IFA, Europe’s, if not by some accounts, the world’s, largest consumer electronics trade show is among the long list of conventions, meetings trade shows and similar events that has been cancelled due to the worldwide Covid-19 pandemic. To be clear, unlike the rest of the shows, IFA has maintained a significantly reduced “in-person†presence, albeit mostly for invited press. Regardless of whether the show is “live/in personâ€, “all virtualâ€, or IFA’s unique hybrid combination, new product introductions are an integral part of the “showâ€.
Indeed, with the pandemic constrained version of IFA now underway we now have the first of what will be other new product announcements, and it is an interesting one. In the past few years, we have seen Ultra-Short Throw (UST) projectors become not only a useful solution in many installation situations, but a growth category for all. Sony, LG, Optoma, Hisense, BenQ, Epson have entered the fray. Missing from that list has been Samsung, but as of today, they are not only in the UST game, they have jumped in with both feet!
Announced at their aptly named “Life Unstoppable” virtual press event, Samsung’s new “The Premiere” UST projectors show that while Samsung maybe late to the game, they are entering with very competitive products. The LSP7T and LSP9T deliver 120-in or 130-in screen images, respectively, both with full 4K resolution. Powered by a triple laser-illuminated light engine, the quoted peak brightness is up to 2,800 lumens.
![[Image] The Premiere (3)](https://cdn.inavateonthenet.net/hid/bodyimages/image-the-premiere-(3).jpg?sfvrsn=1 "[Image] The Premiere (3)")
Upping the game further, The Premiere models are the first projectors with both HDR-10+ certification and the Filmmaker Mode. With large screen projectors likely to find great usage for movie playback, the latter allows the video settings to be dialed to a disable certain enhancement that some might find desirable, but which directors and cinematographers have said prevents a film from being seen are the director intended.
Another bar for UST products that The Premiere raises comes from their inclusion of a full set of streaming and connected app functionality that is identical to the Tizen Smart TV interface found in current Samsung QLED sets. This includes Apple TV, Samsung TV Plus, Samsung Health and many of the traditional streaming apps one would expect today. On the audio side The Premiere is equipped with Samsung’s Acoustic Beam surround sound, complementing built-in subwoofers.
Pricing and in-market availability are yet to be announced, as were some details such as the availability of HDMI 2.1 and HLG. Suffice to say, we will have that information as we get closer to the actual product launch later this year. Samsung’s entry to this product category gives added weight to the value of UST projectors. It will be interesting to see them in person and gauge how they stand up to the early brand entrants.