Our first test of the new LSP9T alias “The Premiere” already showed that Samsung had delivered an impressive debut in laser TV. With a triple tuner, the fully fledged smart operating system “Tizen” and a genuine RGB laser light source in which each primary colour is generated directly by its own laser diodes, the LSP9T is currently unrivalled and unique in many respects. All this comes at a price, though: with an RRP of around €6,500, the “big Premiere” is not affordable for everyone, even though there is no cheaper way to create a big picture (beyond 100") of this quality.
But the Korean electronics giant has also thought of those on a slightly tighter budget and is sending a little brother into the race with the LSP7T , which at an RRP of €3,500 costs almost half as much as the 9 model. To achieve this price, a few technical simplifications were necessary, which we highlight in this test special. How well does the 7 hold up against the 9 – and above all against current competitors from other manufacturers in the same price class? Cine4Home gives you the answers here and now…
Contents:
Chassis / setup
At first glance, the LSP7T looks as alike as two peas in a pod to the 9, which tempts you to think that no changes at all have been made to the chassis. This is undoubtedly true for design and build quality, but there is a small yet significant difference in setup… As a general rule for laser TVs: the less distance they need from the wall, the narrower the lowboard underneath can be and the more flexibly they can be integrated into the living room. The LSP9T is a model pupil in this discipline. An extremely short distance like that of the 9 model is optically very complex to achieve and correspondingly expensive; only the LG Vivo achieves such low values, and it too sits in a higher price class.
The cheaper LSP7T does not stand quite as close to the wall as its big brother, but with a total depth of 64 cm for a 100-inch screen (48 cm for the LSP9T), it is still within a range that allows almost any lowboard to be used; narrower models may need to be moved approx. 20 cm away from the wall.
There are no compromises in geometric correction, which is more than exemplary at Samsung: in addition to a simple “corner correction”, there is also a more complex alternative that allows the geometry within the image to be adjusted.
This also allows slight unevenness in the wall to be compensated for, which is not at all uncommon with drywall. Together with the electric focus adjustment and the automatically displayed test patterns, the LSP7T is aligned and ready to use in just a few minutes.
The image is created by a DLP chip with XPR shift technology, which generates the required 4K resolution of 3840x2160 pixels sequentially. Compared with its big brother, a smaller DLP chip with lower native resolution is used here, so the level of detail of the 9 model is not quite reached. Even so, the 7 is exemplarily sharp and technically on a par with other laser TVs in its price class (more on this in the picture test).
The light source is also constructed differently: the 7 is also a pure laser projector with a long-lasting light source like a conventional TV, but it does not use red and green lasers like the LSP9T.
Instead, only blue laser diodes provide the necessary light, some of which is converted into the other primary colours red and green by yellow phosphor. As a result, the 7 is not capable of such extremely intense colours – more on this in the picture test too.
As laser TVs are very light-intensive projection systems, they need powerful cooling, which comes with noise. And here too, the LSP7Tscores, as its cooling is pleasantly constant and unobtrusive, so it does not disturb film viewing.
Last but not least, there are the connections, where no compromises have been made compared with the big brother either: with a triple tuner (cable, satellite and terrestrial), the LSP7T has all the necessary TV reception options, and external players can be connected via three HDMI interfaces. Samsung has also given its laser TV a fully internet-capable smart operating system, “Tizen”, which brings us to the next category…
Operation as a TV
If you want to replace a conventional TV with a laser TV, it should also “feel” like a TV – in other words, operation should be identical. Samsung has taken this approach to heart: the LSP7T has the complete “Tizen” operating system integrated, with all the necessary streaming functions. There are no compromises compared with the 9 model, so our results are identical.
The conventional TV section is also indistinguishable from a “normal” TV
After initial setup, which includes a full channel scan and network login, the LSP7T is ready to use and from then on behaves like a modern smart TV: the Tizen home screen offers a selection of the most important streaming apps and, if you wish, presents the currently most successful series and films. Additional programs can be downloaded and installed from the app store, and your own content can be played at any time via the USB interfaces or the home network. The system runs largely smoothly and without “freezing”.
All TV channels can be sorted as you like and “zapped through”; alternatively, a channel list or a complete programme guide (EPG) is displayed. Switching times between channels are quick, so there is no frustration in everyday use.
All in all, the TV operating concept of the LSP7T can be rated as mature and capable. The structure for configuring picture parameters (and other device settings), on the other hand, is less successful. Although the options offered are extensive (we will go into them in more detail during the test), some are misleadingly labelled and too deeply nested.
In addition, many picture parameters cannot be moved within the image when in use and so often get in the way of a measuring sensor. Fortunately, a laser TV rarely needs configuring, so you are only occasionally exposed to this confusion. Once configured, you rarely need to make adjustments in the settings.
For control, Samsung has simply adopted the current remote of its regular TV models
Picture quality
So far, the relationship to its big brother, the LSP9T, brings numerous advantages in design, setup and operation – but where does the actual picture quality stand? Here are the most important results in a compact overview:
Brightness and contrast
A laser TV must achieve enormous amounts of light to hold its own against extraneous light (daylight/lamps) in everyday use. The principle here is: the more light output, the better. With a specified 2,200 lumens, the 7 model does not offer as much light output as the 9 model, but what matters is how many lumens remain with correct colour reproduction. At a maximum of 2,300 lumens measured by us, the specification is met in exemplary fashion, and not too much light is lost to good colour reproduction either: 2,130 lumens net can be converted into a good picture if you know how to configure the device correctly. This is not a top value for this price class, but it is enough for appealing laser TV brightness for screen sizes up to 120", provided direct light is avoided.
When it comes to native contrast, DLP-based laser TVs usually have their limitations, and the LSP7T is no exception: with an average contrast of 1,500:1, it provides appealing depth within an image, but this result is not enough for a truly dark black level (especially in combination with the high light output). In fact, with the LSP7T we did come across dynamic laser control – albeit more by chance, given the poor menu structure already criticised: while some colour modes work purely natively, the Normal mode dims the light source depending on the image content, thereby improving the black level in very dark scenes without highlights. This increases the dynamic range to 12,000:1 without producing overly distracting side effects. Apart from the Samsung, only the BenQ V6000 and the Optoma UHZ65UST offer dynamic dimming. Colour reproduction
Conventional TV material and most streaming services are still transmitted according to the classic “SDR” or HDTV standard, with the BT709 colour space that is backwards compatible with PAL. Modern laser TVs have no shortcomings in this respect, and neither does the LSP7T– it covers the colour space in exemplary fashion:
The factory settings show slight deviations, which (if desired) can be reduced further by subsequent calibration. Of particular interest here is the colour management, which at Samsung works on an RGB basis and thus allows direct adjustment without “bugs” (unlike many other colour management systems).
Good results are also recorded for colour temperature, so picture reproduction for SDR content is very good.
HDR content with the original cinema colour space, on the other hand, places different demands on maximum colour intensity, which the big brother masters with flying colours thanks to its RGB laser light source. The laser/phosphor hybrid technology is not quite as capable in this respect, but still offers a solid colour gamut:
Around 90% of the DCI-P3 colour space is covered, so the Samsung LSP7T can also be classed as “UHD Premium” capable. Weaknesses show in maximum green, which appears slightly too pale and yellowish, and in red, which tends towards orange. Both deviations are small enough, however, to go largely unnoticed in most film scenes. The 7 model did not have dynamic HDR level adjustment or colour correction, so the “clipping point” has to be set manually. A threshold of around 800 nits is a good choice, allowing an appealingly bright picture without frequent highlight clipping.
Picture sharpness
Even though the LSP7T “only” uses the smaller DLP chip, we were pleasantly surprised by its sharpness, both optically and in terms of signal processing: correctly installed, it offers good edge sharpness without distracting fall-off in the corners. The XPR pixel shift is also well matched to the frame rate and actually produces UHD-capable detail, though not quite at the level of its big brother.
The 120 Hz frame interpolation, which Samsung has cleverly hidden under “Picture Clarity” in the menu, now also works really well. Here you can choose your individual balance between improved motion sharpness and the “soap opera effect”. Artefacts are rare, even with 4K content.
If you deactivate the complex signal processing via “Game mode”, input lag drops to just 45 ms. This makes the Samsung the currently “fastest” DLP-based laser TV and perfectly suitable for gaming.
Conclusion
After the LSP9T, Samsung shows with the cheaper LSP7Tthat the Korean TV giant takes the still young “laser TV” product category seriously and wants to offer competitive products. It benefits not only from its experience in the conventional TV segment but also from in-house developments such as the smart operating system Tizen, powerful signal processing and integrated tuners.
All in all, there are currently only a few models that transfer the “TV” concept to an ultra short throw projector as uncompromisingly as the Samsung “The Premiere”. The device operates like a TV and offers TV-like picture quality – provided it is installed and configured correctly.
Used to its full potential, the LSP7T shows few weaknesses and can easily keep up with current competitors in the same price class. Samsung’s “comeback” in the world of projection has undoubtedly succeeded, and we hope it will not stop at this Premiere.
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