LG PF1500 Review

Home theater aficionados usually look at small, mobile projectors with disinterest. The PF1500 from LG however, due to some innovative LED technology, is somewhat of a technical delicacy with a surprisingly good performance even for the home theater.

LG PF1500

81%

Sound Quality - 81%
80%

Features - 80%
82%

Ease of Use - 82%
78%

Build Quality - 78%

80.3%

SUMMARY

The picture quality is quite amazing, and the low operating noise makes the LG PF1500 a must on any short-list in the sub-$1000 category.

PLUS
Solid picture for the money.
Quiet.
Compact.

MINUS
No 3D.

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The PF1500 is loosely built on the also quite compact PF85U. Both models use long-lasting LED technology as a light source and none of them are able to play back 3D content, but the PF1500 has a 1400 lumen light output compared to the PF85U’s 1000 lumen. In addition, it is also more compact and even lighter, making it more mobile. The external power supply is only slightly smaller than the projector itself and differs in shape compared to traditional constructions as it is shaped more like a brick or a loaf of bread.

Installation

The added height allows for a fan with a larger dimension than is possible with the more slimmer PF85U, for example. This means that a lower fan speed can be used and thus a significantly reduced fan noise can be obtained, even in standard mode. The 1.1 zoom lens offers no ground-breaking set-up options, but it serves a perfectly functioning automatic keystone correction. In the event that the PF1500 can not be accurately positioned in relation to the screen, there are menu options to use the keystone as far as possible in alignment with the screen without any significant image distortions. Doing this will obviously reduce the resolution, but is a nice feature to have for a quick and simple installation.

Features

You can´t really complain about any lack of inputs when you look at the PF1500 – it even caters to analogue devices which can be easily plugged in. Thanks to the MHL compatibility of the HDMI interface, it can even be used completely wirelessly with Full HD signals if provided. Other available screen-sharing options are Intel’s WiDi (Wireless Display) and Miracast, or you can simply connect a USB stick with video content as the projector can be used as a media player. What is missing, unfortunately, is a LAN or WLAN interface, but the latter can be solved by using an optional dongle. The audio signal passed from the source to the HDMI interface can be played back on any appropriate speaker or sound bar via Bluetooth. There is also an analog and a digital audio output.

Calibration and Picture Quality

After unpacking the PF1500 and using it in standard mode it welcomes us with a strong blue-ish hue. However, as we want to watch movies, we set the projector to the cinema preset. Still, the image is on the cold side, and according to our measurements has a good amount of blue, just as expected from our initial impression. When we push the light output as much as possible, the RGB color temperature values of red and green are a tad too high, and this is visible to the eye in any gray areas. Some further fine-tuning is required, mainly to try to correct the colors and adjust the white balance properly. The result is easy to see. Even in Eco mode, in which the fan is virtually inaudible, the projector crams out more than 400 lumens. The second ECO mode improves the light output to more than 600 lumens and the fan still remains well below the 30dB mark. The picture quality (after some tweaking) for such a compact and mobile projector is quite amazing, and the low operating noise makes the LG PF1500 a must on any short-list in the sub-$1000 category.

Conclusion

LG has done a pretty good job with the PF1500, and managed to make a brighter and more compact and quieter projector compared to its predecessor. Installation and setup is done quickly, so that you can achieve excellent results with just a few clicks.