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Review: Samsung The Premiere LSP7 UHD 4K laser projector

Review: Samsung The Premiere LSP7 is a 4K UHD laser projector equipped with built-in Amazon Alexa is made a success of its copy
4.5/5 - (19 votes)

The Samsung The Premiere LSP7 is a high-end 4K video projector with HDR10 + compatibility. It promises to project a short-range image up to 120 inches with a frequency of 60 Hz. It embeds the Tizen OS and offers the same features as a Samsung Smart TV.

Introduction

No more doubt, ultra short throw projectors, also called “4K laser TV”, are on the rise. The arrival of Samsung in this segment is another manifestation of this and for a first model of its kind to land in France under the Samsung banner, the manufacturer offers a convincing product in use.

All the TV manufacturers are saying it: the trend among consumers is to buy models in large sizes – thank you containment! Thanks to the sometimes very significant drop in prices for LCD models, panels of 65 inches and more are very successful. But when it comes to very very large sizes, not only is the offer much rarer (or even non-existent for some), but above all, the prices are skyrocketing. This is why another market is developing in the home cinema world , that of ultra short throw projectors.

Products which, thanks to laser lighting technology, now promise a lifespan of several tens of thousands of hours, but which above all have another advantage: they are also much less restrictive to install, at least on the side. cabling, than conventional room-based video projectors.

It is by building on the advantages of this category of products that Samsung is returning to this market (which it had left) by launching its The Premiere range. This consists of two models, the LSP7 and LSP9 which are distinguished by the fact that the first model uses a single laser light source (blue) while the LSP9 uses three lasers (RGB). Better colorimetry, but also better brightness and a sharp image are expected on the LSP9, sold for 6490 euros.

We will therefore come back to this model later, and it is the slightly cheaper product that we are interested in here. Please note that we have written “cheaper”, which does not mean accessible to all. This The Premiere LSP7 projector (which we will call LSP7 here) is sold for 3499 euros. For this price, Samsung offers a DLP model with 4K wobulation, HDR10 + / HLG compatible, promising a brightness of 2200 ANSI Lumens and a contrast ratio of 1000: 1.

The audio part is provided by a homemade solution, but it should be remembered that Samsung owns Harman / Kardon and no doubt that this should benefit the rendering of this product stamped Dolby Digital Plus. The other good news is that The Premiere LSP7 runs on the Tizen OS operating system, with the multitude of connected services that are also found on the brand’s televisions. Let’s see all of this in detail.

Samsung The Premiere LSP7 Technical sheet

Model Samsung The Premiere LSP7
Maximum Definition 3840 x 2160 pixels
Screen size 120 inch
HDMI ports 3
Surround compatible No
Number of speakers 2
Speaker power 30 watts
Audio output Speakers, Optical
Dimensions 532.0 x 342.0 x 132.7mm

Style and design

Let’s quickly review the design of the product. On this point, there is ultimately not much to say. Samsung produces a product with dimensions (55 x 36.7 x 12.8 cm) and a fairly classic design.

The LSP7 adopts a rather aesthetic glossy white chassis with, at the front, an acoustic fabric that conceals the audio part with a power of 30 watts. On the LSP7 the focal length ratio is 0.25: 1, which is therefore quite standard, but the most important thing to remember is that by positioning the camera 25 cm from the projection support, the image obtained is approximately 90 inches diagonal. It goes to 100 inches when the LSP7 is moved 30 cm from the canvas (for example).

Obviously, to these recoil data, we must add the depth of the product in relation to the axis of the lens. More concretely, it will be necessary to have a piece of furniture 60 cm deep to enjoy such a large image. But you will understand, the design of these devices makes that a few centimeters more distance is enough to considerably enlarge the size of the image.

At first glance, the video projector adjustment menus are fairly standard. We naturally find something to correct the geometry of the image in two ways. The first gives access to 15 adjustment points, the second offers four. The interest is debatable, but why not, who can do more can do less. A second test pattern ensures that the image is well adjusted. In addition to the electronic adjustments, there are obviously adjustable feet on the back of the product. These will correct the trapezoid or flatness.

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the other hand, we are not fully satisfied with the focus adjustment menus. Samsung opts in our opinion for reasons that are not very suitable, or in any case not sufficiently readable. This type of test pattern that you would expect to find for testing a television or monitor is difficult to produce for a projector, which is moreover with 4K wobulation. So, you have to get very close to be sure that the squares in the four corners of the image are as sharp as possible. Ditto for the sight in the center.

The remote control looks like the one delivered with the televisions except that there is no shortcut key to Netflix or Amazon Prime Video here. However, it works in Bluetooth and therefore does not require pointing the projector to control it. The zappette also includes a microphone and its activation key to control Bixby. The video projector is compatible with Alexa, which we finally put aside. Bixby is best suited on this Samsung product for multimedia use. However, those equipped with Alexa connected products might appreciate, for example, closing the shutters and turning off the lights by voice before starting the session.

Software and app

It is true that the Samsung TVs that we usually test are more of the mid to high end models. In fact, with these, it is extremely rare (because you should never say never) to encounter the slightest slowdown in the operating system. The home interface, but also the applications developed for this OS are fluid.

On this LSP7, things are slightly different, probably because of its processor, which is less efficient than the one built into the TVs. Note also that if some televisions are equipped with Quantum Processor 4K or 8K, the one that integrates the LSP7 is called UHD Engine and Samsung has few details to communicate to us on this model.

Quick clicks on the remote control buttons do not reflect instantly on the screen. Better to give the LSP7 time to digest the information rather than frantically pressing the remote control, otherwise you will incur the expense of unwanted orders. Once past this disappointment, we quickly find our marks since the menus are more or less identical to those of televisions. The icon bar at the bottom provides access to apps, sources and image and sound settings. Note that there is a cinema mode here, but also a Film Maker mode.

On the other hand, the advanced options are much less complete than on the televisions. We do not find so many functions to manage the fluidity of the image so precisely on this projector, but we recommend on this subject to use the cinema and Film Maker modes, because we have been able to identify some artifacts under the standard and dynamic modes. .

In our opinion, the so-called “expert” menus have little effect on the image settings, at least for the colorimetry part. We will come back to the results of our measurements later, but we have not succeeded in correcting the colorimetry as we would have liked. However, taking a look at noise reduction can pay off depending on the content viewed.

The audio menus are also more or less effective on the equalizer side. We found the basic rendering to be quite convincing and didn’t dwell on the options. Some people prefer to pair it with a higher quality Hi-Fi system, either via Bluetooth or via the e-ARC compatible HDMI socket.

Image quality

It is important to (re) specify that the tests were carried out on a Lumene Movie Palace UHD 4K Extra Bright 240C technical canvas which has the particularity of capturing the light rays coming from the bottom of the canvas and redirecting them towards the spectators. Stray lights from the side and bottom are greatly reduced. The problem is that such a canvas, however performance it may be, costs 1690 euros on its own at Son-Vidéo.com.

Under these conditions, The Premiere LSP7 completely replaced our television set during the ten days of testing without us having to make a lot of concessions. During the day, it is obviously necessary to close the rolling wheel of the room somewhat to enjoy this immense image more comfortably, but there is no need to be totally in the dark. Even if it is obvious that it is in total darkness that it is best enjoyed, especially if the program being viewed is itself very dark. The advantage of the technical fabric is that it allows – in addition to improving the contrasts and the sharpness – to greatly reduce the effects of electric lighting coming from the ceiling, for example. You can still dine with your family, for example, with the lights on while enjoying your home theater.

HDR10 + compatibility and, consequently HDR10, represents an indisputable and real advantage since the image here is dynamic and contrasted. At first glance, the colors even seem pretty faithful to us – but we’ll get to that later in the measurements. We can’t wait to test the LSP9, the big brother of the LSP7, which has three lasers (one per RGB color), where our test model uses a single laser (blue) for light source. It is then a color wheel with four colors (red, green, blue and yellow) and eight segments which is responsible for producing the colors.

The light output should be even better, even if that perceived on this LSP7 is already satisfactory. With brighter content, we even take full eyes. The 4K wobulation has its effect with a nice sharpness and detail. On the other hand, Cinema and Film Maker modes seem more suited to viewing quality content. Admittedly these are a little less luminous, but one notes less artefacts and digital noise under these modes. In standard mode, it is not uncommon for a cloud of pixels to border the characters in fast scenes, traveling shots or even panning camera movements.

With brighter content, the rendering is more pleasant and the immersion goes up a notch. Especially since other important points contribute to our good impressions. First of all, the ventilation of the LSP7 is inaudible during your cinema sessions. The large fans arranged in the air inlet and outlet visibly turn quite smoothly and even when the soundtrack of the program is discreet, the speakers are even more so. Note that Samsung announces 31 dB for noise pollution, but we are not equipped accordingly to verify it.

Another advantage, despite the fact that The Premiere LSP7 uses DLP technology, we did not notice any rainbow effect caused by this technology. It must be said that this is naturally less noticeable on an ultra short throw projector since the light beam does not cross the entire room, unlike an installation which uses a home cinema product behind the room.

Samsung The Premiere LSP7: Measurement results

It will not be useful to dwell too long on the results of the measurements carried out on this LSP7. And for good reason, everything here is fairly average, regardless of the test procedure elsewhere. Whether it is with the eye of the probe oriented directly towards the video projector (a passive shutter allows you to proceed in this way and indicate it to the measurement software) or oriented towards our Lumene technical web, the data changes very little … unfortunately .

So, while the coverage of the REC.709 color space is as expected with 99%, the rest of the measurements leave something to be desired. In any case, if we had to stick strictly to the measures. The average Delta E 2000, which translates to color fidelity, clearly does not place this LSP7 among the best models of its kind. With a measurement at 5.26 and a histogram which point to saturated colors, we can only recognize the weakness in the matter of this projector. And this is also the whole difficulty with which manufacturers are confronted. To impress the spectators who will expect a lively image from these models even during the day, you sometimes have to go beyond what is appropriate on paper.

These other measurements also show that the white calibration leaves something to be desired. This is clearly visible on the graph at the bottom left which represents the “gray scale”: the more the image tends towards 100% white, the more the video projector adds green to it. Not easy! The impact is therefore immediate on the other measurements, even if it must be recognized that the average temperature of 6855 K is ultimately not so far from the 6500 K reference.

As on televisions, we have seen that we get roughly the same results in Film Maker mode. As a result, we tried to customize the settings via the options available under the “expert” menu, but we were unable to correct these colorimetric defects.

The contrast ratios are also very close in these two modes that we tested. Please note, the brightness is measured by light reflection on our technical screen and not with the probe oriented towards the video projector. Indeed, if we had proceeded in this way the brightness would have been between 690 and 720 cd / m² depending on the modes, i.e. a totally distorted and even absurd measurement which would tend to think that this model projects an image perceived as even brighter. than most TVs.
As for the measurements made under the DCI-P3 color space… what can I say except that these captures speak for themselves. It’s bad ! In any case, if it was necessary to compare them strictly with the measurements of the televisions which make reference in the matter. Indeed, as you can suppose with the images published earlier, the feeling remains good!
Finally, above, a few captures from the application that accompanies our connected sockets which also include a measurement interface. The consumption of 240 watts in operation announced by Samsung is verified (although it varies according to the content and the mode used). On the other hand, we measured a standby consumption (whose capture is not shown here) slightly greater than 1 watt.

Samsung The Premiere LSP7 – Conclusion

On reading this review, you will undoubtedly remember – and it is better to have it in mind by the way – that this Samsung The Premiere LSP7 does not broadcast a very well calibrated image. As on these latest televisions, the manufacturer has visibly favored a more saturated image, for a more dynamic rendering and in fact more flattering for the eyes. And it is rather successful, because the feeling, the device has its small effect, it is indisputable. At this price point, it is true that a little more brightness still would not be a luxury, but the next tests of competing products will allow us to better position this LSP7 in this emerging market. For now, we still lack references on the side of these ultra short throw 4K laser devices.

Suddenly, considering this model for what it is, we say that Samsung has made a success of its copy: the cinema experience is there, the quality is good, Tizen OS is an asset and the audio system should do the trick for a large audience. Still, Hisense also offers a competing solution with its 100L5F sold for 4500 euros, but including the fixed projection screen 100 inches diagonal. A model for which we had not been able to measure during our first discovery, but which, from memory, also offered a fairly similar image rendering.

There is no doubt, therefore, that the offer is being built and the leader in the TV market for a good decade intends to take advantage of its aura and its notoriety to take its share of the pie.

Positives of Samsung The Premiere LSP7

  • The perceived image quality
  • Audio quality
  • Tizen OS connected services
  • Silence of use

Negatives of Samsung The Premiere LSP7

  • The high price to which it will (no doubt) be necessary to add the stretched canvas
  • Color fidelity could be improved
  • Some slowness of Tizen OS
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