This Hisense cinema-in-a-box is at its lowest ever price
£900 off ain't too shabby.
by Robyn Quick · whathifiLike the idea of cosying up with a blanket and your very own cinema in the comfort of your home this Christmas? We've found a Black Friday projector deal that could be the one for you.
The Hisense C1 is at a record-low £1099 at Amazon, and is the perfect projector if you are at the beginning of your home cinema journey.
One of the main reasons for this is that it does not require a great deal of serious installation. We gave it a four-star review earlier in the year for its performance and sleek all-in-one coffee table design. With a saving of £900, this is well worth considering.
Hisense C1 £1999 £1099 at Amazon (save £900)
The Hisense C1 is a charming all-in-one solution, cramming everything you'll need for a cinema night at home into one convenient box. It's stylish and produces a punchy even if not what we'd consider a totally authentic picture, alongside genuinely enjoyable sound from its JBL-tuned speakers. Rounding things off is the built-in VIDAA smart system, which means you can stream directly from the C1.
Also available at Richer Sounds
In our full review of the Hisense C1, we said this: "The Hisense C1 has a lot going for it; easy set-up, fully-featured streaming, impressive sound and a sharp, punchy picture. All of this fits into a convenient enclosure that really sells the cinema-in-a-box concept." That should say everything about this cuboid cinema system, which we sincerely enjoy, even if it doesn't quite reach five-star expectations.
We praised the punchy picture, approving of its vibrancy, sharpness and brightness, even if it wasn't what we'd consider to be totally authentic. The C1 delivers an engaging 4K image nonetheless with HDR support in all of the major formats (HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision and HLG) which is a huge bonus in our books. While contrast might not be a major strength of this projector, the vivid image is right at home with poppy animated content, or in rooms with lots of ambient light.
Furthermore, the C1's built-in speakers are very solid by projector standards. We're used to lightweight, condensed sound systems that detract from the movie-watching experience more than they add, so it is refreshing to hear the JBL-tuned speakers built into this box can reach high volumes with ample bass weight and plenty of detail. It even does a decent job of replicating spatial sound effects with Dolby Atmos.
Finally, the built-in Vidaa operating system is, by most accounts, an absolute dream to use. Most manufacturers opt for Android TV which often doesn't include Netflix support, but this issue isn't present on the C1. Generally speaking, the slick and fully featured operating system removes the need for a streaming stick.
If this convenient cinema-in-a-box sounds like what you've been looking for, then now is a great time to snap one up.
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Check out our picks for the best projectors
Want a rival to the C1? Read our Xgimi Horizon Ultra review
And for a more traditional projector, read our Epson EH-TW7100 review