Optoma has unveiled their newest 4K UHD ultra short throw, the Optoma L1 at the 2023 ISE Show in Europe.
Following up with their hugely popular, Optoma P2, Optoma just last year put out and then quickly discontinued the short-lived Optoma D2. The new for 2023 Optoma L1 will be the heir apparent to the success of the P2.
Much like BenQ's pivot from laser to LED projectors with their new 2023 CES projectors, the Optoma L1 UST is an LED ultra short throw projector. This is a big differentiator from the other Laser TVs in the market, in that they won't be using a laser at all to light up the Optoma L1.
With ultra short throw projection being predominantly single and especially triple laser light sources, Optoma's choice to use LEDs is surprising, especially given that previous projectors weren't successful mainly due to weak contrast.
Below is a speculative product spec for the new Optoma L1. We'll update this post as we get more information.
The Optoma L1
Expected release date: Spring 2023
Expected Price: $1600 - $2200
Here are some speculative highlights of what’s new on the Optoma L1 ultra short throw projector.
- Lower starting price than the D2
- 2500 Lumen 4LED light source (this may be LED lumens and not ANSI lumens)
- 30,000 hour lamp life
- Eco-Friendly design with reduced power consumption and is made of up to 50% PCR (Post-Consumer Recycled) plastics and up to 99% of its packaging is recyclable.
- At just 11 pounds, this will be one of the lightest USTs on the market lending to extra portability
- >100% Rec.709 color gamut
- 1,800,000:1 contrast
- 4K UHD Resolution with over 8.3 million individual pixels
- Very low 15ms input lag for 240Hz 1080p and 27ms for 60Hz 4K gaming
- Supports 3D
- 0.25:1 throw ratio
- 2 HDMI 2.0 ports
- Advanced curve screen warping adjustment capabilities
- 15W built in speakers
- Only able to create an image size of 105 inches
Much like the D2, instead of focusing on developing a premium triple laser projector, Optoma is focusing on building lower priced ultra short throws. They'll be able to offer this projector for less largely thanks to the LED light source.
Many LED projectors lack the brightness and vibrancy of laser and bulb based units, so it will be interesting to see how Optoma overcomes these limitations to put out an ultra short throw that's made to replace your flatscreen TV.
We're big fans of Optoma's emphasis on being eco-friendly with this projector. There's so much waste that goes into packaging projectors that it's refreshing to see at least one brand prioritizing the environment.
We would have liked to see an input lag comparable to the outstanding input lag on the D2. The reduced single speaker is also a bit disappointing.
The portability of this UST projector does give it an edge over its bulky competitors.