Projectors Reviews, price and comparision

Review by M. David Stone • December 9, 2010

The Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 8700 UB Projector ($2,199 direct) is Epson's top of the line model in its home cinema projector category, bracketed by Entry Level models below and Pro Cinema models above. The Pro Cinema models are generally reserved for enthusiasts who are ready to shell out money for AV specialists to install, and tweak the settings on, their projectors and indeed their entire home theater, including the screen and audio system. The LCD-based 1080p 8700 UB is right on the cusp of that higher level, with Pro Cinema level performance at a decidedly moderate price. It's also our Editors' Choice for moderately priced home theater projector.

Physically similar to the Entry Level Editors' Choice Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 8100 ($1,499 direct, 4 stars), the 8700 UB is relatively large, at 5.4 by 17.7 by 15.5 inches (HWD) and 16 pounds. That leaves plenty of room on the back panel for connectors, which include two HDMI ports for video or data signals, three RCA phono plugs for component video, a VGA port for a computer only (it doesn't support component video), an RCA-phono plug for composite video, and an S-Video port.

In addition, there's a 12v trigger port you can use to automatically lower and raise a screen when you turn the projector on and off and an RS-232 port that lets you control the projector from a computer. There aren't any audio connectors, because there's no built-in audio system.

Setup
If you buy the 8700 UB, be sure to order cables at the same time, if you need them. The only things Epson provides along with the projector is a power cable and a remote. Assuming you have the cables you need, however, setup is mostly standard fare. Put the projector in place, connect the cables, point it towards the screen, and adjust the manual zoom, focus, and both horizontal and vertical lens shift. All four controls change settings just slowly enough and with just the right amount of resistance to make them easy to adjust.

Both the 2.1x zoom and lens shift controls are worth special mention, since they give you tremendous flexibility in where you can put the projector and still get the image size and position you want. The horizontal lens shift can move the image roughly a half-screen width in either direction from the center position. The vertical lens shift can move it almost a full screen up or down from the center position. The combination makes finding the right spot for the projector extraordinarily easy.

Finally, for setup, as with almost any projector, you can benefit from exploring the menu options and possibly changing the settings. However, the default settings, deliver excellent image quality, leaving little reason for any but the most demanding enthusiasts to play with the settings.

Performance
There are several independent features that each make a distinct contribution to the 8700 UB's image quality. The default settings include THX mode, for example, which delivers excellent color fidelity and suitably low brightness for watching movies in a theater dark room. Other settings, including Dynamic and Living Room modes, offer higher brightness for higher levels of ambient light while maintaining good color fidelity. These other modes also make the projector a good choice for watching sports or playing video games in a family room. Epson rates the projector at 1600 lumens in its brightest mode.

For theater dark viewing, an auto iris delivers exceptionally dark blacks, particularly in dark scenes. The blacks are a little lighter in brighter scenes, where the auto iris opens up, but still suitably black. Just as important, the iris adjustment is fast enough so I didn't see a lag in my tests between cutting to a new scene and the brightness changing—a common issue with auto irises.

Still another plus is how well the 8700 UB handled shadow detail, retaining detail based on shading in dark areas, even in scenes that many projectors have problems with. Similarly, it did a great job with flesh tones even in scenes that many projectors tend to posterize (showing a sudden change in color where it should shade gradually).

Also worth mention is a resolution enhancement mode that Epson calls Super Resolution. The mode visibly improved the sharpness of DVDs played over a 480i composite video connection and even showed a clear improvement in some scenes for Blu-ray discs at 1080p. Even better, it didn't create any artifacts. So even though the improvement was subtle to none in most HD scenes, the fact that the feature sometimes helps and never hurts makes it well worth having and leaving turned on.

As should be obvious, the 8700 UB offers an impressive collection of features and performance made even more impressive by the relatively low price. It doesn't offer the 3D-support that you'll find in some current DLP projectors, but the 3D in today's low price projectors is extremely limited, and you may never be able to make much use of it in any case.

Very much on the plus side, and far more practical as well, is that the 8700 UB comes with a voucher for a free replacement lamp, which is a $300 item. (Claimed lamp life is 4,000 hours, whether in standard or eco mode.) Whether you're a true enthusiast on a limited budget or just want a terrific projector at an affordable price—not to mention one that you can plug in and get a high quality image without making adjustments—the 8700 UB is both easy to recommend and an easy pick as Editor's Choice.

COMPARISON TABLE
Compare the ViewSonic PJD2121 with several other projectors side by side.