Epson Emp-tw2000 Home Theatre Projector

The Age

Thursday November 6, 2008

Terry Lane

EPSON EMP-TW2000 HOME THEATRE PROJECTOR

Price: $5000

Spectacular

Low-down: This is a high-definition projector with a native resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, and an aspect ratio of 16:9. The inputs provided are two HDMI (high definition multimedia interface), component, S-video, VGA and composite. All functions of the projector can be controlled from the remote control. Maximum contrast is 50000:1 and there are presets for different ambient light conditions. The lens zooms to fit large or small screens, but there is no keystone correction, which means the projector needs to be straight on to the screen. The cooling fan is reasonably quiet.

Like: The resolution and colour fidelity are amazing. Some projectors are plagued by colour bleeding in areas of high saturation, particularly reds. The Epson preserves all outlines and produces a natural colour palette. There is no visible pixel grid as there is with lower resolution projectors.

Dislike: The owner's manual is on a disc and must be read from a PC screen. We could not find any easy way to print it. For a gadget costing $5000 this is inexcusable. There are also no connecting leads included, which seems cheap when modest cameras come with various connectors. And replacement lamps cost $500.

Verdict: Our interest in this projector is as a medium for viewing digital photographs. However, not many people will buy it to use only as a slide projector, even though the results are brilliant. So we tried DVDs, both high definition (in the Microsoft WMV/HD format) and standard resolution. We played the discs through the Windows Media Player and the results were spectacular. Even the low-definition commercial disc projected perfectly with good resolution and colour. If you have the money and the space for a home theatre then this projector is a ripper. -- TERRY LANE