Epson Home Cinema LS11000 4K Laser Projector Review: Big Tech Promises

The Epson Home Cinema LS11000 is a higher-end 4K projector powered by lasers instead of the conventional lights utilized by the majority of its rivals. A light occurs to power Epson’s own Home Cinema 5050 too, a projector we liked and which remains in the business’s lineup. The LS11000 costs $1,000 more and assures a substantial leap forward, with more pixels on screen and the abovementioned lasers. Both provided exceptional photo quality in my tests, with exceptional color and intense, punchy images, however the efficiency of the next-gen LS11000 isn’t the enormous enhancement suggested by that brand-new innovation.

Don’t get me incorrect. The LS11000 is still a fantastic projector, and all the brand-new pieces and subtle modifications– plus the advantages of utilizing lasers– amount to a general exceptional image. Among projectors we have actually examined, it’s 2nd just to the more costly Sony VPL-VW325 ES So maybe I’m simply nit-picking. But then, for $4,000 the nits are worthy of to be selected.

Specs galore

• Resolution: 1080 p x 4
• HDR-compatible: Yes
• 4K-compatible: Yes
• 3D-compatible: No
• Lumens specification: 2,500
• Zoom: Motorized (2.1 x)
• Lens shift: Motorized HxV
• Laser life: Up to 20,000 hours

Like most other 4K projectors, the Epson utilizes lower-resolution chips to develop 4K pixels on screen. In this case 3 1080 p LCDs and a pixel shifter that quadruples the noticeable resolution. The Epson 5050 utilized a comparable innovation, however just doubled the resolution.

Epson rates the LS11000’s light output at 2,500 lumens. I determined roughly 1,400 lumens in Bright Cinema mode, which provides the very best compromise in between precision and brightness. That’s somewhat behind the 5050 in both ranking and determined brightness, however it’s still what I’d think about “bright” for a projector. In the less-accurate however brighter Dynamic mode I navigated 1,900 lumens.

Like numerous other Epson projectors, and a couple of like-priced DLP projectors, the Epson has actually motorized lens shift and zoom. This is among my preferred and most-used functions. I have a 2.35:1 screen, so when I’m viewing a film or program that utilizes that element ratio, a couple of button presses can zoom the projector out to fill the broader screen. Not just that, however the zoom is big enough that you can put the LS11000 in the back of the space, something not possible with DLP projectors in this rate variety. The lens shift is generous enough that you can put it on a rack and not need to ceiling install it. Another plus over DLP projectors.

The huge heading function is using a laser rather of a UHP light like the majority of projectors. In this case it’s a blue laser and a yellow phosphor, a plan discovered in the majority of brand-new laser-lit projectors

This indicates the source of light will efficiently last the life expectancy of the projector. Rated at 20,000 hours, that’s almost 14 years at ~ 4 hours a night.

Connectability: Check

• HDMI inputs: 2
• PC input: No
• USB port: 2 (2.0 amps and 0.3 amps power)
• Audio input and output: No
• Digital audio output: No
• Internet: Ethernet
• 12 v trigger: Yes
• RS-232 remote port: yes
• Remote: Backlit

The LS11000 has the connections the majority of people will require, with none of the fluff discovered in numerous projectors. There are no analog inputs, for example. That’s fine: You will not miss them

The USB connection has a generous 2.0 amps of power, so you can quickly power a streaming stick I’d anticipate that anybody costs $4,000 on a projector will have enough left over in their spending plan to have a complete house theater system But if you do wish to set it up by doing this, for some factor, among the HDMI inputs likewise has eARC

Expecting a more intricate theater setup, the LS11000 likewise has a 12 v trigger, RS-232 and Ethernet, in case you wish to link it to a house automation system.

The chunky remote is generally the like numerous previous Epson projectors, however it’s simple to utilize in the dark thanks to huge buttons and backlighting.

Picture quality contrasts

For my side-by-side contrast I pitted the Epson LS11000 versus Epson’s own 5050 and the Optoma UHZ50 Both are more economical than the LS11000 however they have a lot in typical. The 5050 is a conventional lamp-lit projector, however it’s close in rate and efficiency. The UHZ50 is DLP and lit by a laser. I liked both of these projectors, so actually, they’re all winners. Perhaps one is more of a winner than the others? We will see. I linked all 3 through a Monoprice 1×4 circulation amplifier, and saw them on a 102- inch 1.0-gain screen.

Sharpness is not the most essential element of a projector’s efficiency in my book, however distinctions in information in between the 3 were obvious right now. Ostensibly, all 3 of these projectors are 4K, however none have 3,840 x2,160 pixel imaging chips (to get that you’ll require to invest much more cash). Instead, each pixel on the imager works double or quadruple task, accountable for 2 or 4 pixels on screen. That’s among the greatest modifications from the 5050 to the LS11000 Epson’s brand-new pixel shifter shifts pixels 4x rather of 2x. So in between those 2 projectors the LS11000 is certainly sharper, that makes sense since it has two times the resolution.

The UHZ50, however, looked a little sharper still. In my experience DLP simply naturally does a much better task producing information, not least since of its absence of movement blur While the distinction was obvious side-by-side, it’s not likely the majority of people will observe in your home.

Contrast is a various story. This is DLP’s Achilles’ heel, and in spite of the UHZ50 succeeding compared to other DLP projectors, it’s well behind here. It does not look rinsed, however the 2 Epsons plainly have more depth and much better black levels. The UHZ50 simply looks flatter, its black levels grayer.

Comparing the 2 Epsons, nevertheless, is rather intriguing. As determined by me, the 5050 has a far much better native contrast ratio at 5,200:1 vs. 1,808:1. I was so amazed by that result I kept remeasuring it. Even the LS11000’s vibrant contrast is lower, where the laser power tracks the brightness of inbound video signal and changes appropriately. However, this mode is better on the LS11000, given that this change occurs basically quickly, far faster than the mechanical iris on the5050 The result is that the LS11000 looks far much better, subjectively, than the numbers recommend. Enough so that they appear approximately equivalent, even side-by-side.

With typical HD and 4K material, color is rather great on all 3. The LS11000 looks the most natural, and its colors look a little richer. The distinction isn’t enormous however the LS11000 is the very best of the lot. That lead extends with HDR, where it does a much better task recreating a broader color range than both the 5050 and the UHZ50

Concluding meaningful collimation

I’m not one to be swayed by specifications and guarantees. I’ve been doing this for far too long and I’ve been a cynic since I found out I’d never ever own a flying gullwing sports. (No, not that a person, this one.) But I was amazed at the LS11000 I was anticipating efficiency enhancements throughout the board compared to the 5050, however that’s not what I saw.

The LS11000 is more of a diagonal action from the5050 Does it look much better, subjectively? Yes, however not as much as the extra $1,000 would indicate. The color and brightness are great, the contrast is good and the included information over the 5050 is welcome. So it does look much better, sure, however the 25% much better suggested by the rate? Sort of.

I think I require to include “total cost of ownership” into my total conclusion, as uninteresting as that sounds. Each brand-new light for the 5050 presently costs $330 Lasting approximately 4,000 hours, that’s a brand-new light every 2.5 years approximately if you enjoy 4 hours a night. If you resemble me and you utilize the projector as a routine television, that’s a positive quote. The LS11000, thanks to lasers, has no light expenses. The laser will last over a lots years by those exact same estimations.

Which is to state, the efficiency enhancements, plus a lower( ish) expense to own over the life of the projector, indicates the LS11000 is certainly worth thinking about over the 5050, though it’s not the clear enhancement it initially appears. What would I purchase in between these 2? The LS11000 by a hair, due to that mathematics and the truth it does look much better. But if setting out $4,000 today is too far out of your spending plan, the 5050 stays an outstanding projector that looks much more like a deal now.

Measurement notes

You can get some major efficiency distinctions with the various photo modes. I utilized Bright Cinema for the majority of my measurements as it appeared to provide the very best mix of light output and precision.

In this mode, I got roughly 1,378 lumens. That’s lower than the majority of the projectors we have actually examined just recently, however still intense compared to the classification as a whole. If you require a bit more, the Dynamic mode does not look rather as great in general, however can produce simply under 1,900 lumens. You can reduce the laser’s power to dim the image, producing a much better black level in addition to reducing fan sound.

Regardless of mode or light power, native contrast balanced around 1,808:1. This is well behind the 5050 and particularly the Sony VPL-VW325 ES, however well above almost all DLP projectors. This is only part of the story, nevertheless.

The Dynamic Contrast setting tracks the inbound video signal and dims the laser for darker scenes. This works rather well, and far much better than the mechanical irises of yore. This vibrant contrast is approximately 5X much better than the native contrast. While that’s far lower than what the 5050 might accomplish on paper, in practice it appears like a larger enhancement. Plus, it’s almost instantaneous which the mechanical iris is most certainly not. Typically I concentrate on native contrast as a much more essential metric than vibrant, however in this case the vibrant contrast is better to how the projector “looks,” which is uncommon.

Colors are extremely precise throughout the board, with red, green and blue primaries in addition to cyan, magenta and yellow secondaries all basically area on. As an outcome the image looks natural overall.

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