After using Hisense’s L9Q in my theater space for a while, it’s clear that the theater experience is getting smaller and smaller and without any difference.
The L9Q from Hisense brings a lot to the table, but suffers from the same issues as many ultra-short-throw projectors I’ve reviewed. They are not new to the market and many of the drawbacks have, in most cases, been worked out. Hisense benefits from being one of the biggest UST projector brands, and the L9Q proves they’re only getting better.
Apparatus
The L9Q comes with a nice little presentation. There’s this gold facade with a textured face covering that catches the light. I’m not usually one for glossy materials on my media console, but this one brings this nice warmth to the projector. The projector is further highlighted by two orange LEDs that glow on either side when it is asleep.
The back side Hisense L9Q It carries a range of ports including HDMI 2.1 and HDMI 2.0 with eARC. My setup consists of one HDMI connection to the AVR that drives all my other devices such as the Nvidia Shield Pro and Xbox Series S. Hisense has equipped the back of the L9Q enough to meet the needs of most users.
On both sides and back, Hisense has added ventilation fans. It’s warm, but never hot. Obviously, the fans are doing their job, because the power required to capture a 4K image is enormous. The built-in LPU Digital Laser Engine 2.0 BT.2020 is capable of triple RGB light emission in 110% of the color space.
With that, Hisense rates the L9Q for Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR10 and IMAX Enhanced modes.
Setup isn’t exactly something for frequent interactions, so initial setup is key. There are four adjustable feet on the bottom of the projector. With this, you can get the right angle when setting up your screen. Like the PX4-Pro before it, the L9Q leaves little room for error when setting things up. I always recommend pulling the projector away from the wall until you get the screen size you want. Then mark and place your screen.
In the end, I had about 5 inches to spare at the top and bottom, but it meant patient measuring Hisense’s L9Q set up quite easily. I keep it about 12 inches off the ground so I can fit a 120 inch screen on top of it. Even with a big screen in a small space, the L9Q only has to come out around 16 inches.
The overall profile, including the space between it and the wall, is generous compared to some other UST projectors. Even in my small theater room, it’s totally functional.
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One of the best things about the Hisense L9Q is its brightness. On paper, the projector is rated at 5,000 ANSI lumens. Now, ratings and real life performance are two different things. Fortunately, the L9Q delivers on the promised brightness.
In fact, there are many situations where I think there is maximum brightness too bright It uses a scale of 1-10 and I put it at 8 even when viewing during the day. Brightness is so good at level 8 that I can easily watch SDR and HDR content without worrying about dimming the lights. Now that Dolby Vision is in play — and increasingly so — daytime vision is less reliable. This is not the projector’s fault. This is a problem with how Dolby Vision likes to deliver the optimal viewing experience.
In reality, it makes movies and shows darker, so the lighting in certain scenes can be more easily controlled. So dark scenes are actually darker, just not nearly as dark. This means that a well-lit room easily washes out these scenes. The same can be said not only about UST projectors, but also about TVs.
Still, this positions the L9Q as an excellent choice for daytime viewing. You’ll still want to draw the curtains and turn off the lights most of the time, but it won’t be a horrible experience if you keep the overhead lights on.
As for the color, 4K L9Q UST hits another high note. I haven’t used UST in a while without spending hours on color settings. Overall, there are a lot of things that I need to change so that I can watch the content at the exact setting. When the basic settings are changed, for example, the color space is set to “native” and the temperature is set to “Warm2”, the L9Q simply looks very detailed and clean.
If you want to customize each type of content, your options are endless. For example, you can clean up Dolby Vision content to feel more immersive, with SDR content set to be faster and less natural. Finally, I have most content types set to minimal motion and medium active contrast, so nothing feels too washed out.
This is the picture crispyalso. Hisense has improved the motor focus on the L9Q compared to the PX4-Pro I previously tested. On the L9Q, I didn’t even realize my corners were being softened until I saw what the focus adjustment was like. Almost everything is perfectly in focus, except for a bit of top corners. I can forgive that because the picture is pixel perfect even at 1080p.
I’m pretty sure Hisense uses pixel shifting technology under the ‘Ultra Sharp Mode’ setting to get a good 1080p picture. It softens the sharp edges of text without blurring it, freeing it from the jagged look you can get with mainstream HD content.
The downside to this, and something I’ve seen on several forums, is that the ultra-sharp mode engine makes a muted sound when upscaling content. It can only be heard during certain shows, such as on streaming services, but not from Blu-Rays. It sounds like a nearly empty can of sparkling water as the bubbles bounce against the aluminum and echo.
It’s hard to hear it from my couch and during the show. But it is there.
A fan is also heard. But not as bad as projectors I’ve used in the past. If the Epson LS800 was loud, this is quiet.
I prefer to use an AVR and speakers for audio, but you can easily get away with built-in speakers. They’re not really bad, and better than most TV speakers. Makes it easy to get a good experience without a full audio setup. It’s nice to know that Hisense hasn’t given up on the built-in option and has included a proper Devialet-tuned system.
Google TV and games
Whether you’re in the camp of using a third-party streaming box or whatever your TV or projector gives you, I’d tell you that Google TV works flawlessly on the L9Q. It’s designed with minimal extra content, save for a channel changer.
Almost everything about it feels like a Google TV experience, and it’s perfect.
I keep the Shield connected for high quality content, but I’m more than happy to stream content from my apps through the built-in OS. I just feel it
The option to add another box is always there, but many users would be happy with an onboard operating system. It makes things easy to have one remote and one hub to stream and watch content.
The L9Q is also built to handle consoles at increased refresh rates. When the console is connected, it opens automatically and the menu goes to more topics.
I don’t play nearly enough games on the huge 120-inch screen, but when I do, the Hisense L9Q handles it perfectly. Even content from the first generation Nintendo Switch looks good on a screen this size. The sharpening technique used by Hisense makes it a better performer than what I’ve used before.
Final thoughts
I’ve used several UST projectors over the years and it all started with a desire for a better World Cup 2022 experience. It’s ridiculous to think that it’s been four years since I started using them as my home screen.
However, the Hisense L9Q is easily the best projector I’ve used.
It picks up colors and focuses correctly and is so bright that I have to turn it down a few notches to be comfortable. There are not many pain points that I encountered while using it. I wouldn’t consider the Ultra Sharp Mode ticking sound too bad, and it’s only exaggerated by my small theater room it’s installed in.
The Hisense L9Q runs for $5,999 on sites like this Amazon and Crutchfield. Not a cheap option in any world, but it brings the theater experience in a small profile. A small profile that can give you images up to 200 inches without any problems.
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