When I would think of laser televisions, I’d always picture the dodgy projector screen my primary school classrooms had, one that made the image look dreadful and without any sort of substance. I then saw Hisense’s 2023 laser range at CES earlier this year and didn’t actually realise what I was watching was an image projected onto a screen until I was told. It took me a few months, but I finally got to spend a few hours with a laser TV, the Hisense 120-inch TriChroma Laser TV Series L9H, a laser TV that is so far removed from the idea of a shitty, stained tan projector screen. It was gorgeous and, as the headline already told you, it made everything feel like a movie and the whole room feel like a cinema.
Usually with reviews, we get sent the product to use how we would in normal life. Unfortunately, my very small Sydney apartment does not allow for a 120-inch screen to be attached to a wall, nor do my cats allow for a piece of kit like the TriChroma Laser TV to sit untouched. So, instead, I spent a few hours in the offices of the PR agency Hisense uses in Australia, sitting on the lounge with endless snacks and absolutely no desire to leave and return to my normal life.
Here are my thoughts on the Hisense TriChroma Laser TV L9H.
Hisense TriChroma Laser TV L9H – plus 120-inch screen
Hisense’s 2023 L9H TriChroma Laser TV series is available with both 100- and 120-inch options. It boasts 4K picture, Dolby Vision HDR, and the company’s Ambient Light Rejection (ALR) screen. The screen comes rolled up in a box, yes, a box. As it was set up in a meeting room that was converted to a mini cinema, I didn’t get to experience the set-up, but from some vids the Canadian outpost of Hisense has shared on YouTube, it looks easy enough.
The best way to think about the TriChroma laser is that it behaves much the same as every other Hisense TV. It has the same operating system (Hisense Vidaa), the same settings (save for the fact it offers calibration settings for the screen and projector), and the same apps.
For the TV nerds out there, the TriChroma Laser TV reaches 3000 ANSI Lumens, and boasts three pure colour lasers, which Hisense reckons means the L9H boasts natural and realistic colour representation, even with the lights on.
The TriChroma also has Dolby Vision HDR and 40W Dolby Atmos sound.
But how does it look?
Not how I was expecting
The first thing you notice with the laser is just the sheer freaking size of it – the 120-inch screen is absolutely huge. Opening Netflix, I put on Wednesday – and while I’ve seen the entire show already, I haven’t seen it at 120-inches. I was also mostly curious as to whether being this size, and also laser, you’d lose anything in the picture. The texture on the floor Wednesday was walking on through the school corridor – actually just the detail in her eyelashes, the reflection on the glasses of the mean girls – everything was crystal clear, crisp, as if she was right in front of me.
Wednesday turned out to be the perfect example of testing the TriChroma L9H, as it allowed me to see that Hisense was still considering contrast, even with the Laser TV. The blacks were black, but the colours were also bright without being over-saturated.
The TV auto-selected ‘Cinema Night’ mode for Wednesday, and flipping between that and ‘Cinema Day’, turning the lights on in the room, there wasn’t any brightness or contrast loss.
Bastille Day, which although came out in 2016 was still prepared in HD, and offered a similar experience, one that wasn’t lost when more fast-paced action scenes kicked in.
I found myself sitting mostly with the lights off – not because I couldn’t see the screen in the light, but because with the TriChroma Laser TV, Hisense has fabricated an environment akin to a cinema. This was bad, because I found myself flipping though only action movies after Bastille Day – although, this did result in me down a YouTube rabbit hole watching old-school action movie clips. The quality wasn’t great, but I didn’t want it to be. When Face/Off renders in a way comparable to Bold and the Beautiful, that’s when you know the upscaling/AI has gone too far; thankfully, the TriChroma let it feel like it was a movie that just had its 26th birthday.
Carrying this idea, but via a streaming service this time, The Truman Show gave me confirmation that the L9H wasn’t going to overcook the picture, nor make my eyes strain trying to visualise the sad eyes on Jim Carey’s character.
On Disney+, I wanted to test a TV show, and surprising to no one, the Hisense TriChroma Laser made Only Murders in the Building feel like a movie. Solar Opposites rendered like it was being drawn right in front of me in a super hi-res image. So did The Simpsons.
Popping on a gorgeous 4K David Attenborough special, there was no loss of hair texture or softness, and I still felt like I could reach out and give these cute little guys a pat. (Please note the photo below isn’t doing the quality of the screen justice).
The only content I didn’t love watching on this was sport, because it was too big and I found myself losing the ball. The motion was smooth, however, and colour was handled well by the TV.
I could go on listing everything I watched, but the point I need to get across is “Wow”.
It was only once I returned to the home screen that I noticed the writing carried a tiny blur. By that I mean you can tell that it’s not a fixed picture. Unlike the picture within a movie, the selection screen that gave me a synopsis was softer, a mix between the pixels fighting to be so big and the contrast between a dark background and white text. Subtitles on content was fine, however, it was just on a static background it was a tad annoying. Maybe it’s my eyes….
But how does it sound?
You’d want a sound system to match the picture
During my time with the Hisense TriChroma Laser TV L9H, the volume never went above 20 – and that’s not just because I was in an office meeting room, it genuinely would’ve been way too loud if I went any higher. 20, mind you, was only one-fifth of the total. I didn’t want to push it to max, even for content.
The room itself was only maybe 10-15 inches wider than the screen, so 130-140 inches. Length was maybe 1.5x as it was wide. Small room, perfect viewing distance, but definitely not the space to push the sound. Besides, you can add soundbars or speakers to the system if you want to fully commit to the cinema vibe. It does add to the overall cost, though – the Hisense U5120G Dolby Atmos Sound Bar with Wireless Subwoofer will set you back $699. While I didn’t need a sound system in the space I had, it’s not necessarily reflective of a proper cinema room and I’m sure you’d lose some of the magic without it.
Anything else?
The Hisense TriChroma Laser TV has a failsafe to protect your eyes/those of pets or children. If it senses that you’re in front of the laser beam, it’ll cut out the projection. Smart. That thing is bright.
Should you buy the Hisense TriChroma Laser TV?
It has a completely different vibe. Although the screen was huge, and I was merely three metres away from the screen, I didn’t feel like my head was tilting all over the place, trying to sort of find focus on everything all at once. But as much as I’ve had my mind changed about laser TVs, I couldn’t possibly see it working in my apartment. At my parent’s house, the only thing preventing me from saying it will work there is the height of their ceiling. All of that is my personal limitations, though, and if you’re laser TV curious, and have the space (and the money), you should definitely consider looking at Hisense TriChroma (and inviting me over to watch it). It’s great quality and offers a TV- and movie-watching experience unlike any other. If you’re a movie die-hard, you’ll love the Hisense L9H. It’s a really premium proposition, but I’m just not sure laser will take over a TV on a stand any time soon.
Where to buy it
The Good Guys $7,995 (120-inch) | JB Hi-Fi $7,495 (120-inch)
Image: Asha Barbaschow/Gizmodo Australia