Hisense tends to offer a wide range of settings choices in its projectors. In this case, that translates to seven SDR picture modes, eight HDR modes (using the same settings for HDR10 and HLG), and three each for HDR10+ and Dolby Vision. Both SDR and HDR lists include a Filmmaker preset, while HDR adds IMAX as well. For both of those modes, the L9Q will switch to the right mode for input tagged as one or the other, and adjust other settings as appropriate. In addition, the 3D mode works with any of the SDR picture modes. The menus keep the list of modes from being overwhelming by showing only the ones that work with the current input.
For those with a critical eye, who can be a bit fanatic about making sure they’re getting the best possible picture, there are also lots of options for customizing each mode, and you can even choose whether the settings you change apply to all sources or just the current source, so you can adjust your preferred mode differently for different sources. There’s even a color management system that allows a full calibration if you know how to do one, or are willing to pay someone to do it for you. However, out-of-the-box color accuracy in my tests ranged from more than acceptable by most people’s standards to definitively good, depending on the picture mode, leaving little need for calibration.
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(Credit: M. David Stone)
Based on my preliminary tests, I chose Theater mode for SDR viewing tests, HDR Theater for HDR10, the equivalent HDR10+ Theater for HDR10+, and Dolby Vision Bright for Dolby Vision. Image quality for SDR and all versions of HDR is impressive across the board, encompassing everything from color accuracy to contrast, black level, and shadow detail. However, it’s worth experimenting with some additional settings to see whether you’d rather have them on or not, and if so, at what setting.
For my tests using SDR and most variations of HDR input, I set Active Contrast to Medium and left Content Type Auto Detection, AI Scene, and Auto Light Sensor turned on. I also changed the setting for frame interpolation—called Motion Enhancement on the menus—to Film. The default setting added too much of a soap-opera effect, making filmed material look like video. For Dolby Vision Bright, the frame interpolation adjustment was the only change I made.
(Credit: M. David Stone)
The L9Q is the first Hisense model I’ve tested that offers full HD 3D support that works with my Blu-ray player. It’s compatible with DLP-Link glasses and automatically switches between 3D and 2D modes as appropriate. (You can also switch to 3D manually when needed.) I didn’t observe any crosstalk in my tests, and 3D-related motion artifacts were so minor in our test clips that I’m not sure I would have noticed them if I hadn’t been specifically looking for them.
Image brightness lives up to expectations. Using the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) recommendations for a dark room, 5,000 ANSI lumens is far brighter than needed to light up the maximum 200-inch image the lens is rated for. It’s also bright enough for a 175-inch image in moderately bright ambient light. In my tests, with the somewhat lower brightness for the settings I used, it was easily bright enough for my 120-inch screen in a dark room.
(Credit: M. David Stone)
In additional tests in my family room using a 110-inch image on a painted wall (the largest patch of blank space I have available) instead of a screen, it delivered a bight image and nicely saturated color at low to moderate levels of ambient light, and a highly watchable image with only slightly washed out color even with sunlight streaming through the windows and skylights. Add an ambient light rejection (ALR) screen—as you should with any projector in a room with ambient light, and as we discuss in How to Choose the Right Screen for Your Projector—and you can have a satisfyingly bright picture at an even larger size.
(Credit: M. David Stone)
Rainbow artifacts and laser speckle are potential issues for any DLP-based triple laser projector. However, how easily you see either varies from one person to another and can also vary with the ambient light level, the screen you’re using, and more. In my case, I see red/green/blue flashes easily, but tend not to see speckle. For the L9Q in particular, I saw rainbows often enough to be bothersome when using a white screen, but fewer when using an ALR screen, and I didn’t see speckle at all. If you’re concerned about either or both of these issues, our advice, as always, is to buy from a source that allows free returns so you can test them out for yourself.
Two final big pluses for gamers are that the L9Q supports Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM), and its input lag is state-of-the-art short. My Bodnar 4K Lag Tester measured it at 17.6ms for both 1080p and 4K at 60Hz, 12.1ms for 1080p/120Hz, and 4.6ms for 1080p/240Hz.
