4. Epson PowerLite Pro Cinema 810

In the USA, the Pro Cinema 810 is available in black.

Epson, though strongly associated with IT products, has offered some Home Theater video projectors that have made strong impressions. With this new model, Epson again scores points, showing that it's possible to make an excellent product at an affordable price. First there's the shape of the housing and its color, very suitable for living rooms. Then there are its functions, such as the double lens shift (horizontal and vertical), powerful zoom (2.1 x) - combined with a short focal length for projections from the back of the room -, its special Home Theater lens, and finally its HD Ready tri-LCD matrix boosted by an announced contrast ratio of 10,000:1 and brightness of 1600 lumens. Note that the contrast ratio is achieved through the use of an automated dual-iris system that manages the amount of light to suit the type of image.

Connectivity is extensive, with an HDMI connector, a component YUV input, an S-Video input and finally VGA for computers. The projector is a snap to control thanks to its good remote. It fits the hand well and the backlighting is strong and effective.

Performance

Connected to our test sources, the TW700 was fairly silent in low-lamp mode, perfect for Home Theater. If you plan on using it in a lighted room, use the Dynamic mode, which delivers the full power of the lamp. But the fan will be much more audible. For purely Home Theater use, the Theater Black 1 and 2 modes are recommended. For other uses, there are Dynamic, Living Room, and Natural modes. The basic adjustments are truly excellent, which will facilitate things for neophytes who want a big image in a hurry.

Epson's Cinema Filter works wonders - flesh tones are very faithful and blacks are intense. At a distance of 3.5 meters (12 ft.) and with a 2.5-meter (8 ft.) image base, no lines or screen-door effect were visible. Regardless of the source (standard DVD, upscaling, or HD-DVD), the Pro Cinema 810 delivered a picture with good contrast, with a lot of detail and very easy viewing of scenes set in semidarkness. Camera movements were no problem; the image was always fluid and without artifacts. With high-definition sources, the relative softness of the image attenuated the "computerish" tendency. The image was very well defined, backgrounds were detailed, and all the finesse of 720p came across.

Conclusions

Epson has put all their considerable know-how into the Pro Cinema 810. You'll quickly be won over by a natural image that's really splendid with an HD source. There's really nothing to criticize about this model, which will satisfy all types of users - both novices and enthusiasts who like making more advanced adjustments. With good sources, you'll be able to enjoy HD for a good while as you wait for Full HD video projectors to become more affordable.