Audio Video News

Epson has announced a quartet of new 1080p projectors for home theaters. All four models features 3-chip DLP imagers and dual HDMI 1.3a inputs.

The $1,599 Home Cinema 8100 is the least expensive of the new projectors, and the most modest, pumping out up to 1,800 lumens and sporting a 36,000:1 contrast ratio. At $2,299, the Home Cinema 9100 offers similar contrast and light statistics, but includes ISF calibration and color isolation for tweak-happy custom installers. Both projectors will be available in October.

The Home Cinema 8500 UB is the next step up in Epson's newest projectors. While it only outputs up to 1,600 lumens, it sports a contrast ratio of 200,000:1 and features a Silicon Optix HQV Reon-VX image processor. The Home Cinema 9500 UB sits at the top of the list, sporting all of the features of the 8500 UB, plus ISF calibration and color isolation, and a "vertical stretch" picture mode for use with an optional anamorphic lens, for displaying 1:2.35 and 1:2.40 movies without distortion. The two projectors will respectively retail for approximately $3,000 and $4,000. Both projectors will be available in November.

— Will Greenwald