CEDIA 2018

Epson is showcasing its new Enhanced 4K Pro Cinema 4050 LCD projector here at CEDIA Expo 2018. It’s said to offer, compared to earlier Epsons, improved brightness, higher contrast, better HDR, and a newly optimized 4K pixel shift. It’s claimed to provide 2400 lumens of peak brightness (presumably in the High lamp setting), a contrast ratio of 200,000:1, and 100% coverage of P3 color.

It also provides 12-bit digital processing (though the display is limited to 10-bits) and a fully motorized, 15-piece, all glass lens with lens memories. As a Pro Cinema model, it comes with a black case, an extended 3-year warrantee (90-days on the lamp), a ceiling mount bracket, and a spare lamp.

A demonstration of the 4050 on a (estimated) 10-foot wide screen looked excellent, regardless of the price, limited only by the limited contrast on a difficult dark scene from Avengers: Infinity War (chapter 12, Vormir, which I plan to try out on other displays). The difficulty here might well have been in the source, not the display.

The 4050 begins shipping today (September 6, 2018) at $2400.

In another demo room, Epson briefly compared its Pro Cinema 6040UB, not a new model, to Sony’s now discontinued VW385ES, to the benefit of the Epson. The tests were still frames. I don’t question the setup (I trust those who did it) but I found that result surprising. According to Epson, the 4050, while cheaper than the 6040UB, is claimed to be more advanced than the 6040 in a number of significant ways, though the 6040UB has received some significant upgrades since it was first introduced.