Epson has a new ultra-short-throw (UST) projector coming to the market that adds to its 4K product pool. This time, competing with the many streaming projector options that have been flooding the market over the last so many years. I mean, if it doesn’t stream, it doesn’t stand out anymore (or so it seems).
That last part is correct though, as streaming content has taken the world by storm. So why wouldn’t the projector offer a complete streaming experience on its own as a perk? Not just a small and sometimes poorly-supported app store like TVs used to (and some still do) offer. Instead, the popular wave has been to make use of Android TV as an operating system, with all of your favorite Android streaming apps and all.
This model offers your typical 3-Chip 3LCD technology that promises to deliver up to 120 inches of 4K visuals. Although, like many of Epson’s 4K models, it offers “pixel shift”, which takes a 1080p image and upscales it to 4K by shifting pixels diagonally to increase the number of pixels on the screen and simulate a native 4K image.
It may only offer up to 120 inches vs some of the models out there promising up to 200 inches or more, but it does compromise with up to 3,600 ISO lumens. Making for what will likely be an incredibly bright image on your screen. Thus, hopefully, also brings with it lots of vibrant colors and detail to go with it (which Epson is usually pretty good at accomplishing).
Thankfully, many consumers aren’t exactly set up for a screen bigger than this anyway. So 120-inch cap seems feasible as the company would be targeting the average consumer and not wasting resources on features that will only be used by the few. The latter is best reserved for higher-priced models.
It features Android TV, which comes (as mentioned) packed with all of your favorite streaming options. It also offers HDMI eARC, which allows you to send digital audio back to your receiver using the same HDMI cable running to it. That way, if you make use of the content on the projector vs what’s coming at it from your receiver, you’ll still be able to use your receiver for sound. Of course, your receiver will also need to support eARC (not just ARC) for the best performance.
Of course, it has built-in speakers, as well as most of the usual in and outs for your other devices. Including two HDMI ports, three USB ports, and an optical-out. Pretty much the only thing missing is Ethernet. So you will be limited to using Wi-fi with this model.
There is no release date or price information from the company just yet. But it is expected to hit the US within the $2,500-$3,000 range. Which does place it a little high compared to many other options, including the XGIMI Horizon Ultra we recently covered. So the only thing that might be going for this one is possibly slightly better image (although we couldn’t say that for sure without seeing it for ourselves) and a higher brightness for those looking to use it in well-lit rooms.
