Reviews

Review: Samsung LSP9T UST projector with impressive specs

Review: Samsung LSP9T UST projector - Samsung has launched 4K projector equipped with triple laser source, ample light output and excellent contrast. 
4.4/5 - (52 votes)

Review: Samsung LSP9T UST projector – After many years of absence from the projector market, Samsung is back in the picture. And they immediately opt for an Ultra Short Throw projector with stylish looks and impressive specifications. We test whether Samsung has found the right recipe.

Samsung LSP9T UST projector – specifications

What Ultra HD DLP projector with triple laser light source
Resolution 3,840 x 2,160 (2,716 x 1,528 with pixel shifting)
Light output 2,800 ANSI lumens
Projection ratio 0.189 (100 inches diagonal at 0.11 m)
Noise level 32dB (typical)
Connections 3x HDMI (2.0, eARC, ALLM), 1x USB (media), 1x optical digital out, Ethernet, WiFi built-in, 2x antenna, Bluetooth
Lamp life triple laser light source, up to 20,000 hours
Extras HDR10 +, HDR10, HLG, 3D, 40Watt speaker
Dimensions 550 x 141 x 367 mm
Weight 11.5 kg
MSRP 6,499 euro

Samsung LSP9T – Design

Those who love curves and curves have come to the right place at Samsung. The LSP9T looks very handsome. Glossy white housing, sleek, slightly concave side vents, stylish light gray fabric cover at the front, and everything beautifully finished. We don’t like to use the word cuddly factor, but still …

The lens opening takes up relatively little space, but the device remains recognizable at a glance as an ultra short throw model. Also in terms of dimensions it fits neatly with the other UST models that we have already tested. The Samsung will look very nice in your living room. Admittedly, white is the only color available.

Samsung LSP9T – Connections

The connectors and power connector are on the side facing the screen. The Samsung is equipped with three HDMI 2.0 connections, one of which with eARC. ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode) is also available. The connections are ready for Ultra HD HDR in the best quality.

A USB connection is provided (media reader). Optical digital audio output is available if you wish to use an older audio system. The Samsung also has a wired and wireless network, and is equipped with Bluetooth that you can use for wireless headphones.

Samsung LSP9T – Placement

This Samsung is unceremoniously aiming for a big picture. The minimum screen size is 100 inches diagonal, the maximum is 130 inches. So you need at least 2.2 m width on the wall, preferably with 10 cm left and right as well. Anyone aiming for something smaller, for example a 90 inch screen, should opt for another model such as the LSPT7.

Thanks to a throw ratio of just 0.189, it achieves that 100 ”screen size when the projector is barely 11 cm from the wall. That is just enough to keep the connections somewhat accessible. The front of the projector is then 48 cm from the wall, which just fits on a lot of TV furniture.

The projection offset is 118%, the bottom of the image is approximately 18% of the image height above the top of the device. You adjust the focus via the menus, as soon as you select the focus setting you also get a handy test image. The focus is motorized and works fine. We were able to make the image razor sharp in less than a minute. Zoom is missing, as on almost all UST projectors.

Since UST projectors cause a clear trapezoidal distortion even with the slightest deviation in placement, good adjustment of that distortion is required to compensate for this. Samsung has provided an extensive system for this in which you can correct the four corners independently, or even more extensively adjust 15 points on the screen.

After all the corrections, we notice that the projector does not perfectly align the three main colors. This is normally impossible with single chip DLP models, and we only see this with LCD models (which use a separate LCD chip for each color). It is therefore probably a chromatic aberration in the lens. Fortunately, the effect is very small, smaller than a pixel, and we never noticed during our usual test material.

We are very positive about the fan noise of the LSP9T. It’s low enough that we were hardly aware of it during testing. The slight noise in the background will really not disturb you, and we even wonder whether the figure of 32 dB that Samsung itself indicates is not too high. Remarkably, the projector does not have any setting on board that allows to set the light source a little lower. However, we found that on all other projectors so far.

Furthermore, you should consider all the pros and cons of UST projection that we discuss in our article on Ultra Short Throw projection . The most important? Know that even the smallest displacement will cause you to readjust the image. Provide a perfectly flat projection surface to avoid image distortion.

Samsung LSP9T – Ease of use

Undoubtedly one of the advantages of this Samsung is its ease of use. After all, the projector offers the same smart TV environment, remote control and settings menu as the Samsung televisions. It navigates quickly, is clear and offers all the necessary settings to calibrate the projector. Don’t worry about the lavish colors in the menu. Apparently, Samsung uses the widest possible color range in the menus, and that does not look very surprising in Netflix, for example. However, as soon as you start a movie or a series, it switches seamlessly to the correct color range.

The LSP9T has a sensor that switches off the lamp when you bend over the projector, which is useful if you have children in the house who want to find out where the image is coming from.

Remote control

The compact remote is finished in white, matching the projector. It is slightly curved and feels great in the hand. The keys are easy to press.

Samsung LSP9T UST projector

Just like on the TVs, only the minimal keys are available. But that is absolutely no obstacle to ease of use, thanks to the handy Tizen smart TV environment. The remote can also be set to operate connected devices.

The only minor downside: the remote is not illuminated, so you can work by touch in the dark. Although this is not so bad due to the small amount of keys.

Functions

Where the Samsung really has a foot ahead of many competitors is the extensive smart TV functionality. Only the LG HU85LA could also a nice smart TV environment.

In the same smooth and convenient environment that we are also used to on Samsung TVs, we find all important streaming apps, among other things. Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Video, Apple TV, Disney +, they are all here. You can watch in HDR and you can even cast to the projector from YouTube and Netflix. Airplay2 is also supported.

The media player takes files from USB or DLNA server. It’s quite complete, but keep in mind that it no longer supports Divx / Xvid codec, nor DTS soundtracks. Just like on Samsung TVs.

Yes, this projector can take the place of your TV, and it even has built-in TV tuners (DVB-T / C / S). Unfortunately, there is no CI + slot to be found, which means that the added value in Belgium and the Netherlands is limited. After all, you can only watch unencrypted channels with it, and that list is quite short.

Samsung LSP9T – Image processing

Despite its high price, the Samsung is still not a native 4k projector. This DLP projector uses Texas Instruments 0.66 inch DLP chip. It offers a resolution of 2,716 x 1,528, and shift the image twice to achieve a full 4K image. More information about pixel shifts can be found in our background article on projector technology . With that, he succeeds in showing almost perfect 4K detail.

The image processing is very good, the projector has an excellent deinterlacer on board, and it recognizes different video and film frame rates quickly and reliably. The noise reduction does a great job, but you have to rely on Samsung’s estimate, there is only an ‘auto’ mode or completely switched off. Here we preferred to see a few extra options.

The projector can also perform frame interpolation, and we found that necessary because with 24p sources you often see a little bit of judder. So you can get rid of that with frame interpolation, that’s our personal preference, but some viewers find that not done. For a projector of this caliber, we would have liked a 24p display without judder.

Samsung LSP9T – Image quality

This laser projector does not use a laser-phosphor combination, but uses three lasers (one for red, green and blue). A color wheel is therefore superfluous, which partly explains its silent functioning. Yet you can also see a rainbow effect on this projector. Yes, there is no color wheel, but the projector still has to project a red, green and blue image one after the other. After all, there is only one DLP chip. In practice, we could only see this if we looked at the screen from the corner of the eye, and not on all images. But who is sensitive to it must take it into account.

“Laser speckle”, that typical effect that laser light shows some kind of tiny stars, is also visible, but only when you stand within a meter of the screen. At a normal viewing distance we had no problems with it.

Samsung claims 2,800 lumens. In the brightest image mode (Dynamic with Color space set to Normal, and the contrast turned fully open) we achieve approximately 2,400 lumens. The projector is therefore slightly louder. In the factory settings for all picture modes (Dynamic, Standard, Cinema and Filmmaker Mode) the result is around 1,600 to 1,700 lumens. That is still excellent, and sufficient for a 110 inch in ambient light, and for 130 inch with some minimal darkening. Keep in mind that there is no eco mode for the lasers. Those who really darken completely can find that 1,600 lumens a bit much, even on a 130-inch screen.

The LSP9T has another advantage because it does not use a color wheel. After all, that color wheel filters out part of the light, so that colors on DLP projectors are always less bright than the performance of the white values ​​suggests. The LSP9T can simply use its three lasers to create white without any problems, but it also loses nothing of punch when it has to show colors.

The projector provides a contrast of approximately 1,900: 1. That is very good, and provides images with a lot of depth.

The Cinema and Filmmaker Mode are well calibrated. The gray scale is neutral, and the gamma curve aims nicely at 2.2, with only the brightest hues being a little too bright.

We do notice that it is not easy to keep the color power of three lasers under control. The color rendering is predominantly good, but red remains too vivid, while cyan and yellow tend towards green very softly. This also has a slight impact on skin colors that sometimes have a slightly red tint. The overall picture remains very good, but a good calibrator can undoubtedly get more out of this.

Samsung LSP9T – HDR

The lasers of the Samsung LSP9T UST projector also provide a first in our test room. The maximum color gamut clocked in at 95% Rec.2020, thanks to the lasers’ almost monospectral colors. The red really blew us off our socks. That is really an impressive achievement, but to be fair, it is of course not much use. Content that uses that color range is virtually non-existent. The projector does cover DCI-P3 nicely, the meter pointed 90% to that, although you will hit even higher with a better calibration.

Also in HDR you get a similar light output (no filter needed, remember!) And contrast as in SDR, and that gives the Samsung more than enough basic capacities to deliver beautiful HDR images. The projector can handle not only HDR10 and HLG, but also HDR10 +. He neatly keeps an eye on the metadata and shows all white detail. The luminance curve is slightly below the expected gradient, so images are slightly darker than necessary. Because the projector has such an ample supply of light, that does not disturb.

f you want, you can slightly increase the contrast setting to make the images even brighter. We would have liked to see a setting here that allows you to easily tinker with the tone mapping as we already saw on other projectors. In the dark range, we do notice that it hides a little black detail. Not dramatic, especially since the projector is not really aimed at viewing in the dark.

The color reproduction is good, but here too the LSP9T seems to have a bit of difficulty in reducing its color power. HDR images have a lot of impact, but we are also convinced here that a good calibrator can lift the image quality even higher.

Samsung LSP9T – Gaming

With an input lag of 56.9 ms in game mode, this projector may not be the best choice for hardcore gamers. Casual gamers may find it enough, it also features ALLM.

Samsung LSP9T – Sound quality

Samsung LSP9T UST projector is equipped with Bluetooth, not only for wireless headphones, you can also send the sound from your smartphone to the projector. It immediately caught our eye, with 40W sound, the Samsung delivers a lot more power on paper than competitors. But do you hear that too? Absolutely. The projector comes out with very good sound quality. A thick streak of bass, controlled highs and clear dialogues. In fact, he created a very good spatial image, which often gave us a very nice surround impression. For this, the Samsung uses the Acoustic Beam technology that we also find in a number of Samsung soundbars.

Those excellent performances with movie soundtracks also translate into a more than decent music sound. Anyone who turns the volume knob wide open is really surprised by how fast this projector can go, even if it sounds a bit tight. Keep it at a reasonable volume, and rest assured it’s more than just some background music, and the sound is fine. Of course good pop / rock has some advantage there, the harder and rougher work is sometimes a bit too intense, even for this soundbar.

A small miss: no Dolby Atmos support. Yes, you can send Dolby Atmos via eARC to a soundbar or AV receiver, but it seems a bit strange that you would provide an extra soundbar for a projector with such a solid audio solution.

Samsung LSP9T UST projector – Conclusion

Samsung has not missed its return to the projector scene! A 4K projector with triple laser source that guarantees an unseen color range, ample light output and excellent contrast. That would be a nice projector in itself, but on top of that you get a fully smart TV system with all modern ease of use and functions, and a good sound solution that makes an external audio installation superfluous in the majority of cases.

Does the LSP9T have no errors? That extreme color range seems like a challenge to put to work correctly. Although the projector showed very nice images, both in SDR and HDR, it was clear that a professional calibration can get some extra image quality out of it. The projector supports HDR10 +, but Dolby Vision is missing. We find the lack of Dolby Atmos support a real shame, given the excellent built-in soundbar. And then of course there is the price. Anyone who wants to get top technology such as this in-house has to set aside a considerable budget.

If you are looking for a projector that can really take the place of your TV (almost literally), then the LSP9T is an excellent choice. It does not turn its hand for a 100 inch screen diagonal and offers all the smart functions you will find on a modern TV. The excellent built-in soundbar also provides popping sound.

Positives of Samsung LSP9T UST projector

  • Triple Laser light source with exceptional color gamut
  • Ultra Short Throw, easy to install
  • Ample light output and excellent contrast
  • Almost true 4K detail
  • Fantastic audio quality (for a projector)
  • Very good smart TV platform
Negatives of Samsung LSP9T UST projector
  • Requires calibration to display its maximum potential
  • No Dolby Vision / Dolby Atmos
  • price