We all want a cinematic experience at home, but nobody with a sense for aesthetics wants to hang a gigantic TV in the middle of their living room, even if it can pretend to be art when you’re not streaming The Great British Bake Off.
Short-throw laser projectors, like the Hisense PX3 Pro, sit right on a TV stand and can project a giant 100 to 130-inch image onto a pull-down screen. That makes them a quick and hideable way to get a big-screen experience without cluttering up your visual space.
With its third generation, Hisense has once again made a simple, great-looking model that can act as an all-in-one for everyone from well-heeled average viewers to genuine cinephiles. Whether you’re looking to watch Dune or game at a high refresh rate, it performs as well (and is more convenient) than many superlarge TVs. If you’ve been considering a nice projector, this might be the one.
The PX3 Pro is an attractive gray box that has four white lights on the front when it’s in standby mode. It is a bit more rounded than the previous generations and looks like an old PC tower that’s been turned on its side, with a slit on the top for three lasers to shoot out at your screen.
The back of the unit features three HDMI inputs, Ethernet, and optical audio output, as well as a 3.5-mm port for headphones. There is also a USB charging port, should you want to plug in a streaming device like the Roku Streaming Stick. The unit is powered by a standard two-prong A/C cable, which makes it easy to plug in anywhere (no wall wart). Everything is controlled by a sleek backlit remote that’s long and slim, with a brushed metal exterior.
Photograph: Parker Hall
Short-throw projectors—projectors you can place just a foot or two away from the wall, rather than behind where you sit—were originally marketed as the solution to the problem of projector setup for good reason. Place the PX3 Pro on a TV stand, make sure it is level, and turn it on, and that’s about it. The PX3 Pro has a Google’s Android TV on board, and has Harman Kardon speakers that can even simulate Dolby Atmos object-based surround sound.