Back in January, Samsung gave CES attendees a first look at what was claimed to be the "world's most compact triple-laser ultra-short-throw projector and touch interaction device." The Premiere 5 has now launched in the company's home turf.
Though it may seem like a futuristic concept, devices projecting visuals that you can interact with have been around for a while now – as input peripherals and full-blown UST projectors. Yet they're still outliers in the tech marketplace, possibly due to spotty touch performance and issues with shadows.
Samsung could change that with the latest model to wear its high-end Premiere moniker. Touch operation on a tabletop is enabled by an infrared camera and an IR laser module, which track and register up to 10 simultaneous touch points within the projected rectangle, "making content such as games and education more interesting."
To use this mode, the unit needs to be mounted within a support structure. The video demos we've seen so far confirm that the shadow problem remains, but the touch response appears to be snappy.
When not housed in its cradle, the Premiere 5 shapes up as a compact triple-laser UST projector – meaning that the red, green and blue colors each get their own laser light source, which combine to put out 560 ISO lumens. Vision Booster technology is included, which detects the ambient lighting conditions and auto adjusts color, contrast and brightness for "a sharp, clear view even in bright environments."
The projector runs Tizen with TV Plus and AirPlay integration, plus there's built-in SmartThings control (which plays nice with other smart devices around the home). It covers 154% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, supports HDR+ and HLG content, and boasts 450,000:1 dynamic contrast. Setup should be relatively painless thanks to autofocus, auto keystone correction and fit-to-screen.
There a two HDMI ports, including one with audio return, plus USB-C, Bluetooth 5.2 and Wi-Fi5. Gamers benefit from access to Samsung's Gaming Hub, there's an AI Auto mode for quick optimization, the display can be punched out to 32:9 for more immersive gameplay, and Dynamic Black should bring detail to the shadows.
The unit rocks a 10-W dual-speaker system for the promise of 360-degree sound and Atmos immersion. And this means that the projector can also serve as a Bluetooth speaker. Interestingly, the Bluetooth remote sports a solar cell on its back to top up the internal battery (or there's a USB-C port for quick charges). As for dimensions, we can only tell you how it measures up including the stand – 136.7 x 200.9 x 139.1 mm (5.4 x 7.9 x 5.5 in).
The Premiere 5 has launched in South Korea for KRW 1.85-million. This converts to around US$1,280 – though international availability hasn't yet been mentioned, the projector's appearance at trade shows in the US and Europe is suggestive.
Product page: Samsung Premiere 5
