Podcast #1275: Should You Trade Your TV for a Laser Projector?

On today’s show we ask if you “Should You Trade Your TV for a Laser Projector?” And we look at the five most streamed TV shows in the US per Nielsen. We also read your emails and take a look at the week’s news.

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Today's Show:

News:

• Streamers are running about 18% more ads, and viewers haven't revolted yet
• DirecTV now lets you build your own Multiview with up to four sports channels
• Cheap LCD TVs could be in trouble for Black Friday as panel makers raise prices
• Netflix is laying off about 1,000 employees, roughly 6% of its staff
• Deal: LG's 55-inch C6 OLED drops to $999.99, half its $2,000 list price
• Netflix beats on earnings, but its stock slides on a softer revenue and ad outlook

Other:

• Amazon.com: NCIS Caf Pow White Mug - Officially Licensed - 11 oz : Home & Kitchen  
• Hackers are hijacking Plex servers to mine crypto. Update ASAP
• HT Guys Amazon Lists
• HT Guys Music Playlist on Apple Music
• HT Guys Music Playlist on Amazon Music
• HT Guys Music Playlist on Spotify
• Ara's Woodworking

This Week's Five Most-streamed TV Shows in the US

Here are this week's five most-streamed TV shows in the US, from Nielsen's Streaming Top 10 for Sept 28 to Oct 4. That's the newest week Nielsen has posted.

1. Wonka's The Golden Ticket (Netflix) had 1.078 billion minutes. It jumped to No. 1 in its second week, up 26% (The Hollywood Reporter).
2. The Big Bang Theory (HBO Max) had 953 million minutes and was once again the top show streaming outside its original network.
3. East of Eden (Netflix) had 782 million minutes in just four days. It's Florence Pugh's Steinbeck limited series (The Data Stream).
4. SpongeBob SquarePants (Paramount+) had 767 million minutes, spread across 336 episodes.
5. Ted Lasso (Apple TV) had 750 million minutes. That's down 11%, but it stayed in the top five heading into its season four finale.

Should You Trade Your TV for a Laser Projector?

This week a listener who goes by Mr Eye sent us a YouTube video titled: "I SOLD My Flatscreen (and I'm NEVER Going Back)." In it, Kirk from the “Tech It Before You Wreck It” channel sets up XGIMI's new Aura 3 Max ultra-short-throw (UST) laser projector, first in his TV room and then in his bedroom, where it replaces a flat screen sitting on his dresser. He says the picture was watchable even in broad daylight with the shades open, and it passed what he calls the "wife test," because there's no big black rectangle on the dresser when it's off.

That got us talking, because Ara is seriously thinking about shopping for a UST projector next year for his basement Media Room. This got us thinking, is this the year a laser projector can actually replace your TV, or is large format TV the way to go?

What's New in Projectors This Fall

Projectors have come a long way, and this fall's crop checks a lot of boxes that used to be deal-breakers:

• Triple-laser RGB light sources are now common on the higher-end models, which means very wide, rich color.
• 4K at 120Hz for gaming. Back in early 2025, no DLP projector on the market could even do 4K at 120Hz. Now XGIMI and JMGO are selling models that do, along with VRR and ALLM.
• Dolby Vision, plus HDR10+ on many models.
• Built-in Google TV, so you don't need a separate streaming stick for Netflix or YouTube.

The Projectors Worth Watching

There's a wave of new models hitting right now:

•  XGIMI Aura 3 Max and Aura 3 Pro (UST): These are the projectors from the video. They go live on Kickstarter on October 20. If you put down a $50 refundable deposit before the campaign starts, early-bird pricing is about $2,200 for the Max and $2,000 for the Pro, versus list prices of $5,000 and $4,000. XGIMI says they ship in December. Because they're UST, you can get a 120-inch picture with the projector sitting about 8 inches from the wall.
• XGIMI Horizon 30 series: This isn't a UST. It's a regular-throw projector on a built-in stand, with optical zoom and lens shift. Pre-orders run through October 31, starting at about $1,900 for the Horizon 30 Pro.
• JMGO IRIS Ultra Max: Started shipping October 19 at about $3,300. It's another 4K/120Hz triple-laser model, also regular throw, with optical zoom, lens shift and a motorized gimbal.
• Also shipping in October: BenQ's AK800ST and AK900ST and Hisense's C3 series, according to ProjectorCentral's new projector list.

The Catch: Room Light

Here's where reality sets in. The Hook Up ran a great head-to-head between a 100-inch Hisense QLED TV, a Hisense PX3-Pro UST and a Valerion Pro 2 projector. With the overhead lights on, the TV clearly won, even though both projectors were paired with top-of-the-line ambient-light-rejecting (ALR) screens. Bright scenes were watchable on the projectors, but dark scenes just fell apart.

The reason is simple: a projector can only add light, it can't take any away. The darkest black you'll ever see is the color of the screen with the projector off, and with the lights on, even a great ALR screen looks gray next to a TV.

In a dim room, it was roughly a toss-up, and it really came down to where your windows and lamps are. In a fully dark room, it was close: the Valerion came out on top overall, the TV was second and the UST finished third.

Kirk's daylight results in the video are encouraging, but that's one reviewer's impressions, not a side-by-side measurement. Our bottom line: if you're putting a projector in a living room, budget for an ALR screen. It's not optional.

What It Really Costs

The old argument was that a projector is the cheap way to get a giant picture. At 100 inches, that's not really true anymore. Home Theater Guides priced it out on October 4:

• LG 100-inch TV: about $3,300
• Hisense UST projector plus a 100-inch ALR screen: about $3,600
• Epson 4K projector: about $1,800, and that's before you buy a screen and a mount

So at 100 inches, the complete projector setup actually cost a little more than the TV. Where projectors pull ahead is above 100 inches. The same projector can usually fill a bigger screen, while TVs bigger than 100 inches are rare and pricey.

One wild card: TechRadar reports that LCD panel makers are raising prices heading into Black Friday, and Samsung is reportedly cutting its QLED production way back. So don't count on cheap giant TVs being quite as cheap this holiday season.

Don't Forget the Sound

Projector makers love to talk up their built-in speakers. The Aura 3 has an 80-watt, 2.0-channel Harman Kardon system, and Kirk said it sounded better than any flat screen he's tested. That may well be true, but it's still two channels coming out of a box on your credenza. That's not a sound system. If you're putting up a 100- or 120-inch picture, it deserves sound to match, whether that's a good soundbar with a sub or a real surround setup. The good news is that the new XGIMI models include an HDMI port with eARC, so hooking up a receiver or soundbar is easy.

A Word About Kickstarter Deals

Those early-bird prices on the Aura 3 are tempting. They're less than half of the list price. But backing a Kickstarter isn't the same as buying from a store. Ship dates can slip, and you're often paying before full independent reviews of shipping units are out. XGIMI is an established brand, which helps, but if you can't live with a delay or a surprise, wait for retail and reviews.

Our Take

So, should you trade your TV for a laser projector? For most people watching in a bright living room, not yet. But it's a lot closer than it used to be. Make the switch if:

• You want a picture bigger than 100 inches.
• You can control the light in your room, at least in the evening when you do most of your watching.
• You're tired of a giant black rectangle on the wall, and you're willing to budget for an ALR screen.
• You're ready to add real speakers instead of relying on the built-in ones.

Stick with a TV if you watch a lot of daytime sports with the blinds open, you want the simplest possible setup, or 100 inches is plenty for your room.

As for Ara, he has to figure out where the aesthetics committee wants the couches to sit. In one orientation there is not a space for a 100” screen so it will be a TV. In the other, there is room for a 130” screen with less light from the windows so it will be a UST projector. By then these fall models will have real reviews, the Kickstarter units will be in people's living rooms, and we'll all know a lot more. 

Download Episode #1275