LG HU810PW Review – Essentials To Know Before Buying

The LG HU810PW projector uses dual lasers to output an impressive 2,700 ANSI lumens. Yes, lasers, as in “pew pew”. This allows the projector to be more efficient and cover 97% of the DCI-P3 color range. It also allows the projector to produce a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio. Meaning colors will be even richer and vibrant when displayed.

LG HU810PW ReviewIf you love watching the latest movies or playing the latest video games, you’ll be happy to know that this is a full 4K model. The native resolution is 3840 x 2160 using a pixel shifting technique to output 8.3 million unique pixels. There are a lot of interesting features and specifications to review here. We can begin by going over the resolution since there’s some technical magic at work.

Jump To Section

  • “Magic” Native Resolution?
  • Luminance From Lasers?
  • How Are The Colors?
  • What Are The Smart Features?
  • Can I Wirelessly Share?
  • What Modern Devices Can I Connect?
  • Throw Distance & Setup
  • Is The Audio Any Good?
  • A Movie Theater Experience?
  • LG HU810PW Summary
  • Final Thoughts
  • Current LG HU810PW Offers
  • "As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This does not influence our content and helps keep the site running."

    “Magic” Native Resolution?

    Many modern 4K projectors use some form of pixel shifting technology to achieve a higher resolution. The LG HU810PW does a four-phase process with its mirror that creates 8.3 million unique pixels. It basically just rapidly repositions its internal image to make a full 3840×2160 resolution picture. Check this YouTube video out for some more details.

    The image will be noticeably better than a 1080p projector in comparison. You’ll see the extra visual detail of 4K whether you’re watching a 4K film or playing a video game at 4K resolutions. This means you get a crisper image without spending extra money on a projector that doesn’t use pixel shifting technology to achieve its 4K resolution. Some of which cost $5,000 or more.

    Luminance From Lasers?

    Projectors can use a pretty wide range of different light sources to illuminate an image. Older projectors simply relied on traditional light bulb-style lamps. These are still used today because of their high brightness and performance. The downsides to using this light source is the heat and lamp life. Some bulb-style projectors at max brightness only last 4,000 to 5,000 hours before needing to be replaced. If you plan on using your projector often, you may be buying replacement bulbs too frequently.

    HU810P LensThis LG model comes equipped with a dual laser system for its light source, which has a few benefits. The most important being the incredibly long lamp life of up to 20,000 hours. So you won’t have to worry about having to buy any replacement lamp with this type of projector.

    Unlike LED-style machines, a laser projector has the ability to get close to many bulb-style projectors in terms of brightness output. The LG HU810PW can display 2,700 ANSI lumens which is enough for some daytime viewing or minor ambient light. As long as you have the shades or curtains drawn.

    How Are The Colors?

    Have you ever seen the DCI-P3 scale being mentioned? It’s a color gamut that’s used by the film industry. It actually offers 26% more color range than the sRGB color standard. Having a projector that can reproduce this DCI-P3 range will allow you to experience films the way the creators intended. This LG model covers 97% of this specification.

    Rec.709

    I’ve seen some other projectors reference an alternative color scale called Rec.709. This standard was made for HDTV’s and covers television media. However, the Rec.709 range isn’t as wide as DCI-P3, so colors at the edge of the spectrums wont be quite as vivid. If none of this makes sense, it just means that this LG projector can display a wider range of colors. Ones that closely match a film standard.

    HDR

    This model supports HDR10, HLG, and HGiG. All of these specifications have to do with displaying a wider range of colors when watching content. These are used for modern TV, films, and video games. There’s also dynamic tone mapping which will examine each frame and automatically adjust it optimally.

    HU810PW HDR

    Contrast

    Thanks to the dual laser design, the projector is capable of reaching a dynamic contrast ratio of 2,000,000:1. You’ll see deeper blacks and richer colors with this type of system. I mentioned there’s a red and blue laser for the light source. The blue laser is also ran through phosphor to produce the color green. That’s how the machine can create “RGB” color. Watch some of the following video to see what kind of image quality you’ll be getting.

    What Are The Smart Features?

    It can be really convenient having a smart interface built into a projector for simplicity’s sake. Even though most people own some sort of streaming device such as an Amazon Fire TV stick, Roku, or Apple TV. Perhaps you don’t want one of those taking up an HDMI slot on the projector.

    The LG HU810PW utilizes WebOS 5.0 for its operating system. It’s a bit different and unique compared to an Android-based projector. WebOS uses a sort of “blade-style” interface that’s simple for anyone to navigate through. There are several different apps available to install and many even come pre-installed for you. It’s LG ThinQ capable and has Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa for voice recognition.

    Overall, it’s fine, you have a lot of settings and control over the picture and audio aspects. There are pros and cons to WebOS but it works for what it is. If you aren’t a fan of the apps you can always just plug in a media streaming device and use that instead for your favorite apps. Maybe you’re used to how a Roku feels and prefer that. It’s your prerogative.

    Can I Wirelessly Share?

    Yes, you are able to share content from a wide variety of smart devices. If you’re an Apple user you can connect via AirPlay for a seamless wireless experience. Android and Windows owners can also connect using Miracast.

    LG HU810PW Smart FeaturesThis can really be a convenient way to stream content for people to enjoy. Just be aware that some video apps have copyright protection and may block the sharing feature themselves. To get around this you’ll need to use a streaming stick instead for those specific apps.

    You’re also able to connect Bluetooth devices for audio reasons. But I’ll cover more about that below in the sound section if you’re interested.

    What Modern Devices Can I Connect?

    There really aren’t many ports on the back; however, it will cover every modern device you may want to use. For starters, you have 3 HDMI ports. Two of which are rated as being version 2.1 and the third port is a standard 2.0 variety.

    Having 3 of these inputs on the LG HU810PW is fantastic. You’ll be able to plug your Blu-Ray player in, a video game console, and a media streaming stick all at the same time without having to get up to swap devices.

    The HDMI ports support ALLM, which stands for Auto Low-Latency Mode. This can help ensure a stutter-free viewing experience when watching movies or playing games.

    HU810PW Connectivity

    You also have 2 USB-A ports available. One of these could be used to power your HDMI media stick. It’s also possible to playback photos or videos from a USB flash drive. Even the popular H.264 and HEVC encodings are supported. It could be a nice way to keep an offline movie collection. If you don’t want to use the built-in WiFi there’s a LAN / Ethernet port if you prefer a direct connection to the internet.

    Finally, there’s a single S/PDIF port, which is also known as an optical audio out. This is mainly used for home theater systems and sound bars. The main benefit of optical audio is that it can retain its quality much better over longer cable distances.

    Throw Distance & Setup

    When you receive your new projector, you’ll need to do a few things to set it up correctly. These are adjusting the focus, keystone, and zoom level. Be aware that you might need to check and change these whenever you move your projector to a new location.

    HU810PW Zoom and AlignmentI’d recommend starting with the keystone and zoom adjustments. These will allow you to align the image until it’s a perfect rectangle that fits on your wall. Next, will be fine tuning the focus setting, which is incredibly straightforward. Just rotate the dial left or right until you see the crispest image possible. From there you can jump into more advanced picture settings to adjust the color and other aspects. You’ll probably also want to let the projector check for firmware updates for the latest features or bug fixes.

    According to the specifications, without any zoom applied, you’ll see a 100″ image at a distance of 9.5 feet. If you use the max zoom of 1.6x, you’ll get that same size at a distance of 15 feet. The LG HU810PW can also lens shift vertically up to 60% and 24% horizontally. There’s a lot of control here to help you get the best picture possible.

    Is The Audio Any Good?

    Audio is an interesting topic to cover when talking about projectors because there typically isn’t much internal space for good quality speakers. The LG HU810PW does a pretty nice job pumping out room filling sound, but it won’t match a home theater system.

    Inside this model are two 5-watt speakers that together can output 10-watts of total audio power. Hooray math. I’ve seen a lot of TV’s with 5-watt stereo speakers so it’s really comparable to those. They’re, fine.

    External Sound System

    If you want to complete the home cinema experience you’ll want to hookup some sort of soundbar or home theater system. You’re able to do this a number of ways. The classic way is using HDMI directly into your sound system. This model supports eARC, which can deliver up to 32 channels of audio. It’s even Dolby Atmos compatible for a more immersive experience.

    Do you hate running wires all over your room and want to keep your home audio simple? Well, a Bluetooth soundbar may be the perfect alternative for you. They’re capable of producing much better audio than projector speakers.

    What About Bluetooth Delay?

    This LG HU810PW projector has a really clever solution to mitigate Bluetooth lag. If you aren’t familiar with what that is, it’s basically a delay between what you see on the screen and what you hear from the speaker. The feature is called “AV Sync Adjustment” and it allows you to fine-time the audio so it plays perfectly with the actions. So you’ll have no more annoyances from people’s mouths not matching their dialogue.

    A Movie Theater Experience?

    Overall the HU810PW model can provide you with an outstanding picture that, in my opinion, can exceed what you’ll see in a real movie theater. For example, did you know that the average contrast ratio of a typical movie theater is only 500:1? The LG covers 97% of the DCI-P3 color range which was a spectrum made mainly for films. There’s even a “FilmMaker Mode” that helps faithfully match an authentic film version.

    LG Iris Mode

    It can be extremely satisfying creating your own home theater for yourself, family, and friends. Everyone will likely want to visit your place to watch the latest movies or beloved classics. This really seems to be a model that excels at giving you a high-end movie experience. Getting that 4K visual detail with HDR at 100″ or bigger is a real treat. There are a lot of ways you can fine-tune the projector’s image to get it how you want.

    Another great aspect of this LG model is the low noise. Even when running at full brightness it’s only 28dB. This will help you and everyone else focus on what you’re watching. There is fan noise, but it won’t be a distracting hurricane.

    LG HU810PW Summary

    Resolution: 3840×2160 via Pixel-Shifting (8.3M unique pixels)
    Luminance: 2,700 ANSI lumens
    Contrast: up to 2,000,000:1
    Lamp Life: up to 20K hours
    Throw Distance: 100″ at 9.5~ feet
    Optical Zoom 1.6x
    Lens Shift: Vertical ±60% Horizontal ±24%
    Fan Noise: Eco/Normal/High (26/27/28dB)
    Connectivity: 3x HDMI, 2x USB-A, S/PDIF Optical Audio, Ethernet
    LG ThinQ + Google Assistant + Amazon Alexa
    HDR: HDR10, HLG, and HGiG
    Magic Motion Remote (Pointer capable)
    SmartOS – WebOS 5.0
    Bluetooth + WiFi
    Speakers: Dual 5-watt
    eARC Support
    Dimensions: 13.3″ x 16.1″ x 5.7″
    Weight: 24.3 lbs
    Alias: LG HU810PW 4K UHD Laser Smart Home Theater CineBeam Projector
    Model: LG Electronics CineBeam HU710PW
    Warranty: 1 Year Parts & Labor
    User Manual: View LG HU810PW Manual

    Final Thoughts

    By now you should be more informed about the LG HU810PW projector and whether it fits with what you’re looking for. There’s plenty of 4K visual performance and various features to like. The contrast is wild and with 2,700 ANSI lumens you’ll have enough brightness for some indoor daytime viewing. I should mention again that the light source will last up to 20,000 hours as well.

    LG HU810PW ReviewHaving 3 HDMI ports is a really nice aspect to reduce you having to get up and plug something else in. You could leave a USB flash drive in to store a collection of offline videos. It seems to be a really versatile projector overall that’s mainly for watching videos. I’d recommend the LG HU810PW if you mostly want a projector that excels at playing movies, perhaps for a home theater, and you don’t want to have to buy replacement light bulbs.

    Current LG HU810PW Offers

    Click the buttons and links below to see the latest running offers and prices. I’d highly suggest that you add the projector into your shopping cart so you can view a complete total.

    Click Here LG HU810PW Offers

    "As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This does not influence our content and helps keep the site running."