Epson EpiqVision Ultra LS800: Ultra Short Throw Laser Projector for Ultimate Home Theater

Imagine a cinematic experience in your living room, a screen that dwarfs your television, and picture quality that rivals the local multiplex. For years, achieving this meant dedicating a significant amount of space to a projector, often requiring ceiling mounts and complicated wiring. But what if you could achieve that same immersive experience without turning your living room into a construction zone? Enter the world of ultra-short throw (UST) projection.

UST projectors represent a fundamental shift in how we think about home theater. Instead of needing to be placed many feet away from the screen, they can sit just inches from the wall, yet still project a massive, vibrant image. This isn’t just a matter of convenience; it’s a technological marvel that opens up big-screen entertainment to a much wider range of homes and spaces.

How Ultra-Short Throw Works: Bending Light to Your Will

Traditional projectors use a relatively straightforward optical system: a light source shines through (or reflects off) an imaging element, and a lens focuses that light onto the screen. The farther away the projector, the larger the image, but also the dimmer it becomes, and the more susceptible it is to ambient light washing it out.

UST projectors, on the other hand, employ a much more sophisticated optical path. They use a combination of specially designed lenses and mirrors to achieve a very wide projection angle. Think of it like a periscope in reverse. Instead of looking at a distant object through a small opening, a UST projector takes a small image and spreads it out over a very wide area, very quickly.

The key component is often a large, aspherical mirror. An aspherical mirror, unlike a simple spherical mirror, has a non-uniform curvature. This allows it to precisely control the direction of the light rays, spreading them out evenly across the screen, even from an extremely short distance. The lens system in front of the mirror further refines the image, correcting for any distortions and ensuring sharp focus across the entire screen. This clever manipulation of light is what allows a UST projector to create a 100-inch or even larger image from just a few inches away.

Laser Power: The Bright Future of Projection

For years, projectors relied on high-intensity discharge (HID) lamps, similar to those used in car headlights. While these lamps could produce a bright image, they had significant drawbacks: they generated a lot of heat, had a relatively short lifespan (requiring frequent and costly replacements), and their brightness and color accuracy would degrade over time.

The Epson EpiqVision Ultra LS800, like many modern high-end projectors, utilizes a laser light source. Lasers offer a number of significant advantages over traditional lamps:

• Longevity: Laser light sources can last for 20,000 hours or more. That’s equivalent to watching a two-hour movie every single day for over 27 years! This essentially eliminates the need for lamp replacements, saving you money and hassle.
• Brightness and Consistency: Lasers maintain their brightness and color accuracy over their entire lifespan, unlike lamps, which gradually dim and shift in color. The LS800 boasts 4,000 lumens of both color and white brightness, meaning it can produce a vibrant image even in rooms with some ambient light.
• Instant On/Off: Unlike lamp-based projectors that require a warm-up and cool-down period, laser projectors can turn on and off almost instantly.
• Wider Color Gamut: Lasers can produce a wider range of colors than traditional lamps, resulting in a more vibrant and realistic image. This is especially noticeable with HDR (High Dynamic Range) content.
• Safety: It is worth note that, although laser is used, there is no harmful laser beam emitting to damage eyes.
  

3LCD vs. DLP: A Colorful Debate

There are two primary technologies used to create the image in modern projectors: 3LCD and DLP (Digital Light Processing). The Epson LS800 utilizes 3LCD technology, and understanding the difference between these two approaches is key to appreciating its picture quality.

• DLP: DLP projectors use a single chip covered in millions of tiny mirrors. These mirrors tilt rapidly, reflecting light either towards the screen (to create a bright pixel) or away from the screen (to create a dark pixel). To create color, DLP projectors typically use a spinning color wheel, which sequentially filters the light into red, green, and blue. While DLP projectors can be very compact and offer high contrast, some viewers are susceptible to the “rainbow effect,” seeing brief flashes of color around bright objects, especially during fast motion.

• 3LCD: 3LCD technology, as the name suggests, uses three separate LCD panels – one each for red, green, and blue light. The light from the laser source is split into these three primary colors, and each color passes through its corresponding LCD panel. The LCD panels act like tiny shutters, controlling the amount of light that passes through each pixel. The three colored images are then recombined using a prism and projected onto the screen.

The key advantage of 3LCD is that it delivers all three colors to the screen simultaneously. This eliminates the rainbow effect entirely and results in consistently bright and accurate colors, even in fast-moving scenes. It also tends to produce a smoother, more natural-looking image, particularly beneficial for film content.

4K PRO-UHD: Sharper Than Meets the Eye

The Epson LS800 is marketed as a “4K PRO-UHD” projector. This is a form of pixel shifting, which takes advantage of the projector’s speed to enhance the perceived resolution.

True 4K resolution has 8.3 million distinct pixels (3840 x 2160). The LS800’s imaging chips are not native 4K. Instead, 4K PRO-UHD technology uses advanced processing and pixel shifting to rapidly display multiple, slightly offset images, effectively doubling resolution of a standard HD, and creating a sharper, more detailed image than standard 1080p. While not technically the same as native 4K, the visual difference is often very subtle, and 4K PRO-UHD offers a significant improvement in clarity and detail over standard HD projectors.

Inside the Epson EpiqVision Ultra LS800

The LS800 is more than its core display technology; it includes various features for usability: * Connectivity: The LS800 boasts extensive connectivity options, including multiple HDMI ports (one supporting ARC, or Audio Return Channel, for simplified connection to a soundbar or receiver), USB ports, and built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. These allow connection of streaming devices, gaming consoles, Blu-ray players and sound system. * Android TV: Integrated Android TV provides a smart TV platform, allowing for direct streaming without needing external device, from services like YouTube and Hulu. (Note: Netflix is not natively supported. A separate streaming device, like an Amazon Fire TV Stick or Roku, is required for Netflix playback. This is a point that has caused frustration for some users, as evidenced in the provided reviews.) * Yamaha Sound System: Epson partnered with Yamaha. The integrated 2.1-channel sound system provides significantly better audio than most built-in projector speakers. While it won’t replace a dedicated surround sound system, it’s more than adequate for casual viewing and gaming. * Voice Control: The included remote supports voice search and control, simplifying navigation. * Automatic Scene-Based Color Correction: The LS800 features automatic color correction to deliver the best picture

Beyond the Specs: What It’s Really Like to Use

The real test of any technology is how it performs in the real world. Setting up the LS800 is, in principle, straightforward thanks to its ultra-short-throw design. You simply place it on a console or table a few inches from the wall, connect your sources, and power it on.

However, achieving perfect image geometry can be a bit more involved. The provided reviews highlight that even slight misalignments can result in a distorted image. Epson provides an app to assist with digital image correction, but achieving a perfectly rectangular image can still take some time and patience. This is a common characteristic of UST projectors, due to the extreme projection angles involved. It’s crucial to ensure the projector is placed on a perfectly level surface and that the wall or screen is also perfectly flat.

The user reviews also reveal some mixed opinions on the fan noise. Some users find it to be relatively quiet, while others find it noticeable, especially during quieter scenes. This suggests that individual sensitivity to fan noise varies, and it’s worth considering if you’re particularly sensitive to background noise. Also the ambient environment and settings may affect the cooling system performance.

Regarding wireless screen mirroring, the LS800, through its Android TV interface, supports Chromecast, enabling wireless mirroring from compatible Android devices and Chrome browsers.

Firmware updates are provided by Epson and can be installed via the projector’s internet connection, improving features, and fixing problems.

The Future of Projection: Where Do We Go From Here?

Ultra-short throw projection is a rapidly evolving technology, and the Epson EpiqVision Ultra LS800 is a prime example of its current capabilities. We can expect future developments to focus on:

• Even Shorter Throw Distances: Further reducing the distance between the projector and the screen.
• Higher Brightness and Contrast: Enabling even better performance in brighter rooms and with HDR content.
• Improved Resolution: Moving towards true native 4K resolution in UST projectors.
• More Compact Designs: Making UST projectors even smaller and more aesthetically pleasing.
• Enhanced Smart Features: Integrating more advanced smart TV platforms and features.
• Lower price: With the technology developing and more manufacturers join the market.

The Epson EpiqVision Ultra LS800 offers a compelling glimpse into the future of home entertainment. It combines the convenience of ultra-short-throw projection with impressive image quality and smart features, making big-screen entertainment more accessible than ever before. While there are some minor drawbacks, such as the setup challenges and lack of native Netflix support, the overall package is impressive and represents a significant step forward in projector technology.