It's quite impressive what $1,300 will get you nowadays. In many ways, the Home 10+ looks the most like a home theater projector of those in our Face Off. The smooth, pearlescent case looks a lot like a Chiclet on steroids, and this was the only projector with a dedicated component video input, in addition to RGB.
2D Performance 3D Performance Features Ergonomics Value
PRICE $999
AT A GLANCE Plus
Bright 1080p for $1,000
No rainbows (for those
who care)
Minus
Contrast ratio is mediocre
Color accuracy is only average
THE VERDICT
Despite a bright image, poor contrast and otherwise average performance put Epson’s 1080p budget projector out of contention at the $1,000 price point.
I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised it was bright. I mean, it’s an Epson projector; of course it was going to be bright. But 42 foot-lamberts and 1080p for $1,000? That’s not too shabby. It’s perhaps even more impressive that all of that light bursts forth from such a tiny package.
Small, bright, a pair of HDMI inputs, even 3D capability: The PowerLite Home Cinema 2030 ticks all the boxes for a projector in our modern era. But box ticking is one thing, and not the thing we’re interested in.
This week marked the 50th anniversary of the premiere of Star Trek on TV. While logically this should have resulted in a “best episodes!” type post… I haven’t seen every episode of the original series. I’m of the Next Generation generation. And since that anniversary isn’t for another 2 weeks (29 years!), I figured we could talk about the movies.
Because I love the movies. Well most of them. OK some of them. Here’s my favorites from beloved to almost-despised. Feel free to list yours in the comments.
I went to Best Buy yesterday to buy a Blu-ray. I needed some latest 3D piece of crap to use in an upcoming review of a 3D projector. Upon checkout, the clerk asked if I wanted a service plan on the Blu-ray.
I’m going to repeat that. The clerk asked if I wanted a service plan on the Blu-ray disc.
Can home theater really be simplified into one box?
A home theater in a box? Can it really be that simple? Do you really get everything you need in one package? HTIBs are huge sellers. Some complete systems sell for less than $500, and others cost more than $2,500. We gathered three that fall somewhere in the middle: the JBL Cinema ProPack600, the Sony DAV-C900, and the Unity, codeveloped by Kenwood and Boston Acoustics. All three retail for $1,200, but you should be able to find them for a bit less. Promising free ice cream, I gathered the usual suspects to participate in the Face Off: audio editor Chris Lewis, executive editor Adrienne Maxwell, copy editor Claire Lloyd, and the ubiquitous Ron Williams, our technical consultant. Much was voiced about the ruse of free ice cream, which was a lie.
I wasn’t a big fan of 3 to be honest. I got bored quickly, not least from the brown-on-brown aesthetic.
I wasn’t even planning on getting 4 until I saw the trailer. OK, it looked pretty awesome. And blowing up irradiated monsters in my old home town had to be at least a little fun. Right?
Dr. Fang Bian founded HiFiMAN in 2006, which has become one of the leading manufacturers of audiophile headphones and portable audio products. Here he picks a Song from his Soundtrack.
In the audio industry, we are constantly listening to music so there are many songs that have special memories for me.
One in particular though stands out and that is "Telegraph Road" by the British rock band Dire Straits and written by Mark Knopfler.
A few days ago the world lost one of the great comedic actors, Gene Wilder. While I’d always considered myself a fan, it wasn’t until I really thought about the roles he’d had that I realized what a gift he had been to us all.
So to celebrate his career, here are some of my favorite moments (at least the ones with clips available online). Feel free to add yours.