A few years ago, a 60-inch TV would have been considered massive. Today, 60-inch OLED TVs are commonplace. But what if you want to go even bigger without breaking the bank? That’s where home movie projectors like the Optoma L1+ come in.
While projectors traditionally were the domain of cinephiles willing to endure installation and maintenance hassles, the ultra-short-throw (UST) projector has revolutionized home entertainment. These projectors offer a space-saving solution that can project a bright, clear picture directly onto your wall. The Optoma L1+ is a prime example of this evolution, delivering an impressive performance and transforming any room into a home theater.
Visually, the L1+ has a minimalistic and appealing look. At 40cm wide and 32cm deep, it’s surprisingly compact, defying the trend of bulky UST projectors. Optoma even claims it’s the most compact and lightest 4K UST projector on the market, making it a standout option for those seeking a space-saving solution. It mainly comes in a plastic body, with a fabric-covered front area housing the speakers. Classy gold accents add a touch of premium. Installation is easy: simply place the projector in front of your wall, connect it to power, and you’re ready to go. While you don’t have to ceiling-mount it, you can if you prefer. A unique feature is the bundled Hako Mini Android TV dongle, a flat square module that integrates seamlessly with the projector. This gives you two remote controls – one for the projector and one for the dongle, allowing you to easily control both devices.
The L1+ boasts a versatile set of ports, including 3 HDMI 2.0, one of which is occupied by the Hako AndroidTV box. Other ports include a 3.5mm port, a USB-A port for powering devices like a Chromecast, an S/PDIF port, and a Micro-USB for powering the Hako TV box. While it has its own integrated sound system, you can easily connect an external audio system using the optical audio out or the stereo minijack audio out. However, the lack of an HDMI eARC port might disappoint some potential buyers.
The Optoma L1+ delivers impressive image quality. The throw distances are consistent whether you place it below or mount it above the screen. For a 100-inch image, the back of the projector needs to be about 20-25cm from the wall. For a 120-inch image, the front needs to be 55-60cm away. While it can project onto colored walls, using a proper screen maximizes brightness and color accuracy. Ultra-short-throw projectors need a uniform surface to project well, and any imperfections on the wall become more noticeable. Optoma includes a wall-color adjustment menu with presets for different wall colors, helping with color accuracy, but a screen is still recommended for the best performance.
The L1+ uses DLP projection technology with an eco-friendly 4-LED light engine, reaching a peak brightness of 2500 lumens. It features a Digital Micromirror Device (DMD) with millions of tiny mirrors that pivot to create the image. The native resolution of the 0.47-inch DMD is 1920X1080, but it uses pixel-shifting technology to achieve UHD (3840X2160) resolution. While not true native 4K, it’s a close approximation that’s more affordable and compact. There’s no optical zoom, and the digital zoom just crops the material within the existing screen area. Manual focus was a bit tricky, and we found it hard to achieve perfect focus for both the center and the edges simultaneously. However, the projector excelled at delivering straight horizontal lines, ensuring that wide pans stayed distortion-free.
We were impressed with the color accuracy right out of the box. In a darkened room, the colors were vibrant, and the blacks were close to true black. The projector supports HDR for 10-bit HDR10, although not for 12-bit Dolby Vision. While most adjustments are locked off when receiving an HDR signal, you can force them by disabling auto-HDR, though we don’t recommend it. Interestingly, there are no motion settings except in gaming mode. You can use this mode for Netflix by disabling HDR, but a better solution is to reset the frame rate on the Hako dongle, initially locked to 60Hz, causing some judder on 50Hz material and 24fps content.
The Optoma L1+ boasts impressive specs with DLP 8K UHD, delivering 8.3 million pixels on the screen. This enables HDR, a low lag gaming mode with 240Hz smooth motion, and 3D capabilities. Thanks to the 4LED system, the L1+ delivers impressive clarity, even when projecting onto non-white walls. Two standout features enhance the viewing experience: the ability to increase HDR brightness, ideal for daytime viewing, and the Dynamic Black feature, making dark scenes with bright highlights look stunning. For gamers, there are Game Mode and Smooth Motions, which reduce input lag and improve FPS.
Unfortunately, the sound quality of the Optoma L1+ is a bit of a downer. The front-firing speakers serve as a basic solution, lacking sharpness at higher volumes. The dongle only supports stereo sound, and the absence of HDMI eARC is disappointing. If you decide to buy the L1+, pairing it with a decent audio setup is highly recommended.
With TVs getting bigger and more expensive, projectors are becoming a more mainstream option. The Optoma L1+ offers a smart solution for setting up a big screen without the hassle of a traditional projector. It’s impressively compact, though its built-in sound could be stronger. It handles itself well in most lighting conditions, truly excelling in darker rooms. Even without a dedicated screen, it delivers solid performance on a plain wall. Overall, considering its price, the Optoma L1+ performs admirably and can genuinely serve as an alternative to a TV in most settings, except in very bright environments. Optoma’s experience in the projector market shows in the L1+, which, apart from its modest sound quality and the lack of HDMI eARC, offers a satisfying viewing experience. While it may not match the flexibility of long-throw projectors for achieving the perfect picture alignment, careful placement ensures an enjoyable movie night or gaming session.
