Epson Introduces World’s First 3LCD Projector with 4K and HDR for $3,000
Epson just announced two new reasonably affordable Home Cinema 3LCD projectors, both of which feature 4K UHD signal input and HDR (high dynamic range). The Home Cinema 5040UB will cost $3000, and the Home Cinema 5040UBe adds wireless connectivity for $300 more and claims to be the world’s first projector to support WirelessHD and 4K.
These newly designed and identical looking home theater projectors deliver 2,500 lumens of color brightness and 2,500 lumens of white brightness2 and an expansive color gamut to display the entire sRGB and DCI color spaces3. The projectors are engineered with up to 1,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio and display high dynamic range content, with eye-popping bright colors and deep, dramatic Ultra Blacks for a fully immersive large-screen experience.
Both projectors provide 4K Enhancement1 are compatible with HDMI 2.0a and HDCP 2.2 standards for displaying 4K UHD content. The projectors automatically detect an encoded HDR signal and adjust the brightness levels to display highlights and detailed blacks. The projectors deliver an immersive, natural picture quality displaying the full sRGB color space, even in the brightest mode, as well as the entire DCI color gamut – the digital cinema standard – in Digital Cinema Mode. Both projectors include an enhanced optical engine and a new all-glass cinema lens engineered to deliver excellent sharpness and color uniformity with remarkable clarity across the entire screen.
The Home Cinema 5040UBe enables users to connect a range of entertainment devices using the included transmitter and wirelessly stream 4K, HDR and Full HD 1080p content with WirelessHD. The transmitter connects up to four HDMI devices simultaneously and supports 4K HDCP2.2 standards. It also includes one HDMI out connection and one optical port, with one HDMI port supporting MHL4. Connect a receiver, Blu-Ray player, gaming console, or streaming devices Chromecast, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and Apple TV and switch between four HDMI devices simultaneously with Preview Mode. For a more immersive experience with sound, external speakers can be connected via the optical port (speakers not included).
Features (both models):
- Powered Lens Position Memory – Preset up to 10 positions for zoom, focus and lens shift for both standard and wide cinema ratios
- Installation Flexibility – Equipped with a wide range of lens shift capabilities, including a super-wide range of up to ± 96.3 percent on the vertical axis and ±47.1 percent on the horizontal axis
- Image Enhancement Features – Super-resolution delivers defined edges and rich image quality, making content come alive; Detail Enhancement refines surface detail for true-to-life images; users can adjust levels of sharpness and detail enhancement
- New Optical Engine – Non-inverting optical engine design utilizes an additional high-quality relay lens for Epson’s best color field uniformity to date
- Frame Interpolation5 – Generates multiple new frames between the originals, reducing motion blur and providing a smoother, theater-like experience
- Auto Iris Technology – Adjusts the aperture to provide the optimum contrast and brightness for each scene
- Centered Lens Design – Makes installation easy to plan and carry out with simpler lens-to-screen alignment
- Color Brightness Specification – Brilliant image quality requires high color brightness; Epson projectors utilize 3LCD, 3-chip technology and offer up to 3x higher color brightness than leading competitive projectors6
Price, Availability and Support
Both projectors will be available August 2016 and come with two-year limited warranty (90 days on lamps).
- Epson Home Cinema 5040UBe $3,299
- Epson Home Cinema 5040UB $2,999
Notes:
1 4K Enhancement Technology shifts each pixel diagonally by 0.5 pixels to double the resolution to 3840 x 2160 and surpass Full HD image quality. Resolution is 1920 x 1080 in 3D Mode.
2 Color brightness (color light output) and white brightness (white light output) will vary depending on usage conditions. Color light output measured in accordance with IDMS 15.4; white light output measured in accordance with ISO 21118.
3 Entire DCI color space can be displayed in Digital Cinema Mode only.
4 Includes one Mobile High-Definition Link (MHL) HDMI port on the WirelessHD transmitter. For sound, external speakers must be connected to the optical port.
5 Supports 1080p/24 Hz or 3D 1080p/24 Hz frame packing only.
6 Color brightness (color light output) measured in accordance with IDMS 15.4. Color brightness will vary depending on usage conditions. Leading Epson 3LCD projectors in the home entertainment segment (720p and 1080p) compared to leading 1-chip DLP projectors, based on NPD data for June 2013 through May 2014.
