HISENSE 100L5F LASER TV REVIEW

Hisense markets their line-up of ultra-short throw laser projectors as Laser TVs, which are designed to make front projection more accessible and appealing to a wider range of consumers. The term “Laser TV” has also been adopted by other manufacturers to describe projectors in this category. It is much easier than saying, “4K DLP Ultra-Short Throw Laser Smart Projector.”

Hisense’s goal was to build a line of projectors that could replace a TV in an environment where a large TV just will not fit. We reviewed Hisense Laser TVs in the past, and we have always been impressed by their picture quality and features. Check out my review of the Hisense 100L10E to read more about why we were impressed.

While previous Hisense Laser TVs delivered great performance, they were more expensive than many competitive manufacturer’s laser TV models putting them out of reach of many customers. With a retail price of $3999, the new 100L5F is the most affordable Laser TV that Hisense has ever offered.

The 100L5F ships with a 100” ambient light rejecting screen. The screen is optimized for an ultra-short throw projector, which improves the viewing experience during the day or when the lights are on. Since the 100L5F is designed to serve as a TV replacement, it includes most of the features that consumers would expect in a flat panel TV including a TV tuner, internal speakers, and of course, smart features.

Like a Hisense Smart TV, the 100L5F can be voice controlled using the included voice remote control that has a Google Assistant built-in. It also offers a wide variety of apps such as Netflix, Disney+, YouTube, and Prime Video. Since the 100L5F is a DLP projector with a laser light engine, it should deliver years of maintenance-free operation, just like a flat panel TV would.

The Hisense 100L5F Laser TV is a 4K DLP laser ultra-short throw smart projector. With a current advertised price of $3,999, it is the most affordable Laser TV that Hisense has ever offered. The projector’s single DLP chip can reproduce 4K UHD resolution (3,840 x 2,160) via pixel shifting.

The projector's chassis sits just over four inches from the screen, so it can sit on a nice credenza or table in the front of the room. There’s even AV furniture designed specifically to hold the Hisense Laser TV Chassis.

The 100L5F, like previous Hisense Laser TV models, is bundled with a 100” ambient light rejecting screen design specifically for ultra-short throw projectors. The screen uses StarBright CLR material which rejects a lot of ambient light to deliver a good projected image during the day or in a brighter room.

You could easily make a case for utilizing a projector as a TV replacement, especially since projectors have the ability to produce a massive picture from a compact chassis, which makes them a great solution for an apartment, dorm room, or other small space. The Laser TV was not designed for a home theater, but for a living room, den, family room, media room, or anywhere you have some lighting control.

There are usually several shortcomings when you compare most projectors with a flat panel TV. For example, the lamp in a traditional projector dims over time and must be changed every few thousand hours. This is not only inconvenient, but it adds additional cost to operation. This shortcoming is eliminated by the Laser illumination found in the 100L5F, which can provide years of maintenance-free operation.

Also, while many projectors can deliver a great picture, most projectors are not very smart, and they lack capabilities such as streaming apps that are common on most flat panel TV’s today. The 100L5F utilizes an Android TV operating system, similar to what is found in many of their newest flat panel TVs. You also have all the apps and capabilities normally found in a Smart TV, including Google Assistant, which allows you to control not only the projector but a wide variety of compatible smart home devices using your voice.

The 100L5F is the first Hisense Laser TV compatible with both HDR10 and HLG content.

The Hisense 100L5F Laser TV combines all the smart capabilities of flat panel TVs with the long life of a LED light engine and 4K resolution to create a true flat panel TV replacement.