New Epson Home Cinema HD LCD Projectors Launched – Worth Replacing Your HDTV?

Written by Christian Milsom on September 14, 2010 · Filed under Tech 

At the recent IFA technology show there was some reason to turn our attention to the world of projectors where one of the market leaders has announced the snappily named EH-R4000 and EH-R2000 projectors that promise to push the boundaries of home cinema through the use of 3LCD Reflective technology.

Much to manufacturers like Epson’s displeasure projectors haven’t taken off in that way that some would have hoped, and they are still very much seen as a luxury that few have the space/money to make a projector viable and you are much more likely to see a projector in the office than your home, but with the increasing quality as seen with these new releases, and the lowing prices it could well become more common in homes across the country.

In the past we’ve seen the likes of the mobile cinema DVD projector for parties as background entertainment or something that’s more suited to kids’ cartoons, either way the picture quality wasn’t hugely important. But has the time of the mainstream home cinema projector finally arrived?

For those of you unfamiliar with the world of projectors the 3LCD system that Epson currently uses will not mean an awful lot to you, but a significant part of the release of these two new projectors is the fact that they feature the improved 3LCD Reflective technology that ultimately improves the all-round performance of the projector.

For starters it allows an incredibly impressive contrast ratio of up to 1,000,000:1 for the EH-R4000 and 500,000:1 for the EH-R2000 which should leave you with no complaints at all with even the brightest whites or deepest blacks which hopefully offers a much richer colour spectrum along with the finer graduation of colours and wider colour gamut offered by the new reflective technology.

The aforementioned technology is also quicker and smoother offering better response times (something that projectors have been behind on standard monitors since the start) which should make it more enjoyable for sports fans; Epson have also reduced the inter-pixel spacing by increasing the aperture ratio which reduces the ‘screen door’ effect, which is when the lines separating the pixels become visible and create an unwanted ‘mesh’ effect.

It shouldn’t surprise you to know that the projectors are full 1080p HD and also boast a Hollywood Quality Video processor which helps to enhance the details of the picture, with further enhancements coming from frame interpolation and the ability to increase the quality of standard definition sources such as DVDs meaning that they don’t look quite as horribly stretched on the big screen.

There are also a range of physical benefits from the new technology demonstrated in the EH-R4000 and EH-R2000 such as the motorised zoom and lens, the fact that they can be controlled over a network and also the ability to operate other devices (such as Blu-ray players) using just one standard remote.

They also look pretty sleek as well, which is a good job as they will understandably have quite a relatively high price tag. Another feature worth noting (in case you hadn’t noticed from the picture) is that the lens is centrally located meaning that it is easier to install – a common problem is people spending lots of time ensuring that their projector bracket is central, only to have to move it when they realise that the lens is not! Both of these projectors will be available from November.

Would you consider getting a HD LCD projector for your home media centre? Or do you still prefer to get a plasma or LCD/LED HDTV? I’ve never really considered itself, however as the quality improves it’s looking like an increasingly good option. Let us know what you think in the comments section below!