The projector giant has plugged a
mid-range gap in its cinema range to impressive effect, reckons a
penny-pinching us
Now I come to think of it, Epson’s previous
LCD home cinema projection range did seem a touch Spartan. You had the TW6000
and TW9000, plus their wireless HD variations, but that was really it in terms
of the sort of models Home Cinema Choice readers would likely feel drawn to.
It seems entirely sensible, then, for Epson
to have expended its 3D home cinema range this year by launching a new
mid-range model, the EH-TW8100.
The TW8100 doesn’t occupy the exact middle
ground between the brand’s new TW6100 and TW9100 projectors, mind you. Its spec
puts it closer to the TW9100, and its $3,375 price is also slightly closer to
the flagship model, costing around $525 less. This is still a significant price
drop from the TW9100, though – especially when you realize that the TW8100
achieves this cheaper price by making only three specification compromises.
Epson
EH-TW8100
First, the TW8100 ditches the TW9100’s ISF
certification, meaning you can’t have it professionally calibrated by an ISF
engineer. Second, you don’t get any free Epson 3D glasses (you get two pairs
with the TW9100). And finally, unlike the TW9100, the TW8100 can’t be fitted
with an anamorphic lens.
The TW9100’s ISF and anamorphic lens
features are aimed squarely at the true AV enthusiast; so many relatively
mainstream movie fans may not miss them much on the TW8100. The lack of 3D
glasses is more aggravating, as getting two pairs will eat up around $225 of
the $525 the TW8100 saves you versus the TW9100. But $300 is still $300, right?
In other ways this model matches its
flagship brethren. Its claims the same impressive 320,000:1 contrast ratio, the
same high 2,400 Lumens of maximum brightness, the same 480Hz panel driving
system (to reduce 3D crosstalk) and a pretty much identical design. This finds
a tasteful white and black finish wrapped around a fairly large, robustly built
chassis.
TW8100
can’t be fitted with an anamorphic lens
Getting started
Connections on the TW8100 match those of
the TW9100, with highlights including two v1.4 HDMIs, a D-Sub PC port, and both
RS-232 and 12V trigger jacks for system integration.
The only point to add here is that, unlike
the TW9100, there’s no premium version of the TW8100 that offers wireless HD
playback (and HDMI switching, too). However, our preference is for sending Full
HD video via a cable where possible, so this isn’t much of an issue. You may
beg to differ, of course. Setting up the TW8100 is a breeze. Of starters, there
are straightforward vertical and horizontal image shifting wheels, making it
easy to avoid nasty keystone ‘distortions’. At 2.1x, meanwhile, the optical
zoom available is outstanding, while the TW8100’s onscreen menus provide ample
control over such key issues as color handling, sharpness, contrast and
brightness.
‘Action-packed scenes, like the mass
street fight in The Dark Knight Rises, are unspoilt by judder or blur’
There are also a few key processing systems
to tinker with – most notably the dynamic iris and Frame Interpolation systems.
Both can deliver benefits to the image (improved contrast with the former, and
more motion clarity with the latter), but both can also work too aggressively
on their higher settings, making the image appear unstable or unnatural.
TW8100
replicates them all very well except for a slight – but not massively
distracting
My testing began with the Blu-ray of The
Dark Knight Rises and the TW8100 sis a very good job with Christopher Nolan’s
final slice of comic book seriousness. The unit’s handling of the film’s
frequent dark scenes was impressive. As Batman battles Bane in the latter’s
underground base, for instance, I was struck both by now deep and true images
look, and by how much shadow detail information the Epson retains even in the
inkiest corners.
Fine detail levels are very high, too. The
TW8100 does full justice to the gorgeous textures, subtleties and cinematic
grain of Warner’s beautifully produced Blu-ray. Ultra HD/4K may be grabbing the
column inches at the moment, but there’s certainly life in Full HD yet.
Also strong is the TW8100’s color handling.
Nolan’s movie employs a demanding palette that combines many different lighting
conditions and skin tones, yet the TW8100 replicates them all very well except
for a slight – but not massively distracting tendency to over-egg oranges and
reds during mid-dark sequences.
Born to run
I found the TW8100’s handling of motion
very credible, too. After much experimentation I personally chose not to use
the Frame Interpolation system, simply because – even without it –Epson’s new
mid-range model didn’t suffer heavily with judder or blur. Action-packed
sequences, like the mass street fighting near the end of The Dark Knight Rises
remained unspoilt. The interpolation feature can, of course, be called upon to
make things even smoother, but it does bring a processed sheen to proceedings.
The good news continues with the
projector’s running noise. Using the Eco lamp setting the amount of whining
made by the cooling fans is negligible. It does go up quite a bit if you witch
to the Normal lamp mode for viewing in ambient light or watching 3D – but even
then it’s seldom a serious problem unless you’re sat very close to the
projector.
The
arrangement of Epson’s backlit handset is hard to fault
As for 3D, the TW8100 shows that Epson has
bettered matters since last year. Previously, the brand’s PJ’s faltered with 3D
sources by taking too much brightness out of images in stereoscopic mode and
suffering from a fair amount of crosstalk. But my well-worn Prometheus platter
confirms that both these issues have been greatly improved for the TW8100.
Watching 3D feels like much less of a performance compromise, with the Epson
capturing both the sense of depth and the Full HD detailing that the active 3D
format was designed for.
It’s always possible to wish for even more
from any mid-range projector. Deeper black levels and an even better color
accuracy/balance are two obvious areas that more expensive rivals deliver on. I
also spotted one or two minor convergence errors around very bright objects on
the TW8100, and measured input lag to be slightly high at around 60ms, meaning
your gaming skills might be affected if you decide to do some big screen
fragging.
Yet this little list of negative looks
positively puny versus all the things the TW8100 does right, from design and
setup to HD performance. It’s a serious bargain, and in my mind more appealing
than the already good TW9100. That, thanks to its price point, has to compete
with models from Sony, JVC and Panasonic. The TW8100, on the other hand, has
found a nice niche. Those whose budgets are limited to absolutely no more than
$3,450 should check it out.
On the menu
The Epson’s onscreen menus are similar to
much of the competition – utilitarian but simple to get to grips with. And,
despite lacking the ISF certification of the higher-end EH=TW9100, there are
plenty of calibration tools to get stuck into, including a color temperature
slider and color management suite
AV info
Product: 3D ready, Full HD LCD projector
Position: A new mid-range option in Epson’s
3D home cinema projector series
Peers: Panasonic PT-AE6000; Sony VPL-HW30ES
The verdict
Highs: Very good 3D and 3D pictures; runs
quietly; easy to set up;
Lows: Minor convergence errors; slightly
high input lag; no free 3D glasses
·
Performance: 4/5
·
Design: 4/5
·
Features: 4/5
·
Overall: 4/5
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Specifications
·
3D: Yes. Active shutter (but no RF glasses
supplied)
·
Full HD: Yes. 1,920 x 1,080
·
Connections: 2 x v1.4 HDMI; D-Sub PC port; 12V
trigger jack; RS-232; component video input; composite video input
·
Brightness (claimed): 2400 ANSI Lumens
·
Contrast (claimed): 320,000:1
·
Dimensions: 466(w) x 395(d) x 140(h) mm
·
Weight: 8.4kg
·
Features: 0.74in with C2 Fine LCD panel;
side-by-side/top and bottom/frame sequential 3D compatible; Frame
Interpolation; noise reduction; color management; gamma management; 480Hz
panel driving; 5,000-hour lamp life in Eco mode; 22dB fan noise; 30-300in
image size; vertical and horizontal lens shift; 2.1x optical zoom; keystone
correction
·
Epson EH-TW8100 price: $3,375 Approx
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