Scaling, mapping, tweaking machine

Lumagen has given its reference-class Radiance Pro video processor an upgrade, which is all the excuse needed for Jon Thompson to start breaking out his colour cubes

- Jon Thompson

IF I WAS asked to keep this review supremely short and to the point, I'd say Lumagen's new Radiance Pro 5348 is great, and you should go and buy it. But that would be ignoring a few things, one of which being the price tag – if all you have is a 4K display and an Apple TV box, this video processor is definitely not for you.

It also really needs to be installed by an integrator (if your home cinema is advanced enough that you already have one of these people on speed dial, then you are probably a target customer). This is because to get the most out of the 5348 you need a lot of additional specialist equipment and software.

Using a trained specialist will also mean you won't have to spend much time with Lumagen's onscreen menus, which remind me of a 1990s BIOS setup screen from a PC, and take a lot of getting used to. Have this unit installed by a pro and you won't have to get your eyes dirty.

Making the most of it

American company Lumagen has been around since the late '90s, and was set up by ex-computer graphics processor engineer Jim Peterson (who remains its driving force). When it began, it was all about video scaling, which is still part of the Lumagen package – only now joined by new skills to make the most of modern display and source hardware.

Using an outboard image processor in a home cinema is quite uncommon these days, as people think the processor in their display or projector is good enough. But to me 'good enough' is ...well, not good enough. What the Radiance Pro 5348 aims to do is step up from good to outstanding.