Hisense 120-Inch 4K Ultra HD Smart Dual Color Laser TV (120L10E) Review

LCD and OLED panels top out at around 80 inches, so if you want a bigger TV than that, you need to get a projector.

The Laser TV series from Hisense offers an all-in-one projection system, including everything you need to get up and running with a 100-inch 4K picture.

The L8D Laser TV impressed us with the size and scope of its picture, but its color performance and brightness left something to be desired.

The L10E series (starting at $9,999.99 for the 100-inch model we tested) doubles the number of lasers in the projector (to two), producing impressive, accurate color performance its predecessor can't touch.

It still isn't particularly bright compared with LCD and OLED TVs, but it stands out as the best one-piece solution for a 100-inch (or 120-inch) picture, and our Editors' Choice.

Editors' Note: This review is based on tests performed on the 100L10E, the 100-inch model of the series.

Apart from the screen-size difference, the 120-inch $12,999.99 120L10E is identical in features, and we expect similar performance.

Design

The L10E is physically nearly identical to the single-laser L8D, consisting of a projector, a screen, and a wireless subwoofer.

The projector is a large 8.2-by-26.8-by-15.5-inch (HWD) black slab with speaker grille cloth on the flat front panel.

A silver band runs around the projector from the front edge of the bottom to the rear of the top, giving the system a slightly more distinctive look than simply a big box with light coming out of it.

An inverted pyramid-shaped recess covers half of the top panel of the projector, at the bottom of which is the light emitter.

All of the TV's ports sit on the left side of the back panel of the projector.

An antenna connector, a micro USB port for service, and an RS232 port face left, on the corner.

Four HDMI ports, RCA stereo and optical audio outputs, a 3.5mm audio input, an Ethernet port, two USB ports, and another 3.5mm port for service face back on the panel.

The projector is designed to be paired with a 100-inch projection screen, which is included.

It's a flat screen with a black frame, with a Hisense logo on the bottom edge.

It's meant to be mounted about nine inches from the short-throw projector.

The Laser TV features a Harman Kardon sound system, consisting of stereo speaker drivers facing forward on the projector itself and a 60-watt wireless subwoofer.

The subwoofer measures 13.2 by 6.2 by 14 inches, and is included along with the projector and the screen.

The remote is a slender, simple metal wand with a large square-shaped navigation pad surrounded by menu buttons.

Dedicated service buttons for Amazon, Netflix, YouTube, and a 4K Now menu that aggregates 4K content across multiple services sit above the navigation pad, with the power button and a pinhole microphone.

Volume and channel rockers, a mute button, and an MTS button sit below the pad.

The TV's interface is built on the Opera-based Vewd OS.

It's a simple connected TV platform with a small selection of streaming services like the aforementioned Amazon, Netflix, and YouTube, along with a web browser.

Hulu is missing, however, and the overall app library is microscopic compared with Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, or Roku TV.

Performance

The Hisense L10E series shows an ultra high-definition (UHD, or 4K) picture and supports high dynamic range (HDR) content in HDR-10.

It doesn't support Dolby Vision.

We test TVs using a Klein K-10A colorimeter, a Murideo SIX-G signal generator, and SpectraCal's CalMAN software using methodology based on Imaging Science Foundation's calibration procedures.

While Hisense calls its Laser line "TVs," they're projection systems and our LED and OLED panel testing procedures don't directly apply.

Because the screen is reflective and not emissive, we measure the picture from a distance of two feet, and do not calculate black level for effective contrast.

The L10E shows a peak brightness of 169.54cd/m², slightly brighter than the 158.58cd/m² of the L8E.

However, this reading is from HDR Vivid mode, with color temperature set to High, the coolest preset.

We set color temperatures to the warmest possible setting for the most accurate out-of-the-box experience, and in HDR Vivid mode that makes the peak brightness drop to 103.9cd/m².

The HDR Calibrated and HDR Theater modes both use the warmer color temperature settings, and show respective peak brightness levels of 107.43cd/m² and 100.54cd/m².

The above chart shows DCI-P3 color levels as boxes and measured color levels from the HDR Theater picture mode as dots.

We tested multiple picture modes including HDR Theater and HDR Calibrated for the best out-of-the-box performance, and curiously HDR Theater performed slightly better.

Both modes cover the full P3 color space, itself an impressive feat, but HDR Theater's cyans are more accurate and less green-tinted than HDR Calibrated.

Reds and blues are impressively rich, to the point of oversaturation when shown at their purest.

The TV is impressively accurate for the DCI-P3 color space, with the exception of the oversaturation and some slight shift in the cyans even in the HDR Theater mode.

For any very expensive TV you plan to make the centerpiece of your home theater, we recommend a professional calibration to make the colors perfect.

The L10E's 4K picture looks very crisp and smooth, even if it isn't as bright as LED TVs.

The colors in BBC's Planet Earth II look vivid and rich, from the yellows and oranges of desert sand to the blue-greens of the sea.

Sloth fur and tree bark show very fine detail, especially in bright sunlight; plants and animals in the shade still display fine texture, but darker shadows tend to swallow smaller details.

The TV in HDR Theater mode is very watchable even with fairly bright ceiling lighting.

Of course, the best theater experience is when the lights can be turned down, and that's the case for any TV.

For movies with a lot of dark objects, like The Great Gatsby, you really need to dim the lights to get the best effect from the L10E.

The TV shows plenty of texture in the black suits and dark hair of the party scene when viewed in a fairly dark room, but any significant overhead light overwhelms those details and turns them to black smears.

Skin tones look natural on the TV, and the contrasting whites of the party scene are bright and accurate.

The L10E's deep reds can be seen clearly in Deadpool, where Deadpool's costume looks properly blood-red even under the cool overcast lighting of the opening scene.

Skin tones also look very accurate and natural under the not-quite-sunny light.

The burning lab fight later in the film shows strong shadow and highlight details, from flickering contours of the bright yellow-orange of the flames, to clear texture of rubble and Deadpool's skin in the shadows cast by the fire.

Again, turning down your lights (where applicable) will give the best viewing experience.

Seeing the Big Picture

Hisense's new dual laser L10E series of projection TVs is a remarkable step up from its previous version, with far wider and more accurate colors.

It still isn't particularly bright, owing to its projector-based design, but it can tackle the full DCI-P3 color space out of the box with little issue, in a massive 100-inch 4K picture.

Projectors are currently the only feasible way to get a TV bigger than 80 inches, and Hisense's Laser TV is once again the best all-in-one package for just that, earning our Editors' Choice.

If you don't need a TV quite that big, you can save money and get a brighter picture with a 65- or 75-inch emissive TV, like the LG OLEDE8P or Samsung Q9FN.

Of course, that's a pretty significant compromise in screen size.

If 100 to 120 inches is the sweet spot for your home theater, and you have the budget for it, the Hisense L10E series delivers.