LG HU810PW Review: Detailed and Vibrant Images on Your Screen

If you crave brightness, color, and image detail on your screen, the LG HU810PW is your choice projector. It’s tough for any projector to beat it at that.

Reviewers love its remarkably lifelike and sharp image quality, which gets even brighter in a dark room, letting every bit of the picture impress the eyes. And what the LG HU810PW does right, it really does well. All the specifications are well-balanced, and it excels well in every category; from brightness, UltraHD 4K resolution, color settings, and its laser technology.

The only downside is how the HU810PW handles grayscale. The dark scenes look a little mediocre, although the greyish-black levels should not be a problem, except that it gets washed out in some scenes.

Nevertheless, the overall picture quality and resolution are commendable for cinema viewing. The color depth is equally impressive, giving the HU810PW clearer pictures with accurate colors that add a touch of realism to the overall image. With Game mode active, it measures an input lag of 47.9ms which most gamers will find mediocre for fast-paced gaming.

Features of the LG HU810PW

Remarkably sharp image quality

When LG says the HU810PW gives the “sharpest of images,” they mean it. It’s just that sharp. This projector can render finer details on the screen with appreciable depth, texture, and clarity. So, how do they achieve this?

Well, the LG HU810PW has lasers. Two of them. One blue and one red. And we all know how awesome laser technology is. The laser light is passed through a green phosphor to create all the light and the colors you see on your screen.

In fact, with dual lasers, the LG HU810PW can create realistic and brilliantly sharp images which accurately represent all colors, thanks to a wide color gamut; 97% of the DCI-P3. Meaning it offers much more depth in the image than most projectors can achieve on their own.Another benefit of lasers is that they last longer, compared to traditional UHP lamps. The laser light source in the 810PW is rated at 20, 000 hours, that is, 833 days and 8 hours assuming you run it 24/7.

It turns on and off far faster than most traditional UHP lamp-based projectors, and as a bonus, it has an ignorable low pitch to its fan noise. It is not silent. Compared to other small, cheaper, DLP-based projectors, it is quieter.

So, what other features does the LG HU810PW has up its sleeve for a brighter image?

Brightness rating of 2,700 ANSI lumens

LG HU810PW is designed for both bright and dark rooms. It is bright enough to be used in a well-lit room, but explosive colors and dark-level detail are best enjoyed in a dark room.

Moreover, the LG HU810PW has a unique Iris technology. You can adjust Iris mode, depending on the lighting condition of your room, to the maximum aperture for picture visibility and fidelity in bright rooms. Likewise, you can switch to Iris minimum aperture for optimal viewing in dark rooms.

4K UHD display

4K UHD experience is predictably incredible with the LG HU810PW. It is especially so when watching movies at the cinema in a bright room with bright lights coming from the screen. You’ll be shocked at how it’s capable of displaying realistic images under such lighting conditions.

With 3,840 x 2,160 Ultra HD 4K resolution; which means more than 8 million pixels like the previous models, you won’t have to worry about pixelation, should you zoom out your images.

LG has also extensively assigned a color value for every single pixel, to enhance its accuracy and color fidelity. They’ve even optimized the settings on their laser to ensure color accuracy and its portrayal is accurate for every scene.

HDR-Support

With HDR (High Dynamic Range) technology, you can experience the visual depth and vibrancy that enriched content delivers.

HDR content is brighter than HD content, maxing out at 2,600 lumens unlike 1,400 lumens as seen with HD content in the brightest picture mode. So, brightness is certainly not an issue with the LG HU810PW.

The only downside is the images are visibly blue/green in the brightest picture mode, which affects the overall image fidelity.

Note: LG HU810PW is both 4K and HDR. This combination, said many reviewers, is what gives the LG HU810PW its razor-sharp image and superior detail. The UHD resolution means each pixel can be as small as 1.07x the size of full HD, which improves the resolution of an image on a screen. This translates to a clearer, more detailed picture that’s meant for film viewing and gaming.

LG HU810PW is also, HDR Pro. This means it includes almost all HDR specifications. This includes;

• HDR10 –  for more picture information, a wider range of brightness levels and color gamut. You will be able to enjoy darker blacks and brighter whites while still maintaining a high degree of detail in these areas.
• HLG or Hybrid Log Gamma – to add HDR compatibility to your live stream broadcast.
• Dynamic tone mapping – to deliver higher contrast and vivid colors to your image frame by frame.
• HLGiG – for live and recorded HDR content.

Advanced Contrast

Although the contrast in this projector is mediocre, with greyish, or rather washed-out black levels, its advanced contrast feature gives more depth to your image by adaptively adjusting the Laser output to the image, in order to create a high contrast ratio. Bright scenes appear brighter, while dark scenes remain detailed with deep blacks and shade detail.

Flexible and Easy installation

The projector is designed to be installed anywhere. It weighs 24.3 lbs which shouldn’t be difficult to lift with both arms.

Also, you don’t require any special skills to install this projector, since it comes with detailed instructions to guide you through the process.

You can install on on any surface, on a mounting stand, flat surface or ceiling.  It has a standard VESA 75mm mounting pattern, which means you can either mount it on a tripod or a wall mount.

With Lens Shift (V ± 60%, H ± 24%) & Zoom x1.6 functionality, you can install the device virtually anywhere and set the screen to the exact size and location.

Good throw ratio with large image size (up to 300-inches)

The LG HU810PW has a good throw ratio; of 1.3-2.08. This means you to achieve screen sizes from 40-inches to 300-inches even in moderately lit rooms. You can divide the image using a pair of diagonal images with dimensions of up to 200″ x 100″.

To get the 300-inch picture, you will need an 8.3ft x 4.8ft (1.25m x 12m) wall, which is a very big room or living room, by any standard.

However, this varies depending on how far away from the screen you are. The main advantage is that you can make an image appear larger from a shorter distance – image will still appear with clarity and excellent detail.

Advanced  Wireless Connection

You can share your screen wirelessly with Miracast. Or, if you want to share your screen with multiple devices at the same time, you can use the Screen Share Multi-View feature available on most devices that are Miracast compatible.

Also, if you want to stream content from a mobile device to your big screen, which includes long-distance streaming as well as low latency streaming, then the LG HU810PW is for you.

HU810PW is also AirPlay compatible. You can connect your iOS devices to stream videos, and audio, and share your screen and photos to relive the past with your family/friends. And, of course,  Bluetooth pairing is possible.

WebOS 5.0; A smart way to access online entertainment

The LG HU810PW is a hub for a variety of online content. You can stream movies and TV shows from Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, Amazon, Youtube and so much more. You can also use the projector to cast your screen while you enjoy online gaming on your device. Watching movies is made easier, as you can do it in a brighter room due to the Iris technology.

With WebOS Smart TV, you can also keep track of your favorite movies, and TV shows, and how much time you spend watching your favorite content.

Compatibility with gaming consoles

Whether you prefer PlayStation, Xbox, or Nintendo, it doesn’t matter. The LG HU810PW  is compatible with next-gen gaming consoles. It has an HDMI 2.0 for 4K content and HDMI 1.4 for non-4K content. You just need an HDMI cable and you can connect your gaming console to it and enjoy the visuals. With this projector, you don’t have to worry about abandoning your current console for a new one.

Having looked at the features, does this projector have any limitations? Let’s compare the pros and cons to find out.

Pros of LG HU810PW

• Silent enough – The fan noise is low-pitched. It is ignorable and quieter than most DLP-based projectors. It will not interfere with your entertainment, even if you’re dancing to your favorite music and tune.
• Sharp 4K picture detail – the images on this projector are vivid, sharp and realistic. UHD 4K produces super-sharp images,  HDR-support/HDR10 compatibility, Dynamic tone mapping, and adaptive contrast/dynamic contrast for detailed images. They also work to improve its rather mediocre, grayscale black levels to give you clear, life-like images for an impressive cinema.
• Sufficient brightness – rated at 2,700 lumens, the 810PW is designed for both dark and bright room environments. It’s able to crunch up 2,200 ANSI lumen brightness in the brightest picture mode. So you’re sure of exceedingly bright pictures, especially in dark rooms, such that your eyes won’t miss any detail on your screen.
• Easy to use – this projector isn’t complicated. Using it is as simple as unpacking it from its box, connecting it to a power supply, placing it on a flat surface, turning it on, and pointing it to your screen and the rest the projector will do to display a perfect picture.
• Lasers create beautiful colors – Apart from brightness, what makes this projector stand out from the crowd is its use of high-quality lasers to create vibrant colors. The dual blue and red laser light go through a green phosphor to reproduce brilliant colors on a screen.

Cons of LG HU810PW

• The contrast ratio is terrible – the blacks are greyish, the shadows are washed out, and this makes colors a lot duller. Also, images appear too dark on the screen in bright room environments. This is made worse by the projector’s automatic iris. Bright scenes would end up looking too dark while the darkest scenes would be almost pitch black.
• The image is noticeably blue/green in the brightest picture mode – The colors may not be as vivid as some competing projectors but still better than LCD and DLP projectors. The colors are realistic, but they could have been better.

Here are some of our recommended alternatives if, in any case, you were dissatisfied with the limitations this projector has to offer.

Alternatives to LGHU810PW

For an extra $2,000 you can go for the LG HU85LA to enjoy the darker scenes. The bright scenes are brilliant and the dark scenes are realistic and detailed even in ambiently-lit room conditions. The only advantage the LG HU810PW has over the HU85LA is brightness; with 500 ANSI lumens difference only. Otherwise, the LG HU85LA is overall better with improved features; image clarity and sharpness, 4K detail, and more. As a bonus, you can talk to it as you would with a friend for more natural entertainment in the cinema.

You can also enjoy a sublime HDR experience at a far lower price, you can opt for the Sony VPL-VW325ES, which delivers a true native 4K resolution at 1,500 lumens of brightness and has comparable picture quality as the LG HU810PW for half its price. Plus, it is the least expensive Sony’s true native 4K home theater model.

Conclusion

The LG HU810PW is a high-end, 4K UHD projector with impressive features and great quality pixelation. Although its contrast ratio is inadequate, the bright scenes are bright and the darkest scenes are extremely dark, making the colors vibrant in your entertainment center or cinema room.