![]() ![]() Namely that the 4K Enhancement feature doesn’t make much difference to the look of native HD or SD sources. There is a limit to the LS500’s 4K pedigree. Rather scary lens-side view of the Epson LS500 A a motion processing system is provided, but you don’t need it. The ‘4K’ images don’t look unnatural or processed, either, and their clarity isn’t badly impacted by motion issues. The level of sharpness and detail isn’t quite on a par with native 4K projectors, but the pixel shifting technology does make at least some difference, especially as you approach the LS500’s upper image size limit. Particularly welcome is its handling of 4K sources, which look cleaner and crisper than HD did on the LS100. 4K performance lacks sharpness and detailįirst impressions of the LS500’s pictures are strong, and show real progress over its LS100 predecessor. ![]() So if you fancy the Android TV version, be careful you get the right one! Epson EH-LS500 performance - Impressive colours and excellent 3D, but average black levels Despite costing the same as the new Android model. The standard LS500B I tested has no built-in ‘smarts’. The built-in stereo speaker system delivers 2 x 10W of amplification, and connectivity impresses by providing three HDMIs when most projectors only offer two, and supporting powered streaming dongles such as a Roku TV or Amazon Fire TV sticks.Įpson recently introduced a version of the LS500 that provides built-in Android TV support. Unlike any TVs these days, the EH-LS500 supports 3D using the full resolution active shutter approach. So, for instance, you can choose to have a lower overall brightness but more detail in the brightest HDR areas, or a higher typical brightness level but less detailed brightness peaks. This provides an admirably simple way of choosing your preferred balance between baseline brightness and light range in HDR images. Though note that running noise increases exponentially when you up the laser output even by just 5% from the Cinema mode’s baseline setting.Īnother option worth tinkering with is the HDR10 Setting (as usual with projectors, there’s no Dolby Vision or HDR10+ support). You can even increase the laser output in 5% increments. This raises hopes that this is one affordable laser projector that can truly adapt to dark as well as bright room viewing. In fact, the Cinema mode reduces the laser light output to just 50% of its maximum, delivering 1200 lumens versus the 4000 lumen maximum. The two Cinema modes, meanwhile, offer a surprising amount of flexibility for varying the projector’s pictures to suit different viewing environments. Picture presets include Cinema, Bright Cinema, Dynamic and Game modes, with the game mode reducing input lag to a very respectable 26.8ms without heavily reducing picture quality. The LS500’s menus offer a decent and flexible set of picture adjustments. Epson has achieved HD-beating results with this technology before, though. So it’s more a case of boosting pixel density rather than delivering ‘true’ pixel for pixel 4K detail. It’s not a native 4K projector, though it depends on ‘Pro-UHD 4K Enhanced Pixel Shifting’ technology. While its LS100 predecessor was 1080p only, the Epson EH-LS500 brings 4K support. Note that the laser warranty ‘only’ covers 12,000 hours, or five years. You won’t see the sort of brightness and colour loss over the laser’s lifespan you get with lamp projectors, either. That equates to around 10,000 films without any maintenance. This seems fanciful in any real world conditions, though, so let’s move swiftly on to something more realistic: a claimed laser life of 20,000 hours if you use the Eco lamp mode. The 4000 lumens brightness claim is accompanied by an even bigger contrast ratio claim of 2,500,000:1. This is far more than you get from most home entertainment projectors, but important to a projector that clearly has ambitions of being bright enough to potentially replace a TV rather than just going into a blacked-out home cinema room. The laser lighting is claimed to deliver a maximum light output of 4000 lumens. The EH-LS500’s key selling points are its ultra-short throw design, laser lighting, and eye-catchingly low (for what’s on offer) £2,600 asking price. ![]() Epson EH-LS500 features - Has ambitions to replace a TV with its specification Vertical and horizontal keystone adjustments are on hand to get the edges of your image straight, while a helpful corner adjustment helps maintain uniformity right across the image. Screw-down feet on the rear edge adjust its projection angle, and there’s a simple focus ‘slider’ behind the detachable speaker cover. The EH-LS500 is designed to make set up easy. While the LS500 might not be especially pretty, it is compact for an ultra short throw design. This view of the black Epson LS500 is scary. ![]()
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