Seeing the name Leica stamped on a product usually means a couple of things. You’ll be getting top-notch quality, but you’ll also need to part with a huge wad of cash. That’s true of the company’s Cine Play 1 laser projector, but the new Plus version could surprise in the price department.
The company behind the iconic red dot is best known for its premium optics, but began moving into the smart projector space a few years back by partnering up with budget-friendly innovators. By the time its very own model broke cover in 2022, the entry price for an own-brand home theater experience shot up considerably.
The first Cine 1 was an ultra-short-throw laser projector, but a model with a longer throw ratio followed last year. Big and boxy, the Cine Play 1 RBG laser projector commanded a relatively low – by Leica standards – ticket price of US$$3,795 at launch.
Leica
Though we don’t yet know what the new Cine Play 1 Plus will cost when it hits US shores – if it ever does – the direct conversion from CNY 11,888 comes in at just under US$1,670. Still a fair amount of change to have lying around, but super cheap in the Leica universe. So far, we only know of a release window in China though.
On the outside, it looks like a close relative to the earlier Play model, and appears to sport a similar tri-laser light source – but the output is brighter at 3,500 CVIA lumens. Viewers can still expect 4K UHD visuals at up to 300 diagonal inches with the same 0.9-1.5:1 throw ratio. But coverage of the BT.2020 color gamut has been bumped to 110% instead of 100%.
Dolby Visions and HDR10+ content are supported too. The Chinese version runs the latest VIDAA operating platform for access to popular streaming apps over Wi-Fi – and this may run through to any international flavor that’s launched, if the Cine Play 1 is anything to go by – and low-latency HDMI 2.1 ports cater for cabled input.
Leica
Smart adjustment and alignment tools are reportedly included too, though we can only assume that includes autofocus, keystone correction, fit-to-screen and object avoidance resizing as information is lacking on the product page. We do know that the system rocks two 10-W speakers supporting DTS Virtual:X for immersive listening.
As mentioned earlier, the Leica Cine Play 1 Plus smart laser projector is available in China for the equivalent of less than US$1,700. Doubtless that direct conversion won’t reflect international pricing – but here’s hoping that it will come in cheaper than its older sibling if or when it does land elsewhere.
Product page: Leica Cine Play 1 Plus
