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Epson's 2010 PowerLite Home and Pro Cinema projector lineup given US pricing, dates

by Thomas Ricker posted Sep 8th 2009 at 7:34AM

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

by Thomas Ricker posted Sep 7th 2009 at 3:59AM

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 Release
Read -- Art Feierman's opinion

Seiko Epson envisions large inkjet-printed OLED TVs, unicorns for all in 2012

by Darren Murph posted Jun 24th 2009 at 1:51PM


As much as we'd like to put stock in Satoru Miyashita's forecast, we're still hesitant to believe that we're just two Consumer Electronic Shows away from seeing big-screen OLED TVs for sale. After Sony's polarizing XEL-1 hit the scene around two years ago, we've seen an anemic amount of action in the commercial OLED TV space. Sure, we've heard promise after promise, but we've still got no solid evidence that a large-screen set is anywhere near a Sam's Club shelf. In a recent interview with the general manager of Seiko Epson's Core Technology Development Center, OLED-Info managed to get this out of the exec: "We see 2012 as being the year that 37"+ OLED TVs will be launched by various makers, and 2015 as the year that sales will really take off for this market." He's referring to the year in which OEMs will begin to use its new inkjet-printing approach to making OLED TVs, which will hopefully allow for easier development of larger panels. 'Til then, we suppose we'll just have to be content with using the Zune HD as our primary television.

Epson's WUXGA HTPS-TFT Panel hints at ultra-bright, high-contrast PowerLite projectors in September

by Thomas Ricker posted Jun 11th 2009 at 4:50AM


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

by Richard Lawler posted Jun 8th 2009 at 4:28PM


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]

Seiko Epson's inkjet tech brings big-screen OLED TVs closer to reality

by Darren Murph posted May 26th 2009 at 10:34AM


We know it's been burning on your mind everyday since December 6th, 2007: "What on Earth are those guys and gals over at Seiko Epson doing now that they've killed production of RPTVs?" At long last, we've located an answer. According to a prideful new release from the outfit, it has developed a new inkjet technology that will enable the "uniform deposition of organic material in the production of large-screen OLED TVs." For what seems like years now, manufacturers have teased us with 37-inch OLED HDTVs, but they've skirted around questions relating to "price" and "release." Now, the last remaining excuse seems to have been vaporized, so if we don't see a market-ready big-screen OLED at CES 2010... well, let's just say the knee-capping club is dying for a reason to reunite.

[Via Akihabara News]

Epson launches next-gen Ensemble HD Home Cinema System

by Darren Murph posted Apr 28th 2009 at 4:10PM


Considering that Epson's highest-end HTIB is nearly two years old now, we'd say an update was definitely in order. Today, the outfit has just taken the wraps off of its next-generation Ensemble HD Home Cinema, which gets updated by way of including the PowerLite Home Cinema 6100 or Home Cinema 6500 UB. As with the prior kit, these two also include a motorized 100-inch screen, integrated surround sound, AV controller with built-in DVD player, universal remote and all virtually components needed for installation. The only thing that's glaringly absent is a Blu-ray player, which -- at this point -- is completely and utterly inexcusable. At any rate, those content with treating themselves to upscaled DVD can fork out $4,999 for the Ensemble HD Home Cinema 720p, $6,499 for the Ensemble HD Home Cinema 6100 and $7,999 for the Ensemble HD Home Cinema 6500 UB.

Epson dishes up the 4,000 lumen G5000 projector

by Steven Kim posted Feb 24th 2009 at 6:59PM

Epson G5000 projectorMaking 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.

Epson adopts new color metric for projector performance

by Steven Kim posted Feb 11th 2009 at 5:11AM

Epson and Lumita logosAnyone who's even casually compared front projectors knows there's a lot more to performance than just the number of lumens spilling out the front lens. It turns out that seemingly simple metric is skewed as well, and Epson is going to adopt a Lumita-developed measurement called "Color Light Output" to get a better handle on things. Projector brightness is measured from a white field, which means that for models that use more than just RGB primaries for image formation -- like 4LCD projectors -- the white field can be quite a bit brighter than the sum of the red, green and blue fields and give a misleading representation of white brightness relative to color brightness. The new "color illuminance" figure is the sum of the red, green and blue brightness only and will appear alongside the traditional white brightness. This all sounds very similar to last year's Color Brightness measurement that Sony and Epson backed, and we're all for more meaningful and thorough specs, but the bottom line remains the same -- trust your own eyes.

Read - Epson adopts Color Light Output
Read - Lumita whitepaper [PDF]

Epson Ensemble HD Home Cinema System gets reviewed

by Darren Murph posted Jan 29th 2009 at 10:16AM


Let's get one thing straight up front: Epson's Ensemble HD Home Cinema System isn't right for everyone. In fact, we'd say it's right for only a small sect of individuals. You see, this all-in-one solution is really all-in-one, meaning that you'll not only have to be completely okay with each and every component, but you'll need a local installer to come and set everything up. For those looking to exert zero effort into their home theater system, this is the one to beat. E-Gear critics were able to have a sit with the 1080p version of the bundle, and while nothing was absolutely groundbreaking, everything seemed to function well enough. Video and audio were both satisfactory, and the fit and finish of everything was superb. If you've found yourself in that tiny niche of prospective buyers, you owe it to yourself to give the read link a look before throwing down thousands.

Epson prices, displays the PowerLite Home Cinema 6500 UB

by Darren Murph posted Jan 7th 2009 at 8:59AM


We caught sight of Epson's PowerLite Home Cinema 6500 UB quite a while back, but now it's available and on display at CES as the company's flagship home projector. If you've forgotten, this little beast boasts a 920 x 1080 full HD resolution, displays 1600 ANSI lumens, and a 75000:1 contrast ratio. All in all, not too bad for the $3,000 asking price.

Epson's DVD-playing EH-DM2 projector reviewed, little love is shown

by Darren Murph posted Jan 6th 2009 at 4:20AM


We understand that the DVD-packin' projector has a certain place in life, but even in that dark little cavern, Epson's EH-DM2 didn't do much to impress the panel over at TrustedReviews. The first thing that really got 'em worked up was the outright omission of an HDMI port, and of course, the subpar 854 x 480 resolution didn't win over anyone, either. Moving on to even harsher bashing, we find that there's no optical zoom whatsoever, so you best have limitless mounting options if you're looking for optimal quality. Even considering the native resolution, critics were definitely underwhelmed by the images output by the DM2, and their bottom line was this: "we wouldn't have been impressed by the PJ's performance -- even as a mega-budget, ultra-casual projector -- two years ago." Can you say "burn?"

Epson trots out tiny ST120 HTPC, finds room for Blu-ray / TV tuner

by Darren Murph posted Dec 16th 2008 at 2:02PM


Man, talk about a much needed refreshing. Last we recall, Epson was eliciting "awws" from window shoppers who just couldn't get over how delightfully cute its Endeavor ST100 micro PC was. Fast forward two years, and here we have the equally tiny (albeit entirely more useful) ST120. The all-black box comes equipped with a 2.26GHz Core 2 Duo P8400 CPU, 1GB of RAM, 80GB of hard drive space, an HDMI output, a Blu-ray writer and a digital TV tuner. Too bad the loaded configuration we just spouted off rings up at ¥137,500 ($1,531), but those with less lavish lifestyles can opt for a DVD model that starts at "just" ¥65,100 ($725).

[Via Engadget Spanish]

Epson introduces 1080p EH-TW3000 projector

by Darren Murph posted Dec 11th 2008 at 8:46AM


Epson's EH-TW3000 isn't much to look at, but we all know it's the innards that count. The 1080p beamer sports the company's 3LCD technology, a 20,000:1 contrast ratio, 2,000 ANSI lumens, a 10-bit video processing engine, whisper quiet design, twin HDMI 1.3 inputs and a 3-year warranty. In other words, it's housing everything you need to make your movies look great, but it'll cost you a stiff €1,614 ($2,084) in order to bring one home.

[Via AboutProjectors]

Epson PowerLite Cinema 700 costs only slightly more dollars than its horizontal line count

by Samuel Axon posted Nov 10th 2008 at 3:50PM

We're sorry you lost your fortune in the global financial crisis, but we've got some news to cheer you up -- you might still be able to plaster your living room wall with HD video. Epson just launched the PowerLite Cinema 700, a 720p home theater projector that it claims is the first to retail at $799. Sure, they've made this kind of claim before, and it's true that if you look hard enough you'll probably find a couple other 720p projectors at that price, but we're not gonna make a fuss -- this 3LCD projector is a decent deal, what with it doing 2,000 lumens and having a 2,000:1 contrast ratio. It's already available in Epson's online store -- or, at least it would be if it wasn't sold out at the moment. Guess some other economically depressed folks thought it was a decent deal, too!




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