At IFA 2022, Leica finally revealed details of its first laser TV. TECHBOOK was able to take a closer look at the Leica Cine 1 at the trade fair.
The manufacturer Leica is primarily known for its premium cameras. The company is now entering a completely new sector: home cinema entertainment. In cooperation with the Chinese manufacturer Hisense, the Leica Cine 1 is the first own laser television to come onto the market.
Leica Cine 1 with laser technology
The Leica Cine 1 is the company’s first laser TV and comes in two sizes, 80 and 100 inches. The “television” is clearly designed for a home cinema; the underlying laser projection technology should also be well suited for this. It creates a particularly bright and yet eye-friendly image. The laser TV comes in the form of an aluminum housing in unobtrusive black and silver, which projects onto the wall at a 45-degree angle and is therefore also used as a stylistic element under the projected image.
The Leica Cine 1 uses the so-called DLP technology (Digital Light Processing). This is a special projection technology that “imposes” a digital image on a light beam with the help of micromirrors. The triple laser RGB light source comes from Leica itself – in the form of a Summicron lens with aspherical lenses. Among other things, this prevents imaging errors. The lens enables a 4K resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels and a brightness of 2100 or 2500 lumens (for 80 and 100 inches).
The biggest highlight of the Leica Cine 1 is without question the picture. The company also formulates this claim very clearly for its product. The optics are also supported by an integrated Dolby Atmos audio system. The perforated metal sheets on the sides are supposed to improve the audio output even more. There is also a TV tuner with a CI slot, three HDMI, one Ethernet and two USB ports, as well as an S/PDIF (Toslink) and a regular jack for headphones. This means that you can receive linear television as well as various pay TV channels and connect other home entertainment devices such as a console to the laser TV.
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Cooperation with Hisense
Thanks to the cooperation with Hisense, the Leica Cine 1 is equipped with the company’s open smart TV operating system, Vidaa. This runs on the 6th and thus the latest version. Accordingly, you have access to various streaming services such as Disney+ or Netflix via the high-end projector, but also to the NFL Game Pass.
In our IFA check, the fast response time between the remote control and the system was particularly noticeable. The operation itself has a simple design and (as of now) has an extra button for the streaming services Netflix, Rakuten TV, Disney+, Prime Video and YouTube. Incidentally, Vidaa is based on the Linux operating system.
Save electricity with the Leica Laser TV
In general, the topics of sustainability and saving electricity will be prominently dealt with at the IFA 2022. You can also see that in the Leica Cine 1. According to the manufacturer, the short-distance laser technology consumes significantly less energy than an OLED TV of a comparable size, which is probably due to the fact that the image is projected here and the individual pixels do not have to light up themselves. Leica specifies the power consumption of the Cine 1 as 180 watts for the 80-inch model, while the larger 100-inch version requires 320 watts.
Price and availability of the Leica Cine 1
The Laser TV from Leica will be available in Europe from the second quarter of 2023. The German company also calls out quite proud prices for this. The 80-inch model costs 6,900 euros, and the 100-inch model costs around 8,000 euros. In addition, in order to fully exploit the technology, you should also buy a corresponding frame screen. Depending on the format, these cost upwards of 400 euros.
So the Leica Cine 1 is not cheap. However, the image quality made a good impression on us. In its entirety, the laser TV is aimed at a target group that wants to set up a corresponding home cinema in the living room in the long term and does not want to skimp on quality.