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Head-to-head · Best Ultra Short Throw Laser Projectors

Epson QS100 3LCD Ultra Short Throw Laser Projector vs Hisense PT1

Which is the better buy? Side-by-side on rating, price, strengths, and watch-outs — with the published ratings we averaged to get there.

The short answer

Epson QS100 3LCD Ultra Short Throw Laser Projector comes out ahead by a narrow margin (4.5 vs 4.2). The gap is mostly about Professional installers seeking high brightness and HDR — read the strengths below before deciding.

Epson QS100 3LCD Ultra Short Throw Laser Projector
Higher ratedRanked #2 in Best Ultra Short Throw Laser Projectors
Epson QS100 3LCD Ultra Short Throw Laser Projector
$2,251.36as of Jul 7

The Epson QS100 is a premium 4K PRO-UHD ultra-short-throw laser projector designed for custom installations and high-end home theaters. Reviewers noted its excellent brightness at 4,500 lumens and dynamic HDR tone mapping capabilities, though it falls short of true 4K resolution with native 1080P 3LCD panels. While it offers extensive picture adjustment options suitable for professional calibration, its native contrast is described as good but not great. This projector is tailored for users who already have or plan to build sophisticated audio environments rather than casual consumers seeking an all-in-one solution.

Strengths
  • — Excellent brightness with 4,500 lumens output
  • — Dynamic HDR tone mapping enabled by 32-bit QZX Picture Processor
  • — Good color reproduction with native 1080P 3LCD panels
Watch-outs
  • — Native resolution is 1080P, not true 4K
  • — Lower than ideal native contrast ratio
$2,251.36 · Check Price on AmazonFull review →
Hisense PT1
Ranked #4 in Best Ultra Short Throw Laser Projectors
Hisense PT1
$2,197.97as of Jul 7

The Hisense PT1 is an excellent budget option for ultra-short throw home theater projection, featuring an RGB laser light engine with 110% BT.2020 color gamut coverage. ProjectorCentral's Al Griffin called it a 'great value' with 'crisp 4K detail and extended color gamut coverage' suitable for movie watching. The built-in 2.0.2-channel speaker array handles Dolby Atmos and DTS:X well, though brightness is average and grayscale errors occur in Filmmaker Mode on certain screens. It's recommended for light-controlled environments and screens up to 120 inches.

Strengths
  • — RGB laser light source with Rec.2020 gamut coverage
  • — Built-in Dolby Atmos/DTS:X sound support
  • — Good contrast and brightness uniformity
Watch-outs
  • — Average brightness
  • — Relatively high grayscale errors in Filmmaker Mode
$2,197.97 · Check Price on AmazonFull review →

How they stack up

Epson QS100 3LCD Ultra Short Throw Laser Projector

The Epson QS100 delivers excellent brightness at 4,500 lumens and dynamic HDR tone mapping, outperforming the Hisense L9Q and JMGO O2S Ultra in this regard. However, it falls short of true 4K resolution compared to the Hisense PT1 and NexiGo Aurora Pro MKII, and lacks Dolby Vision support unlike the Hisense L9Q.

Hisense PT1

The Hisense PT1 offers a budget-friendly RGB laser solution with good contrast and built-in Dolby Atmos support, unlike the JMGO O2S Ultra which lacks smart features. While it provides 110% BT.2020 color gamut coverage, the Hisense L9Q outperforms it in brightness and HDR formats, though the PT1 is better suited for light-controlled environments.

Specs side-by-side

SpecEpson QS100 3LCD Ultra Short Throw Laser ProjectorHisense PT1
Brightness4,500 lumens2,500 ANSI lumens
Resolution1080P4K
Contrast Ratio5,000,000:13,000:1
Light SourceBlue laser phosphorRGB laser
Color Gamut100% BT.2020110% BT.2020
Laser Life20,000 hours25,000 hours
Throw Ratio0.160.2
Smart OS—Google TV
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