Granted, Epson's 4K PRO-UHD tech, which combines the pixel-shifting with detail enhancement processing, has a proven track record of delivering excellent detail from normal viewing distances. By comparison, the LS800 merely doubles the 1080p chip resolution, which is one-half of full 4K pixel count. This is similar to how the most popular 0.47-inch 4K DLP chipset achieves full resolution. That projector also uses native 1080p imagers, but puts all the pixels in a UHD signal on the screen with its 4-phase pixel shifting. Unfortunately, they didn't include the more advanced 4K imaging system found in their flagship LS12000 laser projector. All other models are typically in the 0.22-0.25:1 throw range, which may require as much as 7 or 8 inches of clearance for a 100-inch image.īehind the lens, Epson has built in the same 4K PRO-UHD pixel-shifting technology found in the LS500 and its popular Home Cinema 5050UB standard-throw projector. To put some perspective on this, the next shortest throw ratio among laser TV USTs is from the 0.19:1 lens found in LG's and Samsung's premium USTs, which need 4.5 inches of clearance from their back side to the screen for a 100-inch image. Epson even boldly specs the projector for a 150-inch image, which would have the front of the projector sitting just 24.6 inches out from the image. That's skinny enough to fit on most TV credenzas without pulling the furniture from the wall. Even with a 120-inch image, it juts out only 20.2 inches. This combines with the projector's narrow depth to make the front of the LS800 sit just 17.3 inches out from the screen. Most notably, Epson's new lens system has a remarkable 0.16:1 throw ratio, allowing it to be placed with its back just 3.9 inches from the wall for a 100-inch image. To keep the front of the projector closer to the wall, Epson offsets the single-laser+phosphor light source at a right angle from the lens, which helps reduce the overall chassis depth. The cyclops lens protrusion of the LS500 is gone, replaced by a sleek, low-profile chassis with an unusually wide form factor with measurements of 27.4 x 6.2 x 13.4 inches (WHD). Like the old LS500, the LS800 is available in either black or white, but it offers a very different cosmetic. There's also a respectable built-in Yamaha sound system. Along with Epson's signature three-chip LCD architecture, the design features breakthrough optics with the shortest throw distance of any laser TV on the market, while retaining the same industry-leading 4,000-lumen brightness. Like the LS300, a 1080p UST introduced shortly after the LS500, the new LS800 has been built from the ground up for everyday consumers. The LS500 also lacked suitable built-in speakers for a living room, so a separate soundbar or other audio system was mandatory.įlash forward, and we now have the LS500's successor, officially designated the EpiqVision Ultra LS800, priced at $3,499. Furthermore, the LS500 was adapted from a platform used for Epson's commercial USTs and had a large protruding lens hood that called attention to it in a room and required placement much further from the screen than competitors. Bolstered by the company's proven 4K PRO-UHD enhancement technology, it worked well enough from viewing distance to provide a decently crisp image with good 4K content, but it was going up against new full-4K DLP models that clearly showed less pixel structure. On the other side of the coin, the LS500 followed suit with Epson's other home theater projectors in delivering only half the pixels of a full Ultra HD signal to the screen. More critically, the LS500 was groundbreaking with its super-bright 4,000 lumens of light output. On the plus side, it was the rare three-chip UST projector, a technology that (as Epson often reminds us) delivers equal color and white brightness and comes with full immunity to the rainbow artifacts you sometimes get with single-chip DLP projectors. It was two years ago when Epson introduced the LS500, its first 4K HDR UST laser projector. Epson's 2nd generation 4K-enhanced UST is a well-polished, super-bright projector that should appeal to its core target audience of everyday TV viewers.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |