In a world where high end home cinema projectors have been met by super small and portable projectors there’s a middle ground that’s been ripe for the picking and it appears to me that Hisense has nailed that with their new C2 and C2 Ultra projectors which are now available in Australia. Putting it to the test, we grabbed the Hisense C2 Ultra to review!

Now Hisense calls this a “Laser Mini Projector” and while it is small, it’s not at all comparable to the CineBeam or Freestyle from LG or Samsung. This is a beast, but not at all big by home cinema standards – if that makes sense, thus -the middle ground.

The C2 Ultra is the pick of the range – for $1,000 more you get a built-in subwoofer and improved sound, as well as Designed for Xbox plug and play optimaisation and the addition of an Optical Zoom which comes in handy for projector placement.

Critical to this C2 Range from Hisense is the on-board smarts. This is not a projector that needs to be placed in front of the wall you’re watching on – instead it can be at almost any angle, and using it’s automatic keystone and focus adjustment does a great job just finding the best and biggest screen size it can offer.

No matter the angle:

And when it’s “looking” at the wall, it also avoids any obstructions on the wall, like a light switch – or in my case a hook right at the top of the wall. Every time, it framed that out.

This means that while the projector is actually capable of showing a picture in that spot, it frames it out and shows the picture below or beside it. So smart.

It’s fascinating in setup to watch it do it’s thing

You’ll quickly see it work it’s magic, but from then on it’s just re-adusting everyt ime it moves.

In your home environment you wouldn’t move it as much as we did, you’d probably have a couple of spots you might use it, and while it’s not “take camping” portable, it’s “let’s bring the projector in here” kinda portable.

We used it on the weekend of the NRL opening round, and while I have a 100 inch TV on one wall, pumping the footy to 135 inches was amazing.

This was daytime viewing, and like any projector, the sun was the key contributor to the success or failure of this venture. We don’t have any form of blockout shades or curtains in that front room, so I was watching with the full elements and no, it wasn’t like watching a TV, but on balance I knew everything that was happening and enjoyed the games.

Comparing a projector to a TV picture is like comparing the driving performance of a Ferrari to a Tesla, both stunning in their own right, and both get you where you need to go – just that the Ferrari might be something you grab the keys to now and then, not the daily drive.

I can imagine the Hisense C2 having a “home” in your home, perhaps a room where there’s great light control, the place you go for your own movie watching or sports viewing. But, at the same time, when it’s big game time or family movie night you want it out for all to use. That’s the benefit here.

I’ve got a projector in my man-cave, but it’s all hooked up and wired and would be a pain to move. Plus it doesn’t have all the smarts to make it easy to setup in a new location.

If that was the Hisense C2, I’d be taking it out quite often.

A single power cord, and you’re up and running. Because it’s actually still a Hisense TV with all the apps you need, you almost need nothing but power and WiFi, but of course you can plug in external sources via HDMI should you choose.

That wall in the pictures here is about the only blank wall in our house – and I got the picture to 135 inches. Goodness knows how you’d get it to 300 inches, but you can. It would be wasted too close operating as a 65 inch screen – just saying.

At night, Top Gun Maverick – outstanding, that big-screen experience is unbeatable – every time.

Then throw in some Formula One, I’m in heaven.

Ignoring, and dwarfing the 100 inch Hisense on the adjacent wall for a view like no other. The colour reproduction, the quality of the picture – I couldn’t fault it.

Clearly, any projection is better in controlled light circumstances – or night, but this was impressive at all times.

If you’re hooking up external sound, then the C2 might be all you need, but if you want the additional flexibility of optical zoom for your framing as well as the subwoofer, the C2 Ultra is for you.

Hisense C2 4K TriChroma Laser Mini Projector retails for $3,499, and the C2 Ultra for $4,499.