Leica Cine Play 1 review: Expensive but worth every penny

VIDAA provides access to most streaming services, with Fandango at Home being a notable exception. (Leica representatives have stated that they may add this service at a later date.)

Benchmark results and first impressions

Aside from minor brightness issues when using the Cine Play 1 in brighter environments, this projector passed my benchmark tests. Colors were vibrant, skin tones didn’t appear washed out, and the butterfly scene showed subtle differences between shades of yellow and orange in my test clips. In comparison, colors on the TCL NXTVISION were noticeably duller. The Cine Play 1 also excels as a gaming monitor, with great color reproduction and lag-free performance when tested The crimson desert Paired with Acer’s Nitro 60 gaming desktop.

I found that the Cine Play 1 works well during the day, but performance is better in a dark room. The projector is rated at 3,000 lumens and comes with a 1,500:1 contrast ratio, similar to competitors in the mid-range segment.

Cine Play 1 supports Dolby Vision, HDR10+, IMAX Enhanced, and Dolby Atmos Audio. The built-in speakers seem good as a backup if you don’t connect via eARC to an AV receiver or amplifier. Speaking of connections, there are only two HDMI ports, and if you use the eARC port, you’re limited to one HDMI device to connect your streaming device or console. There’s also a 3.5mm audio out, an optical out, two USB ports, and an Ethernet port if you want to skip the Wi-Fi 6 connection. For those who want to use an HD terrestrial antenna, there’s no coaxial connection. You can always watch free movies and shows using an app like Pluto TV.

Photo: John Brandon

Leica Optics offers

The Cine Play 1 is exceptionally good at color reproduction, exceeding the BT.2020 wide color spectrum spec by 107 percent, and you can tell. Playing Avatar: Fire and Ashes On a Google TV media streaming device using the Fandango at Home app, I noticed dark reds and vibrant blues. The sight of the whale-like creatures looked absolutely stunning with clear details.

Watch in full Predator: Badlands While watching a movie, I kept noticing fine details like moisture on a creature’s skin, though the Epson ProCinema LS9000 (which costs about $1,000 more) is still my top pick for overall image sharpness and sharpness. However, the Cine Play 1 is colorful and vibrant.