Head-to-head · Best Ultra Short Throw Laser Projectors

Epson QS100 3LCD Ultra Short Throw Laser Projector vs Hisense PT1

Which is the better buy? Side-by-side on rating, price, strengths, and watch-outs — with the published ratings we averaged to get there.

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The short answer

Epson QS100 3LCD Ultra Short Throw Laser Projector comes out ahead by a clear margin (4.5 vs 3.5). The gap is mostly about Professional installers seeking high brightness and HDR — read the strengths below before deciding.

Higher ratedRanked #1 in Best Ultra Short Throw Laser Projectors

Epson QS100 3LCD Ultra Short Throw Laser Projector

4.5

4 sources3 derived$2,799.99as of Jul 31

The Epson QS100 is a premium 4K PRO-UHD ultra-short-throw laser projector built for custom installations and high-end home theaters. Reviewers rated its 4,500-lumen brightness and dynamic HDR tone mapping highly, while pointing out that native 1080P 3LCD panels mean it isn't true 4K. Picture adjustment options run deep enough for professional calibration, and native contrast lands at good rather than great. It assumes you already have a sophisticated audio setup or plan to build one; casual buyers who want an all-in-one solution should look elsewhere.

Strengths

— Excellent brightness with 4,500 lumens output
— Dynamic HDR tone mapping enabled by 32-bit QZX Picture Processor
— Good color reproduction with native 1080P 3LCD panels

Watch-outs

— Native resolution is 1080P, not true 4K
— Lower than ideal native contrast ratio

$2,799.99 · Check Price on Amazon Full review →

Ranked #6 in Best Ultra Short Throw Laser Projectors

Hisense PT1

3.5

1 source$2,199.99as of Jul 31

The Hisense PT1 is the budget entry into ultra-short-throw home theater, running an RGB laser light engine that covers 110% of BT.2020. ProjectorCentral's Al Griffin called it a 'great value' with 'crisp 4K detail and extended color gamut coverage' suitable for movie watching. Its built-in 2.0.2-channel speaker array handles Dolby Atmos and DTS:X well. Brightness is only average, and grayscale errors turn up in Filmmaker Mode on certain screens. Use it in a light-controlled room with a screen up to 120 inches.

Strengths

— RGB laser light source with Rec.2020 gamut coverage
— Built-in Dolby Atmos/DTS:X sound support
— Good contrast and brightness uniformity

Watch-outs

— Average brightness
— Relatively high grayscale errors in Filmmaker Mode

$2,199.99 · Check Price on Amazon Full review →

Derived means the reviewer published no score, so one was inferred from their written verdict. Everything else is a number the publisher printed. How we rank.

How they stack up

Epson QS100 3LCD Ultra Short Throw Laser Projector

The Epson QS100 delivers excellent brightness at 4,500 lumens and dynamic HDR tone mapping, outperforming the Hisense L9Q and JMGO O2S Ultra in this regard. However, it falls short of true 4K resolution compared to the Hisense PT1 and NexiGo Aurora Pro MKII, and lacks Dolby Vision support unlike the Hisense L9Q.

Hisense PT1

The Hisense PT1 offers a budget-friendly RGB laser solution with good contrast and built-in Dolby Atmos support, unlike the JMGO O2S Ultra which lacks smart features. While it provides 110% BT.2020 color gamut coverage, the Hisense L9Q outperforms it in brightness and HDR formats, though the PT1 is better suited for light-controlled environments.

Specs side-by-side

Spec	Epson QS100 3LCD Ultra Short Throw Laser Projector	Hisense PT1
Brightness	4,500 lumens	2,500 ANSI lumens
Resolution	1080P	4K
Contrast Ratio	5,000,000:1	3,000:1
Light Source	Blue laser phosphor	RGB laser
Color Gamut	100% BT.2020	110% BT.2020
Laser Life	20,000 hours	25,000 hours
Throw Ratio	0.16	0.2
Smart OS	—	Google TV

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