Hisense 100L5H 4K Laser TV Review

The Hisense L5H is the company's follow-up to its highly successful L5G Laser TV and screen combination. Physically, Hisense has completely redesigned this new projector, reducing its size and weight and moving even further away from the larger, glossy black curved design of the L9G than last year's L5G did.

This new L5H features an even more rectangular profile, a multi-tone matte gray chassis, a cloth speaker cover, and even some small metal accents. The L5H is an attractive projector that should easily blend into almost any space. The Hisense L5H dimensions are 22.3" x 4.8" x 12.6" (L x H x W) and the projector weighs 20.7 lbs.

The inputs and connections are all located on the rear of the L5H. The Hisense L5H has three HDMI inputs, including two HDMI 2.1 and one HDMI 2.0 input. Theoretically, HDMI 2.1 inputs can support up to 48 Gbps bandwidth for 8K/60p playback and 4k/120p content. Unfortunately, this projector's DLP chip only supports up to 4K@60 Hz video playback. These types of HDMI inputs still offer a few notable benefits, including ALLM and eARC.

When game content is detected, Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) automatically switches the L5H to a low-latency, low-lag game mode. When low latency is no longer needed, the source turns off the signal, and the display reverts to its previous mode for watching content like movies and TV shows.

HDMI 2.1 supports an enhanced Audio Return Channel (eARC). Standard HDMI ARC supports multi-channel audio, including Dolby Atmos and Dolby Digital, but Standard HDMI ARC can only deliver a compressed audio signal due to bandwidth limitations. The increased bandwidth capabilities of eARC allow the transfer of uncompressed audio, such as Dolby TrueHD, for the highest sound quality.

The L5H can also control connected devices, such as an A/V receiver, via HDMI CEC (Consumer Electronics Control). Other available inputs include a USB 3.0 Type-A Input, a USB 2.0 Type-A Input, a LAN Port, an Optical-Digital connection, Analog Audio Outputs, and an RF Antenna Input for the unit's built-in ATSC 1.0 Tuner.

The L5H is Control4-compatible. With built-in WiFi, Bluetooth, Google Assistant, and Alexa, the L5H can be integrated into your smart home ecosystem to create multiple automation to your heart's content.

The included remote is slim and is backlit. In addition to the projector controls, there are dedicated Service Buttons for many built-in streaming media services. They have a quick access button for the projector's built-in Media player. Netflix, YouTube, Disney+, Tubi, and Google Play are all on the remote. Bluetooth pairing ensures the projector can be controlled even if it's not in the line of sight.

Located at the top center of the remote is a dedicated Google Assistant Button for voice control of a wide range of smart features, including but not limited to Voice Search, Compatible Projector Switching, Hardware Controls, and many Internet of Things (IoT) compatible devices.

The new Google TV OS on the L5H provides a first-class streaming experience, with Hisense stepping up on this model and giving users access to Netflix and other premium streaming services like Disney+, Max, Hulu, and many more. Google TV also allows users to see live TV content and the on-demand streaming options available based on the user's subscriptions.

Google TV gives users access to all the streaming, entertainment, and gaming content available on previous Android TV options but adds brand new control functions, letting users make the projector a control hub for other connected devices in the home. This new Google TV OS allows users to connect to the entire range of Google and Google-compliant smart devices available today. Access home security cameras or a smart doorbell and view the feed on your big screen, for instance. Users can connect a webcam to the projector and make video calls via Google Duo, and the new Google Home app controls the projector via an Android phone.

The Hisense L5H Google TV operating system includes a full suite of picture calibration adjustments, including multi-point White Balance and CMS controls.

Delta E measurement of 3 or less is considered ‘Excellent’ and imperceptible by the human eye.  Before calibration, the L5H average grayscale dE measured just 2.6, so there isn't any need to utilize the projector's RGB Balance adjustments. However, we got the post-calibration average grayscale dE down to 1.27. The average pre-calibration Color Tracking dE was just 3.3, which is also very good. After CMS adjustment, the average Color Tracking dE dropped to just 0.67, which is outstanding.

Hisense lists the L5H Dynamic Contrast as 2,000,000:1, more than twice the previous model's listed contrast. The projector's black level is quite good and aligns with what I expect from a high-quality blue laser DLP projector. The L5H is designed to be utilized in rooms with low to moderate ambient light. When paired with the new 1.5x high gain fresnel ALR screen in brighter rooms, black levels take a serious boost from previous screens.

As you can see in the images above, the L5H displays both shadow and bright area details very well. The reality is that L5G Laser TV owners will likely place the projector in rooms with higher ambient light, resulting in a drop in the projector's black-level performance.

I recommend that owners calibrate this projector to bring out the excellent picture quality that the L5H can produce. Professionally calibrated projectors should always offer the best overall performance.

You can see in the screenshots above that the L5H does an excellent job displaying very natural-looking upscaled high-definition and native 4K UHD images. The shots above are unadjusted for color, so they do not look as good as what the projector produced. All HD and 4K images were taken with the Hisense L5H set to FILMMAKER mode with an engaged High Color Accuracy setting.

Since most live broadcast content will continue to be produced in HD for years, good 4K upscaling is still critical. I was impressed to see the L5H did a good job upscaling 720p or 1080p content to 4K.

The Hisense L5H features a MOTION ENHANCEMENT mode which uses frame interpolation technology to smooth the image by reducing judder and blur. In addition to preset modes, you can configure Blur Reduction and Judder Reduction manually. 

The Hisense L5H is an amazing sixth-generation Laser TV product from a company that has been driving the advancement of the category in ways most other projection companies just haven't been. The L5H sells for an MSRP of $3,999.99, a phenomenal price for a complete system comprising a projector with a built-in, high-quality sound bar and the choice between two amazing ALR screens.

The L5H is not the most color-accurate laser TV system I've had in my lab or living room. A well-tuned RGB light source can do much more, but Hisense does so much with this projector's blue laser + phosphor light engine. Yes, the slightly warm tones that I could notice on the L5G are also part of the L5H. However, this projector projects an excellent picture overall.

The L5H black levels are not great but decent for a blue laser + phosphor DLP projector. Black levels are not LCOS inky black, but a pleasant range of dark grays. Hisense provides users with a decent selection of auto and manual feature adjustments designed to improve this projector's contrast and black-level performance, including the package screen options, which are impressive.

Hisense also includes a brand new ALR (Ambient Light Rejecting) 100-inch screen formulation with a staggering 1.5x gain and a 45-degree viewing angle.

Hisense has continued improving black-level performance and dark and highlight area detail in their projectors. The included ALR screen options help improve the projected image's perceived contrast. That said, the contrast performance on this Hisense projector could be better than the triple laser PX1-PR0 series and L9G Hisense projectors.

The L5H uses a 0.47-inch Texas Instruments DLP with XPR technology, producing beautiful 4K images. The L5H's 2,700 ANSI lumens are perfect for spaces with uncontrolled ambient light. The L5H and its matched Ambient Light Rejecting (ALR) screen options will provide users with the best possible results in various living rooms at night or during the day.

The L5H features an upgraded built-in 40-watt Dolby Atmos and Dolby Digital sound system that competes with many entry-level and even some lower mid-tier soundbars. The L5H sound quality is excellent, but what blows me away is the incredibly wide sound stage that this projector can produce.

I spent far more time than I should have playing movies and TV shows beyond visual testing because I just wanted to hear how the projector sounded. I loved the auditory pleasure of sounds seemingly all over the room.

The L5H did not have the deepest mid-bass, and it was easy enough to get the audio to clip by turning the projector up too loud, but at least I had the option of cranking the volume if I wanted to do so. Hisense smartly allows each projector's preset audio modes to be customized via the projector's built-in EQ, which helps reduce the chance of clipping when the volume is turned up to eleven. Hisense even includes an audio output that allows a sub-woofer to be connected if you want to add some bigger boom.

The L5H offers a sound tuning mode that, when activated, uses the remote control's microphone to calibrate the projector's sound performance to the room in which the projector is being used.