Hands on: LG HECTO Laser 3D TV review

Has LG solved the home cinema conundrum? A good few years after its last attempt – a wall-mounted projector designed to bust clutter – the latest innovation from the LG labs is this Laser Diode illumination system-powered model.

This time it's all about short-throw, with the device able to project a 100-inch Full HD image onto a wall from just 56cm.

That tiny distance is a huge achievement – and it produces passive Cinema 3D, too. LG calls it HECTO, and it's massive, about the same size as a high-end projector, or about three Blu-ray players piled on top of each other. Around the back of it are three HDMI inputs and a set of component video inputs, while the laser-driven light itself projects images onto a supplied screen. HECTO, which has typical gloss-black styling, also has its own stereo speakers. They're rated at 10W each, so about the same power as a regular flat TV.

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