Michael Hamilton

As with many communities across the USA, the Tampa Bay area has implemented ATSC 3.0 broadcasting, which has been in service for over a year. Well, of sorts…

PRICE $1,799

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Wide color gamut
Superb lens with state-of-the-art autofocus
Auto keystone correction
Comprehensive suite of non-global calibration controls
Stylish, conversation-starting design
Minus
Physical placement determines image size
Input lag is tolerable only for casual gaming
Lacks codecs like VVC likely to be used with future 8K content
No carrying handle

THE VERDICT
A quality 300" image from a grab-n-go projector? You’ll have fun, fun, fun until daddy takes the C1 away! (Humblest apologies to Brian Wilson and Mike Love).

Always up for a projector review, I quickly responded, “Send it my way!” when asked about the Hisense C1, though admittedly, at the time, I was unfamiliar with this new model. Having previously reviewed the UST Hisense PX1-Pro and been impressed by its triple-laser light engine—giving it an S&V Top Pick—I was keen to explore any advances made by the self-proclaimed pioneer in Laser TV in the dynamically evolving projector technology category.

PRICE $3,500

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Ultra-wide color gamut
Terrific lens for impressive focus
Built-in (ATSC 1.0) tuner
Minus
No dynamic tone mapping
Netflix not part of the Android bundle
Tuner doesn’t support ATSC 3.0

THE VERDICT
With its onboard streaming capability and TV tuner, the Hisense PX1-Pro comes about as close as you can to the proverbial “Home Theater in a Box” concept—one that that lets you savor big-screen fun without leaving home.

Hisense is known by Sound & Vision cognoscenti as a brand taking ambitious steps to spotlight itself as an innovator in leading-edge television technologies with pricing it terms affordable. For those who do not peruse our pages, the Hisense name may be more closely identified with refrigerators and other home appliances. But as a manufacturer in the consumer electronics space, especially one in the business of making flat-panel televisions and projectors, you can legitimately claim to "have arrived" when your products occupy rack space in Costco alongside the best-known brands in TV.