If you’re looking to replace your living room TV with one that doesn’t take up space until you turn it on, Formovie hopes its flagship Theater Premium ultra-short throw projector will fit the bill. . I was sent one to try.
The Premium is the successor to the T1 model, which was launched globally in 2022 as a theater. The new UST flagship maintains the same price and appearance as before, but with some attractive improvements. Most notable are increased brightness output, a new generation of premium sound, and an upgrade from Android TV to Google TV (which means official Netflix is included).
The company behind both home entertainment hubs is actually the result of a partnership between consumer technology giants Xiaomi and Apotronics, with the latter producing advanced lasers widely used in movie theaters and consumer projectors. Responsible for phosphor display (ALDP) technology.
Formovie
Theater Premium is built around an enhanced version of ALDP 4.0 and features a blue laser/phosphor and triple laser (RGB) light source to ensure cinematic-quality visuals. “The use of blue laser light provides vivid, true-to-life images, ensuring crisp, high-quality visuals and accurate color reproduction, improving the overall viewing experience,” Formovie explained. Masu.
This technology also significantly reduces image speckles that can be a problem with UST laser projectors. In fact, during the few weeks I used this model, I didn’t see any specks at all, and I didn’t notice any rainbow effects. However, people who are sensitive to the latter may detect such things.
At first glance, the brightness output value of 2,200 ISO lumens doesn’t seem all that impressive on paper, but it’s great for watching movies or shows during the day with the blinds open, albeit in a slightly shaded corner. I was able to do that.
I temporarily moved the unit to a sunnier spot indoors, and the bright lighting, including the overhead ambient change, was great, even in the highest of the three brightness modes available. It turns out to be the enemy of the viewing experience. Like any consumer projector, Theater Premium works best in dark spaces where it literally shines.
Six image presets are also provided, each handling color temperature, gamma settings, image sharpness, and other enhancements differently. Of course, power users can dig deeper and make tweaks to their liking, and my eye certainly benefited from the odd tweak here and there.
Behind the scenes
A quick look at the spec sheet shows that the premium model uses the same DLP projection engine as its predecessor. That means the 0.47-inch DMD chip and Xpanded pixel resolution are shifted to achieve 4K UHD resolution. The full-resolution image size is also the same, from 80 inches to 150 inches diagonally, but the throw ratio has changed. The new flagship features a throw ratio of 0.21:1 instead of 0.23:1. This corresponds to the maximum projection size when placed just 15.75 inches (40 cm) away from a wall or screen.
It also boasts a relatively high contrast of 3,000:1 (full on/full off) and is claimed to cover 107% of the BT.2020 color gamut and 60Hz refresh rate. It supports Dolby Vision content, HDR10+ decoding, and motion compensation across three modes.
Paul Ryden/New Atlas
Instead of simply pointing the projector at a spare wall, adding an ambient light rejection screen to the movie equation will give you the best viewing results. However, such things require additional investment and can cost about the same as Theater Premium itself.
For example, the 120-inch Formovie floor-mounted ALR screen for UST projectors has a list price of $2,699. I have a non-ALR screen, which gives a better image than a blank wall. For this review, I placed the unit a few inches away from that screen or a large white wall, depending on how big I wanted it to be.
At 550 x 349.2 x 107.5 mm (21.6 x 13.75 x 4.2 inches), the Theater Premium is more compact than many of the other UST projectors we’ve covered, but it’s still heavier at 9.8 kg (21.6 lbs). The metal-enclosed unit rests on three rubberized feet, and the height of the front two is adjustable with notched wheels inserted into the housing.
This projector doesn’t have an auto-adjust feature to make positioning easier, but if you don’t mind getting your hands dirty, it has built-in 4-point and 8-point keystone correction and motorized focus. It also includes a built-in infrared body sensor. The projected image dims when someone approaches, reducing the chance of eye damage from strong light sources.
Under the hood, the brain of the system is formed as a MediaTek MT9629 quad-core processing with integrated graphics, supported by 2GB of system RAM and 32GB of onboard storage. Wi-Fi 6 enables fast streaming with support for Chromecast screen mirroring, and the remote has Bluetooth 5.0 (requires 2 AAA batteries, sold separately). The remote control itself is surprisingly basic for such a premium-looking projector, but it does have shortcuts for settings and voice activation, as well as direct access to Netflix and YouTube.
Make Google TV your entertainment guide
As mentioned earlier, Theater Premium runs Google TV with native Netflix. Additionally, during setup you’ll have the option to load your favorite apps linked to your ID or start anew. Depending on the option you choose, other popular streaming platforms include Disney+, Prime Video, Paramount+, Apple TV, and of course YouTube.
This unit has a built-in far-field microphone that listens for voice commands unless you mute it using the hardware switch on the far right. When you choose to disable the microphone, the four LED voice control indicators in the center of the speaker grill light up orange, which we found to be very distracting.
Paul Ryden/New Atlas
If you are looking for the stability of a cable signal, Ethernet LAN is the best choice. The IO interface also hosts three HDMI 2.1 ports (one with audio return), a pair of USB 2.0 Type-A ports, and analog/digital audio outputs, if desired.
With a built-in 30W Bowers & Wilkins sound system, there’s little need to send your soundtrack to a third-party external audio setup. It consists of a module with a 1-inch titanium dome tweeter, 2.75-inch woofer with fiberglass diaphragm, front left and right 990cc sound chambers, and a bass reflex port to the edge. There’s support for Dolby Audio and DTS-HD, and the audio system is cloaked in a “high-fidelity speaker cloth” with B&W branding on top.
As you’d expect from a premium brand, the acoustic experience was top-notch. The 25% volume setting is more than enough to fill every nook and cranny of my modestly sized room and shower me with clear, balanced, and very satisfying audio to accompany my on-screen entertainment. I understand that.
I didn’t feel the need to fiddle with the volume control on the remote during quiet conversations, but it had plenty of punch when I needed it. The highs and mids in the YouTube music video were crisp and well-defined, and this setup wasn’t lacking in low end, but for those who want to feel the thunder and not just hear it, it’s probably not the best choice. A sub output would have been a nice addition.
I’m not a gamer, so I didn’t test the low-latency gaming mode, but refresh rates are reported to be 60Hz at full resolution, and input lag via HDMI 2.1 is down to 18ms.
conclusion
Paul Ryden/New Atlas
An 85-inch 4K TV might not hurt your wallet too much, but if you aim to exceed Theater Premium’s maximum display size, you could be heading into ridiculous money territory. And yes, OLED, micro-LED, or something else might offer better overall brightness, but Formovie’s gogglebox alternative offers great visuals even after dark, and It also put on a pretty decent display during the day.
This model’s impressive combination of top-notch contrast, brightness, and color rendition makes it an attractive choice. Add Dolby Vision to the mix and Bowers & Wilkins sound, and you’ve got a recipe for a great night at the movies.
Google TV offers a significantly improved user experience compared to its predecessor, Android TV, and includes the added benefit of native Netflix, allowing you to connect external devices for popular streaming services, and more. There’s no need to look elsewhere.
UST projectors, by their very nature, don’t dominate your living room either. Granted, it’s not exactly small in size, but it’s about the same dimensions as my hi-fi amplifier, so it won’t be the main focal point of the room. You can also display family portraits on your expansive walls if you choose to splash out on one of Formovie’s sleek floor-raised ALR screens rather than installing a permanent screen.
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been very impressed with how Theater Premium has met my entertainment needs. So it was no surprise that this model took second place in the recent 2024 UST Shootout on ProjectorScreen.com, losing only to the Hisense PX3-Pro. Certainly highly rated.
Formovie Theater Premium has a suggested retail price of $3,499, but promotions may be available. For example, at the time of publishing this review, ticket prices have been reduced to $2,999. You’ll also be eligible for an additional $50 in cashback when you share your “authentic product experience” after your purchase. Highly recommended.
Product page: Formovie Theater Premium
