Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

LG finally priced its quirky 4K projector that looks like a hamper

Even a mammoth 77-inch OLED is dwarfed by a 150-inch picture, and that’s exactly what the new LG CineBeam HU80KA 4K UHD projector brings to the table. Even better, the CineBeam is available now for a price that is close to what you’d expect to pay for a 75-inch 4K TV — not bad for what promises to be one of the best home theater projectors around.

Recommended Videos

Not only can the HU80KA deliver a huge picture, but it does so in a compact, portable form that doesn’t require you to find a table or stand for setting it at the exact right height. Not sure you want to spare the space on the floor? That’s not a problem, says LG, as the projector’s mirrorless I-shaped engine allows the projector to display without problems whether it’s mounted on the wall, hung from the ceiling, or placed on the floor.

This is also LG’s brightest projector yet, able to display a 150-inch picture at 2,500 lumens, while its HD projectors top out at 2,000 lumens. To take advantage of this extra brightness, the HU80KA also supports high dynamic range via HDR10, though unfortunately, Dolby Vision doesn’t appear to be supported. Two built-in 7-watt speakers provide enough audio power in case you’re bringing the projector with you, but you can easily connect it to an external speaker system or sound bar using the optical output, HDMI, or wirelessly via Bluetooth.

LG HU80KA 4K UHD projector
Image used with permission by copyright holder

When it comes to content, you can obviously plug external streaming devices or Blu-ray players in via HDMI, but as the projector runs LG’s webOS 3.5, plenty of streaming apps are built in. Netflix, Sling TV, Amazon Prime Video, and Hulu are just some of the apps available for the platform, with 4K streaming available for apps that support it. The projector can also play media off of a USB drive, giving you plenty of portable options.

The LG CineBeam 4K Laser Projector is available now at select retailers across the United States at a suggested price of $3,000, which is less than you’d pay for LG’s own C8 65-inch OLED. If you’re still not sure whether a TV or projector is the right pick for you, we have put together a guide to help you choose.

Kris Wouk
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Kris Wouk is a tech writer, gadget reviewer, blogger, and whatever it's called when someone makes videos for the web. In his…
What we want to see from the next Apple TV 4K
An Apple TV 4K sitting on a wood entertainment center with a HomePod Mini behind it.

One thing not on this list: A dust-resistant Apple TV 4K. Phil Nickinson / Digital Trends

Now that we’ve gotten the whole “Apple TV 4K with a camera” thing out of our system, it’s time to take a more serious look at what we still consider to be the best streaming hardware you can buy. More specifically, this article is about what we’d like to see added to the diminutive box.

Read more
Sony debuts the Bravia 9, its brightest 4K TV ever, alongside new 2024 models
2024 Sony Bravia 9 4K mini-LED TV.

It's a new era for Sony. The company, once famous for its horrible product names that more closely resembled serial numbers, has finally landed on a simple naming convention. Take its new 2024 TVs, for instance. Every new model is now called "Bravia," with a single digit to denote where it stands in the lineup.

The simplified naming convention also applies to the company's 2024 soundbar lineup, with the hope that buyers will want to pair their new Bravia TV with a matching new Bravia Theater soundbar.

Read more
Samsung’s new 98-inch DU9000 4K TV is just $4,000. Can it beat TCL and Hisense?
Samsung 98-inch DU9000 4K TV.

Samsung's new 98-inch DU9000 Crystal UHD 4K TV is here and it's priced at $4,000, making it the company's most affordable 98-inch TV so far. Until now, if you wanted a Samsung TV in a massive, 98-inch screen size, you'd be looking at a starting price of $8,000 for the 98-inch QLED Q80C 4K TV. You can order the 98-inch DU9000 starting April 15, at samsung.com.

As 4K TVs get bigger, so does the size of the individual pixels, which can decrease perceived sharpness. Samsung says that the DU9000 is equipped with its Supersize Picture Enhancer, a technology that tries to compensate for this tendency.

Read more