With all the hype around 4K Ultra HD and HDR, it’s almost easy to forget that there are many homeowners who either don’t want those technologies or don’t find them applicable to their lifestyles.
At CEDIA 2017 this week, the popular projector manufacturer Epson will showcase new products that address a number of non-Ultra HD applications at reasonable price points.
Highlighting Epson’s latest projector line is the new Home Cinema LS100 Digital Laser Display, which integrators can use for short-throw installations in media rooms, great rooms, and even commercial settings like boardrooms.
Epson Home Cinema LS100 Digital Laser Display
Epson is flexing its muscles at CEDIA 2017, launching approximately half a dozen products over a short period of time. The company owns 53 percent market share in the projector market, as well as 16 patents.
As far as home theater projection trends go, Epson is seeing sports become a dominant force of entertainment in the home, as well as more projectors coming to bright multipurpose rooms.
The new Home Cinema LS100 Digital Laser Display addresses these applications — as well as the lifestyles of Millennials, Gen X’ers and Gen Z. The projector displays images ranging from 80 inches to 130 inches, as wide as 10 feet from just 18-inches away from a screen or wall, and produces 4,000 lumens of color and black-and-white brightness.
Through its Absolute Black feature, the LS100 is also able to produce contrast ratios up to 2,500,000:1, and its lamp-free laser light engine enables the product to instantly turn on and off, while producing wide color gamuts and minimizing maintenance requirements.
Like other Epson products, the LS100 utilizes the 3LCD chipset that the company says produces smooth images without any rainbow effect.
The LS100’s three HDMI ports support a variety of source components, including cable and satellite set-top boxes (STBs) and streaming devices including Roku, Apple TV and Amazon Fire, and Blu-ray disc players.
Epson's Home Cinema LS100 Digital Laser Display will hit the market in November 2017 at an MSRP of $2,999.
Affordable Home Cinema 2100 and 2150
Epson has also introduced its Home Cinema 2100 and 2150 projectors.
Engineered for versatility, the 2100 and 2150 produce 2,500 lumens of color and black-and-white brightness, as well as images as large as 11-feet diagonal, which is four times bigger than a 60-inch television.
“Epson Home Cinema projectors will make your home the place to be for friends and family, [they] deliver immersive entertainment to any room or outdoor space for the ultimate social entertainment experience,” says Rodrigo Catalan, senior product manager, projectors, Epson America. “A TV simply can’t beat a home theater projector at putting up a jaw-dropping, big-screen image, and Epson’s new lineup delivers premium picture quality and outstanding value.”
Both projectors also offer imaging processing options, along with vertical lens shift and 1.6x zoom capabilities to support integrators. The Home Cinema 2100 and 2150 projectors also incorporate dual HDMI inputs and 3LCD chipsets.
Epson says the Home Cinema 2100 retails for $849, while the Home Cinema 2150 carries a price tag of $899.
Epson Home Cinema 660, 760HD and 1060
Fulfilling the need for large screens at every budget, Epson’s new Home Cinema 660, 760HD and 1060 provide a choice of projectors at entry-level price points.
Epson says these projectors, which carry respective price tags of $359, $549 and $649, deliver up to 3,300 lumens of color and black-and-white brightness.
“If you’re shopping on a budget, or for a small space, ditch the traditional TV for an Epson Home Cinema projector to enjoy immersive, life-size entertainment,” notes Catalan. “ Epson projectors offer creative solutions with a host of benefits—from the compact, coffee-table friendly design, to delivering huge, high-quality images, as well as connected home integration, portability and setup flexibility.”
The company points out the affordable projectors produce images as large as 300 inches, and all three offer HDMI inputs to allow for the connection of STBs, streaming media players and Blu-ray disc players.
In addition, the Home Cinema 660, 760HD and 1060 projectors also offer horizontal image correction, contrast ratios as high as 15,000:1, and instant off shut-off capabilities.
Epson will be in booth #900 during CEDIA 2017 in San Diego on Sept. 5-9. See more CEDIA news.
