LG PROBEAM BU60PST LASER BUSINESS PROJECTOR REVIEW – PERFORMANCE

LG ProBeam BU60PST Laser Business Projector Review – Performance: Color Reproduction, Video Quality, Brightness, Text and Presentation Quality, Sound Quality

COLOR REPRODUCTION

Compared to many business-focused DLP projectors, the color reproduction of the ProBeam BU60PST out-of-the-box was very good. The LG ProBeam BU60PST has several preset color modes, each appropriate for different situations.

• Presentation Mode: This is the brightest but least accurate picture mode. This mode would be most appropriate for displaying presentation materials where color accuracy was not of great concern, and the room has a large amount of ambient light.
• Standard Mode: This mode provides a balance between brightness and accuracy with nominal video settings.
• Cinema Mode: Intended for viewing movies in a darkened room. Good contrast and color accuracy.
• DICOM Mode: This setting is for displaying images used in medical imaging, such as x-rays. The DICOM setting is not intended for diagnosis, but only for viewing images and collaborating in presentations and educational settings.
• Game Mode: This mode reduces video latency by optimizes the settings for gameplay. 
• Expert (Bright Room) Mode: Designed for viewing video/movies in a room with ambient light. One of the more accurate picture modes.
• Expert (Dark Room) Mode: Designed for viewing video/movies in a dark environment and it delivers the most accurate color reproduction.

The screenshots above are intended to give only a rough idea of the color accuracy. However, when viewed in person, the color accuracy will generally look somewhat better than shown in these photos.

VIDEO QUALITY

In a room with ambient light, I used either the STANDARD or EXPERT BRIGHT picture modes. In a dark environment, the CINEMA and EXPERT DARK modes are the best options and deliver the most accurate picture. For the maximum impact in a bright room, you could use the PRESENTATION mode as long as color accuracy is not critical.

The ProBeam BU60PST is one of the few business-focused projectors that support HDR (High Dynamic Range) formats, including HDR10 and HLG. While the feature is not listed in the manual, the ProBeam BU60PST can dynamically tone map HDR10 content, and this feature did a good job maintaining highlight detail.

However, tone mapping (whether it is dynamic or not) requires the projector to compromise something (highlights, brightness, contrast, color, or black level). The ProBeam BU60PST chose to sacrifice some brightness when Dynamic Tone mapping was engaged.

Since the ProBeam BU60PST was a very bright projector, overall, I still preferred viewing HDR with the setting switched ON. The images below show the difference when Dynamic Tone Mapping is switched ON and OFF.

Overall, the video picture quality of the ProBeam BU60PST was quite good for this range of projectors. Out-of-the-box, several of the picture modes produced relatively accurate colors. In addition, a good ALR screen combined with the high brightness of the ProBeam BU60PST would deliver a great image in an environment where you might not have considered projection just a few years ago.

BRIGHTNESS

The ProBeam BU60PST is LG's brightest business projector with a rated brightness of 6,000 lumens. I measured the BU60PST in its brightest picture mode which is PRESENTATION. For maximum laser light output, I also set the Lamp Power Saving set to Minimum.

LG BU60PST Brightness: 5973 Lumens

The ProBeam BU60PST measured 5973 lumens which was slightly below LG's brightness claim. I also measured the other seven available modes.

The ProBeam BU60PST delivered more than enough brightness to overcome the amount of ambient light found in most conference rooms or classrooms.

Since the LG ProBeam BU60PST can modulate its laser light source, it has a rated dynamic contrast ratio of 3,000,000:1. I watched several movies in the dark and when set to CINEMA or EXPERT DARK mode with the lamp saving mode set to Maximum, the ProBeam BU60PST delivered good blacks

While the ProBeam BU60PST can not match the black level and native contrast of a model designed for home theater usage, it would be an excellent option for a room with ambient light.

The advantage of higher brightness quickly overshadows deeper blacks in many classroom and business environments because the ambient light immediately eliminates the performance benefits of improved black levels.

While the blacks were close to dark gray, the high brightness resulted in a vivid high contrast image even when I left some lights on, especially if paired with an ambient light rejecting screen.

TEXT AND PRESENTATION QUALITY

Since ProBeam BU60PST can display UHD (3840 x 2160) resolution, text is razor-sharp and fine details are visible. The main benefit of a 4K UHD projector is that you can sit closer to a much larger screen and the image will be clear. The ability to display multiple documents or web pages simultaneously at high resolution on a huge screen would be helpful in many business and education applications.

However, higher resolution does not change the limitations of font sizes and viewing distances for PowerPoint presentations or other infographic-type materials. For example, if you use an 8-point or smaller font, you may be able to see it up close, but it might be too small for a person to read in the back of the room. no matter the resolution of the projector.

SOUND QUALITY

The ProBeam BU60PST has dual 5-watt built-in speakers located on the back of the projector. The projector can play loud enough for use in an average-sized classroom or meeting room, but it lacks bass. If you desire higher sound quality, you can connect the ProBeam BU60PST to an external sound system via its headphone port, Bluetooth, or HDMI ARC (Audio Return Channel).

The fan noise produced by ProBeam BU60PST is lower than typical 6,000-lumen projectors with a rated SPL of 29, 30 or 33 dB, depending on the Energy Saving mode utilized.