Sony shows off a 4K short-throw projector at CES for your home theater

CES 2018 has already given us a projector or two, aimed at people looking to upgrade their home theater setup. Eager not to be left out, Sony just unveiled the 4K Ultra Short Throw Projector, part of its Life Space UX series of products. It's got some seriously impressive specs, but you're going to have to do a lot of saving up to afford it.

The LSPX-A1, to give it its technical name, can throw up a 120-inch, 4K projection on a wall of your choice from a distance of just 9.6 inches. It looks a lot like a TV table too, so visiting friends and family might well wonder just where the projector tech is hidden. Hook up your 4K Blu-ray player or Apple TV and you're away.

It's not just about the picture though: Sony says the LSPX-A1 comes with a Glass Sound Speaker design that fills the room with sound. Project a picture of a forest landscape on the wall while enjoying the sounds of nature, suggests Sony, an idea which you may or may not want to make use of.

"Wow" moments

This superior sound setup is produced through two organic glass tweeters on the front legs of the projector, plus three mid-range speakers embedded in the unit, and a separate subwoofer for the bass sounds. Sony is promising some "wow" moments from its new bit of kit, though we'll reserve judgment until we've actually seen it.

On top of this table-style projector you get an artificial marble surface, and that's accompanied by an aluminum frame and a wooden shelf (maybe for storing your Blu-ray and video game cases). The remote control has been designed to be as minimalistic as possible to blend right in with the rest of your high-end home cinema gear.

And this is definitely high-end – when the LSPX-A1 goes on sale in the US at some point in the spring, it'll cost you in the region of $30,000 (that's roughly £22,150/AU$38,290). So, if you don't need a new car or a house extension, you can purchase one of these instead.

David Nield
Freelance Contributor

Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you'll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.