We were told at IFA that Epson would be launching a very high-end laser projector at CEDIA, and details were made available just before the show began. It turned out that our source had left out a bit of information – there were two projectors, it turned out!
The Powerlite Pro Cinema LS10000 is a 3LCD unit with UltraHD upscaling. Although the LCD chips have 1920 x 1080 resolution, Epson shifts each pixel diagonally by 0.5 pixels (similarly to JVC’s eShift technology – TA) to increase the resolution of the displayed image. Epson claims that this is achieved without stair-stepping or pixel gaps. The LS10000 will have 1,500 lumens of brightness. Epson’s other laser model, the LS9600e, will be similar but with an MHL-HDMI connection, 1,300 lumens of brightness and no resolution upscaling.
Contrast is simply called ‘Absolute Black’; Epson says that zero lumens are delivered during full black scenes. The use of a laser light source (lasting for 30,000 hours) also enables what Epson calls ‘one of the industry’s largest colour gamuts’.
Both models offer a 2.1x motorised zoom, motorised focus, 90% vertical and 40% horizontal lens shift. The lens position memory can story up to 10 settings.
The projectors are THX Display Certified. They will be sold in the autumn, for less than $8,000.
Additionally Epson is introducing new home cinema 3000-Series projectors: the 3600e, 3500 and 3000. These feature up to 2,500 lumens of brightness, a 70,000:1 contrast ratio and 1920 x 1080 resolution.
