3D Projector Reviews

Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 2030 3D LCD Projector Test Bench

Test Bench

Full-On/Full-Off Contrast Ratio: 324:1 (avg)

All measurements were performed in the Cinema picture mode through an HDMI input. In the ECO lamp mode after calibration, the peak white level was 28.14 ft-L and the black level 0.089 ft-L, giving the contrast ratio shown above. In the Normal lamp mode, these numbers were 41.74/0.126 (321.1). Using an AEMC CA813 illuminance meter to measure the values directly off the projection lens, the full-on/full-off contrast ratio was 325:1.

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The auto iris was noisy, but so enabled, the dynamic contrast ratio averages 1,072:1. In the Normal lamp mode, peak white is 42.12 with a black level of 0.036 (1,170:1). In the ECO mode, those numbers are 28.24/0.029 (974:1).

The pre-calibration RGB Balance shown in the chart was taken in the Cinema mode and the –1 color temp mode. Before calibration, the image is lacking blue, especially with darker images. Delta E values in this mode averaged 11.14. After calibration, there’s a slight push with blue in the mid-tones, but overall, it tracks close to the D6500 color temperature. The Delta E post-calibration averaged 3.39, with a high of 5.54 at 50% brightness. (Delta E is a figure of merit that indicates how closely a display adheres to the Rec. 709 HD color standard. Experts generally agree that levels below 3 are visibly indistinguishable from perfect color tracking.)

Before calibration, red, green, blue, yellow, and cyan all measured slightly off the Rec. 709 standard. Gamut luminance fared better, with a pre-calibration Delta E average of 2.65 (green being the only far break from the mean, at 8.96). After calibration, only magenta was notably improved, gamut-wise. Gamut luminance, though, became an exceptional 0.21. Overall gamma was roughly 1.87 before and after calibration.

114epsonpro.vidmeas.jpg

Interestingly, there was noticeable image retention when static bright images were left on screen for extended periods. Though I knew this was theoretically possible, it’s the first time I’ve seen it with an LCD-based display. Like image retention with other displays (plasma, OLED), watching other content for a few minutes wiped the retained image clear.—GM

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COMMENTS
mortonsteaks's picture
Submitted by mortonsteaks on February 5, 2014 - 7:54pm

Geoffrey - Thanks for the review. One pro that seems omitted in your review is that the bulb replacement is $99, which is the lowest around. Agree with most of your observations about this projector but for someone looking to use this as a TV replacement in a family room setting, not a home theater, I think this projector is great. The auto-iris is noisy on my unit as well so I also turned this off for my usage.

One thing I hope you can add to your review is your calibration settings for the unit you tested (similar to the settings section done for the Benq 1070). I have used a calibration disc for setting up the brightness/contrast but was wondering what settings you used for the white balance and color gamut. If you provide this information, I would greatly appreciate it.

Geoffrey Morrison's picture
Submitted by Geoffrey Morrison on February 11, 2014 - 8:27pm
I feel quite strongly about not giving my settings: Why I Hate Sharing My Picture Settings There's too much variation between individual units, setups, and personal preference. Colleagues have done tests on two TVs, bought at the same store on the same day, and found the settings available online from various forums were actually worse than the TV's stock settings, and of course much worse than simple adjustments with a setup Blu-ray. Whatever settings you got with a calibration disc are going to be better with your projector on your screen than what I had with my sample on my screen.
jintoku's picture
Submitted by jintoku on February 14, 2014 - 5:15pm

Did you do your tests in Dynamic mode setting?

The IQ increases a lot in this. Today I tried it side by side with the BenQ, both in Dynamic setting, and both wife and I agreed that the colors on the Epson did at the same time pop more and appeared more natural.

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