Digital Trends

Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 1080 September 19th, 2007 | by Marshal Rosenthal

Features and Design 

The 3LCD technology featured in Epson’s PowerLite Home Cinema 1080 comes housed in a fairly mid-sized chassis. However, the white, slightly Euro-curved shape doesn’t dominate a room and comes off as unobtrusive should it be left in sight. It’s also lightweight enough for moving between viewings if necessary. 

As for actual picture quality, front projectors using LCD panels (as is the case here) seem to offer a “tighter” image with less brittleness than those relying on a color wheel. That said, with a true widescreen format, full 1080p resolution and HDMI 1.3 providing the latest update for full color rendering, using the HDMI input is going to be the Home Cinema 1080 owners’ best choice for video. 

Granted, there’s also the expected component, S-Video and composite ports along with a PC input and RS232C for automation. (Plus a trigger for activating a motorized curtain, etc.). Either way though, aspect ratios will be automatically set (you can also choose to “zoom” into 16:9 formatted images and “stretch” full screen into wide angle). 

IR windows both front/back further let you roam when using the remote, although button controls can also be found on the projector’s top. These can be deactivated, but you will still have to touch the projector now and then since none of the lens functions are motorized.

Image Courtesy of Epson

Installation/Setup/Ease of Use 

Squaring the projector to the screen is the first and most important step – personally, I’m aiming dead to center while resting it on a small table facing my wall-mounted 84” screen.

After turning on the projector (which comes up to full brightness in a little over a minute), a quick twist of the zoom lens fills the screen entirely, with the manual focus aided by a cross-hatch pattern that can be directly accessed from the remote. Now all that’s left to do is line up the image vertically as well as hori-zontally, with the Epson providing wide latitude for performing these optical adjustments via two wheels on top. (You just move the image sideways till it lines up and then do the same for top and bottom.) 

A motorized lens could provide a bit more ease, since you could run functions while getting up close to the screen, but truthfully, it’s no big deal. Also, while I don’t have a larger screen to try this out with, cranking up the lens to where it simulates projecting onto a 100’ screen shouldn’t be an issue. Frankly, the overall brightness continues to be consistent, so I can see using a larger viewing area not being a problem. 

Returning to a screen size of 84”, I go to the menus and set the color temperature high, as that’s how I like it, while placing such enhancements as Sharpness, Brightness and Gamma at their mid-level posi-tions – as I also do with Color saturation and Tint. There are additionally such functions as a skin tone setting, motion detection and noise reduction, among others, along with added options for the adjustment of computer images being projected. (Although I found letting the system handle this automatically worked fine). 

In general, support for personalizing all your settings also makes the installation process enjoyable and easy to accomplish. You’ll likely appreciate having 10 memory settings as it affords the opportunity for experimenting as well.