, including consoles. There are USB ports too, and Apple AirPlay, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are all supported.
Leica said its latest projector is on sale in China now, and perhaps the best thing about it is that – so long as you don’t mind dropping the UST capabilities – it’s much more affordable. The company has slapped a 11,888 RMB price tag on the Cine Play 1 Plus, which translates to a very reasonable £1, 269 at the current exchange rate.
While that direct conversion may not accurately represent Leica’s international pricing, it seems highly unlikely that it will cost anywhere near as much as the UST version, which comes with a hefty £2,950 price tag.
It’s not clear if or when the Leica Cine Play 1 Plus will come to the U.K. or other markets, but the company has a long history of releasing most of its products globally, so we do expect it to become available more broadly at some point.
