LG MiniBeam PF1000U Projector Review -- Performance

Posted on August 7, 2016 by Art Feierman

LG PF 1000U PROJECTOR REVIEW - PERFORMANCE: Brightness by Color Mode, Audible Noise, Networking, Power Consumption/Cost of Operation

LG PF1000U Brightness

LG PF1000U Projector - Brightness By Color Mode - Mid-Zoom
Pre-set Color Mode	Lumens
Vivid	1,000
Standard	1,021
Cinema	686
Sport	974
Game	933

To test brightness, I set the PF 1000U up on my test bench and set the horizontal keystone correction to zero and created a rectangular image that measured 53-inches. I made three brightness readings across the middle of the screen using an Extech EasyView 31 light meter. After they were averaged, I normalized the readings to 1 square meter, which turned the measurements into lumens.

Noise, Networking

The PF 1000U is rated at a noise level of 39dBA and I measured 40.1dBA 36-inches from its exhaust grille. That difference isn’t significant, but the PF 1000U is meant to be set up near viewers and the fan noise might be disconcerting during low volume periods.

Well, in fairness, unless you are projecting a pretty small image, you are likely to be sitting at least 6 feet behind the LG.

The PF 1000U is the rare projector that has both wired Ethernet and wireless WiFi for connecting to a network. It lacks expected things like compatibility with Crestron and AMX automation and control systems, though, but those are for more "installed" projectors. More to the point, LG lacks tablet or phone apps for controlling the projector.

Different Power Modes - Relative Brightness

These three photos were taken with the same exposure, so show you how much brightness difference there are between the LG's three modes.

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Power Consumption - Cost of Operation

Because it uses LEDs rather than a traditional high-pressure lamp, the PF 1000U uses a lot less power.

Using a Kill A Watt P4480 power meter, I measured its draw at 87.2 watts in Standard mode. That’s one-quarter of most proejctors in its class (but, of course this projector is only about 1/3 as bright as lamp powered competitors) and not that much more than what a typical incandescent light bulb uses. When it’s idle, but plugged in, the projector draws just 0.2-watts of power.

If it’s used for an average of five hours a day and power costs the national average of 12-cents per kilowatt-hour, expect that it will cost a little over $19 a year to use. This makes it one of the cheapest projectors to operate because rather than having to periodically spend a couple hundred dollars on a lamp (every 2-4 years at 5 hours a day), the PF 1000U’s lighting engine is rated to last for 30,000 hours.