The art director is convinced that this is the future: Experience of the ultra-short-throw 4K laser projector "LG HU85LS"

Turn your home into a movie theater. This is an overused adjective. From cathode-ray tubes to LCDs, PDPs (plasma), and organic ELs. It has been used repeatedly as monitor displays have become larger and higher definition devices.

The same can be said for projectors that began to be introduced for home use in the 1990s. I will refrain from going into details, but we have continued to evolve from CRT (cathode-ray tube) to LCD (liquid crystal transmissive) and DLP with digital technology, and light sources have diversified from lamps to LEDs and lasers.

It wouldn't be fair to say that in retrospect, but in the past, the beauty and power of the projected images, and the immersive feeling that accompanied them, weren't comparable to movie theaters. But even so, the mantra of turning your home into a movie theater has been chanting for half a century. As the epitome of a lifestyle that everyone can envision and yearn for.

In short, it was a dream that would come in the near future, and one of the goals of a lifestyle.

I'll say it again. Your home becomes a movie theater. Without a doubt, the ultra-single-focus 4K laser projector LG HU85LS will finally (I think it's fair to say) our long-held dream come true.

Implementing in "Shiroi 3D"

This time, I visited the workshop of the design office "Shiroi 3D" to experience this state-of-the-art projector. Shohei Yoshida, an art director and graphic designer, presides over it. When the "LG HU85LS" was installed in one corner of his work desk, he seemed surprised at its shape.

Shohei Yoshida | SHOHEI YOSHIDAArt director and designer. Born in Hiroshima Prefecture in 1985. After graduating from Kuwasawa Design School, worked at Nakamura Graph and became independent in 2016. Established his own atelier "Shiroi Teitai". In recent years, he has been designing photobooks, books, catalogs, etc., and directing exhibition visuals. He also creates collage works using paper and books as motifs. Works include "KASABUTA" (WALL), "Shinjuku (Collage)" (numabooks), and "Trans-Siberian Railway" (white solid). www.shiroi-rittai.com

"It's very simple. When you think of a projector, you think of it as something with a big lens and a round shape. Personally, I don't like streamlined shapes, and I like angular ones. So I can relate to that. Although it is a digital device, it has a classic appearance.It has a modest presence that is incomparable to an LCD TV, and it seems to fit in with various spaces.”

While the white-based steel body is minimalistic, Kvadrat's fabric is used on the front with built-in speakers. The elegant and warm light gray texture of a textile manufacturer with a long history in Denmark creates a pleasant contrast.

Now set up. However, it is surprisingly easy. Simply place it at least 5.6cm away from the wall, plug it in, access Wi-Fi, and sync your YouTube, Netflix and other accounts. All you have to do is adjust the angle while watching the projected image, and if necessary, do "12 point edge adjustment". Keystone correction and distortion due to uneven walls and screens can be corrected while visually checking.

"I thought it was flat, but when I projected it, the wall was surprisingly slightly distorted. I wonder if this correction function is quite important. Now what should I watch?"

Luxury and rationality of 120 inches in 4K

"Any movie except horror that makes you startle". Yoshida, who is also a heavy user of Netflix, says. In relation to his work, I can't help but pay attention to the title design and the fonts used in the credits.

“I use European typefaces at work, but of course I don’t use them in my daily life. It's the work of people who live in the city, so I can learn a lot about font trends."

However, other than movie theaters, the main viewing environment has been PC monitors and small LCD TVs at home. It was difficult to check the details of the typeface. Of course, if it is a large screen of "LG HU85LS", it is also possible.

"Alfonso Cuarón's 'ROMA', or more recently '7500'. Maybe you'll want to revisit the works whose opening and title designs caught your attention. The colors and contrast are beautiful, so you should feel differently. Also, it might be a good idea to project the movie you like the soundtrack instead of the soundtrack.With this projector, you can project even when it's bright, and the sound quality is clear.It's a luxury."

Yes. "LG HU85LS" uses a laser diode. Achieving a brightness of 2,700 lumens, it is possible to project images without darkening the room. Moreover, since it has independent light sources for each of the three primary colors of light, RGB, it has a wide color gamut and high definition. In other words, there is a concrete technology that turns a private space into a movie theater.

Of course, so the price is not easy. However, compared to TVs of the same size (although 80 to 90 inches is the largest for consumers) and image quality (4K), this is the winner. And if it doesn't project, it doesn't take up walls or space (extremely, it's a size and weight that can be put away). In other words, it is also an extremely rational device.

"Sure, it's reasonable. And if you want a big TV, you can't feel like that. TV has a strong presence in the space for its single function of 'projecting images'. This time. As I was watching it, I thought, projectors are going to be more and more replaced in the future.Comparing them to physical monitors makes me think that more and more.”

The question is the creativity of viewing

While sometimes surprised and sometimes overwhelmed by the projected images, I suddenly realized something.

"My eyes don't get tired. If I was watching the same size monitor at the same distance, I might not be able to watch it for so long."

Whether it is liquid crystal or organic EL, the monitor is a mechanism in which the screen emits light. Therefore, it is bright and high-definition, but it is also an act of looking directly at the light, which puts a lot of strain on the eyes. Projection, on the other hand, is projection onto a wall or screen. It is said that the eyes do not get tired easily because they just look at the image created by the light.

In that case, I darkened the room and projected the bonfire movie (4K) posted on YouTube. In 2013, Norwegian public broadcaster NRK tried out an eight-hour bonfire-only program that spread around the world. It has quietly gained popularity even during the stay-at-home period of the corona wreck.

"This is amazing. It's very relaxing, and if you drink some wine, you'll be able to watch it forever (laughs). The question is 'how to use this projector.' Watching your favorite movies and dramas Of course, I feel like there are other ways to use the camera to bring out this performance.

Ultra single focus 4K laser projector "LG HU85LS". The beauty of images, the immersive feeling of a large screen, the fulfillment and rationality of a product. By providing them at a higher level, the private space has definitely become a movie theater. Or rather, apparently more than that. This is because they want not only to watch the video content they want to see, but also to have an unprecedented viewing experience. In other words, images and people form a more creative relationship. I can imagine such a future.

[ LG HU85LS ]