The name Leica is well known for its high quality cameras and other optics-based equipment like binoculars and scopes. The company also worked with JMGO on the O1 Pro ultra-short throw projector, a Best in Show at the ProjectorCentral Projection Expo 2021, and just this past August announced a partnership with Hisense to produce a new Laser TV ultra-short throw projector. The Cine 1, announced at the IFA conference in Berlin, is the fruit of that collaboration and Leica's first UST.
Details about the Cine 1 are still being revealed—and since the projector is still going through development, those details could change—but as it currently stands, the Leica Cine 1 is a single 0.47-inch DLP chip, tri-laser 4K (3840x2160) projector that will use Leica's Summicron lens with aspherical elements to insure a crystal clear picture from edge to edge and have a 0.25 throw ratio. Rec. 2020 gamut coverage is listed at greater than 95%. There are two versions of the Cine 1 in development, an 80-inch and a 100-inch version, that have a light output of 2,100 and 2,500 lumens, respectively.
The Cine 1 will use the Hisense VIDAA 6.0 streaming OS platform (the US version will reportedly run Android TV), and have a Dolby Atmos 4.0-channel speaker system rated at 2x20 watts. Connections include two HDMI 2.1 and one HDMI 2.0 (one of those three will have ARC support, but it's unclear which), two USB (one 2.0 and one 3.0), optical S/PDIF, two RF tuners, headphone/audio out (with any luck this will support the addition of a subwoofer), and the common interface (CI+) port used to support subscription TV services.
Note that although some current Hisense UST projectors boast HDMI 2.1 ports and the ability to accept 4K/120 Hz signals, limitations in the current generation DLP chipsets that are endemic to the industry force those high frame rate signals to be displayed at 60 Hz. It's unclear if the timing of the Cine 1 models, due out next year, will be able to enjoy the updated DLP technology that projector makers are still waiting for to satisfy the needs of gamers seeking high frame rate at 4K combined with low input lag.
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The projector measures 5.87x23.62x14.88 inches (HWD) and weighs 28.66 pounds. Pricing for the 100-inch version is expected to be $7,900, while the 80-inch version will be $6,900. Global rollout is planned for 2023, starting in Europe in Q2, followed by China in Q3 and the US in Q4.