The LG SmartProjector PF85U ($1,299.99) is an interesting device. You can think of it as a 1080p home-entertainment projector with a built-in smart TV or as a smart TV that happens to use a projector as its display. Either way, it combines a small, lightweight projector with both a TV tuner and LG Smart TV user interface. Connect it to a network that’s connected to the Internet, and you can use the smart TV menu to watch video from Netflix and other websites. The combination of features makes the PF85U ( at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) an intriguing possibility at the very least, and a potentially excellent choice for rooms with low light levels.

A key limitation for the projector is its brightness level, at a rated 1,000 lumens. In comparison, the Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 2030 ($1,324.47 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) —our Editors’ Choice 1080p home-entertainment projector—is a veritable light cannon, at 2,000 lumens.

Unlike the LCD-based Epson 2030, the DLP-based PF85U delivers significantly lower color brightness than white brightness. That means full-color screens, like movies or TV shows, won’t be as bright as you would expect based on the white brightness. (For more on color brightness, see Color Brightness: What It Is, Why It Matters.) The combination of low brightness and even lower color brightness makes the PF85U a poor choice if you want a large image in a brightly lit family room or for daytime use in a room with lots of windows. However, it’s bright enough for more moderate lighting conditions.

One surprise with the PF85U is that it doesn’t offer 3D, a feature that has become all but standard on recent home-entertainment projectors, including both LCD models like the Epson 2030 and DLP-based models like the Acer H6510BD Projector and the InFocus IN8606HD . This obviously won’t matter if you’re only interested in 2D, but if you want 3D, you’ll have to look elsewhere.

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Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 2030

$1,324.47

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at Amazon

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Read Our Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 2030 Review

Setup
Unlike most projectors, the PF85U lacks a zoom lens, which means the only way to adjust the image size is to move the projector. Unfortunately, that could be an issue, since the fan noise is loud enough in the brightest lamp mode that you might not want to sit too close. You can switch the lamp to a lower brightness to lessen the fan noise, but that also means the image won’t be as bright.

In most other ways, setup is standard, at least in general description: Connect one or more image sources, point the projector at the screen, and focus. At 4.9 pounds and a compact 1.8 by 10.8 by 8.6 inches (HWD), the PF85U is small and light enough that if you don’t have a room to set it up in permanently, you can easily store it away, then set it up in a hurry when you want to use it.

The back panel lacks a VGA connector, which means you can’t connect to computers that don’t offer an HDMI or DVI output, but it offers just about any other connection option you’re likely to need.

Connect a coaxial cable from an antenna or other signal source, and you can surf TV channels. Use the Ethernet port or built-in Wi-Fi to connect to your network, and you can stream video or audio from any network-connected device that supports the Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) standard. Assuming your network is connected to the Web, you can also use the built-in LG Smart feature to stream from Vudu, Netflix, and YouTube, use Google Maps, and download more apps from LG Smartworld (which is LG’s equivalent to Google Play, iTunes, and the like) using the built-in browser.

Other, more common connectors include two HDMI ports, one of which supports Mobile High-Definition Link (MHL) for compatible phones and tablets, and two USB Type A ports for reading files from USB sources, including memory keys. There’s also one mini jack input for a supplied component video adapter and a second one for a supplied adapter for composite video and stereo audio input using RCA phono plugs. Rounding out the choices are a mini jack for audio output, and an optical digital audio output. The projector supports both Intel Wireless Display (WiDi) and Miracast.

Brightness and Image Quality
Based on the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) recommendations, 1,000 lumens at the PF85U’s native 16:9 aspect ratio should be bright enough for a 123- to 167- inch (diagonal) screen in theater-dark lighting with 1.0 gain screen. However, the lower color brightness for the PF85U makes a tremendous difference. In my tests, I settled on a 74-inch (diagonal) size to get an attractively bright image for viewing at night with the lights off. It was also quite usable at the same size, despite colors being slightly washed out with the lights on and with late afternoon light streaming through the windows.

See How We Test Projectors

Image quality is just short of excellent. The projector scored well on color balance, with suitably neutral grays at all levels from black to white in all modes. It did a good job with shadow detail (details based on shading in dark areas), and it resisted showing posterization (shading changing suddenly where it should change gradually) even in test clips that tend to cause that problem. Most important, it delivered more than acceptable color overall.

The PF85U also gets extra points for an assortment of sophisticated features to let you tweak image quality to taste. Among other choices in the menus are noise reduction, frame interpolation to make motion look smoother, and edge enhancement to make images look sharper.

Unfortunately, I also saw rainbow artifacts, which are always a potential issue for DLP projectors. With the PF85U they showed up often enough that I wouldn’t want to use it as my only big-screen viewing option, but infrequently enough that I wouldn’t mind using it as a second TV in, say, a basement family room.

Two other pluses for the PF85U are its stereo sound system and its LED light source. The volume, with two 5-watt speakers, is loud enough to fill a small room and the quality is good enough to be useful. The LED light source helps keep cost of ownership down both by using less electricity than traditional lamps and by being designed to last the life of the projector. LG claims a 30,000-hour lifetime for the LEDs.

If you need a brighter projector or one with 3D, you’ll have to look elsewhere, with the Editors’ Choice Epson 2030 the most obvious alternative. Similarly, if you or anyone you watch with finds rainbow artifacts bothersome, you’ll probably prefer an LCD-based projector like the Epson 2030. If you don’t need 3D, however, and rainbow artifacts aren’t an issue for you, the PF85U can be a compelling choice, with nearly virtually every connector and connection protocol you’re likely to need, a built-in smart TV, and near-excellent image quality.