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LG is Bringing a 4K Projector With a Weird Handle To CES 2024 (yahoo.com) 55

Posted by msmash from the how-about-that dept.
LG just announced its latest 4K projector, the CineBeam Qube. It'll officially unveil the projector at CES 2024 in early January, but the company's giving curious consumers an early look. From a report: The CineBeam Qube has plenty of high-tech bells and whistles, but with a stylish design that LG calls "minimalist." There's also a handle that resembles a crank. Yeah this thing has an actual handle. The CineBeam Qube is built for portability. It's lightweight, at around three pounds, and the square form factor makes it easy to place just about anywhere. The 360-degree rotatable handle also helps with placement. LG's calling it "one of the smallest projectors available."

Of course, the most important part of any projector is, well, the projection. The Qube projects 4K UHD (3,840 x 2,160) resolution images that measure up to 120 inches. There's an RGB laser light source, a 450,000:1 contrast ratio and 154 percent coverage of the DCI-P3 color gamut. With these specs, that episode of Reacher will really pop. Speaking of streaming content, the projector runs on LG webOS 6.0 and offers access to all of the big streaming services, including Prime Video, Disney+, Netflix and YouTube.
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LG is Bringing a 4K Projector With a Weird Handle To CES 2024 More

LG is Bringing a 4K Projector With a Weird Handle To CES 2024

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  • handle not be used as an mounting point!

    • Why not? The article doesn't say that it can't be used as a mount. It could be used to hang the projector from above, for example.

  • So that's the new thing in technology? (Score:4, Funny)

    by Opportunist ( 166417 ) on Friday December 29, 2023 @02:25PM (#64115279)

    Some weird "design" crap nobody gives a fuck about? What makes this thing any better than any other 4k projector out there? Nothing?

    "But the handle!"

    Great, so it's easier to throw away.

    • This. No mention of lumens/brightness (one of the most important performance specs), but talks about the handle. Coupled with the smallness of it, it makes sense, I suppose. Probably not a bright, high-performance laser projector, but a nifty, portable toy.

      • Or the second most important product spec: price. The world doesn't need a fancy handle on a 4k projector. We need 4k projectors that aren't thousands of dollars for a projector worth the name.

      • >No mention of lumens/brightness

        It all has to start with an optimal distance. Tell me what the engineers designed it for. Lumens at a standard distance doesn't tell me much about what the image will actually look like when I throw it on a wall or screen that isn't that standard distance because that's not what the project was designed for, and if I have to do the math myself, I assume that's because the vendor is trying to hide the fact that their projector under-performs. And every time I've done the

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by NFN_NLN ( 633283 )

          > Lumens at a standard distance doesn't tell me much about what the image will actually look like when I throw it on a wall or screen that isn't that standard distance because that's not what the project was designed for

          Aren't ultra short throw (UST) projectors all the rage right now? They're meant to be inches from the wall they're projecting on to.

          • I believe so - but that does not affect the measurement of "how large and bright is the image at the standard throw?" question.

            If you're looking for a UST, though, I'd definitely start to focus more on the keystone issue and look for a brightness gradient. I haven't looked much into it because I don't have a use for it, but I suspect keystone correction is entirely image processing so I'd expect resolution differences between the top and bottom of the image, as well as brightness problems. Lens shift looks

        • Re:So that's the new thing in technology? (Score:4, Informative)

          by jacks smirking reven ( 909048 ) on Friday December 29, 2023 @05:39PM (#64115661)

          Spec page lists 2,500 lumens, which is typical for a unit like this.

          ANSI Lumens is a function of lux at a size of 1m/sq,

          Using that you can calculate the brightness on the size screen you are looking to use it for. Now this number has to be factored with the ambient light of the space you are using it in as well as the gain of the screen you are firing at.

          There are plenty of tools online from manufacturers to sort this out a bit ahead of time. In the AV world for nighttime outdoors I usually tried to get over 20 lumens per sq/ft (yes i know that's banana measurements) as a "rule of thumb", so like I was using 20k lumen projectors so I would account 1 projector for every 1000sq/ft of area i was trying to cover.

          Barco has a really nice online tool that lets you play around with the numbers:

          https://lenscalculator.barco.c... [barco.com]

          The pixels are the same no matter the size, what you want to know is the DPI, the size of the pixels on screen, in this case divide 3840 by your screen width in ft.

          If you are going through the trouble of doing a serious home theater then you want as close to zero keystone as possible but in general most units will do around 10-15%, you really don't want to angle past that and ideally keep the keystone in one direction.

          With projectors there's really no getting around the math aspect, there's just too many variables. By far the biggest factor in projector quality is how much light control you have in the space and having a quality screen. If you can get a room pitch dark with a good screen a unit like this will easily look good at large sizes. If you have a room with windows like a share living space I would say you need 5,000 lumens minimum with a higher gain or light rejection style screen

      • Answer: 500 (Score:3, Informative)

        by SuperKendall ( 25149 )

        This. No mention of lumens/brightness

        Turns out it has 500 Lumens [trustedreviews.com] - which is pretty low by most projector standards.

        To compare, the LG CineBeam HU715QW 4K UHD Laser UST Projector has up to 2500 lumens...

        • Jeez, I had quickly google and saw something site 2500 but maybe I was looking at the one you mentioned but man, 500 is paltry for today with a laser lamp unit.

          • 500 is paltry for today with a laser lamp unit.

            I was surprised by that as well, maybe that article got the number wrong. Like you said for a laser system that seems really low, even considering this is meant to be portable.

    • Yea a handle on a portable projector? Who the fuck would want that?!

      • I have that problem solved. I use two hands to put it in the carry basket that I use to put the rest of my junk in.

        When, in the history of presentations, did you EVER only have to carry a projector?

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by EvilSS ( 557649 )
          You carry around a carry basket? OK Dorothy. Got Toto in there too? And who said this is only for presentations? Who the fuck carries a native 4K projector for presentations?

          Tell me are you just a cranky asshole or is this on online persona for you?

          • I don't carry a 4k projector around at all. Which makes that handle even more useless.

            • Re: (Score:2)

              by EvilSS ( 557649 )
              Ah, I get it now. You have "main character" syndrome. Hate to break it to you, but you are a background character, at best. The world does not revolve around your personal use cases.

              • Ok, then please tell me the common use case that requires a handle on a 4k projector. Because I cannot think of a single one.

                • Re: (Score:2)

                  by EvilSS ( 557649 )
                  This may come to surprise you, but we tend to put things like handles on portable devices to make them easier to move around. Portable projectors are a thing these days. And yes, some even come with a handle! GASP! People take them outdoors for parties. They take them camping. They do all kinds of things you, apparently, don't.

                  • Where exactly would you take a 4k projector? You need to have something to project the image onto, too, let's not forget that.

                    • Are you this dumb or just so painted into a corner you are stuck and just babbling now? Do I really need to explain that there are portable screens as well? Or just projecting onto the side of a light colored house? Or that sheets fucking exist?

                    • It feels a lot more like you're desperately looking for a way to justify a ridiculous handle on a projector.

                      I wonder how we could ever survive without handles on our projectors. But hey, maybe carrying your projector with you like some sort of accessory is a new fad that I just didn't follow. Yeah, I'm getting old, I don't do the hip and trendy stuff anymore.

                    • Re: (Score:2)

                      by EvilSS ( 557649 )
                      That was just pathetic. Want to take another go at it? Giving you a mulligan here.

                    • Out of arguments already?

                      We used to have better trolls around here.

                    • Re: (Score:2)

                      by EvilSS ( 557649 )
                      Talking to yourself there chief? You are, after all, the one who keeps ignoring facts to try to scrape together an argument here.

                    • Quite a few words for "nu-uh, you are!"

      • To be honest, I would prefer it to have 4 wheels, so I can pull it behind me. On a rope. Like I did with my little brother's small wooden horse as a child.
        Bonus points, if I can make it project: "do not look into the laser with your remaining eye!"

  • How about a projector that simply projects an image? Adding the crapware makes this an easy pass. Another cloud connected piece of garbage.

    • Some of those features (like the mapping) sound mildly interesting but not worth buying the projector for.

    • Exactly. I have a tv in my guest bedroom from LG, and the software they load on it makes it the last LG TV I'm going to buy unless they make their software vastly less horrible. I've blocked the TV's MAC address from my wireless network, and plugged a 4K chromecast into it, because even that is better than LG's miserable "webOS" experience.

    • How about a projector that simply projects an image? Adding the crapware makes this an easy pass. Another cloud connected piece of garbage.

      You gotta understand... with most current high-tech devices (e.g. cellphones, televisions, projectors), the tech is now pretty well established and the software is basically feature complete, so really they should be just considered commodities (and priced accordingly). But the vendors have gotten used to high profit margins. so they're desperate to avoid the fall of their products back into commoditization. However with no compelling features left to add, all they've got to fall back on is gimmicks like th

  • Call me when they've worked out the issues with the cost and lifetime of projector bulbs.

    The bulb itself seems to be the Achilles heel on most of them, with limited lifespans and being rather expensive to replace (compared to the cost of the projector itself).

    • Re:Call me (Score:4, Interesting)

      by PPH ( 736903 ) on Friday December 29, 2023 @03:05PM (#64115355)

      RGB laser light source. No bulbs.

      Smallest 4K projector, but I've got a Brookstone pocket HDMI projector (1080P) that I think is smaller. Almost 10 years old and still going strong (no bulbs in that either).

    • Re:Call me (Score:4, Interesting)

      by cirby ( 2599 ) on Friday December 29, 2023 @03:05PM (#64115357)

      This projector has a laser light engine, which has a life of about 20,000 hours of run time.

      At eight hours a day, every day, that's almost seven years. Longer if you use it less.

      By that point, it'll probably be cheaper to buy whatever new projector is out there instead of trying to hunt down parts for an old one.

      • With most units actually they'll run for longer, 20,000 is usually the time they will output 50% brightness. On commercial units thats what the warranty states.

        The unfortunate thing is units like this are non-serviceable, the only real advantage to a mercury lamped unit but even then if you made it through 10-20 lamp changes the thing is cooked anyway.

    • Name checks out at least.

    • Meh, a long time ago, I also bought my bulbs/modules through official channels, costing me hundreds of dollars per set, and the bulbs sometimes didn't last long now I buy my bulbs through Aliexpress for a couple of bucks, and the are just fine, and if I'm really lazy I'll just buy the bulb with casing for a few bucks more. Up till now, those aliexpress bulbs lasted just as long as the expensive ones I bought through official channels. Even replace them now much earlier when the image is becoming darker, wh
  • Could save on having to lug around laptops just for a presentation.
  • as much as a Kia Soul
    Perfect for taking on the subway (if you want to be hit in the face with a bat)

  • It looks like a typical lantern handle.

    Which isn't wildly inappropriate for a light projector.

    Why would somebody call it a crank?

    • It looks like a typical lantern handle.

      I followed the link and had forgotten they called it a "crank", it is absolutely nothing like a crank!

      It is just a rotating handle, also found on coolers, or boomboxes, or lots of other portable devices.

    • Because some idiot does not know, what a crank is.
      I think the device is perfect to be the headlight of my new ebike.
      "Out of my way, suckers!"

  • Would be a much more attractive device for me if there was a way to get it without any weird cloud connection or "operating system".

    I absolutely do not trust this device not to interfere with the content, even if I pass it through a physical port.

  • "resembles a crank"

    Apparently no one at Yahoo Finance has ever seen a crank. The handle goes the other way on a crank. Cranks go around and around--think a jack-in-the-box, Ford Model T, and a garden hose reel. This one is only useful as a handle.

  • OK, so how do I remove it and mount it on my ceiling?

    I'm actually in the market for a projector and this thing looks pretty stupid.

  • If the part you would hold in your hand was was pivoted by 180 degrees, the whole unit would be reminiscent of an old hand-cranked movie camera.

    Maybe the handle does double duty as the crank for a generator that keeps those frames a-comin' during a power failure. Or, maybe the projector has a 'retro record' mode wherein you can use it as a camera to make old-timey hand-cranked video recordings.

    Alternatively, maybe the projector doubles as an ice cream maker? Oh, I know - the crank is for an auxiliary coolin

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