I've been using JVC 790r (with 120" screen) as my for couple of years but have been intrigued by development of UST projectors but never found one that I liked enough to give up on the JVC. Thankfully, my recent move to a new house gave me the opportunity to rethink my media/theater room and decided to get a UST projector. After spending hours on YouTube, AVSforum and discussing with Brian (ProjectionHead), I ended up ordering the L9G with 120" screen.
Assembly/Installation:
Projector and screen come in one box, which is HUGE and heavy so make sure you have plenty of help to move and unbox it. Once unboxed, I assembled the screen using the provided guide and some helpful YouTube videos. Some of the steps in the instructions do not correspond to the parts provided so you will just have to think it through. Overall, it is not difficult, just time consuming.
Hanging of the screen was a lot easier thank to the provided template. You just have to make sure that all the measurements are double checked because the projector has fixed focus so in case the distance and height is not correct, it will be difficult to align it later.
Once the projector was setup on the table, it took a while to align the picture to the screen as it take a lot of micro adjustments to get it just right. L9G has built-in auto geometric correction to make this process simple but I think there is a bug in the software as I couldn't get it to work. The IP that it provides was not available despite trying many times.
Impression:
Projector itself looks nice and feels right at home on top of the table. Also, being all black helps it fit in with rest of the theater pieces. Fist thing that I noticed was how quickly the projector turns on. That was one of my greatest issue with previous projector as it took almost a minute to turn on.
Setup is straight forward, thank to AndroidTv OS onboard. One thing that I immediately noticed was the lack of Netflix app. It is not a big deal as I can use Chromecast or Shield for it but it would be better if I don't have to use extra hardware just for one app.
One thing that totally surprised me were the speakers. Speakers sounds very impressive and get VERY loud. The only thing they lack is bass, which can be easily fixed by adding an external subwoofer. With that said, I do plan on connecting my 7.1.2 system (using Yamaha AVR) later but for now I don't feel the urgent need for it due to built-in speakers.
Picture Quality:
Once everything was setup, I played 4K demos from YouTube, watched movie on Netflix and played couple of games on Xbox Series X. Overall, I was really impressed by colors, sharpness and response of the projector. The only downside I noticed was the contrast level. It is okay but not as good as either my previous JVC or the OLED Tvs. Turning on Active contrast to "Low" does help (it is off by default) but not perfect.
Gaming:
Xbox does recognize as 120 hz capable display but due to technology restriction this projector does not play games as 120 hz or support VRR.
One of the reasons for choosing this projector was the low input lag that is needed for gaming. So far I have not experience input lag that would have adverse affect on the gameplay but there is definitely some there specially if I compare it with my OLED tv. With that said, it is only noticeable during heated online gameplay. If you are mostly playing single player game, it is non issue.
So to sum it up, this is probably the best UST on the market as it checks of most of the requirements to replace a TV but it is not perfect. Hopefully, Hisense can fix the contrast issue with an OTA update (with better Tone mapping) which will make it even better.
Pros:
- Instant on/off
- Bright, vivid and sharp picture
- 3 HDMI ports including eARC and 120 Hz input
- Response OS
- Backlit remote (big plus!!)
- Excellent speakers.
Cons
- Contrast could be better
- Missing Netflix app
- Setup could be difficult and time consuming due to fixed focus and long throw
- Automatic geometric setting is buggy and does not work