Epson’s new UST can project an 80-inch diagonal image when positioned just 2.3 cm from a wall or screen, with a maximum image size of 150 inches. Brightness is specified at 4,000 lumens, which is quite high for a home cinema projector. The EH-LS800B uses a laser light source and, according to Epson, is equipped with “4K enhancement technology that doubles the full HD resolution by shifting each pixel diagonally.” There are 3 HDMI inputs including eARC.
Epson will unveil its latest products at IFA 2022. This includes his new 3LCD Ultra Short Throw (UST) projector, which looks like a significant upgrade from the company’s previous UST models. His EH-LS800B, available in either black or white, is currently listed on Epson’s UK website for his £3,699 (about $3,800), with an estimated shipping date of 11 It’s the moon. It houses a 2 x 20 watt audio system developed by Yamaha and runs his Android TV operating system for video streaming.
Highlights
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Ultra-short-throw projectors: brightness and sound matter
Ultra short throw projectors are designed to be placed in living rooms where ambient light levels are relatively high. Specially coated screens help reduce the effects of room light on the UST model, but the higher the light output, the more likely you are to get images with good contrast and rich colors. In his EH-LS800B demo I saw at his IFA, the projector was generally set up in an open space with bright show lighting. No attempt was made to optimize the environment for video projection. -
According to an Epson rep I spoke to at IFA, one of those inputs is a “special” HDMI connector that bypasses the projector’s video processing circuitry and allows for sub-20ms latency when gaming. One of his very cool features that I demonstrated was his iProjection app for Epson. Ultra-short-throw projectors are notoriously cumbersome to set up to match the image to the screen. However, Epson’s app makes this process easier by using your smartphone’s camera to take a picture of the projected image during setup and then operate the projector to correct the alignment. From what I’ve seen, it’s easy and quick, and simply preferable to leveling the projector’s feet with the surface it sits on.
Still, despite its challenges, the Epson projector looked great. This was partly due to the screen used for the demo blocking ambient light, but the EH-LS800B’s high brightness definitely contributed to its performance. Another element of the UST model is audio. This is because it takes up the space normally occupied by a soundbar in a living room entertainment setup. Almost all UST projectors have some sort of built-in audio, but often the audio is weak and lacks dynamics. His Formovie UST projector, which he recently put to the test, features a total of four speakers developed by Bowers & Wilkins and an audio system that supports Dolby Atmos.