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Epson's latest LCD projector does 4K for $2,000
If you need another option for a 4K projector that won't completely break the bank, Epson recently introduced this Home Cinema 4010. Like the BenQ HT-2550 projector we reviewed earlier this year, it's doing a bit of trickery to hit that 4K-resolution number. While Epson uses three LCDs instead of DLP, it's still applying "pixel shifting" to the output of three 1080p microdisplays. I haven't seen this projector or its slightly pricier Pro Cinema 4050 sibling introduced at CEDIA, but in my experience, it's very difficult to tell apart from native 4K projector technology in practice.
Sony's Laser Light Source Projector with 3LCD to be available in August
It wasn't too long ago that Sony kind of introduced us to its inaugural Laser Light Source Projector with 3LCD technology, but now it's time for the company to let us know a little more about the device. For starters, Sony's officially dubbing it VPL-FHZ55, and it's also emphasizing that it's indeed the world's first laser projector to be powered by 3LCD imaging tech. Just as we'd heard back in January, the lamp-less VPL-FHZ55 can deliver 4,000 lumens of color light at a maximum resolution of 1,920 x 1,200, which Sony says should be more than enough steam to "deliver bright and vivid color reproduction." The VPL-FHZ55 is expected to be available later this August, however there's no word on how much you'll have to spend to add one of these to your setup. But, while we wait for those details to come to light, perhaps you'd be interested in perusing the gallery below.%Gallery-190128%
Sony unveils Laser Light Source Projector, claims brightest output in the class
Sony doesn't always break ground on new technology, but it tends to go big when it does. The company's new installation-grade Laser Light Source Projector (similar to the VPL-FH36 you see here) serves as a textbook example. While it's far from the world's first laser projector, it's reportedly the first with a 3LCD laser -- enough to put its 4,000-lumen brightness toward the front of the pack, and help with visibility in less-than-dark boardrooms. Details are scant beyond the projection system itself, although Sony does tout a presentation-friendly 1,920 x 1,200 resolution as well as a picture muting option that gets the show started quickly. We do know that the well-lit output will be tough to miss when the Laser Light Source Projector hits classes and offices in the summer.
Epson adds the Home Cinema 750HD to its line of home theater projectors, ships in March for $899
Looking to finally convert that guest bedroom into an in-home movie theater this spring? If so, you're in luck as Epson has announced the 3LCD Powerlite Home Cinema 750HD projector here at CES 2013. The home theater unit offers 2D and 3D 720p capabilities for viewing at up to 120 inches or larger. Touting up to 3,000 lumens of both color and white brightness, the 750HD sports Bright 3D Drive tech and Easy-Slide image correction to power viewing sessions from DVD / Blu-ray players, cable boxes, gaming consoles, PC, Apple devices and smartphones -- without the need for an additional format converter. Of course, HDMI and USB connections are here as well alongside five color modes for adapting the picture to each viewing environment. Epson's RF 3D glasses are also along for the ride that boasts 40 hours of viewing or up to three hours after a three-minute quick charge. The Home Cinema 750HD is set to arrive in March, hitting wallets up for $899 in order to procure one. Follow all the latest CES 2013 news at our event hub.
Epson rolls out new 3LCD projectors for budgets big and medium
Since it's CEDIA time, Epson has seen fit to unveil several new 1080p projectors, ranging from price brackets in the (reasonable for this crowd) sub-$7,000 category with the new Pro Cinema 6100 to the Home Cinema 8350 which comes in at less than $1,300. The Pro Cinema 6100 (above) debuts the company's new 3LCD Reflective and UltraBlack tech courtesy of a dual-layered auto iris that is its first to reach dynamic contrast ratios of up to 1,000,000:1, while the Pro Cinema 31000 and Home Cinema 21000 beamers feature similar lens technology with appropriately lower-end chipsets, stats and prices when all of them ship in December. The next jump down is the Home Cinema 8350 and 8700UB models that eschew the new HDMI 1.4 ports and more exotic lens technology of the higher end models while still bringing improved specs over last year's lineup to retailer shelves when they ship later this month. Detailed specs follow after the break if you're wondering just how far an extra dollar or two will go.
Sanyo PLV-Z4000 3LCD projector gets more colorful, cheaper
The full list of specs for Sanyo's upcoming PLV-Z4000 3LCD projector are after the break, but there's not much to see if you're familiar with the PLV-Z3000 model from two years ago. An apparently upgraded "TopazReal HD" system promises to reproduce up to 216 billion color combinations, up from a mere 1.06 billion colors last time, but at its heart you'll find a 1080p24 capable, 120Hz, dual HDMI 1.3b, 1,200 lumen beamer just waiting to be dropped into a home theater. The good news is the MSRP has wound its way down significantly over the years, as it's due at the end of may for $2,495, which is about the price the Z3000 is listed for in most places these days. Those capabilities were a bit more impressive the first time around, if you're the projector type, does fit the bill for what you're looking to lay down two grand on in 2010?
Epson says EH-TW450 is 'ultimate gaming projector,' straps PS3 on nerd in jumpsuit to prove it (video)
Nothing says "extreme" quite like wrist-guards... and knee pads... and elbow pads... and a PS3 Slim backpack. Epson combined all that and more to create its vision of an "extreme gamer," a Ghostbusters cast-off with a gaming console on his back and an EH-TW450 projector on his chest used to splay Need for Speed: Shift on the walls of buildings, the ceilings of clubs, and the interiors of wind-tunnels. It's exciting stuff, shown in the video below. Why this projector out of all the company offers? We're not entirely sure. It's a 3LCD 720p model with a 3000:1 contrast ratio and a single one watt speaker that probably couldn't overcome the din of all the road traffic this extremophile was dodging. If you want in on this kind of action expect to pay about $1,000 -- for the projector. You're on your own for the rest of the kit. Loss of self-respect? That comes for free.
Epson concocts world's first 4K HTPS panel, 4K 3LCD projectors closer to reality
Oh, the beauty of progress. Just a few months back, Epson seemed fairly content showing off an HTPS panel with a WUXGA (1,920 x 1,200) resolution, though today that very product just seems lackluster. Up until now, 4K x 2K projectors were reserved strictly for cinemas, businesses and consumers with a) more money than sense and b) room for a 200-pound beamer in their basement. The planet's first 4K-compatible high-temperature polysilicon (HTPS) TFT liquid crystal panel for 3LCD projectors measures just 1.64-inches and supports displays with resolutions as high as 4,096 x 2,160. Your guess is as good as ours as to when this stuff will actually hit the market in a functioning product, but yesterday is as good a day as any to start saving up. [Via Akihabara News]
Epson's 2010 PowerLite Home and Pro Cinema projector lineup given US pricing, dates
We already snuck a peak at the European version of Epson's Home Cinema 8500 UB (the EH-TW4400) and Pro Cinema 9500 UB (EH-TW5500) at the big IFA show in Berlin. Now they're US official, and joined by newly anointed PowerLite Home Cinema 8100 and Pro Cinema 9100 models. The new 8100 doubles the reported contrast of the old 6100 (on paper anyway) which should equate to a visible black level improvement for an asking price of just $1,500 after $100 rebate -- very reasonable for a Full HD home theater projector of Epson quality. The 9100 adds support for an anamorphic lens, ISF certification for professional setups, a bundled ceiling mount and spare E-TORL lamp, and a 3-year replacement warranty for a beefier $2,600. Expect the 8100 to hit US retail in October along side the "sub-$4,000" Pro Cinema 9500 UB while the 9100 lands in November with the "sub-$3,000" Home Cinema 8500 UB. Your holiday slide-shows will never be the same. [Via The Art of Home Theater Projectors]Read -- PowerLite Home Cinema 8100 and 8500 UB Read -- PowerLite Pro Cinema 9100 and 9500 UB
Epson's EH-TW5500 and EH-TW4400 flagship projectors seen hanging out with high contrast blacks, Germans
It's that time again: the end-of-year rush to launch the best and brightest home theater projectors for the holiday cocooning season. Epson's casting its 2009 lot with the EH-TW5500 and EH-TW4400 3LCD projectors featuring Full HD (1920x1080) resolutions, a 1600 ANSI lumen brightness, and quiet 22dB operation. The TW4400 (aka, Home Cinema 8500UB as it will be known Stateside) touts a 130000:1 contrast while the TW5500 (aka, Pro Cinema 9500UB) ratchets the hyperbole up to 200000:1 -- that's about double the claim of Epson's previous high-enders that already featured excellent black performance. To be fair, Epson makes some of, if not the best, home theater projectors for the money thanks to its D7 C2Fine LCD panels manufactured in-house. Other specs include 12bit video processing, improved frame interpolation and 4-4 pull-down, x.v. color mode, 2.1x optical zoom with horizontal/vertical lens shift, and a range of inputs including 2x HDMI, YUV, and RGB.We gave the TW5500 an eyes and ears-on here are IFA in Berlin in a finely-tuned home theater setup and came away extremely impressed with the image -- enough so that we'd be tempted to layout the €3,299 European asking price (€2,799 for the TW4400) come November if only we had the space to let this baby shine. But let's wait and see what the competition has in response when CEDIA kicks off later this week -- it's best to be informed and 3 grand ain't exactly chump change.Read -- Press ReleaseRead -- Art Feierman's opinion
Video: Epson and 3M create the 0.3-mm spokesmodel, eating disorders skyrocket
The technology behind this display might not be new, but the approach to demonstrating it is absolutely captivating. Good thing too because the idea here is to combine Epson's rear-projection technology with 3M's 0.3-mm thin Vikuiti film to project talking avatars on shop windows in a bid to lure lusty nerd-boys and impressionable Cosmo-girls in for a closer look. Check it after the break courtesy of Impress.
Epson begins mass-producing 'world's smallest' LCD for 3LCD data projectors
Epson's started volume production of what it believes to be the "world's smallest" XGA high temperature polysilicon TFT (HTPS-TFT) panel for 3LCD data projectors. The chip used (an L3P05X-91G00) is approximately 23 percent smaller than its predecessor, and the 0.55-inch panel boasts natural XGA (1024 x 768) resolution. Epson says they're working to increase the resolution on these types of displays, which are currently being manufactured only for 3LCD data projectors. Pretty impressive -- though, we'll just hold out until they start putting these babies into really tiny television sets.[Via About Projectors]
Epson's WUXGA HTPS-TFT Panel hints at ultra-bright, high-contrast PowerLite projectors in September
As a leader in home cinema systems, it's always a good idea to keep tabs on Epson's core technologies as a preview of what's coming up in next generation home theater projectors. Today Seiko-Epson announced the start of volume production for its 0.94-inch HTPS-TFT LCD capable of a WUXGA (1920 x 1200 pixel) resolution for 3LCD projectors pushing 1080p. The panel supports a brightness of 5000 lumens (or more!) using Epson's D7 process technology while achieving "higher than ever contrast" through its C2 Fine inorganic alignment layer tech. What this means is simple: expect to see a new brightness and contrast champion PowerLite Home Cinema projector announced at the end of Summer, as CEDIA tradition dictates, with product shipping by end of the year.
Epson EH-TW5000 75,000:1 contrast ratio projector available
Slotted for those who want a top of the line 1080p projector and aren't afraid to pay extra for it, the just-launched Epson EH-TW5000 manages a dynamic contrast ratio of 75,000:1 and 1600 ANSI lumens from its 3LCD technology. Matched with an HQV chip capable of 12-bit image processing, 4-4 pulldown, support for ultra-widescreen lenses, ISF certification and a mere 22db of noise it should garner consideration in any home theater setup, About Projectors says it can be found for around $5,299. [via About Projectors & Crave]
Sanyo's LP-WXU700 projector is first to stream HD video over 802.11n WiFi
True, Sanyo's LP-WXU700 is limited to a WXGA (1280 x 800) pixel image. But it's still the world's first to transmit that video over 802.11b/g/n (draft 2.0). Grabbing wireless video off your Vista PC is a snap thanks to the projector's Windows Embedded CE 6.0 software with Video Streaming Function that links back to Vista's Network Projector Function. Spec-wise we're looking at a 0.74-inch 3LCD panel capable of projecting a 100-inch image at a distance of 2.5 to 4-meters at 3,800 lumens with a 500:1 contrast ratio. Sanyo even tosses in a single HDMI jack in addition to the usual analog inputs. While, it's targeted at offices and schools, it wouldn't surprise us to see this ¥62,790 (about $642) projector show up in make-shift home theaters and gaming rooms when it launches in June.Update: Oops, dropped a 0 from the price. It's actually ¥627,900 or about $6,445 according to the native English press release -- but even that doesn't sound right. [Via Akihabara News]
Christie's LW650 projector tilts and shifts itself out of less-than-ideal placement
A little bit of keystone distortion during a PowerPoint has never bothered us too much, let alone an off-center placement, but if your boardroom won't tolerate such things then Christie wants to show you its new LW650 projector. The 1366x800 pixel, 3LCD beamer delivers 6500 lumens with a 2500:1 contrast ratio, but its real calling card is the lens shift technology (motorized, we assume) that will allow users to achieve undistorted images without resorting to any resolution-wasting digital corrections. Christie is promising a wide range of lenses that span several throw distances, so it's safe to assume that at least one short-throw option will be in there so you can hop on the bandwagon. Ping your Christie rep for a quotation, as retail pricing info hasn't been released.
Sony's VPL-FW41 projector don't need no darkness to shine
Sony's certainly got lots of cheaper, higher-res options out there for folks who've already sealed out all of the light from their downstairs den (er, "home theater room"), but if you're looking for something to cut through ambient light, search no more. The VPL-FW41 WXGA 3LCD beamer sports an expected 1,280 x 800 native resolution but impresses with its 4,500 lumens of light output -- or enough to make The Sun look like a faraway glow in comparison. All kidding aside, Sony's newest PJ should do wonders for rooms with oodles of sunshine seeping in, and the 12-bit 3D gamma correction circuitry, HDMI socket and 3D digital comb-filter should keep most everyone happy. Unfortunately, you'll be paying for all that brightness, with the MSRP sitting at $6,710.[Via AboutProjectors]
Epson dishes up the 4,000 lumen G5000 projector
Making sure to differentiate white and color output separately, Epson's PowerLite G5000 comes in with an even 4,000 lumen figure for both metrics. The 3LCD, XGA resolution projector also boasts some nice convenience features like 30-degrees of tilt and both horizontal and vertical lens shift so you can quickly get things set up when moving from the classroom to the family room. Available now for $2,499 -- but that lack of 1080 vertical pixels and only 1,000:1 contrast leave us a little cold while we look across other Epson offerings, even if they require a little more light control in the room. Still, if blackout drapes are just out of the question for your setting, those 4,000 lumens speak volumes.
InFocus IN5108 daytime-ready projector gets reviewed
The InFocus IN5108 might be just what you're looking for if you need a projector that can do duty as your primary HDTV display, at least according to the Good Gear Guide review. The industrial design might not win your heart over, but the real beauty to this beamer is the abundance of light that spills out of the lens and wash away the ambient light in your room -- the review says 5,000 lumens, but InFocus specs the unit at 4,000. Either way, it was plenty of candlepower to make all 1400x1050 pixels of the 3LCD projector watchable in a bright, sunlit room. Before you jump on this $5500 cannon, remember to set aside some money to replace the 2,000 hour bulb and keep in mind that it's big enough you won't want to be sneaking it in and out of the workplace conference room on a regular basis.[Via ARN]
Christie LX1000 projector delivers 10,000 retina-searing lumens
Do you know when you don't need to worry about drawing the blackout shades and dimming the lights for projector use? When your projector cranks out 10,000 lumens, that's when. The Christie LX1000 is just such a beast, even though it looks to be a twin brother of the Sanyo PLC-XF71. For its part, the LX1000 is a dual-lamp, 3LCD setup with 10-bit image processing. The motorized lens shift and focus controls are to be expected at this level, but a nice 20,000 lumen surprise awaits you if you stack a couple of LX1000s. The good news is tempered somewhat by looking at the other LX-series models, which deliver 1024x768 resolution. Christie's not sharing pricing info, but this model has got to sit between the $18,000 LX900 and the $30,000 LX1500.
