LG Ultra Short Throw Smart Home Theater Projector

Product Description

LG Electronics PF1000U Ultra Short Throw Smart Home Theater Projector. Full HD (1920 x 1080) can project up to 100 inches from 15 inches away. LG Smart TV compatible. Wirelessly connects (DNLA, Miracast, WiDi). Bluetooth sound out. Up to 1000 lumens. 30,000 hour lamp life (LED).

Features

• Ultra Short Throw; projection image : 100"@15 inch (from back side to screen)
• Full HD (1920 x 1080) with up to 1000 lumens
• Wireless Connection (DLNA, Miracast, WiDi)
• Full-array LED backlighting and local dimming produces excellent picture quality

Top Reviews

Flawed, but then again there's nothing else quite like it
by Steven Hughes (4 out of 5 stars)
February 7, 2017

I had a hard time picking a star-scale rating for this projector. On one hand, most of the negative reviews you'll see have valid concerns. Poor black uniformity, finicky alignment, fan noise, and sub-par brightness are all indeed issues here when you compare to other LED projectors. If I'm judging on image quality alone for the price range, I'd only give two or three stars.

However, that wouldn't be fair because it's a matter of apples and oranges here. If you're set on going LED, and you're set on going UST, and you're set on parting with a reasonably low sum of money, this is basically your only option.

All that said, after doing research and then getting the projector, it actually surpassed my expectations. My two main dings are that I wish the fan were a little quieter on the full brightness setting, and I wish it had the same 1400 lumens as it's non-UST LG sibling. For shows and movies, I usually bump it down to medium on the eco/power saver setting, which makes it marginally dimmer but significantly quieter. The black uniformity really doesn't bother me at all, since I only notice it when literally the entire screen goes black.

I have mine paired up with a white 92" silver ticket screen which I hung from the ceiling using some small black decorative chain in the corner of my basement. I think going a little smaller than the advertised 100" helps mitigate the low brightness (plus it happened to fit better in my unusual corner-mount situation). It's not as bad with small amounts of ambient light as I expected, unless you're watching something with lots of super dark scenes. For instance, it's perfectly acceptable to watch a football game with a couple lamps in the room turned on. Overall I am very pleased with the setup, especially considering I could just plop the projector right down where my TV used to be. It took a few minutes to get it aligned for my picky eyes, but I was eventually able to get it where the edges appear to be a perfect rectangle, meeting the edge of the screen without cutting anything off, and the focus looks sharp and uniform. Blu-ray movies look really stellar on it. When I sit closer up I do miss the additional clarity of my 4K TV (now in our bedroom), but from the couch I usually sit on everything looks very clear.

To sum up... only buy this if:
- You really need/want ultra short throw setup, even at the expense of some image quality
- You can control the lighting in your room, or if you only watch at night
↭ 🍁 ↭
Huge screen and great quality
by Houdini_Unchained (5 out of 5 stars)
July 18, 2016

I could go into the details on this projector, but check out my pictures for examples and details. A picture is is worth a thousand words.

As mentioned in other reviews, the screen goes over 100 inches and still maintains good focus and quality. The only drawback I have is that the projector has to be lower to the ground to attain the larger screen size. I purchased the Furinno 11174 table is perfect for this and has the right hight for getting a large screen. At 22 inches from the wall, my screen size is 135 inches. My onkyo ls-t10 sound base sits perfectly in it and my Yamaha Srt-1000 sits fleshly square on top of it.

I've used the antenna and OTA TV functions are great with an "on now" feature that downloads program art. See my pictures.

I've used the 3D feature and it's good as well, even though it's active instead of passive.

Watchable in ambient lighting, but the darker the better ;-)

Fan is only noticeable when the energy saving mode is set to the minimum. Not much of an issue or deal breaker quite frankly.

You can buy a screen if you need to, but I use my bare wall that's painted white and has no imperfections.

I highly recommend it after a months worth of rigorous use. You can't get much better than this little guy, pound for pound.

So nice, I might get another one. It won't replace my Panasonic LED tv, but that's only by a slim margin. So easy to set up.
↭ 🍁 ↭
Love this thing. Will probably buy a second one!
by Bill E (5 out of 5 stars)
July 11, 2016

I'm no home theater expert, but I did a couple of months of research before deciding on this projector. I liked the idea of not needing to ceiling mount it or have it on a shelf behind the seats, and I am so glad I went for it. Having it sitting right next to all the A/V equipment is a great convenience. And nobody can walk in front of the beam at parties. I don't have a lot of material to compare against, but I am extremely satisfied with the brightness, color fidelity and overall performance of this projector. It's much, much better than I expected. The 3D experience is really amazing, if just a bit dim when there's a lot of ambient light in the room. (Get the IMAX Under the Sea 3D Blu-ray to demo this thing if you want to impress your friends!) Overall it's a lot of fun for a minimal setup headache.

Two friends, both in the market for projectors, who came to see it in action both left convinced to buy one themselves. And both had been leaning towards other, more expensive, standard-throw projectors beforehand.

Pros:
- Amazing picture and color, and brightness is impressive for a 1000-lumen projector
- Having it up near the screen and receiver is a huge benefit (though it may not be for everyone)
- Small, very lightweight and portable
- It can throw much bigger than the rated 100". I had it bigger than 120" and still resolving/focusing fine.
- Really cool technology, if you care about that sort of thing. Go science!
- 3D experience is incredible with some cheap DLP-Link glasses, and works from lots of sources
- Bluetooth sound output makes even less wiring hassle (though I haven't tried multichannel audio with Bluetooth yet)
- Intuitive UI with just enough depth of configuration
- Apps are decent; it's nice having most video sources in one place

Cons:
- Fan noise is a little noticeable when in "screw global warming" mode
- Because of the nature of the ultra-short-throw it is a bit fiddly to get the geometry perfect while maintaining focus in all 4 corners
- On-screen mouse cursor is a little too easy to activate (don't leave the remote somewhere where it might roll around- it's not flat)
↭ 🍁 ↭
Arguably the Best Consumer Grade Ultra Short Throw LED Projector Available As Of 2015, But...
by Rabid Bibliophile (5 out of 5 stars)
February 28, 2016

After comparing this to the Philips Ultra Short Throw LED projector, I decided to order this one, and I've been satisfied with it, but there are some caveats that you should consider before buying any Ultra Short Throw projector. (I decided against the Philips model even though it came with better speakers, because the Philips Ultra Short Throw projector is reputed to have unacceptably low picture quality.)

Here's the most important caveat to consider if you're trying to decide between an ultra short throw projector and a conventional back-of-the-room projector: With an ultra short throw projector, because of the geometry involved, minor undulations in the flatness of the screen will show up as wavy sections in the projected image. These are most noticeable in videos when the camera pans. (I first noticed it in a Rick Steves travel video--they like to pan across landscapes.) When that happens you can see a bit of the landscape going up and down as the camera pans across it. I've grown accustomed to it, and I like having the projector with the rest of the a/v equipment at the front of the room rather than separated by long wires leading to a projector at the back of the room, so I won't be switching back to a conventional projector anytime soon.

Another unique characteristic of this type of projector, aligning the projector, took a little getting used to, since I was accustomed to aligning a projector at the back of the room, but it wasn't very difficult. Also, the top corners of the projected image aren't quite square. This, I think, is an artifact of the radical lens and mirror design needed for this type of projector. It doesn't bother me.

The remote is ergonomic and easy to use, and has raised shapes on the buttons so you can feel them in the dark. The mute button on the remote is conveniently located at bottom center, so it's easy to find. But, if you happen to double-click the mute button, it brings up a menu for a function most people will never use--something related to the TV tuner, I think--which is annoying.

The layout of the settings menus seems disorganized, and some of the menu items are fairly cryptic. Expect to spend some time poking around the menu system, and perhaps googling for answers if you're persnickety about projector settings. I wanted to turn off the overscan, and it took quite a while to figure out how to do it. The menu designers call that setting "Just Scan" and you'll find it under the aspect ratio settings.

Noise is another potential issue. This projector is slightly louder than my previous projector, an Optoma HD70. This is particularly evident at the default brightness setting. The fan noise has a slight whine to it as well. I found that the noise could be reduced to a tolerable level if I set the "Power Saver" mode to moderate. (That reduces brightness slightly, and since the projector is consuming less power and therefore producing less heat, the fan runs slower and more quietly.)

Picture quality, though, is amazing. (Aside from the projection issues related to screen flatness that I mentioned earlier.) We're pleased with the contrast and color saturation, even when projecting an image in excess of recommendations. We backed the projector away from the wall a bit more than recommended so that we get a really big picture. I should mention that I'm projecting against an untextured wall we've painted white with regular latex paint--not a special projection screen paint. They say some types of projection screens, and probably some projection screen coatings aren't appropriate for ultra short throw projectors, so keep that in mind when preparing your screen.

Oh, I almost forgot: The built-in speaker is awful by practically anyone's standards, and the "smart TV" functions are worthless to me. I bought a pair of Bose computer speakers ($99) and plugged them into the headphone jack to easily solve the sound problem without inordinate complication. I found that LG's smart TV functions and apps were inferior to my Amazon FireTV, so I use that instead of the built-in smart TV functions. One might also consider either a Roku or Apple TV.
↭ 🍁 ↭
Great if short throw required! Nice projector. Over priced, but not for short throw types, Low light
by M. K. Mcgregor (5 out of 5 stars)
September 12, 2016

This is an excellent projector, but as described in other reviews its brightness (lumens output) is not great; actually it's low relative to other projectors. In room with windows, it will be difficult to use unless it's dusk or dark outside. In a dark room, its very good. This projector actually has a lot of features, and the short throw allows for many creative uses. However, it's price for the light output is high, making this more of a need to have based on a short throw requirement rather than buy this over other brighter solutions. It's clever, cute, well built, easy to user, but too expensive to be a good buy unless needed. Price for the type of projector is good, but other normal throw units are a better value. I could not deduct any stars since it does what it states. It may not work for my needs, but it's still a very good projector for what it does.
↭ 🍁 ↭
Great for projection on your ceiling!
by Caerbannog (5 out of 5 stars)
March 22, 2016

We love this device! We mount in on the wall in our bedroom and turned out bedroom ceiling into a 140" theater-like screen. Resolution and focus is great as is the brightness (dark room is best of course).

We picked up two hex-head screws (see image) at the hardware store to attach the projector to this mount. Easy on-off with fingers only. We don't tighten it too tight because then it lets us fine tune the hang-angle of the projector when it's on the wall. When we're done watching a movie we just pop the projector off the wall and hang a picture. Super easy!

The radio-based remote that comes with the PF1000U is a *great design* - just shake it whenever you want to wake it up or reset it to the angle you're currently using it at.

We do wish it had Amazon Prime Video streaming built-in. We use a firestick with the projector which works just fine.

One odd thing we experienced when we were setting up the projector was that the MAC address it lists in its device/about page doesn't seem to be the MAC of the WiFi NIC. So if you have a MAC whitelist enabled on your WAP you'll want to just disable that temporarily, and also make sure your WAP's SSID is visible, otherwise it's a royal pain to get the projector to connect initially. Once you're connected, you can then determine the MAC address of the WiFi NIC and add it to your whitelist and then stop broadcasting your SSID and re-enable your MAC whitelist in your WAP. Aside from that, setup is a piece of cake.

UPDATE:

Well it's been a while since we first installed this projector and I thought I'd let you all know that it's still working great. Zero issues. So happy with this device and this install method. I love being able to watch a show and then hit the power button and instantly doze off. It's perfect. :)

UPDATE2 : ADDED ANOTHER PHOTO - The amazon link (which I have no removed/edited from this review) to the TV Mount that we're using, which works perfectly for this, is no longer a valid link. However I do still have an image of it and so I'll simply add the image of the mount to this review. Hopefully you can track it down if you try to replicate this setup.

UPDATE 3: Although the mount that we're using is no longer available on Amazon, I found another mount that appears to be very similar. It's this one:

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B071VCYBXW?tag=c-t-20

We purchased a second identical projector shortly after the first, and both are still working great. My son likes to turn his entire bedroom wall into a huge game screen for his XBox. It's crazy immersive.
↭ 🍁 ↭
Surprisingly, this thing actually works!
by Dem Pilafian (5 out of 5 stars)
February 4, 2017

Awesome! This is the future... big screen without having to mount anything. Brightness and image resolution are pretty darn good (but ultra short throw might not be appropriate for a high-end home theater). I have it hooked up to my Apple TV, and it works well.

This projector is 5 stars, but some items to keep in mind:
1) Moderate texture on drywalls casts small shadows (but only visible if you look for them)
2) Small unevenness on the wall will cause some distortion (but very minor, hardly noticeable)
3) Colors wash out quickly as you adjust up the brightness (default brightness is fine though)
4) You really need external speakers (it's pointless for this projector to even have built-in speakers)
5) Be very careful not to accidentally look into the mirror... your retinas will have burn marks for 20 minutes!
↭ 🍁 ↭
Deteriorating image sharpness over time
by Dawn (2 out of 5 stars)
March 14, 2018

The concept of this projector is genius which is why we bought it - you get a 60-100 inch "TV screen" in a tiny light weight box.

However, there are some implementation issues with the lamp/optics that really hinders the overall experience.

We have used the product for 1 year and 4 months (but only about 300 hours of lamp run time). After about 12 months (conveniently right after the 1 year warranty expired) the image started to get blurry/hazy on the upper right quadrant. We've contact LG and after a LOT of back and forth they offered a courtesy repair. We shipped the unit and it came back with a clear image and the software stated that the lamp had 1 hour of use so I guess they replaced it. Four months later, the same issue returned only this time HALF the image is blurry.

Contracting LG again, they explained that the unit is out of warranty and that we can fix it for $160 plus tax. Could be an issue with a faulty unit, but figured I'd share this review.

One more thing - the Smart TV software this model runs is not the Android LG software other LG Smart TVs run. There is not Play store and it's not possible to add/remove applications.
↭ 🍁 ↭
Great portable short-throw projector
by James-04595 (4 out of 5 stars)
January 20, 2017

This is a great little projector that gives a 60" - 100" image from a very short distance. You can sit the projector on a TV bench just a few inches in front of a wall and get an 80-inch image easily.

I'm dropping one point only because the nature of this UST projector means that it is very demanding on the quality of the projection surface. You need a superflat wall, or perhaps a fixed frame screen with uniform tension. Roll-up and roll-down screens are unlikely to be sufficiently flat; this limits the versatility of the projector somewhat.

Overall: great if you're looking for ultra short throw. I'd recommend to a friend with the above caveats.
↭ 🍁 ↭
Great picture, but extremely sensitive to placement
by N.S. (4 out of 5 stars)
February 18, 2017

Pros:
- Fantastic picture quality and contrast in a dark room. Any ambient light will seriously wash out the image.
- Form factor. This thing is tiny and can easily fit on top of your media center.

Cons:
- Extremely sensitive to positioning. Read: to get your optimal image size, you need to place this at an exact position away from the wall and up off the floor. There is no zoom or lens shift adjustment. This will likely affect the maximum height of your media center if you are planning to put this on top of it. For my viewing height (~28" floor to bottom of the projector screen, 100" diagonal), this meant that the stand/media center could be no more than 16" off the floor. You cannot tilt the projector and adjust skew later because half of the image will be out of focus. Also, be wary of screen borders. If the borders are frame-like and not completely flush with the screen, you may get a shadow from the bottom edge of the frame on the bottom of the screen from the upward angle of projection.
- Fan noise. It can be noticeable in quiet scenes.

*If this is not the "LG Ultra Short Throw Smart Home Theater Projector" product you were looking for, you can check the other results by clicking this link.  Details were last updated on Mar 31, 2024 12:38 +08.