Denver — Epson America (booth 2828) is using this week’s CEDIA Expo, here, to unveil seven FullHD 3LCD projectors for high-value advanced home-theater applications.
The highlights of this year’s showcase are three Epson PowerLite Pro Cinema models, including the G6900WU ($7,499 suggested retail), PowerLite Pro Cinema G6550WU ($5,999), and PowerLite Pro Cinema 4855WU ($3,799), all of which are now available through CEDIA and specialty dealers only.
For more mainstream home-theater applications, Epson is also unveiling four more value-oriented units with the PowerLite Pro Cinema 6030 ($3,499) and Pro Cinema 4030 ($2,499), which will be available in late October, and the home Cinema 5030UB ($2,599) and 5030UBe ($2,899), which will be available online and through dealers in mid October.
Epson’s 6030 and 5030UB/UBe models offer custom installers and A/V enthusiasts 2D/3D performance with up to 2,400 lumens of color brightness and 2,400 lumens of white brightness along with a suite of customization features for installation flexibility.
“Epson’s newest home-theater projectors push the boundaries of picture quality, color and white light output, 2D and 3D performance, and installation flexibility at this price point and beyond,” said Jason Palmer, marketing manager, Epson America. “Value-add features such as wireless HDMI, THX certification and innovative Picture-in-Picture mode present custom installers with a wide range of options to meet the expectations of the most critical home theater elitists or novice enthusiasts.”
The models offer 1,920 by 1080p FullHD resolution and active-shutter 3D support. Contrast performance has been boosted to a ratio of 600,000:1. All four models are equipped with an advanced Fujinon OptiCinema lens (2.1 zoom ratio), 480Hz Drive Technology for brighter 3D images, and a built-in cinema filter for improved color fidelity. Also included is new Black-and-White Cinema mode optimized for viewing classic films, THX 2D and 3D Cinema viewing modes, and a Picture-in-Picture mode for watching two sources at once.
The Pro Cinema 6030UB and Home Cinema 5030UB and 5030UBe (the latter is wireless) include Epson’s Super Resolution technology and FineFrame technology for smoother frame interpolation and sharper video quality (2D Mode).
For added installation flexibility, the Home Cinema 5030UBe includes a built-in WirelessHD receiver along with an external transmitter to provide five HDMI inputs to stream FullHD 1080p media without cables.
The Pro Cinema 6030UB adds two anamorphic lens modes to enable 2.35:1 anamorphic viewing without an external processor, ISF calibration, color isolation, a ceiling mount, cable cover and extra lamp for added installation flexibility and customization. For added value, both models include two pairs of 3D glasses.
The Pro Cinema 4030 offers 3D/2D support in FullHD 1080p resolution, 2,000 lumens of color brightness, 2,000 lumens of white brightness, and a contrast ratio of up to 120,000:1. It also includes two pairs of 3D glasses, an extra lamp, a ceiling mount and a cable cover.
All of the models have up to 3x brighter colors, five color modes in 2D and three color modes in 3D, Black-and-White Cinema color mode to optimizer black-and-white movies, flexible installation with manual lens shift of up to 96 percent vertical and up to 47 percent horizontal, a 230W E-TORL lamp with up to 5,000 hours of lamp life expectancy, optical audio output, and wireless audio (Home Cinema 5030UBe).
Stepping up the value/performance equation are three Ultra-Bright Pro Cinema projectors, bringing a suite of advanced features for easy installation and ultra-bright performance with up to 6,000 lumens of color brightness (color light output), and 6,000 lumens of white brightness (model G6900WU), for locations with high ambient light.
The Pro Cinema G6550WU offers 5,200 lumens of color and white brightness, and 4855WU offers 4,000 lumens of color and white brightness, each.
All three include video processing for FullHD 1080p 2D cinematic experiences at home.
The models are equipped with a center lens design with vertical and horizontal lens shift, point and arc image correction, and Faroudja DCDi chipset to enhance video quality without deinterlacing.
The Pro Cinema G6900WU and G6550WU are also equipped with frame interpolation for smoother fast-motion videos and C2Fine Technology for darker black levels.
The Pro Cinema G6900WU adds HDBaseT connectivity that integrates FullHD video, audio, network and control commands into a single CAT-5/6 cable that can be extended up to 328 feet.
Other features in the models include advanced adjustment capabilities, including color uniformity and pixel alignment adjustments; lens shift lock; and advanced split screen to watch two HD connections at once.
