So, you’re interested in joining the dazzling world of 4K ultra short throw projectors, where your living room is transformed into an epic movie theater with jaw dropping cinematic adventures and wild video gaming sessions. You’re ready to take your home entertainment to the next level but there’s a problem.
Which UST projector should you choose? Which laser TV is the best to meet your needs? With over a dozen laser TVs worth considering narrowing down your list is quite the daunting task.
Have no fear! That’s what the projection experts at ProjectorScreen.com are here for.
If you have any questions, such as "what should I look for in an ultra short throw projector?" or "how do I choose an ultra short throw projector?", open up a chat below or give us a call at (888)392-4814. Our projection experts are ready to help you.
...Or you can DIY the answers and read this article to help you narrow down the top ultra short throw projector to meet your needs.
On top of our in-depth guide to ultra short throw projectors, our experts also prepared a list of questions they would ask to help you find which ultra short throw is best for you. Answering these questions can enlighten you to your needs and narrow down the choices.
Some Things To Look For In An Ultra Short Throw Projector:
- Price
- Lumen Output
- Throw Ratio
- Screen Size
- Contrast
- Color Gamut Coverage
- Built-In Speakers
Projector Resolution: | 4K |
Brand: | Formovie |
Product Status: | In Stock |
Lumens: | 2800 |
Projector Type: | Ultra Short Throw |
Light Source: | Laser |
Contrast Ratio: | 3,000:1 (full on/off) |
Chipset: | DLP |
Aspect Ratio: | 16:9 [HD] |
Throw Ratio: | 0.23:1 (D:W) |
Native Resolution: | 3840x2160 |
Lens Shift: | No |
Input Lag: | 4K/60Hz: 43ms | 1080p/60Hz: 41ms | 1080p/120Hz: 37ms | 1080p/240Hz: 34ms |
3D Support: | No |
Built-In Speaker: | Yes |
Warranty: | 2 Years |
Standard Lens Focus: | Motorized |
ARC/eARC: | eARC |
Operating System: | Android TV |
Projector Resolution: | 4K |
Brand: | LG |
Product Status: | In Stock |
Lumens: | 3000 |
Projector Type: | Ultra Short Throw |
Light Source: | Laser |
Contrast Ratio: | 2,000,000:1 |
Chipset: | DLP |
Aspect Ratio: | 16:9 [HD] |
Throw Ratio: | 0.19:1 (D:W) |
Native Resolution: | 3840x2160 |
Lens Shift: | No |
Input Lag: | 4K/60Hz: 67ms |
3D Support: | No |
Built-In Speaker: | Yes |
Warranty: | 1 Year |
Standard Lens Focus: | Manual |
ARC/eARC: | eARC |
Operating System: | webOS |
Projector Resolution: | 4K |
Brand: | EPSON |
Product Status: | In Stock |
Lumens: | 4000 |
Projector Type: | Ultra Short Throw |
Light Source: | Laser |
Contrast Ratio: | 2,500,000:1 |
Chipset: | LCD |
Aspect Ratio: | 16:9 [HD] |
Throw Ratio: | 0.16:1 (D:W) |
Native Resolution: | 3840x2160 |
Lens Shift: | No |
Input Lag: | 4K/60Hz: 21.0ms | 1080p/60Hz: 22.1ms | 1080p/120Hz: 12.3ms |
3D Support: | No |
Built-In Speaker: | Yes |
Warranty: | 2 Years |
Standard Lens Focus: | Manual |
ARC/eARC: | ARC |
Operating System: | Android TV |
Projector Resolution: | 4K |
Brand: | Hisense |
Product Status: | In Stock |
Lumens: | 2400 |
Projector Type: | Ultra Short Throw |
Light Source: | Laser |
Contrast Ratio: | 2,000,000:1 |
Chipset: | DLP |
Aspect Ratio: | 16:9 [HD] |
Throw Ratio: | 0.25:1 (D:W) |
Native Resolution: | 3840x2160 |
Input Lag: | 4K/60Hz: 34.1ms | 1080p/60Hz: 34.1ms |
Built-In Speaker: | Yes |
Warranty: | 2 Years |
Standard Lens Focus: | Motorized |
ARC/eARC: | eARC |
Operating System: | Android TV |
What Is Your Budget?
Budget is probably the most crucial determinant to tell you what UST projector to buy. If your budget is unlimited you should look at the higher priced laser TVs like the LG HU915QB and Samsung LSP9T. If your budget is more limited, the XGIMI Aura or Hisense PL1 are more affordable options that still give you a really good picture.
Most shoppers fall in the middle range and are looking to spend between $2,500 and $4,000 on their awesome projection setup. If this is you, then you’ll of course want to get the best bang for your buck and not necessarily the lowest price model. The Formovie Theater or Epson LS800 are our typical recommendations in this price range. The Formovie Theater is an especially good value as it was declared the winner in the 2022 Laser TV Shootout.
You may also want to consider getting a paired projector and screen combo like the Hisense L9H or Hisense L5H. This allows you to save money by bundling the screen and laser TV together. (It also helps make your choice a bit easier since you don’t have to think about the screen separately.)
Do You Want The Best Picture Quality?
If you want the best overall possible picture quality from your ultra short throw projector, you’ll be able to narrow down the field of contenders significantly. According to the judges at the Projector Central, 2022 UST showdown, the two best laser TVs when it comes to pure picture quality are the LG HU915QB and the Formovie Theater. Based on picture quality alone the LG 4K UST probably wins head to head. The LG HU915QB has the best contrast ratio and sharpest image of any UST projector. This is in large part thanks to its native 4K DLP chipset. However with darker black levels and a wider color gamut the Formovie Theater is close behind (and half the price.)
If picture quality is a lesser priority then you may want to look at the low priced but still high quality USTs like the XGIMI Aura or the Hisense PL1. If you really don’t care about image quality and just want a close up projector with a big picture then you could even look at the 1080p Epson LS300.
How Much Light Is In The Room?
The amount of light in your room will be one of the key factors in determining which of the many ultra short throw projectors to buy. There are a few different environments that each call for their own level of brightness to overcome the ambient light in the room.
-For Livingrooms
For most consumers however the whole point of getting a laser TV is to upgrade their current flatscreen television in their living room to a much larger display. This means being able to watch TV and movies with the lights on and during the day.
However, the more ambient light in your room, the more the image will be degraded. Ambient light is a significant challenge for normal projectors but less of an issue for UST projectors.
These advanced projectors are built with brighter spaces in mind. They typically produce a higher level of light output using a laser light engine and by sitting right under the screen they’re able to create a brighter, more vibrant image. Perfect for watching content with the lights on in your family room or livingroom. For this type of bright room media watching, you’ll want an UST projector that puts out at least 2500 lumens of brightness.
When it comes to choosing a laser TV for your family room, the Formovie Theater, Hisense L9H, LG HU915QE and Epson LS800 are the projectors we most often recommend.
-For Home Theater Rooms
If you plan to use your laser TV in a dedicated, light controlled, media room you don’t need as much brightness from your UST. 1800-2400 lumens is typically enough for a home cinema room. Projectors like the Hisense PX2-Pro and ViewSonic X2000B-4K provide enough light to watch with some lights on, but are built for home theater use where you mostly watch movies in the dark.
-For Classrooms, Business And Non-Residential Spaces
For watching in a well-lit room like you’d find in a classroom or office, to overcome this extra light, you’ll need to look for the brighter USTs that have the highest lumen outputs. If you’re shopping for a commercial UST projector then the Epson 810E should be your go to choice thanks to its 5000 lumens of brightness.
Ambient Light Rejecting UST Screens
Of course combating ambient light with the projector is only half the battle. The other half is the surface you’re projecting onto. When you pair your projector with an ambient light rejecting projector screen that’s made for USTs you get a gorgeous and colorful image in most indoor lighting conditions. The special surface rejects the extra light so only the beam from the projector below the screen gets reflected to the viewer’s eyes. This allows even laser TVs with lower lumen outputs to work beautifully with the lights on.
How big of a screen do you want?
The whole point of upgrading to a laser TV is to get the largest screen size possible. That said, the one limiting factor of an ultra short throw projector is the screen size. Many of these modern technological marvels are limited to an image size between 90-120 inches diagonally.
For most customers that’s plenty big. (That’s why 120 inch UST projector screens are our most popular size.)
However some big screen lovers want to go even larger. All the way up to 150 inches!
If you’re one of those passionate about the larger than life, cinematic experience at home you’ll want to look at the Formovie Theater, Epson LS800, XGIMI Aura or ViewSonic X2000B. These ultra short throws are all capable of producing an image size all the way up to 150 inches. Though if you want better quality picture, the Formovie or Epson USTs are the ones to buy.
If you do plan to get a screen this big, we’d recommend pairing it with the Spectra Projection 150 inch Vantage Ambient Light Rejecting UST Projector Screen.
Screen Size Limitations
There are four factors that limit the size screen you can use in your home. The first being budget and the other two being the ceiling height of the room, the wall space available and viewing distance. Budget is between you and your wallet, but the other three are determined by the size and dimensions of your chosen room.
-Ceiling Height
Ceiling height is going to be the more limited factor because a room is only so tall. When buying a projector screen and UST combo you need to account for the placement of the screen above the projector.
For example if you wanted to get the Formovie Theater with a 120 inch cinema screen, you’d need to make sure you have 75.8 inches or 6.3 feet of room height just to fit the projector and screen.
On top of that if you don’t want to put your projector on the floor, you’ll need a UST stand or credenza upon which you’ll place your below screen beamer (plus an extra inch or two below the ceiling so you can hang the screen to the wall). So you’ll have to factor in the height of the stand as well.
Even if you already have a TV credenza, you may want to consider getting a new cabinet specially made for UST projectors. These laser TV cabinets allow the projector to be recessed in the top, while also looking incredibly stylish. Some even have a floor-rising retractable screen built into it for added convenience.
-Wall Space
Much like the height of your ceiling, the wall space of your room can limit the size screen you can choose. You wouldn’t want to block windows and doorways so the simple fact is if you want to mount a 110 inch screen you’ll need a width of at least 96 inches of free space to even fit on a wall.
If wall space is an issue, consider getting a retractable ultra short throw projector screen. These motorized projection surfaces roll up or down into the housing freeing your wall space for windows and décor when you’re not watching TV and movies.
-Viewing Distance
If you want to have the optimal movie watching experience the viewing distance can be a limiting factor to your screen size. Using the THX standard, a 120 inch UST screen would need a viewing distance of 13.4 feet. But if your room only has a depth of 11 feet, you might want to limit yourself to a 100 inch screen for the recommended viewing distance.
This is a matter of personal preference and some people and some people don’t mind, or even prefer, the larger than recommended screen size.
Do you already have a projector screen?
Sometimes choosing the right ultra short throw is about eliminating options. If you already have a projector screen that you’ll be pairing with your laser TV, you can eliminate the Hisense L5H and L9H which are only sold bundled with either a 100 or 120 inch ambient light rejecting screen.
Even if you already have a projection surface, if it’s not a specially designed ultra short throw movie screen, you won’t be unleashing the full power of your laser TV. With an ultra short throw projector screen vs. a regular projector screen, you’ll get a much higher quality image both with regards to the ambient light rejecting properties but also a better picture with the lights off as well.
Do you or your family members play video games?
If you or your family plan to pair your device with a PlayStation, Xbox or Nintendo console, you’ll want to prioritize getting a UST projector that’s better for gaming.
It should have a dedicated low latency gaming mode, low lag time, supports HGIG for HDR gaming and be bright enough to play video games with the lights on. You ideally want to have a projector that offers 3 HDMI ports so you don’t need to plug and unplug the different media devices to play your games.
When it comes to a gaming ultra short throw projector, the best ones are the Epson LS800 and Optoma D2 as they have the lowest lag time and most features for playing video games.
Do you have an external sound system or will you use the built-in soundbar?
For any movies or TV shows the beauty of the image on your projection surface is only half the formula to achieve that cinematic experience. The other half is the audio.
One thing all 4K UST projectors have in common is that they all have built in soundbars. Some are higher quality than others, but it’s a feature they all possess.
Now, if you already have or plan to use a true surround sound system the built-in speakers of the UST are honestly irrelevant. So you can focus your search solely on the visuals output by the projectors.
However, if you plan to use the attached speakers as your audio source then picking a close-up projector with impressive acoustic performance is of the utmost importance.
As part of our laser TV showdown, our judges ranked the sound quality produced by each up-close projection device. The top three best built in sound bars were the Formovie Theater, the XGIMI Aura, and the Vava Chroma. So if you’re not planning to use an external sound system these would be your best options.
Are you susceptible to the rainbow effect?
The rainbow effect on projectors is a visual phenomenon where someone watching a projected image perceives flashes of color around the image. This is a stroboscopic effect that only affects DLP projectors and causes some people to see flashes of blue green and red in a projector image.
If you are susceptible to the rainbow effect to the extent that it would negatively impact your viewing experience then you can eliminate pretty much every laser TV besides the Epson LS800 which uses a LCD chipset to create the image. This allows it to avoid the rainbow effect completely.
Minor Factors To Help You Choose Which UST To Get
How many devices do you connect to your display?
Video game consoles are just one of the many electronic devices you’ll want to connect to your UST projector. You may have a video game console, a streaming media player and a Blu-ray player you want to use; each one needing its own HDMI port.
If you plan to use an A/V receiver or a video switcher to act as the control center then the number of HDMI ports your laser TV has is not really important. But if you plan to run everything through your projector you might quickly run out of ports and would need to annoyingly get up and switch out cables.
Most close up projectors have 2 or 3 HDMI ports, you’ll want to look for UST projectors with the number of HDMI ports that align with the number of devices you plan to use.
If you plan to easily control those external devices, such as the volume on a sound bar, with a single remote you’ll want one that has ARC or eARC HDMI ports.
Do you have particular streaming services you like?
One of the easiest ways to eliminate USTs from contention is to ask yourself, “Do you use Netflix?” Because of a licensing issue most USTs that use an Android TV operating system don’t have a built in native Netflix app. That means if you want to watch shows on Netflix, you’ll need an external media player like a Roku or Amazon Firestick and that will take up a coveted HDMI port.
So if you love to watch Netflix, the Samsung USTs and the LG USTs all have native built-in Netflix apps. The new Hisense laser TVs will also have Netflix built in.
Are you a cord-cutter who wants to watch TV shows with over-the air-broadcasts?
For some customers they want to watch basic channels without having to pay a cable company for them. A built-in over-the-air broadcast tuner (OTA) allows you to do just that.
The Hisense L9H and Hisense L5H are currently the only ultra short throws that have built-in TV tuners.
Do you have kids and/or pets?
Childproofing your home theater isn’t an easy task. If you’ve got kids or pets you may want to consider getting the BenQ V7050i. It has a child friendly unique feature, an automatic sunroof that retracts when the projector is turned on to prevent dust, scratches and smudges on the lens.
Another advantage of getting a UST cabinet is that the projector is recessed so there’s no risk of children or pets jostling the unit out of alignment.
Pretty much all USTs have this safety feature, but you’ll want to make sure your projector has a sensor that dims the light when it detects someone getting too close, preventing eye damage from the laser.
How patient are you with setup?
Setting up your ultra short throw and aligning it with the screen can be a bit of a challenge for even experienced projection enthusiasts. The slightest nudge even half an inch can completely throw off the alignment with the projector screen.
By far the easiest projector to position is the BenQ V7050i. This is largely thanks to the extendable ruler guides that show you how far to place the device from the screen. It also has four adjustable feet for easy fine tuning.
Do you plan to have your projector calibrated?
For some customers they want the most accurate and optimized visual experience possible. That's where calibration comes in handy. A calibrator uses their tools and knowledge to give you the absolute best picture possible. If you do plan to calibrate your ultra short throw projector, the Formovie Theater is a fantastic choice because it offers more calibration options than any other laser TV.
Of course hiring a calibrator comes with an extra cost. For those who want the best out of the box picture on their UST, look to the Hisense L9H. Without needing to tweak any setting this laser TV will take your breath away.
Ready To Buy An Ultra Short Throw Projector? Still Need Help?
Hopefully in answering these questions you’ve been able to narrow down your choice of ultra short throw projectors. If you still have any questions, open up a chat below or give us a call at (888)392-4814. Our projection experts are ready to help you.
When purchasing an ultra short throw projector, it's essential to consider various factors to ensure you make the right choice for your needs. Start by determining your intended use and setting a budget, as this will guide you in finding the right features and specifications.
Pay close attention to image quality, resolution, brightness, and contrast ratio to guarantee a captivating visual experience. Connectivity options, built-in audio, and compatibility with your devices are also crucial aspects to consider.
Lastly, be sure to read reviews and compare different models to make an informed decision.
By carefully evaluating these factors, you can confidently bring home an ultra short throw projector that will elevate your entertainment, presentations, and overall viewing pleasure to new heights.