Leica Cine Play 1 Review: Pricey but Worth Every Penny

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

Benchmark Results and First Impressions

Apart from minor brightness issues when using the Cine Play 1 in brighter environments, this projector passed my benchmark tests. Colors were vibrant, skin tones did not appear washed out, and a butterfly scene showed subtle differences between the shades of yellows and oranges in my test clips. In comparison, colors on the TCL NXTVISION were noticeably duller. The Cine Play 1 also excels as a gaming display, with superb color reproduction and stutter-free performance when tested with Crimson Desert paired with Acer’s Nitro 60 gaming desktop.

I found that the Cine Play 1 works fine during the day, but performance is best in a dark room. The projector is rated at 3,000 lumens and comes with a 1500:1 contrast ratio, similar to rivals in the midrange category.

The Cine Play 1 supports Dolby Vision, HDR10+, IMAX Enhanced, and Dolby Atmos Audio. The built-in speakers sounded fine as a backup if you don’t connect through eARC to an AV receiver or soundbar. Speaking of connections, there are only two HDMI ports and, if you use the eARC port, you are limited to one HDMI device for connecting a streamer or console. There’s also 3.5-mm 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 a terrestrial HD antenna, there is no coaxial connection. You can always watch free movies and shows with an app like Pluto TV.

Photograph: John Brandon

Leica Optics Delivers

The Cine Play 1 is exceptionally good at color reproduction, exceeding the wide BT.2020 color spectrum spec at 107 percent, and you can tell. Playing Avatar: Fire and Ash on a Google TV media streamer using the Fandango at Home app, I noticed the deep red and vibrant blues. A scene with whale-like creatures looked absolutely stunning with crisp details.

Watching the entire Predator: Badlands movie, I kept noticing subtle details like moisture on the creature’s skin, although the Epson ProCinema LS9000 (which costs about $1,000 more) is still my top pick for overall picture clarity and sharpness. The Cine Play 1 is just as colorful and vibrant, though.