Epson Powerlite Home Cinema 1080UB 3LCD 1080p Home Theater Projector - Review

With 1,600 lumens output, the 1080UB projects a bright image, with execellent contrast, black levels, and color rendition. However, if you have a large room, where the projector to screen distance is more than 20 feet, a projector with a higher lumens output than the 1080UB may be preferable.

The Color consistency and contrast was excellent throughout, which was evident on standard DVD clips from Moulin Rouge, Master And Commander, The Cave and Kill Bill Vol1/2. I found that the Home Cinema 1080UB was able to bring the out the details in dark scenes very well.

I also found that the Home Cinema 1080UB did a fine job with 480p sources with regards to acceptable upscaling. Also in terms of scaling performance of standard DVD; using the Oppo Digital DV-981HD DVD/SACD/DVD-Audio Player (HDMI output 1080p/1080i/1080p upscaling), I found that the Home Cinema 1080UB reproduced the upscaled performance of Oppo DV-981HD accurately.

Video Performance - Deinterlacing and Upscaling of Standard Definition Material

In a further evaluation, with regards to its scaling capabilities, tests were conducted using Silicon Optix HQV Benchmark DVD. In order to conduct an accurate projector upscaling test, I set the Oppo 980HD DVD player and LG BH100 Blu-ray/HD-DVD combo to 480i output and using the standard RCA composite video connector between the players and the projector. By doing this, all of the upscaling was done by the projector.

The test results showed that the Home Cinema 1080UB did a good job with both deinterlacing and scaling.

Jaggie elimination and video noise reduction were very good, as was moire pattern elimination. This projector also did an excellent job with the 3:2 Pulldown film cadence and rendering video titles over film elements. Check out a closer look at some of the test results.

What the above technical explanations of the test results mean is that the Home Cinema 1080UB's built-in video processors and scaler can deliver an excellent image on the screen, in real world conditions, with both standard definition and high definition material.

Performance With Blu-Ray/HD-DVD

With regards to Blu-ray Disc and HD-DVD true 1080i and 1080p source material, the ability to accept input resolutions up to 1080p (including 1080p/24), and reproduce high-definition resolutions accurately, is a real plus for the Home Cinema 1080UB.

The HD-DVD disc of The Phantom of the Opera was most impressive, in terms of color and black levels. Other HD-DVD discs that stood out was Transformers and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which showed both excellent detail and outstanding color reproduction.

On the Blu-ray Disc side, Hairspray, showed excellent, natural looking color, as well as detail and depth. Another example, 30 Days of of Night showed excellent facial detail, color, and black levels. Another good example of black level performance was with the Blu-ray edition of Blade Runner.

What I Liked About the Epson Home Cinema 1080UB

1. Excellent Image Quality for the price. Good color consistency, contrast/black levels, and brightness serve to provide an excellent image for an average size room.

2. Able to produce large images with short projector/screen distance. At a screen-projector distance of 12 feet, I was able to projecct a 92-inch diagonal image.

3. 2 HDMI ver 1.3 Inputs - Accepts 1080p/60 and 1080p/24.

4. Very Easy to Use Remote Control. Although the remote control is large (about 9 inches), it is designed to fit a hand well and the buttons are logically laid out. Another bonus is that the remote is backlight for easier use in darkened rooms.

5. Runs very quiet, very little fan noise, fast warm-up and cool down times.

What I Didn't Like About the Epson Home Cinema 1080UB

1. Needs more lumens output for large rooms. Although its 1,600 lumen output is bright, I found that at projector-to-screen distance longer than 20 feet, there is a brightness drop that might not be acceptable for consumers that prefer a bright image.

2. No Motorized Zoom or Focus Function. All lens/image size and position adjustments must be done manually at, or on top, of the lens assembly.

3. No separate DVI input (HDMI inputs can be used using DVI/HDMI Converter cable).

4. No carrying case or storage bag included in box

Final Take

Home Cinema 1080UB was easy to setup and use. The rear panel connections are clearly labeled and spaced out, and the on-unit control buttons and remote control were easy to use in conjunction with the onscreen menus. Even a novice should have no problem setting up and using this projector.

The Home Cinema 1080UB doesn't offer power-controlled lens adjustments, but its manual zoom, focus, and lens shift controls are easily accessible and usable.

The Home Cinema 1080UB is high end video projectors is an excellent performer in its price class. I found the color quality and contrast levels were very good. In addition, the built-in 1080p scaling of the Home Cinema 1080UB did and excellent job of upscaling lower resolution 480p DVD material, as well as passing direct 1080p Blu-ray and HD-DVD resolutions, including 1080p/24 signals.

Another welcome observation was that the traditional LCD Screen Door Effect was not noticeable, even on large projected images. The 1080UB is an example of the increasing number of LCD projectors that are providing smoother images, typically associated with rival DLP technology.

In addition, the included wireless remote has a good layout and well-spaced buttons.

The Home Cinema 1080UB is definitely a welcome entry into the video projector market and is illustrative of a trend that is making high quality video projection more affordable for the consumer. This projector offers a lot for its list price of $2,999.

If you are in the market for your first home theater video projector or want to upgrade a older projector, definitely check out the Epson Powerlite Home Cinema 1080UB.

I was impressed with the performance and function of this projector. If this projector would have had a higher 2,000 lumens output, rather than 1,600, it would have deserved a 5 Star rating. That being said, I give the Epson Powerlite Home Cinema 1080UB 3LCD Video Projector a strong 4.5 of 5 Stars.

For a closer look at the features and functions of the Epson Powerlite Home Cinema 1080UB, check out my Photo Gallery.