You probably aren’t aware just how big the home projector market really is. And Epson is actually the market leader by an extremely wide margin with a 53% market share in the United States. Epson offers a good mix of high quality affordable projectors and high end models. Epson has just announced Home Cinema LS100 Laser Display. It’s a brand new ultra short throw projector. It’s capable of projecting the display up to 130″ diagonally onto a wall or screen at remarkably close distances. Epson is saying that if you use a high quality ambient light with the LS100, the quality of the image is almost indistinguishable from a standard LCD TV.
How does the LS100 stack up against an LCD TV? Well, the price itself is comparable. The LS100 will run you $2,999.99. Which seems like a lot, but a decent 75″ TV will cost you somewhere between $2,500 and $2,800. And as I mentioned in the previous paragraph, the LS100 projects up to 130″.
As far as the specs go, the LS100 is impressive. Brightness is rated at 4,000 lumens, which means it will be quite visible even with the lights on. Which means, you don’t have to stuff the projector into a dark basement to get a good picture. It also features an impressive 2,500,000:1 contrast ratio, so the colour black is surprisingly deep for a projector.
The idea of a projector as “new tech” really does surprise me. Mostly because it just seems so dated as a technology. But it’s not! Other companies are bringing their own version onto the market as well. In June, Optoma unveiled it’s 4K projector, which retails for $2,000. Xiaomi is promising a laser projector that uses the same system as movie theatres for only $1,500.
When you think of a projector though, I would imagine that the idea of modern technology isn’t what comes to mind first. But, like with anything tech, it just keeps advancing. Or does it? The resolution is stuck at a relatively lowly Full HD. And with the home cinema moving towards a 4K standard, what does this mean? Well, Epson also boasts that this projector has a 10 year lifespan. Which seems like they are already a step behind in terms of the technology. But maybe that’s why it’s price point is relatively low?
Some people use projectors as the only way to watch TV. And over 10 years, this is an incredible buy. But do you want something to last 10 years from a technology perspective? I mean honestly. Do you want to have the same iPhone you have now in 10 years? Personally, I don’t like keeping my phone for 2 years, but alas. I guess I’m just trying to understand this from a technology perspective. I’ve alluded to the fact that I think projectors are kind of “dinosaurs”. But I could be selling them short. This new Epson projector might work for some people. It does seem to have some pretty amazing specs, which means the picture is going to look spectacular. What do you think? Do you use a projector? And if so, is it your primary way to watch TV, or do you use it just for special occasions and movie viewing?