Summary
- UST projectors offer convenience like TVs but need a perfectly flat surface to work efficiently.
- UST projectors are expensive, but comparable to premium large flat-panel TVs, making them a viable option.
- For those seeking a clean, high-end aesthetic in a compact space, UST projectors may be worth the investment.
When you want a really big picture for movies or gaming, there are really only two options. You can buy a large and expensive 100-inch or greater TV, or you can install a projector for a more reasonable price and fill an entire wall.
The problem is that projectors are much less convenient to set up and operate than a TV, but ultra short-throw projectors aim to give you the best of both worlds. The question is whether what they offer is worth the asking price.
What Are Ultra Short Throw (UST) Projectors?
The “throw” of a projector is the minimum distance that the projector needs to produce an image of a certain size. As you move a projector closer to the projection surface, the smaller the image becomes. Short-throw projectors reduce the distance needed for an image of a given size compared to standard throw projectors.
UST projectors take this to an extreme, and can produce a large, distortion-free image while placed right up against the projection surface, like a wall or screen.
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Are Projectors Better Than TVs for Home Theaters?
When you’re settling in to watch a movie at home, would you rather enjoy it on a big TV screen or a high-quality projector? TVs are brighter and don’t require a clean surface to project onto. But projectors can get much larger and with a dark enough room the brightness shouldn’t matter.
Key Advantages of UST Projectors
The main advantage of UST projectors is that they’re pretty much as convenient as a TV. You’d put the projector in the spot you’d set down a TV. You can wall mount them like a TV, and that’s especially clean when you mount them high against the wall and project down. They can produce very large images from that ultra-short distance, and you don’t have to worry about anything casting shadows or obstructing things between the projector and the projection surface.
SAMSUNG 120″ The Premiere Ultra Short Throw 4K UHD Smart Single Laser Projector for Home Theater
Samsung’s Premiere ultra-short throw projector casts a 120-inch image using lasers to achieve an incredible image quality. It also features a 2.2 channel sound system, Alexa built-in, and a 4K resolution.
The installation process is no more complex than for a normal TV, and certainly much easier than a 100- or 120-inch flat panel! Most home theater UST projectors are also laser projectors, and this means that, in terms of picture quality and brightness, they’re generally in the upper echelons of projector technology, and since they project from so close to the projection surface, you lose less light between the projector and image.
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Potential Drawbacks and Limitations
By far, the most negative thing I can say about UST projectors is that they cost a lot of money. We’re talking thousands of dollars here. That said, when compared to premium 100-inch or larger flat panel TVs, the costs can be comparable, and I think it’s in that situation where they make the most sense since you’re spending similar amounts of money, but then have to choose between the pros and cons of each.
However, if you aren’t a stickler for premium image-quality features, and you just want a huge TV for watching sports or casual movie watching, then brands like TCL or Hisense offer 100-inch (or close to it) options at well under $2000. Even premium TV maker LG has the UT90, which can often be picked up around the $2000 mark.
The second issue worth raising is that UST projectors need a pretty much perfectly flat surface to work correctly. If you think about the angle of projection and how narrow the spread of the beam is, any lumps or bumps no your display surface can result in shadows and imperfections. So they are less versatile when it comes to where you can project them. It’s pretty much a compact yet permanent setup. A special ALR or ambient light rejection screen is necessary to get the best results. If you don’t use a screen with the right properties, the picture will be washed out and the contrast will be suboptimal.
UST Projectors vs. Traditional Projectors and TVs
When compared to standard projectors, UST projectors are much more affordable, but they need a more complex permanent installation, assuming that you want to create a home theater setup. Thanks to the much higher price of USTs, you also get much more value for money from a traditional projector with otherwise similar specifications.
Measured against a traditional large-format TV, you’re invariably going to get a brighter and more vibrant image from an OLED or QLED TV than a projector of any kind. Especially if you want to use it in a room with significant ambient light. The biggest advantage of UST projectors here is that you can easily get a much bigger image size, and that the overall footprint is less than a TV, whether on a stand or mounted against the wall.
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Are They Worth It?
In my mind, there’s a very small group of specific people for whom a UST projector is the right option. It’s the right solution if you want to build a stealth home theater in an existing space like a living room. So, instead of having a dedicated home theater room, you can hide your projector and projection screen and have that clean aesthetic, until you’re ready to watch TV or a movie. Then unfurl that screen (or a perfectly-surfaced wall covered with ALR paint) and the projector that’s been hiding in plain sight is ready to go.
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UST projectors offer the cleanest, most upmarket aesthetic possibilities, so I definitely see well-heeled folks who live in upmarket city apartments, for example, seeing them as an ideal solution. For everyone else, it makes more sense to get a high-end traditional or short-throw projector if you really don’t have the room for a large TV. Essentially, pick whether installation complexity or available space is your biggest problem, and save yourself a bunch of money instead.
Of course, if (or hopefully when) UST projector technology comes down in price, it’s going to become a much more compelling option. Especially as we move to picture sizes well over 100-inches, where things become physically impossible with televisions when it come to, for example, getting it through a standard door.
